There are a few things you should know if you are planning to move to Seattle Washington.
One of them is the phrase "The Mountain is Out!"
You may see people jump up from their desks and run out of work because "The Mountain is Out!"
Seriously, it's almost like declaring a National Holiday. They will be talking about Mt. Rainier, which we don't see as often as we'd like to, but that makes its appearance on the horizon that much more spectacular and eventful.
Some people bless themselves (Catholics mostly) as if God appeared.
I just beam and wave and say "Hi!" like an old friend just stepped into the room.
This weekend marks my favorite Event Weekend for Kirkland WA! The Concours d'Elegance Car Show.
Below is a photo of last year's Best of Show winner, the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150 CSS Teardrop
The 2006 Best of Show was this 1937 Bugatti T-57
I guess you could say that 1937 was a Very Good Year!
If I only attend one event a year in my town of Kirkland WA...this is it! For any and all Kirkland Events Info, visit http://explorekirkland.com/ and let's all hope for some decent weather! These cars won't do well in the rain, especially the open convertibles like the Bugatti.
It's a mile marker post...hitting 200,000 points. Makes you feel like you should say something of importance.
The most important thing I have to say about real estate today is that we clearly are not "at bottom" as to the price of real estate. No matter where you are, financing changes will have to be reckoned with by the free market. That means prices will be going down further, to compensate for the reduced means to finance a purchase.
I do think we ARE "at bottom" as to volume of sales. I do think that we will stay "at bottom" as to volume of sales for the forseeable future. So we at least have something to plan around.
The most important thing an agent can do as a result, is to re-do their business plan and enlarge their service area to capture a larger audience, based on reduced volume. If you do 20 sales a year in X area, and volume is down 40%, then expand you geographic area by 40%. That will at least bring you up to an even playing field.
ALSO, given the diminished number of sales, look for the areas that are only down 15% vs. 40%, and work harder to get listings in areas that have the higher level of demand and lower level of supply. Supply and Demand are key. You don't want to have the 20th listing on market in an area that only sells 5 a year! You want to have the 5th listing in an area that sells 8 a year.
Don't sit home and wait for your check. If you have a pending sale, stick to it like glue! More and more sales are not making it to the end. Buyers will jump ship at the drop of a hat...don't let the hat that drops be YOUR hat. Stay in touch with all aspects of the transaction. With volume of sales down, you can't afford to have a high ratio of failed sales. Take better care of that bird in the hand.
Last but not least, watch your Karma. A market like this can make you lean and mean, the competition will get fiercer and fiercer as we move into "off season". Protect your relationships with the industry professionals around you. Clients come and go...but your Broker, your Company, your peers, your staff, your support services, your mentors and your apprentices...are the relationships that will endure.
Don't claw your way through this market, or it surely will come back to bite you in the ass one day.
Count your blessings, and applaud the blessings of those around you ALL at the same time. A tough message to put into practice. Be happy when the guy next to you enjoys a successful, closed transaction. Be as happy about that as you would your own sale. Watch your Karma.
Not due until December, but according to the doctor...it's another girl!
Peter and Jacquie went to the doctor again and the ultrasound said "It's a Girl!".
That will give me three daughters and two grand daughters.
Looks like the only way I'm getting boys is through marriage. I have a stepson from my first marriage and son "in-laws". But the births of me and mine are still running...all girls.
My Mom had 5 girls and two boys. Are there any statistics for balance? Will men end up with 2-3 wives each if people keep having more girl babies than boy babies?
Something to think about...:)
I'm posting this under Redmond. The baby will be born at Evergreen in Kirkland, but Peter and Jacquie set up their home in Redmond. So I guess it's a Redmond WA baby.
Often a home inspector will call the gutters as overflowing and clogged, based on their outward appearance. When you pay someone to go up and clean "out" the gutters, make sure they also clean the gutters themselves, while they are up there.
Besides giving your home that extra sparkling curb appeal, dirty gutters are a sign that there is a problem. So when you get the problem fixed, remove the affects of that problem too.
How many home sellers get mad at the inspector for being "wrong"? If you have a 3 story house, often the inspector won't be climbing up to check those gutters. So get them nice and white, after you resolve the problem that is causing them to overflow for the length of the gutter.
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Real Estate related posts focusing on the Seattle Area including Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Green Lake, North Seattle and around Lake Washington to the Eastside aka either side of the 520 bridge.
