Real estate

Columbia……highly sought after

 
Remember a time when kids actually played outdoors?  Football in the streets, hide and seek….  What a refreshing pleasure to hear their laughter and playful screams. When you hoped the bags of Halloween candy you bought would be enough.        

When you took an evening stroll to the local park to hear the summer music series?  Families bike riding together……Welcome to the Columbia district of Bellingham.

A very tight-knit, family-oriented neighborhood comprised of Victorian Classics ( homes built in late 1800’s to early 1900’s), remodels, and bungalows with average home prices in the upper 200’s to mid-300 price range.  Pride of ownership and individuality shows here with well maintained homes and close attention to gardening and landscaping.  For this reason, home-values in this neighborhood tend to hold due to so many wanting to live here, raise their families here, and their children able to attend  Columbia Elementary.

Within walking distance to Little Squalicum Park and Beach and downtown Bellingham, Columbia is also a mobile neighborhood allowing many to bike or walk to work and walk to school.  A gardener’s paradise, with good size lots (on average 5000 sq.ft), to plant food and flower gardens.  Where you’ll see cornstalks on the side of the road, sugar snap peas ” take a pea but please don’t  leave one”!  Also, Home of the Annual Columbia Garden Tour  showcasing some of the finest gardens in Bellingham.

Also within walking distance is Elizabeth Park, one of the oldest parks in Bellingham with walking pathways, squirrels galore, tennis courts and a Gazebo where summer concerts can be heard or plays enacted.    Newer to the Columbia area is Squalicum Creek Park with it’s new baseball diamond and plenty of bike paths and walking trails.                                    

                           

It is quite obvious why so many want to reside in this fabulous community, with all it has to offer;Sense of community, location, educational systems and look at all the activities to be had……
Welcome home to the Columbia neighborhood..

Real estate

Internet Home Search: Drinking from a firehose

The Internet  is no longer a fad, much to the chagrin of a good friend of mine who will remain nameless. His stock in Beta tapes, Laser Discs, and Pepsi Clear are hopefully rounding his portfolio out nicely, and it’s from this perch that there are  few squatters left.

The solution the Internet solved was the lack of Information Now!, a movement that swept across the nation with the such speed that there’s not even an 80’s Pop reference I can make to draw a close-enough comparison, though jams and break-dancing are close.  It got you real estate information, whatever it was, when you wanted it, and when it didn’t get there quick enough, they went to fiber-optics, cell phone towers, and a failed attempted bringing back carrier pigeons.

And it solved problems…but questions beget questions.  And the one thing the ‘Innanet didn’t do, was ask you why?  Imagine the time saved?

Long tail searches have really fleshed out this trend, where your computer, or G-Mail can almost see where you’re coming from, through algorithms  but not really.  “Live performances Final Countdown WAV” searched at 3:00AM  doesn’t need an explanation, it’s just basic curiosity, but ” Homes Bellingham Under $300,000″ can return, oh say, more than your share of sites.  And you just have a simple question.  That’s where we come in.

You might  get a call asking why, mainly because for every 5 billion  people who are looking online at homes, there are a few that have valid questions to be answered, and are frustrated because drinking through a fire hose doesn’t ever seem to quench thirst.  No one’s ever stood back up, and said “That hit the spot!” unless they were part of a very poorly written satire for the WB (that took a lot of time and effort to write, but did the execs call back? No).

So here’s why we’re calling. Offering problems to solutions, and here’s my list of how:

Looking for a property online? You’ve got three thousand Bellingham real estate websites at your disposal, and yet all you’d like to do is see all the three bedroom, 2 bathroom homes under 1,500 square feet.  You’d like to see them as soon as they come on the market if possible, because you’ve seen all the others, and they’re starting to blend together!  What if you only checked your e-mail, clicked on a link that showed you just these?

Researching the area?You’re interested in waterfront, lakefront, mountain view property but don’t know the area that well, the pricing for certain areas and why they might be higher than others, how close are the schools, are they any good?  What if there was someone who’s job it was to know all of these things, and keep you up to date with bulleted lists and photos?

Looking at homes based on what the listing price is? You’re looking to either move here, downgrade your home size,  check out second homes, or condos, but are amazed at the prices, and wonder if there are any hidden costs, association rules, or more importantly DUES?  What if the home has been on the market for 900 days, with no price reductions and the seller is ravenous to take any offer? What if there was a contact you’d made that could get you this info on all properties?

Looking at getting your feet wet by previewing a few homes? You’ve made your list of 19 homes that might meet what you’re looking for, but looking at the list it’s daunting. Some might have 3 bedrooms, some might have 3 bedrooms and an office that would fit what you’re looking for, but you could cut down your tour by about 10 homes if someone had walked through these before after talking to you for a little bit, and got a sense of exactly what your tastes were?

