Blog Archives

Buying a New Home in Maple Valley

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Buying a New Home in Maple Valley

Now more than ever, there are great opportunities for anyone wanting to buy a brand new home in Maple Valley. Builders have brought prices down to a point where previously lukewarm buyers are beginning to sit up and take notice. Currently prices for New Construction range from 309,000 to over 1.5 Million, and offer a wide variety of amenities, square footage and lot sizes. The majority of the new construction inventory is between 300-500k. Whenever I’m showing new construction to clients, we begin the process by weeding out developments based on price and/or amenities-is there a nearby park? What’s the proximity to shopping, schools, etc. Once we’ve narrowed that down, I begin to guide them through the differences between builders and locations. The pros and cons of each neighborhood, home style and overall product offered by the builder. Once you’ve settled on a neighborhood, turn your eye towards resale down the road. Is your lot one which a buyer (in 3-5 years) might find more attractive than another you’re considering? Do you really need to invest all that money in the master bath? How much of that, if any, might you get back when the time comes to sell? Because

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Just Reduced Home For Sale on Greenbrier Pond

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**Update** This Maple Valley area home has SOLD and now has new owners!” This beautiful Curtis Lang resale is situated at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac on a 1/2 acre which backs to Greenbrier Pond (protected open space). The home is large and features a Main floor Master Suite, 3 bedrooms upstairs as well as a fully finished basement with Kitchenette, Rec room, Workout area, Theater Room as well as a workshop (could function as great playroom for kids as it’s fully finished w/ vinyl flooring) and HUGE storeroom…Whew! That’s quite a lot to offer and now the price has just been slashed $20,000. If you’re looking for something special in the Tahoma School District, this may be it!

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Maple Valley Market Faring Better Than Many Across the US

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Maple Valley Market Faring Better Than Many Across the US

According to a report published yesterday by Standard & Poor, homes sales across the nation declined the first quarter of 2008 by 14.1% compared to the first quarter of ’07.  The Las Vegas market, which saw one of the sharpest increases during “bubble growth” has been hardest hit with prices down approximately 25.9%. Locally, prices for Single Family homes in Maple Valley are down on average approximately 7% over year to date sales in ’07. In addition to the average price decline, the number of closed sales are also down 41%. Average market time has increased by 31%. Homes are selling however, it’s just taking longer and more aggressive pricing.   Colleen Fischesser is the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Select in Maple Valley, WA. She has been successfully selling and marketing properties all over South King & North Pierce counties since 1990 but specializes in the greater Maple Valley area. She may be contacted directly at: 425-432-5400 Copyright 2008 Colleen Fischesser All Rights Reserved

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Year To Date Maple Valley Homes Sold Report

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Year To Date Maple Valley Homes Sold Report

May Year To Date Single Family Homes Sold Report* for Maple Valley, WA. Number Sold 180 Average Sales Price $405,265 Average Days on Market 98 days Highest Priced Home Sold $1,100,000 Lowest Priced Home Sold $170,000 The highest priced home was a waterfront home on Lake Sawyer. The lowest priced home was a 2 Bedroom "fixer" type home. *This information pertains to Single Family Homes in the greater Maple Valley area (Tahoma School District boundaries) listed and closed through cooperative NWMLS sales to date. Technorati Tags: Maple Valley,Market Reports,Tahoma Schools Colleen Fischesser is the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Select in Maple Valley, WA. She has been successfully selling and marketing properties all over South King & North Pierce counties since 1990 but specializes in the greater Maple Valley area. She may be contacted directly at: 425-432-5400

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Maple Valley Foreclosures

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Maple Valley Foreclosures

If you’ve ever ventured over to Yahoo Real Estate, you may know you can search foreclosures by zip code and/or City & State. According to Yahoo, there are 71 properties here in the 98038 Maple Valley zip code which have already been or are in the process of being foreclosed upon. Not all properties which are in the process of being foreclosed upon will actually be sold at Auction. Sometimes homeowners are able to sell their home either outright or by negotiating a short-sale situation with their lender. Other owners will file bankruptcy and find a way to reorganize their debt and stay in the house. If you are looking at buying a home in Maple Valley which has been foreclosed upon and is owned by an investment company or bank, make sure you have professional representation to guide you through the process. Most banks require their own forms be used for the purchase agreement and won’t allow any time for inspections or a buyer’s due diligence. Always make sure you check out as much as possible prior to making your offer. And my best tip? Make sure you talk with the neighbors to find out whatever you can about

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Positive News for a Change

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Positive News for a Change

Despite oil prices at record highs and the pain at the gas pump, there have been several positive economic indications sales may soon begin to increase. In Southern California, an area hit hard by opyright 2008, all rights reseforeclosures, home sales were up 22% in April as investors moved to act on extremely low pricing for the area. When the market is up, investors sell and when prices are down, investors buy. There have been many, many people who have made a ton of money buying properties in a down market. Fannie Mae, the nation’s largest home funding source has announced they will implement a national down payment policy of 3%, lowering the amount needed to purchase from 5% (and 10% in declining markets). This should open up higher end properties to Gen X type buyers with large incomes but low down payments. On the local front, Forbes Magazine has named Seattle to it’s Top 10 Recession Proof cities. Citing low unemployment and strong growth in manufacturing, our area is faring much better during this slow-down than many others across the nation. It’s not “stop the presses” great news, but these small signs are often early indications of changes on

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Maple Valley “House Swap”

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Maple Valley “House Swap”

One of my clients (very smart one by the way) emailed me this week with an idea to help increase activity on her home – a beautiful 5 Bedroom in Maple Woods. This home is typically a “move-up” type property, meaning the most likely buyer for the property would be someone in a smaller home who has outgrown it for whatever reason. There are many “move-up” buyers in the Maple Valley market right now, however they need to sell in order to buy. Recent tightening on lending standards and downpayment amounts have made it difficult for first time buyers (who make it possible for the “move-up” buyer to move) to enter the marketplace. Unless and until first time buyers are able to come in with their 3% downpayments and improved credit scores we will continue to see a bottleneck of inventory. So…back to my smart seller who is looking to downsize. She asks me “What if there’s someone out there with their house on the market, who might want our house and we might want their house?” Aha....(I’m having lightbulb moments right and left these days) A Swap! I market to target move-up markets as part of my comprehensive marketing

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Maple Valley Market Snapshot

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Maple Valley Market Snapshot

Although sales remain lukewarm compared to years past, homes are selling and buyers are looking. However it seems many buyers are still somewhat tentative about jumping into the water. If (and when) interest rates tick up (and they may soon) I think some of shoppers with a “I’ll wait until the bottom hits” strategy, may be forced to act or miss out entirely. Here’s a snapshot of current Market Inventory Property Type Number of Listings Average Days on Market Average Price Residential Single Family 394 103 $502,926 Condominium or Townhome 14 60 days $594.750 Acreage Homes 78 87 days $822,128 Lakefront Homes 6 85 days $1,276,308 Riverfront Homes 5 60 days $594,750 Vacant Land 43 101 days $309,866 Copyright 2008, all rights reserved Colleen Fischesser Colleen Fischesser is the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Select in Maple Valley, WA. She has been successfully selling and marketing properties all over South King & North Pierce counties since 1990 but specializes in the greater Maple Valley area. She may be contacted directly at: 425-432-5400 // -->

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All information is current as of published date. Listings for sale or rent, are avaialable as of the date published, however price and availability are subject to change.