Thurston County #realestate Hot Spots

#realestate

Thurston County Hot Spots

SE Thurston County

As 2013 is winding down I have been pulling stats to make sense of the year in real estate that Thurston County has experienced.
I remember posting stats two years ago in the fall of 2011 when following sales, watching the numbers and watching the median price continue to fall,  I was trying to make sense of when would real estate values find a bottom.

The market began to turn in the summer of 2012 and while tracking the numbers, not only did Thurston county find a bottom, in the last 15 months the market has turned and values began to stabilize and in some cases, values began to increase.

The typical "supply and demand" theory comes in to play as it always does and should. But, there are a few changes to this market that are worth reporting.

Hot Spots

• 29% of all sales YTD in Thurston County were in the Lacey neighborhoods south of Interstate 5

• 21.5% of all sales YTD in Thurston County were in the Yelm neighborhoods and Rural SE Thurston County

Combined, the SE Lacey and Yelm neighborhoods made up over 50% of the real estate activity in Thurston County in 2013.

Knowing the inventory was lean in these neighborhoods and the demand was very strong throughout the year, these same neighborhoods median price continued to fall throughout the year.
Typically when supply is down and demand is up, values start climbing until balance is achieved.

The real estate conditions were perfect in 2013 for all areas of Thurston County, but even better in the SE areas mentioned. A seller was able to sell and sell fast and there were plenty of buyer's taking advantage of prices they had no problem paying. 

The "supply and demand" theory made less sense to me than I have ever seen.

I'm excited for 2014. My phone is certainly ringing again.


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

                                       Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
                “Statistics not compiled or published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service"

the unOfficial lawn report ~ 5 Winterizing Projects

I don't ever remember still needing to mow my lawns this deep into November, but that's what I did this weekend.

That said,

 I hereby declare "the 2013 lawn mowing season ~ unOfficially over".

Lawns up here in the NW should be dormant by now, but they aren't.




 5 good winterizing projects  before ol man winter comes to visit.

1. Clean the Gutters ~ Just Do It! The damage caused from clogged, uncleaned gutters is not worth the risk or expense of further damage to your home
   
2. One final Mow ~ Before your lawn gets to soggy and muddy to mow, you can give it a quick mow and it will look freshly cut until late February
3. Clean the Garage ~ Probably the best time of year to clean a garage is when the Christmas bins need to be pulled out and the summer gear put away. Go deep. The shop Vac and I go after those spider webby, linty, dust collections that lurk in garage corners.
4. Rake the Leaves ~ I know, raking leaves sucks. You don't need to rake each and every leaf, but reclaiming a patio or lawn before the big fallen leaves start leaving their fossil like imprint on your aggregate concrete patio or driveway can easily be avoided with a little time spent with a rake and a sturdy bristled broom. 
5. Hose off the Driveway / Walkways ~ this is my favorite. After the yard and garage have been winterized, reach for a hose nozzle with some umph. Start spraying away all the debris, fungi's (a NW thing), leaves and their fossil imprints, fir needles, mud, and tire tracks.

Now as the low winter sun begins to set, with your driveway sparkling, gutters flowing and a garage only a homeowner can be proud of, go turn off the hose and make your way 
inside for some family time, some holiday food and cheer, and with any luck ~ a long winter's nap.

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

A couple gems while cleaning the garage.
The wood wood driver and a pogo stick.
So 25 years ago

Thurston County Home Sales Snapshot ~ October 2013 #realestate

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales Report

Thurston County WA

 Thurston County ~ NW, SW, NE, SE area 441-455
(including Yelm, Tenino and Rochester)

 the numbers for  October 2013:

• Homes for sale ~ 1237 homes are currently listed

                  Low $27,888 ~ High $4,500,000

                  Median $254,500

                  Avg. days on ~115

• Pending ~ 175 homes are in escrow

                  Low $56,000 ~ High $647,000

                  Median $224,990

                  Avg. days on ~ 90

• October 2013 Sales ~ 278 homes sold in Thurston County in October 2013

                 Low $38,500 ~ High $660,000

                 Median $215,000

                 Avg. days on ~ 56

• October 2012 ~289 homes Sold in Thurston County in October 2012

                 Low $60,000 ~ High $790,000

                 Median $222,000

                 Avg. days on 90

• a -3.1% fall to the median price for sales in October 2013 for Thurston County compared to October 2012

• The current pending market time reflects the market has cooled like the weather.

• The October '13 sold market time reflects a hotter market a few months back.

