Snow/Ice/Wind Storm of January 2012
January 28, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
I was a bit (well, a lot) skeptical about whether we’d end up with a storm of the magnitude the weather folks were predicting early last week. We were to get 12-18” of snow. Uh huh … right! In my area of south King County, we’d had a number of just wet little snow blizzards [...]
RE/MAX 2012 Housing Message with Margaret Kelly (RE/MAX CEO)
January 23, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Margaret Kelly, the Chief Executive Officer at RE/MAX is highly visible in her television commercials, along with being a spokesperson to those of us who are RE/MAX professionals. In this quick video clip, she summarizes what I believe is a reasonable statement of what we might expect to see in the real estate market in [...]
MainVue Homes at The Bridges in Auburn, WA
January 18, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
New home-building in Auburn, WA continues to increase, as evidenced by a quick drive through the area. One of the most ambitious new developments in Auburn is The Bridges, by MainVue Homes, located just east of 124th, between 304th and 288th. A few years ago I watched as the area was cleared and developed with [...]
The Winter Storm Watch Continues
January 17, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
My husband, the amateur weatherman, has been obsessively following the build-up to the “Megastorm” of decades, currently predicted for our greater Seattle region. We’ve been watching for days, experiencing a bit of snow here, and a bit of snow there. At our home in east Auburn, so far we’ve accumulated a couple of inches, which [...]
A Look at Sales in Lakeland Hills
January 17, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
I’ve always loved the Lakeland Hills area of Auburn, which technically straddles the King County / Auburn County borders and includes both Auburn and Sumner addresses. Perched above the Auburn valley, there are also some staggering views of the valley, southeast of Mt. Rainier, and east of the Cascade foothills. Much of Lakeland Hills is [...]
You Can Test Drive a Car … But Not a House!
January 14, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
The last couple of weekends have included a few hours helping our son decide what car to buy. We’ve been to this dealer and that, had him prequalified … and have driven a number of cars, usually with the all-chatty salesman in the backseat telling us exactly why this car is THE one to buy. We’ve [...]
Real Estate is About to Come to a Screeching Halt in Auburn, WA!!!
January 12, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Truly! Snow is coming! The world will come to an end in Auburn in three days! At least so say the weather stations. The greater Puget Sound metropolitan area is a unique place when it snows. We’re hilly around here and our typical warm ocean breezes prevent us from getting much in the way of [...]
A Great Lender Helps From Start to Finish, Especially in a Short Sale
January 11, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
One of the very first steps in the home buying process is determining how a Buyer will pay for their new home. Not only must a Buyer determine much they can afford, but how an offer must be structured–whether closing costs must be paid by a Seller, gift funds will be used for a down [...]
Auburn, WA: 2011–The Year That Was
January 3, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
The end of the year is a good time to take a look back and see how things shaped up. After all of the negative press, residential real estate sales in Auburn improved, both for the month of December 2011, and year over year compared to 2010. Here’s a quick look at the numbers: [...]
It’s Under Contract!
January 2, 2012 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
And the Sellers are so excited! I’m always excited as well when a good offer comes in on a listing and we’re able to negotiate the finer points resulting in an accepted contract. The Sellers will be ticking off the very short list of requested repairs in the next few days … seems like there’s [...]
Short Sales and 2012
December 30, 2011 by Gabrielle · 1 Comment
By all indications, it appears that 2012 will be a year with even more short sale listings … and closings than 2011. Some of the major banks have embraced the idea that short sales can be a bit more profitable than letting houses sit for months on end and then ultimately end up in foreclosure. [...]
Okay, Should You Sell … and Buy in 2012?
December 27, 2011 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Like many, you may have been sitting impatiently on the fence for the last three years hoping for a miracle that would allow you to sell your existing home without sacrificing too much more equity … and buy at today’s price and interest rate. At least once a week I get a call from a previous [...]
Another Truly Amazing and Unique House!
December 23, 2011 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
Everyone now and then a house just captures imagination. Such is definitely the case for this unique house located in Wales, UK. This “hobbit” house was built completely by the owner, for an amazing sum of less than $5,000. It reminds me of the fairy tale houses of childhood stories. Just imagine how much fun [...]
A Special Thank You to Past Clients & Associates
December 22, 2011 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
I’m especially honored in 2011 to have been chosen as a Five Star Professional in their real estate category. I’m new to this one, so please forgive me as I carry on for a moment about this special award. It’s my understanding that this award is the result of polling of both the homeowners and [...]
Think Housing Prices Are Too High?
December 16, 2011 by Gabrielle · Leave a Comment
I have a client that loves to send me little jokes and ditties every now and then. He’s just slightly older than I am and loves to pontificate about how prices are outrageous and how he can’t imagine how people can afford to live any more. In some respects, of course, he’s absolutely right. But [...]
