Real Estate Information

Three years ago I had the opportunity to be on a committee (from my John L. Scott Kent North office) to prepare and serve a meal to the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Seattle.  Families that stay there have children who are receiving treatment from Seattle Children's Hospital nearby.

The Ronald McDonald House is not free, but it's more affordable than staying in a hotel, and in a better location close to the hospital.  Families that stay here are from other parts of our state or are from other states or countries.  They travel to Seattle for our unique medical experts who treat specific issues children deal with.

Families that stay in the Seattle Ronald McDonald House have access to the kitchen facility with multiple kitchens grouped together.  Many businesses and private organizations volunteer to provide a meal and dessert to these families every week night.  There are very specific guidelines and rules that are to be followed when providing a meal to these 70 - 80 people, and volunteers must be healthy when preparing and serving meals.

Last year I inquired about providing another meal for the group and my office and I were assigned a July date.  That day is almost here!  This time I am heading up the committee and we had our first meal-planning session yesterday.  It's going to be a fun day volunteering for these families and I will take some pictures to share with you.

If you would like to join me in hosting a movie night or volunteer to serve a meal to the temporary residents of the Seattle Ronald McDonald House, please get in touch with me.  They accept groups of 15.  If you have a group from work, church, or any organization you may contact the RMcDH to inquire.  Visit this link where phone numbers are provided: Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House.

Read about my annual RMcDH toiletries drive.

I love animals - I always have.  I've had cats nearly all my life and in 2003, my husband and I adopted an incredibly gentle and sweet pup.  The cats are still unsure of him, but we love him to pieces!  Whenever there is a news story on TV about animal abuse, I have to change the channel immediately because nothing brings me to tears faster than hearing about cruelty to helpless animals.

Some past clients/friends of mine adopted a puppy two years ago and called him Diesel.  Diesel was a crazy, zany, sweet black dog with loads of energy.  He had a much different home life than our dog, and I feel that's what contributed to his wild nature.  The main points of difference: he was never neutered; he lived outside in a cage and was seldom let inside; if let inside, he could only be on a blanket in one room; he was never microchipped; and he did not wear a dog tag & collar.  What he did have in common with my dog is that he got to come to work most days with the man of the house, and both this dog and my dog are in love with my husband.

We were sad to learn that Diesel had run away last week when his owner accidentally forgot to turn on the electric fence.  The dog weaseled his way out of his cage/kennel area and ran away from home.  This has happened at least one time before but he was found and returned a day or two later.  Our friends were hopeful that he would come back on his own, so they waited and waited six days for him to return.

My husband is also good friends with this couple, and on day six he asked if they had called the local vets, humane society and the pound.  To our dismay, our friends hadn't thought of making those calls yet.  I don't believe they posted any "missing dog" signs and from what I understand, they did not call any businesses to let them know their dog was missing.

Sadly, when the dog's guardian finally did call the pound, it was two hours after Diesel had been euthanized.  The two year old pup had been with animal control for four days and they could not adopt him out because he was too nippy and rambunctious.  His owners are sad and are coping with this in their own way, but my husband and I are crushed.  It's difficult to even type about this because in our world, pets are family members and to us, it feels like our friends have lost a son.

It's going to take some time for my husband and I to get over the shock and sadness of this terrible thing that happened to an innocent animal.  I urge everyone to get their pets microchipped so that you can be identified as the owner.  Keep your address updated with the vet so when you move, you can still be contacted!  License your pet and include a tag with their name and your contact info.  Put those tags on your pet's collar.  If your pet goes missing, waste no time and call the local vets, animal hospitals, humane society, and the local animal control center.  If that's too hard to do, call ME and I will call for you. 

Our dog was stolen from our home and went missing when he was six months old.  I've been through that scare before.  We took immediate action, notifying family and friends and took ads out in the paper, knocked on all the neighbors doors with flyers, and finally found him several miles and a few counties away from home. 

