Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor HomeownersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateIssaquah, WAKing County Real EstateKing County, WAKirklandMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate January 12, 2011

How Many Real Estate Sales Were on Seattle's Eastside in Dec 2010 Compared to 2009?

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bellevue,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.403932,58.271484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bellevue,+King,+Washington&ll=47.610377,-122.200679&spn=0.310148,0.910492&z=10&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Sales were much better in December, 2010 than Dec, 2009 almost everywhere, but not across the board.  In 4 of the 7 Seattle-eastside real estate areas, sales percentages were up from 2009 t0 2010.  Sales increases ranged from 2% in South Bellevue and Issaquah to 40% in Redmond/East Bellevue.  East Bellevue and Redmond near Microsoft were hit pretty hard in December, 2009, but bounced back to be the strongest area on the eastside for most of 2010.

This month, I’ve included the total number of homes sold in each area in 2010.  Some of the numbers are small, such as West Bellevue, when compared to areas such as Sammamish, etc.  This is because West Bellevue is a much smaller area than Sammamish/North Bend/Snoqualmie/Fall City/and parts of Issaquah combined.  Some of the areas cover huge numbers of homes and others do not.

The drop in the number of homes for sale on Seattle’s eastside continued in December, but did not hit the lowest point for the year.  The number of homes for sale dropped to just above 11,000 at the close of 2010.  Despite fewer homes on the market,  home sales were moving in December.  As I’ve said before, the homes with the best value proposition of price and condition  got the attention of the buyers.  Those were the  homes that sold.

How did December, 2009 compare to December, 2010 in your neighborhood?

(Click on the cities below to see real estate trends for the past 5 years.  You’ll find the median pricing for each city and whether the number of homes for sale and the number of sales went up or down.  The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)

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

The odds of selling a home were 15.5%.

Median sales price was virtually the same: $499,900 to  $499,450.

The number of homes for sale increased by 17.5% and the number of home sales were the same as last year plus one home!

A total of 1755 homes sold in 2010.

Redmond/East Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 20.5%.

Median sales price decreased by 5% to $424,500 from $445,000.

The number of homes for sale was down by 18% and sales were up by 40%.

A total of 797 homes sold in 2010.

South Bellevue/Issaquah

The odds of selling a home were 19%.

Median price decreased from $610,450 to $569,995.

The number of homes for sale dropped by 6% and sales were up by 2%.

A total of 1012 homes sold in 2010.

Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 18%.

Median price was up from $410,944 to $437,000.

The number of homes for sale declined by 3% and sales were up by 11.5%.

A total of 1473 homes sold in 2010.

Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 16%.

Median price increased to $549,000 from $491,000.

The number of homes for sale declined by 17% and sales were down by 10%.

A total of 794 homes sold in 2010.

West Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 12%.

Median pricing was down from $847,440 to $729,000.

The number of homes for sale decreased by 8% and sales decreased by 26.5%.

The total number of homes sold in 2010 was 415.

Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation

The odds of selling a home were 12%

Median pricing decreased from $549,950 to $524,970.

The number of homes for sale decreased by 5% and sales decreased by 16%.

A total of 766 homes sold in 2010.

If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact me.



Bellevue Real EstateFor BuyersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateKing County Real EstateKirklandMarket StatisticsReal EstateReal Estate OpinionRedmondSammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWoodinville, WA Real Estate January 5, 2011

What's The Worst Time to be on the Market in the Seattle Area?

Number of Homes for Sale in King County in 2010

Weekly List of King County Homes for Sale in 2010

It’s July!  Why July? Because that’s the time of year when the largest number of homes and condos are on the market.

Are you surprised? So many times I hear from people they’re waiting until the summer to sell, when school is out.  But it’s not the best time.  If you look at the chart above, the peak of the competition, when the most number of homes and condos were on the market, was at the end of July.  At that time 14,639 homes were on the market.

This year starts out with 10,008 properties on the market, which, if we follow typical yearly patterns, means the first of the year is one of the best times to sell a home. There’s so much less competition.  In fact, there are 32% less homes on the market now when compared to July of last year.

