Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
appraisals, HR 3044, HVCC, HVCC petition, Inman News, NAR
In For Buyers, For Homeowners, Real Estate News, financing, real estate on July 7, 2009 at 6:47 am
Recently, I wrote about my experience with the “new and improved” real estate appraisal process, the HVCC, House Valuation Code of Conduct, a misguided attempt to right the wrongs of past appraisals. The appraisal process needed to be revamped, but I’m not alone in seeing how difficult the new appraisal system has been for the consumer. Petitions are online for people to ask that the HVCC be reevaluated.
Briefly, the HVCC requires all appraisals to go through a central clearing house. The next appraiser on the list is assigned the job, regardless of experience and knowledge about an area. The appraiser may live and work in an area hours away from the property. It’s very hard for anyone to know the individual nuances of a neighborhood, builders, school systems, etc. and how these affect value. I can only imagine how hard it must be for appraisers to have to evaluate properties hither and yon. How could anyone appraise properties in an area that’s the size of small states and get it right all of the time?
In addition, appraisals cost buyers about the same as before, $450-500, but the portion of the fee directed to the appraiser has decreased. The appraisers only make about $200 and the rest of the fee goes to the appraisal management companies, which, by the way, are often owned by banks and title insurance companies. This from Matt Carter at Inman News:
As originally proposed, the code would have barred lenders from ordering reports from appraisal management companies they owned more than a 20 percent stake in. But as adopted, the code does not limit lender ownership stakes in appraisal management companies.
What if your lender makes a mistake and your loan needs to go to a different lender? Believe me, it happens and it happens to good, strong buyers. Well, not only will your loan close late, you”ll be the proud owner of two appraisals. This from Matt Carter at Inman News again ( Joseph Heller would have had fun with this one):
The code allows lenders to accept an appraisal produced for another lender, for example, but only after the receiving lender obtains confirmation in writing from the original lender that the appraisal is in compliance with the code.
Because there is currently no industry or supervisory standard regarding what constitutes an adequate written confirmation of compliance with the code, Kittle said, lenders are reluctant to accept another lender’s appraisal because they might be forced to repurchase loans if they are found to have breached the code.
That means lenders “typically order a new appraisal at the expense of the borrower,” even if an appraisal has recently been performed by another lender, Kittle said.
I’ve heard of appraisals coming in late, causing the buyer to close late and lose their loan lock. Imagine how difficult this is when you have movers sitting in your driveway and they are booked for weeks afterward. I could go on, but this is a simplified version of the changes brought to the real estate industry by the HVCC.
Two US Representatives, Representative Travis Childers (D-Miss) and Gary Miller (R-CA), have introduced a bill, HR 3044, to suspend the new HVCC code for 18 months, so it can be properly evaluated. This a good thing for consumers and the housing industry. Changes to the appraisal system need to be done right, but not by implementing a system that creates more problems. We must be fair to both buyers and sellers and make sure appraisals are coming in on time and at the value that exists in the marketplace.
It’s important for you to contact your congress person to see this law is passed to help protect the integrity of the system and ensure changes to the appraisal system are a benefit, not a detriment.
Anna Quindlen, Chris Brogan, Jon Meacham, Kirkland Views, Michele Nicolosi, news media, Newsweek, Rob Butcher, Seattle PI.com, Seattle Real Estate Professionals blog, The Seattle Times
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.
adjustable rates, fixed rate loans, mortgage financing, real estate, refinancing your home
In Uncategorized on April 27, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Have you thought about refinancing your home? I’m in the process of refinancing right now. I looked at my existing loan and realized I probably wouldn’t get another chance this great to refinance my home. Not only is my current rate just “okay,” it’s an adjustable mortgage, so it’s a good time to trade this loan in and move to a 30 year fixed rate 4.65% loan. My current loan is at 5.75%. Not a bad rate, but it would adjust in 7 years and who knows what the rate will be then. It’s doubtful that it would be as low as it is today.
Refinancing is a good idea, but not for everyone. It has to make financial sense. Sometimes it’s not worth spending the money to re-fi if you already have a good rate. Compare your monthly payments to what your new payment would be plus your costs to refinance. Calculate how many years it would take to earn the cost to refinance back. If you think you’re going to stay in your home for longer than that time, it may make sense to refinancing.
Ilyce Glinck is a columnist for Inman News and she recently wrote a post with some great tips for refinancing. Check her article out before you refi to see if it’s right for you.
Bellevue, Eastside, Expedia, living in Seattle, living on Seattle's eastside, Microsoft, Nintendo, Seattle, Seattle/Eastside
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?
2009 stimulus package, home buyer credit, Huffington Post, Moody's Economy.com, real estate, reverse mortgages
In For Homeowners, financing, real estate on January 30, 2009 at 1:27 pm
The news is full of stories about the stimulus package. The stimulus package is shown in full on the Huffington Post. It’s pretty dry reading and only recommended if you need something to help you sleep at night. If you want a shorter, more concise version, check this summary from CNN. The package is now on its way to the Senate to be dealt with next week. The full package may undergo more changes before it ends up in the Oval office.
Inman News had more information about the stimulus package as it relates to real estate. The stimulus package has a provision to change last year’s first time home buyer’s $7500 credit to a credit which won’t need to be repaid. Last year’s stimulus package required the credit to be repaid over 15 years.
It’s clear incentives are needed to get home buyers off the fence to buy. People are afraid if they buy a home now, it will shortly be worth less. Incentives, along with low interest rates, and great prices can help bring buyers back into the market. Mark Zandi from Moody’s Economy.com. thinks this buyer incentive should apply to all buyers to really have an affect on the number of people buying a home:
“A refundable tax credit for a home purchased in 2009, payable at the time of the purchase, would be an effective way to quickly stimulate home sales and reduce the mountain of unsold homes weighing on house prices and exacerbating foreclosures and the crisis in the financial system.”
Here’s some additional news about the tax credit from a CNNMoney article:
“To be eligible, buyers cannot have owned a home for the past three years, and the new home has to be used as a primary residence. The credit phases out as income rises above $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for couples, and disappears entirely at $95,000 and $170,000, respectively.
Applying for it is easy, or at least as easy as doing your income taxes. Just claim it on your return. That’s it. No other forms or papers have to be filed.
Both the Senate and the House versions of the new act remove the requirement that buyers repay the credit. The Senate bill applies retroactively to any purchase completed between January 1, 2009 and the end of August. The House version is also retroactive to the start of the year, and expires at the end of June. As long as buyers don’t sell for at least 36 months, they keep the money.
