An indication of increased market activity are pending. Pending sales across King County moved up a robust 22.50%, and pending sales on the Eastside were up 22.95%. Inventory year over year from last year are still in decline. In April total active listings were down a whopping 39.38% in King County and down 36.95% on the Eastside from April of 2011. Declining inventory means sellers may have a easier time selling good homes.

See the raw numbers from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service: Real Estate Market Data for King County April 2012 Data. Also take a look at the housing numbers for Sammamish and Redmond. In Kirkland the Market Action Index(a gauge of market activity) remains strong. For good homes that will sell quickly this is true some area are showing signs of multiple offers! With interest rates in the LOW 4′s buyers affordability is at an all time high. Also see the national real estate trends at Realtor.com

View Eastside in a larger map

Here is a breakdown of real estate homes sales in Seattle Eastside Communities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah and Sammamish, Washington for the week broken down by neighborhood. Just click on the link to your neighborhood for the complete breakdown of the homes that are on The chart below breaks down Seattle Washington’s Greater Eastside Real Estate homes sales by City, for the week of 04/18/2012.

To find out what your home is worth or If you are interested in selling your home for top dollar in the quickest amount of time, please contact me anytime at 206-818-8816 or Click here to send me an e-mail requesting further information.

Related posts:

1. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – January 2012
2. March 2012 Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County
3. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – December 2011

8 Tips for a Stress-Free Bathroom Renovation

1. Choose your colors well. Stick with classic colors and neutrals, especially if you plan to sell in the near future. However, if you like a bold look, but don’t want to paint the room a vibrant color, select bright colored fixtures. The faucet, light fixtures, rugs, towels and artwork all provide opportunities for bold pops of color.
2. Know the building codes. If you need permits, apply early to make sure you get them in time. Also, make a list of the professionals you’ll need to enlist to get the job done. Bathroom renovations often become expensive because of the materials used and the specialists you have to hire, such as plumbers, electricians, etc.
3. Keep lighting in mind. The bathroom is where we get ready to start our days, so make sure yours is properly lit. If your bathroom is windowless, keep your walls a light color to make the most of artificial light. Look for UV lights.
4. Maintain the same footprint. If you decide to move the waste line, your costs will increase. Instead, keep the toilet and shower where they are, and only replace the fixtures themselves.
5. Do it yourself. If your tub has a few cracks, repair it yourself. You can also install the toilet yourself as long as you’re only replacing the toilet and not the plumbing.
6. Save money on cabinetry. Instead of expensive custom cabinets, buy stock or semi-custom cabinets, vanities and vanity tops, or use refinished side cabinets or a bedside table for storage.
7. Keep your space functional. A pedestal or wall-mounted corner sink can free up space for extra storage or luxury fixtures.
8. Go faux. Use tile that looks like natural stone—it’s cheaper and lower maintenance than real stone.

Remodeling the bathroom has a 64.1% return on investment.
Source: Realtor® Magazine, January 2011

The cost of the average bathroom renovation is $5,000, but can climb to $25,000 for a high-end project.
Source: Consumer Reports, January 2008

Install Green to Save Green

More than half of our indoor water use occurs in the bathroom.* As rates increase in many areas across America, homeowners are replacing old fixtures with ones that conserve water. In fact, many water districts and cities offer rebates for installing water saving faucets and toilets. Did you know that before 1992, the average toilet used 3.5 gallons of water per flush and the average showerhead used 5.5 gallons per minute? New toilets use a mere 1.6 gallons of water per flush, while the average high-efficiency showerhead uses 2.5 gallons per minute or less.*
Additionally, low-flow showerheads and faucets enable you to reduce your water-heating costs. This translates to more money in your pocket and less wasted water.

Do you need to replace your showerhead?
This simple experiment will give you an idea of how much water, and money, is going down the drain. Place a bucket under your showerhead and turn on the water. Time how long it takes for the water to reach the one-gallon mark. If it takes less than 20 seconds for water from your showerhead to reach the one-gallon mark, you may want to install a low-flow showerhead.  When replacing older models of faucets, toilets and showerheads, look for high-efficiency models bearing the WaterSense label, which meets third-party certification through the Environmental Protection Agency.

Green on the cheap
A cost-effective way to regulate the flow of your faucet is to replace the aerator, the screen at the tip of the faucet. For maximum efficiency, purchase an aerator  with a flow rate of one gallon per minute (GPM) or less. To make sure you buy the right size, unscrew the aerator from your existing faucet and match it with the options at the store.

Related posts:

1. “GREEN” your home, not only will it save you money it may help you sell

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1. Spider on the Snoqualmie
2. Wordless Wednesday: Snoqualmie Golf & Country Club
3. How would you market this house?

An indication of increased market activity are pending. Pending sales across King County moved up 26.86%, and pending sales on the Eastside were up 31.19%. We are still seeing inventory numbers decline. In March total active listings were down 36.19% in King County and down 35.59% on the Eastside from March of 2011. Declining inventory means sellers may have a easier time selling good homes.

