Phinney Ridge real estate & Green Lake real estate are two of my favorite things,but right now especially there are some pretty interesting properties out there.  The interest rates are still quite low even as they leap and fall between the mid to upper 4% range and mid 5% range.  I don't remember ever seeing this much volatility in the interest rates, but at least they are low no matter what for now!  This makes looking at some of these Seattle neighborhood houses a better deal.

Both Green Lake and Phinney Ridge have some wonderful properties close to the lake itself - from old craftsmans (both updated and in need of love) to green built townhomes to century old larger houses with views and in close proximity to the lake (shhhh:  here is my secret dream house in Green Lake).

In fact, 2009 Seattle real estate seems to be off to a good start with low interest rates and buyers coming out to take a look at the inventory available.  The biggest problem I am having besides trying to get sellers to be realistic in this market is making sure that there is enough inventory to show to my Seattle buyers.  I am seeing a lot more activity lately in the $500,000 and under category and there are plenty of choices out there for these buyers where there may not have been in previous years.  The competition is also not as fierce even in the $300,000 and under markets.  I have run into two multiple offer situations already this year and it is only January, but it is nothing like I have seen before so far. I don't anticipate this being the norm, but there are also unheard of price reductions in the market at this point. 

Courtney Cooper, Designated Broker, Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services,Seattle Realtor serving Seattle real estate, Member Built Green

There are always a few bad eggs to screw everything up...

I am so pleased to be working in Seattle real estate and to be able to run into Seattle Realtors that are truly amazing, but every once in a while I run into a few that I am surprised are in this business. It is upsetting to me that there are bad agents out there because they do reflect badly on all of us.   

OK, here is a scenario:  Your house has been on the market for over 150 days and there are about three real estate business cards from the only agents who have shown or previewed your house in that time.  Your agent's listing flyer says that you have hardwood floors when you actually have laminate ones and your family room is nonexistent to potential buyers because it is "Staged" to look like a ridiculously large eating nook.

  The bulb on your front porch is burned out and no one can see in the dark to get into the house and show it anyway, but luckily one agent does bring a buyer who loves the house FINALLY.  You get an offer for $50,000 over what you just bought the house at a foreclosure auction for a few months back, but roughly $40,000 under list because the one buyer that likes your house wants to negotiate.  Your agent tells the buyer's agent that you don't want to even counter because you don't feel you are close enough. 

Here is the first tip in real estate - let's call it real estate 101:

  If you get an offer from a qualified buyer in a softer market then you need and absolutely have to counter it aka go back and make a counter offer.  Counter it at full price if you must, but don't have your listing agent call their agent and tell them to go away. This is just not smart and if your agent advised you to do this then you should fire them because they clearly don't understand the market or real estate.

This really happened!  This week in fact! 

 Seattle real estate is definitely stronger than many areas in the country right now, but this is not the seller's market that this listing agent thinks he/she is in.  Not only did they come back at full price for my buyer, they increased the earnest money which was already ridiculously big for this particular house.  I wanted her to submit a strong offer so we put in a nice big earnest money check.  This listing agent's attitude was combative and high and mighty and nit picky, but it was also just plain weird. I would never hire this person in my company and hope I don't have the pleasure of working with them again. 

Good Bye Good Bye

Unfortunately, we just can't weed these kinds of characters out of the biz or the world in general!  I always try to envision the type of buyer or seller who would hire this type of agent and I admit to having a lot of trouble.  I guess that is because they probably wouldn't hire me:).   My buyer has smartly (and thankfully) decided to let this seller sit on their property and their truly terrible listing agent and we will find another property.  It still makes me feel sad for the seller because with the proper real estate counseling they should have been able to respond to our offer in a fashion that would have most likely kept my buyer around and they could have closed in less than thirty days.  Instead, I will surely watch that listing sit for much longer and will pay careful attention to the final sales price when/if it eventually does sell.  I am willing to wager that they won't do as well as they think they will.

Courtney Cooper, Designated Broker, Seattle real estate company:  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services

This is a wonderful piece with Zillow's COO Spencer:)

Seattle real estate - Geez Louis!

