Auburn – Page 2

The Winter Storm Watch Continues

January 17, 2012 by Gabrielle

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 12- and 18-inches in our yard, according to the “Futurecast” radar displayed on one of our local news sites, KIRO7. That’s a significant amount of snow. Significant!

According to AccuWeather, the history of great Seattle snowstorms is as follows:

Jan. 5-9, 1880: Est. 36.0″ with 6-foot drifts
Jan. 31-Feb. 3, 1916: 33.4″
Jan. 26-31, 1969: 30.7″
Jan. 12-15, 1950: 26.8″
Dec. 23-27, 1965: 14.9″
Dec. 30-31, 1968: 13.0″
Jan. 23-26, 1972: 12.6″
Jan. 25-26, 1950: 12.4″
Dec. 26-27, 1974: 9.8″
Nov. 20-22, 1985: 9.4″
Nov. 27, 1985: 7.6″

Twelve-to-eighteen inches. I’m expecting the roof to be fine, but I’m thinking the tarp-type carport under which we park our riding lawnmower and various “stuffs” to probably take a hit. We’ve brought pellets for the stove into the garage. The chickens are safely ensconced in their coop with plenty of food and water. The dogs are oblivious, but will love it. The cat? Well, we may have to hand-carry him out now and then to visit the kitty potty.

Twelve-to-eighteen inches, followed by rain. It should be exciting!

Real Estate is About to Come to a Screeching Halt in Auburn, WA!!!

January 12, 2012 by Gabrielle

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 significant snowfall, which means most of the cities and towns in our area have a minimal amount of snow equipment to deal with the mess. We don’t dump a lot of sand or salt on the roads. Some … but not a lot.

Oh sure, once a year or so we get dumped on with a couple or three inches, but then it rains away within the next day or so. I know, I know – you Seattle’ites remember the recent great snowfall of ‘ought eight’ when we had 6+ inches on the ground for a week or so.

It was darned cold out there and the stuff was packed hard on our road. (We happen to live almost at the bottom and no way were we getting out of here.) It was exhilarating! Snowball fights. The dogs romped through the yard like puppies. BIIIGGG snow creatures adorned the yard.

I remember that the Mayor of Seattle got into all sorts of trouble for not arranging to have side streets and a few major hills plowed (as if he could do much about it with the few plows available), and so on. It was chaos out there.

But I love the snow. Snuggling inside with hot cocoa and a good book.

So … just a word to the wise: Beware!! Real estate .. and everything else involving cars … is coming to a screeching halt if we get 1/2” of snow on Sunday. …….

……

… of course, then it’ll all start back up again in a day or two and we’ll be raring to go back to work.

Enjoy!

Farmer’s Markets are “Springing” Up All Over!

June 16, 2011 by Gabrielle

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. I missed all of the grand openings this year, but I definitely stop by a couple of times a month for goodies!

Here’s the info you’ll need to visit. Click the heading for additional information.

Auburn International Farmers Market

June 12 to September 25
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Auburn Sound Transit Plaza, 23 A St SW

The Auburn International Farmers Market boasts more than 40 vendors offering a variety of fresh locally grown farm-based foods, hand-crafted items, and concession stand that are restaurant-based but feature a home-cooked taste. The 2011 weekly market starts June 12 and runs through September 25. The market will again include free performances, guest chef demonstrations with farm-fresh ingredients, children’s activities, and classes on health, nutrition, and gardening. AIFM 2011 Special Events June 12 Opening Day ceremonies begin at 8:30am June 19 – Sound Transit and Metro Appreciation Day July 10 – Kids Day July 24 – The Dog Days of Summer | Complete with the annual Parade of Market Dogs August 7 – National Farmers Market Week | Vendor Recognition Day September 11 Remembrance Day September 18 – Senior Appreciation Day

Kent Farmers Market, sponsored by the Kent Lions Club

Saturdays, June 4 to September 24
Town Square Plaza — 2nd Avenue &b Smith Street

When in Auburn and Kent, Take some time to visit each of these local sources for fresh foods and produce. After all, Farmer’s Markets are “Springing” Up All Over!

It’s ALL About ME!

September 3, 2010 by Gabrielle

Whoo hoo! I just got notification that:

I was voted the Best Real Estate Agent in Auburn, WA by KOMO News 4!!

and

I was a finalist in the Auburn Reporter’s “Best of” too!!

This is so cool! I’m so flattered and truly grateful to everyone who voted. What an honor to be recognized!

Thank you, thank you!

