a special THANK YOU to my 2012 employers

Greetings from your Trusted Advisor,

2012 is about out of days, I could not ring in the New Year without a heartfelt Thank You to my employers this year.

I have been tracking stats and reporting from the trenches on market conditions for all of us this year and will continue to do so in 2013. 
The success of my business comes from you, my employers. Thank you for the referrals.
Meeting new sellers and buyers and serving existing clients that have remained loyal through the years, is what makes my business so rewarding.

Special Thanks to:

Paul and Gail

hey ~ I laughed

Scott and Angela
Tom and Frieda
Chris
Bob and Laura
Steve and Tim
Brad
Don
Ted
Mike
Greg and Judy
Andrei and Katya
Dave and Jeannie
Taft and Darcy
Dave and Chrys
Ed and Kari
Toby and Tia
Jackie and Jill
Erik and Marissa
Paul and Christine
Myrna
Jennifer
Jim and Suzi
Joe and Linda
Chheang and Mairud

A special Thank You my broker Jim.
When he sees me walk in the office, he has to be convinced that, yep ! ~ we (me) are most definetly "independent contractors." I fancy "thoroughbred " myself.
"Sniveler" is probably more like it.

I look forward to serving new clients and return clients in 2013.

It's a Great Life !


see you over at http://www.thurstonliving.com/





                                                  Great Band

a christmas tale and a few highlights

Dub step

How was I supposed to know how good terravita and datsick was going to sound full blast in my son's slugbug.
Right when George Bailey is frantically searching for 8K, the girls in the other room yell "we're out of scotch tape."  My son and I  pause "it's a wonderful life", look each other in the eyes and nod. 
11:12 pm Christmas eve, Alec and I wander into the night in search of Scotch tape. Everyone knows nothing is open at 11:12 pm December 24th. That's what made it so fun.



Nothing was open, I had not been in Alec's car since he test drove it and purchased it the day before Thanksgiving.
German vehicles always come with good sound. And without a doubt with Dear Ol as his passenger, I was going to get his latest and greatest music. Which I genuinely want to hear, he knows I am his biggest fan. Therefore his music rocks !

Everything was closed but, a realtor always has a roll of scotch tape at his office. "Mission Accomplished."

This next highlight, I just know that, with a dog like gypsi and these teens we're raising, I get to capture moments like this and sit back and be grateful.

just stoked I capture it








It's a Great Life !

see you over at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

no brainer ~ stocking stuffer

In about 30 hours, give or take, the man in the red suit, chuckling Ho Ho Ho, and eating cookies like nobody's bid~ness will be taking to the sky.

If you are still on the fence and going back and forth in your mind saying to yourself, "what the heck do I get Kevin this year ?" ~ I'm going to make it real simple for anyone reading this;

Bridgestone Golf Balls !

Yep ~ lots of them !

A golf ball to a golfer, is a big deal.
 I'm the kind of golfer that requires dozens, if not hundreds of those little white fellas in my happy pursuit to improve my skills in the wonderful game of golf.

So, in not knowing any better and you were to give me a dozen Top Flite golf balls, I'd politely smile and Thank You, but have them exchanged for Bridgestone's before you could say and a Happy New ..........

I spent 2012 playing as much golf as I could possibly get away with.
 Back in March when I first pulled the clubs out for the season, I started with the Callaway golf ball and went and bought a few dozen. Not a bad ball, I could have easily been blogging about the Callaway golf ball instead of Bridgestone golf balls.
So in June for my birthday, a fellow golf addict gifts me a dozen of the "Srixon" golf ball. I smile politely and Thank him and do not dash to exchange them for Bridgestones, but dash to the course. I had never hit the Srixon golf ball but thought the name was always interesting. Srixon is a very good golf ball. Some might argue that that's the golf ball that this hack should be blogging about.
 Sometime while playing the Srixon golf ball I was introduced to the Bridgestone ball and liked it so much, I went to Fred Meyers (hint hint) and bought 4 dozen.  

Great stocking stuffers. A golfer cannot have too many golf balls. (his preferred choice of ball of course). Just remember, a golf ball to a golfer, is a BIG DEAL !

