Eastside Real Estate Working-for-you!

80 degree day in Kirkland!

  Driving through Kirkland during the lunch hour, I saw busy sidewalks.  All the restaurant outdoor seating looked filled.  Bodies were sunning on the lakeside parks.  And of course, traffic was slow for everyone using the crosswalks.  I love Kirkland on hot days!

New listing... Juanita area Townhouse

Kirkland listing - Juanita Townhouse 10014 NE 138 Pl Kirkland, WA 98034 Greg Perry - Kirkland realtor MLS# 27096180 Comments
Enjoy your own yard and patio in this updated 2 bedroom duplex style townhouse! Recent updates include a newer kitchen with laminate flooring, range, refrigerator and microwave. Bathrooms have been updated. Newer decorator paint creates a lovely environment. One of the best features is a spacious, fenced yard with a storage shed. Close to Starbucks, Safeway and other great stores! Move in ready.
General Property Information
SQFT: 919 Year Built: 1982 Fireplace: 0	Garage: Uncovered Roof: Composition	Heat: Baseboard Fuel: Electric Taxes: $1,683
Floors: Hardwood, Vinyl, Wall to Wall Carpet, See Remarks
Interior: Balcony/Deck/Patio, End Unit, Ground Floor, Insulated Windows, Top Floor, Walk-in Closet, Yard
Exterior: Stucco, Wood
Site: Cable TV, Outside Entry
Disclaimer: Square footage is based on information available to agent, including County records. Information has not been verified by agent and should be verified by buyer.

Siding Remodel: Day 3

Siding Remodel
by Brian Perry
Eastside Realtor

Once you have your house wrapped, all the real fun begins!  Time apply the tough stuff.  In my project, I used 8 1/4" x 12' cedar grain HardiPlank siding.  It is sold at the Home Depot and costs $5.98 a piece. Like I talked about in the day 2 article about wrapping your home with Tyvek, applying the siding is just as easy.  If you are planning on using Hardi-Plank siding, you can download and print the installation instructions here.  I would give you my version...but I think it would be wiser to follow the manufacturers suggestions for installation.  I really enjoy working with the HardiPlank.  It is clean, tough, cuts easy with a heavy duty Chop saw (I use a 16" compound Miter saw) and installs straight and beautiful. 

Here are the tools you'll need for day 3:

Miter Saw
Air Compressor
Framing Gun
6d galvanized Box nails for gun
Drill
Hole bit for drill
Tape Measure
Pencil
Level
caulking gun
Siding
1/4" wood lathe
Caulking
Dust mask
2 ladders

The straight, slap it up and nail it on sections are easy, and a breeze to get through, but there were some areas that caused problems.  At the front of the house, the water spigot and the gas line both got in the way.  We found the easiest solution for these things was to make a seam by cutting the siding directly in the center of the protruding pipes.  Once we made the cut, we used a drill with a hole bit to cut half holes in each piece (of course these cuts were made after agonizingly long bouts of measuring where exactly the pipe was going to pop through the siding.)  I'll let you see the picture to give you the idea.

Another trouble area was around the windows.  We needed to measure and cut the "notch" in the pieces of siding above and below the window.  I don't know what the Hardy people recommend, but I'm telling you scoring and snapping sucks.  I measured the notch then went at it with a circular saw.  Please remember, this is highly dangerous and wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to severely injure yourself. (said for litigation purposes only) Now, with that being said, it cut fast, straight and fit well.....

Here are some pictures of us installing the HardiPlank siding.

So, all in all the siding project has been pretty easy to date, and we have spent approximately $500 bucks on materials (not including tools).  Not bad considering my neighbor got a bid of $15,000 to have his home siding remodeled with HardiPlank.

Day four, we put on the Fascia, metal drip edge and the bulk of the cedar shingles.

KIrkland Real Estate Market Goes RED HOT! (Over $1,000,000 homes)

Kirkland Real Estate Market Goes RED HOT ! ($1,000,000 and over)
By Greg Perry, Kirkland Realtor   

