Debra Sinick

Archive for the ‘Seattle’ Category

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Vote for Your Favorite Public Restroom, (hint Seattle’s Canlis)

In Seattle, not real estate on July 10, 2009 at 1:16 pm

Here’s a little fun for a Friday.  Public restrooms, “the final frontier,” according to the Wall Street Journal, and the place we worry about putting our derrieres, are up for a vote.   Here’s your chance to vote online for the best public restroom in the country. For the past 8 years, Cintas Corporation of Cinncinnati has sponsored a contest to identify the top public restroom from a list of 10 public restrooms in the country.  The Wall Street Journal ran the story about the contest and you can vote online for your pick. 

Seattle’s Canlis restaurant, not only one of the top restaurants in the city, also has one of the top restrooms in the country.  Canlis is on this year’s top ten list.  So take a moment and choose your top restroom.  I’m sure you’ll be totally impartial and not let a local Seattle icon influence you.  (Go  Canlis!)

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What A Difference A Year Makes In Seattle-Eastside Real Estate

In Bellevue Real Estate, For Buyers, For Homeowners, For Sellers, Issaquah Real Estate, King County Real Estate, King County, WA, Sammamish, WA, Sammamish, WA Real Estate, Seattle, Seattle real estate, WA real estate, Woodinville, WA, market statistics, real estate on June 15, 2009 at 3:15 pm

The Seattle area real estate market is going from green to yellow. The map colors have changed on these  real estate maps, representing a shift in the real estate market.
King Snohomish County Months Supply Area Map May 2009

King Snohomish County Months Supply Area Map May 2009

King Snohomish County Months Supply Area Map-May 2008

King Snohomish County Months Supply Area Map-May 2008

Here’s what these maps show:


Each NWMLS (Northwest Multiple Listing Service) real estate area in the two counties  is shown on the maps. For example, if you look at the eastside, you’ll see an area labeled 530, which is East Bellevue and parts of Redmond,  and 560, which is Kirkland.

Every area of the NWMLS is then evaluated by looking at the number of homes for sale and the number of homes that sell each month in that area. If there’s an overabundance of homes for sale compared to the number of homes selling, then it’s a buyers’ market.  If there are a reasonable number of homes selling each month compared to the number of homes on the market, then it’s a balanced market between buyer and seller.  Lastly, if the number of homes is selling well compared to how many are for sale, then it’s a sellers’ market.

What do the colors on the maps represent?
  • Green represents a buyers’ market.
  • Yellow represents a balanced market between buyer and seller.
  • Red represents a sellers’ market.

Along the sides of the maps, each real estate area is listed with the number of months it would take to sell all the homes currently for sale in the area. Let’s look at area 530 again.  In area 530, if no other home comes on the market, it would take about 4.4 months for the homes to sell.  In Kirkland, area 560, if no other home comes on the market, it would take 8.1 months to sell the homes for sale.  East Bellevue and Redmond near Microsoft are color coded in yellow.  With 4.4 months of inventory, it has a more balanced market.  Kirkland is colored green.  It’s a buyer’s market because it would take 8.1 months to sell the homes on the market.

Looking at 2009’s map, it’s clear how much the Seattle area real estate market has changed to a more balanced market.  Most King and Snohomish county real estate areas are colored yellow, showing a balance between buyers and sellers.

May of 2008 was very definitely a buyers’ market and a buyers’ market only. In May of 2008, green for a buyers’ market was the predominant color on the map.  In May of 2009, yellow is the dominant color, representing a more balanced real estate market.

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Hopelink Needs More Volunteers in King County

In Bellevue, WA, Issaquah, WA, King County, WA, Kirkland, Redmond, Sammamish, WA, Seattle, Woodinville, WA on May 28, 2009 at 11:54 am

Denise Stephens from Hope-link asked that I post this press release because Hope-link is in need of more volunteers:

Prospective volunteers can learn more at orientation in Bellevue, Bothell, Redmond or Carnation. Bellevue, Wash. – Hopelink, a 38-year-old nonprofit agency helping families, senior citizens and people with disabilities in east and north King County, needs more volunteers at its centers in Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland, Shoreline, Bothell and Carnation. Hopelink relies upon volunteers for such jobs as sorting food in its food banks, helping adults learn to read or do basic math or study for the GED exams, delivering food to homebound clients, or answering phones and helping with administrative tasks. In April alone, more than 700 volunteers donated over 6,000 hours to help Hopelink programs and clients.

