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APRIL 11, 2018
VOL. 99, NO. 4
When is the best time to list your home?
Cindy Apple Photography for Model Remodel
The Most Common Types of Home Additions in Seattle By Jason Legat, Founder And President Of Model Remodel Have you been dreaming about adding square footage to your home? You’re not alone. Home additions are a hot commodity here in Seattle as home prices soar. Not only can they dramatically increase the value of your home, they can also provide extra functionality and even become a source of supplementary income. Discover which type of addition is right for your family and find out what it takes to get the job done. The type of addition that fits your home is dependent on many factors, so assuming you should “do what the neighbor is doing” isn’t going to be the best strategy. Instead, determine what matters most to you. Is it adding a view? Expanding the kitchen? Creating a master suite? Building a rental unit? Each reason comes with its own considerations—something
your contractor can help you talk through. Here are the four, most common types of additions that our clients here at Model Remodel have been asking for: Traditional Additions Are you lucky enough to have some extra yard space? If you have square footage in your lot you’re willing to part with, a traditional addition might be right for you. This type of addition essentially adds a new room to your existing home. Create another bedroom, office, playroom or other space that is seamlessly attached by removing a wall and building out from there. Your contractor can help you match the siding and roofing, so you’ll hardly be able to tell it’s not part of the original architecture. Traditional additions are a good option if you feel your home is missing a single room or needs a fair amount of extra space.
BumpOuts and Dormers Need just a little more space? If your kitchen feels small, your family needs a bit more play space or you could use an extra bathroom upstairs, you should consider a bumpout. Like a traditional addition, a bump-out usually requires the removal of a wall, but it doesn’t require as much space. You’d be surprised what a few extra feet in your home can do for you! More floor space, more cabinets, a bigger closet—the options are endless. Dormers, a type of bump-out, are used to give more headspace to an upper floor or attic that has a pitched roof. They
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When Do you need Design Help and Permits? By Melissa Irons, CGR, CAPS, CGP, Irons Brothers Construction Inc. Q: When remodeling, the world of permits and hiring a professional is a scary one. Can you walk me through the basics? Most projects require design help and require permits. These initiatives not only maximize the investment you are spending on a remodel, but they also ensure that your project is built to minimum code and safety standards. Here are the top five discussion points to help guide you in deciding to engage a professional designer and/or architect in your project and if permits apply. Design help, whether an architect or designer, can help you achieve the best product use in your space and within budget. 1. WHEN DO I NEED DESIGN HELP? • If your project involves adding more square footage or structural changes. • If you are changing the use of the space.
• If your project will affect egress and safety. • If intricate details are required for construction and installation. • If a specialty need is involved, such as aging in place or accessibility. • If you are reconfiguring spaces and floor plans in the living areas or basement. • When the project involves more than removal and replacement. • For assistance with color and finish detail selections. (Note: These will all most likely involve the permitting process as well.) 2. WHEN DO I NEED A BUILDING PERMIT? This is based on your property’s jurisdiction, but generally include: • When adding onto or expanding the current footprint. Permits, Sea Page 2
Homeowners often ask if there is a best time to list their home. Homes are no different than anything else in that you will receive the most money when the demand is high, and the supply is low. Think about selling a boat in the winter or a sports car when it is snowing. The supply might be low, but there is not a high demand. In the north end of Seattle, we continue to experience a high demand for homes with a very limited supply of new listings. November and December are typically our slowest months in real estate. When the new year begins we start seeing a few listings the first week and then they steadily climb until June or July. Listing and sales activity typically slow a bit through the end of the summer, pick up in the Fall and then slow again in winter. One way to gauge a very hot market is that it doesn’t slow down in August or December. Many people believe that summer is the best time to sell because children are out of school. But, Seattle is a young city where the median age is 37 and many of our home buyers are not are not yet constrained by school schedules and can buy any time of the year. Other homeowners might think they want to wait until their garden is in full bloom, and that is a great idea, but everyone else’s garden is peaking at the same time. You may want to list while the bulbs are in bloom but perhaps not wait for the peonies. I think we are all beginning to lose count of how many “Best of...” lists that Seattle is on. “Best place for young professionals” (Forbes 2017), “# 2 Coolest city” (Forbes 2017), “#6 Best places to live” (U.S. News and World Report 2017), and “Fodor’s 1 of 52 top destinations to go in the world”. You get the idea—we have been discovered! How do you take advantage of all the media attention that is helping to bring approximately 500 people per week to the area? We might complain about the traffic that our new residents bring, but let’s not forget that we are also getting a young, highly educated, well-paid work force who prefer to live near the urban core.
Kris Hendricks Managing Broker WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE/ WALL STREET GROUP QUEEN ANNE Selling a home takes a lot of preparation (a good Realtor will give you suggestions as to what to do), but it also takes a lot of physical and emotional energy to move. You want to list your home when you are ready to start your next adventure, whether it be retirement, a bigger or smaller home, or a new community. Once you know you are ready, then I would suggest listing it as early in Spring as possible. The number of listings typically peak in June—yes, yards look good and school is out, but you also have more competition then. We are already starting the year with pent up demand from buyers and the stories of multiple offers and buyers doing pre-inspections and waiving conditions prior to bringing an offer are true. 2018 is starting where 2017 left off-- with high demand and low supply. No one has a crystal ball telling us when the market is going to slow down. But I do know that this is the best seller’s market that I have seen in over 25 years of selling real estate in Seattle. I suggest that if you have been thinking of selling your home for the past couple of years, then you should seriously consider selling it this year. And if you can put your home on the market this Spring, when there are plenty of buyers and not enough sellers, you may be in the desirable position of having to decide which offer to accept. Kris Hendricks is a managing broker with Windermere Real Estate/Wall Street Group, Queen Anne office. 206 755-5757 email: khendri@windermere. com
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