Assurance Home Inspection Service Charges  360-830-0399  www.assurancehomeinspections.com Full Home Inspection With Pest $350.00 Full Home Inspection With Pest 3000+sf $400.00 Detached Dwelling Additional $ 75.00 Homes Built Prior To 1945 $400.00 Structural Pest Inspection Only $225.00 Duplex Inspection $475.00 Condo Inspection $275.00  Call today for an inspection and we'll get your inspection scheduled within days!  Visit our website at www.assurancehomeinspections.com to order an inspection or to view a sample of our beautiful, easy to read reports.   11/28/2008

Preparing For The Inspection   Proper preparation for the home inspection by the buyer & seller allows the real estate transaction to go smoothly. Allow two to three hours for a complete home inspection. Payment is due at time of inspection. The buyer should accompany Isaac for the best education. Contact the property owner regarding the date, time & estimated duration of the inspection. Also, make sure the security system is deactivated. Ensure that we receive the buyer's full name, address, email & phone number if unable to attend the inspection. Please contact our office at least twenty-four hours before the inspection if the appointment needs to be cancelled or postponed. Make sure all of the property's systems are turned on for the inspection. Inform the owner that all appliances,... 11/28/2008

The 2008 Central Kitsap High School Cougars Varsity Football team (7-3) handed the Rogers Puyallup Rams only their 2nd loss of the season last Saturday night at Silverdale Stadium amidst an ecstatic 4000+ capacity crowd. The 21 to 6 win sends Central Kitsap onto the State Semi-finals in the Tacoma Dome against the (8-2) Issaquah Eagles. The Eagles narrowly escaped with a victory against Bothell (31-28), the same team that knocked Central Kitsap off in the State playoffs last year. Our son, Elliot, a Senior at Central Kitsap High knows many of the players, including one of his best friends #88 Allen Hewey, pictured above. The Cougars began the 2008 season with high expectations, having a large number of returning players from last year's winning squad. However, with a rather lackluster 2... 11/26/2008

Real Estate Market Report/Conditions in Kitsap County WA for 11/17/2008 The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for November 2008, provided by Rich Jacobson of Realty Executives Brio, in Silverdale, WA (this includes data for Bainbridge Island WA) Properties currently active on the market:  2455 Properties closed in the last 180 days:  1357 Average Sales Price:  $318,608 Average List Price:  $329,358 Ratio of List Price to Sales Price:  97% Average Days on Market:  102 Sales Pending this Week: 24 Current Market Conditions: Area 150 (East Central Kitsap) continues to be the selling ‘Hot Spot’ here in Kitsap County WA with 6 properties pending this week, and DOM (Days on Market) at 89. Port Orchard (Area 143) h... 11/26/2008

Taken from the new Web Site - Seller's [Move-up Buyers] Advantage Plan which is almost complete... Your question might be, "Can you be a move-up buyer in a buyer's market?" If you have a home to sell to move up to another home in Kitsap County, this may be the very best time. Your current home may have lost some value, but the "move up" home you have your eye on, which is larger and in a higher price range has lost some value too, probably more in comparison.   Did you know that with my Move-Up Buyer's Advantage Plan can save you as much as 2% of the sales price of your current Kitsap home? This could save you thousands of dollars in the selling process. Starting TODAY and running through the end of the year, I am offering a discounted commission program to qualified Move-Up Buyers of K... 11/19/2008

Hello all, Windermere has just launched our renovated website homepage and we're giving away a $1000 Home Depot Gift Card to one lucky Windermere.com visitor to use for their next home project! To enter the drawing, consumers just go to Windermere.com, search for their favorite listing and email the listing to findhome@windermere.com . One entry is allowed per person per day! The sweepstakes ends on December 19, 2008. We encourage you to use the sweepstakes as an opportunity to reach out to clients. Please note that Windermere employees and immediate family members are not eligible to enter (see Windermere.com for official rules and eligibility). Thanks, Marty NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. RESIDENTS OF WASHI... 11/19/2008

Hello all,   I incorporated this year and am looking for feedback on what banks you like/dislike, or had issues with ICO small business accounts?  I am an independent contractor for Windermere, and my company is a sub-chapter S corporation.   I'll go first. I had issues with using NFCU business accounts. Their non-business accounts are fantastic, but their business account customer service is very poor.  It took me 3 weeks to get it set up, and then  they sent all the info to the wrong address.  I only know this because I called at the 2 month point and asked for a statement, or an ATM card, or better yet checks.  Turns out they sent all the info to the wrong address.  My PO Box is 413, and has been for the last 5 years, all of which I have been a NFCU customer.  They sent all my info t... 11/17/2008

