These two signs are five minutes away from my condo in the Harbour Pointe neighborhood, Mukilteo, WA. I can be on I-5 in Lynnwood, or I-405 in Bothell within five minutes of leaving my neighborhood.

No bridges, no tolls, no driving way north to get on I-405, no driving way north to get on I-5…

Buy in Mukilteo, live near water, great schools, restaurants, shopping, and because of the freeway and highway proximity…you’re close to everything.

Give me a call to see listings that match your wants and needs in Mukilteo, WA.

Do I have to pay full price?  Can I offer 10% less? How do I know what to offer? 

All questions I’ve been asked by first time home buyers (and asked when I was one!)

Back before homes were as affordable as they are now,  I knew I wanted to buy.  I wasn’t involved in real estate yet, so I didn’t know the drill like I do now.  I would constantly be looking for homes and condos that were at least near my price range, and wonder how much the seller would come down in price.  I would obsess over purchase prices, interest rates, and the Windermere mortgage calculator.   The idea of buying was new to me so I had millions of questions. 

One big thing I always wanted to know was:  what is the percentage of the purchase price that the seller will come down?

This question varies A LOT, and depends on the seller.  Every home is priced differently.  Some sellers are motivated, and don’t even care about making money off of the sale.  Some don’t need to sell, and will stay if they don’t get exactly the offer they want. 

I thought this would be a fun stat to research.  I searched the last two weeks in Snohomish county solds, and found right around 100 sold listings.  Average list price: $287,299.  Average sale price: $271,393.

 On average, buyers in Snohomish county bought homes for 94.4% of the list price in the last two weeks. Don’t be afraid to offer a little less.  Don’t be surprised if a seller will not sacrifice 5.6%of their list price.  

Can’t wait to help you decide what to offer on your first (second, or third…) home!!

Most people I know have absolutely no idea how much home they could afford right now.  Maybe think buying a home is out of the question, when really you could afford an upgraded 3 bedroom home in your favorite neighborhood?   Or a swanky downtown condo?

Once you click this link and figure out what you might be able to afford, let’s make a plan to get you in a home!  There is a lot of inventory out there.  Every day I fall in love with homes and condos, some are ridiculously affordable.   Maybe your new place is already out there waiting for you!

Do you live in Bothell?  Want to??  29 condos have sold in the last 31 days in your hood.  Here is a little more info on them…

The listings in this analysis can be summarized as follows:

Priced between $117,000 and $344,950

Selling Price between $110,000 and $335,000

1 to 3 Bedrooms

1.00 to 3.00 Bathrooms

739 to 2,179 Square Feet

$109 to $292 per Square Foot

$108 to $277 per Sold Square Foot

Built between 1979 and 2010

4 to 424 Days on Market

 

It’s SUPER important to know what’s happening in the area of a home you are thinking of buying.  If it seems like a good deal, because similar homes are selling for more in a different area, be careful.  Together we will look up recent solds in the area, and make sure the offer you are making is a fair price. 

Found a good deal in Bothell, let me know if you’re interested!

12003 Mukilteo Speedway #101 Mukilteo, WA

Researched

 

Wants and needs are always different when buying a home.

When I bought, I just wanted to buy in the nicest neighborhood I could afford.  Two bedrooms was a plus, upgraded if possible, and I wanted a smoking deal.  Can’t believe it’s been almost exactly a year!

I’ve worked with buyers with kids, buyers wanting kids within a few years, buyers looking for a bachelor pad, buyers looking to downsize, divorced women, and everywhere in between.  Some homes work for different types of people.   Some are AWESOME for a certain demographic, and all wrong for another.

The payment on these two properties is almost exactly the same, when you take into account the monthly homeowners dues the condo include.  Which one would you buy?   Really, I want to know!

The flossy Bellevue high rise

The Mill Creek home with room to grow

For me, it’s a toss up.  They’re both sooo pretty.  What do you think?  Remember, price doesn’t matter because the monthly payments would be almost exactly the same!!!

I got a facebook invite about a month ago to play in an Alumni softball game to benefit a local girl battling acute myeloid leukemia.  After reading her story I knew I would be playing in the game.  I haven’t had a chance to meet Ashley yet, but I can’t wait.  You can tell right away that she is an incredible girl.

Come see me play tomorrow night and help the Aven family!

 Donate to the Ashley K. Aven Foundation at any Wells Fargo bank or through www.paypal.com/sendmoney Specify ashleykaven@gmail.com.

A nice lady from Mill Creek asked me the other day what’s been happening in her town.  I prepared for her a much more in depth and detailed report of what I’ll share with you here.

 

 

Here is a brief summary of what has sold in Mill Creek since May 1st.  Looks like 15 homes have sold in the last six weeks.

If you are curious about what has sold in your area and for how much, let me know and I’ll make sure you get a report of what’s going on in your hood!

 

The listings in this analysis can be summarized as follows:  

 

 

Priced between $150,000 and $539,950

 

Selling Price between $150,000 and $530,000

 

2 to 4 Bedrooms

1.75 to 2.50 Bathrooms

928 to 3,237 Square Feet

$141 to $263 per Square Foot

$0 to $281 per Sold Square Foot

Built between 1986 and 2010

1 to 246 Days on Market

One of my favorite listings in Mill Creek right now

I’ve noticed a lot of listings lately highlighting the “six panel doors.”   I guess they’re more desirable than any other number of panels, but it makes me wonder.  What’s all the fuss about?   In my condo, I have two panel doors, and I really like them. 

 What type of door do you prefer?  Does it really matter to you?

I like this email that I sent out to a buyer the other day and thought I would share.  My buyer is torn between two homes.  Property A) listed at $320,000, B) at $299,000.   I got the feeling that Property A) was a better fit for her, but she was leaning towards B) because of the price.  I drove home after showing her these two homes and started thinking, and did some calculations…

Here is the email I sent to my buyer, explaining why in this situation, she should not decide on the home based on the list price.

After showing you those two homes, I realized that the taxes are higher in Snohomish than Everett, especially  being a bigger home in Snohomish, I thought it would be worth calculating. I calculated your monthly payment including principle, interest, and taxes (and HOA dues for the one in Everett).  Insurance is the only part of the payment missing, which is a little tougher to figure out.

Here’s why out of the two that you liked today, you should not decide based on price.

Snohomish home monthly payment
Purchase price: $299,000, 3.5% down
P and I:    1483
Taxes:      391
Total 1873

Silver Firs home monthly payment
Purchase price $320,000, 3.5% down
P and I:        1587
Taxes:          285
HOA dues     24
Total            1894

The two payments are almost exactly the same…

This is obviously more of a mortgage lender thing to figure out, but that was my rough calculation that I thought might be interesting! Nice seeing you today!

Do you already own a home and want to know what it’s worth??

Do you rent a home, and wonder what it’s worth?  Maybe you want to buy something just like it?

While putting a price on a property for sale, or deciding what is a fair price to offer for a home, figuring out what a home is worth is a must.  You can’t rely on what a home is listed at as a fair market price.   By looking up what has sold, and what homes didn’t sell recently in the proximity of a home, and comparing it to others, we’ll come up with a value.

Want to know the average value of homes in your neighborhood?  In your town??  Give me a call and I’ll let you know!  425-773-2560