Debra Sinick

Archive for February, 2008|Monthly archive page

, , , , , , , ,

A New Name for Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland, WA?

In Exploring Kirkland, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on February 25, 2008 at 9:35 am

 Have you ever paid a visit to Juanita Bay Park?  It’s a gem in the city of Kirkland, Washington.  I took these photos this past summer when I went through the park with my Dad and husband on a beautiful, sunny summer’s day.  Much of the park is wheelchair friendly.  It’s a fabulous nature preserve where you can visit the frogs, the birds,

 Juanita Bay Duck

and check out Kirkland’s wetlands by taking the wonderful walkway

Juanita Bay boardwalk

Juanita Bay water lilies

 out over the wetlands.

I decided to post these photos now because The City Council is proposing a name change to reflect the true nature of the park. The proposed new name is Juanita Bay Wildlife Refuge.  I think the photos here show this new name would be a great choice for the park.

Here’s the a press release from Marie Stake of the City of Kirkland, Juanita Park Name Change.  The Kirkland city parks department wants to hear your opinion about the change. Click on the above website to find a link to the parks department and don’t forget to stop by and enjoy the park.  It’s a beautiful, peaceful antidote to life’s hectic pace and it’s right in Kirkland’s front yard.

, , , , ,

Kirkland, WA’s Mapping Your Neighborhood Program, Let’s Be Prepared in The Kirkland Highlands

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Safety and Disaster Preparedness on February 22, 2008 at 3:32 pm

Safety, disaster preparedness, working together as a neighborhood and a community, are these topics we think of very often?  We don’t because we are all so busy.  But these are all issues we need to think about.   

The Greater Kirkland Citizen Corps Council is doing a great job to help all of the neighborhoods work together through the “Mapping Your Neighborhood (MYN) Program.”  

So here’s my proposal/challenge for Kirkland Highlands’ residents:

Let’s be the first, most organized neighborhood in Kirkland. Let’s have a lots of people in the Highlands participate in the “Mapping Your Neighborhood” program.   We can complete the map of our neighborhood and be the most prepared and caring community in Kirkland.  I’ve taken the training and plan to meet with my neighbors in the spring.  Let’s organize the MYN system in the Highlands for the GKCCC.  We would know who’s a MYN coordinator in each neighborhood.  We could  help each other out.  Anyone game?  Do let me or Karen Story know about your interest and participation.

 Karen Story emailed the following message out to The Highlands email list last week in which she outlined the program and the upcoming sessions:

Map Your Neighborhood Training Sessions Feb. 28 and Mar. 15

Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) is a state program designed to help neighborhoods prepare for disasters. MYN will help you to:

Learn the “9 Steps to Take Immediately Following a Disaster” to secure your home and to protect your neighborhood.

Identify the Skills and Equipment each neighbor has that would be useful in an effective disaster response.

Create a Neighborhood Map identifying the locations of natural gas and propane tanks for quick response if needed.

Create a Contact List that helps identify those with specific needs such as elderly, disabled, or children who may be home alone during certain hours of the day.

Work together as a team to evaluate your neighborhood during the first hour following a disaster and take the necessary actions.

Each training session will teach you how to conduct MYN in your own neighborhood. All sessions are the same; please come to the session that best fits your schedule. The training will be presented by Dr. LuAn Johnson, Public Education Program Manager, Washington State Emergency Management Division, who designed the Map Your Neighborhood program.

The dates and locations of the training are as follows:

Thursday, February 28, 7:00PM, Rose Hill Building, 7720 126th Ave NE (just south of NE 80th St)

Saturday, March 15, 9:30AM, Kirkland Stake Center, 7910 NE 132nd St (corner of Juanita Drive)

For more info on MYN, visit http://www.emd.wa.gov/myn. For questions about the above sessions, contact Toby Nixon, 425-823-9779.