Was 2010 unique? No, this is the typical pattern we see every year, no matter the type of real estate market. For example, here’s how the peak of 2009 looked:

7-27-09   13,861

The peak of the homes for sale in the Seattle area real estate market was the exact same week in 2009 and 2010.

So, if you’d like to make a move this year, please don’t wait until the summer.  That’s when everyone else is going to put their homes on the market.

As soon as the statistics are available for the time of the year when the most homes sold, I’ll share that, too.

If you are thinking of selling your home, feel free to contact me to talk about how to position your home to get the best possible price given current market conditions.  But contact me sooner, rather than later this year!  Have a great 2011.

For BuyersFor SellersReal EstateSeattle real estateWA real estate December 28, 2010

Seattle Economist Makes Real Estate Predictions

Thinking about the economy in 2011?   Who isn’t these days?

Local economist, Matthew Gardner presented his predictions for next year’s economy and the real estate market.

woman

(photo: Andrew@cubagallery)

Here are a few of his predictions for 2011:

Economic growth will remain slow, particularly for the first half of the year.
An “easing” in the economy should been seen as the year progresses, helping to restore some consumer confidence.
The  unemployment rate will drop some, but improvement will be slow.
A 5% decline in home prices across U.S.
Inflation will be minimal, benefiting home buyers.
Interest rates should go higher, but still remain on the lower side.

What do you see happening in your area?

Hope your 2011 will be looking up!

Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateIssaquah, WAKing County Real EstateKing County, WALocal news and informationMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWA real estateWindermere Real EstateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate December 17, 2010

This Past Month Seattle Eastside Real Estate Was Balanced Between Buyers and Sellers

Real Estate Markets in Seattle

Seattle Area Real Estate 11-30-10

The Seattle-eastside market is balanced.  Surprised by that?  Here’s why I say this: A balanced market is when homes on average are selling in 3-6 months.  This means there was a more level playing field between buyers and sellers during that particular month, in this case November 2010.  Given the news we hear, it’s surprising to think of the eastside real estate market in this way.

Does this mean it’s no longer a challenge to sell a home?  Absolutely not.  The competition is still very stiff. There are a lot of homes for buyers to buy.  A market in which it takes homes 3-6 months to sell is still a challenging, but not a terrible, real estate market.   In a balanced market, some homes sell quickly for a good price, others take a lot longer to sell with a steep discount in the the asking price, and still others don’t sell at all.  I’m still going to be telling home sellers to have the best home out there and expect a sale to take a long time to happen.  Homes that sell have to be a really good value to be the ones that sell.   Believe it or not, this is pretty typical of a more balanced, realistic market. A realistic market is not a fast paced real estate market.  A realistic market will have some distressed home sellers.  Although this is a cause of major concern and I am not minimizing the situation for those who are distressed sellers, the majority of eastside homes are NOT distressed sales.

———————————

What do the 3 digit numbers on the map mean?

The map is divided into the numbered areas as defined by our Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS).  Downtown Bellevue is area 520 and East Bellevue is area 530, as an example.

What do the colors mean?

Red means it’s a sellers’ market, a sellers’ advantage.  Homes take less than 3 months to sell.

Yellow means a balanced market between buyers and sellers.  Homes on the average take 3-6 months to sell.

Green means it’s a buyers’ market.  Homes take longer than 6 months to sell.

If you take each area as shown on the map and look to the area number on the side of the map, it will tell you how long it would take to sell every home currently for sale if no other home came up on the market in that area.

Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateIssaquah, WAKing County Real EstateKing County, WAKirklandMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWA real estateWindermere Real EstateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate December 15, 2010

How Did November, 2010 Real Estate Sales Do In Your Seattle-Eastside Neighborhood?

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bellevue,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.403932,58.271484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bellevue,+King,+Washington&ll=47.610377,-122.200679&spn=0.310148,0.910492&z=10&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

In 5 of the 7 Seattle-eastside real estate areas, sales percentages were up by a lot from last year!  Sales increases ranged from 13.5% in Redmond/Carnation to 47% in Redmond/East Bellevue.

