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Seattle Eastside March Real Estate Marched On!
Seattle Eastside Real Estate Sales Through March, 2013
Finally, there were a few more homes for sale on Seattle's eastside in March, the first month since August of last year!
Did this increase in inventory dampen the number of sales? So far, nothing has slowed down the rate of sales. In fact, the rate of home sales in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and other eastside cities was higher in March than February. Seventy-eight percent of the homes on the market sold! There is still more than one buyer for each home, so multiple offers remain the norm.
It's been hopping out there in the real estate market on the eastside. We're starting to see some Eastside buyers behave like Seattle buyers. This past weekend, a buyer pre-inspected one of our listings before making an offer. Rumor had it that there were going to be at least 4 offers on the table and this particular buyer wanted to come to that table with a very clean, straightforward offer. Buyers in Seattle have pre-inspected homes for years when the market has been hot. It's not something we've seen as much on the eastside, but we wouldn't be surprised if it continues.
Here are the specifics for March, 2013 as compared to March, 2012:
- 78% of the available homes sold this past March, 44% sold in March, 2012.
- Homes sold in 62 days, down from 109 days in March, 2012.
- In 2012 median pricing in March was $470,000. In 2013, March's median pricing was $560,000. We're expecting median pricing to continue to work its way back up to the higher $500+ range, particularly since inventory is still so low.
The Seattle Times reported a 17% increase in pricing from March, 2012 on the eastside.
It was the biggest monthly percentage gain since April 2012, when King County’s median home price started rising after 19 months of decline.
If you'd like more information specific to your home, don't hesitate to contact us.
August Real Estate Keeps Moving on Seattle’s Eastside
How was the real estate market on Seattle's eastside in August?
The market has been" steady as she goes!" This is a very good thing. We are experiencing a great real estate market that has followed a trend over the last few months and is far better than last year at this time.
The number of homes for sale has hardly changed at all. Ok, there were 8 fewer homes for sale in August, but that's just a drop in the bucket. And as we mentioned in a recent, the exact same number of homes were for sale in both June and July!
Did the number of homes for sale increase?
No, It hardly changed, but it did decline slightly. This had little impact on the market.
Did the number of sales increase?
Yes, by 6%. So we had about the same number of homes for sale, but more homes sold in August. This sounds good to me.
Did prices continue to increase?
Yes, they have continued to increase, but only slightly. Median pricing in July was $512,000. This August it's $520,000. Last August median pricing for the eastside was $506,000.
This is the third month in a row that median pricing has been up for the year. Again, this is a great trend!
The Seattle Times gave a very positive picture of the entire King County real estate market, which includes Seattle and the eastside cities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah, Woodinville, and more. Glenn Crellin of UW's Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies said:
But for now, he added, the local market looks healthy. Rising prices are giving more formerly "underwater" homeowners — who once owed lenders more than their homes were worth — equity in their houses again, he said.
How did this past August compare to August of 2011?
- 38% of the available homes sold this past August, 20% sold in August, 2011.
- Homes sold in 63 days, which is down from 85 days in August, 2011. Homes are selling more quickly.
- Last year median pricing in August was at $506,000. This year, median pricing was $520,000.
- Homes sold within 4% of the original asking price. Last year homes sold within 7% of the asking price.
Is the Seattle eastside market strong? Yes, particularly compared to last year when there were almost 1000 more homes for sale! Add that to the fact that almost 1/3 more homes sold this past August than in 2011!
How does all this information impact you, if you're a seller?
Know how quickly homes in your area are selling. If your home is on the market for longer than the competition, there's a good chance your home is overpriced.
We recently spoke with a seller and told him the last few homes in his area in his price range sold in 2, 5, and 11 days. If his home is on the market for about 10-12 days with no offers, then his home will be overpriced for the market. Pricing a home correctly is the most important thing you can do as a seller. The next most important thing to do is hire someone who will guarantee you"ll have professional photography. Your home will have about 3 seconds to grab a buyer's attention on the internet, so make that 3 seconds work for you. If your home has lousy photos, you could potentially lose a good buyer. Make sure your home is decluttered, staged with your own furniture and good staging advice or with staged with the stager's furniture. As a seller, you're painting a picture for the buyer of how "cool" and wonderful it would be to live in your home, so set the stage, literally!
How does this information impact you as a buyer?
There is enough turnover in the supply each month for buyers to learn what values are in the marketplace. Find out what's available in your price range in your areas so you'll be prepared when the right home comes up. In some areas, multiple offers are the norm. In others, there may be some flexibility in the price. But if it is a well priced home that shows beautifully, expect it to sell quickly and for close to, if not, full price.
