Matt Thomson Gig Harbor, WA Real Estate & Relocation

My wife left me today. Not forever, but she and my baby flew down to California to spend time with her family. But it was a catchy title, right? So I'm stuck here trying to remember what I did before I had a wife and a baby. I love being alone, so I thought I'd welcome this break, but it's weird. So I thought I'd take a trip to The Narrows Park on the south east end of Gig Harbor. My dog and I used to go there often. It felt like it was our own private beach, because there was hardly anybody ever there. It's a dilemma for me...this blog is supposed to introduce you to the great things Gig Harbor offers, but the more folks who learn about places like Narrows Park, the less likely I am to have it to myself.

Today was a pretty good day. There were people scattered here and there, but the tide was at a -2, so there was plenty of beach to maneuver on. Tides in Gig Harbor fluctuate radically by the way. Keep up on the changing tides with this chart.

Most people are pretty responsible. I do let Seb off of his leash to run and swim, but as soon as I see other folks around, I put him back on leash. 2 of the 3 other dog owners I saw at the park today did the same. The other had a Dalmatian (Seb hates Dalmatians, they tend to be aggressive) and as the dog ran towards us the owner kept yelling, "He's okay. He's fine." Thanks. The problem is Seb isn't. He got his eye slashed open as a puppy when he was on leash by a dog that was off, and now, more than 8 years later, he'll still attack any dog that approaches him. Fortunately the Dalmatian ran back towards its owner each time I picked up a rock and pretended I was going to throw it. But like I said, most people are pretty respectful...I won't bash an entire park 'cause one person won't control their dog.

Narrows Park is a great place to view the bridges (on low tide days like today, you can walk underneath them). There's lots of sea life there as well. We've seen otters, seals, lots of fish, star fish (or sea stars for the picky folks), and tons of shells. It's the best place in Gig Harbor for a picnic or a nature walk, I think. Here are a few photos of our day.

The drive down to the park is incredible. The forest is just beautiful.

Beach at low tide. Tides in Gig Harbor fluctuate greatly. Don't walk too far if you haven't checked the tides.

Mount Rainier peaking out above Tacoma. The mountain moves, you know. You can see it from so many angles, and it looks different every time!

Tons of shells and sea creatures can be found at Narrows Park. I don't know what the rules are in terms of taking them home with you, but I prefer to take photos and leave them for the next folks.

Looking for something to do for mom this weekend? If you're in the Gig Harbor area, why not take her on a tour of some open houses? Chances are you can't buy mom that $1M home for mother's day, but don't you think she'd enjoy touring one? There are 2 homes priced at over $1M open in Gig Harbor this weekend, and Salmon Bay Estates, priced just under $1M, will also be open. Click on the map below for the 10 properties that will be hosting open houses this weekend.

Information is from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed. If your mom falls in love with any of these homes, give me a call. I'd be happy to talk with you about the process of purchasing these or any other homes in the Gig Harbor, Fox Island, and Port Orchard areas.

I figured I had to use a doom and gloom headline to get anybody to read. Fox Island only had 1 home sell, but the rest of Gig Harbor had 32. If you are one who takes all of your information from the national news, go ahead and skip over this post, because you won't believe any of it anyways. So many of the bloggers whom I "dialogue" with on other real estate blogs are convinced that our market is tanking, and Realtors such as myself are desperately and shamelessly altering the facts to try and save our jobs. So if you believe Gig Harbor's real estate market is in a hole because your cousin's house in Kalamazoo, MI, won't sell, move on to another blog. If you want some facts, keep reading.

This chart shows the price range for the 33 homes and condos that sold in Gig Harbor in April of ‘08. As you can see, the $400,000-$500,000 price range saw the most sales. The median price of $427,000 was a 7% increase over the median price from April of ‘07. I know, I'm not allowed to say home prices are actually increasing, but Month vs Month they did in April. Sorry to bring good news, I'll try and stop. To bring a bit of perspective back to the table, April of ‘07 saw 77 sales versus only 33 in ‘08. That's a significant difference. In my opinion, that's more significant than the median price increase.

Bottom line is that homes, when priced correctly and in prime condition, are still selling. Click the map below for an interactive tour of the home sales in Gig Harbor. Hover your cursor above any pushpin to see the asking price, final sales price, and days the home was on the market. Remember that the asking price is the list price at the time of the sale...it does not take into consideration any price reductions (it's not necessarily the original asking price). Information is taken from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed.

If you're out and about in Gig Harbor or Fox Island this weekend, there are 18 open houses for you to view. Just click on the map below and you'll be taken to my interactive Gig Harbor open house map. Hover your cursor above any pushpin to see stats, time and date of the open house, and which real estate agent has that home listed. For a view of the neighborhood, click on "Birds eye view"...it's pretty neat but remember that the pushpin may not be on the exact property that's for sale.

Be sure to drive out to Fox Island and check out the grand opening of Salmon Bay Estates. They'll have exciting prizes and great food. All of the information given on these homes for sale is from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed. For more information on these or any other available homes for sale in Gig Harbor or Fox Island, please give me a call!

Kind of a slow weekend for open houses around Gig Harbor, WA. Only one on Saturday, and 9 more on Sunday. If you've ever wanted to visit Fox Island and see what homes are for sale on Fox Island, this is a good weekend for it. 4 of the 9 opens in Gig Harbor on Sunday are actually on Fox Island!

Click on the interactive map to view the open house schedule. Move your cursor over any of the pushpins for property info, open house times, and who the listing agent of the home is. This information is from the NWMLS and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. If you are selling your home in Gig Harbor, or you're a builder of one of Gig Harbor's new construction homes and you don't see your open house listed on here, please be sure to contact your agent and request that they post the open houses in the MLS. As always, if you find a home you like while you're out and about this weekend, I'd be happy to talk to you about the process of purchasing a home in the Gig Harbor area.