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How Was The Real Estate Market In Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Other Eastside Cities At The Start of 2012?
What a difference a month makes! The January Real Estate Map shows a “Seller’s Advantage” in our market!
There’s a lot of “red” on the above Seattle area real estate map! There’s more “red” than we’ve seen in years, and I mean years. What does the “red” mean? It means it’s a seller’s market. The homes that are in the “red” areas sell in less than 3 months on average. In January, most of the eastside was a seller’s market. Mercer Island, West Bellevue, and Kirkland did not quite reach the threshold of a seller’s market, but Kirkland was almost there. The real estate markets in these areas were more evenly balanced between the buyers and sellers as homes sold on average within 3-6 months.
This real estate market is pretty exciting to see after the tough markets of the last few years. But what this really means is that we have a more normal market on Seattle’s eastside. The good homes that are priced right and show well are the homes that are selling quickly and bringing the average market time down. There are and still will be homes that aren’t priced well or don’t show well which will sit on the market and take longer to sell.
The chance of a home selling in the different eastside cities ranged from 15-30%. West Bellevue had the fewest sales when compared to the number of available homes, while the plateau cities of Sammamish, North Bend, and Fall City saw almost a third of the homes sell in one month!
But King County is a big place, and the real-estate market isn’t the same in SeaTac as it is in Sammamish.
A closer look at the statistics reveals significant variations from neighborhood to neighborhood.
It’s good to see the Times recognizing the neighborhood differences, since too many times the media publishes data, which covers too broad an area. This does not give an accurate picture of the real estate data.
How was real estate market in your Seattle-Eastside city in January, 2012?
1. The plateau: Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City
The odds of selling a home were 30%
Median sales price decreased from $496,000 to $465,000 (y-o-y)**
There were 469 homes for sale
A total of 86 homes sold
Days on the market: 123
2. South Bellevue/Issaquah
The odds of selling a home were 28%
Median price decreased from $575,000 to $484,000
226 homes were for sale
A total of 35 homes sold
Days on market: 90
3. Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 27%
Median sales price decreased from $534,000 to $522,000
155 homes were for sale
A total of 34 homes sold
Days on Market: 62
4. Redmond/East Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 26%
Median sales price increased from $380,000 to $460,000
125 homes were for sale
A total of 32 homes sold
Days on the market: 94
5. Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 25%
Median sales price decreased from $390,000 to $344,000
387 homes were for sale
A total of 64 homes sold
Days on Market: 115
6. Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation
The odds of selling a home were 21%
Median sales price decreased from $522,000 to $483,000
193 homes were for sale
A total of 30 homes sold
Days on Market: 112
5. West Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 15%.
Median sales price increased from $650,000 to $1,230,000
118 homes were for sale
A total of 18 homes sold
Days on Market: 86
If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact either Brooks or me.
*(The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)
** (y-o-y) median pricing is comparing year over year numbers.
Cool Green Living and Money Saving Tools at zHome in Issaquah
Last weekend my husband and I took an open house tour of zHome, a new green town home community in the Issaquah Highlands. zHome is the first carbon-neutral and zero energy multi-family complex in the US. The place was buzzing with activity. There were about 100 people on various tours. These are not your typical open house tours. The tours are quite informative.
The zHome team developers not only describe the energy saving features of the buildings, they talked about products that will help you go green, save energy and save money in your own home. You’ll leave there with a crash course in “green living” and more knowledgeable about how you can save some money in your own home.
zHome-Issaquah, WA
The goal of zHome community:
zHome is a revolutionary, 10-unit town home development that uses smart design and cutting edge technologies to radically reduce its environmental impacts. zHome will prove that homes that use zero net energy and 60% less water, emit net zero carbon emissions, have clean indoor air and use only low-toxicity materials are possible and scalable to mainstream home production.
Below are some of the materials and features used in the community:
zHome Solar Panels
Bamboo flooring
- zHome Eco Countertops
zHome FSC Certified Wood Beams
pervious concrete
rain garden
Besides the great materials and features above, I learned about materials and tools that any homeowner could use to go green and/or save money.Are you concerned with water leaks? Check out the Orion Water Meter. This handy little tool is a water leak detection device. Although the link is to a website from a particular utility district, there is information about the water meter.Would you like to save on your energy bill? (Who wouldn’t?) The “TED,” the The Energy Detective measures your energy usage, detects phantom loads, and where energy is wasted.
Solar panels in gray WA State? Apparently even when it’s cloudy, solar panels pick up some sun, something I did not know. I assume the gray days would make solar panels useless in our climate. I also did not know that the rain cleans the panels off on a regular basis, making them far more efficient than in some of the sunny, desert climates.
