Seattle & Washington Real Estate

Real estate is local — and understanding the Washington housing market requires more than national headlines.

In this section, you’ll find:

  • Seattle-area housing insights
  • Sunday Drive neighborhood features
  • Local market commentary
  • Washington housing programs
  • Community highlights

Whether you’re buying in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, or surrounding communities, local expertise matters when structuring your financing strategy.

I’ve been helping clients throughout Washington State for over 25 years, and this section highlights insights specific to our region.

Where Are Homebuyers Moving in Washington State?

Buying a Home in Washington StateIf you’re planning to buy a home in Washington State, you’re not alone — and you’re probably using a mortgage between $300,000 and $1,000,000.

That loan range now represents the largest share of homebuyers across Washington, from first-time buyers to relocations and move-up homeowners. But where people are buying has shifted significantly in the past few years.

Below are the top Washington cities attracting homebuyers and what mortgage financing typically looks like in each market. [Read more…]

Complete Guide to Accessory Dwelling Units

ADU and DADUs with Seattle Mortgage Expert Rhonda PorterWashington is in the top 3 states for leading the country with the addition to accessory dwelling units!

This type of housing makes it possible for providing housing to aging parents, adult children who are priced out of the market, a workspace or to provide income as a rental property.

If you have been contemplating adding an ADU to your home or finding a home with (or that could have) an ADU, I encourage you to check out my latest resource guide: Accessory Dwelling Units.


If you’re interested in learning more about financing options, I am happy to help you!

Looking for Affordable Housing? Check out Greater Tacoma!

If you’re looking to buy your first home, you may have to expand your horizon to find a home that’s more affordable. When I bought my first home many years ago, I wound up with a small rambler in Northeast Tacoma. We used an FHA mortgage with a 3.5% down payment (you do NOT need 20% down to buy a home). At the time, I was working in downtown Seattle at the Columbia Center and it was a heck of a commute…but I was so proud to own a home. We only owned it for a couple of years before we were able to sell it and use the appreciation to buy our next “move up” home. [Read more…]

My Seattle Kitchen Remodel: Flooring

Probably one of the toughest decisions we had to make, next to the counter-tops, was what to do with our flooring. We had a wood floor with a beautiful painted surface. Unfortunately, it was a real challenge to keep it clean and the paint was wearing off. Plus the lighter blond finish didn’t really go with our cabinets.

[Read more…]

Are you remodeling your greater Seattle or Tacoma area home?

kitchen remodel in SeattleWe’re getting ready to remodel our kitchen and recently discovered Second Use. Second Use is locations in Seattle and Tacoma. They sell second-hand items for your home from furniture to all types of fixtures. [Read more…]

Seattle RE Chat – FHA’s HAWK Program [Video]

In this episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat, Jim Reppond and I discuss FHA’s HAWK program with special guest, Frances Flynn Thorsen.

[Read more…]

Seattle Real Estate Chat: FHA’s Back to Work

UPDATE: Please visit our FHA Guide featuring current FHA mortgage programs and loan limits.

In this week’s episode of Seattle Real Estate Chat we discuss FHA’s “Back to Work”. Back to Work is a newer extenuating circumstance that allows people who had a short sale or foreclosure to be able to buy again as long as the short sale or foreclosure happened because of a loss of income at no fault of their own (due to actions by their employer). You can read more about FHA’s Back to work program here.

[Read more…]

“Going Above and Beyond” is Doing Our Jobs

Excellent service mortgage Rhonda Porter Seattle I received a really nice thank you card from Shannon Ressler at Findwell Realty last week that I want to share with you. We recently helped Shannon’s clients buy a vintage bungalow that was a short sell in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle using an FHA insured mortgage. Being a short sell and an FHA insured loan, there was no shortage of paper work and the transaction was coming “down to the wire”. [Read more…]