Maple Valley Photo Op….Gotta LOVE It!

On the way home from the office this evening, I stopped by the Maple Valley Market to pick up a few things for dinner. This is the sight that greeted me:

Old school meets new(er) school. Welcome to Life South East of Seattle!

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 Maple Valley Washington area. .She may be contacted directly at: 425-432-5400

Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser

Buying a Brand New Home in Maple Valley

Once the decision to make a real estate purchase has been made, clients will begin to sift through additional options…here or there, acreage or subdivision, new or resale? The list can be long and often exhausting to whittle down, however through the process of education and elimination the buyer will begin to get a more concise picture of exactly what’s important to them. Often the attractiveness of a “new” home outweighs other factors they might consider when buying a “used” (we don’t typically use this term in the industry for obvious reasons). And in today’s market, builders who tend to have deeper pockets are often able to offer more concessions and incentives than the average home seller.
If you’re thinking of buying a new home in Maple Valley, you have a good selection of inventory from which to choose. Here’s a market snapshot of New Construction in the greater Maple Valley area:

Currently Available
Homes on the Market: 118
Average LIst Price: $463, 148

Currently in Escrow:
Number of Pending Sales: 49
Average List Price: $358,025

Sold Properties:
Number sold since January: 23
Average List Price: $371,368

Moving to Maple Valley? Here’s the REAL Scoop on the Rain!

When my Husband and I first began telling friends and Family about our move to the Seattle area, one of their first responses often was, “but it rains all the time there!” or “how are you going to stand all that rain?”. If my parents hadn’t already lived in Bellevue at the time, I may have been more concerned, but we were assured that it didn’t rain much more in Seattle than in other cities…it just rained more often.

Seattle averages approximately 36″ of rainfall a year. Compare that to other cities such as New York which gets 46.6” or Kansas City Missouri which averages 42″ of rainfall per year or Dallas which also has a 36″ average.

NOT more Rain….just more rainy days.

In fact, after living here for a while, you’ll begin to notice the various degrees of rain: Downpour, RAIN, Sprinkles, Drizzle & Mist (or as I like to call it, “Spit”)

The norm is definitely Sprinkles or Drizzle and therefore you’ll rarely see a Seattleite using an umbrella unless there’s a heavy downpour or reason to be outdoors over a prolonged period of time…think youth Soccer sidelines.

If you’re considering making a move here to the gorgeous Northwest, don’t let the rain scare you off. The gorgeous Sunny days are more than worth it all. Besides, you may have more of it where you live now…just not as often.

Enjoy the Ride!