Through 2020, there still some government incentives available for energy production.
zHome tours are scheduled for the next two weekends. Happy touring!
Real Estate Sales on Seattle's Eastside Are The Best in Years!
Seattle-eastside real estate sales through August, 2011
The Seattle-eastside real estate market is only getting better and better! August home sales beat July and were way ahead of last August. This August was one of the best real estate markets in years!
Real estate sales were hopping. Thirty-three percent more homes received accepted offers this August than August of 2010. Almost 20% fewer homes were on the market, so less supply + more demand equaled more sales. In August, 22% of the homes for sale on Seattle’s eastside got offers. This means out of the 2811 homes for sale, 609 homes sold. On average, most homes sold within 85 days.
In King County, the number of homes for sale dropped below 10,000 for the first time since last May. Here on the eastside, we’re also seeing the lowest number of homes for sale. More than likely, the peak number of homes for sale was 2879 back in June.
Last month I questioned whether the surge in real estate sales would continue because of the volatility in the stock market. With August sales numbers, we’re seeing the most robust market we’ve seen in a long time. The stock market didn’t put a damper on eastside home sales.
Was your market affected by the stock market “roller coaster?”
How Many Homes Sold in Your Seattle-Eastside Neighborhood in July, 2011?
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bellevue,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.403932,58.271484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bellevue,+King,+Washington&ll=47.610377,-122.200679&spn=0.310148,0.910492&z=10&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
How many homes sold in June, 2011 in your neighborhood?
It’s uncanny to see how similar July real estate sales on Seattle’s eastside were to June’s sales results. On most of the eastside, the numbers varied only slightly from June. Twenty-three percent of the homes for sale on the eastside sold, with the Redmond and Bellevue area around Microsoft leading the way with 38% of the homes selling. In the majority of eastside neighborhoods, the chance of selling a home ranged between 20-23%.
The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)
The plateau: Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City
The odds of selling a home were 20%.
Median sales price dropped: $539,950 to $519,000.
There were 771 homes for sale.
A total of 165 homes sold.
Redmond/East Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 38%.
Median sales price increased from $422,475 to $429,950.
189 homes were for sale
A total of 85 homes sold.
South Bellevue/Issaquah
The odds of selling a home were 24%.
Median price decreased from $599,475 to $578,500.
380 homes were for sale.
A total of 110 homes sold.
Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 23%.
Median price was down from $499,950 to $369,475.
598 homes were for sale.
A total of 158 homes sold.
Kirkland
The odds of selling a home was 23%.
Median price decreased from $549,900 to $541,500.
288 homes were for sale.
A total of 76 homes sold.
West Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 20%.
Median pricing decreased from $1,299,000 to $1,074,475.
175 homes were for sale.
A total of 42 homes sold.
Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation
The odds of selling a home were 20%
Median pricing increased from $548,000 to $549,000.
337 homes were for sale.
A total of 75 homes sold.
If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact me.
July, 2011 Seattle-Eastside Condo Sales-The Best for the Year?
Seattle Eastside condo sales through July, 2011
July, 2011 condo sales hit the highest number of sales in more than a year. There were 1063 condos for sale on the eastside, 76 less than June, and 250 of them received offers. Twenty-three percent of the condos for sale had accepted offers, great odds when compared to the odds of selling just a year ago. As you can see, there are so many less condos for sale now, almost 1/3 less, and more are selling this year than last.
Although, the odds of selling a condo are far stronger than the last few years, there are a number of the sales that didn’t come together. I had reported 223 sales in June and looking at the chart now, I see there were only 195 condo sales. This means 28 sales or 13% failed last month.
Sales fail for many reasons. A condo may not pass inspection or an appraisal. The buyer may not get financing or the condo complex itself may not fit financing guidelines. There could be too high a proportion of renters as compared to home owners or there could be a pending lawsuit, both could affect the ability to obtain a loan on a condo in a particular complex.
August began with the economy and the volatile stock market hanging over our heads. It’s too soon to see how this will affect our real estate market. How are condo sales going in your area?
Real Estate Sales Continued to be Strong on Seattle's Eastside in July, 2011
Seattle Eastside Real Estate Sales Through July, 2011
The chart above speaks for itself. July real estate sales were going strong on Seattle’s eastside. More homes sold in July than in any month since May, 2010.
Will this surge in real estate sales continue? Since the news regarding the stock market from last week, it remains to be seen if August will hold up to the sales growth we’ve seen since December of last year.
