zebra report: Get Plugged-In to Your Local Housing Movement
- 06/06/25 09:55 AM
Get Plugged-In to Your Local Housing Movement If you are not plugged-in to your local, regional, or national housing information centers, you need to be! In other words, where do you get your information to give to your clients about what is happening in real estate, nationally and regionally? For example, here in Washington State, we recently passed legislation that increased access for building more middle housing. This is creating a big shift in our housing markets. It matters because our market here has become overpriced - our kids can't afford to buy homes because home prices are so ridiculous -
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zebra report: Have You Boarded the Middle Housing Train?
- 05/14/25 10:30 AM
Have You Boarded the Middle Housing Train? I know it sounds like I have been harping on middle housing, and you know, I am! Here's why. Today I am in California and what am I doing? I am researching middle housing everywhere in California just like I have in Nevada, in Oregon, and Washington State. If you are not up-to-date on middle housing, you need to start building your knowledge of what is going on. If not, you are going to be left behind. You can no longer go to a home and do a traditional comprehensive market analysis. You need
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zebra report: Sure, the Empire State Building Can Fit on That Property
- 04/10/25 02:29 PM
Sellers Who Think They Can Build the Empire State Building on their Property Sellers usually have an inflated idea of the potential of their property, especially when it comes to price. Couple that with zoning changes brought on by comprehensive plan updates and middle housing initiatives introduced by Washington State House Bill 1110 and what we have are thousands of homeowners who have no idea what their property is worth now, what it may be worth when these changes are implemented locally, but they are sure that the new highest and best use of their property means they can retire and
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zebra report: The Many Sides of Middle Housing Innovation
- 03/13/25 04:34 PM
The Many Sides of Middle Housing Innovation When it comes to middle housing, I am excited about everything that is happening here in Washington State and around the country! I just came back from the International Builder Show in Las Vegas and my goodness, middle housing on everybody’s top list of things to talk and learn about! Any type of exhibit that had anything to do with alternative housing, smaller housing, and affordable housing included some middle housing education. These areas were busy-busy on the showroom floor. So, we know that middle housing is here to stay and this this week
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zebra report: Tariffs, Real Estate, and You
- 02/14/25 01:47 PM
Tariffs, Real Estate, and You Tariffs are back in the public consciousness in a big way since our newly elected President Trump has begun using them to drive policy. For my longtime viewers, you know I am not for the left- politician or the right- politician. I am for smart government decision making. However, today I am leaving politics off the table and I just want to focus on tariffs, how they affect the housing market, and a timeline for how quickly they may impact homebuyers. So, I first want to explain why we should be concerned about tariffs in the
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zebra report: A Conversation with John Wilson, King County Assessor
- 01/31/25 09:54 AM
A Conversation with John Wilson, King County Assessor This week, instead of my usual Zebra Report, I'd like to share with you an important interview that I recently held with Washington State King County Assessor, and long-time friend, John Wilson. John and I go back many, many years and I've had the honor of getting to know him and witnessing the work that he has done. Here in the State of Washington right now we are experiencing a crisis in housing. We have never before seen the challenges that we are seeing today. Homelessness has been on the rise, safety in
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zebra report: You Need an Edge
- 01/17/25 10:41 AM
You Need an Edge I get asked this same question every year, "Denise, why are you so passionate about doing an entire analysis of everything: real estate, housing legislation, new construction, jobs, transportation, migration, infrastructure, and more?" The answer is simple. When you know more, you are able to share more. When you are educated about things related to our occupation - and real estate affects and is affected by nearly everything - you have an edge. That's why I do it. I do it so you and my clients can have an edge over the competition and serve your clients
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zebra report: A Different Perspective on Business Planning for 2025
- 01/10/25 09:09 AM
A Different Perspective on Business Planning for 2025 It is the beginning of 2025! Hopefully, you have done some business planning and have some things you want to achieve by the end of the year. Most real estate agents focus their business plans on some sort of growth - growth in transactions, growth in commission dollars, and growth in the amount of free time they have due to more-efficient processes. However, when was the last time you focused on quality and your "why"? It is natural to want more, but sometimes having more in one area means having less in another.
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zebra report: 2025 State of the Market Preview
- 12/20/24 09:45 AM
2025 State of the Market Preview Today I'm really excited because I get to talk about some more details about my upcoming 2025 State of the Market event, which takes place online this coming January 22 from 9:00 AM to noon. You've got to be there! Let me tell you why this year is so important. At my 2023 State of the Market, we had never seen so many housing bills proposed in the legislature, but this year we have even more headed our way. I've never seen so many passed and so many new housing bills presented at the state
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zebra report: It's Real Estate Business Planning Season
- 12/06/24 10:14 AM
It's Real Estate Business Planning Season This time of year, I can hear the rustle of new business planners, the click of gel pens getting ready to jot down long to-do lists, and the mouse clicks of shoppers on Amazon finding new organization systems. Planning for a new year is exciting! Essentially, we get to wipe the slate clean and begin again - for agents who didn't have a great 2024, this is a welcome thought. But I have another perspective to consider - the real estate agent who needs to do a minimum of business planning every year. Why? Because
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zebra report: The Most Important Trait Agents Need to Succeed
- 11/22/24 10:16 AM
Personal Self-Discipline The single most important trait a real estate agent has to master isn't great selling skills, it's not being able to show a house, and it's not being able to do a great listing presentation. Don't get me wrong, all these things are useful skills that will improve your business. The single most important trait is personal self-discipline. We get in our own way, preventing our own business from growing. We don't have systems that are working because we are missing the personal self-discipline to create them, engage with them, delegate them, and more. Personal self-discipline is something I
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zebra report: The Election is Over - What's Next for Housing?
