Welcome to SoundBiteBlog.com. This website focuses mainly on providing Real Estate, Mortgage, and Local Area information for consumers and residents in Western Puget Sound, we also share our passions, expertise, and practical insights on Internet marketing and technology, including social media/networking, SEO, website design, and custom web applications. SoundBiteBlog is an award-winning joint venture between Mark Flanders of Pastik Design and Rich Jacobson of Windermere Real Estate / West Sound, Inc.

Within the pages of SoundBite is an eclectic collection of articles covering a wide variety of topics we hope you'll find interesting, engaging, and helpful. Rich is committed to relentlessly representing his client's best interests and empowering them to make informed decisions. Mark finally decided what he wanted to do when he grew up and gets excited when the code he's written solves a customer's problem with blinding efficiency!

Kitsap County WA Market Report for February 2010

February 24th, 2010 by Rich Jacobson

The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for February 2010, provided by Rich Jacobson of Windermere Real Estate, in Silverdale, WA (this includes data for Bainbridge Island WA)

kitsap-county-wa-real-estate

  • Properties currently active on the market:  1730
  • Properties closed in the last 180 days:  1358
  • Average Sales Price:  $284,294
  • Average List Price:  $295,084
  • Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 97%
  • Average Days on Market: 94
  • Sales Pending this Week: 93

Central Kitsap WA statistics separately: (Area 150)

  • Properties currently Active on the market:  144
  • Properties closed in last 180 days:  160
  • Average Sales Price:  $236,201
  • Average List Price:  $238,972
  • Ratio of List Price to Sales Price: 99%
  • Average Days on Market: 80
  • Sales Pending this week: 7

For additional area specific market statistics, go to www.KitsapLife.com

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE MARKET NOW?

If I could pick one word to describe the current housing market, it would be ‘uncertainty.’

Most of us would love to believe that things will pick up as we enter the Spring season. Typically, we see a notable overall improvement in both buying and selling of residential properties. But with all the unknowns and instability of our nation’s economy, it’s difficult to accurately predict the direction the market will go in the next month or two.

Short Sales and Foreclosures will obviously continue to impact the market, but to what extent, no one is  sure.

Home prices here in Kitsap County WA, continued to slide in January, adding to the nearly 9% drop we experienced in 2009 over 2008, according to data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

As a comparison, the median sales price of closed homes in January 2010, $224,000, was 4.4 percent less than in January 2008.

Regardless, there continues to be a few exceptions to the rule. There were three north-end communities – Poulsbo, Lofall and Hansville, and two communities in South KitsapRetsil and Manchester – that all enjoyed positive increases in sales prices when compared with the previous month. Close proximity of these communities to ample waterfront was no doubt an influence.

Poulsbo’s median closing price in January was $364,250; Lofall’s $450,000; Hansville’s $429,900; and Retsil and Manchester were at $287,450.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEW BLOG ‘EVERYDAY CK’

‘Everyday CK’ – My New Blog on the Kitsap Sun

Just wanted to mention that I was recently afforded the opportunity of joining the team of bloggers on the Kitsap Sun website.

My blog is entitled ‘Everyday CK’ and is geared towards sharing information and encouraging conversations about the Central Kitsap area.

Please take a moment to hop over and subscribe!   ‘Everyday CK

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, ActiveRain, Everyday CK, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

Tags: , , , , ,

Good Sushi Hunting on the Kitsap Peninsula WA

April 1st, 2009 by Rich Jacobson

sushi in kitsap county waI became a HUGE fan of sushi way before it got all artsy and trendy. My Dad used to entertain his clients a lot when he worked down in the Silicon Valley back in the early 80’s, and would frequent one of the few sushi bars at the time over in Cupertino CA. Of course, he had to indoctrinate his only son and propagate the species, so I reluctantly gave in and accompanied him. It took me several attempts to get beyond the sheer mental obstacle of consuming something slimy that wasn’t cooked (wasn’t there some kind of sanitary law against this?)

Tamago (think scrambled eggs with sugar) was the only item I could stomach at first. But over time, I became rather acclimated,  and quickly sushi became my food group of choice.

Over the years, whenever we’ve moved, one of the first things I’ve done is to scope out the closest and best sources for fresh sushi. Imagine my difficulty when we moved to Lawrence, Kansas?!?! It wasn’t until just before we left town for Washington State that a sushi bar/Japanese restaurant finally came to the area. Go figure!

When we first arrived here in Silverdale, Washington, I naturally assumed that there would be a plethora (thank you, Three Amigos!) of sushi bars and Japanese restaurants, given our close proximity to the oceTan.

NOT!

Silverdale WA currently has three sushi/Japanese restaurants:

Osaka Japanese Restaurant (next to Ted Brown’s Music in the Ross Plaza)

10408 Silverdale Way Nw, Ste. 109
Silverdale, WA 98383 – 360.698.7266

Hakata Japanese Restaurant (behind FedEx/Kinko’s)

10876 NW Myhre Place, Ste. 108
Silverdale, WA 98383 – 360.698.0929

Origami Sushi (in the Red Apple Market plaza)

9523 Silverdale Way NW
Silverdale, WA 98383 – 360.337.7628

 I have been to all three places several times. Origami is the newest, but Hakata is by far the best out of the three. Their Crunchy Roll is simply to die for! Origami lacks a tad bit in atmosphere, but at least they have a TV to watch the game! In addition to sushi, they serve up some really awesome Korean Kalbi short ribs. YUM!

My wife and I took a little romantic getaway to Port Townsend a few years back (stay at The Tides Inn) and discovered “Ichikawa Japanese Cuisine” the Olympic Peninsula’s Destination Sushi Bar! They’ve won the ‘Best Japanese Restaurant’ award from the Peninsula Daily News the past four years in a row! They’re located on Water Street, the main thoroughfare through downtown Port Townsend, right next door to the local Windermere Real Estate office (gosh, what a concept. Buy a house, eat some sushi!)

But in all of my efforts to get a worthwhile sushi fix here on the Kitsap Peninsula, my best and most satisfying reward has been with “Sushi Ko” at Central Market in Poulsbo (I recently wrote about Central Market in another blog). Their normal, everyday selection offers some of the freshest and best tasting sushi I have ever had. They offer a wide variety of nigri sushi, sashimi, tekka makis, and rolls. If you want something different or unique, just ask, and they can make it for you while you shop for groceries.

Now granted, you can’t pull up a high-back chair, suck down a few tall Sapporos, and watch the sushi master do his magic. But it is reasonably priced, made fresh, and packaged attractively. So just snag a tall Saporro on your way out, and pork-out in the privacy of your own domain. It goes absolutely perfect with plasma screens and football!

~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~     o     ~

Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com and Crabbing in the Hood.

Tags: , , ,