"Ardell and Kim are outstanding real estate agents, and have gone above and beyond in getting us our dream location.
Our search took several months but they never lost patience and were always following up with good advice and good information. They were with us in the entire process, being there for us at short notice to look at properties, helping and educating us on various pros cons, giving us lots of advice throughout the process, and helping us make good decisions.
Above all, they have very high integrity. They were not afraid to turn us away from many, many properties even though they had a commission to lose at each point. They were more concerned that we get the right property for us at the right price. That is admirable indeed.
In addition, Ardell and Kim have an enormous amount of experience, both in evaluating properties, as well as evaluating buyers, sellers, and the 'other' agent. You only need to look once at Ardell's Blog and you will know they are super-smart.
In short, they rock!!"
Ganesh & Kala (Google)
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"Ardell and Kim are patient and trusted advisors, and we wouldn't think of making a real estate decision without them. We found their expertise to be reassuring and their transparency to be refreshing.
After being burned by an agent in the past we were skeptical about the value that agents could offer, but the level of knowledge, professionalism, ethics, and client dedication that Ardell and Kim brought to the table far surpassed our expectations. We recommend them highly."
-Erik & Chris
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"...I found Ardell. Full disclosure - we're working with her now. I'll tell you this, she walks the freaking walk..."
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"Is it real you ask? I keep pinching my arm just to verify and although I'm still not fully convinced, I'm pretty sure it's real... I went from discouraged internet home seeker to proud home owner in 2 and a half days. Couldn't have done it without you Ardell.
Thank you so much."
"Jack" - As Good As It Gets
If you are relocating to Seattle, see the link below for an ongoing discussion that has lasted for about two years between Seattle Area residents, agents and people moving to Seattle. You may find your questions and answers addressed there by others over that time. It is clearly one of the best sources of info for people thinking about Moving to Seattle that is available on the internet.
Top 10 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Seattle, Seatttle and Seatle
http://www.raincityguide.com/2006/03/07/10-things-you-should-know-before-moving-to-seattle/
Remember, the info is in the comments, not just the post itself.
The majority of my clients already live here and are both selling and buying in the area. Many are selling in Seattle or Edmonds or Shoreline or most any part of North Seattle through Mt. Baker and Leschi (I do very little if any real estate in West Seattle), and are moving to the Eastside and often to Kirkland, Bellevue or Redmond, but sometimes Kenmore and Bothell in the Northshore School District. Lake Washington Schools and Northshore Schools being my primary focus on the Eastside. Kirkland is annexing, or expected to annex, some areas toward and to Kenmore. So the Juanita and Finn Hill markets are interesting and more affordable at times. The new (not there yet) Totem Lake Mall will also be an interesting development as will be the revamping of the area near Overlake Hospital and Microsoft.
I have assisted buyers in the purchases on the Seattle side, but those clients were very internet savvy and did a lot of the looking on the internet and did drive bys as well. Rarely do my clients want "tours" of homes except on a first time out. Mostly we target homes to see via the internet and jump up and meet at only the best homes. Buying a home and the home search process has gone way beyond looking at what is "for sale". Often it involves the home listed 30 minutes ago and finding property that is not for sale. Life has changed and me and my clients run at the top fo the ridge in that regard. No old fashioned real estate except for my "having their back" part.
Should You Buy a Short Sale?
http://www.amazon.com/Newcomers-Handbook-Moving-Seattle-Handbooks/dp/0912301732
Sunday Night Stats for King County Washington
http://www.raincityguide.com/tag/sunday-night-stats/
Neighborhood Stats, this one is for Tam O'Shanter in Bellevue, but by special request I will do any neighborhood that I work in as "my service area". Just ask on this blog post and I will get the current info for any neighborhood by request.
http://www.raincityguide.com/2008/03/01/tam-oshanter-in-bellevue/
My blog is a place where I can write anything I want, but I don't notice comments there as well. So ask on the http://www.raincityguide.com/ site on one of my posts for quick response. My blog is a good source of more detailed market stats for those who like to Track the Seattle Area Real Estate Market beyond the Sunday Night King County version above. I try to keep them all in one category and the stats go back to 2005 and maybe even 2004.
http://www.realtown.com/Ardell/blog/tracking-the-market
ARDELL DellaLoggia - Seattle Area Real Estate - For all of your real estate needs. If you just want to talk about the market without being obligated to buy or sell real estate just because you spoke with an agent...just comment anonymously on my blogs here and there as noted above.
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