- 11/08/24 10:26 AM
The Election is Over - What's Next for Housing? It has been an interesting few days, weeks, months, and even years leading up to the election this week. Depending on whether you have been cheering for team red or blue, you may be celebrating, welcoming in a new era, a bit bewildered, or even accepting and looking ahead. As a real estate professional and steward of homebuilders in this country, my first inclination when anyone is running for any office that has an impact on housing is to determine what their mission is pertaining to it. Housing is currently flirting
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zebra report: Consistent Action Creates Results
- 10/25/24 09:12 AM
Consistent Action Creates Results I've worked with thousands of agents over the past three decades and every agent experiences a market or a time in their career where business isn’t coming in at the pace that would keep them comfortable. When agents don’t have enough business in their hands, it’s usually because they aren’t consistently investing effort into paths for growth. Today's message is about creating that consistency. It's about having faith that your actions will lead to result. It's about moving your business story forward whether that's through mailing campaigns, staying in touch with past clients, or by daily
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zebra report: Are You Buying Real Estate Leads?
- 10/11/24 11:07 AM
Are You Buying Real Estate Leads? I get it. It has been a tough couple of years for real estate agents. Transactions are down, which has impacted most real estate agents. But what I hate to see during this time is agents abandoning their lead generation strategies because they aren't getting the results they want. They are blaming the lead generation method when the real culprit is currently the real estate market. If a lead generation method has otherwise been proven - because it has worked for others, worked in that market, and should very well work again when transactions
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zebra report: Luxury Home Features, On Tour
- 09/27/24 02:27 PM
Northwest MLS #2281152, Listed by Aimee Mills, Windermere RE North, Inc. Luxury Home Features, On Tour Wow did I have an incredible opportunity to go on tour of one of the nicest and well-built homes that I have seen in 20 years. This home was in Redmond and I had the opportunity to both tour it and bring my real estate coaching group, Encore, along too! When I say this home was well-built, spectacularly memorable - I'm not just saying it's just a beautiful design style and landscaping. A beautiful luxury home is a home that when you arrive at the
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zebra report: Mastering the Buyer Brokerage Compensation Conversation
- 09/12/24 10:52 AM
Mastering the Buyer Brokerage Compensation Conversation Mastering the Buyer Brokerage Compensation Conversation with Both Sellers and Buyers Since August 17th, new rules have been in effect regarding Buyer Brokerage Compensation, I have been keeping up on new issues that are cropping up across the country: Listing agents are trying to determine creative ways to share the compensation their seller is offering that does not require them to be on the phone, explaining it again and again for buyer agents wanting to show the property. Real estate companies are pursuing potential buyers, enticing them to get out of their signed buyer
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zebra report: Lost Control of Your Summer?
- 08/16/24 10:06 AM
Lost Control of Your Summer? I have talked with a number of agents lately who feel that they entered the summer with the best of intentions, but got derailed by chaotic transactions, life, and vacation time that took them out of their element. Now that it is mid-August and their to-do lists remain largely undone, they want to feel that they have accomplished something. Does this sound like you? Regardless of whether you had ambitions to revamp your listing presentation, start a geographical farm, plan a client event, or even repainting your bedroom, there is still time to make progress!
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zebra report: Letting Go and Learning to Delegate
- 07/23/24 12:38 PM
Letting Go and Learning to Delegate When I first started selling real estate, I was a young "whipper-snapper" who wanted to set the entire industry on fire. I had it all planned. I was going to be the Number One real estate agent in America - no, the WORLD! - and I was going to do it alone. Being young and naïve, I truly believed I didn't need anyone else. I wanted to do everything myself. I wasn't going to ask anyone for help. I wanted to be successful and thought that the definition of success was doing it all
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zebra report: Don't Chase Rates, Create Opportunities
- 07/12/24 09:49 AM
Don't Chase Rates, Create Opportunities Today I want to give you a market reality check. So, recently, agents have been telling me that they are getting frustrated because the feds are not reducing interest rates. Now, here's the reality check: I don't want any agent out there to ever have to wait for any government agency to do something in order for you to be able to thrive in this business. It is critically important to know that there are tons of buyers out there that want to buy. They cannot let interest rates stop them. They need to buy!
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zebra report: Three Real Estate Formulas You Need to Know
- 06/21/24 09:01 AM
Three Real Estate Formulas You Need to Know I don't know how much you remember about high school math, but I can assure you that I have never once used the quadratic formula in my day-to-day life or as a real estate agent. I haven't had to find the cosine of an angle or determine the slope of a hyperbolic graph. However, there are some formulas that I use on a very regular basis. Even though anyone can use Google to find a calculator that can quickly calculate what you need, understanding these three simple formulas and how to calculate
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