A GIANT in Seattle real estate who enjoys playing the saxophone, sailing, art, travel, and the outdoors.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Seattle Real Estate Market Review
The average home sold for 5% more and the median home sold for 4% more than in November of 2006. Homes that were priced right continued to sell well. The 65 homes that sold within the first 30 days of the listing date were purchased for just under 100% of the listing price (% sp/lp). While the 44 homes that sold between 31 to 60 days were purchased for just over 97% (% sp/lp).
A note to sellers, choose an agent who will price your home right. It will save you time and money.
A side note I've been tracking the last few months is the fact that there is a dramatic increase in listings that have not sold but have been taken off the market (i.e. expired, cancelled, temp. taken off the market) in central and north Seattle. Comparing November of 2007 to 2006 the number of homes that have been taken off the market is up by over 100%. Many sellers who do not need to sell are either renting or staying put. If these sellers were in a different position and had to sell now the market would look much different.
The Seattle Times ran a story today looking at the King County real estate market titled "Home prices slip to '06 level." The title speaks for itself. The current market is one that has not been scene for sometime. It is a buyers market in which sellers are making concessions.
Comparing October to November of this year, October was the slower month. One may wonder if October was the bottom of the current slow down. It is hard to say, but the answer to that questions will come in the months ahead.
With the holidays upon us the market will remain soft for the rest of the year and into next year. Things should pick up in the spring and summer of 2008. This winter is a great time to buy. The real estate market is unlikely to crash in Seattle like other areas of the country. The economy is good, job growth is good, and experts estimate 135,000 more people to move to Seattle in the next 5 years.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Work For Food!
I got the idea after driving to my mother’s home for Thanksgiving. While stopped at a light I saw a woman with a sign that read “Anything Helps.” This is a common sight but it prompt me to act.
My normal reaction to this situation is to act as though the homeless person is not there. If I can, I block my view so I don’t make eye contact. I then sit there feeling uncomfortable waiting for the light to change wishing I knew of a way to help, other than by giving them my spare change.
I’ve been acting out this same scene for years, but I’ve decided to do something about it in 2008.
There are over 8,000 homeless people living in Seattle. I intend to support two non-profits that are close to my office in Ballard, the Ballard Food Bank and the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s (PNA) Soup Kitchen.
The Ballard Food Bank’s mission is to assist individuals and families in maintaining self-sufficiency by providing assistance for basic needs. “We distribute food, clothing and personal hygiene items. In addition, we also have a meal program that provides three hot lunches a week, and we hold mail for those with no permanent address. These services are offered to Ballard, Queen Anne and Magnolia families who are having trouble making ends meet,” says Executive Director Nancy McKinney. “The majority of our income comes from private donations.”
According to Ann Bowden, Development Director of the PNA, “Our soup kitchen serves three meals a week, two lunches and one dinner. We feed 200-250 homeless, low income, elderly and disabled people each week or more than 22,000 each year.” The PNA partners with two churches, St. John United Lutheran on Phinney Ridge and Calvary Lutheran in Ballard. Much of the food comes from Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline. The soup kitchen requires one staff person and 5 to 6 volunteers to run and is a substantial expense to the PNA’s budget each year.
In a final gesture of goodwill, I will make the donations in the name of my clients. Even though the money will come from my personal proceeds, I’d like my clients to feel part of the giving experience.
For more information I can be contacted at 206-930-8238, info@AndrewLParker.com, or http://www.andrewlparker.com/ .
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Are buyer's agents needed?
When securing the listing the Listing Agent signs a contract with the seller and agrees to sell their home for the most money with the best terms. A Buyer’s Agent, on the other hand, agrees to represent the buyer and help them buy a home for the least money with the best terms.
Purchasing real estate is a complex and major transaction with many details to be handled. A Buyer’s Agent will help structure an appropriate offer and negotiate the terms that are in the buyer’s best interests, which is a service that is truly a good value.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Seattle Housing Market Prediction
Who’s right? It’s hard to say. Since we really can’t predict what the market will do, the important thing to keep in mind is that it is best to move when the timing is best for you. If you intend to buy and hold your home you should do fine because historically the value of real estate has always increased.
Our housing prices have national media guessing, Seattle PI http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/338733_economy08.html
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Super Beer XX!!! The PNA's Annual Winter Beer Taste
By the way I won’t be participating in the Ballard Art Walk in November. See you in December
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Seattle Real Estate Market Review
Homes that were priced right still sold right away. The 145 homes that sold within the first 30 days of the listing date were purchased for just over 100% of the listing price (% sp/lp). While the 41 homes that sold between 31 to 60 days were purchased for just over 97% (% sp/lp). A difference of about 3%. A note to sellers, choose an agent who will price your home right. It will save you time and money.
