Real Estate Market Report, Sammamish WA 02/19/13   This is a Real Estate Market Report for Sammamish Washington, for Residential homes including town homes and single family homes.   Currently there are 87 Active homes on the market in Sammamish, zip codes 98074 & 98075    The average list price is $1,067,927 with a low price of $298,000 and a high of $4,897,000.    The Median price is $752,450.    The average days on the market for all active inventory is 138, with a low of 0 and a high of 1416, without short sales the average DOM are 125 with a range of 0-1128.     For homes priced under $1,000,000 there are currently 59 active listings.                      Average price of $669,684 with a median price of $699,500                    Average days on the market 148, with a low of 0 and... 02/20/2013

Silent Sunday, Where is Your Focus? Silent Sunday, Where is your focus?  In looking at this picture, I see opportunities to focus on different elements; the dark foreboding clouds, the bright sun breaking though, the silver lining, the blue sky, the surf crashing at my feet.  Which element caught your attention first and why do you think it did?  02/16/2013

Sammamish WA, America’s Friendliest Hometown According to Forbes   Sammamish WA, America’s friendliest hometown according to Forbes magazine.  Originally published on December 19th, 2012 MSN recently republished the list of Americas Friendliest Towns.  In 2011 CNNMoney ranked Sammamish as the 15th Best Place to live and we were highly ranked in 2009 too.   I’ve been a Sammamish resident since 1988, when my address was actually Redmond and we were in unincorporated King County.  In the years since, Sammamish has undergone many changes including incorporation into our own city with lots of growth and development.    One thing I can attest to is that in my time here, we have found the community to be welcoming and inclusive.  Through the years our demographics have become more affluent and... 02/15/2013

Happy Valentine’s Day, The Story of 2 Engagements   Happy Valentine’s Day, the story of two engagements.  Meeting in Southern Germany in the fall of 1981 on the shores of Lake Constance (Bodensee) I suspect I didn’t have a chance.  This beautiful, bright, fun and caring girl caught my heart and I fooled her long enough to marry me.    Today is not only Valentine’s Day, but 30 years ago today I ordered roses be delivered to her home, 3000 miles away from mine.  My proposal came separately via something that was called a “Mail Gram.”    When the flowers arrived, they were not roses, but Carnations.  I didn’t find this out for quite a while.  When she received the Mail Gram she thought it was from a University she had applied to, so she opened it and read it out loud to her family.  She wa... 02/14/2013

 Home Selling Key 4, Priced Appropriately  This is the final part of a series called Keys to Selling your Home Quickly and for Top Dollar.  The 4 keys are, you must be the Best Looking,        Best Marketed,      Easiest to See  and   Priced Appropriately                     Pricing strategies should be discussed to best match the seller’s total goals.  I always want to have a good discussion with my sellers to ensure I fully understand all of their goals, including timing when recommending a specific strategy.  There are 3 main factors that need to be considered when pricing a home for the market to obtain top dollar in the least amount of time.1.       Most Recent Sold Comparables.  A true comparable is a home of similar size, age, location and condition to the Seller’s home.  Apprais... 02/13/2013

Anatomy of a Short Sale, The Guts   By now most people know that a short sale takes place when a seller owes more than their house is worth and requests the lender(s) release title for a reduced amount.    To be a successful short sale buyer or seller it can take guts, and knowing the guts of the transaction can help.  I began to think about all the moving parts involved to be successful in buying or selling a short sale and decided to break it all down.   ·         Seller: May not really want to sell, but must due to finances or relocation demands.   ·         Listing agent: May or may not fully grasp all the intricacies of marketing a short sale and advising sellers regarding process, outcome, time frames and long term consequences.   ·         Attorney: Recommended to advise sellers ... 02/07/2013

Preparing for Staging, The Three D’s   I’m not a professional stager, but I’m married to one.  I’ve watched her work wonders in homes using both the owners’ furnishings and bringing in a few other pieces.  Staging, when done by a professional will maximize a home’s desirability and if all other aspects of marketing are done well, reduce the time on the market and increase the owner’s bottom line.   There is much more to staging than what I’m going to present, but if you start with these suggestions, your time with a stager will be better spent.    The three D’s of staging are;   Declutter, Depersonalize and Disassociate.        Declutter nearly speaks for itself.  It’s time to put away all the loose papers, knick knacks, extra furnishings and distractions.  Your home is now a piece of m... 02/05/2013

