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	<title>Maple Valley WA &#187; Popular</title>
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	<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com</link>
	<description>Real Estate &#38; Life South East of Seattle~ 425.432.5400</description>
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		<title>Maple Valley Real Estate Market Poised for it&#8217;s Best Finish in 3 Years</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/maple-valley-real-estate-market-poised-for-its-best-finish-in-3-years/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/maple-valley-real-estate-market-poised-for-its-best-finish-in-3-years/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:40:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Headline]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Market News & Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home Sales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maple Valley WA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[statistics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=2205</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Maple Valley real estate market is making a come back! With a bit more than three weeks left in 2011, the total number of Single Family Residential closed sales already exceeds last year&#8217;s total by 9.5%. With many closings occurring at the end of this month, we&#8217;ll likely see a definite 10%+ increase in sales volume. 2006 was the peak of the market in terms of number of closed sales, which equaled 1076.  The following year, saw those numbers drop to 764 (which also happened to be the peak year in pricing). The tumble continued down a whopping 38% the 2008 481 sales, before sinking to it&#8217;s lowest point in 2009 with 429 homes closed.  Price is an entirely horse of another color. in 2008, the average sales price of a Single Family home in the Tahoma School District was $395,000. To date, this year, it is $285,000.  Consumers, entinced by extremely low prices,  have obviously begun to gain confidence in the stability of the market and see the benefit of investing for a long term gain.   Either way, I just know I&#8217;m much happier today than I was in 2008. Yea us!]]></description>
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		<title>Maple Valley makes Family Circle&#8217;s top 10 Best Towns for Families: 2011</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/10-best-towns-for-families-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/10-best-towns-for-families-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:22:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Around Town]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Headline]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maple valley best town]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=2043</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every year, Family circle magazine publishes it&#8217;s top 10 cities for Families list and this year, Maple Valley made the list! The August issue lists Maple Valley (the only town West of the Rockies by the way) as # 10 on the list citing the strength of our Schools, recreation and strong sense of community. Of course, those of us who live here have known this all along &#8230;.but it is nice to becognized on a National level! You can read the full article here: 10 Best Towns for Families: 2011.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/10-best-towns-for-families-2011/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>What&#8217;s Your 1st Time Home Buyer Story?</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/whats-your-1st-time-home-buyer-story/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/whats-your-1st-time-home-buyer-story/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Aug 2010 01:45:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Colleen's Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[For Buyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=823</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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&#8217;d love to hear your story! In the meantime, here&#8217;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&#8217;t see themselves living in someone else&#8217;s home. They want to create &#8220;their own place&#8221;, 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&#8217;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&#8217;t afford much and that their price range is pretty competitve. There isn&#8217;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 [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Looking for Late Summer Color?</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/looking-for-late-summer-color/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/looking-for-late-summer-color/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Aug 2010 19:00:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Around Town]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Spotlight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local nurseries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maple valley business spotlight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[taylor creek nursery]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=1596</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Although I&#8217;d  potted a few of my patio planters about 7 weeks ago,I&#8217;ve been waiting for Summer to finally arrive before doing them all. Ok it&#8217;s August for petesake, and I can&#8217;t wait any longer&#8230;..well, that and a looming outdoor party spurred me to action. Even if we only get a few weeks enjoyment from it, I was bound and determined to get some color into the yard. It wasn&#8217;t easy finding a good selection of annuals, Home Depot, Fred Meyer and a few of the other big box stores didn&#8217;t have much selection. So last weekend, I drug my husband with me to Taylor Creek Nursery, out near Hobart on 216th Ave Se. I&#8217;ve visited many times but this was my first trip this Summer. To my delight, there was a great selection to choose from. The owner is very helpful with questions and (what I appreciate) leaves you alone to peruse to your heart&#8217;s content. I could have stayed all day and wandered through the green houses and paths, learning about new trees and shrubs, but I had pots to plant! So I loaded up on Geraniums, Impatients, New Guinnea Impatients, Begonias and a few other annuals just to make [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Tahoma School District 1st to Be Recognized in Green Schools Program</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/tahoma-school-district-1st-to-be-recognized-in-green-schools-program/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/tahoma-school-district-1st-to-be-recognized-in-green-schools-program/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Jul 2010 03:01:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Schools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maple Valley WA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tahoma School District]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=1530</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Tahoma School District continues to impress with it&#8217;s efforts to stand &#8220;above the crowd&#8221;. Recently the district received recognition by King County as the first district to achieve the first level of the Green Schools Program. All eight schools in the district worked to significantly improve in areas of waste and energy reduction. The district implemented changes which amassed a savings in the range of $25,000 when comparing the &#8217;07-&#8217;8 year to the &#8217;09-&#8217;10 school year. Just one more feather in the Tahoma District&#8217;s hat (and as I&#8217;ve said before, that hat must be getting heavy!)]