Lastly, and most importantly, cherish and love your pet.  This animal was chosen by you and you agreed to care for him.  You provide for all of its needs and he relies fully on you for love, shelter, food, fresh water and care.  I know we snuggled our pets a little tighter last night, and I encourage you to hug your pets today, too.

If you need information for another local county, just ask.  Here's the information for a few places in King County - just follow the links below:

Seattle Humane Society - this is a great resource with phone numbers and what to do if you lose a pet.  Click "Found Animals" if you have found an animal and don't know what to do.

Learn more about how and why to microchip a pet.

I was out of town without wifi when the May 2010 foreclosure data became available so now that I'm back, here is the information.

According to Realty Trac, the trusted national foreclosure trend reporting company, the May 2010 data shows that Washington State ranks #15 in the list of 50 states with foreclosures, #1 being the state with the most foreclosures.  The data shows there were 4,860 properties in foreclosure in Washington State last month.  This number translates to 1 out of every 574 housing units in foreclosure.  The definition of Housing Units is "stick-built single-family houses, condominiums and townhouses."

Month's End, May 2010:

• King County had 1,502 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 554 housing units is in foreclosure.
• Pierce County had 938 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 342 housing units is in foreclosure.
• Snohomish County had 765 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 366 housing units is in foreclosure.

Our neighbors in Oregon had 3,146 homes in foreclosure which is 1 out of every 517 housing units in foreclosure.  Oregon ranks 25th in the nation for homes in foreclosure.

Here are the top five states in the U.S. with properties in foreclosure, according to the data published this month by RealtyTrac.

1. California still shows the most number of properties in foreclosure in the U.S. with 72,030, which means 1 out of every 185 housing units is in foreclosure.
2. Florida had 50,685 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 173 housing units is in foreclosure. 
3. Michigan had 20,322 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 223 housing units is in foreclosure.   
4. Arizona had 16,097 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 169 housing units is in foreclosure.
5. Illinois had 15,061 properties in foreclosure, which means 1 out of every 350 housing units is in foreclosure.

Would you like to have a list of all the homes that are ABOUT to be foreclosed upon in any given ZIP code?  How about the top 5 hottest foreclosure or bank-owned homes for sale in King County?  Please contact me and I'll be happy to assist you - I'm here to help!

When Kent Station opened in 2006, I was really excited about all the new restaurants, the theater and new shops.  I've often thought, "Where was a cool place like this when I was in high school?  We needed a Kent Station back then!"

I am a self-described foodie and I enjoy trying new foods... as long as there's no seafood or mushrooms involved.  Kent Station soon became one of my husband's and my favorite places to eat.  For a while we settled on Duke's Chowder House because of the buy-one-get-one-free email coupons.  Then, we were on a Burger No. 12 kick at Johnny Rockets.  There was a while when all I wanted was the delicious green tea at Panera Bread Company.  We also enjoyed the Icon Grill's Kent branch: Zephyr Grill & Bar before they closed their Kent location.  We even tried Mama Stortini's, which filled the vacated space.  My husband loves appetizers at The Ram, and we often dine at Chipotle, but our two favorite restaurants vanished overnight!

Do you remember Pizzeria Fondi?  The owner was around my age and this was his first restaurant.  I believe he opened another location in Puyallup and Seattle later one, but Kent was his first.  Until I started making my own pizzas at home, we ate at Fondi all the time.  I even bought a whole pizza and delivered it to a lady at the dry-cleaners - she was from Texas, trying to get her dry-cleaning business off to a good start.  I bought her a Fondi pizza because I told her she just HAD to try this amazing pizza pie.  Everyone we took to Fondi loved the pizza, but our complaint was the atmosphere.  There were no booths - just a cafeteria-style sea of chairs and tables.  The salads were awesome, the pizzas were amazing... I LOVED this place.

Then there was Zao Noodle Bar.  This was another favorite - I became addicted to the King Pao Chicken dish and ordered it every time I went there.  I loved the lettuce cups they used to have, and their pho soups were delicious.  I now make a very tasty pho soup at home, patterned after one of the Zao soups I had when I was sick.  Everyone I took to Zao also loved their dish, and it was always a pleasant experience to dine there.