And the credit is refundable, meaning that it can be claimed even if the amount of the credit earned exceeds the buyer’s tax liability. So even if your total tax bill comes to just $5,000, you can still qualify for a full $7,500 refund.”
Seniors are also mentioned in the stimulus package with regard to reverse mortgages. Seniors are often overlooked when people talk about the economy. Many seniors have lost so much of their equity and life savings and are no longer in a position to go back to work. Anything that can be done to ease their situation is significant. The stimulus plan is increasing loan limits for reverse mortgages. The FHA HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) loan is now $625,500 while conventional loan limits are at $417,000.
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For the latest in the stimulus package and the proposed tax credit for home buyers, check out this link.
Seattle, Thanksgiving, Turkey
In not real estate on November 26, 2008 at 10:47 am
Amazon, Microsoft, New York Times, real estate, Seahawks, Seattle, Seattle/Eastside, Sonics, Starbucks, Washington Mutual
In Seattle real estate, not real estate, real estate on November 24, 2008 at 5:04 am
My brother was not really trying to rub it in, but maybe a little, when he send me a link to an article from the New York Times, not about the state of real estate in the Pacific Northwest, but about the state of professional sports. He, of course, lives in the land of the New York Yankees and the Giants.
Real estate and sports are two of the hottest topics at cocktail parties, in the news, around the office cooler, and on the internet. Both topics are acceptable for everyone to talk about, unlike politics and religion.
One of the hottest years for real estate and Seattle sports teams was in 2005. The real estate market was booming. The Seahawks went to the Superbowl and the Sonics were in the playoffs. Seattle was a shining star in both sports and real estate. We were hot! People from other parts of the country cast a jealous eye on us. Not only were we strong in real estate and having a good year in sports back then, we also had Microsoft, Starbucks, Boeing, Amazon, and Washington Mutual. Everything was positive about the Seattle area.
Fast forward to 2008 and the Sonics are gone, the Seahawks are in the tank and real estate is suffering. Starbucks is closing some stores and WaMu, well, you know about them.
Everything goes in cycles and we’re at the bottom of the cycle. Although, it may take a while to get back up, I’m betting on Seattle/Eastside real estate coming back before many other areas of the country. Our economy is stronger than most, so should bounce back more quickly. Now for our sports teams…..what’s your bet?
Foreclosures, home buyers, home sellers, home selling, Moving, real estate, real estate auctions, Realtor, San Diego Home Blog, Seattle, Seattle real estate, Seattle/Eastside, Seattle/Eastside real estate, the economy
In For Homeowners, real estate, real estate opinion, real world real estate on October 20, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Kris Berg wrote a piece on her San Diego Home blog about how strange it felt writing about the “normal” things in real estate when there are so many sad houses and people going into foreclosure. I’ve been thinking the same thing. Although Seattle and eastside real estate are not as dire as Southern California, there are auction signs and short sales happening here, too. It feels strange to focus on day to day real estate when so much of the world has changed. Is it the right thing to do? I understood Kris’ dilemma. It feels downright strange and, sometimes, it feels as if the day to day real estate no longer has much meaning.
So I had to ask myself, should I stop writing about “regular”real estate, fold up the tent, and just stay home? This is a tough market. Every time I turn on the radio, look at the newspaper or check on line, there’s the latest wrinkle in the economic crisis. I’m not minimizing the severity of the times, it’s not good and I feel for the many people who are truly suffering. Those that have lost jobs or homes are having the toughest time right now. Everyone is affected by the change and few will get out of this economic mess without some battle scars.
But is real estate still happening on Seattle’s eastside? Yes. Right now our market has some high points and many low points. There are people needing and wanting to make a move. Personal needs are the overriding cause, not the economy. Maybe it’s for a job, a new marriage, a new baby or maybe it’s because of a divorce. The number of homes for sale is at the highest point since December, 1996 (although not as high as earlier in the 1990’s) and sale prices are down. Competition is stiff. There are over 15,000 homes and condominiums on the market in Seattle’s King County right now. Fifteen thousand families/individuals are trying to make a move. ( I realize some are foreclosures). Five thousand of these condos and homes are available on the eastside. Over 500 people bought homes and 170 bought condos on the eastside in September.
So I’ll talk about the economy, because it’s the bottom line, but I’ll also write about day to day real estate, the things that happen to me and my clients, and the issues that confront buyers and sellers in this challenging market.Because the market is so tough, I need to focus even more on these basics. It’s important to write about what buyers and sellers need to do to make a sale happen in today’s world. It’s not business as usual, but there’s business happening and people need guidance. The buyers and sellers out there need day to day support, top notch internet marketing, and information even more now than when a seller could expect an offer before the sign was posted in the front yard.
So I could fold up my tent or I be active in real estate and write about current real estate issues on my blogs. I can continue to work, advise my clients, and help people make a move. There are people still needing to move on Seattle’s Eastside.
Bellevue, Bellevue Real Estate, Carnation, Eastside real estate, Education Hill, home buyers, home sellers, home selling, Issaquah, King County Real Estate, Kirkland, Kirkland real estate, market statistics, Redmond, Redmond real estate, Sammamish, Sammamish real estate, Seattle, Seattle Eastside, Seattle real estate, union Hill, WA, WA real estate, Woodinville, Woodinville real estate
In Bellevue Real Estate, Bellevue, WA, For Buyers, For Homeowners, For Sellers, Issaquah Real Estate, Issaquah, WA, King County Real Estate, Kirkland, Real Estate News, Redmond, Sammamish, WA, Sammamish, WA Real Estate, Seattle real estate, Woodinville, WA, Woodinville, WA Real Estate, market statistics, real estate, real estate opinion on October 15, 2008 at 10:05 pm
The chances of selling a home on the Eastside in September 2008 ranged from a low of 8% to a high of 17.5%, with an average 12% 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. (Revised numbers)
Here are the real estate statistics for single family home sales activity on Seattle’s Eastside:
September 2008 4117 homes available, 513 sold, 12% chance of selling.
August 2008 4240 homes available, 503 sold, 12% chance of selling.
July 2008 4332 homes available, 543 sold, 12.5% chance of selling.
September 2007 3529 homes available, 443 sold, 12% 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 14% chance of getting a home sold, UP from 13% last month and DOWN from 15% last year. Median home prices were down by 14%, from $602,500 to $519,000. Inventory was up by 10% and sales up by 1.5% from last year.
