Snow/Ice/Wind Storm of January 2012
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 that melted about the time the flakes hit the ground. What I didn’t know, was that the worst of the storm was just laughing at me … waiting for me to go back into the house to finish my skeptical blog post. For my area of the Auburn east hill, snow was late to arrive, but when it did, it was daggone serious. Now,... [Read more...]
RE/MAX 2012 Housing Message with Margaret Kelly (RE/MAX CEO)
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 2012. Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
MainVue Homes at The Bridges in Auburn, WA
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 streets, lights, and playgrounds, and then the real estate economy tanked and the property sat idle … until recently! Unfortunately, it appears that the folks at MainVue homes have decided not to list their homes on our local MLS. Visiting both their Web and physical sites indicate that... [Read more...]
The Winter Storm Watch Continues
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 largely went away today even through additional flurries of wet heavy snow. I grew up in Seattle and remember a few good-sized snow storms from my childhood; even one or two while raising our own children. This storm, however, is expected to dump somewhere between... [Read more...]
A Look at Sales in Lakeland Hills
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 new(er) construction in a planned community with a variety of housing choices and prices, shopping, parks and entertainment. Here you’ll find apartments, condominiums (both attached and detached), along with single family homes. A large portion of the newest... [Read more...]
Auburn, WA: 2011–The Year That Was
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: Who says the economy still not improving!? Compare the numbers from 2008! The next chart compares year end stats: I’m jazzed! Look at that nice up-tick in closed sales! So … what sold in Auburn in December? Traditional sales are creeping up in number …. a really good thing, but equally good... [Read more...]
Congratulations on Your New Home!
Five months in the making … and here it is! Congratulations, Gary! May you enjoy many many years in your new house! And who wouldn’t – all that brand new space just for you, combined with an awesome view of Mt. Rainier and the foothills! Whoo hooo!!! There’s a mountain there … a BIG one. Darned clouds got in the way! Be Sociable, Share! Tweet
Houses are Affordable in Maple Valley, WA!
Seattle is a gorgeous area, full of lakes, mountains, and lots of green spaces. Just to the east of Seattle, directly across Lake Washington, are Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland and other communities, commonly referred to as Washington’s high-tech corridor. Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and a batch of other big tech name companies make their home in our Seattle and eastside areas. We love them to death … but they DO increase home prices in the area. However, just a few miles southeast of Bellevue lies Maple Valley. Those of us in the area, believe Maple Valley is the best Bellevue suburb!... [Read more...]
Maple Valley Summer Sales
Now that summer’s coming to a close (well at least on the calendar), I thought a wrap up of Maple Valley home sales activity might be due. For reporting purposes, I’ve only included transactions that post a mailing address of Maple Valley, which includes the largest hub of homes in the local Multiple Listing Service are that includes those short drives into Ravensdale & Hobart, along with Black Diamond and then waaay out into Kangley and east all the way to the mountains. Here’s how things looked over the summer: Of interest, especially, was the little 380 square foot cabin... [Read more...]
Farmer’s Markets are “Springing” Up All Over!
It’s Spring, which means Farmer’s Markets are “Springing” Up All Over! I love shopping at local Farmer’s Markets. Just mingling amongst all the fresh produce, the local crafts, and flowers is inspiring. I always come away with the zeal to go home and weed. Or something equally as dirty. Not to mention, of course, my reusuable shopping bag, full of goodies. Veggies, lettuces, fruits…even an occasional quart of fresh fresh milk. Yummy. We eat really well for a few days after my trip. Near my home in Auburn, Washington are a few Farmer’s markets worth mentioning.... [Read more...]
Springtime Sales in Auburn, WA
Spring in Auburn! I’m going to loosely define “Spring” as March 1st through today, June 15th– our period of incredible rainfall and cold weather. I know Summer doesn’t officially start for another week or so, but I’m calling it now … Here’s how I see it: A total of 333 Residential transactions closed, consisting of 276 single family homes 32 condominiums 25 manufactured homes. For Single Family Homes, the significant “averages” looked like this: 276 Single Family Homes $243,456 Sales Price 125 days Total days on market... [Read more...]
Fireworks on the 3rd of July!
I love fireworks. Actually, I love BIG firework displays. The ones that the young’uns persist in lighting off in the neighborhood designed to just be big bangs are annoying. Well, don’t laugh, but I really like those snake’y things — those little black things that you light that crawl all over the ground. But give me lots of sparkles and trailing lights and I’m in every time! So … this is a heads up! It’s time to start planning! One of the best shows in our area is, without a doubt, hosted by Emerald Downs in Auburn. Combined with the fun and excitement of horse... [Read more...]
It’s a Blue Balloon Weekend!
Blue balloons should begin flying tomorrow in recognition of the National Realtor© Open House weekend and to point folks to those properties participating in the event all across the country. Not only is this a good time to showcase listings, but I’ve armed my actively searching Buyer clients with handfuls of business cards so that they can be comfortable touring homes, as well. Which brings to mind the question of the real purpose of open houses. Of course, ideally an open house event might spawn a buyer for the featured property. At the very least, open houses can be a dynamite way to... [Read more...]
Foxy Townhouse in Kent!
Promenade North is the sought-after community within The Lakes with townhouse living that fits all your easy lifestyle preferences — let someone else do the yard work and care for the roof! Your new townhouse sits at the end of a four-unit building, providing corner windows for fantastic light. When you come home after shopping, enter the private attached garage, then take just one step into the covered entry and your front door. Once inside, the well-designed interior shines. Wood-laminate floors lead straight through to the kitchen, guest bath and laundry, and to the open living and... [Read more...]
New Carpet, New Roof, New Paint = New House for You!
Look out over the neighborhood and into the distance from this corner-culdesac in the Kentridge/Glencarin area of Kent. Freshly painted with brand new carpeting and roof (to be completed prior to closing) = a clean, tidy, and move-in ready home just for you. Along with the kitchen (complete with eating bar), the main floor of this classically-styled split-level home features large light-filled living and dining areas overlooking the neighborhood, along with three bedrooms, a full bath, and a 3/4 bath adjoining the master bedroom. Downstairs is the gigantic family room (billiards anyone?)... [Read more...]