See the raw numbers from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service: Real Estate Market Data for King County March 2012 Data . Also take a look at the housing numbers for Sammamish and Redmond. In Kirkland the Market Action Index(a gauge of market activity) remains strong. While it’s still a buyers market, it is much more balanced. With interest rates in the LOW 4′s buyers affordability is at an all time high. Also see the national real estate trends at Realtor.com

View Eastside in a larger map

Here is a breakdown of real estate homes sales in Seattle Eastside Communities of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah and Sammamish, Washington for the week broken down by neighborhood. Just click on the link to your neighborhood for the complete breakdown of the homes that are on The chart below breaks down Seattle Washington’s Greater Eastside Real Estate homes sales by City, for the week of 04/18/2012.

To find out what your home is worth or If you are interested in selling your home for top dollar in the quickest amount of time, please contact me anytime at 206-818-8816 or Click here to send me an e-mail requesting further information.

Related posts:

1. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – January 2012
2. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – December 2011
3. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – November 2011

Description: Stunning 2 story & walk out finished basement. 2 tier full length covered decks take advantage of commanding western view of Lake Sammamish. Upscale appointments include Viking professional kitchen, spiral staircase with iron pickets & cherrywood rails. Anderson windows, central vac. Lavish master suite with walk in closet. Double door den, superior millwork package. Fully fenced lot. Beach rights and Riding trail across street. Easy commute to 520 or 90.

• Home Built: 2011
• Bedrooms: 5
• Bathrooms: 3.5
• Square Footage: 4,420

This home sold this week in Sammamish.  What did it sell for?  The one to guess the closest to the sales price will win a $25 gift card to Starbucks.  Entries must be in by 20th. One entry per person.  Please share this with your friends!

Related posts:

1. How much did this home in Sammamish sell for?
2. How much did this home sell for in the Crossroads neighborhood of Bellevue?
3. Gorgeous traditional two story on large lot in sought after south Sammamish Plateau

Social Couponing Websites

Social couponing websites like Groupon and LivingSocial now offer more than discounts for services at local businesses. In partnership with the leading travel website Expedia,  Groupon Getaways offers significant discounts on packages to top travel destinations all over the world. Subscribers aresent a weekly email that features several of the travel deals that are being offered for the week. Interested parties then have two weeks to purchase a deal. Similarly, LivingSocial Escapes also sends subscribers weekly emails outlining its latest travel deals. When you purchase a deal through LivingSocial Escapes, you can refer it to your friends; if three of them purchase the deal, you get yours for free.

3 Ways to Get a Deal through Social Couponing

1. Scoop up deals before your trip. A few weeks before you leave, sign up to receive deals specific to the city or region you’re visiting.
2. Read the fine print to find out when the deal expires, if there are blackout dates and the amount of taxes involved.
3. Do your research. Call or go online to find out the regular cost of the hotel, restaurant or other amenities offered to make sure you’re getting a deal.

Membership Pays Off

AAA offers last minute travel deals that can save members up to 70% on their vacations. Through AAA Vacations, members can choose from deals on cruises and vacations to locations around the world. AAA’s Best Price Guarantee ensures that members receive a good deal—if a member finds a cheaper rate for the same exact itinerary within 24 hours of booking the trip, AAA will match the lower rate. Other cruise benefits include champagne upon arrival, priority boarding and pre-paid gratuities. Members can choose from guided or independent land vacations that often include amenities such as free hotel stays, free meals and travel insurance.

Members of Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club have access to exclusive deals on cruises and vacation packages to Europe, the Caribbean, Mexico, popular island locales and domestic destinations including Las Vegas and Disney World. The popular warehouse chains also offer discount deals on rental cars through the major rental car companies.

Download Free Last-Minute Vacation Deal Tips

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3. Protect your home stop Facebooking your Vacation Plans!

via Act now! 10 major housing markets with the shortest supply of homes – Page 4 – MSN Real Estate.

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Abundant inventory, desperate sellers, foreclosures, short-sales and bank owned properties.  This should be a home buyers hey day.  The halcyon days of 2012; where buyers name their price and sellers just deal with it.  But that is not at all what is happening.  It started in December, a bidding war.  What?  I had to negotiate $30,000 above asking price for one of my buyers.  Did you read that?  ABOVE!!!   I then listed a wonderful Kirkland 2 story w/ basement and in one weekend we had a full price offer in the MIDDLE of December.  Last week a cute 2 story didn’t even last 24 hours.

I know what your thinking, this guy must be a master at marketing and selling homes.  Thanks   I am good, and I have a proven strategy for positioning a home in the market place, but there is more to it than that.  It comes right back to my Economics 101 class I was required to take in High School.  Way to go Mt. View HS!  (GO THUNDER)

All the good ones are taken…

It is amazing, no astounding, as I seek out homes for my buyers out there, it’s like looking for a good parking space at Bellevue Square on the 24th of December….(I might have been there to see what it looked like in the name of research) There you are looking for a great parking space, so you pull up to that perfect space, only to have an impulsive BMW dart in front of you for that prime spot.  So you drive on looking for the right space.  You head out to the JC Penny’s Parking lot. This lot is owned by the banks.   The walk to the mall from here isn’t the best and there aren’t “stainless steel appliances,” but you wait for it to be available but the guy backing out has to check with asset managers back east before he even puts the darn thing in reverse!!!!  Somebody is going to get this space, but they are going to have to time it just right.  So you drive on.

