Top 5 Restaurants in Spokane, WA

  Looking for a new place to eat out or maybe just driving through Spokane and need a place to stop. We are talking about my top five favorite places to eat that maybe you don't know about. Or if you type in a Google search on where to eat in Spokane, these ones might not pop up, but they're still certain seriously amazing places to eat. So stick around, check it out. We have everything from fancy food to just quick stops.   Let's see if we can introduce you to something new and exciting. Today we're talking about amazing restaurants that I eat at all the time and I think are super awesome but don't get enough credit.     1. Gilded Unicorn The first restaurant we have is the Gilded Unicorn. The Gilded Unicorn is located at the corner of Monroe and first, just across the street from the Fox Theater or down the street from the downpours. It's right in Central downtown. If you're going to go see the symphony or concert at the Knitting Factory, it's a great spot because you're right there next to a lot of the concert venues. I'd say this one is more for your date night or upscale, but you're looking to try something new rather than the traditional, like Clinker, Daggers, Churchill's, Wild Sage, something like that.   The ones that people tend to go to for those fancy date nights. This one will kind of spice it up a little bit. It has a really unique menu and it's in a really cool space. So the Gilded Unicorn is easy and hard to find at the same time because basically there's no storefront. It's in the basement of the building, actually, but there's a big painted sign on the side of the building that says Gilded Unicorn. Points down, you head in the door, head downstairs. And what's really cool is kind of with the name, you're down in what feels like the basement of a castle or something. You're in a fold tavern. You got rock walls, big chandeliers. It feels super like you're eating in the Night's Round Table or something like that.   It's just like it's a very cool space and just being down below, but the ceilings are super high, so it's like a very deep basement, so super unique atmosphere, and I think that's part of the experience as well. This is one of Adam Hagsted's restaurants. He's a super well known chef in the area who's opened quite a few super successful restaurants. And so this is one of his more upscale ones. But let's just read through the menu a little bit here because they have some super interesting items that you can order.   So it goes anywhere from salmon cakes to truffle and reggiano popcorn to start we got fancy Chicago boards. Devil on Horseback is bacon wrapped dates with crushed almonds and an orange glaze. It's also the way the menu is laid out is like a story. Almost like you're going into a fairy tale of fantasy or something. So your appetizers are your introduction. Your prologue is like your salad or like a small bowl of soup or something that you're going to start with. The story is your entree and the end is your dessert. Some of these entrees, they're super meaty, they are super hardy like you're at you were a hard working night, something like that. King, I guess is another way you're a king and you're eating very hardy and stuff like that. So you're not going to walk away. It's not one of those places where you go out for an upscale nice dinner and you walk away hungry because the portions are so small. You're going to leave here full and satisfied.   I'm really concerned about my price per square foot on the food that I order. So if the price is high, I do expect a decent amount of food for me to feel happy about what I got. So in terms of entrees, they've got pan roasted pork chop, tater tot casserole that has brisket and roasted wild mushrooms in it with a sherry cream sauce. Those are both amazing. The unicorn mac and cheese, I had that. It was amazing.   They have rice cakes topped with crispy fried duck. So very unique menu, not something that you're going to come across anywhere else. But I think it's super fun that you get to go down into a restaurant that feels very themed of being back in the nights and shining armor era. I think it's very fun to just feel like you're going down to an old tavern where you might run into an English king or queen somewhere you're having a hearty meal. But it's very upscale, very nice, and just much more unique experience than some of your classic fancy dinner nights out here in Spokane. Would highly recommend on your next date night out for something as a change of pace.   Address: Montvale Hotel, 110 S Monroe St, Spokane, WA Phone: (509) 309-3698 Website: CLICK HERE     2. Wisconsinburger Very next one is for those people just looking for a great burger. I feel like people are always looking for the best burger in Spokane. And we have a lot of really good burgers, especially on the faster side. We have Dick's hamburgers on spray and then Delicious is another one. Zip has great hamburgers. So fast food local, fast food wise, Spokane does have amazing burgers. But if you're looking for more of a sit down one, the best one that I think I found is Wisconsin Burger.   So Wisconsin burger is actually over in the Perry district. And so it's actually really convenient if you're swinging through town and you just want to jump off the freeway and grab something very easy access to it. But seriously, these burgers are insane in the name Wisconsin. They involve cheese curds and a lot of things. And so they have a burger that is stacked with cheese curds on it. They can get cheese curds as an appetizer as well, plus get the burger with cheese curds on it. Wisconsin Burger also has 80 canned beers, basically, plus ten taps. So they have just a huge grocery store style refrigerator that you can pick the canned beer from, or they have a handful on tap. So there's tons of overwhelming amount of selection for beer. But tons of super fun burgers ones that I highly recommend, the one with the cheese curds on it.   