If you're familiar with driving through Olympia's South Capitol Neighborhood, you may have noticed the new neighborhood welcome sign.
The sign project, two years in the making, was finally concluded by the end of 2008. In December the neighborhood received the first of two welcome signs. Funded by a City of Olympia neighborhood grant, designed by yours truly, Sandy Nelson, manufactured by Esco Pacific Signs and installed by Mark Jobson and Bob Thomas. This sign is a monument to the South Capitol Neighborhood's special character and friendliness. The sign is located on the green space between Capitol Way and Washington St. We hope to have another sign greeting visitors travelling south through our neighborhood at Maple Park by the end of 2009.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, Associate Broker, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Olympia's South Capitol Neighborhood quickly became the most popular place to live when the Capitol was being built on the hill. The oldest home dates from 1878, but the majority of houses were built between 1900 and 1928. You can find almost every popular housing style of the early 20th century in this neighborhood.
With over 400 well preserved homes, varying in styles from the English cottage look, Spanish style, to Victorian and Craftsman. In 1991 the entire South Capitol Neighborhood was listed on the National Register of Historic places. Many of the homes in our neighborhood can be found on the Olympia Heritage Register.
The neighborhood's most prominent resident is most likely the current Governor of the state of Washington. Besides the Governor's Mansion, there are two other mansions in the neighborhood: The Mediterranean-style Lord House and the English Renaissance McCleary Mansion. Both were designed by the renowned architect Joseph Wohleb. Wohleb also designed the Mission Revival Lincoln School. The school offers a popular alternative elementary school program. Children from the neighborhood receive priority placement. Other openings are filled by a lottery system.
Contact me if you'd like more information about the South Capitol Neighborhood.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, Associate Broker, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
In 2008, the new "First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit" law offered a $7,500 tax credit which would have to be repaid over time. It essentially amounts to a 15 year interest free government loan. With the new stimulus package in the works, that credit would no longer have to be repaid for homes bought from January 2009 through June 30, 2009.
The results may still change as Congress works out the details of the final stimulus plan. Until then, the old facts stand, and it's important to consider that a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase is a first time home buyer.
Keep in mind that tax credit is not the same as a tax deduction. The difference is that with a tax credit you get a dollar-for-dollar reduction in what you owe in taxes. That means if you owe $7,500 in income taxes and receives the $7,500 tax credit, you would owe nothing to the IRS. No special forms are required to claim the tax credit. You simply claim the credit on your federal income tax return.
The credit applies for homes purchased after April 8, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.
Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, Associate Broker, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
The real estate sales data for the last month of 2008 has recently been released, completing yet another year for the market statistics. While the median home prices for the entire NW MLS average an 11% drop, Thurston County only shows a small drop from the year before.
Is this dip just a healthy correction, or is it the beginning of a new downward trend?
I don't think anyone can tell for sure.
Will 2009 see an improvement in our local housing market? I don't think anyone can make predictions. Remember the big predictions of 2008 that prophesied Hillary as President and swore that we would never again see gas prices below $4.00?
Surprising things can happen. I, for one, am surprised to see interest rates below 5%. I didn't think that was possible, but here we are.
I won't make predictions, but I can report what the local market conditions look like, and currently interest rates are at record lows, available housing inventory is high and prices are down.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Bennett Homes has just drastically reduced home prices on their standing homes inventory at Lacy's Campus Highlands golf course community. Average home prices in Thurston County have dropped close to 5% in 2008 for the first time in over a decade. Most home buyers expect to see price reductions on a similar scale reflected in current home pricing. Some of the price drops Bennett Homes has just implemented are 10% below last year's level. With some price reductions in the value of $50,000, that's a great way to start the new year. On top of the lower prices, Bennett is also offering an incredible financing incentive of 3.875% interest on a 30 year fixed mortgage. This is a limited program through their preferred lender.
See details and disclaimers here: http://www.bennetthomes.com/PDF/promotions/LowRates.pdf
Home prices start at $399,800 for a 3000+ sq.ft. 4BR/2.5BA home. The amenities include a 3 car garage, granite tile counters, hardwood flooring, stainless steel appliances, double ovens, two fireplaces, fenced yard, large loft, upstairs laundry, plus a den.
All homes are Built Green and are conveniently located to I-5 and all the shopping, community and recreational amenities.
View all the available Bennett Homes here:
http://www.bennetthomes.com/Home_Search/community.aspx?comm=23
To see these exquisite homes in person, contact me for a private showing.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
 |
|
|
As a your full service Realtor and Accredited Staging Professional in the Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, Dupont and Fort Lewis area, I specialize in single family residential property and military relocation.
Who wouldn't want to own their own little piece of this beautiful place?