West Redmond/East Bellevue
Sellers had a 17.5% chance of getting a home sold, DOWN from 19% last month, and DOWN from 19 % last year. Median sales price decreased from $575,000 to $550,000, a decrease of 5%. Inventory was up 24% and sales were up 16%.
South Bellevue
Sellers had a 11% chance of selling a home, THE SAME as last month and UP from 10% last year. Median price decreased by 5% to $594,500 from $627,250. Inventory was up 7% and sales were up 19%.
Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall
Sellers had a 12% chance of selling a home, UP from 11% last month and DOWN from 13% last year. Median price was down to $459,950 from $495,000, a 7% decrease. Inventory was up by 19% from last year and sales were up by 15%.
Kirkland
Sellers had a 9% chance of selling a home, THE SAME as last month and DOWN from 12.5% last year. Median price increased by 2%, to $695,000 from $679,975. Inventory was up by 20% and sales were up by 17%.
West Bellevue
Sellers had a 8% chance of selling a home, UP from 6% last month, and THE SAME as last year. Median pricing decreased by 15% to $1,314,000 from $1,550,000. Inventory increased by 49.5% and sales increased by 53%.
Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation
Sellers had a 17% chance of selling a home, UP from 14% from last month, and UP from 11% last year. Median pricing decreased by 4.5% from $549,950 to $525,000. Inventory increased by 11% and sales increased by 58.5%!
Most eastside neighborhoods showed similar real estate activity in September as in August. The chances of selling a home hardly varied with the exception of the Redmond’s Education and Novelty Hill areas and Carnation. The area experienced a 3% increase over August activity. This area also saw the largest increase in sales from last September, 58% more homes sold.
Homes in West Bellevue had only an 8% chance of selling. However, West Bellevue had a huge increase in inventory, almost 50%, resulting in 53% more sales this year than last year at this time.
All the eastside areas dropped in median pricing, with the exception of Kirkland, which was up 2% this month.
The chances of selling a home on the eastside have not varied much in most neighborhoods over the past few months. However, in almost all neighborhoods, prices are down and inventory and sales are up.
home prices, home sales, moving down, moving up, reasons to move, relocation, Seattle, Seattle/Eastside, Seattle/Eastside real estate, The Seattle Times
In For Buyers, For Homeowners, For Sellers, King County Real Estate, Local news and information, Seattle real estate, real estate, real estate opinion on October 7, 2008 at 11:49 am
Home prices are down and real estate sales are up. The Seattle Times had two articles screaming these headlines here in the Seattle/ King County area. So who has made a move this year and why?
I thought I’d look back at the reasons some of my clients chose to move. What Motivated them to make a move? Some are buyers, some are sellers, some are both. Here are some of their reasons:
- Lost a long time spouse, remarried and moved to retirement community.
- Divorce (2)
- Needed more space for growing family (2)
- Relocated for job, retirement, family (6)
- Long time owners downsized to a condo (3)
- Moved out of the country
- Sold within 2 year limit for tax break on primary residence (2)
- First time buyer (2)
- Moving up to capitalize on buyers’ market. Didn’t make as much on sale of home, but made killing on purchase. (3)
- Moved to mother-in-law unit on daughter’s property.
- Expecting first child
- buying parent’s home, selling present home
The above are examples of why my clients have either bought or sold a home.
But who bought my listings? What was their motivation to move?
Most of my listing have sold to first time buyers, buyers relocating for jobs, one investor, and two move up buyers.
If you made a move, what was your motivation? If you’re an agent, why did your clients make a move?
ASF, green building, Joseph Vance Building, redcuing carbon footprint, SAF tours, Seattle Architecture Foundation, Seattle Architecture Foundation Tours, South Lake Union, sustainable design, sustainable living, sustainable materials, The Terry Thomas, Weber Thompson
In Built Green and Sustainable Living, Energy conservation, Real Estate News, Remodeling and style trends, architecture, real estate, sustainable living on October 6, 2008 at 4:31 pm
From the Seattle Architecture Foundation Newsletter:
The Terry Thomas: An Elegant, Environmentally-Correct Approach to Design
When: Friday, October 17
Group 1: 10:00am
Group 2: 11:30am
Cost: $15 advance registration required. No walk-ups accepted. Register online or call the SAF office at
206.667.9184.
Where: Weber Thompson offices in The Terry Thomas. 225 Terry Ave., N., second floor Joseph Vance Building: Historic Building, Modern Green Design
“Seattle Architecture Foundation is partnering with Weber Thompson to present The Terry Thomas: An Elegant, Environmentally-Correct Approach to Design, a one-hour guided tour. The Terry Thomas is a highly sustainable, commercial building located in the South Lake Union neighborhood. Wrapped in windows, it is a building designed along a modern aesthetic with a combination of time-tested strategies from the pre-HVAC era and complimentary new technologies.
…this tour explains how the project reduces its carbon footprint, the workings of the passive cooling system, strategies employed to reduce water usage by 50% and energy usage by 30% and how the building has met its original vision of thoughtful sustainable design and a workplace that contributes to the occupant’s well-being, satisfaction and productivity. “
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When: Tuesday, November 11
Group 10:00am
Group 11:30am
Cost: $15 advance registration required. No walk-ups accepted. Register online or call the SAF office at206.667.9184.
Where: Joseph Vance Building lobby, 1402 Third Avenue
“Elements of the project include restoring the building’s terra cotta façade, original ceilings, terrazzo floors, and operable windows, and updating the facility using sustainable materials, systems, and fixtures. Custom window shades and light shelves help preserve energy and maximize natural light while controlling heat gain and glare.”
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I’m really excited to see The Terry Thomas. This is one of the first buildings to be built in years with no air conditioning! The building is designed to maximize air flow/cooling through the use of sun shades, louvers, light colored roofing, and an interior courtyard. This tour ought to be interesting and filled with valuable information regarding “green building.”
Bellevue Towers, condominiums, high end condos, High End Eastside condos, KPLU, MLS, real estate, Seattle, Seattle/Eastside, Seattle/Eastside condominiums, Seattle/Eastside real estate, The Bravern
In Bellevue Real Estate, Bellevue, WA, Debra Sinick, For Buyers, For Homeowners, For Sellers, King County Real Estate, Kirkland, Real Estate News, Seattle real estate, market statistics, real estate, real estate opinion on October 2, 2008 at 3:56 pm
This morning KPLU had a story about high end condo real estate in Seattle and on the Eastside. Richard Hagar, the appraiser interviewed for the story, called condos priced above $5 million dollars as the high end, and, he says, these condos are in demand.