It's a great life !



ps ~ don't even get me started on the Titleist Pro V


see you over at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

12.21.12

Today was a blast !

I blogged a few months ago about my 21 year old daughter and her job interview in the fashion district of  los en jealous. During the interview, "Big Shot" who we have to re~name in a moment called my daughter over during her interview and had her read his check register and under each entry he wrote "it's only clothes".
Well "Big Shot" did hire my daughter and is the kind of individual that has taken a real liking to my daughter and has insisted on her considering he and his wife to be her stand in parents.
Since being hired and having my daughter completely kick ass with her duties for this man and his company, he approached her one day and asked, "are your parents up in Olympia hippies also, like us ?.
 OK ~ so her answer to her boss was, YEP !
So Big Shot noted above, is now "Hippie Boss". Apparently blogger of daughter with hippie boss is a hippie also.
So with that all out of the way, enjoy my day ~ I sure did..

I picked up my daughter last night at the airport and she is here for the holidays. The entire drive back I endured all the reasons it sucks to be back in Olympia.

• I hate this town
• It's so small
• Everybody knows everybody
• There is nothing to do
• I can't wait to leave

Don't worry,
 I take none of the comments from my daughter personally. The irony is, each and everything she THINKS she dislikes about this town where she was raised, are the exact reasons her mother and I moved here. So as my 21 year old complains, I quietly listen and down deep, I'm even more proud where we chose to raise our children. Could be it's the hippie in me.

So hippie boss has a daughter who grew up in los en jealous and goes to school up here in Olympia at ??? ....... you guessed it. Evergreen State College. Home of the Geoducks and a few amazing professors who I had the privilege of representing, and getting them into their homes.
Hippie boss's daughter works downtown Olympia and he had encouraged my daughter while she was home for the holidays, to go in to his daughters work, introduce herself, tell her who she was and to say hi. Hippie boss made a pretty big deal out of this so my daughter was more than willing to do as he had asked. I thought it was the perfect time to get involved with all this, so I tagged along to meet hippie boss's daughter.
We met the daughter and she is adorable. It was quite random but her big smile and my daughters brilliance with anyone she meets, made for a very fun memorable encounter.
I insisted to hippie boss's daughter that she now had an Olympia stand in father while her father stands in for my daughter in LA.
The encounter was brief. She was at work after all and was not expecting us. In walking in to where she worked I bumped into a few other great people from our small town where everybody knows everybody and wished each one of them a very heartfelt "Happy Holiday".

It's a Great Life !


see you over at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

10 years ago today 12.12.02

We had to work very hard that Thursday afternoon December 12th 2002, it was pouring down rain while we tried to get our cable hooked up in time to watch Survivor that night.
It was a Thursday and NOTHING was going to keep us from watching Survivor the first night in our brand spanking new home.
10 years ago today.
 It's strange, but that's what comes to mind. Working in the mud with Dish Network digging a muddy trench to run some cable to our brand new home so we could watch Survivor.
We celebrate 10 years today in our humble abode. 10 Years ! That's a fairly long time.
It has been a blessing and a very stable household for the 5 (6) of us these last 10 years.


Laying sod a few weeks before moving in. Thanks Jerry and Larry



The large photo above on this blog is our home.
Move in day December 12, 2002 was all about the cable getting hooked up. A friend of mine and myself had loaded up the u-haul and we had the bulk of the move done by early afternoon.
We had broke ground to build our home in May, almost 8 months earlier. We were scheduled to be in by halloween, but delays and some weather kept that from happening.
A 10 year old home with the majority of those years devoted to raising 3 teens will take a toll on any home. Our home being no exception. A few holes in some walls, a stain or two on the carpets, a "honey do" list that never seems to  end. 


We did end up watching Survivor that night and today, we're right smack in the middle of living happily ever after.

It's a Great Life !

have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/



$2,000 ~ that's alot of money

This should not have happened.