I was shocked when I received an email from my parents Sunday night, June 13th.  Dad was trying to take Mom out to Fondi or Zao when they noticed the windows were all papered over and they were GONE!  Closed!  Sayanora!  Buh-bye!

Who knows when they closed - perhaps June 1st? - but I am very sad that these two favorites are gone.  I checked their respective web sites and they both have one store left in Washington, in Seattle.  Kent Station has already updated their information directories and website to show no signs of these two places.

RIP Zao Noodle Bar and Pizzeria Fondi.  You will be missed.

In other news, the old Safeway on 240th & Benson that became a dollar store is now going out of business.  Can you believe it: a dollar store is going out of business?  Here are some photos I took on June 16th, 2010 of these closed Kent landmarks:

Shopping around for a home loan or mortgage will help you to get the best financing deal. A mortgage — whether it’s a home purchase, a refinancing, or a home equity loan — is a product, just like a car, so the price and terms may be negotiable. You’ll want to compare all the costs involved in obtaining a mortgage. Shopping, comparing, and negotiating may save you thousands of dollars.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers a free brochure to help guide you through this process. Download a free copy today, and please contact me for a list of preferred mortgage professionals in our area.

Additional Links:

Check today's loan rate and compare with the last few months.

Eight questions to ask when interviewing lenders.

We interrupt Stephanie Dawson's regularly scheduled real estate blog to bring you this local news:

According to an amusing email I received yesterday, our very own Kent Station will be the casting call venue for starlets who want to participate in the next season of ABC's "The Bachelor."  So, if you're 21+ and a single female who would like to interview for the show - or if you want to cheer on the girls, head down to Kent Station this Sunday between 12:00 noon and 4:00 pm.

If you're a Back Street Boys fan, you'll definitely want to stop by on Sunday during those hours because ShoWare Center and Kent Station will be giving away tickets to the upcoming Back Street Boys show on August 4th at ShoWare.  The best part is, the winner gets a private suite to view the show in comfort.

For more information, including a link to the application and eligibility requirements, please click here: KOMO 4.

We now return you to Stephanie's regular real estate blog, thank you.

Now that the housing tax credits have expired for everyone but those in the military, we have seen May’s numbers taper off a little and adjust naturally.  Some good news for sellers: median and average home sales prices have increased over April 2010 across the entire NWMLS - especially for King and Pierce counties.  Snohomish County's May median and average price hovered around similar numbers from April.  See the very bottom of this for the final May numbers.

In the month of May 2010, the NWMLS reported 5,242 pending sales.  Compared with May 2009’s pending sales, it’s a 27 percent drop, but our year-to-date figured show that sales are well ahead of 2009 overall.  Looking at the first five months of 2010, the NWMLS (made up of 21 Washington State counties) has seen 35,398 pending sales which is 6,707 more transactions (or 23 percent greater) than the first five months of 2009.  This is an indicator that things are moving in a healthy direction.

“Leading up to its expiration, the tax credit caused a surge of home sales, but a surge can only be sustained for so long,” said Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate. “What we’re seeing now is a natural adjustment,” he added. “As consumer confidence continues to improve in the coming months, we expect to see the buyer pool replenish itself which should be followed by an increase in home sales.”  

There were fewer new listings in May, but there are still plenty of homes to choose from.  In May there were 9,385 new listings added to our existing inventory.  This number is made up of 8,122 single family homes and 1,263 condominiums.

At the end of the month, the final count was 41,690 active listings in the NWMLS.  This is slightly more than what we had May 2009: 41,318 active listings.

A quote from the NWMLS news release sums up home sales very nicely:

“Prices for home sales that closed last month declined about 3.6 percent compared to a year ago, but increased 3.4 percent from April.  The area-wide median price was $269,950, down from twelve months ago when the median price was $280,000.  Despite the overall dip in prices, ten of the 21 counties served by Northwest MLS had year-over-year price gains.  The volume of closed sales rose 27.3 percent from a year ago, rising from 4,154 completed transactions to 5,290 closings.”