I was curious to know how may condos were for sale on Seattle’s Eastside in this price range and if any had sold. I checked the MLS and right now there are two condos priced above $5 million, both new construction in downtown Bellevue.
The most expensive condominium home is the penthouse at Bellevue Towers. It’s priced at $9.2 million with 6397 square feet, 4 bedrooms, and 4.5 baths.
The runner-up is priced at $5.2 million and is located in The Bravern, just a few blocks away. This condominium home is 3923 square feet and has 3 bedrooms and 3. 5 baths.
How many condominiums on the Eastside are priced between $4-5 million? 2
between $3-4 million? 4
between $2-3 million? 11
between $1-2 million? 75
How many condominiums have sold in the last 6 months for more than $5 million? none
between $4-5 million? none
between $3-4 million? 3 pending
between $2-3 million? none
between $1-2 million? 29
Is the high end really above $2 million on the Eastside, not $5 million? The number of condominiums available above $2 million drops dramatically from the condos available between $1-2 million. Seventeen condos are priced above $2 million. There are 75 condos between $1-2 million and 29 are pending or closed sales. Above the $5 million range, there haven’t been any sales and only 3 condos have sold between $2-5 million in the last six months.
We all know most people cannot afford the million dollar range of homes or condos, but it looks as if there is a high end real estate market between $1-2 million and an “ultra high end” when we talk about the Seattle/Eastside condo market.
condo buyers, condo buying, condo sellers, condo selling, condominium sales, condominiums, real estate, sales absorption rate, Seattle/Eastside, Seattle/Eastside real estate, town home sales. town home buyers, town homes
In Bellevue Real Estate, Bellevue, WA, For Buyers, For Sellers, Issaquah Real Estate, Issaquah, WA, King County Real Estate, King County, WA, Kirkland, Real Estate News, Redmond, Sammamish, WA Real Estate, market statistics, real estate on September 18, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Sellers had a 13% chance of selling a condo on Seattle’s Eastside in July of 2008. ( click on 2008 year to date statistics in the link above for a chart showing the condo report)
August, 2008 1456 condos for sale, 195 condos sold, 13% chance of selling.
July, 2008 1476 condos for sale, 187 condos sold, 12.7% chance of selling.
August, 2007 1002 condos for sale, 309 condos sold, 37% chance of selling.
Throughout the summer months, the chances of selling a condo have been pretty similar with about 12-13% of the condos receiving offers and selling each month. The number of available condos is only slightly less than last month. Still, the condo prices have gone up a bit, with a 2% increase this month. Each area on the Eastside of Seattle varies, however, and in some areas the competition is very stiff and values are lower. The best of the best are selling. Those condos that are overpriced are sitting on the market and helping the other condos to sell first.
built green, denim insulation, eco-friendly, Ecohaus, go green, green remodeling, Greenworks architecture, ice stone, paper stone, Seattle Tilth, Seattle Tilth Lawn and Garden Care Hotline, Solstice Landscapes NE, Sustainable September
In Built Green and Sustainable Living, For Buyers, For Sellers, Local news and information, Remodeling and style trends, architecture on September 15, 2008 at 7:24 am
Sustainable September, an event designed to help people “go green,” is happening in Kirkland and on Seattle’s Eastside through the month of September. On Saturday, I attended the first set of classes. Lesa McIntyre from Greenworks Architecture spoke about ways to ”go green.” Lesa McIntyre mentioned a very interesting concept for builders, investors, and home purchasers. As an architect who works with “green principles,” she is able to look at older homes to determine whether the home could be remodeled with “green” principles more effectively than building a new home to “built green” standards. She considers the lot, its sun and wind exposure, and placement of trees in her analysis.
Here’s some of the other information she presented:
- Look at the products under your sink. Throw away all the chemicals.
- Built Green is a great website to learn about rebates for “built green” materials.
- The msds sheet available for products is the materials safety data sheet which will identify any carcinogens. (something new that I learned)
- Learn where building materials come from. This will help determine whether shipping bamboo from China or cork from the east coast has a greater carbon footprint.
- Ecohaus, formerly Environmental Home Center, a store with a plethora of eco-friendly materials and advice is on Northup Way in Bellevue.
- Denim insulation is a great recycled insulating product for homes.
- Ice stone and Paperstone are great countertop materials.
- Marmoleum and cork are eco-friendly flooring products.
- Reclaimed materials, such as timber, are the best option for reducing the carbon footprint of building and remodeling.
- Carpet is one of the least safe products that goes into a home. If you must use carpet, go with 100% wool with a jute (natural) backing. Lesa suggested 100% wool area rugs so they can be easily cleaned.
Tristan Heberlein from Solstice Landscapes NW discussed ecologically friendly landscape design. His three principles for “green” landscaping are:
Feed the Food Chain:
- Add compost at least every 2 years
- Don’t use landscape fabric as it will deplete the soil of necessary nutrients.
- Use medium wood chip mulch.
- Corn gluten is a natural way to minimize the seeds from weeds germinating. The treatment last for up to 6 weeks.
If you wouldn’t put it on your skin, don’t put it on your plantings.
If you build it, they will come:
- If your soil is healthy, it will create food for insects and birds.
- Plant a lot of flowers, salvia, and the autumn joy sedum to attract honey bees.
- Provide circulating water.
- Bird Feeders
- Built rockeries and walls with crevices for insects.
Need good, free advice? Contact Seattle Tilth’s Lawn and Garden Care Hotline at 206-633-0223.
Bellevue, Bellevue Real Estate, Carnation, Eastside real estate, Education Hill, home buyers, home sellers, home selling, Issaquah, King County Real Estate, Kirkland, Kirkland real estate, market statistics, Redmond, Redmond real estate, Sammamish, Sammamish real estate, Seattle, Seattle Eastside, Seattle real estate, union Hill, WA, WA real estate, Woodinville, Woodinville real estate
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.
_____________________________________________________________
(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.
In Uncategorized on May 29, 2008 at 12:08 pm
From my inbox: Two messages about events celebrating architecture and design, one local and one in California.
