What does it take to succeed in some of the most competitive real estate markets in the country?

In this week’s Rentometer Agent Spotlight, meet Marnie Oshan of Windermere Real Estate—an agent serving Seattle and Silicon Valley who pairs ground-up infill development experience with a sharp, data-driven approach to evaluating every investment.

Professional Overview

📍 Markets Served: Seattle, WA and Silicon Valley, CA
📊 Annual Sales Volume: 125 homes per year
🕒 Experience: 5 ½ years

With a real estate career that began during the uncertainty of COVID, Marnie quickly found her footing in the fast-paced world of new construction and infill development. Today, she brings an investment-driven lens to every transaction—helping clients evaluate not just the property, but the long-term opportunity behind it.

A Conversation with Marnie

What inspired you to become a real estate agent, and what continues to motivate you today?

“I changed careers during COVID. I had always been interested in real estate, especially from an investment lens. When my job had forced furloughs, it was the perfect time to pursue my license.

I was fortunate enough to connect with a group who works in the new construction space and have had a very busy and active career from the start. It has been great to be involved with ground-up infill construction and learning how our cities add density.”

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When is the best time/age to invest in real estate?

“In a perfect world, we would all invest when we are young and have our assets grow over a long period of time. However, it doesn’t work out that way for most of us.

I’d say whenever you are ready, both financially and maturity-wise, to take on the responsibility and risk involved in investing.

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What’s the most challenging transaction you’ve worked on?

“My first transaction ever was for the purchase of a triplex for a buyer who lived out of the country. There were a lot of challenges with communication and logistics due to time differences.

We finally got to the closing table and the first day that by buyer owned the home, there was literally a dumpster fire on site! Luckily the damage was not too bad, but what a ride!”

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How important are investor clients to your business?

“Investors are a great base as they tend to transact more often than traditional owner-occupant clients. For me, it is also fun to get to underwrite deals from an investment perspective.”

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What makes your local market unique compared to other parts of the country?

“I am licensed in both Washington and California, which are very expensive markets that can make investing more challenging for entry-level buyers. There is, however, very strong upside in both of these markets as they tend to appreciate.”

While home prices in these markets are high, the data supports the long-term upside. Rentometer’s 2025 analysis shows continued rent growth in both Seattle and San Francisco—with Seattle rents up 19.4% since 2021 and San Francisco leading large U.S. cities in year-over-year growth.

For investors, that combination of strong rent performance and long-term appreciation helps offset the higher cost of entry.

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How does Rentometer support your pricing and market analysis process?

“I use Rentometer all the time! After figuring out the monthly payment on a property, it’s the first place I go when trying to determine if it makes sense to dive deeper into a deal. It’s fantastic to be able to get a quick report showing market rents and actual comps.”

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What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received about investing in real estate?

“Don’t try to time the market.”

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Connect with Marnie

If you’re buying, selling, or investing in Seattle or Silicon Valley, you can reach Marnie here:

📧 Email: marnie@windermere.com
📲 Phone: (206) 659-8116

Follow Marnie on social media or check out her site:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Link
• Facebook

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