Raymond Gravelle- Realtor

09/25/2026

Mortgage rates reached 7.12%: The average 30-year fixed rate rose 0.15 percentage points as of Sept. 18, reaching its highest level since May 2024. That makes it even more important for buyers to understand their monthly payment options and what fits their budget.

09/17/2026

VA loans are recommended if you're a qualifying military veteran, or still on active duty. You'll save on mortgage insurance when you qualify for a VA loan. Instead of a monthly mortgage insurance premium, you'll probably pay an upfront funding fee. This fee is based on your type of service, down payment amount, and other factors.

To learn more about mortgage insurance and buying with a low down payment, contact me for an informal, no-obligation chat.

09/16/2026

Nationally Existing Home Sales Ease Again

Existing home sales fell 2% from July to August, marking the third consecutive monthly decline. Sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million homes, 1.2% below August 2025 levels.

Meanwhile, inventory continued to build. The number of homes available for sale increased 3.2% from July and was 5.9% higher than a year earlier.

09/16/2026

Grant County Real Estate Update: What the Last 7 Days Tell Us About Pricing 📉

Notice a trend in those numbers? There were 47 price reductions in just one week. Those 47 sellers were actively chasing the 34 buyers who ultimately went under contract—and unfortunately, those price-reduced homes didn't win the sale.

The Crucial Takeaway for Sellers: Don't Chase the Market Down.

When a home isn't getting traction, the instinct is often to make small, incremental price drops—maybe a 3% reduction to see if it sparks interest. This strategy rarely works. Incremental price reductions over multiple weeks are not effective and actually work against you by signaling desperation or causing buyers to wait for the next drop.

Instead of a cautious 3% reduction that keeps you trailing the market, making a decisive 5% reduction can immediately position your home ahead of the competition and attract serious buyers who are ready to make a move. Pricing ahead of the market is how you win the pending sale.

If you want to ensure your home is positioned to sell rather than sit, reach out to Raymond Gravelle today to build a winning strategy!

09/15/2026

Useful Tips for the older among us.

09/14/2026

You'll hear experienced local agents say the Grant County real estate market follows the Seattle market by about six months. We'll see it's proven true in the past, many times.

Seattle buyers gained rare leverage as inventory surged nearly 8 times the national pace and sellers cut prices to stay competitive.

09/11/2026

More homeowners decided to list their homes recently, which resulted in new listings reaching their highest level since August 2022. Approximately 384,000 new listings appeared during the four-week period ending August 30, while total active listings rose 2.4% year-over-year to about 1.51 million.

On a regional basis, active listings increased 10.5% year-over-year in the Midwest and 9.1% in the Northeast, beating the 3.2% increase in the West region and 1.1% in the South.

However, buyers have yet to respond with stronger contract activity. Pending sales fell to their lowest level since February during the four weeks ending August 30.

The information provided by The Money Store newsletter.

09/11/2026

Market conditions continue to slow down a bit. Lots of price reductions to get showings and offers.

08/19/2026

08/10/2026

After several years of whiplash—pandemic-era bidding wars, a sharp rate spike in 2022-2023, and a prolonged stand-off between buyers and sellers through much of 2024 and 2025—the U.S. housing market is entering what many economists are calling the Great Housing Reset. It is not a crash, not a boom, but a slow, grinding return toward something resembling normal. If you are planning to buy, sell, or invest in real estate this year, understanding the forces at play is the single best thing you can do to protect your money and your timeline.

2026 is the first year since the pandemic where incomes are growing faster than home prices in most markets. That gradual shift is the engine behind improving affordability—even though mortgage rates remain well above their 2021 lows.