And then the German town is seriously so good because it's a butterflied half house bratwurst and then sharp cheddar cheese, house made beer, mustard, sauerkraut, and on a pretzel bun. So it is totally your Bavarian dream. But they have other burgers that are vegetarian. They have like four vegetarian options. They make housemade sausages. So you can get an awesome Bratwurst style hot dog type thing if you're not feeling a hamburger. And it's just a cool atmosphere. So it's a great little neighborhood, doesn't see a lot of people, so sometimes there is a little bit of a weight, but it's totally worth it, and you will gorge yourself if you go there. So I think Wisconsin Burger is the best burger that I have found here in Spokane.   Address: 916 S Hatch St, Spokane, WA Phone: (509) 241-3083  Website: CLICK HERE     3. Elliott's Urban Kitchen All right, the third restaurant is for those people looking for a new brunch. Or, I mean, you can go for lunch in there as well. But we're going to speak specifically about brunch at Elliott's in Urban Kitchen. So Elliott is up on North Monroe and kind of the North Monroe district. Super eclectic, fun atmosphere, just a wide open restaurant with some booth seating, but also some longer farmhouse style tables that you might end up sharing a table with somebody. But that's kind of the vibe of the restaurant is community getting to know other people. And so it's very cool. On Sunday brunch, they usually have a musician there just sitting in the restaurant playing guitar and singing, and I just think their menu is super awesome.   So the insider secret on Elliott and Urban Kitchen is that they not only have biscuits and gravy, but they just called B and G's, which is super good. The biscuits are amazing, but they also have a pork green chili biscuits and gravy. It's kind of like you got your traditional one, and then you kind of got this southwestern fun variation. But local secret only. The best way to order this is to go 50/50. So it's not an option on the menu, but just say, I want the B and G's 50/50, get the A on top. Seriously, it sounds so weird, but it's so good.   They have so much other super good stuff. Omelets, espinola, amazing steak and eggs, shrimp, omelette, veggie omelets, veggie Benedicts, all that kind of stuff. So I think it's super awesome, super fresh ingredients. The owner is a super sweet lady that is just really supportive of the community, has come out to see my bands perform before. And so she's just yeah, she's awesome. So hit up Elliot's in Urban Kitchen just north of downtown for your next brunch stop.   Address: 916 S Hatch St, Spokane, WA Phone: (509) 241-3083 Facebook: CLICK HERE     4. Soulful Soups The next one is somebody looking for a quick lunch break. They might be in downtown, they might be swinging through downtown, and they just need something quick, easy, and satisfying. And that would be Soulful Soups. Soulful Soups is on Howard north Howard downtown, not far from really anything down there, not far from the davenport, not far from the River Park Square, the mall downtown, just a tiny little hole in the wall that has some seriously bomb soup. And not to knock the soup at all, but just the beer bread is where it's at. That's the good stuff. So you just walk in there's like usually eight to ten soup options, just pick one and then they'll serve it with a salad.   Or you can get the bread, you can get both, whatever you want, but it's always super satisfying. The beer cheese soup. Again, maybe there's a theme here. I enjoy food. I enjoy satisfying, fulfilling food. And the beer cheese soup is definitely one of those things. So it's the bread in that it's seriously amazing. But you can get it to go if you're in a rush, but you can sit in and just kind of enjoy the little busyness of that block downtown. I think it's an awesome atmosphere, great vibes, and just another super, I think, hole in the wall that has been in Spokane for a really long time.   But just, again, if you're googling this type of stuff, where should I grab lunch in Spokane? it doesn't pop up as much, so definitely check it out and go get some soup.   Address: 916 S Hatch St, Spokane, WA Phone: (509) 241-3083 Website: CLICK HERE     5. Conchinito Taqueria Our last category is for just kind of the general one. I mean, it's our taco burrito category because, because that's a very important category here in Spokane. But this could be for lunch, for dinner.   There's a lot of taco burrito options in Spokane, but we're going to assume that you're either swinging through downtown, you're driving through Spokane, or somewhere else. You just want to stop in really quick. And so we're going to focus on our downtown core and what I would say for something that is super fresh or local is Cochinito. Again, Cochinito is super centrally located just a couple of blocks from the Downpour Hotel, right next to the bus plaza. And they are relatively new to Spokane.   It's been around a few years, but the tacos and the ingredients are so fresh and so good. And most recently I had them catered at an event and so they brought the whole buffet style spread and it was like, especially when you have those large portions, it's not their best, but man, it was like seriously, it was so good. People were amazed they even brought to our catered. It was just a catered lunch. They brought octopus, like ceviche and everything.   