Sammamish Neighborhoods, Heritage Hills Heritage Hills is a community of nicer homes located on the north end of Sammamish, in the Lake Washington School District.  Approximately 230 beautiful homes built primarily between 1980 and 1990 with such builders as Swanson Dean, Quadrant, Conner and Buchan.  Heritage Hills homes are stately, roomy and exemplify quality construction.  Originally called Sahalee Hills, the name was changed to provide the Sahalee Golf & Country Club its unique identity. View Larger Map Homes in Heritage Hills are highly desirable and are currently priced between $500,000 and $750,000.  They average around 2500 square feet in size with 3-5 bedrooms and usually 2.5 baths or more.  They are not cookie cutter homes, but offer unique designs from the various builders ... 03/26/2010

Sammamish Neighborhoods, The Country Just off 228th, (The main drag in Sammamish) and nestled among tall trees and larger homes is a little gem of a neighborhood called, "The Country."  About 80 homes make up The Country.  Built throughout the early 80's primarily by Swanson Dean, these are quality homes with 3 and 4 bedrooms typically ranging from 1200 to 2200 square feet and situated on generous lots with mature trees.        Affordable compared to The Heritage Hills and Hampton Woods neighborhoods and equally as convenient for shopping, commuting and recreation.  The unique touches on its homes make The Country stand out among the more affordable neighborhoods in Sammamish.  One of my favorite features are the chimneys; solid brick, wood burning fireplaces with an arch over the vent.... 03/26/2010

Wordless Wednesday, Just Hangin Out, Do You See Me?   In a Sammamish protected wetland I drive by nearly every day I spotted something sitting in a tree.  I didn't have my camera with me, so I headed home and returned minutes later to find this critter still there.  Do you see it?  03/17/2010

Silent Sunday, Periwinkle's Purple Petals Popping out in Sammamish   Vinca Minor, also known as Periwinkle is a ground cover blooming in my yard under some tall cedar trees.  We've enjoyed a warmer than normal winter, with a brief sub freezing spell back in November.  While much of the country has suffered a colder snowier than normal winter, they have this to look forward to.  03/13/2010

Wordless Wednesday, Ebright Creek Park, Sammamish...Take Time to Play     Ebright Creek Park is one of the newest city parks in Sammamish and offers something for almost everyone.  Swings, slides climbing toys along with trails, sports courts surrounded by protected wetlands loaded with birds, frogs and more.  The creek itself is known to support salmon and trout.  My last post was about a bench in the woods and the need to sit and think.  We also have a need to play.  When was the last time you got out and played?    03/10/2010

Best priced home for sale in Sammamish. Lake Washington School District. Adorable rambler, located just minutes from Lake Sammamish, and has beach rights! Mature, extensive landscaping brings serene privacy to front and back yards. RV parking, and a garage with a separate laundry and shop area. Kitchen features include granite countertops and hardwoods with granite inlay. Updated bathroom has jetted tub and a built-in stereo! Investors welcome. Beach Rights on Lake Sammamish for Inglwood Beach Club! 3 Bedroom 1 Bath at this price it's 60% below Sammamish's median home price of $625,000 03/09/2010

A Bench in the Woods, a Place to Think   Ever feel like you need to sit down, shut off, tune out and just be?  No Blackberries unless they are edible.  No emails, texts, Facebook, Twitter, just the sounds of the birds, maybe the crackle of a fire.  It's really not hard to do.  Just leave it all at home, find a bench in the woods and listen.  You might hear a voice you've been missing that's been there all the while.  03/07/2010

Wordless Wednesday, One Person's Flower another Person's Weed.   I've done several Wordless Wednesday's with recent flowers and blooms, but these are popping up too.  As a kid we played the game, "Do you like butter?" and would put a dandelion under the chin of another child.  If we saw the reflection, they did.  If we wanted to have some fun, we'd rub the dandelion into the chin leaving a mess for their mom to wipe off.  03/03/2010

Shock sells. No one can deny that the housing market has recently been through rocky times. The situation is  improving, but news media reports often distort and exaggerate problems by focusing on the most negative aspects of the real estate industry. Good news, such as rising home sales, improved affordability, historically low interest rates and government tax incentives for homeowners, is frequently buried behind front-page predictions of doom and gloom. Be skeptical. If you’re feeling skeptical about what you hear in news reports, you’re not alone. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, just 29 percent of Americans perceive that news organizations generally get the facts straight. A staggering 63 percent say news stories often are inaccurate. Ab... 03/03/2010

Home Sales Report for Sammamish WA. Median list price is $623,950 with 280 properties that have been on the market for an average of 205 days. Inventory is up and Market Action is trending down recently. While days-on-market appears to be trending lower, the overall conditions are weakening a bit. Supply & Demand - The market has settled in at a relative stasis in inventory and sales conditions. It's a Buyer's market that has seen prices trend lower. Expect that consistent up trends in demand will be required before price trends change significantly. Watch the Market Action Index for changes as it can be a leading indicator for price changes.   As of 03/01/10 here are the real estate home sales stats for the all Neighborhoods in the Sammamish, Washington area. The home sales and listed ... 03/01/2010

