According to a recently released study by Healthgrades (http://www.healthgrades.com/), Olympia's St. Peter Hospital, as well as Capital Medical center were ranked among the top 5% nationally in patient safety. The study looked at over 5000 hospitals and analyzed over 41 million patient records. Of the nine Washington hospitals that landed in the top 5 percent, two are in Olympia.
That's great news for Olympia residents, who rely on those two hospitals for their medical care, as well as for the military family members of soldiers and airmen stationed at Fort Lewis and McChord AFB, who may have to rely on the local medical facilities.
Incidentally, Olympia was also ranked as the safest mid-sized town in the country by Spelling's Best Places security survey earlier this year.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
On the front page of last Sunday's edition of "The Olympian" newspaper was the following article about the recent drop in Thurston County's home sale prices. According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, March 2008 home sale prices have dropped 1.7% in Thurston County compared March 2007.
One thing to keep in mind is that this is a very minor drop in prices, occurring after years of continual price expansion. An adjustment of this dimension is the smallest of any county in Washington. Except for Grant County, every county in Washington showed higher home value depreciation in March; several in the double digits.
Another thing to take a look at are the home values as they are broken down into 16 geographic areas within Thurston County. Areas 444, 445, 446, 447 and 448 actually showed increases in home sale values. Olympia's west side homes have appreciated an average of 32% in March compared to last year. Lacey's Hawks Prairie area homes have appreciated 6.7%. Downtown Olympia homes have continued to appreciate at 6.9% and SW Lacey homes at 8.6%.
The March MLS data made front page news because in Thurston County we've seen continual home value increases over the past few years, but as the article further explains, this decline is nothing to worry about.
I continually track the local real estate statictics in order to have my finger on the pulse of the market. As a home owner, investor and realtor, it's important to be aware of market conditions and trends.
BTW, the listing sign in the top left photo is one of my own signs, currently in front of a fabulously staged home in Lacey. Take a look here.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
Forbes Magazine's annual ranking of the cleanest US cities, named Seattle as the second cleanest US city for 2008, following right behind Miami.
In addition to using air pollution and ozone data from the American Lung Association for the 49 major metro areas with populations exceeding 1 million, the water quality and per-capita spending on Superfund site cleanup and solid-waste management was also figured into the measurement. Incidentally, Seattle spends more per capita on waste management than any major city.
Blessed with weather patterns that push out smog, Seattle's clean air is a result of the nearby Pacific Ocean, the Cascade Mountains and the abundance of forests.
Air quality was also a factor in "Sperling's Best Places to Live" security survey results earlier in the year, which ranked the Olympia area as the "most secure place to live" in the nation.
How lucky are we to live in this beautiful part of the country!
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia Area Real Estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
GOOD NEWS FOR THE THURSTON COUNTY HOME MARKET!
Inventory of active listings is at a recent record low at 1626 active listings on March 16th, 2008, versus 2052 active listings on November 10th, 2007. At the same time the amount of average sales per month over the past 12 months has gone up from 336 average sales per month in November to 378 average sales per month in March.
What do these statistics mean? A standing inventory of greater than four months generally indicates a buyer's market. Inventory of less than three months typically indicates a seller's market. The trend shows that we're approaching well balanced market conditions.
With shrinking inventory, buyers who are actively in the market should take advantage of the low interest rates and make their purchases. While in some cases now may still be a time to be able to ask for sellers' concessions, with homes in more demand, this time may come to an end soon.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia Area Real Estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
Construction on the new Steilacoom School District Pioneer Middle School in Dupont started February 2007. The $23.6 million dollar project is right on schedule for the school to open in the fall of 2008.
The new school will be more than three times the size of the old Pioneer Middle School in Steilacoom. The 104,240-square-foot building will sit on a 20-acre site and will boast 18 general classrooms, six science classrooms, a stage/drama classroom, three project team areas, a project team lab, music/band and art rooms, a food lab, two technology labs and much more.
The new school promises to be a great and much needed addition to the Dupont community.
For more information visit here:
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia and Dupont Area Real Estate
http://www.sandynelsonrealestate.com/
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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
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