Home Selling Key 1, Best Looking   In a previous post I wrote, 4 Keys to Selling your Home Quickly and for Top Dollar, I mentioned that the first key is being the Best Looking Home in your price category.  You don’t have to compete with million dollar listings, unless yours is a million dollar home, but you do need to compete with the homes priced similarly.    I provide my clients with comparables when we are preparing for the market, but not just recent sold homes; I look at our direct competition as well as the homes that are currently under contract.  Although we don’t know the final price, Pending Sales will tell us a lot about what we need to do to get a buyer.  Upon reviewing the comparables, both on line and in person when possible, we can begin to address anything we need to do... 02/04/2013

4 Keys to Selling your Home Quickly and for Top Dollar.  In my experience there are four keys to selling a home in the least amount of time for the top possible price.  By hitting each key point and nailing it, you will have a great outcome.  These keys are all in relation to your competition currently active on the market.  Your home must be the Best Looking, Best Marketed, Easiest to See, Priced Appropriately.                                             1.       Best Looking.  Start with the view from the road.  Is your sidewalk and driveway neat and clean?  Is your roof covered with moss, leaves or debris?  Does your home need paint?  Are there toys, bikes, tools or a car in the front yard?  The general message here is clean it up.  The time and money you spend here can come back man... 02/01/2013

My Best Real Estate Advice, Buying and Selling Homes   What is my Best Real Estate Advice, Buying and Selling Homes?  I’ve answered hundreds of questions on Real Estate forums and written many blog posts (over 4500 answers on one site alone).  I like helping people and sharing some of my knowledge and experience.  I’ve received some attention for my advice, Best Answer Awards, Thumbs Up, complements from my colleagues both in their answers and from referrals.  My greatest rewards have come from people reading my blogs and answers and seeking me out to represent them.    In answering all these questions, I’ve been asked if I’m giving away all my secrets.  The good news is no, I keep my best material for my clients.  If I were to give away my best advice, my negotiation tactics and techni... 01/25/2013

In an attempt to answer the question, "Where are new construction home prices headed in Sammamish?" I ran two reports the first is Median Sale Price for "Presale" homes in Sammamish over the last year. As you can see home prices fell from December to March before rebounding in June. The sample size that this report pulled was only 30 homes, possibly too few for a meaningful reflection of the market conditions, however if we take a look at the national picture... You can see that New Construction Home Inventory is pretty low historically. This would lead new home builders to see plenty of room for modest gains over the next few years in sales prices as supply isn't meeting demand. So the short answer is that in the next few months you may find some great opportunities, but in the long ru... 12/17/2012

Trossachs is a fantastic neighborhood and a great place to buy a home.  Follow this link if you are looking for a home for sale in Trossachs   Trossachs is located on the eastern side of the Sammamish Plateau in the city limits of Sammamish, WA. Just off Duthie Hill Road and Highway 202. Trossachs is positioned for quick access to Redmond(aka Microsoft town.) This development goes back to the late 1990's and has homes built by John Buchcan, CamWest, Murry Franklyn and more. Here is a complete list of homes available for sale in Trossachs Key facts about the neighborhood: Number of Homes 313 45 homes sold in 2012 69 homes sold in 2011 Schools: Cascade Ridge Elementary School, Beaver Lake Middle School & Skyline Highschool 83% of homeowners have lived there between 0-5 Years Average Sales... 11/12/2012

Sammamish - North (98074) Sammamish is an Eastside suburb of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. It was incorporated in 1999. The population was 45,780 at the 2010 census. CNN Money magazine, in its 2011 review of the best places to live in the United States, ranked Sammamish 15th.[3] The median income for a household in 2009 was $129,583, and the median income for a family was $136,689 (these figures rose from $122,750 and $129,335 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[9]). The per capita income for the city was $49,994. About 1.7% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over. Sammamish ranks 12th of 522 areas in the state of Washington to be ranked on per capita income.  - Wikipedi... 10/15/2012

New Construction Here is a complete list of new homes being constructed/built in Sammamish. This is the latest list as of today's date. I hope to add more to this list. Buying a new home is a bit different than a resale. Quality from builder to builder varies and what comes with the listed price does as well. Polygon Homes Northwest Conner Homes The Burnsteads Crossmark Properties Lozier Group Murray Franklyn William Buchan Above is the list of builders currently 10/08/2012 building new homes in Sammamish. Below is a list of Eastside Builders that have been known to build in the Sammamish Area. John F. Buchan Cam West Bennett Homes American Classic Homes Let us know if you hear of more builders starting in Sammamish! Search for New Construction in Sammamish. 10/08/2012

