Seattle's View Ridge neighborhood was developed in the 1940's.  Its' close proximity to the University of Washington, Children's Hospital and downtown Seattle makes it a desirable and sought after neighborhood.

View Ridge is directly west of Magnuson Park, a multipurpose park on the shores of Lake Washington.  The park has sports fields, swimming and boat access, wetlands, an off-lease dog park, a community center, a sports arena and Sail Sandpoint, a non-profit public sailing organization.

Many of View Ridge's homes have spectacular views of Mt. Rainier, Lake Washington, the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges and downtown Seattle.  If a home doesn't have a view, just walk around the neighborhood sidewalks to get peeks of mountains and lakes!

Neighborhood businesses include City People's, a hardware, garden and gift store, PCC and Metropolitan Market, local grocery stores, coffee shops, gas stations, banks and a post office.  The Univeristy Village is a large nearby outdoor mall with many chain stores, restaurants and public events such a music performances and Halloween trick or treating.

Home prices range from the $200,000 to over $1 million.  There are modest homes and mansions making for a nice mix of residents.  Everyone from students to retired people choose View Ridge as their home. Come take a look!

Choosing a real estate agent

Mon, Sep 12, 2011

When choosing a real estate agent one important quality that rarely gets mentioned is that a "top producer" or "hot agent" is often very busy.  They may not be able give you the time and patience needed to have ensure a successful real estate transaction.  An experienced agent who is handling 10 listings and 10 buyers at a time will not be a better able to spend time with you and really listen to your needs.

Top selling agents often price homes below their market value to maintain their own selling statistics. They want to sell your home quickly so they look attractive to future customers. They may care more about their numbers than yours!  If you home is underpriced it will affect the whole neighborhoods' values.  And you will potentially realize lower profits.

Ask agents about how busy they are and how concerned they are about their own selling statistics.  You want an experienced agent with knowledge of your neighborhood and time to give you all the information and help you need to make your real estate transaction successful, positive and profitable.

Seattle Summer Days

Thu, Aug 4, 2011

Seattle summer is here!  Seafair has started.  Blue Angels are flying over my house and eagles are cruising the wind drafts.  August is one of the best months of year for great weather and great deals in the real estate market.  A lot of buyers and their agents go on vacation in August, but sellers still want to sell so deals are more likely.  The homes are there, the sellers are willing and able to sell and there are less buyers searching.  This means if you are willing to forgo a little sunbathing and summer fun you could find a great deal in Seattle and surrounding areas.

Seattle employment

Sun, Jul 10, 2011

The Seattle area's employers are hiring.  Boeing, Nordstrom, Amazon are hiring.  Bringing new people to the area and boosting the area's real estate market.

With strong hiring trends I really believe Seattle and Bellevue's real estate market is on the upswing.  Apartment developers are working hard to get new apartments built to take adavantage of employees who want to live close to work.  The downtown Seattle rental market is quite busy. 

With employment confidence buyers are willing to take the next step towards home ownership.  As they do, the current starter home owners can move up.  This has been shown in our real estate statistics...more homes selling quickly and some with multiple offers.  Even homes over $1 million have been moving.

If a buyer has the financial ability to buy a home, I would recommend checking out some of your favorite neighborhoods.  Ballard area homes are moving fast, Northeast Seattle is also attractive.  There are still some great deals in West Seattle and further south.

Seattle Housing market

Wed, Jul 6, 2011

Seattle area real estate market is improving!  Housing inventory is lower, about a 3.5 month supply, which means we are edging closer to a normal real estate market.  Neighborhoods near jobs in Seattle and Bellevue are seeing multiple offers and offers within a week of listing.  This is specific to more desirable neighborhoods.

Ballard and northwest Seattle are moving quickly in the under $500k homes.  However, even over $500k lisitngs are moving more quickly than last year.  This makes sense as people move up in the marketplace - selling their homes and moving into a better neighborhood and more expensive home.