It's 7am on a Friday morning, and I'm sitting here at one of my favorite Kitsap County WA haunts, the Global Bean, enjoying a delicious Cup 'O' Joe, waiting for my good friend and blogging counterpart, Mark Flanders, to arrive. On an adjoining table, the following headline on today's issue of the Kitsap Sun catches my eye: "With House Values, What Went Up Has Come Down" According to the article submitted by Rachel Pritchett, if you purchased a home here in Kitsap County WA in 2006/2007, when prices had peaked, then there's a one-in-three chance you own more on your mortgage than your home is actually worth today. And the expert source for such a sobering dose of reality? Why, our Friends at Zillow.com, of course! Zillow also claims that home values in Kitsap County WA have fallen 12 per... 11/14/2008

Homes in Silverdale were selling for a YTD median price of about $290,000 at the end of October, down 9 percent from a year ago. The October median closed sale of $265,000 was about 14% less than the October median a year ago. Kitsap County YTD median price has fallen 9.5% over the past year. The number of Silverdale YTD closed sales was down 36% from a year ago, compared to a drop in closed sales of 24% for the County as a whole. The number of pending sales YTD is down 36% from a year ago. The number of active listings in Silverdale (117) is 12% lower than a year ago. The inventory turnover (total homes on the market divided by number sold last month) is 6.9 months, which is considerably better than many other areas and reflects the higher volume of sales in the lower price ranges. 11/11/2008

Hello all,   The final data for sales of single family homes in Silverdale for the month of October is out.  Sold & Pendings tracked very closely with the previous month(14/14 pending, 14 sold Oct/15 for Sept).   Number of homes on the market declined for a 3rd straight month to 114.  (119 Sep, 132 Aug, 133 July). Currently 8.1 months of inventory is available based on both closed and pended sales.   The average sold price was $245,000, down from $305K last month(24% decline), and $317K last October(29% decline).     Median prices are more accurate, but a decline is still present.  The median sold price was $254K, down from $310 last month(22% decline), and $308K last year(21% decline).  Thanks for reading. When do you think the market is going to turn? Experts are predicting "next year... 11/10/2008

Homes in Silverdale were selling for a YTD median price of about $300,000 at the end of September, down 6.2 percent from a year ago. The September median closed sale of $300,000 was about 14% less than the September median a year ago. Kitsap County YTD median price has fallen 8.8% over the past year.   The number of Silverdale YTD closed sales was down 39% from a year ago, compared to a drop in closed sales of 26% for the County as a whole. The number of pending sales YTD is down 34% from a year ago. The number of active listings in Silverdale (121) is 13% lower than a year ago. The inventory turnover (total homes on the market divided by number sold last month) is 9.3 months, which is pretty typical of this price range in the County and is a return to normal from the abnormally low tur... 10/14/2008

Real Estate Market Report for Kitsap County WA issued 10/07/2008 The following is a brief analysis of the combined single-family home and condo market within Kitsap County, Washington for October 2008, provided by Rich Jacobson of Realty Executives Brio, in Silverdale, WA (this includes data for Bainbridge Island WA) Properties currently active on the market:  2599 Properties closed in the last 180 days:  1386 Average Sales Price:  $327,432 Average List Price:  $338,006 Ratio of List Price to Sales Price:  94% Average Days on Market:  101 Sales Pending this Week:  13     Current Market Conditions: Area 150 (East Central Kitsap) and Area 166 (Poulsbo) share the highest ratio of List Price vs. Sale Price with 99%.  The lowest ratio was 93% for Area 161 (Hansville). Shortest Days on Market... 10/14/2008

As a real estate professional in Kitsap County, I spend several hours a day doing market research for many different types of clients, first time homebuyers, new construction consumers and military members relocating from here or to here.  Some of my clients want to know what is new – some want to know what has sold and some of my clients just like to know about activity. Not all of my clients are in the market now. They will be some day and so I provide them with history, data and information they request to make decisions that concerns their home search – home sell part of their life. Below is a look at the past 24 hours in the Kitsap County home market.  The new homes on the market during this 24-hour period are located in Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Bainbridge Island.  The... 10/08/2008

