Many relocating employees and their families may be interested in seeing how the Maple Valley area is priced compared to other areas of South King County. The Tahoma School district continues to be a strong draw for those moving to the Seattle area with consistently high test scores (nearly the highest in every category amount South King County districts). This comparison is based upon Single Family homes sold and closed as of January 1, 2008 which were listed through NWMLS. It does not take into account “By Owner” listings or other transfers of ownership (such as foreclosures): div> Kent Auburn Renton Maple Valley Number Sold 759 263 590 301 Average Market Time 80 days 95 days 84 days 93 days Average Sales Price $363,143 $323,257 $408,988 $401,975 The Kent School district covers a huge geographic area, coming into Covington on the East, through the Valley and up onto the West Hill, so it’s not surprising to see the number of sales so much higher. Despite being a slightly farther commute to the Seattle/Bellevue area than Renton, the Maple Valley numbers reflect it’s value with home buyers.
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The Definition of “Quirky”
The loose definition of “quirk” is having a “peculiar trait”….according to Merriam-Webster’s online definition at least. This was the word of the day this past weekend while I was showing homes in the Maple Valley area. No matter which home we went to, there was, inevitably, an odd quirk to the property. Be it poor condition, a bizarre floorplan or an unusual property trait, we seemed destined to find something quirky about every single home we viewed. Many had great amenities, ”except for”. The longer we looked, the more we began to expect ( even look forward to identifying )the quirk in the next house. We weren’t disappointed. Every home we viewed had “something odd” about it. Quirky. Odd can be good and odd can be bad. But if there is something quirky about a home, the price needs to reflect that oddity or “quirk”. Otherwise, it will just become topic for conversation and the buyers will say “next”. There is a buyer for every home. But not at any price. Unless you’re willing to wait a really long time. 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
Rural Maple Valley Life-I Can’t Complain!
For years prior to our moving to here, one of my favorite escapes was to drive through rural Maple Valley on a sunny afternoon. I’d go past the Olson Mansion, with the Cascade foothills as a backdrop…through Hobart and the flat horse properties with new and turn of the century homes, cruise through Landsburg, past the Cedar River. I LOVED it! I’m fortunate to have been able to move to rural Maple Valley back in 1994 when my husband and I purchased a home on a few acres. It was a fixer, but we liked the neighborhood and felt as if we had the best of both worlds; room to spread out but a neighborhood setting. I personally believe acreage is a great investment. They aren’t making any more land, and as I say to my husband, “you can change a house, but you can’t add more property to it-usually!” If you’re thinking about buying a home on acreage there are a few things to consider: Are you interested in buying a “non-tract” property? (Meaning, no protective Covenants, no Home Owners Associations?) or would you prefer to have more of a neighborhood feel? There are several acreage neighborhoods in Maple
Attention Sellers! If Your Home Is On the Market…Be Careful!
One day last Summer I received a phone call from the Broker of another office who was trying to track down a theft which had occurred at the home of some clients his brokerage represented. It turns out, during a showing a few weeks prior to the phone call, some checks had been taken from the house and the Sellers only just realized it when one of them was cashed a few weeks later for $8,000! Fortunately, my agent and her clients had nothing to do with the theft, but it really changed my thinking as well as the advice I now give to my Sellers. Typically in the past I would always remind sellers that prior to putting their home on the market, it would be wise to put away valuable jewelery and heirlooms as well as prescription medications. But with identity theft such a common occurrence these days, I now tell them to hide all mail and financial records including checks and bank statements. Although we take precautions, it’s not impossible for even the best Realtor to be fooled by an expert con-artist. So in addition to hiding your valuables and medications, put all your personal information & mail in a locked file