See pictures of the beautiful Olympia area and local neighborhoods here
You'll want to talk to me when it comes time for buying or selling a home in the greater Olympia area. I'm truly passionate about real estate, and I know what you want: You want a professional who is competent in her field, dedicated to your needs and passionate about her work. You don't just want marketing; you want superior marketing that gives your property an edge over the other properties listed on the market. You want your interests protected with warranties and guarantees. Everybody offers service; you want exceptional service, where every detail is attended to. You want a clear understanding of what you can expect. If you needed an operation, want the best surgeon. If you were sued, you would seek the sharpest attorney; so when it comes to real estate, a major investment, you'll want to turn to me and my team. Quality doesn't just happen by chance. It's accomplished by high expectations, intelligent planning, tireless effort and skillful execution. My services are designed to make your needs the focus of my actions. If you are, or ever have been in the military, you'll appreciate that I have been affiliated with the US military for over 20 years. And as such, you'll understand how familiar this makes me with relocation issues. I appreciate the service of our military and their family members and want to put myself at their service for all their housing and relocation needs.
I practice my profession with the support of two full time Realtor team members, who make up the "Key Group". As a "Key client" you enjoy the benefit of having three professionals with a wide range of expertise and training at your service at all times. Our designations include ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative), GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist).
What else do you get with me? You get a person who believes in giving back to the community. I try to accomplish that by serving on my neighborhood association board, supporting Habitat for Humanity and by being actively involved with the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life event. 
My Mission:
Memberships, Designations and Affiliations:
"Sandra is a woman of integrity and is unfailingly professional."
-Yvonne Pawelek, Ft. Lewis
" We enjoyed working with Sandy so much! Sandy's professionalism, attention to details, and understanding of real estate market are all outstanding"
-Jennie and Hirsch Diamant, Olympia
"...Her style effectively blends friendliness with professional objectivity and she approaches her work with enthusiasm and commitment."
- Ulla Torres, Lakewood
"You were so great working with our kids and both of them have said that over and over. How lucky to have you as a friend and to have you be a real estate expert."
-Diane Laslie, Olympia
"Sandy, thank you so much for all your hard work and help. You made buying our new home one of the easiest and best experiences we could have anticipated."
-Lilian and James Getchman, McCleary
"Sandy was instrumental in helping us buy our home. She listened to what we wanted and as a result we were able to narrow our search significantly and find exactly what we were looking for within a week.
Sandy's presence throughout the buying process was very reassuring and her advice was always genuine and spot on. We never got the impression that she was 'out to sell' but more so that she was there to ensure that we made decisions that were in our best interest.
Sandy made the purchase of our first home relatively effortless and quite fun. We have had no qualms in recommending her to our friends and will definately rely on her real estate expertise in the future."
-Jay and Prim Jeyasingam, Lacey
"I flew into town and only had a short week to look for houses. Sandy had the patience to show me pretty much ALL the houses between Dupont, Lacey and Olympia! 50 houses! Need I say more? Never grumpy, never grouchy that, even after a week, I hadn't found a house yet that I liked. On my last day I finally found a home that was suitable for our family. I signed the offer, left town and Sandy did everything else! We did not have to worry at all, and that alone took a huge load off my shoulders. I will recommend her to my friends anytime."
- Susanna Haynie, Olympia
"We have purchased several homes in the past, and experienced a variety of real estate agents, ranging from the poor to the exceptional. Sandy definitely fits into the latter of these two categories. Sandy is a consummate professional - she tirelessly searched for a property for us, and didn't waste our time looking at listings she knew would not interest us. When she did find us that perfect property, she continued to work closely with us, and even attended our closing to ensure we understood the process. When we decide to sell and/or purchase a property in the future, Sandy will by the first call we make."
-Brian and Yvette Jones, Olympia
...Our loan representative referred us to Sandy Nelson. From the first time we talked, she was genuinely excited to help us, especially since we were a military family using a VA loan, which she had lots of previous experience navigating.
From the first time we met, we found Sandy to be very in-tuned with what we were looking for and very anxious to help us...
Though we didn't work for weeks or months finding our first home, we would have never found it if it wasn't for Sandy. She is so pleasant to work with and has truly become a friend for life. What we love about Sandy is that she's there for you after you find your home, she doesn't just close the sale and forget all about you. She was there on moving day, providing our friends and family with food and drinks, and she's always so thoughtful. We recently celebrated our first year anniversary in our new home and there was Sandy, giving us flowers to celebrate the ocassion right along with us.
I strongly encourge all of my friends and co-workers to contact Sandy if they're looking for a great real estate professional they can trust. She definitley made our first home buying experience a very pleasant one. We'll always be thankful to her and consider her a friend!
- Gina and Jerry Hobbs, Lacey
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2013 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