So they have a super fresh, unique menu. It's not like your heavy burrito Mexican food. It's going to be a light fresh taco that you're going to have a few different variations that you can pick from. Grab a great mixed drink while you're there. They have awesome margarita, stuff like that.   And even looking here to my point, their slogan is local and responsibly sourced ingredients prepared with fine dining techniques, all served in a casual atmosphere along with craft cocktails, thoughtfully selected surveys, as I don't know how to say that in spirits. Like I said, it's a casual fun environment, but amazing chefs in the kitchen making super unique entrees tacos, all that kind of stuff. Just a slight look at the taco list. They have octopus and papas, bravas taco. So when you walk in there, you're going to get a taco that just kicks some serious butt. So I think they're awesome.   Address: 916 S Hatch St, Spokane, WA Phone: (509) 241-3083 Website: CLICK HERE     Notable Mention One thing bonus category that I wanted to mention is dessert. And this is somewhere that I think Spokane is struggling right now, dessert wise. And so they're nothing fancy, nothing like that. But if you're just swinging through, I would either go to Zips and get one of the best milkshakes ever. My personal favorite is the huckleberry milkshake where at the bottom is like literally lined with like two inches of huckleberries. There's hundreds of huckleberries in each shake. It's crazy. I think they lose money on every single one because huckleberries are so expensive. And if you have some time, head up to the the top of Rocket or Top of the South Hill and get how I pronounce it, Nanaimo Bar, because these little chocolate bars of goodness are I don't even know how to describe it, but they're so good. You can find them in some other places around town and other grocery stores. But I know that you can go up to the Rocket market off of 47th, and get that there and stuff in because they're really cool little local grocery store and stuff as well.

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6 Things Sellers Need to Know Today that Weren't True Last Year

The housing market has been a seller's market throughout the pandemic, but is this still the case? The current trends are pointing towards an end to the real estate market conditions that created a bonanza for sellers. Many issues created a high-pressure market environment severely skewed in favor of sellers. From sky-high home prices, intense competition between buyers, and tactical play from sellers waiting for the right moment to put their homes for sale.  It's worth saying outright: things are changing, and there are things home sellers need to be aware of today that weren't true last year. Here's what they are:     1. Home prices growth is returning to pre-pandemic levels This is not the same as saying home prices are declining; they're not. Prices are still growing and won't begin falling in the foreseeable future. It's the rate at which they're increasing that's changing. All the signs point to a return to pre-pandemic levels of growth. So, instead of the unprecedented near-20% year increases, we're now seeing the more modest 7-8% year-over-year growth, according to the Zillow Home Value Forecast. The number of home sales expected to go through in 2022 is 5.46 million,10.8 percent down from 2021.  This means that the waiting game is over for sellers in practice. You might have been thinking about selling your home but were waiting for home prices to reach their peak to maximize their returns on the sale. But the peak has already passed. It is doubtful that we'll see any more of the skyrocketing levels of home price increases any time soon. So, if you're unsure whether you should be putting your home up for sale right now, the answer is yes.     2. Popular relocation hotspots have the highest home prices The way local home prices behave is always different from national averages. An area that's extremely popular with homebuyers will have different housing market conditions from one that homebuyers are keen to leave. In many cases of post-pandemic migration patterns, these local conditions have a marked effect on home values. If you are in a popular neighborhood, you are in luck. You can command a higher home price even if the overall trend is for slower growth. Redfin calls these "migration hotspots" and reports that they have the highest inflation rates.  If you're not in one of those areas, you can still sell at a reasonable price if you know who your potential buyers are. An excellent real estate agent with local knowledge of your area can help find these buyers.     3. More affordable areas are in demand The overall trend among homebuyers right now is downsizing and saving on housing as much as possible. Moving patterns indicate a strong preference for more affordable areas. People are moving from the biggest and most expensive cities to smaller urban and suburban areas. These smaller communities offer good amenities and schooling but don't cost as much as the traditional vast metropolitan areas. Home sellers need to be aware of this. This doesn't mean you won't be able to sell if you are a home seller living in a metropolitan area. There is always movement both ways, and a general pattern away from a city doesn't equal an exodus. You need to market your home to the right buyer.     