(and thanks for letting me puff up a bit! … My head’s now square back in place and I “think” it’ll fit through the door …)

Certified Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource

May 18, 2010 by Gabrielle

I recently completed requirements by the National Association of Realtors to receive certification as a Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource, although I’ve been assisting buyers and sellers of these types of properties since 2004.

Taking the certification class was a fascinating experience – of the group of approximately 50 agents present, fewer than 30% of the agents had ever handled either the buyer or seller side of a short sale property! Wow, where have they been and how on earth are they still in business?

When questioned about where they work, well over half of the agents at the class focused on the east and northeast sides of King County – i.e., Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Sammamish, etc., where short sale and bank owned properties aren’t as prevalent as they are in my practice areas. (Briefly, a short sale property is identified in our MLS as one where a property’s sale price is less than its outstanding indebtedness and some sort of negotiation, concession and/or approval is needed by the lien holder(s) before a sale can be completed.)

These types of transactions – for BOTH Sellers and Buyers – require considerably more experience and expert handling than do “regular” purchases and sales (whatever those are – I’ve almost forgotten!). From our informal classroom survey, it’s possible than over 70% of agents in our area have never handled a short sale or bank-owned property!!

Therefore, when you find yourself in need of help – or know someone who does – buying or selling short sale or foreclosure properties, call an experienced agent! I can be reached by phone at 206.300.8421 or by e-mail at gabrielle@gabriellenemes.com.

Amazing View and Fantastic Home — All in One!

April 20, 2010 by Gabrielle

This unique Northwest home has so many things to offer!

The main living area with kitchen, dining room (centrally located by the kitchen and living room), and living room is open and spacious — perfect for family & friend gatherings. There are two bedrooms on the main level and one full bath. Upstairs is a fabulous master suite, while the lower level offers a large family room, 1/2 bath and huge bonus room. There is a two-car garage plus two-car carport, wonderful yard, and view like no other.

Call to see this home today!

Listing courtesy Geri Wehry of RE/MAX Select R.E.

Want to Sell Your House Fast?

March 12, 2010 by Gabrielle

Drop the price!

The first two months of sales data in the greater Auburn, Washington tell the story perfectly — Want or Need to Sell Your Home Fast? — Drop The Price! Or at least price it within the range of those houses that are actually selling:

Granted, this little chart only shows three months of home sale activity in the greater Auburn area, but it clearly reflects that homes sell faster when they are nearer the lower end of the pricing spectrum.

Here you can see that the average home listing price is above $300,000, but the average price for home sales that actually closed (i.e., made it all the way to the exchange of keys!) was in the low-mid $200,000 range. It’s further telling that homes in those upper dollar amounts for Auburn, stay on the market longer than those than ultimately are priced in the lower $200’s — 100+ days compared to 58 days and 82 days.

It’s important to remember that “Solds” are a result of homes that went Pending 30-60 days prior.

So ……

Compare the number of days for houses that went pending in December to those that closed in February. For houses that sold in December, one would need to compare the days on market for those that went pending in October or November.

And I’m thinking that the closed prices in March will be higher too! Look at the pending $$ for February! (Yeah, I know, I get excited about these things ……………..)

5-Acre Mini-Ranch

November 13, 2009 by Gabrielle

Got horses, goats, alpacas, mini-beef?

Close to Auburn, Lake Tapps and city commuting, this five-acre mini-ranch is the best value in the neighborhood and perfect for your equestrian or other animal pastimes.

From the moment you enter the property through the remote-controlled gate, you’ll both be charmed by the thoughtful touches surrounding the house itself, and completely impressed by the two huge shops! There’s way too much to describe here, but consider that the flower beds are surrounded by poured concrete edges, there are numerous little water features, the house is surrounded by a walk-around deck, and entered through a wonderful covered porch. Step inside to a sun-lit entry (complete with a sun-tube), and then on to the generous formal living room/dining room combination, and a family room with a free-standing woodburning stove.

This home was well loved and it shows. Set up as a warm haven after working out on your own five-acre parcel, you’ll appreciate all the little touches that make this it truly a home. As you come in from the back into the mudroom, you’ll find plenty of places to stash the boots, even a built in window seat with storage. The kitchen is well appointed with new(er) black appliances and loads of cabinets.

The master bedroom has a huge walk-in closet complete with loads of wire shelves & storage units, and a five-piece bath with tiled double-sink vanity and soaking tub. The 2nd bedroom is just off the family room and also has private access to the 2nd full bathroom.

Outside are five fenced and cross-fenced, hot-wired acres plus two shops, RV-size carport, barn with hayloft, 2-horse (only one stall) loafing shed, well house, a fish pond, your own private well and septic system.

Barn measures 42′ x 50′