Here in Seattle, The Seattle Architectural Foundation Tours are on again for the season: From the Seattle Architectural Foundation newsletter:
“Weekday Tours Program Launched
Greatest Hits: Seattle Architecture Highlights is an encore presentation of some of downtown’s most talked-about buildings. The two-hour tour showcases everything from “golden oldies” like the Norton Building to “chart-toppers” like the world-famous Seattle Central Library. The two-hour walking tour begins at 10:00am every Thursday at Seattle Architecture Foundation.
COMING SOON: SAF’s popular Art Deco tour will be offered at 10:00am every Friday at Seattle Architecture Foundation.
In addition to these regular weekday tours, there’s still room on these upcoming saturday guided walking tours. Register for tours online.
MAY
24 Art Deco: The Roarting 20s, Northwest Style
31 Design Details: Lions, Griffins and Walruses, Oh My!
JUNE
7 Ballard: Small Town/Big City
Historic Skyscrapers: Concrete, Glass, Steel and Egos
14 Art + Architecture: Where Form & Function Meet
Design Details: Lions, Griffins, & Walruses, Oh My!
Harvard Belmont District: Mansions on Capitol Hill
South Lake Union: Extreme Makeover
21 International District: Seattle’s Fortune Cookie
Modern Skyscrapers: A Skyline Defined
That’s Entertainment: Movie Palaces and More!
28 Art Deco: The Roaring 20s, Northwest Style
Columbia City: Valley on the Rise
Family Tour
Pioneer Square: Seattle’s First Neighborhood”
Heading to California:
Dwell On Design has contacted me about a special invitation to their Los Angeles conference:
“ Great news: Dwell has reached their ticket sales goal for the Dwell on Design Exhibition, and has now extended their coupon code offer for a free Exhibition ticket to anyone that has not already purchased a ticket to this fantastic event. If you’d like to offer this to your readers, the code that they’ll need is BDODEC, and they can register for the Exhibition through this link on the Dwell Magazine site.”
Boston, Connecticut, economy, high school, high school reunions, high tech jobs, lakes, Massachusetts, megamillions, mountains, New England, Seattle, Seattle/Eastside
In real estate on May 27, 2008 at 10:17 am
When I drove by this billboard near the Mercer St. off ramp in downtown Seattle, I just cracked up. Whomever writes the ad copy for MegaMillions has a sense of humor. I’ll be attending my high school reunion a little later this year. This billboard echoes the sentiment many feel when revisiting their “youth”. Do you look forward to a reunion? Do you feel successful? It gives one pause and provokes one to reassess.
A step back gives me time to think about these things. How did I end up here ***ty years after high school? “Here” is a figurative and literal expression, of course.
Life can take interesting and surprising turns. As a born and bred east coaster, Connecticut to be exact, never did I think I would live on the west coast. I now have lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere else. College in Massachusetts led me to Boston for a number of years and work as a teacher in a suburban middle school. It was fun, an interesting challenge.
From there I earned a master’s degree in counseling and moved into a guidance counselor position in the same middle school where I had taught. Looking back, teaching was far more fun and creative than counseling in a public school. The stories you hear about kids with peer problems are usually a result of family problems. If the family was not willing to get help, my job would be akin to putting a band-aid on a surgical wound, not very effective.
The Seattle/Eastside was a 2-3 year move, 22 years ago! We came to the eastside for the same reasons people have been coming for the last two decades and will continue to come, there’s a plethora of high-tech jobs on the eastside. The economy, relative to the rest of the country, is strong, the surroundings are just beautiful, the temperatures are mild year round. There’s great culture and beauty surrounding us.
My high school friends will ask me how I’m doing and what it’s like to live in Seattle. Here’s what I’ll tell them:
My personal life is strong, but I’ve weathered some difficult times in the past and am lucky to be in the place I’m at now. The late 80’s with moving to a new city, new part of the country, new marriage, new career, and building new friendships was a challenge. The year 1989 was particularly difficult because of a very serious car accident. Another tough one was 1994, with believe it or not, a personal loss in real estate because of a sewer line (but that’s another very long “messy” story). However, the tougher times, both personally and economically, help me to appreciate what’s here in Seattle, the Eastside, and where I am in my personal life.
Life has its ups and downs for a country, city, and for an individual. Seattle is going great guns, relatively speaking, whereas there’s much more of a struggle back in New England these days. When I left Boston in the late 80’s, I left a booming place and came out here to a city that was just waking up. When I bought my first home here in 1986, real estate was just coming out of the doldrums in Seattle and not expected to do much. Home prices were much more affordable then when compared to the Boston area. Boston, on the other hand, is having a tougher time in today’s market than we are here in Seattle. We have a strong economy in the Seattle area and there are jobs. Seattle is weathering the downturn in real estate and the economy far better than most of the country.
No one gets out of this life without going through a series of ups and downs. Some of us have more than our share of the good or the bad, some have a lot less. That’s life. I understand how hard it is to see the light at the end of the tunnel when things are down. But when things are bad, we tend to forget they can change vastly in a few years. Some of the change can be due to luck, some can be due to hard work, and some is out of our control.
I will also say:
I love that I own a winter coat which I may wear 3 times a winter.
I love the snow on the mountains that is rarely in my backyard.
I love the mountains and the lakes.
I love the sensibility of the Seattle/Eastside, where environmental concerns are becoming more and more important.
But most of all, I love that it’s less humid here than in New England, so my hair doesn’t frizz as much.
And yes, I will tell them I didn’t win the Megamillions, but I’m still glad I’ll be at the reunion.
Bellevue Real Estate, condo buyers, condo buying, condo sales, condo sellers, condo selling, condominium sales, Issaquah Real Estate, monthly real estate statistics, Redmond real estate, Sammamish real estate, Seattle real estate, Seattle/Eastside real estate, Woodinville real estate
In Bellevue Real Estate, Bellevue, WA, For Buyers, For Sellers, Issaquah Real Estate, Issaquah, WA, Kirkland, Local news and information, Real Estate News, Redmond, Sammamish, WA, Sammamish, WA Real Estate, Seattle real estate, Woodinville, WA, Woodinville, WA Real Estate, market statistics, real estate on May 14, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Sellers had a 15.9% chance of selling a condo on Seattle’s Eastside in April of 2008. ( click on 2008 year to date statistics in the link above for a chart showing the condo report)
April, 2008 1392 condos for sale, 222 condos sold, 15.9% chance of selling.
March, 2008 1277 condos for sale, 208 condos sold, 16% chance of selling.