Hopelink continues to need new volunteers over age 16 and volunteers between the ages of 12 and 16 with parent/guardian supervision. We welcome anyone interested to an orientation meeting to learn more about Hopelink and its many volunteer opportunities. Space is limited and orientation sessions start promptly, so please arrive early. • Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at Hopelink’s Bellevue center in the Learning Center conference room, 14812 Main St., in Bellevue. (Note: this is a new location for the Bellevue orientations.) Parking is limited on site.

Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@hope-link.org for information about off site parking options. This location is served by Metro routes 221 and 247. An afternoon orientation will start promptly at 1:00 p.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. An evening orientation will start promptly at 7:00 p.m. and end at 8:30 p.m. • Thursday, June 4, 2009, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Hopelink’s Bothell center, 18220 96th Ave. NE in Bothell. • Tuesday, June 9, 2009, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Hopelink’s Redmond center. The orientation will be held in the Rainier Room conference room of the Family Resource Center complex (where Hopelink is located), Building A, 16225 NE 87th St., in Redmond. The Redmond volunteer orientation is a new addition to the schedule. • Wednesday, June 10, 2009, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. at Hopelink’s Carnation center, 31957 Commercial Street in Carnation.

For more information, go to www.hope-link.org/takeaction/volunteer. For information on how young people between middle school and high school age can help Hopelink, please visit http://youthlink.hope-link.org/ Since 1971, Hopelink has helped homeless and low income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities make lasting change in their lives. Hopelink promotes self-sufficiency by helping people meet their needs for food, shelter, homelessness prevention, family development, transportation and adult literacy. For more information on Hopelink and its services, call 425.869.6000 or visit www.hope-link.org.

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New “Marching Orders” For News Media in Seattle and The Nation

In Kirkland, Seattle, not real estate on May 26, 2009 at 1:44 pm

The Newsweek that arrived at my door this week is different.  The Newsweek of old is gone.  Newsweek’s table of contents  is now entitled a “New Week”.  Newsweek is working hard to get it.  The May 25th issue heralds the reinvention of the magazine.  Jon Meachum talked about the  “new’ Newsweek” online this past week:

“the first issue of a reinvented and rethought NEWSWEEK—represents our best effort to bring you original reporting, provocative (but not partisan) arguments and unique voices. We know you know what the news is. We are not pretending to be your guide through the chaos of the Information Age. If you are like us, you do not need, or want, a single such Sherpa. What we can offer you is the benefit of careful work discovering new facts and prompting unexpected thought.”

In tandem with these big changes at Newsweek, Anna Quindlen, the widely respected journalist, Pulitzer prize winning author, and Newsweek columnist wrote her last piece for the magazine. Ms. Quindlen recognized the need to step down and move on to allow new media talents to emerge.

“One of those changes is in technology, and because of it young people in the news business have been able to exact a kind of inadvertent revenge. They seized on an information-delivery system that their elders initially found puzzling or unpersuasive. They created online outlets from the ground up. Now that this is where the action is, they are quite properly part of the action, not because we made room for them, but because they invented room for themselves.

Throughout the country there seems to be an understanding that this is and ought to be a time of reinvention, in the economy, in education, in the office. But no one seems eager to reinvent on an individual level. Yet never has there been a time when fresh perspective and new ideas were more necessary. The linear path, the ladder, emphasizes stability, but too often at the expense of innovation and mobility.”

Ms Quindlen is going out on top with her last “Last Word” column.  I will miss her terrific insights, but as she said, look forward to seeing her work possibly elsewhere.

Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs, wrote a piece on his blog entitled The Next Media Manifesto. in which he states:

“Paper isn’t dead: it’s on demand.

Collaboration rules.”

His list of suggestions for the development of a new media company is a list bloggers and traditional news media outlets should be required to read.  He covers everything needed for today’s media outlets to survive and be relevant.  But it’s today’s list of everything.  I’m sure he’d be one of the first to agree the media, like Ms. Quindlen states, the economy, education, and the office should continually evolve and stay relevant by reinventing themselves.

