28634 NE 63rd Way Carnation, WA 98014 – $535,000

Pristine two story on private lot in sought after Daniel’s Ranch in Ames Lake. The wonderful floor plan features 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 3,160 s.f. with den & bonus room. Wainscoting, crown molding, chair rail and six panel doors make for an elegant feel. Large formal living room with soaring ceiling & gas fireplace wrapped in travertine tile. Formal dining room with hardwood floors, butlers pantry, wine refrigerator all overlooking the rear yard. Private den with glass French doors, hardwood floors and peaceful garden views. Updated kitchen with island, granite countertops, stainless appliances, rich hardwood floors,  walk-in pantry and desk too! Light-filled nook with window wall and slider to deck & yard. Spacious family room with cozy gas fireplace wrapped in river rock, built-in cherry entertainment center including a 73 inch HDTV and ample bookcases. Nicely appointed powder room wrapped in bead board. Large master bedroom with scenic views of the rear yard. The master bath has a double vanity, soaking tub, separate shower and walk-in closet. Three additional bedrooms are quite spacious. The second staircase leads to the large bonus room with dormered ceilings and two storage closets. Oversized laundry room with sink and extra storage cabinets. The mostly level 33,600 s.f. lot is like your own private park – deck for entertaining, large lawn for play and ample room for gardening. Three car attached garage. Central heating and air conditioning.  Daniel’s Ranch includes a 40 acre nature preserve and walking trails for your enjoyment. Riverview Schools – Carnation Elementary, Tolt Middle School and Cedarcrest High.

Tony Meier
Making Real Estate Easy, Fun & Profitable!
Serving Buyers, Sellers & Their Referrals Since 1989
Windermere Real Estate/NE
EastsideHomes.com – Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource

17401 NE 138th St, Redmond – Listed for $449,000

Remodeled home in Sunrise on English Hill. The light filled floorplan features 2520 s.f., 4 bedrooms, 2.75 baths, plus a den on a sunny 9,485 s.f corner lot with southern exposure in the back yard! Many recent updates throughout the home include – remodeled kitchen & baths including new maple cabinets & slab granite counters, vinyl windows, carpet, paint, white millwork & six panel doors! Formal living room with vaulted ceiling, fireplace & slider to the sunny deck. Formal dining room with garden views! Big kitchen with vaulted ceiling, hardwood floors, ample maple cabinets, granite counters & stainless appliances – attached breakfast nook & pantry too! The oversized family room has a fireplace and a slider to the stamped concrete patio. Adjacent to the family room is a large, private den with double closets (could be great for guests) and a remodeled full bath. The spacious master suite overlooks the rear yard and has a remodeled 3/4 bath. Three additional bedrooms upstairs are very spacious. The full bath in the hall has also been updated! Laundry room with extra storage – washer & dryer included! The entertainment sized, ironwood deck overlooks the private, south facing rear yard. There is a lawn for play, garden beds and a clearing ready for a child’s play structure. There’s a large storage shed too! Attached two car garage. The English Hill HOA has several acres of open space, walking trails & basketball court for your enjoyment. Outstanding Northshore schools – Sunrise Elementary, Timbercrest Jr High & Woodinville High.

Tony Meier
Making Real Estate Easy, Fun & Profitable!
Serving Buyers, Sellers & Their Referrals Since 1989
Windermere Real Estate/NE
EastsideHomes.com – Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource

Full text of the Washington State Supreme Court Decision on Jan 5th 2012 can be found here:

Education in the New: Washington Supreme Court Decision

In a clear win for children, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that the state was violating its constitutional paramount duty to amply fund K-12 education. This is a historic victory, and starting today we have a new conversation. No longer are we going to petition over loss of school days or access to all-day kindergarten. Starting today, the cuts stop and funding starts. Starting today, our top priority – a basic education that prepares all kids for college and career — is also the state’s top priority.

Starting today the legislature’s job just got a lot harder.

The high court’s decision validates all of the work Washington State PTA members put into the passage of ESHB 2261 in 2009 and SHB 2776 in 2010, and with our work this past year to protect all-day kindergarten, highly capable funding and an intact school year.

This decision sets the stage for the next step – finding a stable, adequate source of revenue to meet the needs of schoolchildren. THE RULING

Not only did the high court point out that ample funding is “considerably more than just adequate,” the court ruled the state was consistently giving districts less money than actual costs. It identified ESHB 2261 as a “promising” reform package that if fully funded would remedy deficiencies in the K-12 funding system.

It reiterated, “Ample funding for basic education must be accomplished by means of regular and dependable tax sources.”

