Gig Harbor WA Real Estate information from SoundBiteBlog.
Archive for Gig Harbor Real Estate
December 7, 2007 at 11:35 am · Filed under Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Bites of Kitsap, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Gig Harbor Real Estate, Kitsap Market Reports, Mortgage Bites, Port Orchard Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Sellers, Silverdale WA Real Estate, Sparks from Sparky
Real Estate Market Report/Conditions in Kitsap County WA for 12/06/2007
The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for December 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: 1989
- Properties closed in the last 180 days: 1561
- Average Sales Price: $335,174
- Average List Price: $342,303
- Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 98%
- Average Days on Market: 88
- Sales Pending this Week: 35
Current Market Conditions: Area 141 (South Kitsap West of Hwy. 16) still has the highest ratio of List Price vs. Sale Price with 102%. The lowest ratio was 95% for Area 161 (Hansville). Shortest Days on Market (DOM) was Area 166 (Poulsbo) at 63, and Area 150 (E. Central Kitsap) coming in 2nd with 69. Longest DOM goes to Area 163 (Port Gamble) with 133, followed by Area 161 (Hansville) at 106. Inventory levels dropped by nearly 10%, with many Sellers electing to remove their homes from market over the Christmas Holidays. Overall, prices continue to hold fairly steady, as do the days on market.
Bainbridge Island Stats: (Area 170)
- Properties currently Active on the market: 288
- Properties closed in last 180 days: 235
- Average Sales Price: $ 732,699
- Average List Price: $ 754,554
- Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 97%
- Average Days on Market: 125
- Sales Pending this week: 6
For Buyers: There is no better time than ‘NOW’ to consider purchasing a home here in Kitsap County WA. Be sure to work very closely with your Mortgage Loan Officer throughout all stages of the transaction. Loan programs are changing constantly, and underwriters are imposing more and more conditions. A good Loan Officer will stay on top of these issues, and help to keep your loan process moving along smoothly.
For Sellers: Many Sellers are waiting until the market picks up again in the early Spring to put their home up for sale. You may want to consider an earlier launch date (early January) to give yourself a ‘jump’ on the competition.
For 1st Time Buyers: You might want to consider one of my listings, the Gorman Condominiums, near beautiful Kitsap Lake in Bremerton WA. For only $ 129,950 your dream of home ownership can come true!
For more additional information and resources concerning real estate in Kitsap County WA and the Western Puget Sound, access my website, Kitsap Life.
December 3, 2007 at 10:14 am · Filed under Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Bites of Kitsap, Bites of Washington, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Business Bites, Gig Harbor Real Estate, Port Orchard Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Silverdale WA Real Estate, Sparks from Sparky
One of our family’s annual Holiday traditions is venturing out the weekend after Thanksgiving, and cutting down our Yuletide Christmas Tree.
In addition to the usual multitude of ‘pre-cut’ tree lots, there are a number of excellent ‘live’ tree farms located throughout Kitsap County WA.
Our first year here, we purchased a ‘pre-cut’ tree from Olmstead’s Christmas Trees here in Silverdale WA. They were close and convenient, just down the street from Clear Creek Elementary on Sunde Road.
For the proceeding couple of years, we went out to Kuney’s Christmas Trees, on Pioneer Road out in Seabeck WA. For a flat fee, you can select any tree on their property, regardless of size. Definitely a good bargain!
The last 3 years, we’ve cut out trees out at Hubert’s Noble Ridge Christmas Tree Farm, off Seabeck Hwy. in Bremerton WA. Although somewhat pricey, compared to other area lots, they have a wide selection of numerous evergreen varieties, including Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, Noble Fir, Shasta Fir, Western White Pine, and Southwest Alpine. They also offer the ”Noble House,” a place to snuggle up to a cozy fire and enjoy a cup of hot cider.
Our local newspaper, the Kitsap Sun, published a fairly comprehensive list of Christmas Tree farms throughout the West Sound area. Go HERE to access the list.
Another great National resource directory for finding Christmas Tree Farms throughout the US is www.PickYourOwnChristmasTree.org
To all of our SoundBiteBlog readers, have a very Merry Christmas Holidays, and a most prosperous New Year!
November 27, 2007 at 11:45 am · Filed under 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, Sparks from Sparky
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
November 5, 2007 at 11:23 pm · Filed under Bainbridge Island Real Estate, Bites of Kitsap, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Buyers, Gig Harbor Real Estate, Port Orchard Real Estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, Real Estate Bites, Silverdale WA Real Estate, Sparks from Sparky
We had lots of things to celebrate this past week here in Kitsap County. My son’s football team won their last game, tying for first place in their Junior High league. Our local high school, the Central Kitsap Cougars, won their first divisional playoff game against Puyallup by a thrilling score of 31-16. Hey, what can I say, it’s football season!
But by far the most exciting thing that happened this past week was that my clients, TR and Arwen, closed on their very first home purchase!
It’s been almost a year since I began communicating with Arwen. She found me through the Internet and we started a regular string of e-mails back and forth. TR (proudly serving in the US Navy) was expecting new orders, and one of the potential duty stations was Bangor Subase, just outside of Silverdale WA.
Finally, the orders to Bangor were cut, and TR & Arwen arrived in Kitsap County! Shortly after arriving, TR made Chief Petty Officer. I can say, with complete confidence, that our Naval forces stand prepared and at the ready with people like TR at the helm!