Taking it in the shorts…

Here is one.  The owner says they will be right out.  Then they go back inside the mall.  They tell you the should be out SHORTLY.  You know what that means.  Who knows when you will be out.  After waiting for what seems like for ever, you give up.  You head for the upper level and as you pull away you spy in your rear view mirror the car pulling out, but there is no way for you to go back!  Dang!  Missed another one.

You realize that you have to start your search for a parking space all over.  What the heck you might as well pull back up to the front of the building, where the good ones are but none are available, so you circle around and around.  It’s enough to drive you crazy.

What’s the point Dan?

My point is this, if your out there looking for a parking space(house.) Keep and open mind and if you find a remotely good parking space, one that has 3 out of your top 5 items, consider pulling into that space.  Make a strong offer and then working though inspection.  Inventory numbers are low.  1/3 are free and clear 1/3 are short and 1/3 are foreclosure/bank-owned.  That make for a tough choice if the 1/3 of free and clear don’t match your needs.

Sellers – the ones with and equity position: You have a window of opportunity here.  I am getting many showings on my listings and multiple offers and backup offers on short sales.  If your home is in good shape, and has been somewhat updated(last 5 years.)  Price your home well and it will sell.  To get a FREE report of what is going on in your neighborhood order a Market Snapshot.

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1. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – December 2011
2. It’s official: Tolling on SR 520 bridge starts Dec. 29 are you Good to Go?
3. Home Sales Report for the Eastside and King County – January 2012

The information we are sending this month is intended to give you an overview of what’s going on in the national housing market. The statistics offered on the first page provide a glimpse into current trends and predictions for the year, while page two delves into the financing choices of recent homebuyers.

Here is a quick review of today’s More than 80% of Americans view housing as critical to the nation’s economic recovery, and nearly 70% feel that a presidential candidate’s position on housing will be an important consideration in the voting booth.1 Whether you’re thinking of buying, selling or are actively involved in the market, the statistics below will give you a clearer perspective of the state of the market.

Current National Trends in Housing

70% of Americans view owning a home as part of the American dream.2
62% of consumers feel that buying a home in the current market is a good investment over the next 10 years.3
$190,000: Median home price,4
up from $170,000 the previous year 5
$155,000: Median home price of first-time buyers 4
$219,500: Median home price of repeat buyers 4
Homeownership rate rose to 66.1% in Q3 2011, up from 66.0% in Q2 2011.6
95% of metro areas are expected to see home prices rise in the next year.7
75.1% of homeowners state that their home defines their identity.1

Buyer Overview
Buyers searched for a median of 12 weeks and visited 12 homes before they found the one they purchased.4
27% of homebuyers, including 60% of first-time homebuyers, said that the desire to own a home of their own was the biggest reason they bought.4
First-time homebuyers comprise 37% of the market.4
64% of all buyers are married couples,18% are single women, 10% are single men and 7% are unmarried couples.4
$80,900: The median household income of homebuyers.4
84% of buyers purchased a previously-owned home and 16% purchased a new home.4

Seller Overview
35% of homes were on the market less than 2 months before they sold.6
The average time a home was on the market was 9 weeks.4
66% of sellers were first-time sellers.4
39% of sellers did not reduce the asking price, 26% of sellers reduced it once and 35% reduced the price two or more times.4

Sources:
1. Move, Inc.
2. Wall Street Journal, October 4, 2011
3. Bank of America: Mortgage Index Study, December 8, 2011
4. National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2011
5. National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2010
6. National Association of REALTORS®
7. CNN Money, November 4, 2011

Financing the Home Purchase

Talk to Your Real Estate Professional Today! While these figures provide an overview of the national market, keep in mind that your local market may differ.
Consult your trusted real estate professional for more information about your local market.

The average rent on vacant properties is 28% higher than the average mortgage payment.1
The estimated median monthly mortgage principal and interest payment of a first-time homebuyer was $794.2
The estimated median monthly mortgage principal and interest payment of a repeat buyer was $1,006.2
94% of buyers financed their home purchase, including 96% of 25-44 year olds 82% of 45-64 year olds 66% of buyers 65 and older 2

35% of buyers had a down payment of 20% or more.2
74% of consumers who plan to buy a home in the next 12
months will use their personal savings for a down payment.3
The average buyer financed 89% of the home purchase.2
94% of first-time homebuyers chose a fixed-rate mortgage.2
54% of first-time homebuyers used a low down payment FHA mortgage.2
Mortgage rates are expected to rise and reach 4.5% by mid-2012.4

Sources:
1. Forbes, November 14, 2011
2. National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2011
3. Bank of America: Mortgage Index Study, December 8, 2011
4. National Association of REALTORS®

Related posts:

1. Senate stimulus for housing to be upped to 10% or $15,000 tax credit.
2. Buyers: Which way is the Housing Market going?
3. Positive signs that the housing market is stabilizing.