South End

Residential Housing Statistics in King County December 2009

I was just asked this week how is the Real Estate Market in King County since I mentioned earlier about Snohomish County. Well here is information which was requested about King County. Northwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) reported as following statistics for Dec 2009. Jan 2010 stats will be published in the coming weeks. We still got 21 months of inventory in King County while Snohomish County got 19 months of inventory of homes for sale. UNITS ACTIVE PENDING SOLD DEC 09 UNITS 6,918 1,413 1462 DEC 08 UNITS 8,707 911 929 Total Unit +/- -1789 502 533 Difference DEC % -20.55% 55.10% 57.37% YTD 09 UNITS 33,744 23,019 16,022 YTD 08 UNITS 38,889 18,895 15,991 Total Unit +/- -5145 4124 31 Difference YTD % -13.23% 21.83% 0.19% As seen above chart, Residential active listings units dropped 20.55% from 8707 units in 2008 to 6918 units in December 2009 while Pending Residential units increased 55.10%, as Dec 09 pending listings were 1413 units compare to 911 units in December 2008.  There is a huge increase in sold units at 57.37%, 1462 units closed in 2009 vs 929 units in 2008.  Snohomish County Sold... 

Heating Bills a Thing of the Past?

I’m pretty sure if the power company offered you a month off from paying your bill, you’d say yes. It might not happen tomorrow, but according to an article I just read in a Sierra Club magazine, in a few decades looks like large power bills will be a thing of the past. As we all know, it’s possible to build homes and offices that will not only be energy self-sufficient, but will produce zero carbon emmissions. In the short run this might be more costly to build (which is why some elements of the building industry look on the movement to increase energy efficiency requirements in building standards with dismay) but in the long run it will more than pay you back for the investment… in other words, save you money. So where a Green-Built house might cost you however thousand dollars more now, it will more than pay you back over time in utility bill savings. So how do we make it practical and attractive not only to spend the $ up front for long term savings, but to include the more than 100 million homes and offices we already have in the new technologies that result in these long-term savings? Looks like the plan is in place. Economically it makes sense to retrofit.... 

What is a Buyer’s Agent and Why Do I Need One?

WHAT IS A BUYER’S AGENT AND WHY DO I NEED ONE?   Q:  How do Buyers’ Agents Get Paid?   A:  Their services are free to the Buyer.   Q:  How does that work?   A:  When the Seller’s Agent signs a listing agreement with the Seller, they negotiate a commission.  They then offer a part of that commission, usually half, but it varies, to the Buyer’s Agent.  This is listed in the Agent part of the MLS.  So when a Buyer chooses a home and purchases it, the total commission is subtracted from the Seller’s side of the totals, and is paid out to the Seller’s Agent and the Buyer’s Agent.   Q:  But if the Buyer’s Agent gets paid by the Seller, do they really work for me?    A:  Good question!  Actually the Washington State laws have changed.  It used to be that both parties worked for the Seller!  Even though you might pick out your own agent to tour and help you, they would still be obligated to guard the best interest of the Seller of any property you saw.  That was deemed unfair to the Buyer and the law has been changed.  The Buyer’s Agent by law owes the Buyer confidentiality and fiduciary loyalty… i.e. has a responsiblity... 

AMAZING lodge for sale in Chilliwack, BC

I was up in the Vancouver BC area last week and my friend Laura Howren took me with her to see a property she just listed in Chilliwack. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the area, it’s a city in the Fraser Valley region in BC about an hour and a half away from Vancouver (home to the 2010 Winter Olympics!!) with an abundance of recreational activities…hiking, fishing, golfing, water sports, you name it. This log home is currently a short term executive rental, rented out on a nightly or weekly basis, and is in a perfect location as it’s only 35 minutes to Harrison Hot Springs and 25 minutes to Cultus Lake, a popular camping destination. Think 26′ ceilings with ceiling-to-floor windows that take advantage of light, beautiful Hans Rhodes natural rock fire place, large recreation room in the daylight basement and a private master suite on the upper level…it’s literally the perfect Getaway! With the exchange rates today at $1.08, with US dollars it’s like getting an 8% discount right off the top of the purchase price. The listed price is $969,000 and the home has 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, about 2600 sqft and is just shy of 2.5 acres,... 

Zoopa, Healthy Salad Bar worth the drive to Tukwila

 Nothing tastes better than  a gleaming array of the freshest vegetables, homemade soup, and bakery on a hot summer day.  So healthy and light, even your body will thank you.  Just a half and hours drive south of Seattle, half way to Tacoma and just minutes from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is the best place for this type of fare that you will find anywhere in the state.  Now, after closure of the restaurants in Bellevue and Seattle run by the same company, this Zoopa is the only one that is still operating in Washington State.  At least thirty feet of select produce, baked from scratch fresh breads, pizza and muffins, and soups like mom used to make.  This is a great alternative to the pricey and unhealthy heavy and greasy foods so popular with buffet style restaurants.  On a recent visit, the  delicatable menu items included a savory chicken tortilla soup,  fresh baked garlic herb focaccia bread, wheat crusted vegetable pizza, brocolli slaw and my favorite peeled green soybeans.  Just south of the Westfield Southcenter Mall (formerly Southcenter Mall)  next to Target, this is in the shadow of a shopper’s paradise with several strip malls surrounding... 

Is your neighborhood walkable?

These days, most people looking for houses that are in neighborhoods that have the same community spirit that was prevalent in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s.  These were neighborhoods where everyone knew each other and their kids all grew up together.  You didn’t have to find a babysitter, there was probably one next door.  How is this type of community created?  One way is to slow down the pace of our lives and to stop trying to schedule every hour of every day.  In place of rushing here and there, people need to take the time to walk around their neighborhood.  It’s pretty interesting to meet all of the neighbors on your street in maybe a one block radius.  In my old neighborhood in Seattle, there was the grade school a block away that drew every kid there after school, on weekends and you almost couldn’t help getting to know each other.  Most neighborhoods have a central core area that defines it.  Within the core area there are grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, parks, libraries, bookstores, fitness centers, drug stores, hardware stores and clothing stores to name a few.  All of them are within walking distance...