Finally, the court said it would stay engaged to help facilitate progress in the state’s plan to fully fund basic education by 2018. THE PLAN

ESHB 2261 defines a basic education as “the opportunity for students to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet graduation requirements, intended to allow them the opportunity to graduate with a meaningful high school diploma that prepares them for postsecondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship.” It requires the state to fund:

• 180 full days, grades 1-12
• 180 half days for kindergartners, to be increased to 180 full days
• 1,000 instructional hours in grades 1-12, to be increased to 1,080 hours in grades 7-12
• 450 instructional hours in kindergarten, to be increased to 1,000 hours
• Opportunity for students to complete 24 credits for high school graduation
• Enhanced funding for Learning Assistance Program, Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program, Highly Capable Program and special education for students with disabilities
• 17 to 1 class size ratio in grades K-3

SO, STARTING TODAY, NO MORE DELAYS.

We have children to educate and we have a new definition of basic education to roll out. Washington State PTA is part of Network for Excellence for Washington School (NEWS) and was party to this lawsuit. You can learn more about NEWS and its 382 member groups at http://www.waschoolexcellence.org/

]]> http://www.eastsidehomes.com/Blog/2012/01/14/required-washington-state-school-funding-a-victory-for-our-children/feed/ 0 http://www.eastsidehomes.com/Blog/2012/01/10/redmond-home-for-sale-updated-tri-level-home-on-a-quiet-cul-de-sac-in-amberley-on-english-hill/ http://www.eastsidehomes.com/Blog/2012/01/10/redmond-home-for-sale-updated-tri-level-home-on-a-quiet-cul-de-sac-in-amberley-on-english-hill/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:19:31 +0000 Tony Meier http://www.eastsidehomes.com/Blog/?p=1171 Continue reading →]]>

13723 175th Ct NE, Redmond WA 98052 – $419,950

Fantastic tri-level home in Amberley on English Hill. The light filled floorplan features 2165 s.f.*, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, plus a den on a quiet 8,607 s.f cul-de-sac lot with southern exposure in the back yard! Many recent updates throughout the home including white millwork & six panel doors! Formal living room with vaulted ceiling, gas fireplace & big windows overlooking the front yard. Formal dining room with vaulted ceiling and a slider to the upper deck – perfect for BBQing or entertaining! Big kitchen with granite counters, stainless & black appliances, gas range, an attached breakfast nook & pantry too. The cozy family room has a gas fireplace and a slider to the lower deck. Adjacent to the family room is a large & private den with vaulted ceiling. The spacious master suite has an attached 3/4 bath and a walk-in-closet too. Two additional bedrooms upstairs are very spacious. The full bath in the hall has been nicely updated. The private 4th bedroom on the lower level has an adjacent 3/4 bath – which works well for guests! The entertainment sized, two tiered deck overlooks the private, south facing rear yard. There is a lawn for play and planting bed to satisfy any gardener. The home includes a hot tub and a large storage shed too! Attached two car garage. The English Hill HOA has several acres of open space, walking trails & basketball court for your enjoyment. Outstanding Northshore schools – Sunrise Elementary, Timbercrest Jr High & Woodinville High.

Tony Meier
Making Real Estate Easy, Fun & Profitable!
Serving Buyers, Sellers & Their Referrals Since 1989
Windermere Real Estate/NE
EastsideHomes.com – Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource

Last month’s total number of mutually accepted offers was 22.4 percent higher
than the same month a year ago. It also marked the first month since December
2006 that the number of pending sales surpassed the number of new listings
(6,043), prompting discussions of possible inventory shortages.

“As we head toward the end of the year, it’s certainly good to see a healthy
number of buyers relative to the available inventory for sale,” said Mike Grady,
president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Bain. “In fact,” he
noted, “there are some desirable neighborhoods in urban core areas where the
case could be made there are too few homes currently
for sale.”

At month end, there were 30,650 residential listings in the MLS inventory
across 21 counties, down nearly 17 percent from a year ago. For the listing
service map areas covering Seattle, the database shows a year-over-year drop of
about 32 percent.

“Entering the New Year, the Seattle metro area will start off with a shortage
of inventory in both the more affordable and mid-priced ranges,” suggested J.
Lennox Scott, CEO and chairman of John L. Scott Real Estate. He noted a high
percentage of sellers are receiving offers within the first month or two of
listing their homes.

Despite the smaller selection, the listings in the MLS database covering all
counties span a wide price range: 400 homes are priced at $50,000 or less and 65
residences are listed at $5 million-plus.

For homes and condominiums that sold last month, the median selling price was
$225,000, down 10 percent from the year-ago median price of $250,000. Single
family home prices were off 8 percent from a year ago ($234,612 versus
$255,000), while condo prices slipped more than 17 percent ($169,000 versus
$204,500).

Brokers point to distressed properties, which tend to be deeply discounted,
as a primary cause of lower prices.

Bank-owned homes continue to put
downward pressure on pricing, reported Northwest MLS director Matt Deasy,
general manager of Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc.

