Sequim real estate market update

I'm back working at the Windermere Sunland real estate office in Sequim. Initially, when I left the office in December, 2009, I thought I was going to focus more on my appraisal business, but I couldn't stay away! Crazy, I know.

Anyway, you can reach me at the Windermere office at 360-683-6880 or by email: marti@martiwinkler.com for any real estate info or if you want to buy or sell real estate in Sequim. I'd be happy to help you out.

I also have a link to my website in the 'Cool Links' section on the right, and you can search listings yourself.

After running the stats, it looks like prices may be stabilizing (let's hope!) in Sequim, and it kinda feels like we're near the bottom. Sales volume for 2009 was about the same as 2008 levels, however, prices were down about 9-10% overall... not so bad, but not so great either.

With prices so low, it's a great time to buy real estate in Sequim. The tough part is getting a loan, for those of you that aren't rolling in cash (ha ha!), but there are loans available. I can get you in touch with a couple of good local lenders that will get the job done for you.

And I'm in the process of launching a new website: http://www.move2sequim.com/, but it's not up yet, just parked for now. I will keep you posted.

Have fun!

Pigs on patrol in Sequim

These pigs were seen at the corner of Kitchen-Dick Road and Hwy 101. They are the cutest! When I stopped to see them, they all ran to the edge of the fence, probably looking for a handout. Sorry pigs!

Live Bread class in Sequim on February 13, 2010

Fred and I will be taking a 'live' bread class tomorrow... exciting stuff! Check it out at Live Cookies website.

Unfortunately any bread, cookies, pasta, cakes, etc. produced commercially with flour, except Ezekiel bread products that are frozen, are essentially DEAD, I'm sorry to tell you, and here's why:

Once wheat berries or other grains are ground, they must be used or frozen within 72 hours to retain any of the nutrients in them. That's why flours you buy in the stores are so bad for you, as they were ground who knows when, and have been sitting on shelves for who knows how long, so there's very little or no nutrition left in them, just empty calories and oxidized waste.

Ideally, you want to grind just enough flour to use immediately for bread, crackers, tortillas or pasta. Back in Bible times, flour was ground every day or every other day and baked right away, so they got all of the nutrients and fiber in their bread and cakes. Makes sense...

So I will post some of the stuff we learned, and give you tips on making your own 'live' bread and goodies, even cookies! :)

So where have I been? Here's the update...

Hello, and yes, it's been a while. I've been busy with a few things lately, but now it seems I have a little time for an update, so here goes:

As of January 1st, 2010, I'm no longer working at Windermere SunLand as an agent, but I've decided that I'm going to be getting my own broker's license so I can do my own thing the way I want to do it. It was a big decision to make, especially since I originally considered getting out of real estate altogether... but after some consideration and some serious soul-searching, I've decided that I just can't leave the industry. I don't know... maybe it's just that I've been doing it so long that it's in my blood. I can't walk away.

I will keep you posted on how that's going, but so far it seems like the right decision for me. I'm actually excited about it, and it's going to be a different type of real estate company than the typical 'business as usual' real estate agencies in Sequim... I'm going to be focusing my energies and dollars on what actually gets results for buyers and sellers, not just on doing the same old things the same old ways because that's how it's always been done.

I'm also still doing appraisals, but business has been really slow these first few weeks of 2010, but it seems to be picking up a little now, and that's a great thing.

The real estate market in Sequim seems to be stabilizing somewhat (thank goodness!), as prices seem to have stopped declining, for the moment anyway. I will keep you updated as the scenario changes...

And, we (Fred & myself) have been dealing with some health issues lately, specifically his giant kidney stone that we discovered in January. The urologist wants to do surgery (of course), but we're trying to dissolve it naturally, and so far it seems to be working.

We've been seeing Sherry Fry at Common Sense Nutritional Therapy in Sequim, and she's been helping us with specific dietary and supplementary support. Fred's no longer in pain, and seems to be getting better, so we'll see how it goes.

