More Telecommuters Might Want to Move to the Harbor

An interesting article came across my path from the Seattle PI.

“Zillow” found that 75% of Americans working from home due to COVID-19 would prefer to telecommute at least half of the time once the pandemic subsides, and 66% said they would consider moving if their job allowed them to continue telecommuting.”

This means if you are debating moving or downsizing, this may be the time!

Many of my clients live in the Washington State Peninsula. Our homes will be in top demand if more Seattleites or Bellevue dwellers decide to step away from the rat-race. They can buy a better, bigger home in Gig Harbor or Ollala and still be a ferry ride away from the city.

This was the quote that made my heart skip a beat: “Moving away from the central core has traditionally offered affordability at the cost of your time and gas money. Relaxing those costs by working remotely could mean more households choose those larger homes farther out, easing price pressure on urban and inner suburban areas,” said Zillow senior principal economist, Skylar Olsen.

Did you read that? LARGER HOMES FURTHER OUT?? That means our neck-of-the-woods may be store for a buyer boom.

And here is what I believe will be a big deciding factor: “More people will leave San Francisco, New York, and even Seattle, some for nearby towns like Sacramento and Tacoma that are close enough to support a weekly office visit.” Think about this… yes many may move south to Pierce County, but Tacoma isn’t that different from Seattle.

Gig Harbor though…that is another planet. A stunning, green, quiet heavenly planet. So while they may start looking in Tacoma, the traffic and rat-race mentality will eventually lead them to our paradise.

And if you are selling, get ready for a prime opportunity.

When people realize that their future commute might include a monthly Ferry Ride and taxi drive, they will start salivating at the possibilities that the Peninsula offers.

And that might make some sellers salivate at their options.

Call me, and we can talk about strategy! This may or may not be for you…but if you don’t call, you’ll never know.

Gig Harbor’s Canterwood Golf & Country Club community offers the opportunity for resort-inspired living, and this 2,570-square-foot masterpiece presents the ideal situation! Perched high up on a 0.4-acre lot with fantastic east and west sun exposure, this residence offers Pacific Northwest living at its finest. In addition to a sprawling layout that includes 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, and well-appointed living areas, you’ll also find immaculately manicured landscaping at every turn! Located at 13206 53rd Ave NW Gig Harbor, WA 98332, this Gig Harbor gem is listed for $699,950. 

Each square foot of this home is worth seeing for yourself, but there are a few standout features you definitely won’t want to miss! Here are 4 major highlights of this home-sweet-home: 

1. Tucked away in Canterwood Golf & Country Club community & situated in a prime Gig Harbor location, too! 

Not only is this retreat in a highly desired neighborhood, but it’s also merely minutes to some of Gig Harbor best amenities. This community gives you access to the lush and pristine 18-hole golf course, as well as a pool, tennis courts, and other exclusive community spaces and events.

Take advantage of premium amenities while living just minutes to city convenience. Connect to Highway 16 and reach Borgen Boulevard in just 4 minutes, the latter of which gives you quick access to places like Target, Costco, Albertsons, Walgreens, Petco, The Home Depot, Big 5 Sporting Goods, the Cushman Trail Head, and several other shops, restaurants, services, etc. You’re also only a 7-minute drive from the heart of Downtown Gig Harbor, making it easy to enjoy iconic waterfront activities! 

2. Picturesque 0.4-acre oasis. 

Storybook beauty greets you as soon as you pull in the driveway, and this home rests at the top of the lot. Lush landscaping wraps around the home (a sprinkler system makes maintenance easier!), and mature greenery surrounds the property for extra privacy. In the secluded backyard, Pacific Northwest bliss is all yours—in addition to the large yard that’s perfect for tossing around a football in, a charming patio offers an idyllic hangout. Enjoy al fresco dining when the weather warms up, unwind in the hot tub, and roast s’mores around the outdoor fireplace while the sun goes down and the stars come out.

3. Warm & inviting living spaces ideal for entertaining. 

From the moment you step in through the front door, this home’s welcoming atmosphere and contemporary style are sure to impress! Natural light pours in through large windows in the formal living room, and the layout seamlessly flows into the formal dining room. Entertain with ease, whether you’re having a few friends over for a dinner party or hosting a lively holiday gathering! 

Toward the back of the home, the family room, kitchen, and dining nook promise a lovely setting to spend time in, and the open-concept layout encourages quality time with loved ones. Snuggle up in the family room to catch up on your favorite TV shows while a fire roars in the elegantly accented fireplace; gather in the light-filled kitchen to prepare meals or enjoy baking marathons; and sit down for weekend brunches and laid-back dinners in the dining nook! 

4. Sumptuous master suite offers resort-worthy amenities. 

One of this home’s not-to-miss highlights includes the master suite, a sumptuous getaway designed for ultimate rest and relaxation. A huge walk-in closet is absolutely dreamy, and the ensuite bath is filled with cheerful sunlight and a corner soaking tub that’s ready for luxurious bubble baths. Additionally, this home includes 2 more bedrooms, plus an office, a bonus room, and a laundry room that’s conveniently on the second floor (no hauling loads of laundry up and down the stairs!). 