Silent Sunday, Pussy Willows...Harbinger of Spring   Usually we see the pussy willows before the cherry blossoms and bulbs start to show, but this has been such a warm winter they are appearing simultaneously.  I realize for those buried under the record snows of 2010 this may not seem fair, but you still get to look forward to Spring in your area...hopefully. 02/28/2010

Wordless Wednesday, Sammamish Commons on a Clear Day   The Sammamish Commons is our city hall, police, library, Skate Park and public space.  Located centrally in the city geographically it takes full advantage of the view on this clear day last week.  Downtown Seattle can be seen and the Olympic Mountains rise above the skyscrapers.  02/24/2010

Home Sales Report for Sammamish WA. Median list price is $624,950 with 259 properties that have been on the market for an average of 263 days. Inventory and days-on-market are climbing, while the Market Action Index has been flat recently. The trends point to a weakening market. Supply & Demand - The market has settled in at a relative stasis in inventory and sales conditions. It's a Buyer's market that has seen prices trend lower. Expect that consistent up trends in demand will be required before price trends change significantly. Watch the Market Action Index for changes as it can be a leading indicator for price changes.  As of 02/22/10 here are the real estate home sales stats for the all Neighborhoods in the Sammamish, Washington area. The home sales and listed homes here are from ... 02/22/2010

Silent Sunday, Spring is Breaking Out   Bulbs are blossoming, buds are blooming, Spring is setting up early.  We've been treated to an early taste of Spring this year.  These pictures were taken today, Sunday February 21st.  While other parts of the country have had a colder than usual winter, we've been warmer.  02/21/2010

Home Sales Report for Sammamish WA. Median list price is $622,000 with 261 properties that have been on the market for an average of 200 days. With inventory trending up but days-on-market trending down and the Market Action Index essentially flat recently, conditions do not seem to have strong up or down pull. Supply & Demand - The market has settled in at a relative stasis in inventory and sales conditions. It's a Buyer's market that has seen prices trend lower. Expect that consistent up trends in demand will be required before price trends change significantly. Watch the Market Action Index for changes as it can be a leading indicator for price changes. Check out properties for sale in the following Sammamish Neighborhoods. As of 02/16/10 here are the real estate home sales stats for... 02/17/2010

Happy Valentine's Day!   27 Years ago on Valentine's Day, I proposed marriage to Elsie and she said yes.  It was my biggest sale ever!  We were married that July and I have never been happier.  Thank You Elsie for all the good years, and tolerating the tough ones.  I love you. 02/13/2010

One Family's Treasure is Available for Someone New, Lake Sammamish Waterfront. Did you ever dream about a waterfront getaway?  A place you could live in, or have as a second home with a beach, dock space for a boat, dry storage for toys, tables & chairs; a place with sunsets glowing through your windows as almost a personal good night wish.    I was in such a home today, built in 1990 and lovingly cared for by the original homeowners; two stories with unobstructed views of the lake from both levels.  Eagles soar and fish jump practically right out your windows.  2 docks, one shared with a neighbor where you can keep your boat ready for a morning ski run or an evening spent trolling for cutthroat trout or bass, another with a diving board to jump off and cool down after a warm day.  50 f... 02/12/2010

Home Sales Report for Sammamish WA. Median list price is $620,975 with 250 properties that have been on the market for an average of 202 days. With inventory trending up but days-on-market trending down and the Market Action Index essentially flat recently, conditions do not seem to have strong up or down pull. Supply & Demand - The market has shown some evidence of slowing recently. Both prices and inventory levels are relatively unchanged in recent weeks. Watch the Market Action Index for changes as it can be a leading indicator for price changes Watch the Market Action Index for changes as it can be a leading indicator for price changes. Check out properties for sale in the following Sammamish Neighborhoods. As of 02/08/10 here are the real estate home sales stats for the all Neighbo... 02/08/2010

Silent Sunday, Smoking, who said it's bad for your health? Not cigarettes of course they are not healthy, but a little beef brisket, some pork ribs and a couple of chickens are good for you, right?  The weather was a little of everything on this day, overcast, rain, hail, sun breaks, but the food was good.  02/07/2010

Wordless Wednesday, Did your high school have a view like this?  Skyline HS     Did your high school have a view like this?  This was taken from the parking lot at Skyline High School in Sammamish WA.  Skyline is one of 3 high schools in Sammamish and is in the Issaquah School District.  Skyline is known for outstanding academic and sports.  The Spartans are State Football champions for 2009, this is their third State Title.  It's a beautiful campus currently undergoing an addition, even though it was opened in 1997.  What I find amazing is this prime view real estate was chosen as the site for this school.  Maybe I'm just jealous. 02/03/2010