Poulsbo Real Estate :: SoundBiteBlog.com

The men’s slow pitch softball team from New Life Church here in Kitsap County WA has received the prestigious #1 ranking by the USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association). Here’s a snapshot of the Top Ten team rankings:

(For a complete list of the team rankings, GO HERE)

Our family knows several of the team players, like Little Dick, but one in particular is a very special friend, Josh Phillips, Owner/President of Ethos Builders in Poulsbo WA. Josh is good friends with our oldest son, Ben, and is married to Mallory (Gaboriault). Mallory’s parents live in the house behind us, and their dog, Prince, is on permanent loan to us.

Congrats to Josh and the rest of the team for such an amazing accomplishment!

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Posted in Kitsap County Bites, Poulsbo Real Estate | No Comments »

Tags: ethos builders, josh phillips, new life church, soft pitch softball, usssa

We were pressed for time. My Out-of-State Buyers had only a few days, and were on a whirlwind schedule. They scoured the Internet from a coffee shop wireless connection, and threw a few more candidates into the mix.

It ended up being like that VISA commercial, where everyone in the store is using their VISA card, and then the one guy tries to use cash, and the whole place shuts down from the log jam.

I called one of the last minute entries. The ‘phone-to-show’ number was the Listing Agent’s cell number. I got his voicemail:
“Hi! This is Rich Jacobson of Brio Realty. I was wondering if I might be able to schedule a showing for your listing on Jones Street for later this afternoon. I have some Buyers from out of town, and they would like to see the house.”

I got a return phone call later that day:

“Hi, This is Bill from XYZ Real Estate. Here are the showing instructions for the Jones Street property. Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays from Noon to 2pm, and Saturdays and Sundays after 7pm.”

…..The brakes on the Home Tour bus came to a screeching halt!!!!…..

It amazes me, given the current market conditions (slow as molasses going uphill on a cold day), why anyone would create obstacles to prevent a home from being shown?

Typically here in our market, the ‘phone-to-show’ number is the Seller’s phone. The Buyer’s agent calls and sets up the showing appointment with them directly. This eliminates one more step in the communication chain. Some Listing Agents prefer to have their cell phone as the ‘phone-to-show.’ This isn’t necessarily an issue, as long as the Listing Agent is readily accessible. But then, the Listing Agent still has to call the Sellers, obtain permission, then call the Buyer’s Agent back. This can sometimes cause delays.

In a slow market, where you have tons of inventory, and lots of homes competing for the same pool of Buyers, Sellers need to do everything within their ability to make the showing process easy and painless for Buyers and their Agents. That means removing any potential obstacles that may exist.

Now, obviously, this doesn’t mean, as a Seller, that you do anything that compromises your safety. Don’t ever allow anyone in through your front door who can’t establish their professional standing as a licensed real estate professional. Always have them activate the Lockbox first, to ensure they can properly/legally access the key, and provide digital record of their visit.

As a Seller, you need to be as accommodating as possible if you’re going to successfully compete with other homes on the market.

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Posted in Buyers, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Sellers | 6 Comments »

As many of you may know, I am a Community Builder with ActiveRain, a very large real estate network and blogging platform. It’s a start-up based out of Bellevue WA, and has over 80,000 members throughout the US and Canada.

Part of my role is to simply monitor the network, make sure the members are behaving, and to field questions.

Earlier today, I received an e-mail from a fairly new member out on the East coast. She’s in her in late 20′s, is relatively new to the real estate profession (she didn’t pick the best time to enter the fray!), and is working through the challenges of establishing her business in a slow market.

She recently wrote an article about real estate commissions and the portion that actually ends up in the agent’s bank account. It was a well-written article. However, no sooner had she published it, than a swarm of bubble bloggers descended upon her post and unleashed their commenting fury.

The first volley of comments were fairly typical of most bubble bloggers, but as the discussion slowly devolved, they became increasingly base and personally degrading towards the young author.

(For my regular readers, please forgive the following uncensored re-publishing of a few of these comments. I don’t usually allow this kind of language within the confines of SoundBiteBlog, but I felt it necessary to include them here)

One of the Bubble Bloggers made this degrading comment:

After reading the various posts on this subject, I think that everyone involved is failing to see the big picture here which is that —– is one hot mamma jamma MILF and I can tell that she is a jackal in the sack.

In fact, I would like to bone her very much if she is ever open and willing to fulfill my naughty realtor mom who will do anything to close the deal fantasy.

Most of you are so caught up in your evil realtor nonsense that you can not appreciate a fine cougar when you see one.

 —–,  love you long time.  You are the bomb in my book.  You can flip my house any day.

 Call me.

-Dave

 P.S: Post more pictures.

And another example of this senseless filthy attack:

I’ll pay you 6%. You have proven your worth. I just have one question:

Does that 6% get me some “alone time” in the VIP room and a guaranteed happy ending?