4. Homebuyer competition is still incredibly high As a home seller, you will see headlines like "homebuyer competition drops to the lowest levels in two years" and think you'll struggle to sell. This is not the case. Homebuyer competition pre-pandemic was already very high, with record numbers of millennial homebuyers entering the housing market in search of their first home. This is a generational trend, and it won't go away any time soon. Indeed, you may not sell your home within days of it going on the market, as was so often the case during the pandemic. But you will still sell within weeks in many places.     5. You may not get your first buyer One of the most prominent features of the pandemic-era housing market conditions was that many homebuyers were willing to waive contingencies to secure a home. There is evidence that this is no longer the case. As Redfin deputy chief economist Taylor Marr says: "buyers are increasingly keeping rather than waiving inspection and appraisal contingencies. That gives them the flexibility to call the deal off if issues arise during the home buying process". Some buyers may call off a deal after finding a cheaper home. Others may be forced to backtrack after a mortgage application falls through. While inconvenient, this is a common occurrence and something you must prepare for by giving yourself more time to sell this year than last year.     6. An experienced real estate agent is more important than ever Housing market conditions are a little trickier for home sellers this year than last year. It is even more critical this year than last year to get a real estate agent with solid experience and expertise in selling your type of home in your area. This will maximize your return on the sale and minimize the potential for delays and a deal falling through.   We'll Help You Navigate a Shifting Market Selling your home can be stressful, especially as there are shifts happening in the market around us. Through experience, we're prepared to help you navigate and succeed in this market. Let's Talk

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Spokane Housing Inventory has Exploded!

  In just over 3 months, Spokane’s housing inventory has more than tripled. What does this mean for you as a buyer or a seller? Today we’re talking about the shift that’s taking place in not only the Spokane housing market, but the housing market across the entire United states as well.   We’ve seen inventory skyrocket lately as well as interest rates and my goal in making this video is not to bore you with all the numbers and stats but help you make educated decisions when buying and selling real estate right now. So what does this all mean?     The beginning of 2022 was similar to 2021 in which we really saw the rock bottom of inventory in Spokane. In February of 2021 we saw an active inventory of 237 homes and in February of 2022 we saw 245 homes in active status.     Now there are some seasonality factors as Spokane usually has the lowest amount of inventory in February every year anyway, but this was the lowest amount of inventory we’ve seen in Spokane pretty much ever.   But in the span of 3 to 4 months we went from less than 400 active listings to now over 1400 active listings so we’ve made a significant jump. And even in comparison to this same week last year, we have a 93% increase in active listings.     So why are homes sitting longer on the market? Well as most of us know, interest rates have gone up significantly from the start of the year as well. They were in the 3’s went up over 6% and are now back down in the 5’s.   This has caused the buyer pool to dry up because between the appreciation we’ve continued to see this year along with those rising interest rates, many buyers who could afford a $400,000 home last year, can now only buy a $300,000 home. And not to mention that a $300,000 home was worth $275,000 less than 6 months ago.   So the supply and demand scale use to look like this and now it looks a little more like this.   Now because we’ve seen such a rapid change in the housing market, this has caused media outlets to start using the word crash and bubble even though we are still nowhere near that point.   It’s common for us realtors to talk about how lucky all you home buyers are because historically interest rates are still low because back in the 1980’s they were easily 18%. Well houses were also a quarter of what they are now and on average housing affordability was a lot greater compared to the income of that time.   So even though I often believe that history repeats itself and that we should look back in history to help make decisions for the future, I don’t think most of you relate or feel comforted by the data from forty years ago. I know for myself I wasn’t even born yet and my parents hadn’t even made it out of high school yet, so let's look at a time that we should all be fairly familiar with, 2018 and 2019.   A time when interest rates were around 5%, homes could take anywhere from 2 to 5 months to sell, dropping the price was a normal thing to do and some homes just didn’t sell.   Compared to today, homes might take 3 to 4 weeks to sell so much quicker than 3 years ago, interest rates are in the 5’s, and price reductions are become a normal part of doing business.   So maybe one of you out there can explain it to me, but I don’t know what there is to panic about? What’s the difference between the two? Honestly, it seems like we’re still in a better place than we were 3 years ago.   Now we could stay on this trajectory but we’re just heading back to where we were pre pandemic. And You want to know what’s interesting? Well You know that recession that we’re in right now, if we’re calling it a recession, that has caused your stocks or 401K to go down by about 20%? Well it’s very similar to the real estate market. Real estate has really been more of a lagging indicator of the economy. The stock market has reacted much faster than the real estate market which is totally normal. You can sell your stocks at the push of a button but a home sale takes much longer.   