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Designed Realty Buying or selling a home is an expensive transaction and can be overwhelming. Contact us today at De I absolutely love living in Western Washington.

In the summer time, I try to spend as much time on the water as I can, whether that be on the lake, white water kayaking and rafting on the rivers, or fishing in the Sound. In the winter, you can find me in the mountains snowboarding and camping. I don't just want to sell you a house. Anyone can do that. I want to make sure you know everything about the neighborhood you are looking at, and can enjoy everything that this amazing region has to offer.

10/13/2026

If you are thinking about selling your home, interview more than one agent.

A referral is a good place to start, but the market may be very different from the last time that person sold. You still need to ask questions and see who is actually paying attention to your situation.

Here are three things I would watch for:

1. They spend the whole appointment talking about themselves, their company, and their presentation instead of asking about you.

2. They pressure you to sign before you finish your other interviews.

3. They expect you to pay for every listing expense up front without offering a strategy for staging, photography, or paying those costs at closing.

The right agent should help you understand your options without rushing you.

If you are preparing to sell, we would be glad to earn a seat at the table.

10/09/2026

If your entire view of the housing market comes from national headlines, you may be listening to a lot of noise.

Seattle does not move exactly like every other market. The opportunities available here depend on the neighborhood, the property, the builder, the seller, and the terms you can negotiate.

That is why buyers and sellers need local information, not another talking head predicting a crash from across the country.

Turn off the noise. Talk to someone who is actually working in the market and can show you what is happening on the ground.

What question do you have about the Seattle market right now?

10/05/2026

Meet Kyle Marboe.

Kyle helps clients buy and sell homes across Seattle and the Eastside. He has been with Designed Realty for a year and a half, and the thing that stands out most to him is the support.

From the communication and technology to the front-end and back-end systems that keep everything moving, he values having a team behind him so he can stay connected and focused on his clients.

Outside of work, you will probably find Kyle at a Mariners game, a concert or comedy show, or walking his dog along Lake Washington.

And yes, his favorite song is “Party in the U.S.A.”

09/26/2026

One of the most overlooked questions when buying a home is not what looks expensive. It is what will make the home better to live in every day.

A beautiful range hood may photograph well, but if the motor is sitting directly above you and running around 78 decibels, it can make conversation difficult every time you cook. A remote blower costs more, but it can move the same amount of air at a much quieter volume.

The same thinking applies throughout a home. A second dishwasher may not cost much more than another cabinet base. Custom appliance panels can save you from constantly cleaning stainless steel. Engineered hardwood can give you the wide plank wood look and feel people love. Permeable pavers can look great while reducing environmental impact.

Good upgrades are not just about appearance. They should improve the way you live in the home.

When you are comparing properties, look past the finishes and ask what those choices will feel like every day.

09/23/2026

You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink.

And if it does not drink today, you do not give up on the horse.

Your leads are people. They have jobs, families, travel, stress, and things happening in their lives that have nothing to do with you.

Sometimes they ghost. Sometimes they miss an appointment. Then they feel guilty, which makes reaching back out even harder.

Let them off the hook.

Stay helpful, stay consistent, and keep the relationship open until they are actually ready.

You cannot get mad at someone for not being ready to buy a home on the day you are ready to sell them one.

If you are growing your real estate business and need more reminders like this, follow Designed Realty.

09/21/2026

Follow-up matters, but follow-up alone will not grow your business.

Opening your CRM, clicking through old leads, and trying to write the perfect message can feel productive. But if no new people are entering the database, the pipeline eventually dries up.

Follow-up is lead management.

Growth comes from creating new conversations, meeting new people, and consistently adding names, phone numbers, and email addresses to your world.

That may come from open houses, networking, referrals, door knocking, or paid leads. The source can change. The need for new conversations does not.

If most of your workday is spent reorganizing old leads instead of finding new ones, that is the problem to solve first.

Need stronger mentorship around building your business? Send us a message.

09/19/2026

Your real estate agent does not need to be a roofer. They should know enough to recognize what they are looking at and when you need a second opinion.

Start with the roofing material. Is it architectural composition, presidential, three tab, metal, or something else?

Then look at condition. As shingles age, they lose granules, expose fibers, and begin fraying along the edges.

Finally, look at what is penetrating the roof. Furnace exhaust, attic ventilation, bathroom exhaust, kitchen hood vents, and fireplace exhaust all serve different purposes. The type, size, and material can tell you a lot about the systems inside the home.

An agent should never pretend to be the expert they are not. But they should know enough to ask better questions and help you decide when to bring in the right professional.

The next time you tour a property, ask your agent what they notice about the roof.

09/16/2026

If your real estate business only works because you are still working at midnight, something has to change.

We learned that the hard way.

Kevin was closing 43 transactions, managing even more, training agents, raising young kids, and carrying a pipeline of roughly 150 to 200 leads. From the outside, the business looked successful. Behind the scenes, he was physically and emotionally burned out.

That experience shaped why we built Designed Realty.

We invested in systems, technology, transaction management, file management, and support that could catch problems before they became the thing keeping an agent awake at three in the morning.

Agents should be able to serve their clients well, grow a real business, and still come home to their families.

With the right systems, support, and company, work life balance in real estate is possible.

If your business never lets you turn it off, let’s talk.
Send us a DM!

09/15/2026

Real estate can bring out emotions people are not proud of.

A client may panic, lash out, or say something they regret. That does not give their agent permission to turn the moment into office gossip.

Years ago, one of our clients called in a highly emotional moment. The next morning, she apologized and was embarrassed.

Our listing assistant could have shared every detail. Instead, she protected the client and explained that moving with children is stressful and the family had simply been having a hard time.

That is what understanding looks like.

Agents still need a place to process hard days, but processing is different from gossip. The goal should be to regulate, learn, and keep the office from becoming toxic.

Your clients should be safe with you, even on their worst day.

That is one of the values we protect at Designed Realty.

Kevin Sarbora Sarah Wilhite

Address

105 Central Way Suite 202
Kirkland, WA
98033

Telephone

+12063512174

Website

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