Looking online for a lender to give you the best rates? You’ve checked out homes online, and are ready to talk with a lender so you know which homes are in your realm , but you’re afraid of just putting your information into any system. You want someone who knows the programs, who’s done this a million times successfully without any hiccups, and is going to explain to you your options; the good ones, and the bad ones, and the ones you should just steer clear from, but you don’t know how to find these people.  What if there was someone who worked with lenders EVERYDAY, and knows the folks who follow through and have a great temperament for what you might be facing? First-time home-buyers, haven’t bought a home in a few years, or are just curious if there have been any changes?  What if there were someone who does this everyday that can take 5 minutes and walk you through the process?

Wondering what buying a home entails, start to finish?

Where to start if I want this to be a fairy tale, rather than a woe of caution? You’ve tossed and turned over whether or not this is a good idea for you, but have a zillion questions, and need a plan.  A successful plan to get you where you need to go.  What if there were one available, tailored to what you wish to accomplish?

Your answer could be a real estate agent.  Yes, you can do it yourself.  You can build a house yourself.  My Dad fixed the sink by himself, and watered his forehead and Chuck Norris T-shirt every time he went to get a glass of water, before they called a professional to come in and do the job correctly, quickly, and at minimal cost. And no round house kicks for disrespect.

Click to chat below, if you’ve got any questions, and I’m available!

Real estate

Bellingham Real Estate Market Report for May, 2009

The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market.

• Currently Active Listings: 525
• Price range of active listings – $124,900 – $3,450,000
• Average List Price $536,937 Days on the Market: 116
• Median List Price: $409,000 Days on the Market: 73
• Sold in May: 82
• Average List Price: $321,191
• Average Sales Price: $313,104
• Ratio of List to Price: 97.5% Days on the Market: 81
• Median List Price: $288,000
• Median Sales Price: $275,500 Days on the Market: 42
• Ratio of List to Price: 95.7%
• Pending Sales Last Week: 40 Total pending sales: 186

• Average Sales Price May 2008: $345,248
• Median Sales Price May 2008: $304,000
• Number Sold in May, 2008: 82

The Average Sales price is down 9.3% compared to May 08 and down 6.9% compared to last month April 09.

The Median Sales prices is the same as May 08 and up by 11 compared to April 09.

The number of sales is up down by 8 or 10% compared to May 08 and up by 16 or 29% compared to last month April 09.

Condo Analysis for Bellingham

• Currently Active Listings: 303
• Price range of active listings – $99,000 – $1,565,000
• Average List Price $248,205 Days on the Market: 199
• Median List Price $199,500 Days on the Market: 114
• Sold in May: 12
• Average List Price: $197,329
• Average Sales Price: $189,185
• Ratio of List to Price: 95.9% Days on the Market: 197
• Median List Price: $188,400
• Median Sales Price: $179,000
• Ratio of List to Price: 95.0% Days on the Market: 164
• Pending Sales Last Week: 7 Total pending sales: 34

• Average Sales Price May, 2008: $207,058
• Median Sales Price May, 2008: $198,975
• Sold in May, 2008: 34

Average Condo sale price is down 8.6% from May 2008 and down 35.5% from last month – April  2009

Median Sales Price is down 10,1% from May 2008 and up 18.1% from last month – April  2009

The number of condo sales is down by 22  compared to May 2008 and  down by 18 compared to last month – April 2009.

Prices are coming down in Bellingham, and there are some great values in the Bellingham market right now, and interest rates are still extremely low. You might want to take a look at what it would cost you to purchase one of these homes at today’s rates. You might be surprised at what your monthly payments would be, maybe less than your paying for rent right now if you are renting a comparable sized house.

There is also a newly passed First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit of $8,000 available to anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years. You might want to talk to your banker to see what you can afford.

If you have any questions or want to see any Bellingham Property feel free to email me at or give me a call at 360-739-6981

Real estate

Sudden Valley Real Estate Market Report for May, 2009

The following is a quick analysis of the Residential Bellingham real estate market in Sudden Valley.

There are currently 117 homes for sale. Homes are priced from $110,000 – $995,000

• Average Asking Price is $336,076 Average Days on Market are 114 days
• Median Asking Price is $299,000 Median Days on Market are 61 days
• 5 Homes sold in May
• Average Listing Price $277,540
• Average Sold Price $271,091 Average Days on Market 48
• Median Listing Price $247,900
• Median Sold Price $230,500 Median Days on Market 43
• Pending Sales Last Week: 4 Total pending sales: 38

Condo Analysis for Sudden Valley

There are currently 8 condos for sale. Condos are priced from $89,500 – $299,900

• Average List Price $209,013 Average Days on the Market: 146
• Median List Price $209,950 Median Days on the Market: 96
• Sold in May: 0
• Pending Sales Last Week: 1 Total pending sales: 3

There are some great values in the Sudden Valley market right now, and interest rates are still extremely low.

Don’t forget about the First Time Home Buyer’s Tax Credit of $8,000 available to anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past 3 years, ask your lender about using that tax credit for part of you downpayment or closing costs.

You might want to talk to your banker to see what you can afford. You might be surprised at what your monthly payments would be, maybe less than your paying for rent right now if you are renting a comparable sized house.

If you have any questions or want to see any Sudden Valley homes or condos feel free to email me or give me a call at 360-739-6981.