I drove 350-something miles since Friday showing houses to four different Seattle real estate area buyers.  I showed houses all morning, all day, and until the clock on the key boxes wouldn't let me open any more doors.  I had to coordinate tours, keep time, answer questions left and right, and generally be "on" the entire time.  I have a headache:)  I did manage to write up a couple offers out of all that so I will see where it all goes, but the two things that were made even more glaringly clear to me than before are these:

1.  If you are a real estate agent and you want to sell houses, you need to actually work on the weekends, show up on time, and return your phone calls.  I ran into several agents who did not answer their phones at all.  I understand being tied up, but at least call me back when I clearly have an interested buyer.  One agent got a call form me at 9AM on a Sunday  - I asked him if he was going to be having an open house that day because I saw his seller required 24 hours notice (don't even get me started) - I knew I could not show the house based on the 24 hour notice requirement so I figured I would squeeze in a showing via an open house.  He called me back this morning (Monday) at 10:30 to tell me that he did have an open house.  It must have been too busy for him to check messages?

2.  If you are a seller, you need to let people see your house. It is hard enough to have to coordinate appointments perfectly to show up on time and make sure that the tour progresses properly plus be professional and even be courteous and take my shoes off in your home.  There should be no need for me to have to convince you that my buyer actually can buy a house.  Believe me, I am sorry that you don't feel like cleaning your house and making it available for me to show it on the weekends, but I assure you that I would not be asking if I didn't think my buyer had a serious interest and was actually able to buy.  I just don't waste my time like that and thought you wanted to sell your house. I actually ran into some great sellers and thankfully the majority of Seattle sellers understand how to be accommodating.  There are those few, though, that I felt like submitting a resume of qualifications for both me and the buyer might have been more helpful than just trying to schedule an appointment.  I literally got the third degree in some cases. Weird.

To me, these are two major issues of selling houses in today's real estate market.  There are buyers out there, believe me, but you have to be available in the evenings and on the weekends whether you are a Seattle real estate agent or a Seattle seller!

Courtney Cooper, Seattle Realtor & Designated Broker for Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services, Seattle Washington real estate courtney@cooperjacobs.com

South Lake Union gets the first part of its crown!  

(postcard used with permission of Todd Burley at Seattle Parks Foundation)

Lake Union Park

860 Terry Avenue North in Seattle

Over a hundred years ago the Olmsted Brothers put into place a plan for Seattle and its parks - this landscape design firm is largely responsible for laying out the master plans for our amazing parks system, but the Seattle Parks Foundation is making sure that the plans are implemented!   Lake Union Park was identified by the Olmsted Brothers as an ideal park setting for our city and the first part of the plan to make it reality is complete!

The overall park will be roughly 12 acres when complete, but Seattle and South Lake Union residents can enjoy the first 1.6 acres now!  The first phase of the Lake Union Park is complete including a large lawn, waterfront steps, and a pedestrian bridge.  The park is set to be completed in 2010.  One of the visions includes a trail around Lake Union!  I am extremely excited about this project and see it as having a huge impact on connecting Seattle neighborhoods and trails not to mention South Lake Union real estate! 

Please if you get a chance, check out the Seattle Parks Foundation website and donate to them!!!  These guys know what they are doing!

Courtney Cooper, Designated Broker of Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services, Seattle real estate

Interested in a unique Seattle waterfront living arrangement? 

I have gotten a lot of email requests for Seattle houseboat listings lately and the fact of the matter is there are not that many Seattle houseboats for sale right now!  The movie Sleepless in Seattle did a number on the popularity of these beautiful homes (as in EVERYONE wanted one!!!) , but I have to admit to always loving them.  I have close friends that live on houseboats and I truly enjoy my visits!  I always leave reluctantly and wanting to move right away to this amazing lifestyle right in the heart of Seattle!  But alas, my three children and giant Newfoundland dogs truly prevent me moving to a houseboat at this point in my life....Someday.

Keeping my eye on the houseboats...

In the mean time I keep my eye on what comes up on the market and try and share the info with what ever buyers I think might like this kind of lifestyle - Seattle waterfront living at its best in my opinion minus any kind of privacy.  The houseboat docks are close knit and each house boat is snuggled up nicely to the next with a small walkway type deck or larger ones in some cases.  Container gardening is taken to new heights and I consider houseboat residents to be among the very best gardeners despite their lack of dirt. 

