Here is the latest chart for what home prices are doing in your area. The data in the chart are for NE Seattle, single family homes through the end of 2009.
The good news is that prices were up for the second month in a row.
Lets hope the trend continues for the future months.
If you are curious to find out about any other neighborhoods, let me know and I can forward them to you.
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Find out what your neighbors are selling for!
Typically in a recession we see an increase in crime. Many of you have expressed a concern regarding the crime rate now being seen in the Maple Leaf area. The Maple Leaf Community Council has organized a meeting to try to address those concerns. You are welcome to bring your questions and concerns for the distinguished panel of local policy makers. The panel is scheduled to include:
City Attorney Peter Holmes
Councilmember Tim Burgess, Chair of the Public Safety Committee
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Seattle Police North Precinct Captain Robin Clark
Seattle Police Community Policing Team Sergeant Dianne Newsome
Seattle Crime Prevention Coordinator Diane Horswill
The meeting is scheduled for:
What: Maple Leaf Community Council General Meeting
Date: Wednesday, January 27
Time: 7-9 pm
Place: Olympic View Elementary, 5th NE and NE 95th
There will be free child care for those of you with children.
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Rob Graham, Your Maple Leaf Expert
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
Offered at $334,950
For those of you looking to capitalize on the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, and looking for a home in a great neighborhood, here is a fantastic option for you.
Features:
The skylights provide plenty of light in this great space. Plenty of living space and storage. Enjoy the yard or barbeque on the deck. The home is available for showings whenever is convenient for you. Give me a call to schedule a showing. I’d be happy to let you in.
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Rob Graham, Your Maple Leaf Expert
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
With the leaves turning a good selling tip occurred to me. Some of the nicest things a seller can do is offer a small photo album in the home when it is listed. It is a great marketing tool. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but something that shows any remodeling that has been done and the home at different times of the year.
A book of photos keeps the buyer in the home for a longer period of time and also gives them a greater appreciation for the home at different times of the year.
Obviously a potential buyer is only going to see the home at one time of the year before making an offer. Why not have photos of your garden in mid summer bloom, or a picture of that beautiful maple as it turns colors in the fall. These kinds of photos need to be taken when they are available and not when you are planning on listing the home.
So grab your camera and get out there and start clicking. Keep the photos on a disk and store them away somewhere. When it comes time to list the home, give the photos to the listing agent and tell them to get to work.
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Rob Graham, Your Maple Lear Expert
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
More difficult news for Maple Leaf homeowners. For the third straight month, the amount of time it is taking to sell a home in NE Seattle has increased.
Further signs that a recovery may not yet be in full swing recently as the North West Multiple Listing Service released its numbers for the month of September. The average number of days homes are taking to sell rose from 86 in August to 93 in September. This is an even more dramatic number when compared to a 61 Day average in July.
Take into consideration as well that this does not include the homes that do not sell and are taken of the market. Overall I would suggest that this is a reflection of the fact that homebuyers are still bargain hunting. The homes that are being bought are those that have been on the market for some time and sellers are viewed as more flexible in their price.
Still, with the first time home buyer tax credit about to expire, the coming months should be interesting. If the credit is extended we should see a typical seasonal slowdown but stability to prices overall. If the tax credit disappears, we could see a significant drop in activity and a return to mid recession activity levels.
Let me know if you need help.
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Rob Graham, Your Maple Leaf Expert
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
August is rarely a banner month for real estate. Agents and buyers go on vacation and are distracted by getting the kiddies back to school. The following chart for August sales in North Seattle indicates just that.
August saw an increase of the number of homes for sale by 5%, while sales dropped by 20%.
What is a bit more of a concern is the trend over recent months indicated by the red line, of fewer pending sales as well as sales.
Combined the numbers would suggest that things are settling out at the bottom. We need to see some more enthusiasm on the part of buyers to continue in the right direction.
Hopefully the impending expiration of the first time home buyer tax credit will motivate some more people to purchase this fall.
Anecdotally I can tell you that activity seems to have picked up since Labor Day. Lets hope that trend continues.
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Rob Graham, Your Maple Leaf Expert
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
Maple Leaf: if you are keeping a sharp eye on the market it may have felt like things cooled off in august, well they did. August is traditionally a slightly slower month for home buyers. Many go on vacation as do many agents. Still others are simply focused on getting the kiddies ready to head off to school again. As such, August typically sees a slow down in activity, both in homes coming on the market and buyer activity.