That's all I can say for now... I have to get to work. :)

My favorite mini-waterfall along Lake Crescent

The Sauer Kraut restaurant is gone!

Just heard that the Sauer Kraut restaurant has closed its doors... very sad.

I hate it when local businesses close up shop, as it's an indication of how tough things are for everyone right now.

Sequim Real Estate Prices Leveling Off?

Could it be that we've finally seen the bottom of the decline in real estate prices in Sequim?

I've been doing some research in the last few days, and it seems that average sales prices for site-built homes are down approximately 12% for 2009 YTD vs 2008, and the median price is down approximately 8% from 2008 levels. I've sliced this data a couple of different ways, and it appears that we're holding steady at these levels.

From an appraisal perspective, it means that I may finally be able to check the 'stable' box again under the 'neighborhood trends' section. Woo hoo!

It's still a great time to buy in Sequim, so contact me if you'd like more info, or to arrange a meeting and/or showing.

You can search all of the Sequim 'active' listings from my website: MartiWinkler.com or through the Windermere website.

Enjoy the stormy weather... it's exciting!

Sequim Real Estate Update for 2009 YTD

At the end of July, I updated my Excel spreadsheet with the latest stats for Sequim (exciting stuff, I know...), and I thought I'd share them with you, in a nutshell, of course.

Per data in OLS - Olympic Listing Service, the local MLS - for site-built homes, Area 300, Sequim address only:

100 closed sales as of 7/31/2009 = 14.3 sales per month vs
255 closed sales for all of 2008 = 21.25 sales per month, which is a 33% decline in sales volume.

For 2009 YTD, Average sales price is $293,955 vs
For 2008, Average sales price was $329,103, which is an 11% decline.

For 2009 YTD, Median sales price is $256,500 vs
For 2008, Median sales price was $290,000, which is a 12% decline.

Current Average DOM (Days on market) is 148 for 2009 YTD.

For the 2009 YTD overall market, including condos and manufactured homes on lots (non-leased land), we have averaged around 20 sales/month, and sales volume is down 30% from 2008.

For 2009 YTD overall market, Average sales price is down 8% vs 2008, and Median sales price is down 9% vs 2008.

So what does this mean? The numbers are actually improving slowly, and it appears that the declines have slowed, and we may be getting near to stabilizing.

Based on current active listings of site-built homes, we still have about 26 months of supply on the market, which is improving slightly, but still not great. So if you live in Sequim and you don't have to sell, then don't! There's way too much competition out there, and if you can wait, do it.

On the other hand, if you are looking to buy, it's a great time, as there is so much to choose from, and prices are down.

In the future, I will only be working with buyers, so if you are seriously interested in buying in Sequim, please contact me, and I'd be happy to help you find a great place for you.

Sequim Lavender Festival - July 2009

The 13th Annual Sequim Lavender Festival, is scheduled for July 17-19, 2009.

It's the largest lavender festival in North America, with farm tours, a street fair with lots of local vendors, great local food, live entertainment and more!

This year the lavender will actually be blooming during the Festival, as last year, due to the cold summer weather, the lavender wasn't blooming until 2 weeks AFTER the festival, and that was a bummer.

Click on the link above for all the info on purchasing tickets, events calendar and the bus schedules.

I'll see you there!

114th Annual Sequim Irrigation Festival

It's that time of year again, time for one of Sequim's biggest annual celebrations: the 114th Annual Irrigation Festival, May 2nd - 9th, 2009.

The theme remains: Where Water is Wealth, and is a celebration of the visionaries that brought the irrigation ditches to Sequim, which essentially transformed prairie lands into the lovely farmlands and town we have today.

Yes, Sequim takes the Irrigation Festival seriously, so if you'd like to get in on the fun, here's the link for the schedule of events: Irrigation Festival website.

Maybe I'll see you there! :)