Debra Sinick

Archive for August, 2009|Monthly archive page

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Small Change Proposed in The Kirkland Highlands

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, Real estate on August 26, 2009 at 8:35 am

A proposed land use sign in The Kirkland Highlands? There’s a sign posted on 112th Ave NE for a proposed division of a lot into two smaller lots.  It’s something we haven’t seen in the Kirkland Highlands in a while.   The 16,000+ square foot lot is scheduled to be short platted into two lots of approximately 8,000 square feet.

Short plat proposal on 112th Ave NE in Kirkland

Short plat proposal on 112th Ave NE in Kirkland

Short plat notice

Short plat notice

This is certainly a small short plat, since it consists of two lots, but I’m hoping it’s a sign builders or investors are beginning to get back into the real estate market in Kirkland.

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First Day of School, September 1st in Kirkland, WA

In Kirkland WA, Schools on August 21, 2009 at 5:31 am

Peter Kirk Elementary starts it’s first day of school at 8:45 AM on September 1st. So please be careful out there and watch for the school kids who will be out and about.  They’ll probably be pretty excited, so they may not be paying as close attention to traffic as they should.

Peter Kirk Elementary

Peter Kirk Elementary

Meet and Greet the teachers from Peter Kirk on August 27th from 11-12 noon.  If you need more information about events in the Lake Washington School District, there’s a pretty complete website.

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Signs of Fall-The Blackberries Are Ripening in Kirkland

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on August 20, 2009 at 7:33 am

Whenever I see the blackberries on the side of the hill on my street, I get mixed feelings.  I’m excited to have such wonderful fruit growing almost on my doorstep and I’m sad, because it means summer is coming to a close.  Usually around the middle of August the blackberries are ripe and ready to be picked.  Blackberries are summer’s last hurrah.

Ripe blackberries in Kirkland

Ripe blackberries in Kirkland

I also noticed my Japanese maple, which is a gorgeous red when in prime season, is beginning to lose some of its color and its leaves are becoming green.

Japanese Red Maple Losing its Color

Japanese Red Maple Losing its Color

Wasn’t it just the Fourth of July?

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The Hot Price Range of the Week for Kirkland Home Sales, 8-12-09

In Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on August 17, 2009 at 7:06 am

The hot price range of the week in Kirkland?   $500-$599,999

  • Most number of home sales $500,000-599,999:  3 homes sold.
  • Most number of homes for sale $1,000,000-1,499,999:  71 homes for sale.  (this number is dropping, which is good news!)
  • Highest number of home sales in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:  7-8-09, when 22 homes sold.
  • Perhaps this summer was the number of home for sale in King County reached its peak?  July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes for sale.

There were 453 homes for sale in Kirkland and 14 homes sold last week.

Kirkland Home Sales, 8-12-09

Kirkland Home Sales, 8-12-09

This chart is updated weekly by (Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc., using MLS data) to show the price ranges of the homes sold each week.  Here’s how it’s set up:

The colors show who has the advantage in a particular price range. 

  • Green means the buyer has the advantage with many homes to choose from and not that many selling.
  • Yellow means the number of homes for sale and the number of sales in the price range is balanced between the buyer and the seller.
  • Red indicates a sellers’ market where the seller may have the advantage as more homes are selling when compared to what’s available.

Down the side of the chart, the home sales activity is broken down into a price bracket of $99,999. All the homes priced between $400,000-499,999, as an example, are put together in one price category in the chart.

Across the top, the chart is broken down into real estate activity by the week.

If you take the $400-499,999 line and follow it across the chart, you’ll see what has happened each of the last seven weeks.  There are three columns under each week. On the left side of the column is the number of homes for sale in Kirkland.  The middle column shows how many homes sold that week, and the final column under the date shows the months supply of homes for sale.  In other words, if no other homes came up for sale, it would take an average of 6.4 months to sell all the homes in the $400-499,999 price range.

The last section shows the 7 week average of each category, the number of homes for sale, the number sold, and the months supply.


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Latest Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands, 8-13-09

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers, Weekly market update on August 14, 2009 at 10:55 am

The real estate statistics below reflect the activity in The Kirkland Highlands for the past two weeks. All data is taken from the NWMLS through Thursday morning.  I’m thinking of sticking to a bi-weekly or monthly real estate update.  The Highlands is just a small portion of Kirkland real estate with less than 1000 homes.