April, 2007 621 condos for sale, 377 condos sold, 60% chance of selling.
Condo values on the Eastside continue to go up. Last month prices increased over 7% from last year and this month prices are up 12.6%. This is not to say it’s easy to sell a condo. Clearly, the actual number of sales is down considerably, by 41%.
Pricing a condo for sale should be based on the amount of competition and the most recent sales. Sales from even a few months ago are out of date. Understanding the competition when you go on the market is the key to a successful sale. Pricing must be competitive so a condo stands out from the pack.
Add new tag, AIA, American Institute of Architects, contest, d, Dwell magazine, green building, green design, modular design, modular homes, sustainable building, sustainable design
In Built Green and Sustainable Living, For Buyers, For Sellers, Remodeling and style trends, real estate on April 22, 2008 at 3:57 pm
This just in my inbox today: Dwell Magazine’s Green Award, is a contest sponsored by Dwell magazine and the American Institute of Architects. Through June 20th, the sponsors are looking for the best “green” or sustainable projects. According to Dwell’s criteria, projects will be judged on the basis of functionality, originality, sustainability, and cost effectiveness. The prize? $2000 towards a future “green” project.
I’ve been subscribing to Dwell magazine for a few years now and find them to be on the cutting edge in many of their articles on sustainable, affordable home design, materials, and styles. The magazine also has articles about small homes, remodels, furniture, and modular housing. All interesting stuff.
animal control, Animal rescue, animal welfare, cats, dogs, King County, King County Animal Shelters, King County Council, Ron Sims, Washington State
In Local news and information, Uncategorized on April 12, 2008 at 7:35 am
I must have hit a nerve last week. I found a message from Al Dams from King County in my inbox. Al must have read the article I wrote last week about the deplorable conditions at the King County Animal Shelters. It’s been all over the news. Blogs were atwitter about the terrible conditions in our county animal shelters. I’ve excerpted the key points from Al Dam’s email message below. The Council’s next steps and future plans are outlined as follows:
“In the short term, the County will replace all of the cat cages and add dog runs in a separate area on the Kent shelter’s property or nearby. A shortage of space at the current facility has resulted in overcrowding, increased stress and risk of disease among shelter cats and dogs. Separate facilities for dogs and cats will greatly reduce stress on cats at the shelter. The funding would come from existing public donations in the Animal Benefit Fund, new Capital funds, and money redirected from the County’s capital improvement funds.
Sims is proposing new staff especially during peak animal population months and new training for staff. The new positions include another veterinarian and a veterinarian technician as well as additional veterinary contract services to provide on-going medical care as well as spay/neuter services. The number of new animal control officers at the shelter would vary depending on demand for shelter services.
The proposal calls for creation of a King County inter-branch animal services work group that will work over the next four months. It will consist of members from the offices of the Executive, County Council, Public Health, Sheriff and Prosecutor. The work group will develop an animal services Strategic plan, an Operational Master Plan, and a Facilities Master plan for the three-year period from 2009 through 2011:
- The Strategic Plan will develop a framework for determining how services are provided and who is best able to provide them, prioritize short and long-term goals, and create performance measures for each goal and specifying which County department will be accountable in achieving them.
- The Operational Master Plan will determine how we move forward in providing shelter and animal care services in King County and develop at least three options, including:
- A status quo option of continuing to provide animal services as currently organized, or
- A reorganization of animal services within the departments of county government, or
- A reorganization of animal services in partnership with other providers
- The Facilities Master Plan will inventory existing animal services facilities throughout the county, forecast the future needs for shelter facilities, including where they should be located and, if a new shelter is called for, propose a six-year plan for financing construction.
This process will include an investigation into whether or not the county can create a model animal welfare program and should continue in the sheltering business. The three pieces of this policy framework will be reviewed by a group of community stakeholders before the Executive transmits the three plans to the Council by August 15, for Council review and potential adoption.”
The joint proposal will be the subject of public comment at the Council’s Committee of the Whole Town Hall meeting on animal care and shelter services on Monday, April 14 at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien at 6:30 p.m.
Keith Ervin from the Seattle Times wrote a story about the latest King County Animal Shelter news and KOMO-TV did a spot highlighting the story.
Amazon, Calder, Eastside, hiking fishing, King County, lakes, Microsoft, Mt. Rainier, Olympic National Park, Olympic Sculpture Park, Puget Sound, Seattle, Starbucks, traffic
In Built Green and Sustainable Living, Exploring the Eastside, King County, WA, Local news and information, Uncategorized on February 25, 2008 at 10:58 am
What are your top 10 reasons to live in the Seattle or on the Eastside? What are your fave 10? I read a post this morning about the Ten Reasons People Move to Seattle from the BINC blog. Pretty interesting list. I think most of the reasons listed in the post fit either Seattle or the Eastside.
Here’s my list, which embellishes on the ideas posted in the BINC article.
I love the mountains, the lakes, the sound, the islands, the trees, the green, and the fact that the snow is on the mountains, but not in my backyard.
I love being close to 3 important national parks, Mt. Rainier, Olympic National Park, and North Cascades National Park.
I love that I could go hiking,
`
boating,
skiing, walking, running, fishing.
I love the cultural sophistication here. We are not LA, NYC or Chicago, but we have great theater, great art, a wonderful sculpture park,
and wonderful restaurants.
I love the excitement and energy brought to Seattle/Eastside/ King County by the top companies located here, Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks.
I love the culture in which people are starting to pay attention to their carbon footprints and thinking green.
I love the mild weather, even if it is gray in the winter.
I love the summer. I don’t want to be anywhere else.
I love being surrounded by Puget Sound
and Lake Washington.
I love that jaw dropping feeling I get each time I see Mt. Rainier pop out.
The BINC blog comments on the great transportation system, but it’s the system in the heart of Seattle. There is a great bus service all over King County, but traffic is a pretty serious problem, with no clear resolution.
Our location is what drives many of us to live here and the traffic is what drives us a little crazy!
So what’s in your fave 10?
In Uncategorized on September 11, 2007 at 8:10 pm
This blog was moved from eblogger to wordpress in order to create better tags, links, and an easier platform to work from. As we all know, most “remodeling” jobs take a bit longer than expected. I plan to publish articles during this time, however, I’m also working on the finer points of blog presentation, tagging, yada yada yada (thank you, Elaine)
In Uncategorized on September 4, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Welcome to Eastside Real Estate Buzz on WordPress. I’ve moved my blog from blogger. Over the next few days, I will add in links that will be helpful to you and organize the previous posts into separate tag headings so you can navigate past posts more easily by topic.