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/tahoma-school-district-1st-to-be-recognized-in-green-schools-program/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lots of Excitement this Weekend Over &#8220;The Bear&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/lots-of-excitetment-this-weekend-over-the-bear/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/lots-of-excitetment-this-weekend-over-the-bear/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2010 15:08:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Around Town]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black bear in maple valley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[living in maple valley wa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maple valley wildlife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=1405</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Maple Valley was in the news this weekend, several times in fact as animal control officers moved to release a large black bear caught in the area. Poor guy, I&#8217;m sure he meant no harm but I&#8217;m also glad he&#8217;s gone. Wouldn&#8217;t have been very fun encountering him while showing an acreage property!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/lots-of-excitetment-this-weekend-over-the-bear/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>It&#8217;s Baaaack!</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/its-baaaack/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/its-baaaack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 May 2010 23:22:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Area Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Colleen's Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[living in maple valley wa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maple Valley Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photo blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pictures of maple valley area]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=1402</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After some back and forth and tweaking and reorganizing, I finally decided to move my photos back over to the MapleValleyPhotos.com website. Sorry for the ping-pong. I hope you&#8217;ll continue to find both sites helpful and interesting. Comments are always welcome!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/its-baaaack/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Return Visitors</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/return-visitors/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/return-visitors/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:59:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Colleen's Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[birdwatching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life in maple valley wa]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=1171</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our weather so far in 2010  has been incredible . For the past two days I&#8217;ve been able to turn the furnace down and open the windows to enjoy the 60+ degree afternoons (warmer with the sun streaming through the windows). Spring seems to be arriving about 4 weeks early here in Maple Valley; plum trees are budding, daffodils and heather are beginning to bloom and&#8230;.the birds are back! At my house, we have a patio with several Arborvitae trees that the birds just love make home each Spring. They are always in pairs, the male more colorful and easy to spot. As my husband and I have our morning coffee, it&#8217;s fun to watch them pop out of the trees to search and gather more nesting materials. When they return, they land on  top of the tree, until certain no one is looking, they slip inside the tree and are completely hidden. I wish I knew what king of birds these are so if anyone knows, please share. One thing we&#8217;ve never been able to see though are the eggs or babies. Maybe this year we&#8217;ll get lucky!]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tracking My Prediction Progress</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/tracking-my-prediction-progress/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/tracking-my-prediction-progress/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:46:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Colleen's Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maple Valley WA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate predictions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/?p=1098</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s pretty early for me to be evaluating the accuracy of my predictions for the 2010 Maple Valley Real Estate market, but then again we&#8217;re talking about moi. When I go &#8220;on a diet&#8221;, I weigh myself that afternoon (and the next morning and the next afternoon &#8217;cause you just never know, right?). When we want to paint a room, I put a plate size swatch of color on every wall&#8230;.just to envision it and then am good. Tell me you have a secret?  I&#8217;ll probably get it out of you. In other words, I&#8217;m not a very patient person. So, while working on some stats tonight for the Maple Valley real estate market, I decided to take a sneak peak and see where my prediction about the final number of SOLD homes for &#8217;09 fell&#8230;. and well what&#8230;..d0&#8230;..you&#8230;..know&#8230;..? I was right on in my final estimation of closed sales for the year. Maple Valley had 426 single family homes close in 2009. (Listed and sold through NWMLS ). Part of my prediction for number of units sold included a prediction for the final number of closed sales for &#8217;09: My guess is we will be somewhere around 425-430 once [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/tracking-my-prediction-progress/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Eight Predictions for Maple Valley Real Estate Market in 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/eight-predictions-for-maple-valley-real-estate-market-in-2010/</link>
		<comments>http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/eight-predictions-for-maple-valley-real-estate-market-in-2010/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:59:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Colleen Fischesser</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Colleen's Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Market News & Updates]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Popular]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[maple valley real estate market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[real estate predictions]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.MapleValleyRealEstate.com/2009/12/29/eight-predictions-for-maple-valley-real-estate-market-in-2010/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In honor of having survived completed two decades in service to the real estate industry, I thought I&#8217;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&#8217;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&#8230;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 &#8220;regular sellers&#8221; is that you&#8217;ll get more for your home than the short sale down the street, but it&#8217;s tough to ask a buyer to pay 20% more for the same exact house. Don&#8217;t kid yourself, short sales affect everyone&#8217;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 [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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