, , , , , , ,

Weekly Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands through February 22nd, 2008

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, Weekly market update on February 22, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Update post-it

(data from NWMLS) numbers in red are from the past week

 Active Listings:   23(25)

New listings:  0(0) 
Sold subject to inspection:  1(2) 

Pending:  0(3)

Closed Sales:   0(0)

Contingent sale: 0(0)

Number of Price Reductions:  0(1)

Cancelled listings 1(0)

Expired Listings 0 (0)

Temporarily Off Market  0(0)

Price increase  0(1)

———————————–

0-$349,999:   0(0)

$350,000-$499,999:   3(3)

$500,000-$749,999:    5(5)

$750,000-$999,999:   8(8)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999:   4(5)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999:   3(4)
———————————–
Average Price: $1,007,571($1,045,966)
Median Price:   $880,935($884,205)

Average Days on Market: 90(88)

Highest Priced Listing: $2,299,950 ($2,299,950)

Lowest Priced Listing: $440,000($414,900)

My analysis of this week’s real estate buzz:

This week there has only been a little real estate activity.  One home  received an offer and one listing was cancelled and is now listed for rent.

New listings:

None this week

Homes receiving offers:

$1,825,000 a new construction home on 112th that had been on the market for 163 days.

Homes that are pending sales:

(home sales in which the inspection has been satisfied)

None this week.

Price reductions:

None this week.

Closed sales:

(The new owner has taken ownership)

None this week

Cancelled listings:

$1,150,000 a newer home in Martha’s Vineyard and is now listed for rent at $4,200 per month.

Condos/Town homes:

Back on the market:

$549,000 for the town home on NE 87th.

, , , ,

Do You Have Opinion about Kirkland Washington’s Parkplace Redevelopment Project?

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on February 21, 2008 at 1:20 am

Kirkland Parkplace- Noah’s

Will Kirkland’s Parkplace still look like this?

Head over to The Kirkland Performance tonight. Come listen, learn, and speak your peace at the open house tonight, February 21st at 6 PM.  If you’d like to learn more about the project or voice your opinions, this is your chance to do both.

Here’s a review of the Kirkland Parkplace plans from the last Kirkland Design Review Board meeting.

, , , , , , ,

Going Green, Reducing Your Carbon Footprint On a Daily Basis

In Built Green, buyers, Real estate, sellers on February 19, 2008 at 2:14 pm

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about a free Built Green seminar in downtown Kirkland.  Ironically, I had a class about Green Building and real estate at Windermere Real Estate on the very same day.

During the class, I asked questions about what people can do on a daily basis to decrease their carbon footprint  and maintain a ”green” living lifestyle.  There are a lot of things we can do on a regular basis, even if one is not planning to build a new home or make a new real estate purchase.

 Here’s the articleI wrote on my eastside buzz real estate blog with some energy savings/sustainabilty suggestions.  Some of the suggestions are common knowledge, others are not.

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to add them to the list.  I’ll do another post highlighting some great books and some great local “built green”resources for materials and information.

 Don’t forget, take those shoes off when you are walking through your home! Read the linked article from my eastside blog to find out why you should remove your shoes.

, , , , , , ,

Weekly Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands through February 15th, 2008

In buyers, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, Weekly market update on February 16, 2008 at 8:20 am

Update post-it

(data from NWMLS) numbers in red are from the past week

 Active Listings:   25(27)

New listings:  0(1) 
Sold subject to inspection:  2(2) 

Pending:  3(0)

Closed Sales:   0(0)

Contingent sale: 0(0)

Number of Price Reductions:  1(2)

Cancelled listings 0(0)

Expired Listings 0 (0)

Temporarily Off Market  0(0)

Price increase  0(1)

———————————–
Number of homes available:    25(27)

0-$349,999:   0(0)

$350,000-$499,999:   3(4)

$500,000-$749,999:    5(6)

$750,000-$999,999:   8(8)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999:   5(5)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999:   4(4)
———————————–
Average Price: $1,045,966 ($1,015,798)
Median Price:   $884,205($880,935)

Average Days on Market: 88(78)

Highest Priced Listing: $2,299,950 ($2,299,950)

Lowest Priced Listing: $440,000($414,900)

My analysis of this week’s real estate buzz:

This week there’s more real estate sales activity, which is typical of the late winter-early spring market.  However, pricing is still very critical. This week’s sales are for homes under $1,000,000, with new construction as the most expensive sale priced at $925,000.

