Burien, WA Real Estate - Lisa Bosques, Assoc. Broker/Mktg Specialist

My husband and I took our son swimming at my mom's condo. We started noticing a bunch of commotion.

I went out of the swimming area to find out what was going on.

Some of the neighbors were standing around one of the many shrubs on the property, expressing shock and disgust at the way in which they were "trimmed"(and I'm using the word "trimmed" loosely).

I can totally understand their anger and frustration. I'm fairly certain that these shrubs looked fine before they were attacked. I can't imagine that this would be an improvement over what they looked like the day before.

It looks like some Sedro-Woolley chainsaw artists took a break from creating salmon-eating bears out of giant tree trunks to come down here and moonlight as landscapers. Hey, if it's that easy, maybe I'll start a landscaping business.

Howdy folks, Lisa here with some Burien home sale statistics for the month of July 2008. Please note that I've only included those homes listed on the MLS in area 130 in the city of Burien. I am happy to say that there are lots of homes that went Pending this month - let's hope they ALL translate in to 'solds' in August!

Homes:

Listings taken: 43

Listings that have expired: 13 / Average Days On Market(DOM): 86

Listings that have gone pending: 28 / Average DOM: 66

Listings that have sold: 9 / Average DOM: 30

Condos:

Listings taken: 4

Listings that have expired: 2 / Average DOM: 107

Listings that have gone pending: 10 / Average DOM: 48

Listings that have sold: 2 / Average DOM: 121

Vacant Land:

Listings taken: 5

Listings that have expired: 1 / DOM: 146

Listings that have gone pending: 1 / DOM: 1!

Multi-Family:

Listings taken: 1

Commercial/Industrial:

Listings that have expired: 2 / Average DOM: 111

Listings that have gone pending: 1 / DOM: 244

Listings that have sold: 1 / DOM: 124

For homes, check out the Days on Market for the solds...we're at 30 days, and we haven't been there for a while. Can't make any predictions from it, but I'm happy to see it, if only for one month. Sold homes range in price from $244,850 to $460,000, with an average price of $363,200. For Pending homes, sales prices range from $205,000 all the way up to $1,298,000, bringing the average pending home price up to $413,883.

The 2 condos that sold range in price from $119,000 to $136,000. I am liking these prices...and there are several other condos in the Burien area that are available in this price range, FYI! Pending condo sales prices range from $114,900 to $195,950 for an average pending sale price of $156,445. There is one commercial property pending at $1,944,000, and one also sold at $950,000.

Let's hope this trend continues. That's all for now...until next time!

I'm quite certain that my pictures cannot convey the beauty of these light fixtures that I saw while sitting at an Open House in Burien on SW 128th St, heading into Shorewood. It's a beautifully remodeled two-story home that looks and feels like an estate.

As I was standing in the kitchen, the sun coming through the window hit the multifaceted crystals on the chandelier and produced the most brilliant colors. Unfortunately, despite all of the photos I took, I could not adequately capture this.

The chandelier in the entryway was grand and impressive.

Another gorgeous fixture(a dome-style light) located in the family room off of the kitchen; like the first chandelier it also reflected beautiful rainbows of colors, so much more brilliant than in the picture. I did manage to snap a shot of the warning label inside the fixture!

Simple, strategic placement of light fixtures help to bring an already stunning property to another level. I know that next time I look for a light fixture for my home, perhaps I'll try harder to stay away from the clearance bin, because a small investment really does make a big difference.

Greetings! Here are some handy real estate statistics for Shorweood for the month of July. Please note that I have only included properties listed on the MLS and properly tagged "Shorewood" or "North Shorewood". This data would include Shorewood On the Sound as well. Some realtors may tag Shorewood properties as "Burien", in which case you may need to read my next blog post, which will be all about Burien stats!

Whew. Okay, here we go:

Homes:

Listings taken: 12

Listins that have expired: 7 / Average Days on Market(DOM): 144

Listings that have gone pending: 5 / Average DOM: 82

Listings that have sold: 2 / Average DOM: 102

Vacant Land:

Listings taken: 2

Listings that have gone pending: 1 / DOM: 167

Manufactured Homes:

Listings taken: 1

Of the homes that sold, prices ranged from $221,500 to $425,000, with the average sales price at $323,250. Pending prices range from $299,950 to $585,000. Average market time for the solds was 3 months. One vacant land listing went pending at $69,000.

FYI, currently there are 15 properties in Shorewood on the market priced at $500,000 and over, including the new construction homes that are part of the Shorewood View Estates gated community subdivision.

By the way, if you would like any information regarding stats that are not included here please feel free to contact me. Cheers!

Greetings! I thought I would run some stats for Boulevard Park for the month of July, 2008. I have only included properties listed on the MLS and categorized as "Boulevard Park". Here goes:

Homes:

Listings taken: 17

Listings that have expired: 5 / Average Days On Market(DOM): 208

Listings that have gone pending: 4 / Average DOM: 73

Listings that have sold: 3 / Average DOM: 42

Condos:

Listings taken: 4

Listings that are pending: 1 / Average DOM: 3

Listings that have sold: 1 / Average DOM: 44

Vacant Land:

Listings taken: 3

Listings that have expired: 2 / Average DOM: 260

Multi-Family:

Listings that have expired: 1 / Average DOM: 110

Vacant land sales have been especially slow here during the last year. Of the sold listings for homes, sales prices ranged from $275,000 to $412,000, with the average sales price at $330,000. The four pending home sales range in price from $259,000 to $429,000. The one condo that sold was priced at $134,000, and there's another one pending at $124,000.