Interested in learning more? Click here to view the full listing! You can also contact REALTOR® Maria Kalafatich online here or give her a call/text at (253) 376-5559!

Zillow is a very popular Real Estate estimation service…but does popularity mean accuracy? 

As a real estate agent, I love helping people find, improve, sell or invest in real estate. I think I have the best job in the world. Every day, I get to walk alongside people who see a preferred future and have asked me to help them get to that preferred future. 

Along the way, I get to answer many, many questions. And questions about Zillow are usually the first ones I get to answer. 

Let’s clarify a few misconceptions about Zillow…

Since I am a positive person, I’ll start with Zillow’s positive attributes. Zillow brings together a ton of information in one place. If a buyer wants to make a first glance at the homes for sale in a given area, Zillow is thoroughly adequate. If someone wants statistics on how prices have changed in a zipcode over time… than Zillow works. 

If a buyer wants a quick look at square footage, room numbers and age of a home than again, Zillow gives some great information. 

Zillow’s proprietary calculations look at the LAST SALE price of a particular home and compare that price with CURRENT sale prices of similar homes in the area. From here, Zillow calculates their Zestimate. 

Oh, one other good point about Zillow is they clearly state that this is an estimate and not an actual value. 

Now, let’s talk about the reality. Zillow can not know if you have spent $60,000 on home improvements. Likewise, Zillow can’t tell if you have significant water damage, a crack in the foundation or an old roof. 

This is where real estate agents like myself come into the picture. We spend our days looking at and evaluating the values of a home. We are able to take into consideration the up-keep of a home. We are able to actually look at see that the shag carpet hasn’t been replaced since 1960. We look at comparable sales of homes in the neighborhood to give a true context to the prices that are requested. 

Also remember that Zillow is funded by ad revenue. Over inflating someone’s home value is a sure way to get people to bring their eyeballs back to a site. The more eyeballs Zillow delivers, the more money they can charge advertisers. 

Pricing your home for sale or knowing what price to pay for a home is what real estate professionals spend all our time discussing.  When the right time comes, give me a call and we will sit down and make sure your next real estate transaction is your best real estate transaction.  

COVID-19 has been a scary time for all of us. If you’re thinking about buying or selling, you may have some questions. I’m going to answer the ones I’m hearing most frequently.

*photo credit: cward360

Quick market update on our favorite city- Gig Harbor

Hey friends! 

I want to give you a quick update on the Gig Harbor real estate market. If it seems like houses are for sale all over our beloved city…it’s because THEY ARE! Once people visit and see the views, the green surroundings, and quick access to everything, they want to live here! 

January 2020 was quite active for a winter month. The median sale price was $380,000 and the average price was $330,000.  These amounts are an increase of just over 1% for the month and 13% for the year. Yes, you read that right- 13% increase for the year! 

Just over 800 homes sold, and almost a thousand homes went on the market. That is an active winter month. 

The average time on the market was just under five weeks. This time on the market is down 35% for the year. So, when homes pop up in Gig Harbor, they sell FAST! 

Currently, there are two sellers for every buyer. My guess is that number will change pretty dramatically over the next few months as people come out of their homes, see their shadow, and start thinking about moving. Spring is always a great time to sell as the winter funk starts to fade. 

So- with all of this in mind, what should you do? 

Great question… first of all, if you are thinking about ANY real estate issues, make me your first call. I live with my finger on the pulse of the entire region and I can help you discern between a good idea and a great idea. And when it comes to real estate, the difference between good and great can be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars in your pocket. 

If you are debating selling your home…call me! I’ll take a look at your home and give you great options to ensure you get the top dollar for your home. 

If you are debating buying a new home…call me! My eyes are scouring the available listings daily! Nothing makes me happier than finding a house that is underpriced or in a distressed selling situation and calling one of my clients! This creates quick transactions that help both the seller and the buyer. 

Thanks for reading! I love Gig Harbor and I REALLY LOVE handing keys over to people whose lives are about to get better. 

Hope to talk to you soon! 

Maria

Why is ‘Curb Appeal” such a big deal in getting your home sold? I’m glad you asked. This blog is a short primer on why the outside of your home matters almost as much as the inside! 

While HGTV gets great ratings on shows that talk about staging the INTERIOR of your home… I want to raise a quick flag about making sure the EXTERIOR of your home is equally considered when selling your home. 

Sadly, people do judge books by their covers. And buyers will PRE-judge your interior before ever seeing inside if they are taken back by the exterior. So let’s talk about some essentials.  

First, let’s agree on what exactly is curb appeal. In its most straightforward form, curb appeal is a subjective appreciation for a physical asset. Specifically, this refers to the level of attractiveness one may feel for a property when viewing it from the street. The house presents itself well, and all of the typical components are in place: the yard is well-kept, the paint is vibrant, the siding looks good, the roof is intact, and things are in order. Curb appeal sets expectations. Prospective buyers are more inclined to look inside if they like what they see on the outside. 