A side point I noted in my last entry, is the fact that there is a dramatic increase in listings that have not sold but have been taken off the market (i.e. expired, cancelled, temp. taken off the market) in central and north Seattle. Comparing October of 2007 to 2006 the number of homes that have been taken off the market is up by 69%. I believe many sellers who do not need to sell are either renting or staying put. If these sellers were in a different position and had to sell now the market would look much different.
With the holidays right around the corner the market will remain soft for the rest of the year. To conclude I expect the market in 2008 to be similar to 2007. Things should pick up in the spring and summer of 2008. This winter is a great time to buy. The real estate market is unlikely to crash in Seattle like other areas of the country. The economy is good, job growth is good, and experts estimate 135,000 more people to move to Seattle in the next 5 years.
This posting was edited on November 7th due to mathematical errors.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Super Beer XX!
Tickets are $25 for PNA members and $30 for the general public. Ticket sales are limited, so buy your tickets early.
View Confirmed Breweries List
For additional information, call (206) 783-2244 or email pna@phinneycenter.org.
Purchase Tickets Online
If you'd like to volunteer for this fun event and get free admission let me know!
Monday, October 29, 2007
TreeHouse Drop Site
For more information about Treehouse go to http://www.treehouseforkids.org/index.htm .
To view their wish list go to http://www.treehouseforkids.org/pdf/Treehouse%20Wish%20List.pdf .
Monday, October 22, 2007
PSI Basic Seminar...Amazing!!!
I’m on cloud nine and looking forward to the future!!!
http://www.psiseminars.com/index.html
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Seattle Real Estate Market Review
In September homes that were priced right were being snatched up. The 95 homes that sold within the first 30 days of the listing date were purchased for 100% of the listing price (% sp/lp). While the 32 homes that sold between 31 to 60 days were purchased for 97.54% (% sp/lp). A difference of about 2.5%.
To date the month of October is chilly. Comparing 2007 to 2006 the number of homes sold is down 50% and the average home has sold for 1% less and the median home sold for 4% less. I expect this trend to continue for the rest of the year.
An interesting side point, in the last 6 months the number of listings that have not sold (i.e. expired, cancelled, temp. taken off the market) has increased by 21% from the same time period last year. I believe many sellers who do not need to sell are either renting or staying put.
To conclude it's a great time to buy! The real estate market in Seattle is unlikely to crash like elsewhere. The economy is good, job growth is good, and experts estimate 135,000 more people to move to Seattle in the next 5 years.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Seattle Real Estate Market
Earlier this month, Forbes.com in their article “America’s Most Stable Housing Markets” lists Seattle at the top of the list. Saying, “The Emerald City has experienced strong price appreciation over the last six quarters, and that's expected to continue in the new year, though at a slower pace.”
The real estate market has slowed and with the holiday season around the corner it is expected to continue the trend. If you are a buyer it is a good time to get into the market before things pick up next year.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
First Time Homebuyer Assistance
One is sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. The loans have fixed interest rates that are typically below market, with 100% financing, and down payment assistance as well. To qualify you must first attend a free (5hr) Homebuyer Education seminar and use a Commission-trained loan officer. For more information go to http://www.wshfc.org/ .
The downside…the 5 hour seminar is a large time commitment. Also, the program’s money is pooled, which occasionally runs out. When it runs out, the homebuyer is placed on a waiting list.
A couple others are AmeriDream and HART (House Action Resource Trust), both non-profit organizations. With these the homebuyer receives gift money for their down payment, which they don’t have to pay back. AmeriDream offers a gift of up to 10% of the homes value and HART's gift is up to $15,000. Where does the “gift” money come from?...the home-seller. For more information go to http://www.ameridream.org/Homebuyers/ or http://www.hartprogram.com/staging/nuke/index.php .
The downside…the seller must cooperate. Also, some sellers may look at this proposal as a scam and it will take an extra effort to convince them otherwise. Although, with the seasonal slow down coming up fast it may be an option more sellers will consider.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
A good time to buy!
It has been a long time since Seattle’s market has seen these conditions. With home prices cooling a bit, buyers are in a stronger position to negotiate the terms of a deal to their advantage. In addition, the cost of buying is still historically low with interest rates just above 6%. Also, the fundamentals of Washington State's economy remain strong which points to continued growth.
If you are currently renting or if you are an investor who is looking for rental property now is a good time to buy.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Letter of Recommendation from a First Time Home Buyer
If you are contemplating taking the steps towards buying or selling a home, whether you are a first time buyer or a veteran homeowner, I strongly recommend you give Andrew Parker a call.