• A pending sale is the freshest money/data I can track. The only fresher sale than a pending sale is the "pending inspection" sale, which I don't post, but track weekly for my own business.

"You have made some mistakes and you may not be where you want to be but that's got nothing to do with your future."- Zig Ziglar 

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

                                 Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
      “Statistics not compiled or published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service"

Olympia Home Sales Snapshot ~ October 2013

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales Snapshot

Olympia WA

Olympia  ~ area  445,447 & 448

 the numbers for  October 2013 :

• Homes for sale ~ 181 homes are currently listed

                  Low $104,900 ~ High $1,600,000

                  Median $259,900

                  Avg. days on ~126

• Pending ~14 homes are in escrow

                  Low $169,900 ~ High $389,000

                  Median $254,450

                  Avg. days on ~ 92

• October Sales 2013 ~36 homes sold in Olympia in October 2013

                 Low $128,500 ~ High $425,000

                 Median $235,500

                 Avg. days on ~57 

• October 2012 ~52 homes Sold in Olympia in October 2012

                 Low $77,700 ~ High $593,000

                 Median $232,250

                 Avg. days on 122

• A +1.4% increase to the median price in October '13 for Olympia compared to October 2012
• The October sales market time vs the October pending market time is evidence the market had cooled off a bit
• 16 fewer homes sold this October than last October when the market was ramping up with interest rates down in the 3's

The only problem we really have is we think we're not supposed to have problems! Problems call us to higher level- – face & solve them now!

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

           
                         
                                   Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
                “Statistics not compiled or published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service"

My last 60 days

The first day of the new school year, Wednesday 9.4.13 started like most other school years. This is to be the start of our last school year. Our eighteenth year of getting our kids through the public school system.

 Our baby has started her senior year in high school which makes it our last year of getting kids to school and everything that comes with raising children and getting them through school.

So there I was, driving home the evening of September 4^th the first day of school during one of those amazing NW late summer sunsets, not quite dark, a perfect evening.

 Out of nowhere and as fast as any accident happens, a full sized deer goes flying high off the front end of my hood and sends him off into the woods along my way home.

 I had murdered a deer.

With the shock of what had just happened and knowing the deer was well off the road, I slowly drove the remaining half mile to my home, not particularly wanting to assess the damage to my vehicle when I got home. 


Yep~ Not good !

The next day I limp my vehicle to a body shop and call my insurance company. By the end of the day I was in a rental car and body shop folk were now talking to insurance folk. The outcome, my car was totaled and I had a few options, none of which sounded all that good to me.

RIP

So I took the insurance money and ventured off into used car hell.

I did not and do not want a car payment, my now totaled vehicle had been paid off since 2008.
So I had to play the used car game complete with online shopping and test driving vehicles from Olympia to Kirkland. 

I suppose like selling real estate, my buyers are always going to see a home just out of their price range. That was certainly the case for me as I diligently pursued my next vehicle.

I was looking for some champagne with my beer money and between real estate appointments two weeks into my used car search, I had a gap one Friday afternoon, so I crossed town to view a car I had seen online that was not on my short list, but my short list sucked, so I thought, just go take a look. 

It’s 2:00 pm on a Friday afternoon and this used car lot is closed. Nobody is there. I see the car on the lot and it actually looked better in person than it did online. But Closed!

So I pull out on to the highway in the used car row part of town and proceed to drive away when I glance across the street at another car lot and notice a car in the back of the lot, not for sale and  very dirty, but very cool.

I make my U turn and pull in to have a closer look and speak with the salesman.

I enter his office and our conversation goes something like this,

Me; what year is the Jaguar out in the back?
Salesman; 1988 he responds
Me; How many miles?
Salesman; (sorry readers, I've got to let you guess. You would not believe me if I told you anyways)

I thought I was hearing things with his response, but he now had my attention.

Me; what’s wrong with it?
Salesman; not much, needs some brake work
Me; How much?
Salesman; (same drill, you would not believe me anyway)

In my head I respond ~ SOLD!

He hands me the keys to go start it up and as I sat in the cockpit, I call my mechanic, some auto  people I know and trust, my family and by this time, any live voice I could find. No one was picking up.

 So there I was, me and my ego going absolutely crazy with what to do next.

I walked back in to the sales office and begged the salesman not to go and sell this vehicle that I was extremely interested in, and that I needed to talk to my mechanic. He said “sure it’s not going anywhere”.

I was quite anxious coming into the weekend, so I called the salesman maybe three or four more times through the weekend, just in case.

We really do buy on emotion not logic.

