Debra Sinick

Archive for January, 2010|Monthly archive page

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Attention Kirkland Walkers-”Take It to Make It”

In Kirkland WA, Safety and Disaster Preparedness on January 29, 2010 at 4:18 pm

Sadly, two young girls were hit by a car in Kirkland up on 100th Ave NE this past week. It is unfortunate to hear such news and I wish the two girls a speeding recovery from their injuries.

It seems as if there are more pedestrian/car accidents in the darkness of winter, which makes it even more important for walkers to remember to use the “Take it To Make It” yellow crossing flags where they are available.

Kirkland Walking signs

Kirkland-pedestrian safety signs

They can be found all over downtown Kirkland.  There are also many other intersections around the city where flags are available.  I don’t know if anyone has done a survey, but whenever I’ve been walking around downtown, I’d say probably 50% of the pedestrians use them when crossing the street.

The program’s success and pedestrian safety depends on people using the flags.  They really don’t work well if they are left in the buckets.

Kirkland walking flags

Yellow Pedestrian safety flags

I’m curious.  Do you use the flags when crossing Kirkland streets?  Why or Why not?

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Hot Sales Price of the Week for Kirkland Home Sales, 1-27-10

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, rails to trails, sellers on January 29, 2010 at 9:41 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 4 sales each.
  • Most number of homes for sale  $1000-1,499,999 with 40 homes for sale.
  • Exciting news $1,500,000-$1,999,999-3 homes sold.
  • There were 315 homes for sale in Kirkland and 19 homes sold last week.  There’s been good sales activity each week of 2010.
  • Most number of homes for sale in the last 7 weeks:  12-16-09,  342 homes for sale.
  • Highest number of homes sold in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:   last week, 1-20-10,  with 24 homes sold.

  • Peak  of homes and condos for sale in King County in 2009?
  • July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes and condos for sale in King County.
  • Week of 1-18-10   10,743  There are now almost 1000 more homes and condos for sale in King  County than the first week of the year.

There are less than 100 days to use the home buyer’s tax credit. If you’re going to sell your home, do it soon, so you can take advantage of more buyer activity.  Even with the increase in the number of properties for sale, the number is still on the low side.  There’s a good number of Kirkland homes sales and with the 2010 home buyer tax credit and great interest rates to attract home buyers, this may very well be the best time in 2010 to sell your Kirkland home.  I’m calling this the real estate trifecta, something every home seller and buyer can benefit from as the odds are more in favor of a stronger real estate market than we’ve seen in years.

Buyers, if you want to buy, start looking soon so you’re not rushed to buy a home during the last weeks of April.  If you start now, you’ll be able to learn the market and choose the home that works best for you.

Real Estate Sales in Kirkland, 1-28-10

Kirkland Home Sales 1-28-10

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 2.4 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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Hot Sales Price of the Week for Kirkland Homes, 1-20-10

In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on January 22, 2010 at 12:36 pm

What was the hot price range of the week in Kirkland?   $300-399,999

  • Most number of home sales in Kirkland: $300-399,999 7 sales.
  • Most number of homes for sale  $1000-1,499,999 with 41 homes for sale.
  • There were 303 homes for sale in Kirkland and 24 homes sold last week.  More home sales are happening.
  • Most number of homes for sale in the last 7 weeks:  12-9-09,  356 homes for sale.
  • Highest number of homes sold in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:   this week with 24 homes sold.

  • Peak  of homes and condos for sale in King County in 2009?
  • July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes and condos for sale in King County.
  • Week of 1-18-10   10,549  homes and condos for sale in King  County.  The numbers are creeping up bit by bit from the historic low of the first week of the year.

There are less than 100 days to use the home buyer’s tax credit. If you’re going to sell, do it soon, so you can take advantage of more buyer activity.  With the overall drop in the number of properties for sale, the increase in sales, and the 2010 home buyer tax credit, this is a good time to think about selling your home.  If you’re thinking of making a move in the spring, there’s likely to be more homes and condos for sale on the eastside, meaning more competition to sell.  Each week, there are more properties for sale.  Since the first of the year, we’ve add over 700 properties to the market.

Buyers, if you want to buy, start looking soon so you’re not rushed to buy a home in the last weeks of April.  If you start now, you’ll be able to learn the market and choose wisely.

Kirkland Real Estate Sales, 1-20-10

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 2.8 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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Kirkland Highlands Neighborhood Meeting This Wednesday

In Built Green, Kirkland WA on January 19, 2010 at 11:35 pm

Cow Poop into electricity?  Find out about at the Kirkland Highlands neighborhood meeting.