I took a sellers home to market the last week in August. This was the kind of listing, or more to the point, seller, whose home is always "staged", staged on steroids. It showed so well that I looked them both in the eyes and said my guess is 3 buyer viewings max, and I would have them an offer.
The first buyers to view the property immediately brought us a very clean offer.
My sellers had just broke ground and were building a brand new home up north, and with this offer, they would be able to take their Olympia equity and make the new home purchase that much easier for their retirement.
They are chasing/following grandbabies. This is quite the niche market I'm finding. Grandchildren chasers.
The buyers came with a pre~approval letter, that to read from their lender was stellar. So everyone signs the contract and we are off to an October 5th closing.
I got to my office to submit the offer and in organizing the paperwork I read the pre~approval a little closer at the bottom, the address was Arizona.
Out of state lending puts a bit of a knot in my stomach. There is not alot I like about a lender being in another state to make a loan in Olympia Washington.
I share my concern with the seller and remind them they are paying me to track the loan and being in Arizona we all agreed I should probably introduce myself to this lender and make a weekly progress call. So I did.
I also shared my concerns with the other agent and wanted him to let me know all he could about the buyers and had he talked to the lender ?
It turns out the buyer had somehow made contact with this lender and felt he was their guy to make this loan for my "staged on steroids" listing. The other agent was concerned himself, so we agreed to stay on this lender more than either of us would probably do with a local reputable lender.

the mantle was a carpenter referral
 I provided to the seller,
 back when they bought 10 years ago

There are some lenders in Olympia so good, they are the pre~approval letter. Just who they are. I know the loan is going to fund. It will also go smooth and very professional. It can really make our jobs fun.
The inspection was spotless and the appraisal done, as we're getting closer to October 5th, the lender was not returning calls and I wasn't getting information from the other agent either. So we both started pestering the lender for updates.
It turns out there were credit issues with the buyer and the lender needed more time.
How much time ?  ~ 30 more days should do it.
The sellers grant a 30 day extension and we took the $1,000 RE-Fundable earnest money and made it NON Re-Fundable.
The day I went over to have the seller sign the extension was the same day the movers were there to load the furniture. Buh Bye awesome staged on steroids furnishings. A slight knot in my stomach seeing the home now vacant, unfurnished.
So off we go to the end of October and the communication again breaks down from the lender. Finally we all hear, the credit issues are a bigger problem than we all had thought. We need more time.
How much more time ? 
 We all agree on Novemer 23rd. The day after Thanksgiving.
We ask the buyer to put up an additional $1,000 to be paid directly to the seller, Non Re-Fundable. The buyer agrees.
So the holidays are nearing and the real estate market can shift or just stop around Thanksgiving and stay very slow through the holidays until sometimes out near the end of January or the super bowl.
The monday morning of Thanksgiving week my sellers let me know they are not going to grant another extension. They don't think this loan nearing 90 days is ever going to happen. I was more optimistic but let all parties know that no extensions would be granted.
So Wednesday the day before turkey, the lender informed us he was not going to be able to make this loan.

my seller chose marble counters instead of granite

Saturday morning after Thanksgiving I brought the home back to market. This time the home is vacant and I am right smack in the middle of the holiday season not expecting a whole lot of activity for the rest of the year.
The sellers new home is scheduled to close Monday December 10th.
It is such a shame and such a ripple effect when an out of state lender will give first time homebuyers a pre-approval letter and lead us all to believe that everyone will live happily ever after.
The buyer is now out $2,000. That is alot of money. What would you do with $2,000 this time of year, or anytime ? As much money as $2,000 is to most of us, including these buyers, the $2,000 my sellers received in my opinion, is not nearly enough to compensate for the loss of time.





Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

a day~te with my daughter 12.29.12

 Being out of bed on a saturday morning before, Oh I don't know, noon ? had better be important for this grumpy old man.

This was not only important, I set the alarm for 6:15 am and like when you're real young and you don't need an alarm you just spring up. This was that kind of morning.
My daughter has been in town for 9 days during the holiday's.
 This morning she had some business in Seattle and then another couple stops in the Queen Anne district of Seattle. Her car is back in LA and she's not old enough to rent a car. So I had the privilege to drive and see her in action. Her game face.
So we were on the road north by 8:30 am.