Pluses and minuses with houseboat living...

I mean can you imagine no yard or garage?  Kayaking to work across the lake if you are lucky? Pulling your kayak or canoe right up to your house and tying it off? Watching seaplanes from your home right overhead? Even with these fantastic benefits, though, these houseboats are often hard to come by and the space inside them is quite limited as far as storage goes.  Every nook and cranny should be utilized perfectly!

Yes I love houseboats!  One of my very favorite memories of an open house was on a Seattle houseboat in Eastlake  - I ended up showing another houseboat to a buyer and actually dropped the key into Lake Union!  The listing agent was furious with me, but it just bounced right out of the key box and they had not bothered to add a clever float key chain to prevent such a mishap!

If you are interested in Seattle real estate, I am happy to answer your questions!

My Favorite Seattle Suburb Self Dog Grooming Place:

Edmonds Scrub-A-Pup 

180 W Dayton St #101 in Edmonds down by the waterfront.  425-775-7152

These guys are open 9-7 M-F and 9-5 on Sat for Dog Grooming, etc. with the last wash one hour prior to close (two hours in our case most likely).  They open at 7AM M-F for doggie daycare.  I noticed on their site that they offer dog classes, too.

Here is the Best Part: $20

$20 and they give you all you need!  A raised tub with convenient doggy walkway to get into it, soap, brushes, towels, and what we lack at home the most: giant blowers to get our BIG dogs clean.  So far, only David has visited there, but we plan to make our other Newfie a regular, too!

OK - I love this place!  I should tell you why I am so thrilled:  I have not one but TWO giant Newfoundland dogs - one of which is in the 200 pound range.  I keep nagging my husband to make some kind of doggy spa room in the house because it literally costs us about $400 a month to take the dogs to the groomers if we did it as regularly as they need it with all their hair.  The problem is that Newfies are very large and very hairy.  I literally vacuum twice a day to keep up with it and still end up with what I call dog hair tumbleweeds each time.  Drying out all that hair and undercoat is IMPOSSIBLE.  Enter Edmonds Scrub-A-Pup.

(By the way these guys also offer doggie day care, grooming, and a full line of quality dog products, too.)

Now keep in mind this was a washing not a hair cut which my big guy really needs, too:)  He is a clean giant fluff ball after and very happy! 

Need help with Edmonds Real Estate? realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Interested in a unique Seattle waterfront living arrangement? 

I have gotten a lot of email requests for Seattle houseboat listings lately and the fact of the matter is there are not that many Seattle houseboats for sale right now!  The movie Sleepless in Seattle did a number on the popularity of these beautiful homes (as in EVERYONE wanted one!!!) , but I have to admit to always loving them.  I have close friends that live on houseboats and I truly enjoy my visits!  I always leave reluctantly and wanting to move right away to this amazing lifestyle right in the heart of Seattle!  But alas, my three children and giant Newfoundland dogs truly prevent me moving to a houseboat at this point in my life....Someday.

Keeping my eye on the houseboats...

In the mean time I keep my eye on what comes up on the market and try and share the info with what ever buyers I think might like this kind of lifestyle - Seattle waterfront living at its best in my opinion minus any kind of privacy.  The houseboat docks are close knit and each house boat is snuggled up nicely to the next with a small walkway type deck or larger ones in some cases.  Container gardening is taken to new heights and I consider houseboat residents to be among the very best gardeners despite their lack of dirt. 

Pluses and minuses with houseboat living...

I mean can you imagine no yard or garage?  Kayaking to work across the lake if you are lucky? Pulling your kayak or canoe right up to your house and tying it off? Watching seaplanes from your home right overhead? Even with these fantastic benefits, though, these houseboats are often hard to come by and the space inside them is quite limited as far as storage goes.  Every nook and cranny should be utilized perfectly!

Yes I love houseboats!  One of my very favorite memories of an open house was on a Seattle houseboat in Eastlake  - I ended up showing another houseboat to a buyer and actually dropped the key into Lake Union!  The listing agent was furious with me, but it just bounced right out of the key box and they had not bothered to add a clever float key chain to prevent such a mishap!

If you are interested in more info on Seattle Floating Homes or other Seattle real estate, I am happy to answer your questions!