The last decade has been a wild ride for homeowners, real estate professionals and most balance sheets. It’s been 10 years of boom and bust starting with technology, ending with housing and not much time in between. What the housing market hasn’t seen in a while is stability. Based on some numbers released this week it looks like the housing market has found stability.
The Case-Shiller* 20-city home price index reports that prices are down 30% from the peak in May 2006 but are up 3% from the bottom in May 2009. In the end of 2009 month-to-month prices fell in only five of the 20 markets in the index, rose in 14 and remained flat in one. This trend is welcome news to both buyers and sellers who have been on the sidelines waiting for the volatility to leave the market.
If you look at the market with a wide angle lens, the overall trend has been positive for homeowners who bought at the beginning of the decade and sold at the end of the decade. Between January 2000 and December 2009 home prices rose by 46% which is well above the rate of inflation during the same period.
*The Case-Shiller index is calculated based on the repeat sale of the same property tracked in 20 different major markets across the country.
Community Warehouse is a volunteer based non-profit that collects donations of household goods and distributes them to families in need. Their mission is to provide the basic necessities to set up a home for a family in crisis. They impact the lives of over 3,300 families per year – 80% of the households include small children and most have a woman as the head of household.
Hillsboro’s grant of $1,000 will help support their program of collecting donated and household items. As a result, families with children will have beds to sleep in and a blanket to keep warm; pots and pans to cook a meal; dishes to eat it on; a table to eat together as a family; and other necessities that help create a stable environment.
Family Bridge received a $1,000 grant from the Windermere Hillsboro office. Their mission is to serve homeless families with children by providing shelter and meals, onsite-counseling, resources for employment, child care, housing referrals, help and hope, so they might achieve stability and self-sufficiency and have a home of their own.
Windermere’s grant will be used to support the needs of the families during their 6 weeks stay at the shelter. Funds will help with personal care items, groceries, bedding, transportation costs, rental application fees, utility deposits, and move-in costs.
The Pantry@Rock Creek Church and Rebuilding Together also received a $1,000 grant to support their good community work.
What is it about watching the Olympics and events like snowboardcross that has me daydreaming about moving to a mountain lodge with an endless supply of hot cocoa?
If you live anywhere in the western states, you’re just a few hours drive from many top ski and snowboard towns. Here are a few notable areas to check out:
Park City, Utah Parts of the 2002 Winter Olympics were held here and the area now give skiers, snowboarders and outdoor enthusiasts opportunities to experience personal Olympic moments. The city also hosts the Sundance Film Festival for those want to be fashionable at the lodge.
Bend, Oregon Bend is in a unique location near Cascade Mountains that keeps the city full of snow – and sun. The word is out about Bend's sunny disposition and the population has quadrupled over the past 20 years. Yet it manages to keep its small-town charm.
Whitefish, Montana Scenic lakes, rivers and peaks of Glacier National Park stretch over the 60 square miles of Whitefish. It is all about the outdoors here as residents and visitors enjoy boating, cycling, hiking, snowshoeing, skiing and more.
Idaho There are many ski-friendly cities in Idaho with areas like the dramatic Schweitzer Mountain Resort near Sandpoint and famous Sun Valley near the towns of Ketchum and Hailey. Then there are towns like Driggs in the Teton Valley. This quiet area is starting to be discovered by more adventurers seeking a down-to-earth experience away from the bright-lights of luxury resorts.
Jackson, Wyoming Visitors to Jackson experience the both scenic beauty of nearby Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and a fun town that celebrates its wild-west roots.
What's your favorite place to feel the Olympic spirit?
As a seller today you are faced with a challenge when it comes to selling your home for a fair price and getting it done in a reasonable amount of time. Even though inventory is lower than it was five months ago, we are still looking at about 9 months of inventory in many areas. This large amount of inventory indicates there is a lot of competition out there to attract the right buyer.
We all know there are more than five steps involved when it comes to selling your home. We asked a few of our Windermere agents what advice they would give a seller today if selling your home came down to just five key things.
Price. Listen to your real estate expert and don't try to "start high."
Clean and stage. You are competing with other great deals out there. Yours needs to stand out and shine.
Follow a marketing plan. Drop your price 3% every 30 days.