Monday morning, I meet my mechanic at the lot and was willing to buy or not buy this vehicle depending on his professional opinion (yeah right). Without needing to threaten him with his life for the answer I wanted to hear, he was quite impressed and just warned me not to blame any of the AS IS ness on him. No problem!

Tuesday 9.24.13 I now own a Jaguar XJ6 with no brakes and cautiously drive it off the lot and across town to my mechanic’s shop.  Twenty days after my deer encounter, auto body folk, insurance folk, used car salesmen and a rental car, I now have my next vehicle.

By the end of September, my insurance company is done paying for my rental car and my brake parts have not yet arrived at my mechanics shop.  So I start scrambling for a vehicle, which in this family is tricky.

my daughters rig

My kids all drive now and the other vehicles I thought I owned, they now drive and these kids have very busy schedules. Sorry Dad!

To make matters worse my son’s car has an engine light come on and my pickup truck (pictured) that my daughter now drives starts overheating and needs a new radiator. So my mechanic gets those two vehicles back on the road as I’m patiently waiting for my brake parts to arrive.

 My mechanic lets me borrow his pickup truck as a loaner for the next three or four weeks as we wait for parts.

Last week my mechanic calls and says “he needs his pickup back”, so I dropped off his pickup and drove away in the Jaguar without brakes. 

Scared to drive with no brakes?  You better believe I was. 

I had owned this vehicle for 36 days and I had only driven it once, a few miles to my mechanics shop. I was growing very impatient and getting cranky.

It turns out the brakes are not that bad. I have been driving the car now for a week and it is like nothing I have ever experienced. 

The Jaguar I totaled was actually a Ford product and affordable for us po’ folk Jaguar owners.

 This ’88 is all British and will come with all the Jaguar headaches that come with owning a Jaguar.

That’s OK!

At this stage of my life and how my driving needs have changed since the days of when my kids were starting Kindergarten and I had the huge sedan (Mercury Marquis) for that tour of homes to show you and your family on a Saturday afternoon.

This Jaguar is 25 years old, a bit tired and cranky, but I think the two of us are going to get along just fine. I drive less now than I ever have. 

So today, day 60, my mechanic called this morning to let me know the brake parts have arrived.

Time for some cruisin'

  

It’s a Great Life!

Tumwater Home Sales Snapshot ~ October 2013

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales Report

Tumwater ~ SW, SE area 443

 the numbers for October 2013 :

• Homes for sale ~ 114 homes are currently listed 

                 Low $99,000 ~ High $629,999 
                 Median $269,475

                 Avg. days on ~115

• Pending  ~ 30 homes are in escrow

                  Low $169,000 ~ High $585,000

                  Median $241,193

                  Avg. days on ~ 79

• October  2013 Sales ~ 32 homes sold in Tumwater in October 2013

                  Low $109,900 ~ High $520,000

                  Median $227,475

                  Avg. days on ~97

•  October 2012 ~30 homes Sold in Tumwater in October 2012                    

                  Low $60,000 ~ High $450,000

                  Median $217,973

                  Avg. days on 185

• A +4.3% increase to the median price in Tumwater  for October 2013 compared to October 2012
• Inventory is a bit lean for the Tumwater market.
• Average market times are looking well balanced for this time of year

Most people don't hear opportunity knocking until it’s at someone else's door

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

                                       Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. 

       “Statistics not compiled or published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service"

Delphi Hills Home Sales Snapshot

Kevin Lynch’s Home Sales Report

Delphi Hills  ~ SW area 442

 the numbers for October 2013 :

• Homes for sale ~ 31 homes are currently listed

                  Low $94,900 ~ High $1,750,000

                  Median $368,000

                  Avg. days on ~ 118

• Pending  ~ 4 homes are in escrow

                 Low $174,990 ~ High $379,000

                 Median $317,950

                Avg. Days on 40

• October  2013 Sales ~ 7 homes sold in Delphi Hills in October 2013

                 Low $120,100 ~ High $477,000

                 Median $279,000

                 Avg. days on ~ 55

• October  2012 ~9  homes Sold in Delphi Hills October 2012

                Low $125,000 ~ High $492,000

                Median $249,950

                Avg. days on 128

• October 2013 saw a +11.6% increase to the median price compared to October 2012
• How about the market times for Pending and Sold 2103. List a property in the Delphi Hills and it gets snatched up
• Thurston Counties best kept secret ~ oops sorry !

“Fears are stories we tell ourselves.”

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

"Lakehouse" by Of Monsters and Men

                                     Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
              “Statistics not compiled or published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service”