For months, I have been tracking the Eastside real estate markets, especially Kirkland.  I've been fascinated by the rebirth of the East of Market (Norkirk), West of Market (Market), Downtown and Houghton neighborhoods, as it seems every week an old bungalow falls to make way for a new McMansion.  NWMLS area 560, which consists of Kirkland/Bridle trails has carried more $1,000,000 plus home in inventory than any other Eastside Area.  I've also watched Kirkland with concern, as inventory levels seemed to continually build, creating very high absorption rates (the rate of inventory sell through).  Kirkland has been plodding along selling 3-5 homes per week in this above million dollar price range supported by inventory of up to 120 homes.  That is until the last 2 weeks!  For the week ending 05/16, 8 homes sold in Area 560 above the million dollar mark.  For the week ending 5/23, 11 homes sold in this price range!  That's 19 sales in a 2 week period!  The 2 weeks prior, 05/02 had 4 sales and 05/09 had only 2 sales. (Inventory is tracked Tuesdays through Wednesdays)

The Buyers are clearly out and buying in Kirkland. Here is the sales breakdown for the 2 week period (for residential houses (not condos)):   

$1,000,000 to $1,249,999  - 6
$1,250,000 to $1,499,000  -4
$1,500,000 to $1,749,000  - 5
$1,750,000 to $1,999,999  - 3
$2,000,000 to $$2,249,999 - 1
$2,500,000 and up             - 0

Sales refer to sales that have gone PENDING in the NWMLS system (a listing with a Pending date within the week).  A quick check of the NWMLS in area 560 shows an additional 13 properties that have sold STI (subject to inspection).  Once inspections issues are solved, they are changed in the NWMLS system as Pending.  Interesting to note that there are two properties that have sold STI for over $2,500,000!

In the same two week period, million dollar plus properties in Area 500 (South Bellevue/Issaquah) had 15 (up from an average of 1-3 per week).
Area 510 Mercer Island had only 3 Pending sales.
Area 520 West Bellevue had 9 Pending sales (representing a nice spike).
Area 530 East Bellevue had 4 Pending sales
Area 540 Sammamish/Pine Lake Plateau had 10 Pending sales.
Area 550 Redmond/Carnation had only 1 sale the week end 5/16 and 0 sales for the week ending 5/23 for at total of only 1 sale.
Area 600 North Kirkland/Woodinville had 4 sales.

If you would like specific information on your eastside neighborhood by price range, contact us today!  gregperry@working-for-you.com

Data is from NWMLS and is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.  This information not verified or published by NWMLS.

Choosing the perfect mortgage product for you

By Ryan Jensen
Eastside Mortgage Broker
When buying your new home, or refinancing your current one, knowing which mortgage product is best suited for you can be difficult. There are now so many different options to choose from that picking one can be a tough decision. There are now 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, and 50 year loans. Lenders offer interest-only, negative amortization, option arms, minimum payments, and adjustable rate mortgages (arm’s) with fixed periods as short as 6 months to as long as 10 years. Picking the right mortgage starts with prioritizing what your needs are. Here are a few basic questions to ask yourself when making this decision.

• How long do you plan to own the home? If you are only going to be in the home for 3 or 4 years, you may want to consider a 5 year arm instead of a 30 year fixed. Since arms are have a lower fixed rate during those early years, it would be a much better choice than a traditional 30 year mortgage over a 3-5 year period. However if you are not planning on moving for a long time, get that 30 year mortgage rate now.
• Is cash flow an issue? If a traditional fully-amortized loan will squeeze your budget too tight each month, you may want to consider an interest-only loan. These can be done on arms and 30 year fixed mortgages. While you can still make a fully-amortized payment, it allows you the option of just paying the interest each month to free up cash flow or focus on debts with higher interest rates.
• What are home prices in your area projected to do in the coming years? If appreciation in your neighborhood is strong, then you may be okay doing interest-only or even an option arm loan. But if the local market is slowing, or (gulp) declining you will want to go with a fully-amortized loan. Never get yourself in a spot where you owe more on the home that it is worth.
• Are you feeling lucky? Option arms are an interesting beast. You get the miniscule payment, but ohhhh do you pay for it later. While you are cuddling with your little 1% payment, the Monopoly guy is jacking up your mortgage balance. When it comes time to sell or refi you will have to pay all that deferred interest. However, if you just gotta have that low payment to get by, this loan only works if you are either in a rapidly appreciating market or if you already have a ton of equity room. Either way, this is not a loan I generally recommend.

New Feature Article

Greg's 8 part series "The Secret"...Working Efficiently with Buyers has been condensed into a feature article that can be found here or by clicking the link on the right of the page.  "The Secret"...Working Efficiently with Buyers in not only a valuable tool for real estate professionals, but if you are a potential home buyer and want to learn about the process, it will help you understand what to expect and give you confidence in your decisions as you move forward with your home buying dreams.

If you'd like more information about home buying, or would like to schedule a buyers meeting please contact us directly.