     "mr jones wishes he was someone just a little more funky"

I don't really know Seattle, athough in 24 years of living in Olympia, we have managed to squeeze out all the fine dining and entertainment Seattle has to offer. Seattle has been good to us.

I dropped her off at her scheduled appointment by 10:00 am and went nearby to a hipper than most, coffee shop, and took it all in. I could people watch all day anyway, so I enjoyed watching Seattle get their morning coffee. By 10:40 am she was done and we now have almost 2  hours until her next appointment. So we decide to go find Queen Anne and where her next appointment is located.
I had never been to Queen Anne, but had always heard it referenced as Queen Anne HILL.
So GPS and Siri make things easy for us and next thing we know we are at the Starbuck's in, I'm guessing, the heart of the Queen Anne district. da pulse !

The Queen Anne district has a very clean look to it. It still being fairly early on a Saturday morning, for me anyway, Queen Anne~ites we're waking up, shops were opening and I must have seen 30 + people heading to and fro  to various yoga classes. Yoga mats under their arm, defined rather tight yoga~ey outfits and they all had a rather determined look about them, like this yoga workout is quite important to their Queen Anne lifestyle. Simply an observation worth mentioning. I love yoga, It just doesn't love me back.

My morning workout in Olympia or this morning in Queen Anne or any morning anywhere is, coffee, lots of starbuck's coffee and by noon  pretty much any day, if I haven't cursed, sneered or glared right through you and the coffee begins to kick in, another day is then set in motion.

I drank my coffee and the people watching was very entertaining. My daughter came back to check on me and we went and had a late breakfast in a very nice cafe called Grub. Over breakfast I had the most enjoyable conversation with my almost adult daughter about many topics, most of which are very important to her. I threw in some Dad logic and Dad advice when asked. I'm finding out with parenting, listening is a really good gig with kids. They have heard enough of my shit for years.

We finished breakfast and she ran off to her last appointment and I had used up my parking privilege, so I went and got the car while she was busy doing fashion stuff, I pulled the car up to pick her up, and as her father, her driver, her support team, her biggest fan, I waited another 10 minutes before she jumped in the car and we were back on our way home to Olympia.

It started raining pretty hard, she curled up in the passenger seat and slept the entire way back. We were home by 3:00 pm and I went and curled up took me another one of those long winter's naps.

It's a Great Life !

see you over athttp://www.thurstonliving.com/

Thurston County Home Sales Snapshot ~ November 2012

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales Report

 

Thurston County ~ NW, SW, NE, SE area 441-455

 the numbers for November 2012

Homes for sale ~ 1,123 homes are currently listed

jus hangin'

                  Low $22,000 ~ High $6,088,800

                  Median $242,995

                   Avg. days on ~133

Pending  ~ 116 homes are in escrow

                  Low $40,000 ~ High $699,000

                  Median $219,945

                  Avg. days on ~ 96

November Sales ~ 185 homes sold in November 2012

                 Low $35,000 ~ High $565,000

                 Median $217,000

                 Avg. days on ~112

November 2011 ~187 homes Sold in November 2011

                 Low $22,500 ~ High $750,000

                 Median $217,000

                 Avg. days on 130

November 2012 and November 2011 sales nearly unchanged ~ I'm going with identical twins.

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."Plato
Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

 

Olympia Home Sales Snapshot ~ November 2012

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales report

Olympia  ~ SE, NE area  445,447,448

 the numbers for the November 2012 :

• Homes for sale ~ 143 homes are currently listed

                  Low $1114,900 ~ High $4,750,000

                  Median $269,750

                  Avg. days on ~163

fa la la la la ~ la la la la

• 
  Pending ~ 20 homes are in escrow

                  Low $125,000 ~ High $380,870

                  Median $236,950

                  Avg. days on ~99

• November Sales ~28 Homes sold in November 2012

                 Low $83,000 ~ High $565,000

                 Median $ 261,450

                 Avg. days on ~ 79

• November 2011 ~24 Homes Sold in November 2011

                 Low $98,800 ~ High $499,900

                 Median $213,000

                 Avg. days on 111

 A healthy +22.7% increase to the median price in November 2012 compared to November 2011. I like the pending and sold market times also.