We also saw a huge drop in the number of homes for sale on Seattle’s eastside over the past few months.  A higher percentage of  home sales and less homes for sale is good news.  The market is still challenging.   The homes with the best value proposition of price and condition  grab the attention of the buyers.  These are homes that are selling.

How did November, 2009 compare to November, 2010 in your neighborhood?

(Click on the cities below to see real estate trends for the past 5 years.  You’ll find the median pricing for each city and whether the number of homes for sale and the number of sales went up or down.  The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)

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

The odds of selling a home were 16%.

Median sales price decreased from $552,500 to  $474,000.

The number of homes for sale increased by 12% and sales were down by 15% from last year.

Redmond/East Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 22%.

Median sales price decreased to $416,500 from $479,000.

The number of homes for sale was down by 12% and sales were up by 47%.

South Bellevue/Issaquah

The odds of selling a home were 22%.

Median price decreased from $685,000 to $599,419.

The number of homes for sale dropped by 10% and sales were up by 26%.

Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 15%.

Median price was down from $411,750 to $405,000.

The number of homes for sale declined by 3% and sales were up by 41%.

Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 17%.

Median price decreased to $549,950 from $739,000.

The number of homes for sale declined by 16% and sales were up by 13.5%.

West Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 15%.

Median pricing was down from $996,500 to $829,500.

The number of homes for sale decreased by 9% and sales decreased by 3%.

Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation

The odds of selling a home were 16 %

Median pricing decreased from $559,900 to $525,000.

The number of homes for sale decreased by 3% and sales increased by 16%.

If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact me.

Have a terrific holiday season and Happy New Year!


Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateKing County Real EstateKing County, WAKirklandMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWindermere Real EstateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate November 18, 2010

There's No Sign of a Seller's Market in Seattle Real Estate

Real Estate Markets in the Seattle Area

Seattle Area Real Estate Map Showing Different Market Performance 10-31-10

 

The lack of “red” showing a seller’s market in Seattle area real estate is no big surprise.  However, it’s good to see the market was more balanced in some Seattle area neighborhoods in October.

A balanced market is when homes on average are selling between 3-6 months, which means there was a level playing field between buyers and sellers in those areas for that particular month.  A buyer’s market means the homes on average are taking longer than 6 months to sell and a seller’s market means the homes take less than 3 months to sell.

A real estate market is labeled a buyer or seller’s market depending on how long it took the homes to sell that month.  Since the sales can vary each month, the type of real estate market can very easily change, going back and forth between a buyer or seller advantage.

Even though it’s more challenging for sellers,  there are homes that stand out and sell with multiple offers or for full price.  Look at the overall real estate market, look at the market in the neighborhood, and then look at the specific home and how well it’s priced for that market.  When making a pricing decision, all of this data is important.

———————————

What do the numbers on the map mean?

The map is divided into the numbered areas as defined by our Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS).  Downtown Bellevue is area 520 and East Bellevue is area 530, as an example.

What do the colors mean?

Red means it’s a sellers’ market, a sellers’ advantage.  Homes take less than 3 months to sell.

Yellow means a balanced market between buyers and sellers.  Homes on the average take 3-6 months to sell.

Green means it’s a buyers’ market.  Homes take longer than 6 months to sell.

If you take each area as shown on the map and look to the area number on the side of the map, it will tell you how long it would take to sell every home currently for sale if no other home came up on the market in that area.

Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateIssaquah, WAKing County Real EstateKing County, WAKirklandMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWA real estateWindermere Real EstateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate November 12, 2010

How Did October, 2010 Real Estate Sales Do In Your Seattle-Eastside Neighborhood?

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bellevue,+WA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.403932,58.271484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bellevue,+King,+Washington&ll=47.610377,-122.200679&spn=0.310148,0.910492&z=10&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Ok, the real estate market is slower, that much we all know, but it’s not dead and there are homes selling. These are the homes that stand out compared to the competition, because they show well and are seen as a value.  Today’s pricing is similar to 2005 pricing.  I’ll post another piece which shows these numbers.

Sales were down by a huge amount in Woodinville, Kenmore, Bothell,  Duvall, and North Kirkland.  The sales dropped by 42% from last year.