New listings:

None this week

Homes receiving offers:

$414,950 Edwards Place rambler with 1110 sq ft, originally priced at $424,950.

$712,500 Hidden Hills rambler, beautifully updated on a gorgeous lot, came back on the market after being priced in mid 700′s and received an offer this week.

Homes that are pending sales:

(home sales in which the inspection has been satisfied)

$579,000 Hidden Hills remodeled tri-level, which had originally been $675,000.

$699,950 Mid century modern home originally priced at $759,950.

$925,000 for new construction with 3700 sq ft in Solus in the Highlands.

Price reductions:

$1,999,999 for a home above 112th Ave NE  just listed last week at $2,150,000.

Closed sales:

(The new owner has taken ownership)

None this week, but with 2 sold this week and 3 pending sales, closed sales are coming!

Condos/Town homes:

Five town homes currently on the market, ranging from $440,000 up in Forbes Creek to 3 homes in Kirkland’s Highpointe priced from $599,000-$610,000.  The most expensive town home in the Highlands is priced at $689,000, after having been priced in the mid 700′s.

Have a great Presidents Day weekend.

, , , , , , , ,

Kirkland, Washington and The Downtown Arts Scene

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on February 13, 2008 at 7:15 pm

When I turned the corner from Lake St. onto Central Way the other day, I noticed the sign in the window of Patricia Rovzar’s gallery:

Patricia Rovzar Gallery

Congratulations to Patricia, Eric, and her staff for providing a wonderful space to view and buy art.  The Patricia Rovzar Gallery is a class act with a solid following as it celebrates its 15 year tenure in downtown Kirkland.

  For years, my husband and I would try to make it to Thursday night’s art walk.  It was a great community event with lots of people out and about, strolling through the art galleries.  The gallery owners would recognize us as “regulars.”  We’d run into our Kirkland neighbors.  It was fun and I miss it.  Art Walk is still here but on a much smaller scale these days, because there are fewer galleries.

Art Walk helped define the city of Kirkland.  It’s part of our identity.  People move to Kirkland because of its small town, unique feel, its great parks and waterfront,  its shops, restaurants, and galleries.

 Redmond is our technology king, Bellevue is the economic heart of the eastside, Issaquah has its Alps and salmon, and Woodinville its wineries.    People choose to live in all of these cities for many reasons, but often because of each city’s ambiance and reputation.  Kirkland’s downtown has always been known for its charming lakeside retail and arts scene.  

This article from The Seattle Times discusses changes in Kirkland.   We all know Kirkland is changing in many ways.  It’s important to become involved in Kirkland’s future.  Things are happening here, some good and some not so good.  We may see Hector’s torn down and a new complex built.  Parkplace will be torn down and changed into a huge development.   

 As I said, some of this is good, and some of this is not.  It’s important for people to get involved and make their opinions known.  There’s an open house at The Kirkland Performance Center on February 21st to talk about the proposed changes to Parkplace.  Personally, I am for growth and change, but not at the expense of our unique, small town quality. We need to be careful to not lose the soul of our city. It’s what makes us special and excites people about living here.

, , , , , , ,

What were the Chances of a Home Selling in Kirkland, WA in January, 2008?

In buyers, Kirkland, WA Real Estate on February 11, 2008 at 10:10 pm

Sellers had a 9.8% chance of selling a home in Kirkland in January, 2007.

(See the above chart to follow the real estate trends for the last few years.  The chart shows trends for Kirkland, south of NE 116th St)

January, 2008       385 homes for sale,   38 sales,        9.8% chance of selling.