If you'd like more information specific to your home, don't hesitate to contact us.
The Seattle-Eastside Condo Market is Amazing!
Our amazing Seattle-Eastside real estate continues! How low can the supply of eastside condos go? In July there were only 463 condos for sale all over the Eastside, less than half the number of condos for sale in July of 2011! The supply is low and the prices have dropped considerably over the last few years as evidenced by the chart below. These market conditions bode well for buyers. Prices are at the bottom and with the low supply, they should begin rising. Unfortunately for the sellers who bought from 2007 on, it's still a tough market as pricing is well below the high experienced during that time.
Not only was the supply at the lowest I can remember, the number of sales were at the high so far for the year. There were 463 condos for sale and 236 of them sold! I've been in real estate on Seattle's eastside for 25 years and I've never seen anything like the lack of supply in the market we're experiencing now. In previous reports I mentioned if the supply of condos stayed on the low side, to expect the positive market to continue in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and the other cities east of Seattle. This was how the real estate market performed in July.
The chart beow shows the trend in pricing from 2008-2012 for condo sales on the eastside. Each blue bar represents a month during the years that are represented below. The red line that is drawn across each year shows where the median point is in pricing for the year.In 2008, the median pricing for condo sales on the eastside was $337,064. So far this year, the median pricing for sales is at $221,631. If you look at 2012, pricing has jumped up for the last two months, but on average, it's still lower than previous years.
Time on the market has also dropped to an average of 90 days to sell vs.109 days in June of 2011.
If you have any questions about the condo market, please feel free to contact us.
May Was a Strong Real Estate Market on Seattle’s Eastside
With a 46% chance of getting a home sold in May, home sellers in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and other eastside cities had great odds of getting their home sold. We saw a slight uptick in the number of homes for sale, but that did not change the fast paced nature of the market. When almost half of the homes for sale are selling, a few more listings doesn't make that much difference.
But if many more listing come on the market will that change the balance of the market between buyers and sellers? Time will tell, but historically when the demand outstrips the supply, we have a fast paced sellers market. If the supply increases, the competition between listings could heat up and we could have a good market, but not as fast paced. The market would be more balanced between buyers and sellers. The market balance in the upcoming months will hinge on the supply of available homes and the number of buyers.
The market is great, but 54% of the homes did not sell. One of the necessary elements necessary for a quick, well priced sale was more than likely missing for many of these homes. The homes that did not sell may have needed to be better priced or have sharper photos, smart staging and/or marketing. These homes may not have gotten the attention from the savvy buyers if one of the key elements for a successful sale was missing. They focused on those homes that are well priced and show well.
How did this past May compare to May of 2011?
- 46% of the available homes sold this past May, 24% sold in May, 2012.
- Homes sold in 58 days, which is down from 76 days in May, 2012.
- Median pricing remained the same at $500,000. This is very good news!
- Homes sold within 96% of the original asking price. Last year homes sold within 92% of the asking price.
- 23% more homes sold this year.
The market stats over the next few months will dictate whether Seattle-eastside real estate will remain a hot seller's market.
Will the number of listings increase?
Will the number of buyers decrease?
Will prices continue to increase slightly?
Stayed tuned to to see how our eastside real estate market turns out! Check in with us next month.
If you'd like more information specific to your home, don't hesitate to contact us.
Was May The Best for Condo Sales on Seattle’s Eastside in the Last 5 Years?
Even fewer condos were on the market in May on Seattle eastside and sales were still strong. There were 6 fewer sales, but because there were fewer condos for sale, a slightly higher percentage sold. Slightly over 44% of the available condos sold in May, which could very well be the best odds of selling a condo in the last 5 years on Seattle’s eastside! We expect this positive market to continue in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and the other cities east of Seattle. But if many more condos come up on the market, then the odds of selling may dip slightly. It is that old law of supply and demand.
It’s a great time not only to sell a condo, but to buy one, as the prices have not been this low since early in the last decade. But be careful out there. Just because something is a fabulous price doesn’t mean it really is a great deal or a great place to live. Buying a condo also means you’re buying into an association. It’s important to check the association rules, regulations and financial statements.
Last month my post about the condo market listed a number of questions sellers should ask before selling. Many of these same questions should be asked by a buyer when planning to purchase a condominium. When you find a condo you like, you can make an offer because one of the conditions of all offers is for you, as the buyer, to have time to review all this information. Condo buyers receive a copy of a “resale certificate as a condition of the offer. This document has tons of information about the condo and the association, but that’s for another blog post!
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?
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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?