The number of homes for sale in King County has dropped below 13,000 for the first time since early May. On Seattle’s eastside, the number of homes for sale is down by about 200 homes.   These numbers are headed in the right direction.

In “Microsoft land”, the neighborhoods of Redmond and East Bellevue near Microsoft’s home base, the sales prices actually went up by about 1% in value.  Remember, the median pricing for any month will reflect the sales for that month and it is important to look at several months or more to see the real trend.  I wish I could say this month’s increase was the norm, but if you look at past posts and the charts in the link above, you’ll see this is not the case.

Expect to see more homes come off the market as we head towards the holidays.  We started the year with 9700+ homes for sale in King County, which was the lowest number of the year. So if you plan to sell next year, think about getting on the market early, when your home will have less competition.
Happy Turkey Day!

How did October, 2009 compare to October, 2010 in your neighborhood?

(Click on the cities below to see real estate trends for the past 5 years.  You’ll find the median pricing for each city and whether the number of homes for sale and the number of sales went up or down.  The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)

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

The odds of selling a home were 20%.

Median sales price decreased from $509,000 to  $477,500.

The number of homes for sale increased by 16% and sales were down by 9% from last year.

West Redmond/East Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 18%.

Median sales price increased to $449,900 from $445,000.

The number of homes for sale was up by 2% and sales were even with last year.

South Bellevue/Issaquah

The odds of selling a home were 15%.

Median price decreased to $514,500 from $592,500.

The number of homes for sale dropped by 1.5% and sales were down by 28%.

Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 11%.

Median price was down from $429,975 to $403,450.

The number of homes for sale declined by 2% and sales were down by 41%.

Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 19%.

Median price decreased to $488,900 from $500,000.

The number of homes for sale declined by 7% and sales were down by 9%.

West Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 9.5%.

Median pricing was down from $1,150,000 to $948,000.

The number of homes for sale decreased by 9% and sales decreased by 27%.

Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation

The odds of selling a home were 16 %

Median pricing decreased from $449,995 to $474,950.

The number of homes for sale increased by 8% and sales decreased by 32%.

What real estate activity have you seen in your neighborhood?  If you would like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact me.


For SellersMarket StatisticsReal EstateReal Estate Tips October 26, 2010

How Do You Move Your Seattle Eastside Home from "For Sale" to Sold?

Eastside September 2010 Moving from for sale to sold

Seattle-Eastside Homes That Moved From "For Sale" to Sold

It’s the price. No big surprise, but here’s the proof that pricing your home right will get it sold for the best price in the Seattle-eastside real estate market.  The price you choose to ask for your home and how long you are at the original asking price will make a difference in how much you actually sell your home for and how long it will take.

How many times have you heard these comments?

  • I don’t want to give my house away.
  • My neighbor’s home sold so fast, it must have been underpriced.

There’s a common misconception that homes that sell quickly must have been priced too low.  Yet, when you look at the chart above, the homes that sold quickly actually sold closer to their original asking price than the homes that stayed on the market longer.

Longer market time = a lower sales price and less money in your pocket.

What have you seen out in the real estate market with the pricing of homes vs. the sales price?

Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor HomeownersFor SellersKing County Real EstateKing County, WAKirklandReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattle real estateWA real estateWindermere Real EstateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate October 15, 2010

It Was Mostly a Buyers' Market on Seattle's Eastside in September, 2010

 

Real Estate Map for Seattle Area

King & Snohomish County Reat Estate, 9-30-10

 

Sellers’ markets on this map are in red and there is no red in Seattle or on Seattle’s eastside. Most of the neighborhoods are buyers’ markets, which are in green.  Only two areas, Bellevue and Redmond near Microsoft, which is area 530, and area 600, which is Woodinville, Bothell, Duvall, are balanced markets.  Last month, Bellevue and Redmond near Microsoft and Kirkland were the balanced markets.

A balanced market is when homes on average are selling between 3-6 months, which means there was a level playing field between buyers and sellers in those areas for that particular month.  A buyers’ market means the homes on average are taking longer than 6 months to sell and a sellers’ market means the homes take less than 3 months to sell.