For the four-county Puget Sound region, a check of the Northwest MLS database
shows more than one-fourth (26.8 percent) of the single-family homes that sold
last month were classified as distressed, up from the year-ago figure of 21.9
percent.

For the MLS market overall (21 counties), the number of closed sales jumped
36.2 percent, rising from 3,583 completed transactions during November 2010 to
last month’s total of 4,879.

“Home prices continue to get dragged down by foreclosures and short sales,
which is disappointing given how strong home sales are,” said OB Jacobi,
president of Windermere Real Estate. “We probably won’t see drastic changes in
prices until the banks work through the distressed inventory,” he noted, adding,
“but we expect the pace of this process to pick up over the next several months,
so hopefully by this time next year we’ll be singing a different tune.”

Kitsap County was one of the few areas to register a price gain. The median
sales price edged up slightly more than 1 percent, from $230,000 to $232,500.
“One month does not make a trend,” acknowledged MLS director Frank Wilson, while
noting the change in direction to a positive number is encouraging.

Wilson, the branch managing broker at John L. Scott’s Poulsbo office, expects
Kitsap County will benefit from last week’s surprise announcement of a contract
extension between Boeing and the Machinists Union, since Kitsap often feels an
echo effect of what happens on “the other side.” If ratified, he said the
contract “will definitely help our area (particularly the northern part) in the
long run as buyers will continue to see a significant price difference between
Seattle-side real estate and what they can buy in Kitsap.” (According to
Northwest MLS data, the median asking price on current listings of single family
homes in Kitsap County is $289,000, while in King County it is $370,000, about
28 percent more.)

The “fantastic, recent news coming out of Boeing is going to secure thousands
of jobs in the area,” said J. Lennox Scott. With that news, combined with
momentum from other major area employers, “we are seeing solid, renewed demand
for local housing,” he remarked. Job growth, historic low interest rates and an
elevated number of residential investors taking advantage of favorable market
conditions are contributing to “a healthy level of sales activity, one of the
best in the nation.”

One of the sub-markets with vigorous activity is North Seattle, reported Mike
Grady. The number of homes currently in escrow nearly matches the number still
available for sale, a condition not seen since the boom years of 2005 and 2006,
according to his analysis. He is also encouraged by the small ratio of
distressed properties. Grady said fewer than 6 percent of North Seattle
properties waiting to close escrow are ‘short sale’ transactions, which he said
is “a positive trend our brokers will be keeping a close eye on in the weeks and
months ahead.”

Northwest MLS director Wilson cautioned some of the statistics for November
and December should be viewed “with a grain a salt.” Buyers and sellers tend to
think more about family time and the holidays, and sellers may choose to
postpone listing their home until the New Year, or take them off the market
during the holiday season, he explained.

Although some sellers, buyers and brokers “check out” during the holidays,
Wilson said there is an interesting dynamic that takes place. Houses that are on
the market are being looked at by more motivated buyers, buyers who are very
focused, he noted. “This is an interesting dynamic that happens every year,” he
added.

Wilson’s observation is bolstered by findings from a Realtor.com survey,
which found the vast majority of respondents, 79 percent, said more serious
buyers were one of the biggest benefits of listing during the holidays. Less
competition was an advantage cited by 61 percent of the survey respondents. The
majority of respondents, 74 percent, said pricing a home to sell is even more
important during the holidays, while an even higher number, 80 percent, said
online listing photos were particularly crucial since buyers visit fewer open
houses and sellers are less inclined to schedule them during the busy holiday
season.

Northwest Multiple Listing Service, owned by its member real estate firms, is
the largest full-service MLS in the Northwest. Its membership includes more than
22,000 real estate brokers. The organization, based in Kirkland, Wash.,
currently serves 21 counties in Washington state.

Statistical Summary by Counties: Market Activity Summary – November
2011

4-County Puget Sound Region Pending Sales (SFH + Condo
combined)
(Totals include King, Snohomish, Pierce & Kitsap
counties)