Okay, I’m doing one more week in a row and then I’ll wait for a few weeks, until September, to do another weekly update.


View Larger Map

The map shows most of the outline of Kirkland’s Highlands neighborhood. The map address is simply for a street corner in the middle of the Kirkland Highlands. For those not familiar with the neighborhood, it’s a pocket of unique homes close to downtown Kirkland. In some ways it feels like an island, because it’s separated on the east by 405, the south by Central Way (the main route to downtown) and the west and north by the BNSF railroad tracks. The neighborhood has the best of both worlds, a little isolation without any through traffic, but just seconds from everything.

Numbers in parentheses are from the last report:

Active Listings: 30 (31)

New listings: 0 (4)

Re-listed properties:  1 (1)

Pending inspection: 1 (1)

Pending: 1 (2)

Closed Sales: 0 (0)

Contingent sale: 0 (0)

Number of Price Reductions:  2  (3)

Canceled listings 0 (2)

Expired Listings: 1 (2)

Temporarily Off Market: 0 (0)

Price increase: 0(0)

Back on market: 0 (0)

Rented: 0 (0)

Sale Fail: 0 (0)

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0-$349,999: 4 (4)

$350,000-$499,999: 5 (5)

$500,000-$749,999:  10 (11)

$750,000-$999,999: 10 (9)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 1 (1)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 0 (1)
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Average Price of homes for sale: $668,528 ($689,576)

Median Price of homes for sale: $695,975 ($694,950)

Average Days on Market: 94 (85)

Highest Priced Listing: $1,255,000 ($1,675,000)

Lowest Priced Listing: $299,000 ($299,000)

The most expensive home on the market in The Highlands is now off the market as the listing was canceled.  It was priced at $1,675,000. The two sales this past week were in more affordable prices.  The home now pending was priced at $475,000.  The home receiving an offer this week was priced at $589,999. As I mentioned in my hot price of the week report from Monday, the sales range between $1 million and $1.5 million was the hottest in Kirkland last week. This is a good sign as more people are willing to venture out to buy.  Just after I gathered the data for this report, I noticed a home in the Highlands for 925k received an offer, another good sign.  I’ll be adding that sale to my next report.

It feels as if we are turning a corner and real estate is getting stronger in the Seattle area. I’ll be watching it closely, but to me, it feels like we are at the bottom.

Town homes/condos

4  town homes listed

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What Was The Chance of Selling Your Kirkland Home in July, 2009?

In buyers, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on August 12, 2009 at 9:28 pm

Kirkland Real Estate Sales, July 2009

Kirkland Real Estate Sales, July 2009

There was a 14% chance of selling a home in Kirkland in July, 2009.

July, 2009     458 homes for sale,   66   homes sold,      14% chance of selling a home.

June, 2008   453  homes for sale,  64 (now 58) homes sold,    13%(now 12%) chance of selling a home.*

July, 2008   515 homes for sale,   43 homes sold,    8% chance of selling a home.

*()Reflects the actual percentage of homes sold, after some home sales failed and didn’t close.

If you click on the link, you’ll see the MLS charts which show the real estate trends, including median price, for the past five years in Kirkland.

(There’s a slight difference in the actual numbers between the Trendgraphix chart above and the MLS statistics in the link. The numbers may vary, depending on when the data is retrieved, but the trends are the same in each chart.)

The chances of selling is another way to characterize the “absorption rate” in which we take the number of homes sold in a particular month and divide it by the number of homes on the market. This number tells us what the odds are that a home will sell.  In July there was a 14% chance of selling a home in Kirkland.  Out of 100 homes for sale, 14 homes received and accepted offers.

The median price in Kirkland actually rose by 5% from $569,000 to $599,000 and the number of sales increased by 27% from last July.

Have we hit bottom? Of course, we won’t know until it passes, but I’m guessing we are at or near the bottom and will be bumping along the bottom of the real estate market for the near future.

Here in Kirkland, I’m hoping the worst is behind us.  This past week the most active price range in Kirkland was the $1000-1, 499,999 price range, which is completely opposite what we’ve seen over the past year.  This is good news. It means more buyers are venturing out in all price ranges, not just the lower ranges. The Seattle PI had a good article commenting on the more positive tone in the Seattle real estate market.

For the complete picture of home sales on Seattle’s eastside, check out my eastside blog post.