Here in Seattle, The Seattle Times is looking to reinvent itself with a pilot project for hyper-local news.  Recognizing the need to provide the news no longer covered regularly by The Seattle Times, it’s partnering with local blog, Kirkland Views. Rob Butcher of Kirkland Views does an excellent job with hyper-local reporting from Kirkland’s City Hall to community events.  The blog has filled a niche traditional media no longer meets in the Kirkland area.  The Times, recognizing the niche needed to be filled, is doing a smart thing by partnering with Kirkland Views.

The Seattle PI.com, as a web only news source, plans to cover local news more thoroughly with a combination of bloggers and web writers.  (full disclosure, I write posts for the SeattlePI.com real estate professionals blog)

Eli Sanders, from the Stranger, interviewed Michele Nicolosi, the executive director of the Seattle PI.com and she had this to say:

the new Newseek marching orders are very similar to the marching orders at SeattlePI.com. “I just think there’s not a lot of room in this universe for duplication of effort,” she said. However, she added that SeattlePI.com has staked out some beats that it intends to cover aggressively: health, education, real estate, transportation, Amazon, Microsoft, crime, courts, and local government.

When media outlets get the new dynamic of journalism, there’s more hope for the future of these media outlets, but it’s a very different future.  The reinvention of news media is the collaboration between different sources and formats, such as video and social networking.  But more importantly, it’s the collaboration  between journalists who are paid to write and the public who wants to contribute.

The traditional media outlets must reinvent themselves, find a new niche and allow their readers to participate with an active voice to survive.  Here’s wishing Newsweek, The Seattle Times, Kirkland Views, The Seattle PI.com, and Anna Quindlen  thrive in our “new world.”   Chris Brogan, keep sending those great ideas.

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The Seattle/Eastside Or Just The Eastside?-Does The Eastside Stand Alone?

In Bellevue, WA, Exploring the Eastside, Seattle, WA on April 3, 2009 at 3:37 pm

Ever since I moved to the Seattle/Eastside (or the Eastside) in 1986, there’s been a rivalry between the eastside of Lake Washington, the eastside, and the westside of the lake, Seattle.  I remember picking up a postcard back then with a drawing of a car crossing over to the eastside on the 520 bridge.  The caption on the card said, “Honk if you love mauve.”  Of course, all home owners on the eastside had the very latest colors, mauve and gray, and all home owners on the eastside did the exact same thing.  Seattleites thought there was nothing over here on the “plastic” eastside, but plastic houses filled with plastic people.  Everyone lived in a cookie cutter home decorated in mauve and gray, on a cookie cutter cul-de-sac, with 2 kids, 2 cars, and 2 car garages.


View Larger Map

Of course, we on the eastside have always known this was not true.  There are cookie cutter neighborhoods, but there are slick contemporary homes, mid-century modern homes, mid-entry homes, old bungalows, and McMansions.  You can choose to live in a variety of neighborhoods, in a variety of homes, on a tiny lot or acreage, within walking distance of shops and restaurants or in rural privacy.

But more importantly, the eastside is filled with a diverse population. It’s a veritable melting pot with people of all ages, from all over the world, with a variety of interests and lifestyles-very much like the population of the westside of the lake, Seattle.

Fast forward to 2009.  The eastside or Seattle’s eastside is now the economic center of the region.  The reverse commute is worse than the commute into Seattle. (Thank you Microsoft, Nintendo, Expedia, etc) Bellevue’s downtown is fast becoming a hotbed of luxury shopping, dining, living, and working.    Seattle Metropolitan magazine had a recent issue on the terrific economic growth of the eastside.

It’s time to throw down the boxing gloves and declare a truce.  Seattle and Seattle’s eastside are both great areas.  We grow and prosper because of each other, not in spite of each other.  The eastside is an outgrowth of Seattle and we would not be here without it.  Seattle would not be thriving if it weren’t for the eastside.