Wednesday, January 20, 7 pm

Maintenance Center, 915 8th St.

THREE interesting items on the agenda:

Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power Program This program stimulates demand for renewable energy by allowing residents and businesses to support local renewable projects including wind, biomass, and solar. Hear about:

  • How PSE’s voluntary program works
  • The impact of this voluntary market on renewable energy development
  • Spotlight on Washington dairy digesters: turning cow poop into electricity

The 116th Sidewalk Project (between 94th and 100th) will start soon!

The project engineer will present the design and the construction
schedule.

Sue Keller, Parks Board member and Highlands resident, will talk
about what’s going on in our city parks, how budget cutbacks will
affect parks, and what’s in the future for Kirkland’s parks system.

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Latest Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands, 1-18-10

In Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on January 19, 2010 at 1:21 pm

With the extension of the home buyer tax credit and the lower numbers of homes for sale, if you’re going to sell your home, get started now, rather than later in 2010. I’m getting a lot of calls from potential sellers and I know other Realtors are experiencing the same thing.

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 of this week.


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: 21 (20)

New listings: 1 (2)

Pending inspection: 0 (4)

Pending: 2 (3)

Closed Sales: 1 (0)

Number of Price Reductions: 1  (1)

Price increase: 0(0)

Homes off the market that did not sell: 1 (8)

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0-$349,999: 0 (0)

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

$500,000-$749,999:  7 (7)

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

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

$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 0 (0)
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Average Price of homes for sale: $649,351 ($662,819)

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

Average Days on Market:  64  (65)

Highest Priced Listing: $899,950 ($899,950)

Lowest Priced Listing: $359,950 ($369,950)

________________________________

Closed Sales:

$634,500 Last asking price: $689,500, first asking price: $775,000, sold in 193 days for 19% below the first asking price.

The number of homes for sale starts off at a lower point as there are about one third less homes for sale in The Kirkland Highlands than the peak of 2009.  This is good news.

Eight home sellers took their homes off the market in the last three weeks helping market time to drop in half.  Many of these homes had been on the market for a long time, so with the homes off the market, the time to sell a home dropped by 50%.  This trend continues and market time remains half of what was seen at the end of 2009.

Peak in the number of homes for sale in 2009:

7-27-09  13,861

Now:

1-18-09  10,549

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5 Town homes on the market

1 town home new on the market


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Working Hard at The Kirkland Highlands’ Cotton Hill Park

In Kirkland WA on January 19, 2010 at 12:27 am

The weather cooperated as it was the only sunny day we’ve seen in 2010.  Okay, maybe there’s been some sun, but this was one of this year’s better days out of the 18 we’ve had so far.  It was a great day to help clean up the park.  The park is really looking good.  Thanks to all of those who worked hard today.  Thanks to Karen Story for organizing the event.

Working In Cotton Hill Park

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Kirkland’s Cotton Hill Park Clean Up Continues Monday, 1-18-10

In Exploring Kirkland, Kirkland WA on January 17, 2010 at 10:50 am

Working in Kirkland's Cotton Hill Park

Martin Luther King Day of Service at Cotton Hill Park
Sponsored by United Way and the UW

Monday January 18 (no school)
10am-3pm (you do not have to stay the whole time)
Cotton Hill Park (110th Ave NE and NE 98th St)

Snacks, beverages, and some tools provided.

Things to bring if you have them:
gloves
clippers
shovel
stiff rake

WEAR BOOTS!!! It will be very wet and muddy!

Volunteers will be working with UW students and the Highlands Neighborhood to remove invasive plants from this year’s UW Restoration Ecology student project site. Under 14 must have parent supervision; age 14-17 must have signed parent permission or be accompanied by an adult.

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Will Kirkland Have an Off Leash Area For Dogs?

In Kirkland WA on January 16, 2010 at 5:13 pm

The following is a reprint of the article I wrote on Kirkland Views:

I always kid my husband that if we ever break up our dog is a real “people” magnet.  He’d have no trouble meeting people, especially the female kind, if he has Henry, our dog, by his side.  Dogs do that for their people.  Dogs are magnets for other dog lovers.  People love to talk to other people who have pets.  Dogs help break down barriers between people, making it easy for people to meet.

Therein lies the beauty of an off leash area for dogs.  Dog parks or off leash areas are as much for dogs as they are for the people who own the dogs.  Off leash areas provide opportunities for critters with 2 or 4 legs to socialize.  There are off leash areas in Redmond, Tacoma, Shoreline, Bellingham, Gold Bar, Monroe, Medina, Bellevue, Mercer Island amongst many other places, but none in Kirkland.