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The Hot Price Range for Kirkland Home Sales, 8-5-09

In buyers, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on August 10, 2009 at 6:34 am

Are you sitting down? The hot price range for home sales in Kirkland this week, one of the toughest price ranges to sell a home in Kirkland, beat every other price range: $1000-1,499,999!

This is big news as most weeks there are about two homes selling in this price range in Kirkland.  Last week I said the more affordable price ranges were moving, not the more expensive price ranges.  This week has proven to be very different.  Perhaps enough people are selling their homes in the less expensive price ranges and are now making the move up.

  • Most number of home sales $100,000-1,499,999:  6 homes sold.
  • Most number of homes for sale $1,000,000-1,499,999:  72 homes for sale.
  • It’s more of a balanced market between buyers and sellers in most price ranges in Kirkland.
  • Highest number of home sales in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:  7-8-09, when 22 homes sold.

There were 453 homes for sale in Kirkland and 20 homes sold last week.

Kirkland Home Sales - 08-05-09

Kirkland Home Sales - 8-05-09

This chart is updated weekly by (Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc., using MLS data) to show the price ranges of the homes sold each week.  Here’s how it’s set up:

The colors show who has the advantage in a particular price range. 

  • Green means the buyer has the advantage with many homes to choose from and not that many selling.
  • Yellow means the number of homes for sale and the number of sales in the price range is balanced between the buyer and the seller.
  • Red indicates a sellers’ market where the seller may have the advantage as more homes are selling when compared to what’s available.

Down the side of the chart, the home sales activity is broken down into a price bracket of $99,999. All the homes priced between $400,000-499,999, as an example, are put together in one price category in the chart.

Across the top, the chart is broken down into real estate activity by the week.

If you take the $400-499,999 line and follow it across the chart, you’ll see what has happened each of the last seven weeks.  There are three columns under each week. On the left side of the column is the number of homes for sale in Kirkland.  The middle column shows how many homes sold that week, and the final column under the date shows the months supply of homes for sale.  In other words, if no other homes came up for sale, it would take an average of 5.5 months to sell all the homes in the $400-499,999 price range.

The last section shows the 7 week average of each category, the number of homes for sale, the number sold, and the months supply.


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The Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands, 8-5-09

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, sellers on August 7, 2009 at 8:58 am

The real estate statistics below reflect the activity in The Kirkland Highlands for the past two weeks. All data is taken from the NWMLS through Thursday morning.  I’m thinking of sticking to a bi-weekly or monthly real estate update.  The Highlands is just a small portion of Kirkland real estate with less than 1000 homes.


View Larger Map

The map shows most of the outline of Kirkland’s Highlands neighborhood. The map address is simply for a street corner in the middle of the Kirkland Highlands. For those not familiar with the neighborhood, it’s a pocket of unique homes close to downtown Kirkland. In some ways it feels like an island, because it’s separated on the east by 405, the south by Central Way (the main route to downtown) and the west and north by the BNSF railroad tracks. The neighborhood has the best of both worlds, a little isolation without any through traffic, but just seconds from everything.

Active Listings: 31 (33)

New listings: 4 (2)

Re-listed properties:  1 (2)

Pending inspection: 1 (0)

Pending: 2 (0)

Closed Sales: 0 (0)

Contingent sale: 0 (0)

Number of Price Reductions:  3  (2)

Canceled listings 2 (0)

Expired Listings: 2 (1)

Temporarily Off Market: 0 (0)

Price increase: 0(0)

Back on market: 0 (2)

Rented: 0 (0)

Sale Fail: 0 (0)

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0-$349,999: 4 (3)

$350,000-$499,999: 5 (4)

$500,000-$749,999:  11 (14)

$750,000-$999,999: 9 (9)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 1 (2)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 1 (1)
———————————–
Average Price of homes for sale: $689,576 ($715,926)

Median Price of homes for sale: $694,950 ($694,950)

Average Days on Market: 85 (85)

Highest Priced Listing: $1,675,000 ($1,675,000)

Lowest Priced Listing: $299,000 ($299,000)

Two weeks ago there were 3 homes for sale in Kirkland’s Highlands for less than 350k and now there are 4 homes.  This reflects the overall market trend on Seattle’s eastside.  More homes are coming on the market that fall in what the affordable price is for this area. Granted, this is not the case in other parts of the country or even in other parts of King County, but it’s the case here.  Expect this trend in home pricing to continue.

