How to Time the Market

I was recently holding an open house when a curious neighbor came into the home to check out the new improvements and ask about current market conditions. After showing her the home and added value/improvements made by the seller—and asking her to tell everyone she knew—I briefly explained that we are going through a market correction, which began in mid-May (like a light switch on May 10th), and touched on the probable causes. I went on to say that current market conditions seem to have stabilized: generally, sales have increased and inventory began decreasing around mid-October (I saw it October 18th). I summed it up quickly with, “I believe it’s a great time to buy.” She looked at me and said “yeah, but what would you say to your friend or a family member. How would you advise them?” I shrugged and smiled as I replied, “I just did.”

Will Investing in Smart Home Technology Increase Your Home’s Value?

Smart home technology is rapidly advancing and ranges from a smart home assistant — such as Google Home or Amazon Alexa — to complex systems managing every aspect of a residence. While some homeowners make the assumption that adding smart home technology will increase their home’s value, Mansion Global warns that things aren’t quite so simple: “Your home’s smart technology could give you an edge over other sellers whose homes don’t have it, but it’s challenging to assign a dollar value to it, experts say.”

Amazon’s Impact on its New HQ2 Cities & the Impact on Seattle

A flurry of news articles have come in the wake of the news that Amazon has officially selected two new HQ cities: one in Long Island City, New York, the other in Crystal City, Virginia. The question on many minds, is how the move will impact the new chosen cities and the company’s relationship to Seattle.

TechnologyAaron FreemanNovember 15, 2018Wall Street Journal, WSJ, Crystal City, Long Island City, Virginia, New York, Amazon, Seattle Times, Mike Rosenberg, SeattleComment

The U.S. is Named Most Competitive Economy in the World

The World Economic Forum recently released the annual Global Competitiveness Report, naming the United States the number one most competitive economy in the world for the first time since the early 2000s. According to the report, the nature of economic competitiveness is shifting, as economies are “increasingly transformed by new, digital technologies,” which are “creating a new set of challenges for governments and businesses.” The United States is followed by Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

Facebook Investing $7.5 Million in SODO Office Space

Facebook will soon be expanding its foot print in SODO, this according to a recent article published by the Puget Sound Business Journal, which indicates that the social media titan is investing $7.5 million into office space renovations at the Home Plate Center building. After initially indicating that they would lease a full floor at the office tower earlier this year, permits filed with the city of Seattle show that “Oculus” (the virtual reality arm of Facebook) has leased over 62,000 square feet.

WeWork Adds to Seattle Presence with Two New Leases

WeWork, an international co-working space provider, is greatly adding to its Emerald City footprint, as a recent report by Colliers International reveals that WeWork signed the two largest leases in Seattle in the second quarter of 2018, securing 120,000 square feet of office space at Metropolitan Park East, and an additional 115,000 at 1201 3rd Avenue. Seattle ranked tenth on the list of the nation’s top office markets, but its performance is quite stellar given the strength of WeWork and e-commerce giant Amazon.

Google Continues to Cement its Presence in South Lake Union’s Tech Hub

Exciting news came from Google on August 14th, as Puget Sound Business Journal broke the story that the search engine giant is working with Vulcan Inc. to build a fifth office building for the company in the fast-growing South Lake Union neighborhood where it already has four in construction. The new building will stand 12 stories tall and complement the “Lakefront Blocks,” which will top 607,000 square feet of office space with apartments for rent.

Sotheby’s International Realty Receives the Silver Creator Award from YouTube

The Sotheby’s International Realty® brand’s YouTube channel reached an unprecedented milestone recently, as the brand became the first—and only—real estate company channel to have more than 100,000 subscribers. Along with leading the industry’s presence on YouTube, the Sotheby’s International Realty brand joins an elite group—out of 50 million channels on the platform, only 0.1% have reached 100k subscribers.

Despite HQ2 Plans, Amazon Continues to Grow in Seattle

Upon the announcement that Amazon was on the hunt for a second headquarter location, many wondered what impact a new city would have on the company’s presence in Seattle. And as recent activity from the retail giant has shown, it is definitely not slowing things down. According to reports, Amazon “has increased its forecast for the size of its campus in Seattle by about 2 million square feet, the equivalent of three additional skyscrapers,” which means the company will occupy nearly 14 million square feet of office space once current and planed projects are complete.

Local Economy, TechnologyAaron FreemanMarch 27, 2018Seattle Times, Technology, Amazon, HQ2, SeattleComment

Amazon Offers Insight on HQ2 Plans

In a speech given at the Sheraton Hotel in Seattle recently, John Schoettler, the real estate chief at Amazon, offered some logistical insight regarding the company's selection process for their second headquarter location, this just days after the tech giant narrowed their list of candidates to 20 cities primarily in the U.S.

TechnologyAaron FreemanJanuary 23, 2018PSBJ, Bloomberg, Amazon, Seattle, Technology, John SchoettlerComment

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Aaron Freeman