Debra Sinick

Archive for November, 2009|Monthly archive page

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Latest Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands, 11-30-09

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers, WA, Weekly market update on November 30, 2009 at 8:23 pm

It’s been a quieter two weeks for real estate in Kirkland. I think Kirkland home buyers and sellers were busy with family and turkey! The number of Kirkland Highlands homes for sale has remained fairly steady, but there were no home sales in the last couple of weeks.  

The first time home buyer tax credit has been expanded and extended, which is great news for home sellers.  If you plan to make a move and are buying a home under $800,000, then you may be eligible to receive a tax credit.

If you’re thinking of making a move next year, early in the year may be better because of the tax credit, the low interest rates, and less competition.  If you look below, you’ll see we’re close to the smallest number of properties for sale in 2009.  More people will think about selling their homes as the year heads into spring and summer.  Selling a home then will be more competitive than now.

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 Monday.


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: 23 (22)

New listings: 0 (0)

Pending inspection: 0 (0)

Pending: 0 (4)

Closed Sales: 1 (1)

Number of Price Reductions: 0  (1)

Price increase: 0(0)

Homes off the market that did not sell: 2 (1)

———————————–

0-$349,999: 1 (1)

$350,000-$499,999: 6 (7)

$500,000-$749,999:  8 (7)

$750,000-$999,999: 7 (7)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 1 (0)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 0 (0)
———————————–
Average Price of homes for sale: $667,906($653,891)

Median Price of homes for sale: $699,990 ($709,470)

Average Days on Market:  137 (152)

Highest Priced Listing: $1,250,000 ($1,250,000)

Lowest Priced Listing: $285,000 ($285,000)

________________________________

Closed Sales:

$630,000 last asking price $649,900 , original asking price $749,900, sold in 113 days for 16% below the original asking price.

Peak in the number of homes for sale in 2009:

7-27-09  13,861

Now:

11-30-09 11,797  The number is getting lower and lower!  The smallest number of homes and condos for sale since January of this year!

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6 Town homes on the market

1 pending town home sale

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Thanksgiving is a Time to Thank Our Local Scouts for Giving

In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 25, 2009 at 5:50 pm

Below is a copy of the full article from Kirkland Views.

Were you a Boy Scout or Girl Scout when you were a kid?  Do you remember how much fun it was?  The weekly meetings, making new friends, and working hard to earn badges.  I was a Girl Scout and a Brownie back in Connecticut where I grew up.  I remember how excited I was to earn those cherished  badges.

The Scouts are alive and well in Kirkland and I’ve had a chance to see the Scouts in my neighborhood, The Kirkland Highlands, in action.  Our two troops are real troopers.  Both groups work hard to have fun, earn badges by becoming more responsible citizens, and give back to the community.

The final numbers for the Eastside food drive were recently announced and Kirkland beat out all the other participating cities.  Kirkland collected 24,229 lbs. of food, 8000 lbs. more than any other city.  Our Scout troops helped the city be tops in food collection.  During the recent Eastside food drive, most of the food was collected on the Mayor’s Day of the event.  But both Scout troops delivered the most food of any group in Kirkland after that date.  The Brownies, troop 52875, collected 1650 pounds of food, while the Cub Scouts, Pack 550, collected 644 pounds and $366.  Both troops took a Saturday morning and afternoon collecting food for the drive.

The Boy Scouts have helped out the Kirkland Highlands community on a number of occasions.  They’ve cleaned and barked our smallest park, Cedar View, and they’ve volunteered with the Cotton Hill Park cleanup.

At this time of Thanksgiving, I’m thrilled to be able to thank our Scout troops for keeping up the good work in Kirkland.   The two troops are learning to give back at young age, which is a very good thing.

If you know of someone or a group that should be recognized for their service or because of a need, please feel free to email me at debra@debrasinick.com to tell me about them.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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What Was The Hot Price Range for Kirkland Home Sales, 11-18-09?

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on November 20, 2009 at 11:50 am

The hot price range of the week in Kirkland?   $400-$499,999 and $500-$599,999

  • Most number of home sales in Kirkland: $400-$499,999 and $500-599,999,  5 sales each.
  • Most number of homes for sale $1,000,000-1,499,999:  51 homes for sale. There were 60 homes for sale a few weeks ago and the drop is significant.
  • Highest number of home sales in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:   10-7-09 when 24 homes sold.
  • There were 372 homes for sale in Kirkland and 20 homes sold last week.  The number of homes for sale in Kirkland is slowly, but steadily, dropping each week.  It’s good to see Kirkland home sales happening in both the affordable price range and the high end.  Some weeks, the more expensive homes are selling better than the more affordable ones.  Other weeks, it’s the reasonably priced homes that are moving.

  • Peak  of homes and condos for sale in King County so far this year?
  • July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes and condos for sale in King County.
  • Week of 11-02-09   12,186  homes and condos for sale in King  County, the smallest number since January of this year.

