Charlene Lewis/RE

Charlene Lewis/RE WA Real Estate Agent with Lotside serving the South King, Pierce and Thurston County areas.

🏡 Washington Housing Brief | September 3, 2026Washington home sellers are about to have a new option.Starting September ...
09/03/2026

🏡 Washington Housing Brief | September 3, 2026
Washington home sellers are about to have a new option.
Starting September 4, Northwest MLS is launching “First Look.”
A seller can publicly market a home for up to 21 days before the traditional Active launch while they're still preparing the property.
The listing still has to be available to every NWMLS broker, but the seller gets to decide whether buyers can actually tour the property during that period.
That could mean buyers start hearing about homes earlier—and sellers have a little more breathing room between “we're getting ready” and “we're officially on the market.”
But I think the interesting part is what happens next.
Would you rather know a house is coming three weeks early, even if you can't tour it yet—or would that just make you impatient?

08/31/2026

When my clients need me to check on something or when I say I'm out on the field, this one of the many tasks I'm doing to help my people.

08/27/2026

Before you fall in love with the remodel....

🏡 Washington Housing Brief | August 27, 2026This week's housing story isn't really about mortgage rates or whether inven...
08/27/2026

🏡 Washington Housing Brief | August 27, 2026

This week's housing story isn't really about mortgage rates or whether inventory went up again.

It's about what Washington communities are actually doing to create future housing.

Bainbridge Island is working through state Housing Accountability Act review over whether its housing plans and development regulations meet Washington's requirements.

Seattle is trying to make housing construction faster by streamlining permitting.

And Gig Harbor is exploring tax incentives that could encourage more multifamily and workforce housing.

None of that makes a house cheaper tomorrow.

But these are the decisions that determine what gets built, where it gets built and what kinds of homes buyers will have available five or ten years from now.

Charlene's Take: We've spent years saying Washington needs more housing. Now we're entering the harder part of the conversation — deciding where we're actually willing to put it.

Would you support more townhomes, condos and multifamily housing in your community if it created more attainable home options?

08/27/2026

This year, our back to school event is centered not just on equipping our students with the necessary tools for their school year, but also highlighting the resilience of our history and identities as Pacific Islanders to inspire our scholars as they navigate their educational journeys, through the rich knowledge and practices of their cultures and communities.

What to expect:
🎒Free backpacks and school supplies for K-12*
✂️ FREE haircuts
🫱🏾‍🫲🏽 Community health and wellness resources
🎨 Hands-on cultural arts activities
🎶 Music and good vibes!

✨ PRE-REGISTRATION OPEN NOW: bit.ly/picaV2S ✨
*Students must be present*

08/25/2026

Sometimes you gotta drive to play

08/21/2026

You do not automatically need 20% down to buy a home.
Different financing programs can have different down-payment requirements, and there may also be down-payment assistance options available to eligible buyers.
But here's the other side of it: just because you can put more money down doesn't automatically mean you should empty your savings to do it.
You still have closing costs, moving expenses, emergencies—and a whole house to own after closing. 🏡
The amount you put down should make sense for your finances, your financing, and the life you need to afford after you get the keys.


*I do not own this music*

🏡 Washington Housing Brief | August 20, 2026More homes are available across Western Washington—but buyers aren't respond...
08/20/2026

🏡 Washington Housing Brief | August 20, 2026
More homes are available across Western Washington—but buyers aren't responding the same way in every county.
King County has almost 24% more inventory than last year, while closed sales are down nearly 12%. Pierce and Thurston are seeing inventory increase alongside slightly stronger sales. Kitsap remains the tightest of the four, with just 2.28 months of inventory, while closed sales increased nearly 8%.
Across the broader Northwest MLS market, inventory is up 19.8%, but pending sales are down 7.2% and closed sales are down 3.2%.
For buyers, that's more selection and potentially more negotiating room.
For sellers, it means you're competing for a buyer who has alternatives.
Charlene's Take: More inventory does not automatically create more buyers. Affordability still decides who can actually move.
Information and statistics compiled and reported by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Mortgage-rate data from Freddie Mac.

08/20/2026

Buying a home? Be careful about making big financial moves before you close.
Financing a car, opening new credit, making large purchases, moving money around, or changing jobs can potentially affect your financing—even after you've been pre-approved.
If you're in the homebuying process and you're considering a major financial change, talk to your lender first.

Washington buyers have more choices than they did last summer, but that extra inventory is not automatically translating...
08/13/2026

Washington buyers have more choices than they did last summer, but that extra inventory is not automatically translating into dramatically lower prices.
July ended with nearly 20% more active listings across the Northwest MLS service area, while pending and closed sales were lower overall. Locally, the story is different depending on the county.

King inventory is up almost 24%. Thurston is up more than 27%. Pierce closed sales were essentially flat from last year, and Kitsap actually saw closed sales rise nearly 8% while remaining the tightest of these four markets.

Meanwhile, the latest published Freddie Mac 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 6.69%, so affordability is still doing a lot of the deciding for buyers.

Charlene’s Take: More inventory is creating opportunity, but it is also making buyers more selective. Sellers still have a market—they just have more competition.
Information and statistics compiled and reported by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Mortgage-rate data from Freddie Mac.

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22717 Briarwood Court SE
Yelm, WA
98597

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