People and Their Dogs Enjoying Marymoor Park

There’s  an active group, KDOG, Kirkland Dog Off Leash,  working hard to finish the earlier work done to put an off leash area in place in a Kirkland park.   The most recent dog park advocates joined together after Jean Guth sent out a Craig’s List message about a Kirkland dog park.  Three people answered that first Craig’s List ad.  Jean is the president of KDOG and now there’s a list of 171 people who receive meet-up announcements. KDOG is a 5013C, a non-profit group.  A petition filled with over 600 names asking for a Kirkland dog park will be presented to the City Council.

Approximately, 37% of all home owners own at least one dog.  That’s a lot of dogs and a lot of people, dogs, and people who would benefit from the interactions available in an off leash area.  This could be you or your friends and neighbors.

I don’t have a dog, so why would this benefit me?

A Dog Park or an off leash area is an added amenity to a city and its citizens.  It makes the city that much more attractive and desirable to those 37% of dog owners.

In an earlier blog post I wrote:

“Dog parks are high on the list of amenities home owners appreciate having in their community…

When we Realtors look for homes for our buyers, we look at all the location offers.  Homes with great streets, good commutes, access to shopping, good schools, parks and dog parks add value to daily living and dollars to home prices.  From a real estate point of view, a city/neighborhood dog park can only add value to living in Kirkland for everyone.

Over the years, I’ve sold a number of homes in Redmond, near Microsoft.  Marymoor, and its dog park, are a huge draw to people.

Most people want to stay near home for errands and services.  People who go elsewhere for off leash areas spend their money elsewhere, not in Kirkland.  It’s important to keep dollars in Kirkland and to support our local businesses.  It helps protect the vitality of our community for all.

Kirkland park maintenance has been drastically cut back due to budget cuts and each park needs a stewardship organization to help maintain the park.  KDOG could fill that need at a park which has a designated off leash area.

Will this cost me money?

No, KDOG has funds and can raise between $40-60,000 for stewardship of an off leash area.  Renton’s off leash supporters, RUFF, has raised close to $50,000.

Can this group, KDOG, get it together?

Yes,  they planned Go Dog Go, a fund raiser and event for dogs and dog lovers, last summer with minimal help from the city.   The group also presented a $3000 check to the city to be used to purchase dog waste bags.

Seven vendors are already on board for this year’s Go Dog Go event.

What does the Park Board have to say?

To: Park Board

From: Jennifer Schroder, Kirkland City Parks Dept.

October 3, 2008

Dogs and Parks

CITY OF KIRKLAND Department of Parks & Community Services 505 Market Street, Suite A, Kirkland, WA 98033 425.587.3300 www.ci.kirkland.wa.us

MEMORANDUM

It is recommended that Park Board consider Kirkland Dog Off-leash Group’s (KDOG) request to seek City Council approval to conduct public hearings for an off-leash area in certain parks.

Background: In 2004 the Board recommended to the Council a process to follow when a citizen stewardship group voiced interest to support an off-leash area within a Kirkland park. On October 19, 2004 the Park Board recommended the following process:

Include off-leash dog areas as a program element for public consideration as part of all future park master planning projects.

When a stewardship group steps forward to champion an off-leash area, the following criteria should be followed:

Conduct a Public Hearing on park sites identified by the Park Board as sites to consider for an off leash area.

Involve Neighborhood Associations in the public process,  Funding for start up costs and ongoing maintenance should be offset by user fees, donations and volunteer stewardship.

On November 16, 2004 the Council passed Resoulution-4478 approving the Board’s recommendation regarding dogs and parks, as amended:

Include off-leash dog areas as a program element for public consideration as part of all future park master planning projects.

When a stewardship group steps forward to champion an off-leash area, the following criteria should be followed:

  • Conduct a Public Hearing.
  • Involve Neighborhood Associations in the public process
  • Funding for start-up costs and ongoing maintenance should be offset by user fees,
  • donations, and volunteer stewardship.

Jean Guth has a letter for the City Council which will be presented to the Council during it’s Tuesday night, January 19th meeting:

Dear Kirkland City Council Members,

Happy New Year from KDOG (Kirkland Off-Leash Dog Group). KDOG has established itself as the stewardship group for off leash areas in Kirkland. We are coming before the new City Council asking that the new Council Members uphold the agreement that was issued in 2004 (Resolution-4478), regarding creating off-leash areas in Kirkland. Resolution-4478 states the following:

When a stewardship group steps forward to champion an off-leash area, the following criteria should be followed:
1.    Conduct a Public Hearing on park sites identified by the Park Board as sites to consider for an off-leash area.
2.    Involve Neighborhood Associations in the public process
3.    Funding for start up costs and ongoing maintenance should be offset by user fees, donations, and volunteer stewardship.