Lisa Hilderbrand was right when she responded to a comment on a post to someone who asked about her using the name the Seattle/Eastside. The comments in her post prompted this piece.  Most people outside of this area have no clue where and what the eastside is without the name Seattle attached to it. Mmm..makes me think I should change the name of this blog to Seattle/Eastside Real Estate Buzz.  (By the way, you should check out the link to Lisa’s post, she has some gorgeous eastside photos.)

So which is it?  The Seattle/Eastside or the Eastside?  Does the Eastside stand alone?

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Seattle’s Real Estate Bar Camp-My Top Four Questions Answered

In Seattle, real estate, real estate marketing on February 16, 2009 at 10:24 am
  1. Does Real Estate Bar Camp take place in a bar?  No, question asked by my husband before I went.
  2. Do people look the same in real life as they do in their photos on the internet?  No
  3. Does Zillow’s downtown Seattle office have a killer view?  Yes, Real Estate Bar Camp was held in the Zillow offices, one of the sponsors of the event.  My camera was home sitting on my desk because I dropped it and broke it, but trust me, the view of Puget Sound, the city and the mountains would make you never want to leave Seattle.
  4. Can you be overexposed on the net?  (Talking about Realtors here)  Question asked at the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers Talk. No

What is Real Estate Bar Camp? It’s for people in the real estate industry who are “passionate about what they know and excited to share it, free of charge.”   It’s a very free exchange of ideas with opportunities to learn more about web 2.0 marketing and social media from some of the experts. There’s so much to learn and people are so willing to give.  People had come to present and lead talks,  but many of the meetings were determined by the  participants.  When I walked into the Zillow offices first thing in the morning,  I saw an almost empty white board with times blocked out. Some of the spaces were filled with the pre-determined presenters and others were blank.  As the day wore on, the spaces were filled in by people who wanted to talk about specific topics.  My goal was to learn about how to improve consumer experiences and bring more technology to the table for my clients.

Most of the people there were primarily from the west coast, Washington, Oregon, and California.  I got to see people I’d met online and offline before, Marlow Harris from 360 Digest and Seattle PI Real Estate Professionals fame,  Ardell, the very famous :-) , and Rhonda Porter from Rain City Guide.  Nick Bostic who’s down in Portland and blogs for Agent Genius was there.  Several of Windermere’s internet folks were also there. It’s nice to actually meet people you converse with online.

My most important take aways from Bar Camp:

  • The importance of bringing hyper-local and relevant real estate data to the consumer.
  • The need to hire a professional to re-design my website and move my blog from WordPress. com to WordPress.org.    I got some great tips on what needs to be done.
  • To continue write about more local events and real estate issues.
  • I’ve signed up on Facebook, and Twitter may be my next step on the web 2.0 chain.

Thing I forgot to take away:

I forgot to ask for another Zillow baseball cap!  The most important thing I should’ve done at Bar camp. The Zillow baseball cap is one of the few caps that fits me.

Thanks to all who sponsored, presented and talked at the event.  Special thanks to Drew Meyers of Zillow and the GeekEstate blog.

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Seattle, Eat Your Heart Out! The Eastside Rocks!

In Exploring the Eastside, Local news and information, Seattle, not real estate, real estate on January 29, 2009 at 9:41 pm

seattle-metropolitan bellevue-cover

The truth is out-The Eastside rocks! The latest issue of Seattle Metropolitan magazine has a terrific article entitled, “The Rise of the Eastside.” It’s an interesting read with sections on the eastside’s growing pains, a developer who worked on Crossroads shopping center, and the very latest in things to do.

After reading the “very latest things to do” section, I realized I must go out to eat a lot as I had been to many of the restaurants mentioned on the magazine’s list!  It was a little scary for me to see how many of them I’d been to.   But then again, I can say it’s all in the name of research.  It’s important for me to be knowledgeable about my local community.  How else can I “sell” the benefits of living here?

Supporting the local merchants is also huge thing for me, whether it’s trendy restaurants,  little lunch places, or unique shops.  I come from a family that had many small merchants in previous generations and I know how hard it is to run a small business.

I love seeing  local restaurants from Seattle coming to this side of the pond, such as Wild Ginger, El Gaucho and Monsoon.   Local restaurants and stores add to our lifestyle and help make the eastside unique and interesting.  It keeps us from being indistinguishable  from “anywhere USA.”