In Uncategorized on August 15, 2007 at 11:33 pm
Meet Henry…… and think about adopting a dog.
(Okay, I admit this article has nothing to do with real estate and I swore I would only write articles about real estate statistics, information and trends, area information, etc. But it has been a long day at the computer looking at July stats so I thought I would digress…. )
It had been a while since my husband and I had been without a dog. Between the two of us, dogs have been a part of our lives since 1975. We lost our most recent dog in the fall of last year to kidney failure. Zippy was with us for 15 years. We had rescued her from the pound in 1991 and were fortunate to have her until the fall of 2006. We vowed we would get another dog, but waited until we were not traveling so much.
We, or I, started our search online this time. There is a great
website for locating dogs from all over the country. I spent a fair amount of time online looking at all the dogs in need of a home. Pretty heartbreaking stories. It makes you want to take them all home. There were dogs who were blind, without a limb or had socialization problems. By the way, a word of warning, do not start looking at these sites until you are truly ready to get a dog!
A couple of weeks ago, we saw a little
Yorkie, named Curtis, on
The Seattle Humane Society website. He looked cute and very much like our
Silky Terrier, Zippy. He is ten years old and has some health issues. Apparently, he had been found by King County animal control and had been shipped off to The Humane Society for treatment. He had had a flea problem and subsequent skin issues. Some of his fur had been shaved off so he could heal. His back end was not a pretty sight! His face, however, was just adorable.
Here is how it works at The Humane Society:
When you go to The Humane Society, they let you look at all the dogs in the kennels. If you are interested in meeting one of the dogs or cats, you take the animal’s information to one of the volunteers. After meeting with the volunteer about the dog or cat, you are then able to meet the animal. We met our Yorkie prospect in one of the “private” fenced-in areas. At first, it did not go well. This dog was completely distracted by all the other dogs and people walking by. Even though the area in which you “meet and greet” the dogs is mostly private, there are still spots in the fence in which a dog can see everything else going on. The dog across the way, who was “meeting” with some other people, was having the same problem. He also was unable to focus on the people who were trying to meet him.
We spent about 40 minutes with “Curtis” and barely connected. We were just about to give up when I asked if there was a private space in which we could meet with the dog. Fortunately, we were able to use their kitchen/workroom for about 10 minutes. At that point, we got a few minutes in which “Curtis” actually focused on us. We went outside with him and he allowed us to hold him while he still “supervised” all the action. It was at that moment we decided we might have a chance to win his affection and we chose to adopt him.
I have to say, he’s been just great. He’s kind of quiet, which is okay as he is an old guy. He is really sweet, and, after a just a few weeks with us, he is appearing to be very comfortable. He has found all of the furniture to be quite to his liking! I am pretty impressed with how comfortable he seems to be. No one knows how long he was out on the street.
If you are thinking of getting a dog or cat, think about adopting. There are so many wonderful animals in need of a home you will have a lot of choices. Contrary to what many people think, adopting an older dog does not always mean you will find a dog with lots of issues. Just remember, if you go to The Humane Society in Bellevue, ask to have a private space even for a few minutes if your dog is really distracted. If we had not done that, we would probably have left without our dog.
By the way, the dogs are given names if they are strays and no one knows the dog’s name. Our dog was called Curtis, but never responded to this name. There is already a new “Curtis” on the society’s website.
We spent a lot of time going through names for a while. Radar was our first choice since the dog was so on alert when we were trying to meet him, but we soon tired of that. We went through a lot of possibilities. I loved Laptop, since he is clearly a lap dog, but knew that was a just a joke. After, Jake, Buster, Scottie, Scooter, etc. we settle on Henry. Henry is not a typical dog’s name, but it fits our older guy.
In Uncategorized on August 15, 2007 at 1:24 am
We all know the Seattle/Eastside market is and continues to be a very expensive place to live, however, it is all relative. I met my client today who is moving back to London for a good-bye lunch. We had lunch at Yarrow Bay Cafe on Lake Washington for her “last meal” in The States. She picked a fabulous day for it. The weather was absolutely perfect. We were able to get a table outside and had a wonderful time. Seaplanes were flying by. The Argosy ship was doing its afternoon cruise. The Olympic Mountains were out. It could not have been a better day.
I wanted to learn a bit about the London area real estate market. Sue is moving back to Horsham, where she grew up. Horsham is 20-30 miles outside of London in West Sussex. Sue estimates the size of the town to be similar to Redmond, WA. There is a train that goes directly from Horsham to London and is about an 1 1/2 hour commute.
Housing prices are quite high in Horsham, about double the home prices here. An expected home purchase for Jac
k and Sue will be an end unit row house from the Victorian era, possibly similar to these row houses pictured to the right. The new home will have three second floor bedrooms with a first floor bath and be about 1200 square feet. Their home in Redmond was a 2200 square foot, four bedroom home with 2 1/2 baths.
Sue estimates the cost will be about $600,000 US, the same price as her two story Redmond home, which is on a 10,000 square foot lot. (US. Copyright freefoto.com)
The financing in England is handled very differently from here. According to Sue, all mortgages are variable rates and can be held for as long as 60 years. She’s not quite sure what current interest rates are in the UK, but the interest rate for savings accounts is higher than here. Typically, if the interest rate on savings is higher, mortgage rates are higher.
Why is she moving back? So many people move to the Eastside for a high tech position, often at Microsoft, but decide to go back “home” to be close to family.
In Uncategorized on July 2, 2007 at 7:11 pm
The Fourth Of July holiday heralds summer! The Fourth of July is often cool and rainy, what many people think happens here all year round. But the surprise, we usually have a gorgeous spring and a fabulous summer. It is our big Seattle secret.
Tradition dictates, however, that our true summer begins on the 5th of July. I know this to be true because I am beginning my 22nd year in Seattle this July 4th and I can count on one hand how many times it has warm and sunny. The Seattle Times reported in the newspaper today that the Fourth of July is usually the soggiest day of July.
This year promises to be one of those great Fourths with the weather predicted to be in the high 80’s to the 90’s. Of course, this happens only because the holiday falls on a Wednesday, the middle of the week, when most people are not taking off a few days for a long weekend! (The gods can be cruel sometimes!)
People certainly have their favorite places to see fireworks all over the Sound. Two big shows happen in the city.
