REAL ESTATE KIRKLAND
JUNE 2011
Your guide to Real Estate and home buying & selling
How Do I Sell a Home in Today’s Market?
bie Deb LS SELland Kirk
KIRKLAND WINE COUNTRY
Impeccable 1.45acre Mini ESTATE w/Remodeled 3210sq ft home. New Windows/Gas Furnace/AC/Hardwood Flooring/Granite Counters & More. Open Floor Design w/Vaulted Ceilings. Lovely & Quiet Tree-Lined Street Completely Private w/Natural Light Pouring In. Walk to Lk Wash Schools & Wineries/Brewery. MLS #188389 � SOLD $540K�
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HOUGHTON S
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Stunning Houghton 4-Bed/2.75-Bath/ 2570sq Ft Home W/Lake View. Gourmet Kitchen With SS Appl, Granite Slab & Hardwoods. Lots Of Nat’l Light. Quiet & TreeLined Private Drive. – SOLD $575K –
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HIGHLANDS
Contemporary Highlands Recent Remodel Impressive/Open Design w/ Gourmet Kitchen, Granite Slab/SS Appl. Lovely Tree-Lined/Cul-De-Sac & Quiet/Private/Fenced Yard. Easy 405/520 Access. – SOLD $492K –
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Debbie Walter, Realtor
®
“Your Real Estate Consultant For Life!” CDPE, CRS, GRI, ABR, SRES, Green Certified, Realtor, Platinum Club Producer & Hall of Fame Achiever
Cell: 206.930.8699
RE/MAX NW Realtors Servicing the Greater Puget Sound Area
that there’s plenty of room to negotiate on price. In the last month, 23 percent of homes listed on the MLS had price reductions. 3) Not making curb appeal into web appeal
is another mistake. Curb appeal is the art of making your home appeal to buyers from the moment they first see your home. Some sellers think of this in terms of [ more SELL page 12 ]
Clive Egdes 206-251-1680
Windermere Real Estate/Central, Inc.
Clive@Windermere.com www.Kirklandhomelistings.com
Specializing in Kirkland Properties.
“Exceptional Service, Extraordinary Results” 494477
for sale based on what you paid is a major mistake. Do you sell a car based on what you paid for it originally? Not typically. Yes, cars do depreciate; but when it comes to real estate, many people, until recent years, have been trained to think that homes only appreciate. Well, houses most certainly can build equity, but there has been a sharp lesson about how they can lose value too. Getting what you paid or more for a home depends on many factors, including when you purchased it, current market conditions, economic factors, length of ownership, improvements, and how much time you have to sell. Listing your home based on how much is still owed can cause a seller to list the home for too high of a price. This can quickly result in a painful cycle of price reductions signaling to buyers
advantages include: good schools, neighborhood parks, walking distance to retail stores, close access to freeways, quiet neighborhoods, bright rooms, open floor plans, new appliances and updated features. Now, take a look at your home from that buyer’s perspective and search for a few more unique features worth noting. List your improvements and upgrades. If you’ve put in a tankless water heater or air conditioning, be sure to mention it. While only so much can appear on the Multiple Listing Service, if you have plenty of additions to your home your Realtor/Broker should make a bullet-style list on the flyer. These additional details will help buyers remember your property. It will help your home stand out from the dozens of others that they might be viewing. 2) Listing your home
FORBES CREEK
Meticulous & one-of-a kind 2-story on private/ quiet/tree-lined street. SO Assessed Value=$378K! Completely turn-key & Pottery-Barn cute w/rare 2-car gar! New ext/int paint, new carpet, fncd yrd w/large deck, all applc stay + AC, 2 car gar. Vaulted ceilings, tennis & basketball courts/ parks/trails/min to DT Kirkland/waterfront/I-405. � SOLD $195K� MLS #129536!
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NORTH JUANITA
Spectacular $85K Remodel And Impeccable Open Design W/New S Paint/Hardwoods/ Carpet/Gourmet Kit/ SS Appl & Granite Counters. All New Lighting Makes This Home Incredibly Light/ Bright. 2-Car Gar + Prime Cul-De-Sac Location & Min To Lake Washington Schools & I-405!
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� SOLD $360K�
“Because You and Your Home Deserve the Very BEST ” • Staging • Professional Photos • Virtual Tours • Video Commercial • Beautifully Colored Flyers • Your Home Showcased on YouTube, Google, MSN & 62 other websites!
See All Available Listings at www.DebbieWalter.com
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In a buyer’s market, selling in your area will give you an your home can be a frustratidea about how much buyers ing lesson, especially if you were willing to pay for homes make costly mistakes that can in your neighborhood durslow your sale opportunities. ing recent months. Relying According to a recent strictly on the sold comps is a article, about 36 percent of mistake. homes nationwide sold for Make sure to analyze the a loss in January. homes that are As summer rolls in currently listed for and buyers are out sale too. How does and about shopping your home stack up? for their perfect What are the benhome, they’re doing efits of buying your so with a critical home compared eye because of the to the others on many choices they the market? What have due to excesmakes your home Debbie Walter stand out? Are you sive inventory. Realtor - RE/MAX NW conveying this inforIf you avoid common seller mismation to buyers? takes, you can save When you do yourself time and money. review the comps, see if you Let’s take a look at a few of can notice any particular these problem areas. benefit listed for the sold 1) Sole-focused, comphomes that may have atbased pricing. Yes, recent tracted buyers and ultimately sales count. Studying and caused the sale to close at understanding the comps a higher price. The typical