About Roger Bintner
Real estate for the next chapter of your life.
I work with empty nesters, downsizers, and families navigating estate sales who are ready for what’s next but feel buried by the house, the stuff, and the repairs. My team takes all of it on. You hand me the keys, we get the home sold, and you wake up already in what comes next — wondering why you didn’t do it sooner.
How I work
The Simple Life Strategy.
Most agents will list your house. That’s the easy part. What’s harder — what makes this stage of life different — is the part before listing and the part after closing: the decisions, the decluttering, the timing, the next-home math. That’s where the Simple Life Strategy comes in.
Closer to listing day and want the practical seller’s playbook? View the Listing Guide →
- 01
The Coffee Conversation
We start with a no-pressure conversation about where you are, what you actually want, and how you prefer to communicate. I send a short video introduction beforehand so you know what to expect. My team — vetted contractors, attorneys, and accountants — is already lined up if you need any of them. If repairs or updates need financing, I work with lenders who loan against equity, paid back at closing.
- 02
Crafting Your Property's Story
Together we set a price grounded in current market reality — what active competition is actually doing on curb appeal, finishes, and condition. A pre-inspection identifies anything a buyer's inspector will find, before they find it (including a sewer scope if the home is 20+ years old). From there, my team handles the details: vendor bids gathered for your review, a listing-prep calendar so the work has a finish line, oversight from the first scrubbed grout to the staged living room. Hand us the keys and walk away — the home will be 100% ready on listing day.
- 03
Marketing & Showing Your Home
A “For Sale” sign isn’t a marketing plan. Every listing gets a custom go-to-market strategy: professional photo and video, a 3D Matterport tour, a QR-coded property website, automated digital advertising, Homes.com network placement (148 million monthly visitors, premium positioning, retargeting), and Windermere Luxury Marketing on higher-end listings. Private showings and open houses I personally attend — I want to read buyer reactions in real time, not get a one-line text from a stranger holding the door. While your home is listed, you get regular updates: who’s coming through, what they’re saying, what they’re comparing yours to, and what the market is doing this week.
- 04
From Closing to Housewarming
While the sale closes, we work the next-home side together. Neighborhoods, criteria, timing, money. Sometimes the right answer is a smaller home. Sometimes it's a condo, a 55+ community, or renting for a stretch while you figure it out. The goal isn't just any next chapter — it's the right one.
- 05
The Key Exchange
Final negotiations, escrow, paperwork, address changes, utility transfers. A dedicated transaction coordinator works the details behind the scenes — earnest money confirmed within 1–3 days of mutual acceptance, appraisal coordinated if the buyer has a loan, mobile notary scheduled if you’re traveling for the signing. My team's checklists make sure nothing gets forgotten. We celebrate when you close. Then you're in our group for life — call us anytime, for anything real-estate related, forever.
Why downsizers
The second move is a different job than the first.
Buying a starter home and selling a forever home are two different jobs. The first is mostly about excitement and credit scores. The second is about memory, math, and momentum. After 27 years in real estate, I’ve found I’m better at — and care more about — the second.
Empty nesters and downsizers face a particular set of decisions. How big a house do you actually need now? What’s the right ratio between mortgage and freedom? How do you make a 30-year accumulation of stuff move at all, much less move easily? Where do you want to live when “where the kids’ school is” stops being the answer?
These are the questions my work is built around.
My story
How I got here.
I grew up in a small town on the Washington Coast. I could walk to school, everyone knew everyone, and the outdoors was where most of my hours went — golfing, swimming, water skiing. Even as a kid I was a retail strategist — once spent a summer imagining how to turn the old railroad depot into a mini-mall.
I met my wife while working at a Seattle department store. Two kids and four grandkids later, we’re still figuring it out together.
My career has had its own arc. A wholesale clothing venture ended when a partner backed out — a hard year, made it through with my wife’s support and a friend who believed in me. A mentor brought me into launching gift stores in several U.S. cities, in partnership with art museums and corporate sponsors. We hosted exhibitions from China and Russia. From there I opened a women’s clothing store in downtown Seattle and ran it for 25 years before selling it.
All of that taught me retail: strategy, execution, the art of presenting something so the right people see it. But what I missed was close collaboration with one customer at a time — helping someone make a single big decision.
That’s why I pivoted to real estate. Every property is a story being told to the right audience. Every transaction is one person — or one family — at the center. Retail taught me the methods. Real estate let me apply them where they mattered most.
What guides me
Three values, every transaction.
Family
The reason most of my clients are moving in the first place. It's the lens on every decision — what works for kids, grandkids, the next visit, the next 20 years.
Authenticity
I don't pitch. I help you figure out what you actually want, then I build the plan around that. No two clients want the same thing; the plan shouldn't be the same.
Curiosity
After 27 years in real estate, I still learn something every transaction. I want to keep doing that. It's what keeps the work interesting and the work for you sharp.
My wife once gave me a plaque that read “I Don’t Care.” My granddaughter added a sticky note: “Unless it’s Important.” I keep both visible. They remind me what to focus on — in life and in work.
What people say
From the people I’ve worked with.
Roger sold our house in one week. He specializes in reaching the market with plenty of advertising. The home staging helped the buyers see the possibilities. Roger is easy to contact, prompt about dealing with issues, and eagerly answers all questions. He is pleasant to work with; we highly recommend him to future buyers or sellers.
My life was turned upside down but Roger said, “don't worry about a thing, I will handle everything for you.” He immediately took on remodeling my condo with little cost to me. His team of contractors and stagers did an amazing job in a very short time. The final photos were magnificent and brought in many buyers the first two days. I didn't have to do a thing — my condo sold the second day for more than I anticipated. Honest, caring, skillful, and knowledgeable.
Roger has been our trusted real-estate agent since 2004. During that time he has helped us with six different transactions, and we're currently working on another one. Roger is attentive to detail, extremely technologically sophisticated, and well connected with services and contractors. Warm, personable, and highly dependable. Over the years he has become a true friend. We would never consider using another agent — our exclusive use of him speaks for itself.
The credentials.
- In real estate since
- 1998
- Years as a broker
- 27+
- Brokerage
- Windermere
West Campus - WA License
- #50539
Based in the Des Moines / Federal Way / Redondo Beach corridor, serving the south Puget Sound from Burien to Auburn. The kind of agent who answers his own phone and remembers your kids’ names two years after closing.
The Market Reporter
My read on the market, every two weeks.
A short, opinionated newsletter for Federal Way, Des Moines, and Redondo Beach — what changed, what to make of it, and the on-the-ground context the dashboard data doesn’t give you. Free. Easy to unsubscribe.
Sends a quick email with subject “Market Reporter” — you’re on the list.
Thinking about a move?
Talk to Roger.
Helping empty nesters land in the right next chapter since 1998.
Real Estate Broker · Windermere Real Estate · Windermere West Campus
WA Real Estate License #50539
Equal Housing Opportunity. Each office independently owned and operated.