Ask yourself – what is your goal? Most sellers have a dream of making a lot of money off the sale of their home. If your goal is to purchase another home, you will make up for your "loss" there. It's all relative.
Hire a local expert. Interview at least three agents. Do your research. A good agent will do all that for you.
Windermere Property Management Lori Gill and Associates (Bellevue, Lake Forest Park, Vashon Island and Edmonds), just donated $1500 to Eastside Baby Corner, an amazing organization run predominately by volunteers. EBC has been serving families (babies/children) in need since 1990. Their mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families in need by collecting and purchasing children’s items and distributing them, free of charge, through local social service agencies.
EBC depends on approximately 100 volunteers each week to meet the needs of an estimated 5,000 at-risk children in East King County every year. The organization fills an average of 700 orders each week including car seats, diapers, books, formula, baby food and clothing.
This $1,500 donation will be earmarked for the “Top Ten Item” wish list which will help increase EBC’s buying power allowing them to make these much needed purchases.
On Friday, February 5th, the largest gathering of Windermere associates took place at Benaroya Hall in Seattle to kick-off a new year. Over 2200 of us discussed a wide-range of topics from current market statistics to thoughts about what’s ahead in 2010.
After all the charts and graphs, there was one other important discussion about gratitude.
Gratitude We talked about starting every day with appreciation and shared the things we were thankful for that morning:
Time spent enjoying the company of friends and family
A place to call home during these tough times
My dog Henry and being healthy enough to take him for long a walk/run every day
Indulging in simple pleasures – like coffee from my favorite café
Being asked by family and friends to help them attain the home of their dreams
The Windermere Foundation was founded in 1989 to support non-profit organizations dedicated to serving homeless and low-income children and families.
We are celebrating our 20th anniversary and we have much to celebrate! Since our beginning, we have collectively raised over 21 million dollars to help hundreds of thousands of low-income and homeless families.
While the past year presented challenges for many, it proved to be especially trying for anyone near the border of poverty. Thankfully, generous agents, owners, managers, staff and public supporters have continued their dedication to the Foundation which helped raise over 1.2 million dollars in 2009. These much needed funds are distributed to many social service agencies committed to assisting low-income and homeless families throughout the West.
I'd like to share a story from the Foundation's early years that I originally shared on our Windermere Foundation blog. This story really helps illustrate what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years thanks to your support:
A mother with three young children was helped by the Windermere Foundation’s housing assistance grants and she always remembered the generous gift. She said the Foundation gave her hope and encouragement at a time when things looked pretty bleak. She made a promise that at some point her family would repay the Foundation for the generosity they received.
Then in October 2000, three teenagers and their mother arrived at Windermere Real Estate and asked to see Maria Bunting, Founder and Executive Director of the Windermere Foundation. During their visit with Maria, the teenagers spoke about the positive impact the Foundation has had on their lives. Before they left the Windermere office, they each made a hard-earned contribution to the Foundation so that the cycle of giving would continue.
I'm always so inspired by our generous community – not just those in Windermere, but all around us – who strive to help others any way they can.
Thank you for continuing to inspire me and the children and families the Windermere Foundation serves – since 1989!
We are celebrating our 20th anniversary and we have much to celebrate! Collectively, we have raised over 21 million dollars since 1989 allowing us to help hundreds of thousands of low-income and homeless families.
While the past year presented challenges for many, it proved to be especially trying for anyone near the border of poverty. Thankfully, generous agents, owners, managers, staff and public supporters have continued their dedication to the Foundation which helped raise over 1.2 million dollars.
For the 10th consecutive year, the over-and-above donations have exceeded the transaction fee revenue! In 2009, 60% of Foundation revenue came from over-and-above donations, while 40% was comprised of transaction fee revenue.
These much needed funds are distributed to many social service agencies committed to assisting low-income and homeless families throughout the West.
A couple stories that help illustrate what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years – thanks to your support:
From 1989 – The cycle of giving continues A mother with three young children was helped by the Windermere Foundation’s housing assistance grants and she always remembered the generous gift. She said the Foundation gave her hope and encouragement at a time when things looked pretty bleak. She made a promise that at some point her family would repay the Foundation for the generosity they received.