But stocks were here at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020 and they had a wild ride but ended way up here in 2021 and have moved down to about the halfway point between 2019 and 2021.   The real estate market is having a similar journey. It was here in 2019, made its way up here in 2021 and now so far we’ve only seen a slight dip in prices and activity. But you know what will continue to happen to both stocks and real estate? Over time, they will continue to keep going up and up like they always do.   So just know that the housing market might have a little more room to move to meet up with the stock market, but all these people waiting for home prices to tank and foreclosures to flood the market are just going to be waiting forever. Because even if it does come down a bit more, the gap between there and what was going in 2019 is still a major difference. Home prices would literally have to be cut in half to go back to what they were in 2019.     Okay, so what does this mean for you and your situation?   For Buyers, this time in the market is really good for you. Even though interest rates are higher and your monthly payment might go up, you’re able to do something that most buyers haven’t been able to do in the last two years, which is negotiate.   And even though your monthly payment might be a little higher, I think you’re going to be able to keep a lot more money in your pocket to get into your next home.   Sellers are offering concessions so they will cover your closing costs which could save you 2% or more of the purchase price in cash. For an average home in Spokane, that could be 7, $8000 that you get to keep in your pocket because the seller is going to cover it. Sellers are also offering interest rate buydowns which depending on how much you can negotiate could bring your interest rate down quite a bit and make your monthly payment much more affordable. If something comes up in the inspection, which you should feel blessed that you’re getting an inspection at all, you will actually be able to talk to the seller about getting it fixed instead of knowing they will move on to the next buyer because there is a line of people waiting for your deal to fall apart.   Additionally, being able to pay above the appraised value of a home with cash was a requirement so people with very deep pockets were winning all the bidding wars because they had a spare, 20, 30, even 50 thousand dollars in cash they could pay above the appraised value.   This is a fantastic time to get into the market if you don’t have tons of money saved up because the cash required out of pocket is much less.     As a seller, you need to be ready for those negotiations. It probably won’t be a feeding frenzy any more where people just throw money at you, waive all contingencies and are willing to kiss your feet or name their first child after you to get into the house.   What is your plan to make your house stand out from the one down the street that is for sale and nearly identical to yours? Are you going to offer the interest rate by down from the start?   This leads to the next major change in the market which is creating a strategy with your realtor. When you first meet with your realtor you want to know what is the strategy to get a solid deal on a house right now or what is the strategy to get your house sold for the most money possible?   In the last year you could definitely just stick a sign in the yard and expect multiple offers but now much more work needs to go into making sure the house is clean, staged, well presented in photos and videos and there is a plan in place for pricing including price drops. Some of the very beautiful homes that are priced well are still experiencing multiple offers. I had a listing that is closing tomorrow that got 4 offers on it and 3 being cash but the sellers had done a beautiful renovation and priced the home well. So buyers, you still want to know what to do in the event of a multiple offer scenario.     So, I think one of the biggest takeaways is that sellers, it’ll be slightly harder to find a buyer for your home, but not insanely difficult with the right plan.   Buyers, it’ll probably be easier to get your offer accepted.   But here’s what I’ve seen the most recently. Sellers still have a big ego because of the market we’re leaving, and buyers have a big ego because of the market we are entering, meaning both parties are going to have to work a lot harder to keep a deal together and across the finish line.   Partner up with an agent that can work for you but also help you make smart decisions that will benefit you but not totally kill a deal because you’re trying to take everything you can get.   I want to make this very clear though, the only thing that is going to go down is the rate of appreciation.   So that means that instead of homes appreciating 20% or more in a single year, they might only appreciate 3 to 5% in a year. And if you passed elementary school math, you can see that this means that home prices will still be going up year over year. Price reductions don’t reflect the entire market so please don’t let those scare you if you’re seeing them happen more and more. Asking price and value are two different things.   We Can Help Whether you’re a home seller or a home buyer looking to navigate these turbulent real estate market conditions, our team of expert real estate professionals can help. We are skilled at negotiating home prices and working with clients during volatile times. Let's Talk

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