Homes in Silverdale were selling for a YTD median price of about $300,000 at the end of August, down 4.7 percent from a year ago. The August median closed sale of $275,900 was about 21% less than the August median a year ago. Kitsap County YTD median price has fallen 8.5% over the past year.   The number of Silverdale YTD closed sales was down 39% from a year ago, compared to a drop in closed sales of 27% for the County as a whole. The number of pending sales YTD is down 39% from a year ago. The number of active listings in Silverdale (134) is 11% lower than a year ago. The inventory turnover (total homes on the market divided by number sold last month) is 19 months, about double the value of last month. The Silverdale market has slowed down considerably. The large changes in Poulsbo (... 09/15/2008

Directions: 3337 NW Byron St, Silverdale Washington Silverdale Waterfront Park is more than a county park, it is a community icon. Several activities throughout the year are located at this gorgeous 2.3 acre park on Dyes Inlet of Puget Sound. The park boasts saltwater beach access, a huge kids playground, convenient restrooms, an intimate gazebo, a large picnic shelter, and many picnic tables and other picnic areas. This park is so much more than your traditional park. You can walk the shoreline looking for sea glass, different types of rocks or maybe even crab. If you walk over to the Silverdale Port Marina Pier you can walk out and might be able to see some kind of sea life like an Orca. Remember not to park at the boat launch area, which is only for vehicles with trailers using the m... 08/19/2008

Directions: 3200 NW Byron, Silverdale WA     In 2004 the Kitsap County Veteran's Memorial was dedicated in a ceremony that included speeches, color guards and the raising of the United States flag along with the POW/MIA flag and the service flags of each branch of the military.               I found the original program of the ceremony on the Kitsap County Veterans Memorial web site and found it to be very interesting. I wasn't living in the area during 2004 and so was unable to enjoy this very impressive ceremony. I have however, been to the memorial on a few occasions and find it to be one that is very peaceful and inspiring. I guess that is because it is on the waterfront. Something about paying respect to those who have served our Nation in such a setting is very calming.     The K... 08/19/2008

In the early 80's, after the Kitsap Mall was completed, growth in and around the Silverdale WA area literally exploded, and a badly needed retail mecca for residents was created. To this day, it has continued to attract many of the national chains and big box stores. By far one of my favorites is the COSTCO Wholesale store here in Silverdale. To learn more about Costco Wholesale in Silverdale WA, go to SOUNDBITEBLOG. ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~    o    ~ Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation of clients throughout all of Kitsap County, and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him on KitsapLife.com and his fun hobby blog, Crabbing in the Hood. 08/17/2008

One of the challenges when relocating to a new area is finding out where the good restaurants are. One of my favorite spots right here in Silverdale WA is the Silver City Restaurant & Brewery. The two owners, Steve and Scott, got their start back in 1990 when they opened "Top Notch Burger" in East Bremerton. A second location soon followed here in Silverdale (where Silver City is currently located). In 1996, after coming to the realization that putting the major burger chains out of business wasn't going to happen, the decided to switch gears, and get into the growing brewpub business. They sold their Bremerton location and remodeled the Silverdale location into the popular eatery and microbrewery it is today. You can begin your eating experience by making a selection from one of their ... 08/16/2008

Homes in Silverdale were selling for a YTD median price of about $294,000 at the end of July, down 3.6 percent from a year ago. The July median closed sale of $248,000 was about 16% less than the July median a year ago. Kitsap County YTD median price has fallen 8.4% over the past year. The number of Silverdale YTD closed sales was down 36% from a year ago, compared to a drop in closed sales of 28% for the County as a whole. The number of pending sales YTD is down 38% from a year ago. The number of active listings in Silverdale (143) is 4.7% lower than a year ago but 11% higher than last month. The inventory turnover (total homes on the market divided by number sold last month) is 8.9 months (up from 7.9 last month). Silverdale remains one of the better markets in the County. 08/13/2008

As many of you may know, my wife, Janice, is a 5th grade teacher at Brownsville Elementary School in the Central Kitsap School District here in scenic Kitsap County WA. She received a phone call today from her Principal, who informed her that the WASL scores (WA Assessment of Student Learning) had come in. Evidently, in years past, the Science scores for her school haven't been all that good. One school within the district in particular, Emerald Heights, has historically held the highest scores for her grade level. Well, according to the new score results my wife's class this past year had the highest science scores, and not just for her school, but for the entire district! I am so proud of my wife! She is always so hard on herself, and never gives herself the credit she is due. She is ... 08/07/2008