Recently, I experienced the pleasure of buying my first home. When I first started looking the whole process seemed rather daunting, and for good reason. Buying a home is not to be taken lightly; there are a lot of moving parts and it will most likely be the biggest investment you ever make. As such, I wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible. After looking online and scouring the papers I decided to get serious and called Andrew. I had met Andrew through volunteering and knew he was a trustworthy, friendly, experienced and intelligent realtor that would really work for me. I also specifically sought out Andrew because I knew he was not someone that would rush me to a decision.
Let’s just say I was thoroughly pleased with my choice. Andrew always provided me with up-to-date information on relevant houses in my price range and in the areas I was looking. In the houses we toured, he pointed out the good and the bad of each, making sure I had all the information I needed to make my decision. This was extremely helpful, as there were many things that can only be known with experience and I would have missed. When it finally came time to start signing papers, he talked me through each page and made sure I understood what I was signing before we moved on. He answered all my questions in a timely manner, returned all my calls and emails promptly and acted as a great liaison between the others we interacted with during the process.
When the dust settled, I was the owner of a great house and couldn’t be happier. Andrew definitely surpassed my expectations and can expect a call from me if I ever need his expert services again! I hope you give him a call, too.
Sincerely,
Nate Lemberg
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Magnolia Summer Festival and Art Show
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Seattle Real Estate Market Review
The average home appreciated 3.7% and the median home appreciated 3.1%, which is much less than what has been seen for some time. Buyers are still snatching up well priced homes though. Homes that sold within the first 30 days, were purchased for 101% of the listing price (% sp/lp), but homes that sold between 31 to 60 days were purchased for 97.89% (% sp/lp). A difference of just over 3%.
April was a hot month with the average home selling for 16% and the median selling for 11%more than in 2006. May was also a good month with an average of 10% and a median of 7%.
Typically the first 6 months of the year are the strongest and the market maybe beginning to slow for the year because the first 15 days of July look to be continuing June's trend.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Andrew Parker Jazz Quintet
On July 12th from 6-8 PM I’ll be performing at the park by the Magnolia Community Center, and on August 3rd from 3:00-3:45 PM I’ll be on the Main Stage of the Magnolia Summer Festival.
My quintet features Thomas Marriott on trumpet, Geoff Harper on bass, Joshua Rawlings on piano, and Matt Page on drums.
By the way, this month I won't be participating with the Ballard Art Walk. Instead, I'll be at the Summers Best Beer Taste at the PNA. If you'd like more information go to: http://www.phinneycenter.org/events/beer_summer.shtml
I hope to see you there!
-Andrew
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Real Estate Market Review
For the greater Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, and Greenlake areas March of 2007 beat 2006! More homes sold plus the average sales price divided by listing price (avg % sp/lp) is up about 1% from 101% in February to 102.5%. The market has heated up!
Sellers as I've mentioned before, homes that are not priced right take longer to sell and typically sell for less. Choose your asking price wisly. In March homes that sold within the first 30 days sold for 102.5% (avg % sp/lp) compared to homes that sold from 31 to 60 days sold for 98.66% (avg % sp/lp). A differance of almost 4% is nothing to sneeze at.
Appreciation continues to look good. When comparing the month of March in 2007 to 2006, the average home appreciated 8.4% and the median home appreciated 9.5%.
Buyers, be ready to move when you find the home that fits your criteria. The market is hot so expect multiple offers and escilation clauses for the gem properties.
Coming soon, the list of homes sold in zip codes 98119, 98199, 98107, 98117, and 98103 for March 2007.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Ballard Art Walk April 2007
April's art walk is on Saturday the 14th and runs from 6 to 9 PM. The address of my office is 1718 NW 56th Street, Seattle, WA 98107, and as always wine and hors d’oeuvre will be served.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Big Climb for Leukemia
The top two fund raisers are:
Andrew Parker $605.00
Katy Mills $345.01
The racing results are as follows:
Mary Tepky 15 minutes and 30 seconds
Jerry Allensworth 16 minutes and 15 seconds
Ken Gronvold 18 minutes and 8 seconds
Andrew Parker 19 minutes and 16 seconds
Robert Sailand 21 minutes and 25 seconds
Ruth Gronvold 23 minutes and 20 seconds
WAY TO GO RACERS!!!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Homes Sold in zip codes 98119, 98199, 98107, 98117, and 98103 February 2007
I advise Sellers to be careful when choosing a listing price. As it clearly shows above, homes that are not priced right take longer to sell and typically sell for less. Appreciation is looking good for the greater Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Greenlake area. The average home appreciated 8% and the median home appreciated 9% for the month of February 2006 compared to 2007. See below for more specific information for each zip code.
I advise Buyers to be ready to move when they find a home that fits their criteria. As it show above there is competition for homes that are priced right.