Because I think it’s only fair that I can do to you what your commission would be doing to me.

-L. Flynt

We’ve had a few Seattle area Bubble Bloggers frequent SoundBiteBlog. Most of these individuals are extremely sharp. They’re very articulate and can discuss intricate economic indicators on a equal or better footing than most investment professionals. One in particular has become somewhat of a regular around here. Last time he stopped by, he actually gave me a compliment!

Many Bubble Bloggers tend to be rather argumentative and abrasive by nature, but rarely do they descend to this level of vicious attack. I was able to trace one of the perputraitors back to their blogspot site, and left a few choice comments of my own, along with the charge that he and his blog thugs didn’t reflect or represent the majority of Bubble Bloggers I had encountered.

No doubt they’ll hunt me down now and make me their next target….oh goody!

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Posted in Bite Me Blogs, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites | 11 Comments »

In the early morning hours of May 30th of 2006, a very popular local eatery in Poulsbo WA was left in charred ruins by fire. When Mitzel’s, a well known landmark, went up in smoke, area residents lost a dining tradition they had enjoyed for over 20 years.

Fast forward to the present, and the grand opening of ”Taprock Northwest Grill.”

Recently, I offered my son, Ben, and his friend, Josh, a lunchtime reprieve from their house-building efforts, and treated them both to a meal at the new Taprock Northwest Grill.

As is typical of most newly opened restaurants, the place was packed with plenty of local business people and assorted patrons patiently awaiting a seat.

The hired help was extremely friendly and gracious throughout our meal. On several occasions, the Manager, Steve Hancock, came up, personally greeted us, and inquired about our meal/service.

Yours Truly enjoyed a plate of Pan-Fried Totten Bay Oysters, while both Ben and Josh manhandled the Mountain High Tillamook Cheddar & Bacon Burger.

Trust me when I say that “Mountain High’ is an adequate description!

The food was very tasty, the service prompt and attentive, and the prices kind to my wallet.

The decor was classic Pacific Northwest, appointed with generous use of wood and stone, giving you the sense of an upscale hunting lodge or ski resort, but only next to a strip mall. It wasn’t too high-end though. Ben and Josh felt right at home in their work boots and bibs.

Overall, a very pleasant experience, and one that will no doubt more than adequately fill the shoes left behind by Mitzel’s.

Located at 760 NE Liberty Road, Poulsbo, WA 98370 * Phone: 360.697.2215

Hours of Operation
Sunday – Thursday:      11am – 10pm
Friday and Saturday:    11am – 11pm

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Posted in Business Bites, Poulsbo Real Estate | 4 Comments »

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions in Kitsap County WA for 10/04/2007

The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for October 2007, provided by Rich Jacobson of Windermere Real Estate, in Silverdale, WA (Data for Bainbridge Island WA is included below)

• Properties currently active on the market: 2273
• Properties closed in the last 180 days: 1687
• Average Sales Price: $336,020
• Average List Price: $341,304
• Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 99.5%
• Average Days on Market: 87.5
• Sales Pending this Week: 41

Current Market Conditions: The highest ratio of List Price vs. Sale Price is still Area 141 (South Kitsap West of Hwy. 16) with 101%.  The lowest ratios were 97% for Areas 167 (Suquamish) and 161 (Hansville). Shortest Days on Market (DOM) continues to be Area 150 (E. Central Kitsap) with 62 DOM. Area 146 (Chico) was also still 2nd at 64. Longest DOM goes to Area 164 (Lofall) with 161, followed by Area 162 (Kingston) with 104.  Inventory rose again slightly, and sales decreased. But the sales prices improved by nearly 7%.

Bainbridge Island Stats: (Area 170)

• Properties currently Active on the market: 332
• Properties closed in last 180 days: 299
• Average Sales Price: $ 733,243
• Average List Price: $ 747,692
• Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 98%
• Average Days on Market: 136
• Sales Pending this Week: 4

For Buyers: Dont’ listen to the media or Jim Cramer on the “Today Show.” Now is still a great time to consider purchasing a home here in Kitsap County WA. The current rate this morning for a 30-year fixed rate loan is still just under 6%! With the number of available homes on the market, Buyers have more choices and greater negotiation power.

For Sellers: You’ve got to do your homework and ensure that you’re fully prepared for market. Your house will really need to ‘pop’ and be priced aggressively if you want to stand out from the masses. Working closely with your Listing Agent, you should pull out all the stops and do everything possible to position your home ‘Head & Shoulders’ above the competition.

For 1st Time Buyers, you might want to consider one of my listings, the Gorman Condominiums, near Kitsap Lake in Bremerton WA. For only $129,950 property ownership can be a reality for you!

For additional information and resources concerning real estate in Kitsap County WA, access my website, www.KitsapLife.com

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Posted in Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Gig Harbor Real Estate, Port Orchard Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Sellers, Silverdale WA Real Estate | No Comments »