The number of properties for sale in King County still remains low compared to the last few summers when King County had over 14,000 properties for sale. As of August 8th, there were 11,091 properties for sale in King County. Here on the eastside, there were 2863 available properties. If you compare the number of homes for sale on the Eastside this July to last July, there were 17% less homes and condos on the market this year.
In July there were 2863 homes for sale and 646 of these homes received offers and sold. The absorption rate, the number of homes that sold during a month compared to the number for sale, was 22%.
But what’s also important to note is 12% of the sales from June failed. I had reported 661 sales in June, but this month I see only 587 of them stayed together.
The bottom line is more homes are selling than previously, but it’s also hard to keep the sales together. Failed sales can be the result of poor inspections, trouble with the buyer’s financing, an appraisal that does not agree with the sales price or a buyer getting cold feet and backing out.
How is the real estate market doing in your area? Do you see similar trends?
How Many Real Estate Sales Were in Your Seattle-Eastside Neighborhood in June, 2011?
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bellevue,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.403932,58.271484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bellevue,+King,+Washington&ll=47.610377,-122.200679&spn=0.310148,0.910492&z=10&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
How many homes sold in June, 2011 in your neighborhood?
June continued to be a strong month for real estate sales on Seattle’ eastside. In fact, June may have been the strongest month for real estate sales on Seattle’s eastside in four years. The Puget Sound Business Journal stated more homes sold this month than in recent months. Every area did far better than previous months and previous years. The Redmond and Bellevue area around Microsoft led the pack with almost 40% of the homes selling. Almost every other area had a minimum of 20% of the homes selling. More homes are selling than we’ve seen in years, but there are still a lot of homes that are languishing on the market. Know your competition, so your home will land in the 20%+ homes that are selling.
A past client of mine is moving back to the eastside after about 5 years. He was really surprised to hear that the homes near Microsoft are actually more affordable than those in South Bellevue. The Bellevue Schools are getting a lot of press because several of the high schools are landing on top 100 lists of the top high schools. But in reality, parts of Bellevue have been more expensive for years because of the easy I-90 access to Seattle. This may explain why the area around Microsoft is usually the hottest real estate market. It’s a great location, close to jobs, has good schools, and slightly more affordable housing prices.
The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)
The plateau: Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City
The odds of selling a home were 23%.
Median sales price dropped: $525,000 to $494,950.
There were 765 homes for sale.
A total of 190 homes sold.
Redmond/East Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 38%.
Median sales price decreased to $449,900 from $482,500.
193 homes were for sale
A total of 79 homes sold.
South Bellevue/Issaquah
The odds of selling a home were 21%.
Median price decreased from $599,994 to $519,000
364 homes were for sale.
A total of 91 homes sold.
Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 23%.
Median price was down from $419,973 to $369,950.
572 homes were for sale.
A total of 147 homes sold.
The odds of selling a home was 19.5%.
Median price decreased from $624,950 to $535,000.
286 homes were for sale.
A total of 71 homes sold.
West Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 20%.
Median pricing decreased from $890,000 to $719,950.
181 homes were for sale.
A total of 43 homes sold.
Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation
The odds of selling a home were 20.5%
Median pricing increased from $474,950 to $549,900.
331 homes were for sale.
A total of 77 homes sold.
If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact me.
June was a Great Month for Seattle Eastside Condo Sales
June was a great month for Seattle eastside condos sales. There were 223 condo sales, the most in any month for this year. April of 2010 was a stronger month for sales, but the numbers were inflated by the end of the 2010 tax credit. Buyers were scrambling to buy a condo before April, 30th, 2010.
- Seattle-Eastside Condo Sales Through June, 2011
There were 1140 condos for sale on the eastside and 233 of them received offers. This means that 20% of the condos for sale had accepted offers, pretty good odds, considering the odds over the last few years have been more like 10-14%. But that also means that 80% of the condos did not sell, so price and condition are still extremely important to getting a condo sold.
Know the competition when putting a condo up for sale. Make sure the market is monitored on a weekly basis to keep up with the changes in the competition. It’s important to remain competitive the whole time the property is on the market and the market can change quickly.
If you plan to sell your condo in the near future, feel free to contact me if you have questions about what you need to do to get ready to sell. Every seller has to do a few things before putting a home on the market. If your home is positioned properly, it can be one of the lucky ones to get an offer.
How Strong Were June, 2011 Real Estate Sales on Seattle's Eastside?
Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Sales Through June, 2011
How strong were June, 2011 real estate sales on Seattle’s Eastside? This summer’s real estate market is going to stay stronger than what we usually see during a Seattle summer. Traditionally, the highest number of homes for sale during a year comes near the end of July. With this increased competition, it can make it more challenging to sell your home. Although the number of eastside homes for sale has increased each month, the increase is nothing like the numbers we’ve seen during June of the last few years.
