Q2 Seattle Metro Real Estate

Q2 Seattle metro real estate numbers closed where the trends suggested. While available inventory continues to tic upwards, average sales price declined 7%. This is further evidence that our market continues to moderate from the frenzied pace of the past 5+ years.

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Lifestyle Vision Guide 

Do You Need a Handyman or a Specialist?

I often get asked for referrals for home maintenance. Sometimes it's obvious what the person is looking for. If it's an appliance I can recommend an appliance repair person. If it's a furnace an HVAC person. Sometimes however I need more information. I found this great chart on the HomeAdvisor website that gives a better understanding of the skills you're looking for when you do these projects.

Check it out, do you need a handyman or a specialist?

Curb Appeal

First impressions really do matter. That's why it's important if you're looking to sell your home that you make the best first impression that you can. You can create a positive first impression with just a few simple projects.

Paint your front door. You don't always need to paint your entire house but painting the front door in a memorable color will help it stand out and make a good impression.

Boring old house numbers are most likely the same as all of your neighbors. You can replace those numbers with new fresh updated and colorful numbers. The can be painted or metal and they don't always have to be the same size.

If you have a mailbox in front of your house, plant a garden around it or even replace the mailbox. You can often find unique mailboxes at farmer's markets or seasonal markets.

You can add interest to your entryway with a pot of flowers or even a chair or a sitting area. Let folks imagine themselves sitting there morning or evening and watching the neighborhood happenings.

Flower boxes are a great way to add a pop or color or interest to an area that looks a bit tired in the summer sun. Go bright and bold. Remember that you don't always need to have flowers in a traditional flower box, but use an old boot, beach bucket or any kind of interesting container.

What Kind of Neighborhood Should I Consider When I Want to Buy A Home

Buying a home is an important decision. When you buy a home, most people go with emotion "How does this home make me feel?' This is a good place to start but there are some other things to consider. The area I want to chat about today is the neighborhood. 

You can assess a neighborhood in many simple ways but I would like to talk about ways that I use.

1. I walk the streets. Talk with neighbors and see how they feel about the area.

2. Determine which people are owners and which ones are renters. If there are more homeowners the neighborhood will be more stable and likely have higher real estate value.

3. How is the neighborhood maintained. Do the homes have nice yards. Do they take pride in the way the houses and lawns are kept up?

These are good indicators that this is a neighborhood that you will want to invest your time and money in.

What Kind Of Investor Would You Rather Be?

What kind of investor would you rather be?

If you invest in stocks you can learn about the company but you are just one vote in the shareholder population.

If you invest in real estate you get to choose:
Where to buy
How much to spend
How much debt you will acquire
The kinds of renovations you are going to make to your property
Who the property manager is going be

Which investor would you rather be? If you want to make a real estate investment, contact me today.

Should I Use a Realtor to Sell My Home?

We've been hearing that selling your home in today's market is easy. All you have to do is put up a sign and the buyers will line up at the door and there will be a bidding war so you'll make lots of money. And then you think, I want as much as I can get so I'm going to do it my self.
some things to consider however..

1. Can I just put it on Craigslist and sell it myself? Sure, you can do that but who is going to weed out the strange folks, the lookie lous and the buyers who are not really qualified or want to get a bargain at your expense. A Realtor knows how to negotiate, do the marketing and how to attract the right kind of buyer.

2. You know best what your home is worth. Zillow told you how much it's worth, and you know how much money you've spent, but can you be objective about the value? Owners tend to overprice their home because of the emotional attachment. Your agent will know your neighborhood and has many resources to help establish the best price for your home.

3. I can sell my home just the way it is because it's perfect! Again, your realtor knows what today's buyers are looking for. You may be overlooking some changes that could boost your profits and she can guide you to work that has the best return on  your investment.

4. I want to sell in the spring because that's the best time to sell a home. Again,the reality is that homes sell at all times of the year. Fall and winter can be a slower market but because there may be fewer homes on the market this may be to your advantage. People move and buy and sell all year around.

The bottom line is that a Realtor is an expert in the home buying and selling market. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise and you will get the highest return on your home investment. You can contact me to find out more. I would love to chat with you and let you know what my experience in today's' market is and how that will benefit you.

Getting My Home Ready For Winter

Fall has arrived here in Seattle and winter will be here before you know it. There is time however to do that home maintenance that you've been putting off and get your home ready for fall and winter.

Some of the items on your list should include:

1. Have your furnace inspected. Experts say that as many as 75% of calls they receive from homeowners without heat are a result of not having the furnace serviced and cleaned.

2. Painting: Apply paint to areas that are showing signs of age and exposure and protect that siding with some fresh paint.

