CW Title and Escrow Newsletter | 4.2016

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Volume 7 | Issue 4

APRIL 2016

LOCAL happenings

EYE ON THE market and Snohomish County single-family home prices increased 7.3 percent and 8.79 percent respectively. Compare this to an almost 20 percent increase for King County.

What a great time to live in the Pacific Northwest! The relatively mild winter has warmed into a fantastic spring, bringing with it a hot real estate market.

Some sellers who were on the fence about listing their homes are beginning to see the advantages of not waiting, but inventory still remains tight.

Condos are hot, especially for those buyers who are currently renting in multifamily housing. Northwest MLS data for February shows closed sales of condos in King County up more than 21 percent over the same month last year.

While some homebuyers choose to stay within King county, others are increasingly looking to Pierce and Snohomish counties, where condos are not as numerous, but single-family home prices are rising more slowly. For February, NWMLS stats show Pierce

Whether buying a condo in King County or a single-family dwelling in a neighboring county, as these trends demonstrate buyers are realistically looking at the market and adjusting their wish list to fit the current market.

While interest rates have begun to edge up, they are still at historic lows and are predicted to remain so for the foreseeable future. The Puget Sound economy is strong, and the job market continues to grow. Those looking to buy now may find they are in an excellent position to purchase their next home while favorable interest rates are still available.

It’s a great time to live, work and invest in our region. For sellers sitting on the fence, there is no better time to list than now. The backlog of demand is high and it's a great time to maximize your return.

celebrating EARTH DAY: HOME, WORK, PLAY A few ideas for celebrating Earth Day 2016 in your home and your daily life: Walk or bike to work. Reduce your footprint on the Earth by leaving your car at home whenever possible. You benefit from the hearthealthy exercise, and the Earth benefits by fewer carbon emissions from one less car on the road.

Composting. It’s the law in some municipalities, and just something you should do. More than a billion pounds of food are thrown away each year. The most efficient way you can make a difference is to compost with your waste

pickup service if offered in your area.

Recycle your e-waste. More than 50 million tons of electronic waste are generated each year in the U.S. alone and only 20 to 25 percent of the waste is responsibly recycled. As a direct consequence, large amounts of hazardous materials such as lead, mercury and cadmium leach into our air and water, contaminating our communities. Go to e-stewards.org to find a facility that will help you to recycle your e-waste in a safe and responsible manner. (continued on next page)

1-30 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival tulipfestival.org 2-3 520 Bridge Grand Opening 520golong.com 7-10 Emerald City Comicon in Seattle emeraldcitycomicon.com 9 Daffodil Festival Parade in Pierce County | cityoftacoma.org 9 Gray Sky Blues Music Festival in Tacoma | tacomaevents.com 10-14, Seattle Restaurant Week 17-21 srw.seattletimes.com 14-17 Puyallup Spring Fair thefair.com 16 Earth Day Run at Magnuson Park | magnusonseries.org 16-17 Mud & Chocolate Run in Redmond | mudandchocolate.com 16-17 Seattle International Children’s Friendship Festival childrensfest.tacawa.org 22 Free Entrance to State Parks discoverpass.wa.gov 22-23 NW Tequila Fest in Seattle nwtequilafest.com 22-24 Celebrate Spring Weekend at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds evergreenfair.org 23 Jazz Unlimited in Kirkland explorekirkland.com 25-28 Free Entrance to National Parks nps.gov

MAKING TULIPS LAST!

Bringing tulips home from the Festival?

Here are a few tips for making them last:  Choose tulips that are tightly closed, this means they are fresher.  Re-cut and re-water them daily.  Keep them away from direct sunlight and heat. At night, store them in the coolest room in the house.  Place a penny in the bottom of the vase ... it’s been said to work!

April I M P O R TA N T D AT E S Friday, APRIL 1 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival Begins

Friday, APRIL 22 Earth Day

Friday, APRIL 1 National Walk to Work Day

Wednesday, APRIL 27 Administrative Professionals Day

Thursday, APRIL 7 World Health Day

Thursday, APRIL 28 Take Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day

Monday, APRIL 18 Tax Day

Friday, APRIL 29 Arbor Day

Earth Day Friday, April 22

The founder of Earth Day, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, first proposed a national environmental teach-in day to a conservation group in Seattle in September of 1969. Denis Hayes was the principal organizer of the first Earth Day, which took place a few months later in 1970. Over 20 million people participated that first year. Visit earthday.org to find out how to get involved.

celebrating EARTH DAY: TIPS FOR REDUCING, REUSING, R ECYCLING (continued from previous page)

Donate your old clothes. Much of your old, unused clothing can be given a second life by others who purchase secondhand; regenerated into textiles for other products such as cleaning cloths; or turned into fibers for insulation. Goodwill holds an annual “Break Up 4 Good” Earth Day event, in which they encourage everyone to “break up” with clothes they no longer wear and donate them.

Reduce junk mail. One hundred million trees are cut down each year to produce junk mail, and the resulting loss of trees takes a huge toll on the Earth. Switch to online payments for all of your bills and use company such as paperkarma.com (based in Seattle) or catalogchoice.com to help you opt out of catalogs, coupons, credit card offers and other mailings.

Buy local produce and eat “low on the food chain.” Increase healthy habits and help reduce your carbon footprint by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables and buying your produce locally. More information about buying locally produced food and supporting area farmers can be found below.

Reduce energy use at home. We’ve heard for years that we should use compact fluorescent or LED bulbs. LEDs are more expensive but last longer and will save you money over their lifetime.

More ways to reduce energy consumption around the house: Use the auto brightness feature on your TV to lower the brightness in low light (nighttime); wash clothes in cold water and spin at the highest speed (removes the most moisture, which means less time in the dryer); completely unplug gaming consoles and DVR players when you’re out of town, as these types of electronics are drawing power even when turned off.

Find more information at earthday.org.

eat locally WITH PUGET SOUND AREA CSAs Joining a CSA is great for the environment—and your health!

We all know that eating locally is great for the environment. We reduce the strain on the environment by shortening the length of time and the transportation resources it takes to get produce from the farm to our table.

We also know that eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables is good for our health. Community Supported Agriculture programs, commonly known as CSAs, help us accomplish both.

How does it work?

Families pay an annual fee in the spring or winter that entitles them to a “share” of the season’s upcoming harvest. Once harvesting begins members pick up a weekly box of local, in-season produce that may include fruits, vegetables, cheeses, eggs, honey, meats, poultry, flowers, herbs or preserves. What you get depends on the CSA you sign up with, and each week’s delivery may vary as the year progresses and produce comes into season.

Some farms will include recipes and cooking tips that coincide with what’s included in that week’s delivery. This is especially helpful if you’re unfamiliar with a particular food item.

Volume 7 | Issue 4

Most CSAs offer various delivery box sizes and price points to accommodate households of various sizes.

Each CSA will usually have a few pickup sites within its service area, so be sure to find one with a pickup location convenient for your home, work or school schedule.

It’s a good idea to check with each CSA directly before choosing one that fits your needs because each CSA works a bit differently.

More information can be found at: pugetsoundfresh.org localharvest.org/csa