With the drop in inventory, properties for sale, and the increase in sales, this is a good time to think about selling your home.  If you are thinking of making a move in the spring, there’s likely to be more homes and condos for sale, meaning more competition to sell.

Kirkland Home Sales, 11-18-09

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 3 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, 11-16-09

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate on November 16, 2009 at 3:35 pm

Homes are selling in Kirkland! The number of Kirkland Highlands homes for sale has dropped significantly as there are a third less homes on the market than just a few months ago.  Four homes  received offers in the last two weeks, so homes are moving. Homes receiving offers in the last two weeks ranged from the high 300′s to just over one million dollars.

The first time home buyer tax credit has been expanded and extended, which is great news for home sellers.  If you plan to make a move and are buying a home under $800,000, then you may be eligible to receive a tax credit.

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 Monday.


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: 22 (25)

New listings: 0 (1)

Pending inspection: 0 (2)

Pending: 4 (0)

Closed Sales: 1 (0)

Number of Price Reductions: 1  (2)

Price increase: 0(0)

Homes off the market that did not sell: 1 (5)

———————————–

0-$349,999: 1 (1)

$350,000-$499,999: 7 (7)

$500,000-$749,999:  7 (9)

$750,000-$999,999: 7 (7)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 0 (1)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 0 (0)
———————————–
Average Price of homes for sale: $653,891($656,175)

Median Price of homes for sale: $709,470 ($699,990)

Average Days on Market:  152 (141)

Highest Priced Listing: $1,250,000 ($1,250,000)

Lowest Priced Listing: $285,000 ($285,000)

________________________________

Closed Sales:

$375,000 final asking price 379,500, original asking price $379,500, sold in 34 days for 1.5% below the original asking price.

Peak in the number of homes for sale in 2009:

7-27-09  13,861

Now:

11-16-09 12,186  The least number of homes and condos for sale since January of this year!

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7 Town homes on the market

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Volunteers Still Needed For Kirkland’s Arbor Day Tomorrow

In Kirkland WA on November 13, 2009 at 5:56 pm

Tomorrow is Arbor Day in Kirkland.

Kirkland Highlands’ President Karen Story sent out an email this afternoon asking for more volunteers to help direct traffic and to help with snacks and warm drinks for the volunteer workers.  If you able to help direct traffic, find Karen by 8:30 AM to help with the traffic.  Feel free to bring snacks, too!

From Sharon Rodman’s announcement for Arbor Day:

The Kirkland Mayor has proclaimed November 14 as Arbor Day.  We request your help to plant over 400 native trees and plants that day. Please join the Green Kirkland Partnership for our forest restoration event and special Arbor Day tree planting ceremony. Some invasive plant removal may be included.

Kirkland Highlands Cotton Hill Park

Kirkland Highlands Cotton Hill Park

Date: Saturday November 14

Place: Cotton Hill Park (110th Ave NE & NE 98th St., Kirkland).

Event Time: 9 a.m. until Noon
Arbor Day Ceremony: approximately 11:50 am

Suitable for: Adults, Teens, Families. Minors under the age of 14 years must be accompanied by an adult. Minors 14 to 17 years should be accompanied by an adult, or bring a signed waiver form, or a parent/guardian to sign you in. Youth waiver forms can be obtained in advance from the City website or through EarthCorps.

Refreshments will be sponsored by park neighbors and Village Mart on Juanita Drive.

Tools will be provided (you could bring a shovel in case we run out). EarthCorps will be managing the event. Please sign up at the EarthCorps website. Advance signup is important for planning purposes. However, volunteers who show up on the day are also welcome. Please contact project manager Lina Rose if you have questions about the event, lina@earthcorps.org, 206-322-9296 x 225.

Continuing the Green Kirkland Partnership is made possible through a grant from King Conservation District. For more information on the Partnership please check out the city’s Green Kirkland web page and Cascade Land Conservancy’s web page. Please check these websites for other volunteer opportunities.

What to Bring

  • Sturdy shoes or boots for mud
  • Work gloves
  • Layers of comfortable clothing
  • Water bottle
  • Travel mug for tea/coffee
  • Rain gear (if necessary)
  • Shovel – if you have one and please put your name on it

*** WATERPROOF BOOTS and RAIN GEAR *** that can get muddy.(if you are dressed warm and dry, working in the rain or cold is actually FUN!) from Karen Story who has been the key reason for the transformation of the park and its chief volunteer.

Driving Directions

  • Cotton Hill Park (110th Ave NE & NE 98th St., Kirkland):
  • From I-405, take the NE 85th Street/WA-908 exit (exit 18) and go west towards downtown Kirkland.
  • Turn right onto 6th Street (light at bottom of hill)
  • Turn right onto 12th Avenue.
  • Cross the railroad tracks and park at the dead end straight ahead.
  • Please consider walking, bicycling, carpooling, or taking the bus

Sincerely,
Cotton Hill Green Kirkland Partnership Team
Highlands Neighborhood, City of Kirkland, EarthCorps, UW Restoration Ecology Network, Cascade Land Conservancy

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What Was The Hot Price Range of The Week for Kirkland Home Sales, 11-11-09?