3. Inspect your roof. Check for shingles that are cracked or missing. Is there caulking that should be replaced? Is there moss that should be removed?

4. Replace weatherstripping on doors. These gaps can be replaced with items you can find at your local hardware store. If you need help YouTube is a great resource for installation techniques.

5. Make sure the safety detectors are working. Both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should have fresh batteries. Remember to use the test button to determine that they do work.

6. Gutters and Downspouts: Clean debris out of the gutters and make sure the downspouts are draining properly. This will help to prevent roof leaks.

Enjoy all the sights and sounds of fall and winter and feel confident that you're planning ahead

What Should I Look For When I Buy A House?

What should I look for when I buy a house? Everyone including a realtor has an opinion. The age old adage is "location, location, location!" For you however maybe this may not be the primary criteria.

For a family with a dog it maybe be a pet friendly yard. For a family with children it may be a room for each child or all bedrooms on one floor. For a nature lover it might be a great garden area. If you're a biker maybe it's a great bike to work path. The desires and needs are endless.

To begin, start with a list. Make columns for items that are must haves, needs or wants , or just plain Oh I would love to have that in my house. Some items that you might not consider at first would be the size of the closets. Will they hold all your clothes? Another might be what is the neighborhood like on the evenings and weekends? How does it feel, will I like living here? Maybe even things like cosmetic appeal both inside and outside? Are the major systems like plumbing, sewer and furnace up to date or will I need to make improvements sooner than later? How is the commute? Is there public transportation available?

You can always solicit ideas from friends and family but in the end, you will be living in the house so choose a home that you can see yourself living in and remember, that you  will make compromises and maybe even be willing to compromise on details that you didn't think were flexible. Let your realtor show you homes that she may think are a good fit for you and don't make judgements before you even get in the home. You may be surprised.

Seattle Real Estate

Seattle has a very "hot" real estate market right now. In fact, one of the current trends is buying older homes, tearing them down and building new larger homes. For some this is a good thing. New inventory and expensive houses that are current and up to date. For many however this is a problem. The older homes are usually more affordable and in a city where the prices are increasing monthly this is a huge concern. Where are all the smaller starter homes going? It's been reported that developers are tearing down a house a day.  What are the people with new jobs and young families going to do if they want to live in a house but not move to the suburbs. City living is getting to be an unattainable goal for these people. Many are left with few choices and have to more farther away from jobs so the commute is longer. I certainly have mixed feelings and always try to help my clients find the best possible value for the money they can spend. There is no easy solution.
And then developers are doing this.. would you want this home built in front of you?

Latest Statistics From the Northwest Multiple Listing Service

All of us who live in the Greater Seattle area have been aware of the very "hot" real estate market and the number of offers sellers are receiving on their listed homes. This also means that any buyer that is making an offer on a property has had fierce competition. For a fraction of buyers this has been a success as they have purchased a property but for many buyers it's been discouraging at best as they make offer after offer and are beat out of a successful transaction for any number of reasons. Finally it looks like we're starting to see a correction in the market. There are more properties on the market and there are fewer multiple offer situations. The prices still are increasing but not at the pace they have been in previous months. For now we watch and wait and see but this is still a great time to buy or sell a home because the interest rates are low and we continue to have the demand for homes.

NWMLS Market Update

Dog gone, cat stay

What to do when you live with pets, when your home is for sale? Boarding, taking a little vacation, or telling people not to let the pets out? All these and more are tactics I'm seeing in this market. 

Yard Art in West Seattle

Pricing to Sell

http://www.inman.com/2015/03/20/the-one-item-needed-to-sell-a-home-for-top-dollar/

great article about pricing homes to sell for top dollar.

Only shows when it rains

This sounds really cool,  especially for a native Seattleite like me.

A rainwork is an interesting design or message on concrete 
that only shows up when it gets wet. Some map marker titles 
are intentionally left vague. Go explore!


http://rain.works/

Driving in Seattle

Sometimes, driving is just so beautiful, and then there's a bump.

Greening Seattle

I finally stumbled on the answer to my question,  "who is behind this Greening of Seattle?" I've seen the volunteers and piles of ivy ripped out of urban forests, especially along Admiral Way SW, in West Seattle.

Here is a link to a video on how to make a compost pile in the forest...

Richie Jenkin- Guitar Lessons, West Seattle

Oh My word, this guy is so cool. He teaches adults, kids, and even me ( slow learner) to play the guitar.

Here is a little video I took to remember how to do a piece of the song, "Kansas City". I put it on YouTube so I could practice from wherever I am. Sorry i's sdeways... not sure how to fix that.

Here it is: Richie

If you want to refer him to a friend, or study with him yourself, here is the info:

Richie's website