The 3 of us jumped feet first into the home hunting fray, and had a blast! I truly enjoy working with 1st Time Buyers, especially ones like TR & Arwen. They had some excellent questions and trusted my counsel. We were fortunate to find a really great home in Port Orchard WA and negotiate a really great contract.
The entire process went along without difficulty, and we were able to close ahead of schedule.
Congratulations, TR & Arwen! You guys were AWESOME! Good Job!
This is what I truly love about my career in real state - “Helping people achieve their Next Adventure in Life!”
October 30, 2007 at 2:42 pm · Filed under 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, Sparks from Sparky
These are challenging days for Sellers, not only here on the Kitsap Peninsula, but in housing markets throughout the country. Inventory levels of available homes are at an all-time high; many homes languish on the market for what seems like an eternity, with little or no activity; loan underwriters have tightened their purse strings, making it much more difficult for hopeful buyers to qualify; global uncertainties, from the war in Iraq, to the price of crude oil, has consumer confidence faltering, keeping many potential buyers sitting on the fence.
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There is a wide spectrum of Sellers out there:
- The ‘Late Show’ Seller - this one is lost in a time warp and still thinks it’s a brisk Seller’s Market. Their listing price is over a year old and about 25% too high.
- The ‘Upside Down’ Seller - their adjustable rate mortgage just went throught the roof, and they owe more than the house is currently worth. Surely someone will pay more than what they need to net?
- The ‘Perceived Value’ Seller - “Our house is the nicest house in the development. We’ve invested a lot of money into improvements over the years, and we think it should sell for a lot more than what other homes are selling for.”
- The ‘Robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul’ Seller - this Seller has an offer on another house and has to sell their current home for ‘X’ amount of dollars in order to make the new purchase work.
- The ‘Testing-the-Water’ Seller - “We don’t HAVE to move, but let’s price it really high and just see what happens.”
Tough market conditions call for equally Tough questions:
- Why are you selling your house? What is your motivation? Do you HAVE to move right now?
- When your Listing Agent conducted their market analysis, what price range did they determine/advise? How does that price compare with what your house is listed for now? What counsel does your Agent have for pricing today?
- How long can you afford to NOT sell your house?
- What ’other’ viable options are there to selling? A Lease/Purchase agreement? Conversion to a rental?
They say that there are only 3 reasons why a house doesn’t sell:
- The house is overpriced.
- There is some obvious, glaring material defect with the house that screams out, “Don’t Buy Me!”
- Your Listing Agent has fallen asleep at the marketing wheel.
These are the only reasons. If your house has been on the market for any length of time, without any activity, showings, or offers, it’s has to be one of these three.
There are 3 things that determine how quickly and successfully a house will sell:
- Location
- Condtion
- Price
Of these 3 things, you, as a Seller, can control 2 of them. You can work to improve the condition of the property - the curb appeal, how well it shows; and you can determine the asking or listing price.
A great resource for Home Sellers is “Preparing Your Home to Sell: How to Increase Your Home’s Sales Appeal“ by David Knox. I have several copies of this DVD available for loan, or go to www.davidknox.com
Even though the market has slowed, there are still Buyers out there who are moving to our area. Hopefully, asking yourself some of these tough questions will enable you to more aggressively market & sell your home, helping you to “Achieve the Next Adventure in Life!”
October 11, 2007 at 12:44 pm · Filed under 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, Sparks from Sparky
I got a phone call the other day from my buddy, Josh. He’s best friends with my oldest son, Ben. Josh just recently got married (his new bride, Mallory, lived in the house right behind us) and he’s starting his own construction business here on the Kitsap Peninsula WA. Ben helps him out on weekends with various projects, mostly pouring concrete and drywalling.
As a budding builder, 
Josh is always curious about issues relating to real estate. This time, he wanted to know about the whole “Agent-to-Client” relationship thing, and specifically, what does a Buyer do when they realize that the Agent they’re working with is an idiot (those were his words, not mine!) Evidently, Mal’s parents have some friends who are in the market to buy their first home. From what Josh told me, it sounds like their agent probably sells snake oil in his spare time. He employs super high pressure tactics. He keeps trying to force them into buying one of his listings, even though it’s an overpriced train wreck. They’re at a point where they no longer feel comfortable with this guy, and wonder if he really is concerned with their best interests.
Money, or the allure of money, sometimes does the strangest things to people. It causes them to lose sight of their priorities and purpose. It clouds their judgment. It changes their focus from serving others to serving themselves.
In real estate, it can be an easy temptation to lose sight of our statutory or fiduciary responsibilities and obligations, especially in a slowing market. Commission checks are farther and farther apart. We’re scrambling to make ends meet. Every closing counts.
So maybe we neglect to show our Buyers those listings where the Selling Agent commission isn’t as attractive as some of the others. Or perhaps we don’t disclose some known material defect, for fear that they won’t buy the house. Or it could be that we simply aren’t as critical of an advocate as we once were, and allow certain issues to go unchecked in the process? We’re more concerned about ‘closing’ than we are about ‘caring.’
I had the good fortune of having some really excellent mentors early on in my professional career. I learned the importance of providing superlative customer service. You’ve heard the saying, “Do what you Love, and the money will follow?” Well, in real estate, it’s provide the best customer service, and the money will follow. Offer your clients the most relentless representation possible, and you will reap the financial benefits as a result.
Plus, you’ll stay out of jail and sleep better at night!
