A friend of mine is a single mom who became a real estate salesperson several years ago following her divorce. She had a consistent flow of buyers and sellers until the beginning of the year when the market slowdown became even more apparent in many Pacific Northwest neighborhoods.

She postponed a long-awaited kayak trip because an out-of-state buyer was coming into town with a reportedly all-cash offer for a waterfront cottage. I laughed and teased her about postponing the trip when I found out the man was single.  more...