The real estate market is the most active it’s been for two years, but prices are not heading up which actually may give buyers more courage to buy.

New listings came on the market from the low 300′s to the mid-800′s.  The homes  with offers over the last two weeks all sold in record time. The fastest home sale was in 11 days.  One home sold in 16 days and the other in 42 days.  The home that sold in 42 days was priced at $1,298,800.  It’s great to see a home in this price range get sold, since it is the toughest price range in Kirkland.  There are over 70 homes all over Kirkland priced between $1,000,000 and $1.5 million.

Will homes in Kirkland sell?  Yes, if they are priced right and ahead of the competition.

Town homes/condos

4  town homes listed

1 reduced price

1 pending

The town home in Highland Creek which is priced at $525,000, a fabulous price, did get an offer. One of the other 2 town homes for sale in Highland Creek, which was priced in the $570′s, is no longer for sale.

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Come to downtown Kirkland on Sunday for Kirkland’s Bicycle Criterium. The Criterium route will be right downtown.  It’s a “fast” event to watch and it’s fun.

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Nature is Very Close To The Kirkland Highlands

In Kirkland WA on August 6, 2009 at 11:28 am
Kirkland Highlands Bridge Crossing The Ravine

Kirkland Highlands Bridge Crossing The Ravine

The other day, my husband took our dog our for his morning stroll up the hill only to meet a coyote.  This was a fairly persistent. probably hungry coyote, because he was still trolling around about an hour later.  I emailed The Kirkland Highlands Association president, Karen Story, and asked her to alert people to the fact that coyotes were out and about.  She sent an email with several messages attached to it regarding coyote sightings.  So why are we seeing and hearing about so many coyotes in our neighborhood?


View Larger Map

There’s a lot of green space here.  With the railroad tracks and surrounding green areas, there’s lots of places for wild animals to live.  The new Cotton Hill Park is just east of Crestwoods Park, creating a huge open area between these two parks.

Kirkland Highlands Cotton Hill Park

Kirkland Highlands Cotton Hill Park

If you follow the railroad tracks south(see the map) then head east by NE 95th there’s a huge ravine.

Kirkland Highlands-Wetlands

Kirkland Highlands-Wetlands

Just south is a green space that has a nice watering hole, which is well hidden this time of year.

Kirkland Highlands wetlands

Kirkland Highlands wetlands

This is coyote heaven. We should respect the wild animals who live near and among us, but keep your pets indoors and safe.  There are hungry critters out there.

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The Police Were Just Next Door

In Kirkland WA, Safety and Disaster Preparedness on August 3, 2009 at 10:07 pm

I heard some yelling and wasn’t sure what it was.  It turns out the police were standing on my neighbor’s front steps. They’d received a 911 call that was traced to the area around my neighbor’s house.  It could have been a call from the house or from outside the house, the police weren’t sure.  There were unlocked doors, so the policeman called for backup before going inside.  The backup arrived and the two policemen went through the house.  I can’t imagine what that must have been like. Think NYPD Blue or Law and Order.  Luckily, there was nothing amiss.

Years ago, when we first moved to the Seattle area and lived in Redmond, we came home one Thanksgiving night to find a policeman at the front door.  Apparently, a side door hadn’t been closed properly, was blown open by the wind, and set off our house alarm.  The policeman must have gone through the home room by room.  All the closet doors were ajar, which the policeman must have pulled open, making sure no one was hiding.  I’m guessing the police had to do the same thing tonight while going  through my neighbor’s home.

Do you know your neighbor’s cell phone number in case you need to get in touch with them in an emergency? I was able to locate my neighbor’s phone, so the police called him after they searched the home.  But I don’t know many of the other neighbors’ phone numbers.  I have no idea how to get in touch with them in an emergency.

Tomorrow night, August 4th, is the National Neighborhood Night Out, a program for neighbors to join together to help each other,  promote safety, and combat crime.  Neighbors in Kirkland are encouraged to meet in the neighborhood, get to know each other and support each other.

It’s a little too late to get everyone together in my neighborhood for tomorrow night, but I plan to do so in the next week.  We need to know how to get in touch with each other and how to help each other, whether it’s a because of a crime or a disaster.  Make sure you know how to get in touch with your neighbors.  It could save somebody’s life.

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