Below are the weekly housing market statistics in review for the major Eastside cities. The reports are broken down by city, if you would like a more detailed report sign up for a Market Snapshot. Weekly Housing Market Update Bellevue Weekly Housing Market Update Kirkland Weekly Housing Market Update Issaquah Weekly Housing Market Update Redmond Weekly Housing Market Update Sammamish The national housing picture is also showing signs of recovery as median home prices are up 7.3% and rose in 110 out of 147 MSA's 09/14/2012

20729 NE 38th ST, Sammamish, WA Rental Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 2 full, 1 half Living Area Approx: 2400 List Price: $Get Current Price Schedule a Showing Bellevue Homes for Sale Seattle Homes for Sale Kirkland Homes for Sale Issaquah Homes for Sale What is your home worth? Free List of Foreclosed Homes For Sale See Property Details Call 425-443-5668 for more information on this or any other property. Visit Property Website Are you looking for the Best Schools? This is a must see! Enjoy the best of graceful suburban living in this exceptional 3 bedrooms Cape Cod in lovely Timberline Community. Meticulously maintained home is nestled in a cul de sac backing to greenbelt with 1/3 acre of lush landscaping. The home features a gorgeous remodeled kitchen with maple cabinetry, rich slab granite... 08/12/2012

Happiness moves into a houseHappiness moves into a houseI was there early. Lights were on, door was open.I heard laughter and bantering even as they were getting out of the car. House was under contract, and they wanted to show her parents the house. There were lots of excited comments as they surveyed the front of the house.Finally they approached the front steps and I opened the front door.The mom was effusive. "I love it, I love it, I love it!"“It is obvious that SHE (pointing to the mom) is YOUR mom (pointing to the daughter)” Everybody laughed!We wanted to light the fireplace. "we forgot to bring matches again" was said with dismay."I have a lighter," the mom said."A secret smoker," I retorted immediately. Everybody laughed.Brian lit the fireplace with the lighter. There was a (sem... 08/06/2012

Waterfront Beaver Lake Sammamish Home for SaleOverlooking its own 56-foot private beach in a quiet cove on Beaver Lake, this waterfront AIA award-winning-architect-designed 3-story glass Sammamish home for sale puts idyllic lake living in your reach. Estate-sized shy acre treed-property offers amazing privacy, plus a lucrative opportunity with the possibility of dividing it into three total parcels. Compact 1,290 square foot genius design is contemporary, fresh, open with 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Dressed in windows from floor-to-ceiling for stunning lake views from all three levels. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout feel wonderful underfoot. Taking advantage of uplake views, the main level hosts the great room and dining area that step out onto a spacious and open entertainment deck... 07/05/2012

3 Bedroom Sammamish Home for SaleThree peaked roofs are profiled in crisp white trim while a lovely bay window watches your garden in bloom. Street side, a weeping ornamental tree graces the wide drive to the two-car garage. Offering all the charm of a Nantucket coastal home, this 3 bedroom/2.25 bath Sammamish home for sale feels new all around with amazing updates throughout. New gorgeous wood floors and plush carpeting pampers your naked feet. Updated 6-panel doors and gleaming molding add an upscale vibe.  Kitchen sparkles with gorgeous granite counters, stainless steel appliances shining bright and a walk-in chef’s pantry.  It doesn't get any better than this Sammamish home for sale. Delightful breakfast nook overlooks the family room and steps out to a WOW entertainment deck (with ... 05/30/2012

Time to sell in Sammamish or on the Eastside?  It could be.  Existing home inventories are very low with well priced, well presented homes selling in days now instead of months.  Rates remain at all time lows which allow a buyer to raise their affordable price range.  On top of this, we just got news that local employers Microsoft and Amazon are hiring!    King 5 reports that Microsoft will be adding 1500 new jobs in our area and Amazon will be adding another 1000.    With this influx of buyers your home may be worth more than it has been for some time, while your next home may still be within reach.   Getting the most for your Sammamish or Eastside home takes the right mix of preparation, marketing and negotiation skills.  If you are thinking about a move, give us a call to discuss you... 05/16/2012