I was really pleased to see Grasslawn Park in Redmond mentioned as a destination park.  It’s undergone an amazing renovation and is very kid, sports, and “green” friendly.  Most people think of Marymoor Park, the big kahuna, when they think of the eastside, but Grasslawn is a hidden gem.

Want to learn a little about the history/real estate/economy of the eastside? Check the section out entitled “Growing Pains.”  There’s a quick review of the real estate market, with an emphasis on downtown Bellevue and the Bel-Red corridor.  Watch for changes in the Bel-Red area (Bellevue-Redmond) over the next decade,  now that Safeway has pulled out and left a huge piece of land behind that is crying out to be developed.

Full disclosure here:  I love the eastside, but still love Seattle. seattle skyline dusk

We have the best of both worlds here.  The eastside is growing and becoming more interesting, but Seattle has exciting things to offer.  It’s only a bridge away and we don’t have to cross it unless we choose to.  But the reality is,  Seattle and the eastside each  benefit from each other.

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Even Dogs Are Ready for The Seattle/Eastside’s Colder Weather

In Local news and information, Seattle, not real estate on December 13, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Dogs Getting Ready for the Colder Weather

The snow and cold are big news in Seattle and on the Eastside.  We’re more used to having the best of winter here with the snow on the mountains with some of these mountains only45 minutes away.  We get to gaze upon the snow from afar, which, by the way, is my way of enjoying snow.

views-winter Mt Olympus

The weather reports have been predicting everything from 3-8 inches of snow in the lowlands (that would be Seattle and the Eastside) to snow showers.  We rarely see snow in the eastside suburbs and in Seattle itself.  The cold temperatures are on their way.

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What Were The Chances of Selling Your Seattle/Eastside Home in July, 2008?

In Bellevue Real Estate, Bellevue, WA, For Buyers, For Sellers, Issaquah Real Estate, Issaquah, WA, King County Real Estate, King County, WA, Kirkland, Local news and information, Real Estate News, Redmond, Sammamish, WA, Sammamish, WA Real Estate, Seattle, Seattle real estate, WA, Woodinville, WA, Woodinville, WA Real Estate, market statistics, real estate on August 12, 2008 at 1:58 pm
The chances of selling a home on the Eastside in July 2008 ranged from a low of 5% to a high of 16%, with an average 12.5% absorption rate. (The absorption rate is the number of homes for sale in any given month divided by the actual number of homes sold that month.) Numbers will be rounded off to the nearest whole number, unless the number is exactly .5% between two numbers.
Here are the real estate statistics for single family home sales activity on Seattle’s Eastside:
July 2008               4332 homes available,  543 sold,   12.5% chance of selling
June 2008              4154 homes available,  635 sold,  15.2 % chance of selling.
May 2008              4349 homes available,  522 sold,  12% chance of selling.
July 2007               3253 homes available,   773 sold,  23.8% chance of selling. 

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(click on the each area name for a chart showing the latest stats in the area)

The plateau:  Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City

Sellers had a 12% chance of getting a home sold, DOWN from 17% last month and DOWN from 22% last year.  Median home prices were up by 1%, from $569,800 to $575,000.  Inventory was up by 18% and sales declined by 33.5% from last year.

West Redmond/East Bellevue

Sellers had a 16% chance of getting a home sold, DOWN from 23% last month, and DOWN from 34% last year.  Median sales price decreased from $599,000 to $574,990, a decrease of 4%.  Inventory was up 70% and sales were down 20%.

South Bellevue

Sellers had a 14% chance of selling a home, UP from 12.5% last month and DOWN from 23% last year.  Median price decreased by 19% to $604,950 from $749,975.  Inventory was up 24% and sales were down 24.5%.

Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall

Sellers had a 15% chance of selling a home,  DOWN from 15.5% last month and DOWN from 26% last year.  Median price was down to $475,000 from $550,000, a 14% decrease.  Inventory was up by 35% from last year and sales declined by 23%.

Kirkland

Sellers had a 10% chance of selling a home, DOWN from 16.5% last month and DOWN from 22% last year.  Median price declined by 25%, from $757,475 to $569,000. Inventory was up by 25% and sales were down by 38%.