By the way, I have a listing that I would love to see in the pending or sold stats next month: It's a 5 bedroom, 2 bath home with MIL located right across the street from Hilltop Elementary. It's a bit of a fixer, but worth the price at $285,000. Feel free to contact me for more info!

Ah, Arbor Heights, my old stomping grounds. A lovely area that's been rediscovered in the past few years. Lately it's been spiffed up by new street signs and even a new sidewalk alongside the only elementary school, Arbor Heights Elementary. It's a quiet place that's so convenient to everything, yet off the beaten path. What's not to like about it?

Here are some stats taken from the Multiple Listing Service for the month of July for homes tagged with the neighborhood, "Arbor Heights". The only activity this month was in homes; no condos, no vacant land, multifamily or commercial.

Homes:

Listings taken: 4

Listings that expired: 1 / Average DOM(days on market): 182

Listings that went pending: 6 / Average DOM: 38

Listings sold: 4 / Average DOM: 46

The homes that were just listed this month range in price from $369,000 to $479950. Again, this only includes Arbor Heights, not the Arroyos or Ocean View. Pending listings range in price from $249,950 to $399,000, with the average being $334,317. The sold homes ranged in price from $210,000 to $425,000.

By the way, I have a listing in Arbor Heights that I would love to see in the "Pending" or "Sold" stats for next month! It's a 3 bedroom, 2.25 bath home with a low maintenance yard, located a block away from the school. Web address is www.1023537thplsw.epropertysites.com, and it's priced at a reasonable $354,950.

Cheers!

Here are the stats for July for White Center from the MLS. Please note that only the listings that are tagged "White Center" are included. Some homes are in White Center, but are tagged "Seattle" or "Burien" or something else...I didn't include those.

Houses, Vacant Land, and Multi-family:

Listings taken: 1 in each of the three categories

Listings that went pending: Homes, 7 / Average DOM: 34 days; Vacant land, 1 / Average DOM(days on market): 43 days

Listings that sold: Homes, 1 / Average DOM: 93 days; Multifamily, 1 / Average DOM: 25 days

It's great to see so many homes go pending. Average price for pending homes is $264,407. The home that sold was priced at $177,000. Most of the activity in our market here is in the lower end homes. The Vacant land parcel is pending at $900,000, and the multifamily at $525,000; a couple of investors who know that it's a favorable time to buy.

If you don't know much about White Center, I've featured many businesses in my previous posts. I happen to think it's a great place to live, and there are some wonderful homes of all styles and ages. It's a fun and vibrant community. It's worth spending some time here and seeing what this location has to offer.

Ciao!

I just finished pulling some stats for the month of July, and I'm noticing that during that snapshot of time from 7/1 to 7/31 things don't look too bad over in the Waterland City. I even saw a house that I would have loved to buy - a lovely, updated split level home with two kitchens and 1800 square feet, just five blocks from the Marina? For under $350,000? Raise your hand if you're kicking yourself over missing out on that one.

Okay, now that my hand is back on the keyboard, here's what went on in July(stats are from the MLS):

Homes:

Listings taken: 59

Listings that expired: 12 / Average Days On Market(DOM): 128

Listings that went pending: 21 / Average DOM: 50

Listings that sold: 15 / Average DOM: 56

Condos:

Listings Taken: 18

Listings that expired: 6 / Average DOM: 150

Listings that went pending: 4 / Average DOM: 26

Listings that sold: 6 / Average DOM: 65

Vacant Land:

Listings taken: 5

Listings that went pending: 1 / Average DOM: 92

Listings that sold: 3 / Average DOM: 217

Multi-Family:

Listings Taken: 1

Lstings that went pending: 2 / Average DOM: 40

Commercial/Industrial:

Listings Taken: 3

Listings that expired: 2 / Average DOM: 100

Listings that went pending: 2 / Average DOM: 84

...and finally...

Manufactured Homes

Listings that sold: 1 / Average DOM: 49

Given the fact that we are right in the middle of prime real estate season, we are seeing an uptick of sales and pending sales, and shorter market times, for the time being anyway. This represents properties in all price ranges, though the average sales price for homes sold in July is right at $363,200, and all sales were for homes priced at $460,000 and under. There is a home sale pending at $1,298,000, but most of the pending sales are in the lower price range as well.

Of the two condos that sold last month, the average sales price is $127,500; of the 10 pending condo sales, none are priced above $200,000. Average market time even for the lower priced condos is about four months. But look on the bright side - at least you can go out and buy something in a nice place for under $200,000, right?

As for vacant land, I'm happy to see that at least one went pending. Speaking of vacant land, I have a listing that I would like to see in the Pending stats next month too - 2.2 acres in North Hill just waiting to be developed, and at only $650,000, MLS #28095971.

That's it for today...until next time!

In the midst of uploading all of my photos onto a photo storing site, I stumbled upon these photos of Burien that I took at the crack of dawn one day last spring. They were meant to be used for a video project that I obviously never got around to completing. I've uploaded them onto Slide.com to make a slide show. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Shinnyo-en Buddhist Temple in Burien is holding its annual Summer Festival on August 10th, from 11:00 to 4:00 p.m. It is an environment where everyone is welcome; even though I'm not Buddhist, some of my friends are, and I enjoy going there to learn about Buddhism and enjoy the fun activities with my family. The grounds are beautiful and impressive, the people are friendly, and the food is always delicious!