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Featured | Maple Valley WA

Featured

21836 SE 254th PL | Sold in Cedar Downs!

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21836 SE 254th PL | Sold in Cedar Downs!

Cedar Downs .58 Acre~ Offered at $437,500 Happy New Year to the buyer of this incredible, custom NW Contemporary in the Cedar Downs neighborhood. Stunning and unique floorplan which is essentially a Rambler (3 BR, self-contained upstairs) with lower level One BR Mother-in-Law quarters. Additional Info & Photos Virtual Tour First time on the market, this property had been meticulously maintained by the original owners and over $80,000 was spent in recent enhancements & updates. Like vaulted ceilings? You’ll have them in Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen AND Master suite! Extensive hardwoods throughout the main living area and secondary bedrooms. Kitchen is a cooks dream with slab Granite counters & pro-Viking Appliances. Lower level has utitility room & wine cellar plus a One bedroom suite;  Full Bath with stackable W/D, Living area and full Kitchen with Gas Range, dishwasher, sink & Fridge. Attached 2 car garage AND super nice Detached Shop-Wood working, art or exercise studio? Upstairs has a loft area for storage. The .58 acre lot is terraced with numerous evergreens & fruit trees. There is ample parking for boat/RV or multiple vehicles. This home is part of the Cedar Downs community and enjoys member access to the private beach & park

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Home Shopping-Buying in Maple Valley

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Home Shopping-Buying in Maple Valley

In a previous post, I addressed the “getting ready” phase of  home buying, outlining the steps which should be taken prior to actually looking at homes as well as the process I go through with buyers who would like to have me represent them in the purchase of their greater Maple Valley area home.   Once you’re committed and your preapproval is in hand, it’s time to go shopping! The internet has altered the Home shopping experience tremendously.  In the past, I would have shown you many more homes than I would now, because you’ll probably have eliminated many and zero-ed in on a few “favorites”.  Typically I plan to show no more than 8 homes in one outing unless there is a real constraint on time; a client in town only for the weekend, or someone who must be in their new home by the end of the month. The reason I don’t prefer to show more than that is because after awhile they all begin to blend together.  Was it house # 2 or 10 that had that waterfall in the backyard? The pink kitchen of house number 4 gets filed in the memory of house number 8….and even though I can

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23605 SE 192nd St, Maple Valley 98038|Lake Francis Area SOLD

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23605 SE 192nd St, Maple Valley 98038|Lake Francis Area SOLD

 Another Maple Valley acreage property under contract and closed today! Affordable & adorable Maple Valley home on acreage all set up for your horses! Pass through the automated gate and the long drive leads to this cozy 3 bedroom 2 bath rambler, built in 1977 nestled on 1.91 acres in the Lake Francis area of Maple Valley. Served by the Tahoma School District, this property offers a 2 stall barn (with feed/tack room), cross-fenced turn-outs, chicken coop, hay storage/garden shed and a detached Shop for storage or hobbies. The house is cute! Laminate flooring runs through the Living Room, Dining Room and hallway, while the Entry, Kitchen and both baths have tile floors. The efficient Kitchen,boasts tile counters and plenty of counterspace, with a handy breakfast bar. The Kitchen also looks onto the rear yard and covered deck. More details & photos can be found here  to follow and the virtual tour  can be viewed here. Closed 11/4/2011 Sales price: $287,000-cash

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Price Reduced|Own a Piece of Maple Valley History~Vintage Cabin

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Price Reduced|Own a Piece of Maple Valley History~Vintage Cabin

Time stands still at the water’s edge of this cabin on Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley. Tucked beneath towering fir & cedars, this cozy retreat, originally built in 1948 , was used over the years as a vacation retreat. It is a rustic reminder of simpler times when the Resort at Lake Wilderness was in full swing and busy Seattlites visited the area to “get away” from the bustle of the city.  The city of Maple Valley website offers a historical view of the resort: “An expanded Gaffney’s Grove resort opened in 1939, capable of accommodating 9,000 visitors daily. This premier lake resort featured baseball fields, tennis courts, dance pavilions, a skating rink, and two swimming beaches with slides, trapezes, and diving towers.”  Currently the structure has no hot water or heat source other than the wood-cookstove, but the tongue-n-groove paneling, ceiling and vintage linoleum create a warm atmosphere from which to enjoy views of the lake. Both front and back yards are fairly level with the front yard sloping slightly toward the lake and the dock. The property is served by an individual on-site well and septic. There is water and sewer in the street for future hook-up or building down the road. This one

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Another Maple Valley Short Sale Closed!

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Update this sale closed on 5/17/2011 with no deficiency and seller receiving FHA incentive at closing. Maple Valley FHA Short Sale has just cleared a major hurdle and is now in the pre-foreclosure assistance stage! What this means to anyone interested is that FHA has completed their appraisal on the property and we are clear to accept an offer that nets 88% of that value. This is a great opportunity for a clean, updated 3 BR home on 2.4 very private acres.   Now priced at $187,500….this is a great deal in this market! More information& photos here or you can view the virtual tour here.

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What’s Your 1st Time Home Buyer Story?

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What’s Your 1st Time Home Buyer Story?

Unbelievably low interest rates are bringing the idea of home ownership to the minds of many first timers. Awhile back, I published a post about  the first time home buying process my husband I experienced. If you or someone you know has recently bought as a first time owner, I’d love to hear your story! In the meantime, here’s a repost of my story: (originally published March, 2009) A young couple, she rents an apartment while finishing college, he still lives at home. The wedding is 6 months away. They want to buy a home; their first together. They don’t see themselves living in someone else’s home. They want to create “their own place”, be able to paint and knock out walls and have a dog without restrictions. They are young. She is 21 and he is 24. They don’t know much about the process, only that they want to own their own home. They meet with their Realtor who tells them they can’t afford much and that their price range is pretty competitve. There isn’t much available unless they are willing to look in a few areas where they absolutely cannot see themselves living. They share this with their

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

This beautiful home on 2.4 acres in Maple Valley has a new owner as of today. Selling at a very competitive price of $334,95o. I represented the sellers, wonderful people who unfortunately were riding the crest of the market during it’s downturn. Thank you to Nina Matheison of Prudential Northwest for a very smooth cross sale, and to Northpoint Escrow for a great closing experience. I wish the new owner many years of happy memories in this wonderful home.

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Eight Predictions for Maple Valley Real Estate Market in 2010

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In honor of having survived completed two decades in service to the real estate industry, I thought I’d step out on a limb and publish my first ever official list of predictions for our local real estate market here in Maple Valley, WA. Here’s how I see things shaking out for 2010 (in no particular order): Short Sales will continue to put downward pressure on pricing Currently 20% of our active inventory are short sale listings, however they account for 54% of pending sales because their prices are so attractive. Buyers will only step into the short sale pit if there is financial incentive…meaning, if they get more home for a lower price in exchange for their willingness to be patient and risk having nothing in the end. What this means to “regular sellers” is that you’ll get more for your home than the short sale down the street, but it’s tough to ask a buyer to pay 20% more for the same exact house. Don’t kid yourself, short sales affect everyone’s home value. Cash will be King Our market has often followed that of Northern California, albeit lagging by about 9 months or so. A year ago, the East

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