Silverdale WA Real Estate :: SoundBiteBlog.com

This quality well-maintained home is situated on a quiet near acre lot in the highly desirable Crystal Creek neighborhood in Silverdale WA. Though just minutes from top rated Central Kitsap schools, the Bangor Subase (South Trigger Avenue gate), and the popular Kitsap Mall, this 4 Bedroom 2.5 bath home offers Pacific Northwest rural living at its finest.

Located off Old Frontier Road on Hosman Circle, Crystal Creek is predominantly a Chaffey-built development of 40 homes started in the early 1990′s.

All homes are served by a community well locally operated by Washington Water Supply. Unlimited water usage costs homeowners a flat fee of $44 per month.

Due to the ample level lot sizes, each individual property  in Crystal Creek has its own private gravity flow septic system.

Electricity and natural gas is provided by Puget Sound Energy and Cascade Natural Gas, respectively.

Wavecable Broadband is the sole supplier of cable television and Internet services to the area, although some residents elect to utilize DSL or Satellite carriers.

While there is a Crystal Creek Homeowner’s Association and By-Laws ($35 annual fee), true pride of ownership comes across in the way residents consistently maintain their properties, and the safe, quality of life that is enjoyed by the members of the neighborhood.

4354 NW Hosman Circle is located about halfway down Hosman Circle on the right-hand side of the street (highest elevation in the community). The previous owners hired a professional landscaping company to install a beautiful custom rock retaining wall.

There is a plush cultivated lawn area to the western side of the property, and a seasonal creek that connects to popular Crystal Creek, a salmon spawning tributary which eventually feeds into Dyes Inlet. A large portion of the property consists of native Rhododendrons, and tall Pine and Cedar trees.

The home was originally built in 1990 and is constructed of highly-desired natural Cedar siding. There is a covered front patio area and large rear deck. A 10X12 storgage shed contains all of your yard maintenance tools and equipment.

The ample 2-car attached garage comes with added space for a workbench and has a pull-down ladder to access an additional attic storage area.

The tile vaulted entry way provides an elegant greeting for your visitors. The step-down formal living room is just to your right, and the main floor half-bath to your left.

Straight ahead, the hallway gives way to hardwood floors and the Island Kitchen/Family Great Room. A Dining Nook overlooks the wooded backyard. The large working Island Kitchen has quality Silestone counters and generous cabinetry. A tile surround gas fireplace provides cozy, efficient heat during the Winter months.

The formal Dining Room has stylish coffered ceilings and bay windows.

Upstairs are 3  bedrooms, a shared Full Bath, and a hallway that leads to the Master Suite/Master Bath.

The Master Suite has a Bay Window Sitting area. The 5-piece Master Bath includes an over-sized jetted tub, double-sink vanity, shower, and skylight.

Elementary age children are picked up every morning at the driveway of their homes and transported to nearby Clear Creek Elementary. Junior High and High School age students wait for their buses at the end of Hosman Circle. Both Central Kitsap Junior High and Central Kitsap High schools are only minutes away.

Just down Old Frontier Road is Trigger Avenue, with access to the South gate of Bangor Subase and Hwy. 3.

Silverdale WA is the retail mecca for the entire Kitsap Peninsula and West Sound area. The Kitsap Mall is a popular shopping destination with stores such as Macy’s, Sears, J.C. Penneys, and Kohls. Most of all the Big Box stores have locations in Silverdale as well, including Costco, Home Depot, and Best Buy.

Surrounded by the waters of the Puget Sound, the Kitsap Peninsula is only a short ferry boat ride to Seattle, the Emerald City. To the west, the majestic Olympic Mountains rise up from the shores of the scenic Hood Canal, a popular recreational waterway.

Whether you’re being transfered to a new duty station here in Kitsap County WA, looking to escape the traffic and crowds of the East Side, need more space for your growing family, or want a great place to retire, this quality home in preferred Crystal Creek Silverdale WA is the perfect place to call home!

For more information, go to Windermere.com and enter 203772 into the ‘Search by MLS’ box, or access the vFlyer for this property by going to the link, http://kitsaplife.vflyer.com/home/flyer/home/15587011

For additional information on Crystal Creek, go to http://soundbiteblog.com/2009/09/09/crystal-creek-residential-development-in-silverdale-wa/

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate broker 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.com, EverydayCK, HomesByHarbors, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Posted in Featured Homes/Properties | No Comments »

Tags: 4354 NW Hosman Circle, CK Schools, Crystal Creek, Kitsap County WA real estate, Silverdale WA Real Estate

Top Tips for 1st-Time Home Buyers in Kitsap County WA – Tip No. 2

HAVE YOUR HOME INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL LICENSED HOME INSPECTOR

One of the most satisfying aspects of being a licensed professional real estate broker here in Kitsap County WA is helping 1st-Time Buyers to achieve their dreams of homeownership.

In the beginning, I typically spend a good deal of time educating my First-Time Buyers on the entire home-buying process, from start-to-finish, just so they can fully understand what’s involved and eliminate any surprises.

A few years back, I wrote a fun, informative series of articles entitled “Adventures in 1st-time Home Buying.“

I always counsel my Buyer clients to have a Home Inspection prior to closing. Here in WA State, most contracts include a Home Inspection Contingency (NWMLS Form 35) which makes the purchase subject to conducting a thorough home inspection.

Here’s the Home Inspection process in a nutshell:

Normally, the Buyer has  up to ten (10) days after mutual contract acceptance, to have the home inspected and to then petition the Sellers to remedy/repair any items/conditions they feel need to be corrected/resolved as a result. The Sellers usually have up to three (3) days to respond to the Buyers request. If the Home Inspector feels that additional inspections are warranted, the Buyer can request an extension to conduct further investigation, but at their own expense.