• Don’t go overboard with the holiday decorations. They can make your home look cluttered and take attention away from it.
• Large Christmas trees can make a room look smaller. As can a ton of presents under the tree and too much garland everywhere.
• Make sure you vacuum regularly if you have a fresh tree with fallen needles.
• Keep card clutter to a minimum. Large quantities of holiday cards propped up on tables and refrigerators can be very distracting.
• Keep refrigerators neat and tidy (we all get lots of food gifts during the holidays)… buyers will look inside.
• Be careful with outside decorations. Large santas and reindeer can take away from the beauty of the yard or the front of your home. Same with excessive amounts of holiday lights.
• Rake the lawn regularly to clean up the large amounts of fallen leaves. Pick up any fallen branches and debris from yard and walkways.
• Keep up on lawn care. It’s hard to mow and weed during cold wet months, but a well manicured lawn is a great selling point.
• Take a good look at the front of your house after all the leaves have fallen. You might find you have some touch-up work that was covered by the trees before.
• Knock down any large icicles forming over doorways and walkways.
• Make sure your walkway is snow and ice free. If it’s still slippery, pour salt on your walkway to help buyers safely to your door.
• Remember it gets dark sooner, so be sure to keep lots of lights on inside and out. Make sure all outdoor lights are working properly.
• Make sure your back yard is easily lit at night. Buyers want to be able to see the entire property.
• Keep a towel or extra doormat inside your front door for guests to fully dry their shoes before exploring your home. Or have a sign that requests that they take them off.
• If you have a programmable thermostat, remember to change it if you will have showings during the day while it would normally be set very low. You don’t want buyers thinking the house is an ice box.
• With flu seasons around, place a bottle of hand sanitizer by the front door for guests to use on the way in and as they leave.
• Add holiday scents with mulled cider on the stovetop or by using fresh cinnamon sticks and evergreen as decorations. (Make sure you shake out the evergreen ahead of time to get out any bugs that have made it their home)
• Create a warm and cozy environment by lighting a fire, using candles and having fresh baked cookies and hot cocoa ready for buyers.
• Keep in mind that hosting during the holidays can take a lot of prep and clean up time. It might be a good idea to pass it to someone else this year or request extra help to get your place back to showing condition.
• Remember, buyers look in all rooms so if you have people staying with you over the holidays, make sure they are keeping their room tidy and keep the suitcases in the closet if possible.

Tony Meier
Making Real Estate Easy, Fun & Profitable!
Serving Buyers, Sellers & Their Referrals Since 1989
Windermere Real Estate/NE
EastsideHomes.com – Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource

Fiserv, a financial information services firm, predicts that 95 percent of the 384 metro areas it tracks will see prices rise in 2012.

Many surveys and economists are forecasting a very modest increase for the housing market in the new year, but after several years of dropping prices and rising foreclosures, even the slightest increase would signal a glimmer of hope for the market. In a survey by MacroMarkets of 100 economists and real estate professionals, respondents reported home values will likely rise slightly at 0.25 percent in the new year.

The real estate market still faces a large backlog of foreclosures that it must work through in many markets. As such, price gains through 2015 will likely just be around 1.1 percent, according to the survey. However, this is a reversal after a forecast of 2.8 percent decline in median home values for this year.

Foreclosures continue to weigh on many markets and are preventing home values from stabilizing, economists say.

“The water is very deep in the living room, but it’s no longer getting deeper and is starting to recede,” says Mark Fleming, CoreLogic’s chief economist.

Low interest rates on mortgages mixed with more affordable housing for families in the median income range are expected help the market in its rebound in 2012, economists say.

Source: “A Smaller House Will Make a Big Difference,” Money Magazine (Nov. 14, 2011)

“Thanks to declining prices and record-low interest rates, houses in King County are more affordable now than they’ve been in at least 17 years, a new score card says.”

For their complete story, click here.

Tony Meier
Making Real Estate Easy, Fun & Profitable!
Serving Buyers, Sellers & Their Referrals Since 1989
Windermere Real Estate/NE
EastsideHomes.com – Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource

California continues to have the most cities seeing some of the largest drops in median list prices the past year. Of the cities that have seen the largest drops in list prices year-over-year from September 2011, California cities make up half of those in the top 10. Yet, California cities haven’t faced the largest drops in for-sale prices the last year — that belongs to Chicago.

The following are the 10 cities where median list prices have dropped the most, based on year-over-year Realtor.com data from September 2011.

1. Chicago

Year-over-year change in median list price: -11.56 percent

Median list price: $199,000

2. Las Vegas

Year-over-year change in median list price: -11.05 percent

Median list price: $120,000

3. Detroit

Year-over-year change in median list price: -10.01 percent

Median list price: $89,900

4. Ventura, Calif.

Year-over-year change in median list price: -9.09 percent

Median list price: $409,000

5. Atlanta

Year-over-year change in median list price: -8.63 percent

Median list price: $159,900

6. San Francisco

Year-over-year change in median list price: -8.63 percent

Median list price: $635,000

7. Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc, Calif.

Year-over-year change in median list price: -8.35 percent

Median list price: $549,000

8. Sacramento, Calif.

Year-over-year change in median list price: -8.30 percent

Median list price: $210,000

9. Los Angeles-Long Beach, Calif.

Year-over-year change in median list price: -6.94 percent

Median list price: $335,000

10. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.

Year-over-year change in median list price: -6.67 percent

Median list price: $140,000

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News

Tony Meier
Making Real Estate Easy, Fun & Profitable!
Serving Buyers, Sellers & Their Referrals Since 1989
Windermere Real Estate/NE
EastsideHomes.com – Seattle’s Eastside Real Estate Resource