 

"A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my world."Leo Buscaglia


Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

 

 

Tumwater Home Sales Snapshot ~ November 2012

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales report

Tumwater  ~ SW, SE area 443

 the numbers for November  2012 :

• Homes for sale ~ 122 homes are currently listed

                  Low $117,000 ~ High $699,000

                  Median $266,248

                   Avg. days on ~160

• 

  

  ouch

  Pending  ~ 15 Homes are in escrow

                  Low $154,000 ~ High $349,000

                  Median $229,000

                  Avg. days on ~ 83

• November  Sales ~ 22 Homes sold in November 2012

                 Low $175,000 ~ High $372,500

                 Median $ 212,998

                 Avg. days on ~109

• November  2011 ~25 Homes Sold in November 2011

                 Low $157,500 ~ High $440,000

                 Median $249,900

                Avg. days on 137

A -14.7% drop in the median price for November 2012 compared to November 2011. The Average Market Time for the Homes for sale is over 5 months. The average for the pendings and solds in November 2012 are near 1/2 the market time. The Tumwater Seller appears to be holding out for their price which will continue to keep the market time sluggish.

 

"A sure way to lose happiness, I found, is to want it at the expense of everything else."Bette Davis

 

Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

 

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

 

 

 

Lacey Home Sales Snapshot ~ November 2012

Lacey

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales report

Lacey  ~ SE area 450

 the numbers for November 2012:

a trip to cut down a christmas tree

• Homes for sale ~ 92 homes are currently listed

                  Low $79,900 ~ High $459,900

                  Median $217,000

                   Avg. days on ~ 93

• Pending  ~ 10 homes are in escrow

                  Low $86,900 ~ High $267,900

                  Median $166,700

                  Avg. days on ~ 71

• November Sales ~ 23 homes sold in November 2012

                 Low $100,000 ~ High $717,000

                 Median $210,000

                 Avg. days on ~ 93

• November  2011 ~ 20 homes sold in November 2011

                 Low $111,900 ~ High $397,500

                 Median $204,500

                Avg. days on 67

A +2.6% increase to the median price in November 2012 compared to November 2011.

"Dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's questions." Edgar Cayce

Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

 

West Olympia Home Sales Snapshot ~ November 2012

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales report

 

West  Olympia  ~ NW area 444

 the numbers for November 2012 :

• Homes for sale ~ 118 homes are currently listed

small business

                  Low $159,000 ~ High $2,500,000

                  Median $ 267,000

                   Avg. days on ~ 167

• Pending  ~ 12 homes are in escrow

                  Low $177,600 ~ High $282,607

                  Median $227,950

                  Avg. days on ~ 110

• November  Sales  ~ 13 homes sold in November 2012

                  Low $175,000 ~ High $385,100

                  Median $243,600

                  Avg. days on ~ 153

• November 2011 ~17  homes Sold in November 2011

                  Low $175,000 ~ High $750,000

                  Median $240,000

                  Avg. days on 244

A +1.5% increase to median price in November 2012 compared to November 2011.

 

"Forgiveness means letting go of the past."Gerald Jampolsky

Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

 

Delphi Hills Home Sales Snapshot ~ November 2012

SW Thurston County

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales Report

Delphi Hills  ~ SW area 442

 the numbers for November  2012 :

• Homes for sale ~ 29 homes are currently listed

                  Low $130,000 ~ High $1,750,000

                  Median $349,000

                  Avg. days on ~ 154

• Pending  ~ 3  homes are in escrow

                 Low $292,000 ~ High $429,000

                 Median  $299,990

                 Avg. Days on 143

• November  Sales  ~7 homes sold in November  2012

                 Low $55,000 ~ High $415,000

                 Median $305,000

                 Avg. days on ~ 69

• November 2011 ~7 homes Sold in November 2011

                Low $87,900 ~ High $385,000

                 Median $309,900

                 Avg. days on 105

A slight -1.6% drop in the median price in November 2012 compared to Novemer 2011

 

"You are the music while the music lasts."T. S. Eliot

Have you seen us at http://www.thurstonliving.com/

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.