Marguerite Giguere Specializing in Tacoma, WA

I was hoping to do a great post today about all the condos that have sold downtown since my last post on the topic on 11/16. Unfortunately, there is not much to report, even after expanding into the Stadium District for material!

Only 2 condos have sold downtown since 11/16, one yesterday, and one today.

This first one, at Bella View Townhomes on 21st & Yakima is an exciting one. It is the last of that little neighborhood to sell. I have a couple of (Fabulous!) clients that bought at Bella View and they say they are meeting for their first Homeowners Association meeting next week! Congrats Bella View! You are all done being sold!

A Ladder Leads to this great Loft!

The last Townhome to sell in Bella View was 2 Bedrooms 2 bathrooms and 1,550 square feet. All the Bella View Townhomes have 2 car tandem garages and these great lofts! The selling price was the same as the listed price- $235,000. The buyer used FHA financing.

So there you have it, loyal readers. The last 2 condos to sell in Downtown Tacoma. I would say if you're looking for a townhome in the Hilltop Neighborhood have some fun wheeling and dealing, because they are making deals! For more Tacoma Real Estate information visit my blog at www.GetRealTacoma.com!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I divided my time between family togetherness and recovering from family togetherness at friends houses. While most of the city was off spending quality time with their families over turkey, 22 Tacomans bought houses!

Those houses ranged in price from $124,000 to $507,000. They sold for about 4% less than the price they were listed at and spent an average of 127 days on the market before selling. Also, they were all houses, no condos closed this week.

The last week of the month is usually the busiest as far as home closings go, and I heard through the grapevine that there were a lot of agents and lenders scrambling to get their clients homes closed before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Whew!

For more Downtown Tacoma Real Estate Information visit www.GetRealTacoma.com

.

.Oh Tannenbaum!

For More Downtown Tacoma Real Estate Information visit www.GetRealTacoma.com

By Erik Hanberg

When I moved back to Tacoma in 2002 after four years away, I was blown away by the changes downtown. I loved that it was starting to feel like a real city. When I landed a job downtown, I decided I would take the plunge and move downtown as well. I chose the Bostwick building-the yellow wedge building at 9th and Broadway.

It was a small apartment on the 2nd floor, but I felt like I was living a luxurious life. I could see the lights of the Pantages out my window. I had antique hardwood floors, huge bay windows, and 12 foot high ceilings. My desire to own eventually kicked in. But where was I going to find a house or a condo that had the same things I liked about my apartment but was still within walking distance of my downtown job. I looked at many places downtown and in the Stadium District. (Actually, in 2003 there wasn't a lot to choose from, so it didn't take long to see what was there.) And that's when I discovered an unassuming four-plex of condos on St. Helens. I'd barely noticed it before I stepped inside the front door.

At first, I was skeptical. I didn't like the long hallway. I didn't like that I wasn't looking over an active street from my living room. I didn't like that it wasn't historic like the Bostwick. In fact, that might be what I disliked the most: it wasn't like my apartment. So I kept looking. But some of the best features stuck with me. I loved the view of the mountain, the deck off the back, the gas fireplace, the two parking spaces, the huge kitchen, and more storage than I possibly knew what to do with. So I went back. And then I went back again. The more I went, the more I could see myself living there. I got my keys on October 24 (I can't believe I still remember the day) and I was moved in by the end of the month.

Five years later, what a decision it turned out to be. I'm thankful I went back multiple times because I needed to spend the time there to get over my initial impression. The place was so functional and friendly! Last month a friend house-sat while we were on vacation. When we came back, she remarked that while she had always liked our place, she didn't understand how well laid out it was until she actually lived there for a week.

And because I owned it I could make changes that made it even better for me. With my parents and fiancé, we tore out a partial wall in the kitchen and put in an island. We painted. We transformed an empty corner into a wine rack. We installed bookcases in the TV room and added shelves to the closets.
With two of us living there now, we made it a real home.

This one has a fold down desk. Fancy.

What I mostly feel is happiness. Happiness that I didn't just try to find a larger version of my apartment and instead saw the condo for what it was and what I could do with it. Happiness that I worked hard enough to find a place that I could imagine being for a long time.

I can't tell you how much I say to my fiance Mary, "You know, I really love our place." Or how often she says it to me. It's been a real joy.

My First And Only Place

Contributed by Erik Hanberg

You can see more of Erik's writing on his blog.

For More information visit Marguerite's Outside Blog at www.GetRealTacoma.com

This week in Tacoma there were 26 Houses sold and 3 Condos. They ranged in price from $55,000 - $715,000. The median price on Houses was $187,250 and on Condos was $172,000. The sold houses averaged 1,844 square feet, and the condos were an average of 1,024 square feet.

The average days on market was 119. That means that if your house sold today, you put it on the market back in July. According to the MLS, the average sale price was 95% of the currently listed price.

This was my favorite house to sell this week:

4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, for a total of 1750 Square Feet.

It's in my neighbrohood (Lincoln District) and sold for $215,000. This house is really cute.

Nice living room with fireplace.

According to the MLS, there are still 2,304 actively listed homes and condos on the market in Tacoma... Lots of choices for buyers, lots of competition for sellers.

For More Information on Tacoma Real Estate visit www.GetRealTacoma.com