Six years have passed since this resolution. Off-leash areas are the norm in communities now, not a novelty. Kirkland is fortunate to have so many great examples of off-leash areas to use as a model, to pick from the best practices, and it’s time to offer Kirkland residents this type of recreation. KDOG has stepped forward to provide donations and volunteer stewardship at off-leash areas. The studies have been done (see the attached history of the off-leash discussions in Kirkland over the last 6 years), it’s time to move forward with off-leash areas on your agenda.

Hmm, it sure looks like Jean Guth’s and KDOG’s request is exactly what Jennifer Schroder sent to the Park Board in her memo dated October 3rd, 2008.

The group has met the stewardship criteria for an off leash area.  The issue needs to be out there for public consideration.

How can you support an off leash area for dogs in Kirkland?

Sign the online petition and/or go to next week’s City Council meeting, Tuesday, January 19th in City Council Chambers, City Hall, 123 Fifth St. at 7 PM to show your support for KDOG.

What do you think?  Should there be an off leash area in Kirkland?

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Hot Price Range for Kirkland Home Sales, 1-13-10

In Kirkland WA, Real estate, Weekly market update on January 15, 2010 at 3:34 pm

What was the hot price range of the week in Kirkland?   $300-399,999

  • Most number of home sales in Kirkland: $300-399,999 4 sales.
  • Most number of homes for sale, a new price range!  $500-599,999 with 42 homes for sale.
  • The “traditional” price range with the most number of homes,  $1,000,000-1,499,999, is now second with 41 homes for sale.
  • There were 305 homes for sale in Kirkland and 16 homes sold last week.
  • The number of homes for sale in Kirkland was at the lowest point last week that we’ve seen in years.  It just started to creep up, with the addition of 15 more homes for sale.
  • Most number of homes for sale in the last 7 weeks:  12-9-09,  356 homes for sale.
  • Highest number of homes sold in Kirkland in the last 7 weeks:   12-2-09 and this past week, 1-13-10, when 16 homes sold each week.

  • Peak  of homes and condos for sale in King County in 2009?
  • July 27th marked a high of 13,861 homes and condos for sale in King County.
  • Week of 1-11-10   10,294  homes and condos for sale in King  County.  Not as low a number as last week,  but still a low number for the number of homes on the market in the past three years.

With the overall drop in the number of properties for sale, the increase in sales, and the 2010 home buyer tax credit, this is a good time to think about selling your home.  If you’re thinking of making a move in the spring, there’s likely to be more homes and condos for sale on the eastside, meaning more competition to sell.

Kirkland Real Estate Sales, 1-14-10

Kirkland Home Sales 1-13-10

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 2.9 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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Kirkland Highlands’ Resident Talks About Park Maintenance

In Kirkland WA on January 14, 2010 at 4:30 pm

There’s been a lot of change in Kirkland since the start of 2010.  Not only do we have a city council with many new members, we’re beginning to witness the effect of budget cuts in Kirkland.  Last fall, a measure to raise the utility tax in Kirkland was defeated, so some services had to go this year.  The parks have been hit substantially as Kirkland Highlands’ resident, Andrea Gerth recently noticed on Seattle’s PI website. There are no more garbage cans and port o’ potties.  Restrooms are all locked.  Residents are asked to “pack it out” and carry out anything brought into the parks.

Ms. Gerth mentioned the need for support from citizens for the parks.

Gerth, a member of the Highlands Neighborhood Association Board, is looking for ways to organize volunteers to clean up her neighborhood park.  “It’s getting the commitment to have someone out there,” she said. “Yesterday, I took a trash bag with me to pick up trash. That’s probably what I’ll start doing.”

The Heathman Hotel is one of the first businesses to “step up to the plate” and adopt a park.

We are honored and committed to providing this community service to Kirkland and helping to care for this incredible resource we know as Heritage Park. We hope that other local companies and community groups will follow suit and join us in such endeavors in support of our city in these most challenging times, said Les Utley, general manager of The Heathman Hotel in Kirkland.

The hotel has committed to the stewardship of Heritage Park.  Perhaps other Kirkland citizens/businesses should also help maintain the parks.  What do you think?

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