Then in October 2000, three teenagers and their mother arrived at Windermere Real Estate and asked to see Maria Bunting, Founder and Executive Director of the Windermere Foundation. During their visit with Maria, the teenagers spoke about the positive impact the Foundation has had on their lives. Before they left the Windermere office, they each made a hard-earned contribution to the Foundation so that the cycle of giving would continue.
From 2006 – Windermere Kids at the Y In 2006, the Windermere Foundation and the YMCA partnered to create Windermere Kids at the Y, a tuition-assistance and volunteer program that provides low-income children with quality child care and after-school enrichment programs through local YMCA sites.
Over the years the Foundation has supported the YMCA with over one million dollars in contributions. We’ve also received countless testimonials from parents whose children attend a Y site where our program is offered. This one is my favorite:
“My son has been attending the YMCA since the fall of 2006. Being a single father I have not been able to afford many things for my son, but due to the Windermere Kids at the Y program I have been able to enroll Ryan and know that he is safe, well cared for and getting the help that he needs. I am happy to say that the YMCA and Windermere have made a big difference in our lives. Thank you for giving us the chance to succeed.” – YMCA Parent
From 2009 – Christmas House The Snohomish County Chapter of the Windermere Foundation is comprised of 12 offices. This past Christmas, eight of the offices found a great way to give back and have a terrific experience volunteering their time at Christmas House. Their dedication helped 3,890 families and 11,000 children received Christmas gifts they likely wouldn’t have had otherwise.
Christmas House is a non-profit organization that provides gifts for children of low-income families in Snohomish County. The operation procures gifts year-round and runs from 8AM to 3PM for several weeks prior to Christmas relying on 50 volunteers each day during those busy weeks.
Several Windermere agents volunteered their time during these weeks and many brought older children to help out – giving kids a whole new perspective and appreciation of the difficult times many families are facing.
Kay Frederickson, coordinator of the Snohomish County Chapter said the following about her experience, “I think it goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway, when you give of yourself you always get more than you give and Windermere agents really seem to understand that.”
Looking ahead to 2010, we will continue to focus on all the amazing stories of how your continued support is changing the lives of so many in the communities we serve.
What are you looking forward to in 2010?
In the words of Cesar Chavez, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about the progress and prosperity for our community.”
On Saturday, children from the local University YMCA participated in a fun free-throw contest during halftime of the Apple Cup of men’s basketball (University of Washington vs. Washington State University). For each free-throw the children made, the Windermere Foundation contributed $100 to the YMCA benefiting its sports programs.
These talented kids made 10 free-throws! And their total set a new record. The Windermere Foundation is honored to contribute $1000 to the YMCA and we are thankful to both the YMCA and the University of Washington basketball program for being a part of this great event.
You have many tough choices to make as you start looking for the home of your dreams and prepare to make one of the largest financial decisions of your life. Finding the right agent to represent you shouldn’t add to your worries. I’ve met a few real estate agents over the years and here are 5 tips to help you find a great one.
Ask your friends and neighbors. Most consumers find their agents’ through referrals from those close to them. You’ll get real world references (good and bad) from the people you trust.
Search your online networks. Search for real estate agents within your professional network on LinkedIn.com. LinkedIn can show you the agents who are 2nd and 3rd degree connections within your network. LinkedIn will even show you the agent’s resume and recommendations, mutual connections and offer to introduce you.
Search local listings. Spend some time looking at homes similar to the one you wish to purchase or plan to sell on your favorite real estate website. Which agents are posting the best photos and doing the best to represent homes through their marketing efforts? Which agents are the most active in the area?
Search Yelp. Yelp.com started as a place where people could write reviews and rate restaurants and bars. Today, Yelp has become the one-stop site for reviews of local businesses and professionals. Take a look at the highest rated agents in your area and read what your neighbors have to say about their service.
When in doubt, Google it. When you’ve narrowed your search down to a list of possible agents start typing their names into Google. Google is a quick and easy way to see how active an agent is in the online world. If your agent has a common name include location or company search terms as well. You’ll be able to see any blogging or community activities they are involved in. You will also be able to see how active they are on real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia. Working with an agent who is active online benefits you because they are more likely to have larger networks and a greater reach with marketing efforts.
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