Greg Perry 425-829-7012 - gregperry@working-for-you.com
Brian Perry 206-852-0902 - brianperry@working-for-you.com

Remember, we are never too busy for you or your referrals.

Friday's Did You Know?

By Brian Perry, Eastside Realtor

This Friday's did you know is a bit differen't.  This is a tribute to the city of Bothell's very own American Idol, Blake Lewis!  Blake was this years runner up on everybody's favorite show American Idol.. so about Blake, did you know?  These fast facts were provided by FOX.  You can read more about Blake Lewis here.

Blake Lewis:

Age: 25

Hometown: Bothell, WA

Audition City: Seattle

Voted off: May. 23rd

Favorite male pop artists?

Robbin Thicke, Jamaroqui, Maroon 5, Jason Mraz, U2, Gnarls Barkley, Half Past Forever, Michael Jackson, Prince, Sting, Eric Benet, Martin Sexton, Duncan Sheik, M-Pact

Favorite female pop artists?

Bjork, Fiona Apple, Imogen Heap, Estmerd, Jill Scott, Tori Amos, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade

When did you first start to sing?

Age 5

Do you have any formal singing training?

Yes

What other talents do you have?

Photography, songwriting, producing, characters kisser.

If you don’t make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?

Music-perform.

What are your personal goals in life?

Tour the world, play SNL.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?

K-Fed.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?

Chris Sligh, Rudy Cardenas

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time before you perform?

I go pee, stretch out.

Most embarrassing moments?

Ripping my pants (crotch) on stage.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?

My first steps.

If you couldn’t sing, which talent would you most like to have?

Acting.

What is your definition of AMERICAN IDOL?

Someone who is a great talent and who communicates well with the audience.

Who is your favorite judge and why?

Randy: he’s the musician.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

I have many tattoos.

How has this changed your life?

Ask me again in a year.

Do you have any lucky charms?

2 of them.

Who are your heroes in life?

Mom and Dad.

What’s been your toughest obstacle in life?

The obstacles of life.

Do you think the audition process was fair?

Yes.

If you win, who will you thank first?

Mom and Dad.

What areas do you work?

By Greg Perry, Eastside Realtor

A question that we get asked a lot!  Because our business works primarily by referral, we do move about some.  The vast majority of our transactions are on the Eastside, but we're comfortable workng Seattle, north and south.  Here's a map that we put together for transactions by the Working-for-you Team since 2003.

If you are ready to buy or sell a home, give us a call today!
Greg - 425.829.7012
Brian - 206.852.0902 

Siding Remodel: Day 2

Siding intallation
by Brian Perry
Eastside Realtor

Once the demolition is done, and you have carefully gone over the surface of your exterior walls checking for stray nails, its time to wrap the house.  Wrapping the house is simply adding a waterproof vapor barrier... like wrapping it in a gortex coat.  The tools I needed for day two include:

1 roll of Tyvek vapor barrier
1 roll of Tyvek Tape
tape measure
utility knife
staple gun
level
hammer (for removing missed staples and nails)
crow bar (to pinch hit for hammer in certain situations)
teeth (for cutting tape when your utility knife is lost)

The application is easy!  So easy in fact my wife declared "hey this is as easy as wrapping a giant christmas present".

Here is the procedure:

1) Measure the length of the wall to be covered
2) Start in the lower left hand corner, stapling just the end of the cut piece
3) Unroll the piece completely and level, once leveled staple the other side
4) Move your way down the Tyvek stapling the top every 2' or so along the top
5) measure the next piece, overlap and start again until entire wall is covered
6) Tape all seams and around all doors and windows with Tyvek tape.

There are other materials you can use on the market as a vapor barrier.  The nice thing about using Tyvek is that it is very light, easy to cut, and there are red squares printed on it that allows for a perfect overlap.  The rolls come in 3' and 6' widths and various lengths.  The Home Depot stocks both widths in 350' lengths.  Each 3' roll cost me $59.98 and the tape costs $11.98 per roll. 

The cost of materials for the north side of the house (excluding tools) = $78.36

Next we install the Hardi-plank!

Greg Perry contributes to Seattle PI Real Estate Professionals Blog

Greg Perry contributes to Seattle PI Real Estate Professionals Blog

I was asked a short time ago to be a regular contributor to the Seattle PI Real Estate Professionals blog.  I accepted! 

You'll find my first 2 posts there.  Follow this link:

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/realestate/

I hope you visit me often there, and when you do --- leave a comment!

(and of course you can comment here as well too!)