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King County: 3,480 new listings; 13,345 active listings; 2,169 pending sales; 2,233 closed sales; average price of closed sales: $422,978; median price of closed sales: $346,000.

Pierce County: 1,443 new listings; 6,196 active listings; 859 pending sales; 741 closed sales; average price of closed sales: $246,146 median ­price of closed sales: $221,000.

Snohomish County: 1,381 new listings; 5,621 active listings 790 pending sales; 852 closed sales; average price of closed sales: $295,862; median price of closed sales: $272,000.

NWMLS: 9,385 new listings; 41,690 active listings; 5,242 pending sales; 5,290 closed sales; average price of closed sales: $328,575; median price of closed sales: $269,950.

Compare these numbers with last month's report.

Today I heard something on the radio that caught my attention: King County may be sending us additional property tax bills - even though we've already made our payment.  It is unknown if this is much ado about nothing, but we are told that the King County Assessor is studying thousands of properties to determine if they have been undervalued.  If he finds that they have been undervalued, properties owners could  be billed for underpayment.  It sounds like he has the legal right to go back as far as three years to look under rocks to try and uncover more revenue for the County.

According to today's Seattle Times article, the King County Assessor's office will be examining data for three property categories [excerpt below]:

• properties on which assessed values didn't change from one year to the next amid a volatile housing market;

• properties valued below the price for which they sold; and

• "personal property" such as art collections on which corporations and wealthy individuals may have failed to pay tax.

It wouldn't just be the County that would benefit from the collection of additional property taxes, which reports receiving only 17 cents for every property tax dollar paid.  It is presumed that taxes would be shared with cities, schools, and others. 

I hope he will consult an attorney and will be advised to drop this.  I think we've been hit hard enough with job losses and the economy.  Things are starting to recover and are looking brighter.  We have new taxes that went into effect yesterday - please do not force us to cough up more cash.

You can read the full Seattle Times article here if you would like more information.

Usually I publish this type of blog post mid-month, but there was a problem with the email my title & escrow company sent and I didn't receive this until today.  I figured since it's technically May 32nd, this is still relevant... right?  ;)

Here is a look back on the mortgage interest rate history spanning the last thirty years, with a focus on the month of May.  Interest rates are still favorable, and there is a very good selection of low-priced homes.  Please contact me if you'd like me to connect you with a lender you can trust.

If the image is too small, simply click the image below or one of the links below in order to see a larger chart.

Do they give out awards for the longest blog post title?  No?  Oh, well. 

So, what does Washington have in common with California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon?  As of June 10, 2010, it will be a primary offense to hold a cell phone up to your ear, read from it, type on it, or send text messages.  That means no checking in on Foursquare while driving, no web-browsing for that address you forgot to enter in your GPS, and no quick "I'm running late" text messages may be sent from the car.  Dialing on a phone is OK, but that's all that it can be used for.

If you use a cell phone without a hands-free device, such as Bluetooth through your car, a headset or earpiece, or are typing or reading from a phone while driving, you can be pulled over and be subject to a $124 ticket.  The ticket will not go on your driving record, and there's no word if using the speaker phone function is acceptable.

This new law also makes it against the law for a driver with a learner's permit to use a call phone for any reason.  Also, drivers under age 18 with an intermediate license fall under the same law: no cell phone use is allowed what-so-ever while driving.

Will this prevent car accidents?  No.  The Highway Loss Data Institute has shown that this type of law does not result in the reduction of car accidents, but we do know that distracted drivers are more likely to be involved in a car crash.

So, buckle up, don't touch your phone while driving, always give the courtesy wave, and be good to others.  Be safe, and save money by not getting traffic tickets.

I'm ending this blog post now so that I can go record a new greeting for my cell phone: "I'm sorry I can't take your call right now because I'm with a client, in a meeting, or DRIVING...."

Additional resources:

Seattle Times Article

King 5 News Article