This year, the number of homes for sale is increasing, but at a much slower pace than last year. In King County as a whole, there are 11,320 properties for sale. Last year at the end of July, there were 14,639 properties on the market. This translates to 33% fewer homes on the market in King County this year. On the eastside, there were 15% less homes for sale in June. Since there’s still a great selection of homes for sale, the smaller number of available homes increases the odds of a home selling.
In fact, we had multiple offers on two listings this week alone. I find we have a lot of showings on our listings, so buyers are definitely out there more than they usually are in the summer months.
The number of sales this past month dipped a little from the previous month, but only by 12 homes. In May, we saw the highest number of homes sell in a month so far this year. As a reminder, in April of last year, there’s a very high number of home sales. This was artificially high as buyers tried to “cash in” on the tax credit. This year, the sales numbers are not inflated by any other issue. Real estate sales are fueled by the amount of job hiring in the area and by buyers who are more willing to move on with their lives, literally.
In June 2011, there were 2880 homes for sale and 661 of these homes had offers. The absorption rate, the number of homes that sold during a month compared to the number for sale, was 23%. Almost one quarter of the Seattle eastside homes for sale sold in June.
How is the real estate market doing in your area? Is it as strong as what we’re seeing here or is a little slower.
How Many Real Estate Sales Were in Your Seattle Eastside Neighborhood in May, 2011?
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bellevue,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.403932,58.271484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bellevue,+King,+Washington&ll=47.610377,-122.200679&spn=0.310148,0.910492&z=10&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
How many homes sold in May, 2011 in your neighborhood?
May real estate sales are proof again that real estate is local. Seattle eastside real estate is doing relatively well when compared to the last few years and to other parts of the country. Regardless of what the national news reports about real estate, Seattle area real estate sales are better than most parts of the country.
In most eastside areas, roughly 1/4-1/3 of the homes on the market sold. In some areas of the eastside, such as East Bellevue, Redmond near Microsoft, and Kirkland, more than 30% of the available homes sold. These areas tend to shine, particularly East Bellevue and Redmond, near Microsoft. These neighborhoods have a mix of housing styles and prices and are located close to good schools and jobs. The areas that are further out tend to be on the slower end of the sales spectrum. More home buyers in today’s market are looking for the convenience of living close to amenities.
I also should qualify my statements regarding the market. Prices are not up, but remained stable in some areas and lost ground in others.
Seattle’s eastside has a “normal” real estate market when considering the market over the last few years. A “normal” market means everything is happening from homes selling the minute they hit the market to homes taking months to sell and at reduced prices. The “hot” homes are selling. “Hot” homes are great values with a good price tag, are staged and ready to go. The homes that are not “hot” are taking a long time to sell and go through several price reductions before getting an offer.
From the Seattle Times Eric Pryne:
While the rise in pending sales was more modest on the Eastside, King County’s priciest area, closed single-family sales in May actually were up 6 percent from the same month last year — bucking the countywide trend — while prices fell just 4 percent, less than half the countywide drop.
Windermere’s Deasy attributed that in part to hiring by major Eastside employers. “People will start to see houses sell before they have a chance to act on them,” he predicted.
Eastside condo sales also were up from May 2010, climbing 15 percent. Countywide, however, condo sales fell nearly 4 percent, and the median price — $215,000 — was down 14 percent.
(Click on the cities below to see real estate trends for the past 5 years. You’ll find the median pricing for each city and whether the number of homes for sale and the number of sales went up or down. The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)
The plateau: Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City
The odds of selling a home were 22%.
Median sales price dropped: $559,880 to $487,000.
There were 752 homes for sale.
A total of 186 homes sold.
The odds of selling a home were 34%.
Median sales price decreased to $409,000 from $480,000.
189 homes were for sale
A total of 73 homes sold.
The odds of selling a home were 29%.
Median price decreased from $624,975 to $538,000.
342 homes were for sale.
A total of 113 homes sold.
Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 28%.
Median price was down from $451,126 to $375,000.
541 homes were for sale.
A total of 177 homes sold.
The odds of selling a home was 30%.
Median price decreased from $575,000 to $538,500.
282 homes were for sale.
A total of 94 homes sold.
The odds of selling a home were 29%.
Median pricing increased from $1,280,000 to $1,350,000.
167 homes were for sale.
A total of 51 homes sold.
Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation
The odds of selling a home were 21%
Median pricing decreased from $519,950 to $411,950.
325 homes were for sale.
A total of 74 homes sold.
If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact me.