Zip Code 98119 Residential and Condo
A total of 25 homes sold in 98119. Of those 15 sold within the first 30 days and received 98.98% of the listing price, 4 sold between 31 and 60 days and received 97.45% of the listing price, 3 sold between 61 and 90 days and received 97.29% of the listing price, 1 sold between 91 and 120 days and received 98.27%, and 2 sold 120+ days and received 97.34% of the listing price.
View Listings link will be available for 30 days. http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locator&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=lTGmPH3gZKprsGBYNIDVhOaoxIIPzhZh%2BwECytdTlJo%3D&KeyRid=1
Zip Code 98199 Residentual and Condo
A total of 23 homes sold in 98199. Of those 13 sold within the first 30 days and received 100.84% of the listing price, 0 sold between 31 and 60 days, 5 sold between 61 and 90 days and received 97.19% of the listing price, 5 sold between 91 and 120 days and received 99%, and 0 sold 120+ days.
View Listings link will be available for 30 days. http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locator&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=lTGmPH3gZKprsGBYNIDVhIrhCpWdjVq8wlrdU6PZ5rc%3D&KeyRid=1
Zip Code 98107 Residential and Condo
A total of 39 homes sold in 98107. Of those 18 sold within the first 30 days and received 99.56% of the listing price, 7 sold between 31 and 60 days and received 100.11% of the listing price, 7 sold between 61 and 90 days and received 100.51% of the listing price, 4 sold between 91 and 120 days and received 98.89% of listing price, and 3 sold 120+ and received 99.8% of listing price.
View Listings link will be available for 30 days. http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locator&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=lTGmPH3gZKprsGBYNIDVhDYG2k1i0vo3NCMEiAjt31A%3D&KeyRid=1
Zip Code 98117 Residential and Condo
A total of 34 homes sold in 98117. Of those 26 sold within the first 30 days and received 100.58% of the listing price, 5 sold between 31 and 60 days and received 99.62% of the listing price, 0 sold between 61 and 90 days, 3 sold between 91 and 120 days and received 99.27% of listing price, and 0 sold 120+ days.
View Listings link will be available for 30 days. http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locator&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=lTGmPH3gZKprsGBYNIDVhOR0hk7nKzHlEG95V%2BpLJ%2BU%3D&KeyRid=1
Zip Code 98103 Residential
A total of 82 homes sold in 98103. Of those 49 sold within the first 30 days and received 100.5% of the listing price, 13 sold between 31 and 60 days and received 99.23% of the listing price, 7 sold between 61 and 90 days and received 98.04% of the listing price, 9 sold between 91 and 120 days and received 99.11% of listing price, and 4 sold 120+ days and received 99.23% of listing price.
View Listings link will be available for 30 days. http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locator&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=lTGmPH3gZKprsGBYNIDVhCJFICp3l9A5jQolkHgvuwk%3D&KeyRid=1
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Ballard Art Walk in March 2007
As part of the Ballard Art Walk, I’ll be hosting artist Akiko Kino in March. Akiko is a long-time resident of Tokyo, who has lived in the States for nearly three years. Her use of a knife instead of a brush to apply paint gives her paintings texture and dimension that you’ll want to see in person to truly appreciate. I expect this to be a great show so please stop by. To preview Akiko’s work go to http://www.andrewlparker.com/artwalk-Kino.htm.
March's art walk is on Saturday the 10th and runs from 6 to 9 PM. The address of my office is 1718 NW 56th Street, Seattle, WA 98107, and as always wine and hors d’oeuvre will be served.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Homes Sold in zip codes 98119, 98199, 98107, 98117, and 98103 January 2007
January of 2006 had a similar number of homes sold but the price sold to price listed has slipped slightly. I advise Sellers to be careful when deciding a listing price. As it clearly shows above homes that are not priced right take longer to sell and may sell for less.
Appreciation is looking good for the greater Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, Greenlake area. The average home appreciated 12% and the median home appreciated 7% for the month of January year-to-date.
See below for more specific information for each zip code.
Zip Code 98199 Residential and Condo
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Artist Colleen Lambert at the Ballard Art Walk in February 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Big Climb for Leukemia
As you are able, please help me reach my goal. I hope to personally raise $1,000.00 for this event, and your pledge of $35.00 or more will be greatly appreciated. Make your check out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and mail it to me Andrew L. Parker at RE/MAX Mutual Realty, 1718 NW 56th Street, Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98107.
If you'd like to join my team please let me know. We will be meeting once a week to train. It's a great opportunity to get in shape and have some fun.
For more information regarding the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society visit my website at http://www.andrewlparker.com/bigclimb-More%20Info.htm or to track our progress visit http://www.andrewlparker.com/bigclimb.htm.