Washington Mutual sponsors a day long funfest and fireworks show at Gasworks Park.
Join Ivar’s at Myrtle Edwards Park overlooking Elliot Bay for a 10 PM fireworks show.
Over on the Eastside, there are great events in Kirkland on the Fourth. There is a parade at noon, a picnic at 1 PM at Juanita Park, and a fireworks show at 10 PM over the lake.
(I may park myself by my empty boat slip down in the Kirkland marina to get a close look. I mentioned I was boatless in my previous post on my Kirkland Highlands blog)
Bellevue also has a day of fun with a full day of events.
For all the festivities on the fourth you can check out the Seattle Times.
In Uncategorized on July 1, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Three homes recently sold near Microsoft.
(This is home #3, my listing, pictured)
Home #1 – a beautiful home that was offered online by the sellers without a Realtor. The home sold for $710,000. It was a 2900 square foot two story, built in the 1990’s, with a big backyard backing to greenbelt. The house was not listed and, therefore, not exposed to the full range of buyers. According to the comparables and the sale of home #3, this was not the highest price the sellers could have obtained. Homes built after 1985 close to Microsoft are hot commodities and often sell for more than listed price.
Home # 2 – the owners were unrepresented sellers and sold their home directly to a buyer. When I talked with the owner after the sale closed, he was very vocal about his experience. He ended up not speaking to the buyers. Negotiations over the price were very tough and subsequently were tougher over the inspection. The seller negotiated the sales price far below market value and also had to give up more in a building inspection. The asking price for the home was $680,000 and sold $630,000, $50,000 below asking price! (It can be hard to be the tough guy in negotiation when its your own home).
Home # 3- was a home I listed for $725,000 and sold for $736,000. The home was approximately 2800 square feet and on about an 8000 sq ft lot. I met with the sellers several weeks before they hoped to go on the market. When we first met, we discussed a price range in the low 700’s, higher than any other home had been priced in the neighborhood. We did not establish the list price until the day before going on the market. By doing this, we knew what the actual, up to the minute, competition was for their home.
Because I knew we had no competition at the time, we dictated when showings could begin, held an open house, which was advertised only on the internet and to neighbors, not in the newspaper. (I was looking for truly interested buyers) We set a time to look at offers after being on the market for only 5 days. During the five days the home was available to all the buyers. The activity and interest created for this home was just fabulous. We had back to back showings throughout the weekend the home was on the market. We had about 25 showings and about 20 qualified buyers to the open house, all in five days time. The seller received three wonderful offers. I helped the sellers evaluate the three offers so they could choose the one that was best for them.
The real beauty of the offer for the seller #3?
The buyers had pre-inspected the home and made their offer without an inspection. How fabulous for the sellers! Upon acceptance of the offer, there was no more negotiation. Think about it. When buyers are put in a position to give away their “first born” to be the offer that gets the house, they will negotiate harder when it comes to an inspection. It’s human nature. When buyers pay more than full price for a home and beat out other offers, they usually want more repairs done based on the building inspection. The seller avoided this completely. Not only did the sellers get a higher price for their home, there was no second round of negotiation on an inspection. This saved the seller even more money and stress with the sale of their home.
Could seller #1 above have made more money that the sale price of $710,000? The home is larger and had a much bigger yard than the home I sold for $736,000. I think the price for this home could have been $750,000, selling with multiple offers and for a higher price. Too often I see sellers sell their home by deducting the real estate commission.
Who benefits from this, the seller or the buyer?
The buyer! The buyer gets the home for less than market value. The seller makes no more money by selling direct, is unrepresented, and has not opened up the sale of their home to all of the potential buyers. Without the synergy of lots buyers, there is little chance of multiple offers resulting in a higher price. When a buyer knows they are not competing with any other buyers for a home, the home will not sell for more than the full price.
Seller #2 could have had a positive, stress-free experience and made more money. It can be tough to be the “bad” guy and be a strong advocate for your own self in negotiations. It is that old human nature again. Most of us want people to like us and do not know how to handle negative confrontations.
Can you make more money and have less stress if you use the services of a Realtor?
You decide….
In Uncategorized on April 5, 2007 at 2:33 am
Today when you apply for a new loan or refinance, credit bureaus can sell your entire credit report to competing financial institutions. This means that anyone in those institutions will have access to your personal information. They will have your social security number, your contact information, and your credit card information. In addition, you also can receive unwanted emails, phone calls and junk mail from random lenders trying to solicit your business.
This is completely legal and the only way to stop it from happening to you is to log onto www.optoutprescreen.com and request your information not be shared with anyone for 5 years. It has to be done at least 5 days prior to letting anyone pull your credit report since it takes that long for it to take be processed.
If you choose to shop for a mortgage, make sure you are only giving your information to reputable lenders that have been referred to you or have a known track record of solid performance. Do not just let your personal information out to anyone and everyone!
www.optoutprescreen.com
In Uncategorized on February 23, 2007 at 11:35 pm
I am here to help you solve one of life’s biggest dilemmas. Imagine it’s Friday night, you are tired, you’ve worked hard, and it’s been a long week. You face the challenge of the week: Where to go for dinner? This is a question my husband and I often ask each other. Sometimes after a long week you want to go for dinner without thinking much about it. Ever feel that way? For those of us who struggle with the eternal dilemma of where to go for dinner, there is a website for all of us.
Have a little fun and take the decision out of the decision making process.
All you have to do is plug in your zip code and see what the wheel of food picks for you.
Enjoy!
Let me know if you use this site and if it worked for you!
www.coverpop.com/wheeloffood/
In Uncategorized on December 26, 2006 at 11:07 pm
In Uncategorized on October 19, 2006 at 7:14 pm
Since 1987 I’ve been a REALTOR, mostly with Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc., selling homes in the neighborhoods of Seattle’s eastside: Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Issaquah, and Sammamish. I have had fun working with buyers and sellers over the years. As part of my service, I have always felt it important to bring local/national economic information, real estate tips and other newsworthy data to my clients. I like to follow current real estate trends, boomer issues, the latest real estate technology, remodeling tips, etc. You name it, if it has to do with real estate, I am reading about it and you may find it here! But lucky you, I may also throw in other things that I think are of interest. I have spent considerable time gathering data from all sorts of sources regarding real estate and it would be fun for me to have a venue to share what I find. This blog is an opportunity for me to share information I find relevant with the residents of the eastside.
Eastside Real Estate Buzz