The Sellers have several options in responding to the Buyers requests: 1) They can agree to fix all of the items requested by the Buyer; 2) They can select which items they want to repair/resolve; 3) They can refuse to fix anything. The Buyers, in turn, have up to three (3) days to respond back. They can agree to the Sellers terms, counter with amended terms, or simply back out of the contract.

Having your home fully inspected by a licensed professional Home Inspector is one of the wisest investments you will make in the home-buying process. Here in Kitsap County WA, most home inspections cost an average of $300 to $500, depending on the size of the home. This usually includes a full pest inspection as well.

A thorough home inspection normally includes a visual inspection of all exterior/interior structural components,  and functional inspection of all appliances, and mechanical, plumbing, electrical systems/components.

Make sure that when you have your home inspected that you contract with a professional State licensed Home Inspector. Even thought your Uncle Jimmy Joe Bob may have worked construction back in the day, or your sister’s cousin’s son Vinnie used to work at Home Depot, you owe to yourself to have someone who is knowledgeable, experienced, and qualified. This is one of the biggest purchase/investments you are likely to make. The relatively small amount of money you will spend on a home inspection is worth every cent.

Here in Kitsap County WA, I strongly recommend two local home inspectors:

Chuck Fair of Fair Home Inspections

Scott DeSchryver of Lighthouse Home Inspection LLC

Both Chuck and Scott focus on serving their clients and representing their best interests throughout the entire inspection process. Both are very thorough and provide a highly detailed inspection report when completed.

In the greater Seattle area, I highly recommend:

Charles Buell of Buell Home Inspections

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate broker 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, HomesByHarbors, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Posted in Buyers, Miscellaneous | 1 Comment »

Tags: 1st time home buyers, Bremerton WA Real Estate, First Time Home Buyers, home inspection, Kitsap County WA real estate, Poulsbo Real Estate, seabeck wa real estate, Silverdale WA Real Estate

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Tags: 5578 NW Millglade Lane, Bremerton WA Real Estate, Homes in Central Kitsap, Kitsap County WA real estate, Silverdale WA Real Estate

Doom and Gloom.

As a licensed real estate broker, I hear this particular sentiment being expressed a lot these days, both as it relates to the housing market in general around the country, and right here in Kitsap County WA.

Let’s face it. Times are tough. Our current economic struggles breed uncertainty and unrest. The natural tendency is for people to hunker down, hold tightly to their money, and not make any major purchases.

While this may be a prudent direction for some, others may unfortunately lose out on a prime market opportunity. One of the best times to invest in real estate is at the low end of the cycle when home prices have bottomed out. Add to that dynamic the large number of short sale and bank-owned properties currently available, and you have an even better equation for investment success.

Though it seems unlikely that U.S. home prices in general will rise any time soon (many are predicting a sustained flat market for the next 4 to 5 years), some local markets are showing favorable resiliency.

Moody’s Economy.com, a financial services industry information firm, estimates that by 2014, U.S. home prices will be 7.2 percent above 2010 levels, with the strongest growth here in the Pacific Northwest. These estimates are based on such factors as employment, foreclosure rates, income growth, demographic trends, and construction costs.

According to Moody’s forecasts, the most robust market in the US will be Washington State’s Bremerton-Silverdale area. While home sales and new construction in the area have slowed in 2010, Moody’s expects prices here to jump up by a total of nearly 45 percent over the next four years (9.7 percent annually). This is the highest forecast among 384 metropolitan statistical areas that were surveyed nationwide. Price levels in Kitsap County WA have fallen about 21 percent from the 2007 peak levels, according to the Case-Shiller Indexes.

As much as I would love to believe these numbers, common sense cautions me to take them with a grain of salt, and lean a bit more towards the conservative side. However, given that the economic analysts at Moody’s are a lot smarter than I am, perhaps their predictions can help dispel some of the doom and gloom.

For a little while anyway!

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate broker 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, HomesByHarbors, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Tags: Bremerton WA Real Estate, doom and gloom, housing market, Kitsap County WA, moodys, Silverdale WA Real Estate

Two recently published articles provide us with an analysis of the real estate market, both locally and nationally.

The first article, published in The Kitsap Sun, provides comparative figures for Kitsap County WA between 2009 and 2010:

Lower Prices Fuel Condo Sales in 2010

The second article, published in the New York Times, offers up a more sobering perspective on the recent slump in home sales across the country:

U.S. Home Prices Slump Again, Hitting New Low

Over the course of my career as a licensed real estate broker, I’ve learned that every market dynamic poses its own unique opportunities and challenges.

The recent downturn offers great opportunities to both Buyers and Investors. As we approach and reach the bottom of our current cycle, home prices will have adjusted to their lowest point in many years. Coupled with the extremely low interest rates still being offered, 1st time Buyers especially can capitalize on these circumstances.

And due the growing number of short sale and foreclosure properties, Investors can identify viable properties that can offer a much quicker rate of return.

For Sellers, my advice is to price your home aggressively, right out of the gate, and to pull out the stops when it comes to effectively preparing your home for market. With the increased levels of inventory out there, the competition for attracting qualified Buyers has increased tremendously. Condition and price will help your home to stand head and shoulders above all the rest. In addition, ensure that your home receives the greatest degree of Internet marketing as possible. With over 95% of all Home Buyers accessing the Internet for the home searches, online exposure has become absolutely critical in achieving a successful sale.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate broker 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, HomesByHarbors, and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com

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Posted in Kitsap County WA Market Reports | No Comments »

Tags: kitsap county market report, puget sound wa real estate, seabeck wa real estate, Silverdale WA Real Estate