December 2007    332 homes for sale,    34 sales,      10.2% chance of selling.

January, 2007      278 homes for sale,    48 sales,       17 % chance of selling. 

 It is a tougher market out there, so what I said in last month’s update holds very true:

For 2008:

  • Sellers must have the best home out there for the money.
  • Sellers must have the best marketing program to showcase their home. 
  • Sellers must be realistic and flexible with pricing.
  • Interest rates are fabulous.
  • Competition among buyers for homes will be less.
  • Pricing will be negotiable.
  •  It will be slower this year, but buyers will buy and homes will sell. 
  • The home that captures the buyer through great pricing and marketing will get the sale.

    , , , , , , , ,

    Washington’s Kirkland Highlands and the Washington State Democratic Caucus

    In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on February 9, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    Democratic Caucus Sign 2008

    Peter Kirk Gym

     The gym at Peter Kirk Elementary was hopping.  It was estimated there were 3 times the number of attendees than at the 2004 presidential caucus.  The 45th precinct committee had planned for twice the number of people, but not three times the number. Last caucus there were 35 people from the Highlands, this year there were 79!    The level of excitement was palpable.

    The caucus was the first step  in determining who Washington State will support for the Democratic Presidential nominee. 

    The 45th district was fortunate to have Laura Ruderman, the former state congresswoman, running the meeting. The caucus started with a speech from a Hillary backer and a speech from an Obama backer.  It was clear from the start where emotions lay.

     At the end of the vote, the Kirkland Highlands supported Obama by 81%, Hillary by 15%, and the rest (3 people) were uncommitted.  Everyone was then able to change their vote, if they so chose.  In the end, the Highlands supported Obama with 6 of the 7 delegates, with one delegate for Hillary.

    The 45th precinct is sending on 34 delegates with 26 for Obama and 6 for Hillary.  Today was a great day to see democracy in action.  It was exciting to see people energized and committed. 

    No matter what your political persuasion is, it is important for you to vote.  As we have seen only too often lately, every last vote counts.

    , , , , , , ,

    Weekly Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands through February 8th, 2008

    In buyers, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, services, Weekly market update on February 8, 2008 at 10:27 pm

    Update post-it

    (data from NWMLS) numbers in red are from the past week

    Active Listings:   27(27)

    New listings:  1(3) 
    Sold subject to inspection:  2(0) 

    Pending:  0(0)

    Closed Sales:   0(1)

    Contingent sale: 0(0)

    Number of Price Reductions:  2(1)

    Cancelled listings 0(1)

    Expired Listings 0 (0)

    Temporarily Off Market  0(1)

    Price increase  1(0)

    ———————————–
    Number of homes available:    27(26)

    0-$349,999:   0(0)

    $350,000-$499,999:   4(4)

    $500,000-$749,999:    6(7)

    $750,000-$999,999:   8(8)

    $1,000,000- $1,499,999:   5(5)

    $1,500,000- $2,999,999:   4(3)
    ———————————–
    Average Price: $1,015,798 ($957,088)
    Median Price:   $880,935($873,935)

    Average Days on Market: 78(76)

    Highest Priced Listing: $2,299,950 ($2,299,950)

    Lowest Priced Listing: $414,900($424,000)

    My analysis of this week’s real estate buzz:

    There is one new listing this week, priced at $2,150,000.  The price of this home brings the median and average prices up for the week.  This new listing is a 3 year old home with a fabulous view.

    Two price reductions happened in the new neighborhood over off of 116th.  The reductions were for less than $1000.  One of the homes in the same neighborhood had a price increase.

     The TOMK, temporarily off the market home in Highland Creste for $699,950, is now back on the market with its floors redone. 

    The home in Hidden Hills reduced to $579,000 received an offer this week.  A mid-century modern home listed for $699,950 also received an offer. 

    The condo priced at $549,950 that had received an offer is now past its inspection and is now pending,

     A pretty straight-forward week in the Highlands!

    Follow

    Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.