West Bellevue

Sellers had a 5% chance of selling a home, DOWN from 9.5%, and DOWN from 19% last year.  Median pricing decreased by 29% to $1,354,975 from $1,748,000.  Inventory increased by 85% and sales declined by 50%.

Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation

Sellers had a 14% chance of selling a home, UP (barely) from 13% last month, and DOWN from 22% last year.  Median pricing decreased by 15% from $644,435 to $549,375.  Inventory increased by 18% and sales dropped by 25%.

The activity for May  is included at the top of this article because July’s market performance is very similar to the market performance in May.  June was a stronger month for sales for most of the Eastside neighborhoods than July has been.  South Bellevue, and Education Hill, Carnation, and Union Hill areas were all stronger performing areas, but only by a fraction.  Every other area of the Eastside showed less of an absorption rate than in June.  West Bellevue, Medina and Clyde Hill, our most expensive areas, were hit the hardest with the biggest decline in activity and pricing. 

To determine the most realistic view of the market, look at several months worth of data.   Pay particular attention to the amount of homes for sale in your area.  Regardless of what’s happened in the previous months, make sure you know the actual competition in your area before establishing a sales price and going on the market.

Remember sellers, it’s price and condition in this market.  Homes are selling, but as we all know, there’s competition. Be the best home out there and your home will sell.

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Celebrate the 4th of July in Seattle and on the Eastside

In Bellevue, WA, King County, WA, Kirkland, Local news and information, Redmond, Sammamish, WA, Seattle on July 2, 2008 at 9:49 pm

Hold on!  Could it actually be sunny on the Fourth of July?  Could it be great weather to celebrate the outdoors?  It could be wonderful.  But now I’m hearing it could be damp and rainy. I’m heading to my 23rd Fourth of July in the Seattle area and have seen more cool and damp holidays than I care to remember.  I’ve heard more than once that  around Seattle, “Summer begins on July 5th.”  This week, starting with this past weekend, it appears that summer has arrived in full swing.  Let’s hope it stays this way for the fourth.

Here’s where you can spend your Fourth of July in the Seattle area:

If you want to travel across the lake, there are the two grandaddies of all the holiday celebrations:

WAMU Family Fourth:

Rated by Time Magazine as one of the “top five fireworks shows in the country.”

Enjoy food, a beer garden, Chinook helicopter fly-over and more.

Gas Works Park, 2101 Northlake Way

!2 noon with fireworks at 10 PM

Fourth of jul-Ivars

Come down to Eliot Bay to view the 44th annual Ivar’s fireworks show.

Fish and Fireworks is a special opportunity to watch the fireworks show from the Aquarium, enjoy the fish and sea life, and avoid the crowds and traffic.

Bellevue has the Symetra Fourth of July sponsored by Washington.

Bellevue Downtown Park from 6-10:30 PM.

Bothell’s Fourth of July celebration

Bothell starts the celebration on July 3rd with dances, pancacke breakfasts and a reenactment of the battle at the Concord bridge. 

Check out the City of Bothell website for more details.

 Kirkland starts its celebration in the morning.

This morning, The Seattle Times had a list of everything you can do on the Fourth all over Puget Sound.

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Sun in Seattle in June…Finally!

In Local news and information, Seattle on June 14, 2008 at 9:42 pm

Here comes the sun.  Is summer finally here in Seattle?

A sure sign of summer, cruise ships on their way to Alaska from Seattle.  A great place to get a bird’s eye view of these ships is from the upper deck of Ray’s Boathouse restaurant near the Shilshole Marina.  The ships pass by just before 5 PM on Saturdays on their way up to Alaska.  We had a great meal with a great view at this long time Seattle restaurant, which will shortly be celebrating its 35th birthday.

We also popped by the Elliot Bay Marina and were greeted with terrific views of the Seattle Skyline and some gorgeous boats.

Views from Magnolia of the Seattle skyline with The Space Needle.

 

It’s the beginning of photography season for me.  I’ll be out and about as much as time permits and will take photos of everything I see all over Seattle and Seattle’s Eastside. Here’s looking towards more beautiful sunny days.  Enjoy!