A real estate market is labeled a buyer or sellers’ market depending on the homes that actually sold that particular month.  Since the sales can vary each month, the type of real estate market can very easily change, going back and forth between a buyer or seller advantage.  Don’t count on the market staying the same each month in any area.

Remember, too, an area may be a buyers’ market and there can still be a terrific home that’s the best of the competition and sells with multiple offers or for full price.  It’s always important to understand how much competition a particular home has and how well priced it is when compared to the competition.  So look at the overall real estate market, look at the market in your neighborhood, and then look at the specific home and how well it’s priced for that market.  Weigh all of this information when making a buying decision or a decision as to how to price your home.

What do the numbers on the map mean?

The map is divided into the numbered areas as defined by our Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS).  Downtown Bellevue is area 520 and East Bellevue is area 530, as an example.

What do the colors mean?

Red means it’s a sellers’ market, a sellers’ advantage.

Yellow means a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

Green means it’s a buyers’ market.

If you take each area as shown on the map and look to the area number on the side of the map, it will tell you how long it would take to sell every home currently for sale if no other home came up on the market in that area.

Bellevue Real EstateBellevue, WAFor BuyersFor HomeownersFor SellersIssaquah Real EstateIssaquah, WAKing County Real EstateKing County, WAMarket StatisticsReal EstateRedmondSammamish, WASammamish, WA Real EstateSeattleSeattle real estateWA real estateWoodinville, WAWoodinville, WA Real Estate October 13, 2010

How Did September, 2010 Seattle-Eastside Real Estate Sales Do In Your Neighborhood?

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps?source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Seattle-eastside&sll=47.709762,-122.011414&sspn=0.310487,0.911865&ie=UTF8&split=1&radius=21.22&rq=1&ev=zo&hq=Seattle-eastside&hnear=&ll=47.709762,-122.011414&spn=0.310487,0.911865&t=h&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

How did September, 2009 compare to September, 2010 in your neighborhood?

(Click on the cities below to see real estate trends for the past 5 years.  You’ll find the median pricing for each city and whether the number of homes for sale and the number of sales went up or down.  The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)

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

The odds of selling a home were 13%.

Median sales price increased from $493,995 $500,000.

The number of homes for sale increased by 15% and sales were down by 25% from last year.

West Redmond/East Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 17%.

Median sales price decreased to $464,750 from $499,500.

The number of homes for sale was up by 15% and sales were down by 25%.

South Bellevue/Issaquah

The odds of selling a home were 13%.

Median price decreased to $520,000 from $564,900.

The number of homes for sale dropped by 8% and sales were down by 4%.

Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 14%.

Median price was down from $399,975 to $389,500.

The number of homes for sale declined by 6% and sales were down by 15%.

Kirkland

The odds of selling a home were 13%.

Median price increased to $599,000 from $549,950.

The number of homes for sale declined by 8% and sales were down by 17%.

West Bellevue

The odds of selling a home were 13%.

Median pricing was down from $1,012,000 to $899,000.

The number of homes for sale decreased by 15% and sales decreased by 30%. (Another big hit!)

Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation

The odds of selling a home were 14.5 %

Median pricing increased from $449,950 to $499,925.

The number of homes for sale increased by 5% and sales decreased by 2%.

The real estate sales numbers are down on Seattle’s eastside, which is no big surprise to many of us.  However, again we see median pricing up in 3 out of 7 neighborhoods.  Don’t get too excited though.  The median pricing is based on the homes that sold that month, not on the trend for the whole year.  I can safely say median pricing is down since last year all over the eastside, even if a month or two shows an increase.  We have to look at the overall trend for the year.

Sales were down by a lot, 30% in West Bellevue.  In East Bellevue/Redmond near Microsoft and on the Sammamish plateau, sales were down by 25%.  These are big numbers.

The number of homes for sale on Seattle’s eastside is starting to head downward.  (This is a good thing.) There are 400 fewer homes on the market in King County than just a few weeks ago.  I expect to see that number continue to drop.

What real estate activity have you seen in your neighborhood?