Have no fear though. Now that Labor Day has passed things return to normal until around Thanksgiving. After that we start to hibernate for winter. If you are thinking of coming on the market in 2009, don’t hesitate. Now is the time to come on to take advantage of the fall buying season.
Give me a call if you want a free analysis of your home and custom marketing plan. Its all Free.
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Rob Graham, Your Maple Leaf Expert
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
robgraham@windermere.com
I received this e-mail today from the Maple Leaf Community Council and wanted to pass it on. I will be at an open house unfortunately but the more hands on deck the better.
Dear Neighbor —
Maple Leaf neighbors rock! What a fabulous response to our request for volunteers to help with cleaning up the grounds at Waldo Hospital. We’re still determining the work party details, but we wanted to not delay any longer with the date:
Date: Sunday, September 13 (this Sunday)
Time: 10am start
Place: Waldo Hospital. 8511 15th Ave NE
Meet in the parking lot and we’ll point you to what needs to be done.
Please also watch your e-mail for updates on what tools we need people to bring. Assume that you should bring gardening clothes, sturdy gloves, and a bucket or something similar to carry weeds/grass/whatever from your work area to a collection point.
We’ll have more details between now and Sunday.
Thank you!
David Miller
For the Waldo Working Group &
Maple Leaf Community Council
If you have ever tried to get rid of an old computer or monitor you know how difficult it can be. Many places will not take them and some will charge you to take them away.
Here is a free way to get rid of those old computers and monitors.
My office has invited a company to come for one day, August 29th (this Saturday) from 10 AM to 2 PM. They will take all computer components for free. Here is my address. They will be here all afternoon if you want to stop by and empty out some space in the attic or garage.
Windermere Real Estate
8401 35th Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98115
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Rob Graham, Rob Graham Real Estate Group
Windermere Real Estate
206-321-6349
I know you guys love to keep an eye on your neighbors, so here you go. Here are each of the home sales in Maple Leaf over the past 30 days.
| Address |
Bed |
Bath |
SqFt |
Lot SF |
Year Built |
Sale Date |
Days |
Price |
|
9746 4th Ave NE #B |
3 |
2.5 |
1,335 |
NL |
2009 |
8/14/2009 |
0 |
309,950 |
|
2148 NE 100 St |
2 |
1 |
1,300 |
6090 |
1926 |
8/7/2009 |
12 |
226,000 |
|
1802 NE 96th St |
2 |
1 |
NL |
4957 |
1944 |
7/30/2009 |
105 |
232,000 |
|
1221 NE 102nd St |
2 |
1 |
NL |
NL |
1926 |
8/7/2009 |
6 |
320,000 |
|
518-A NE 91st St |
3 |
1 |
1,766 |
5002 |
1924 |
8/4/2009 |
375 |
342,500 |
|
1240 NE 95 St |
3 |
2 |
1,238 |
4855 |
1942 |
8/7/2009 |
29 |
356,000 |
|
8045 Brooklyn Ave NE |
4 |
1.75 |
2,060 |
3840 |
1923 |
7/27/2009 |
57 |
449,000 |
|
9017 Latona Ave NE |
3 |
2.5 |
3,070 |
6089 |
1977 |
8/20/2009 |
49 |
460,000 |
|
1652 NE 86th St |
2 |
1.75 |
1,920 |
6380 |
1941 |
8/12/2009 |
2 |
463,000 |
|
1535 NE 103rd St |
3 |
2.5 |
1,770 |
8594 |
1983 |
7/31/2009 |
37 |
465,000 |
|
1014 NE 88th |
3 |
2 |
1,603 |
6380 |
1926 |
8/6/2009 |
42 |
473,000 |
|
1215 NE 96th St |
4 |
2.5 |
2,580 |
5014 |
2001 |
8/25/2009 |
142 |
495,000 |
|
8801 Latona Ave NE |
4 |
2.5 |
2,350 |
7683 |
1997 |
8/12/2009 |
158 |
589,000 |
So here is how the numbers shake out.
13 Sales
Median Price: $449,000
Average Days to sell: 78
For those of you curious, there are currently 50 Listings for sale in Maple Leaf through the Multiple Listing Service. That is an absorption rate of just under 4 months. That is actually a slight increase from previous months.
I suggest that a lot of the “bad”inventory has been absorbed by the market and we may be returning to more typical arms length transactions. (less bankruptcies and short sales) I’ll keep an eye on the trend in current months, so come on back to stay up to date.
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Rob Graham Real Estate Group
Your Maple Leaf Experts
206-321-6349