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on November 13, 2009 at 4:41 pm

The hot price range of the week in Kirkland?   $300-$399,999 and $1000-1499,999

  • Most number of home sales in Kirkland: $300-$399,999 and $1000-1499,999,  3 sales each.
  • Most number of homes for sale $1,000,000-1,499,999:  51 homes for sale. This number has remained fairly constant over the last few weeks and continues to be down from the summer’s highs.
  • Highest number of home sales in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:   10-7-09 when 24 homes sold.
  • There were 385 homes for sale in Kirkland and 11 homes sold last week.  The number of homes for sale in Kirkland is dropping, another good sign.  It’s good to see Kirkland home sales happening in both the affordable price range and the high end.

  • Peak  of homes and condos for sale in King County so far this year?
  • July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes and condos for sale in King County.
  • Week of 11-02-09   12,382 homes and condos for sale in King County, a slight increase from last week.
Kirkland Real Estate Sales- 11-11-09

Kirkland Real Estate Sales- 11-11-09

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 3.6 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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What Were The Odds of Selling Your Kirkland Home in October, 2009?

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on November 10, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Kirkland Real Estate Sales October 2009

Kirkland Real Estate Sales October 2009

There was a 18% chance of selling a home in Kirkland in October, 2009.

October, 2009       393 homes for sale         70 home sales                  18% odds of selling a home.

September, 2009    418 homes for sale   (now 52) 64 homes sold     (now 12%) 15% odds of selling.

October, 2008        507 homes for sale       22 homes sold          4% odds of selling a home.

*(Reflects the revised percentage of homes sold because some home sales failed.)

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.

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 October, there was a 18% chance of selling a home in Kirkland.  Out of 100 homes for sale, 18 homes received and accepted offers.

The median price in Kirkland declined by 29% from $709,475 to $500,000. The number of sales increased by 142% from last October! More buyers are feeling more secure about getting out and buying a home since prices are down and the economy seems to be picking up.  I am hopeful the 2010 home buyer tax credit, which now includes most buyers, will continue the positive trend in Kirkland real estate sales.

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

Looking for more national real estate information?  The Seattle-Eastside area is certainly not alone in declining home values.

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Hot Sales Price of the Week for Kirkland Homes, 11-02-09

In buyers, Kirkland News, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on November 6, 2009 at 3:04 pm

The hot price range of the week in Kirkland?   $400-$499,999

  • Most number of home sales in Kirkland: $400-$499,999, 3 sales.
  • Most number of homes for sale $1,000,000-1,499,999:  54 homes for sale. This number has remained fairly constant and continues to be down from the summer’s highs.
  • Highest number of home sales in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:   10-7-09 when 24 homes sold.
  • Home sales happened in most price ranges under $799,999 with one sale each in  $1,000-$1,499,999 and $1,500-$1,999,999 ranges.
  • There were 382 homes for sale in Kirkland and 14 homes sold last week.  The number of homes for sale in Kirkland is dropping, another good sign.
  • There are 35 less homes for sale than about 7 weeks ago.

     

  • Peak  of homes for sale in King County so far this year?
  • July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes and condos for sale in King County.
  • Week of 11-02-09   12,324 homes for sale in King County.  The lowest number of properties for sale in King County since February of this year!

Kirkland Home Sales, 11-04-09

Kirkland Home Sales, 11-04-09

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 3.1 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, 11-2-09

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on November 6, 2009 at 11:21 am

The drop in the number of homes and condos for sale in King County continues.   We have not seen these numbers since early February. Hmm…maybe it’s a good time to think about selling because there’s less competition!  Plus, the first time home buyer tax credit is looking like it may be extended and expanded to include other buyers!

The Kirkland Highlands Real Estate Buzz post reporting on the latest real estate activity in the neighborhood has moved from Fridays to Mondays.  The “Hot Price of the Week” post will now be at the end of the week instead.

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 Monday morning.


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: 25 (29)

New listings: 1 (1)

Pending inspection: 2 (0)

Pending: 0 (1)

Closed Sales: 0 (3)

Number of Price Reductions:  2  (1)

Price increase: 0(0)

Homes off the market that did not sell: 5 (3)

———————————–

0-$349,999: 1 (1)

$350,000-$499,999: 7 (7)

$500,000-$749,999:  9 (11)

$750,000-$999,999: 7 (7)

$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 1 (3)

$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 0 (0)
———————————–
Average Price of homes for sale: $656,175 ($702,212)

Median Price of homes for sale: $699,990 ($699,990)

Average Days on Market:  141 (142)

Highest Priced Listing: $1,250,000 ($1,298,000)

Lowest Priced Listing: $285,000 ($285,000)

There were no closed sales this week:

________________________________


7 Town homes on the market

———————

Peak in the number of homes for sale in 2009:

7-27-09  13,861

Now:

11-2-09 12,324

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