Buyer & Seller Questions
Questions Answered
Buying on the Eastside
How offers actually get won here, what to expect at each step, and where buyers most often lose a home they wanted.
In June 2026, months of supply across Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, and Mercer Island ran between 4.5 and 5.6 months, balanced to modestly buyer-leaning by historical standards. But median days on market was still only 10 to 16 days, so well-priced homes go pending in roughly two weeks. Buyers have more choice than in 2021, not more time. Source: Northwest MLS via InfoSparks.
Not always, but on a well-marketed home with multiple offers it is often what separates the winning offer from the rest. A pre-inspection lets you waive the inspection contingency with information instead of blind risk. On homes with fewer showings, a standard inspection contingency is usually still workable. The right call depends on the specific listing, and that judgment is the point of having representation.
No. Homes routinely go to the buyer who moved first, understood what the seller actually needed (timing, rent-back, certainty of closing), and structured terms around it. Price matters, but terms, escalation structure, earnest money, financing strength, and contingency handling frequently decide the outcome.
Financing structures vary, but jumbo loans in this range commonly start at 10 to 20 percent down, and stronger down payments strengthen an offer's credibility with a listing agent. Talk to a local lender before touring, a fully underwritten pre-approval is worth more in a competitive offer than a pre-qualification letter.
From first tour to closing, most buyers are 30 to 60 days once they are under contract, with financing typically 21 to 30 days. The search itself varies widely, some buyers write on their third showing, some on their thirtieth.
Sometimes. Because Colin's business is referral-based and he works closely with other brokers in the area, he hears about homes coming to market before they are live. Off-market opportunities are never guaranteed, but they exist, and they are one reason to be in a broker relationship before you are ready to write.
Selling your home
Pricing, preparation, and marketing, what moves a sale price on the Eastside and what does not.
Median days on market in Sammamish was 13 days in June 2026, up 62.5% year over year, with 5.5 months of supply and a $1,545,000 median sold price. Sammamish still transacts quickly, but sellers no longer get the automatic multi-offer weekend of 2021. Source: Northwest MLS via InfoSparks.
By the comparable set (recent closed sales of genuinely similar homes, adjusted for condition, view, lot, and floor plan), then tested against what is currently active and pending. Monthly medians and online estimates are useful context, not a pricing method. On the Eastside, the difference between a good price and an optimistic one usually shows up in the first ten days.
Almost always price relative to the comparable set, then presentation. In June 2026, median days on market across the Eastside was 3 to 16 days, so demand was not the constraint. Homes priced above the comps are the ones that sit, and the market reads a price reduction as confirmation of the original error.
Paint, light, flooring, landscaping, and decluttering return the most reliably. Deferred maintenance that shows up in an inspection (roof, drainage, decks, water intrusion) costs more in negotiation than it costs to address up front. Colin's construction background is used to decide what is worth doing and what is not before a dollar is spent.
Architectural photography, a cinematic listing film, floor plans, a dedicated property presentation, targeted digital distribution, and broker-to-broker outreach across the Eastside. The purpose is not volume of impressions. It is reaching the small number of buyers who will actually pay the top of the range.
Both work, and the answer is a financing and risk question as much as a market one. Rent-backs, bridge financing, and contingent offers all exist on the Eastside; which one fits depends on your equity, your lender, and how competitive your target purchase will be. It should be planned before either home goes on the market.
Waterfront & luxury
Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish carry their own rules. These are the questions that decide waterfront value.
Sun exposure and shoreline orientation, bank height (no-bank, low-bank, or high-bank), dock condition and permitting status, moorage rights, bulkhead condition, view protection, and privacy. Two homes of identical size on the same lake can differ by millions on those factors alone.
No-bank means the lawn meets the water with essentially no elevation change, the most usable and the most expensive. Low-bank has a short, manageable drop, often a few steps. High-bank sits well above the shoreline, often with stairs or a tram, trading easy access for elevated views and a lower price per foot.
Dock work is permitted, not assumed. Existing docks may be grandfathered at dimensions you could not build today, and replacement typically involves local shoreline rules plus state and federal review. Before you buy waterfront, the dock's permit history and structural condition should be verified, not the listing photo.
They behave differently month to month because they trade on very few sales. In June 2026, Medina posted a $3,727,500 median with 10.9 months of supply, while Clyde Hill posted $4,000,000 with 7.4 months. In markets that thin, individual property quality matters far more than the median. Source: Northwest MLS via InfoSparks.
Working with Colin
Who Colin works with, how he works, and what makes the representation different.
No. Colin serves clients at every price point. His sweet spot is $1M and above, but the standard of service does not change with the price of the home, a luxury experience at every price point.
Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Medina, Clyde Hill, Hunts Point, Yarrow Point, the Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish shorelines, and Seattle.
Colin's business is 100% referral. He's not chasing volume or paying for Redfin leads. He takes on fewer clients, giving each one more attention and more of his time at every step. That focus is backed by a construction background most agents don't have, so he can estimate real repair costs before you're locked into a deal, articulate quality and value with real credibility, and protect your investment every step of the way.
Many transactions do go smoothly, and in those you may never notice the difference. The difference shows up when something goes wrong, a property line dispute, an unrecorded easement, undisclosed water damage, a permitting problem, or a contract clause that quietly shifts risk to you. That is when experience is worth what it costs.
The report is published monthly at a permanent URL with city-by-city NWMLS figures, and the newsletter version can be delivered by email with your neighborhood selected for hyperlocal detail.
Call or text 425.890.6548, email colin.d@windermere.com, or request a consultation at colindalrymple.com.
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