Everyone wants their home to have a “wow” factor… but let’s be honest; not every home will have that “wow” factor. But, at a minimum, your property shouldn’t turn off a vast majority of buyers. So, in many regards, our job here is to minimize any negative elements. 

Don’t be overwhelmed…most of these improvements aren’t too difficult. 

Driveway

Driveways full of weeds or cracks won’t present your property in the best light. Fixing this can be as easy as a bottle of weed spray and twenty minutes of labor. 

Roof

Few features will either turn away or attract prospective buyers more than a home’s roof. If the roof is old and has only a few years left, you will receive a positive return on your money by replacing it and trying to sell the home for a higher price. If the buyer doesn’t get a HUGE discount, they won’t want to spend to replace the roof. It is an option for the seller, but I like to keep my clients getting top dollar even if it requires them investing some money before the sale. 

Landscaping

Landscaping improvements can be as simple or as complex as you want to make them. Start with the grass and go from there. Then you should focus on the area immediately nearest to the house. A fresh layer of mulch can completely transform a property’s exterior. My advice to get a full picture of the home’s curb appeal, drive down your street, and take note of the first thing that stands out upon pulling up. These items are what others will notice, as well.

Exterior

In addition to the roof, you also should look at the siding and exterior of the property itself. A dirty exterior is something that should not be ignored. Power washing a deck or the siding of your property won’t take very long but will have a significant impact. 

Front Door

Instead of replacing the door entirely, start by seeing if a fresh coat of paint will be enough to give it an updated look. If you are looking for a more permanent fix, a new door is certainly money well spent and will come with an impressive ROI.

So, this was a quick primer on Curb Appeal. I’m not a fan of working with buyers who are always trying to low-ball my sellers. A small amount of effort on your home’s curb appeal will pay off where it matters most: your profit! 

Maria Kalafatich

A great article came across my desk the other week about the home featured in the mid-eighties movie “Money Pit.” This was the hysterical movie with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long who were two yuppie home buyers who decided to buy a fixer and …well, fix it! Every home-fixer on the planet laughed until they cried at their never-ending parade of disasters. Of course, the reason the laughter turned to tears is we all remember the tears we’ve shed working on a ‘fixer-upper.’ This article focused on the fact that the same house used in the movie was recently sold for a huge LOSS. The couple who purchased the house set out to remodel, and spent close to $6 MILLION fixing up the home they purchased for just over $2 million.

Eventually, our owners decided to put the home on the market and asked a cool $12 million.
(Crickets)
And so they dropped the price.
(Crickets)
And…dropped it again. And again… until they finally sold the property for $3.5 million dollars.
So what is the moral of this story? I’m glad you asked.

Remodeling is a two-edged sword. The upside is you invest money to get the home that meets your needs and hopefully satisfies a few desires. The downside is, something you may love might not be something a potential home buyer may even like. The experts looking at this story all agree the couple spent too much money on their very personal, very ornate tastes. They added en suite bedrooms, an elegant pool (complete with a pool house), stunning fireplaces, and a modern, open kitchen. Plus, their desires were to create an over-the-top entertaining
palace that would reek excess and elegance. Sadly, the experts agreed that they over-developed for the time and for the area.

How then does a couple know what they should remodel and how much should they spend? They should make sure to have a friend like me in their corner.

As a rule, bathrooms and kitchens are safest, but be sure that your remodels don’t push your price above what your neighborhood can sustain when your home goes for sale. And, when it comes to return on investment, pools sink your return on investment to the bottom. I’d love to talk to you before you remodel if you are thinking of making a few changes before you list! I
spend all my days looking at homes like yours and seeing how buyers respond. Before you make any changes- give me a call!

Thank you for reading…and keep me in mind if you are looking or thinking of listing. I’d love to make the
whole process easier and make sure you get the best financial result!

A couple of articles came across my desk this week that I found… interesting. 

Redfin, a Seattle based Real Estate brokerage did some research and the Wall Street Journal expanded it into an article. 

Their research showed them that home ownership has increased from an average of eight years to around thirteen years! This average increase has increased in just the last nine years. 

If this five-year increase happened over a few decades, no one would notice much. Or, they would have attributed the change to an aging demographic. But this increase was five years occurring over a period of around nine years. A homeownership change like this has created a marked decrease in the available homes for sale! 

Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather told The Wall Street Journal: “If people aren’t moving on, there just are fewer and fewer homes available for new-home buyers,” 

As I suspected, Baby Boomers ages 67 to 85 are not moving. Freddie Mac blamed this reality for creating a shortage of 1.6 million homes 

While I haven’t personally done similar research in the Pacific Northwest, I would concur that this is also happening here. More and more first-time buyers are finding it harder to find a home that is affordable.  If you are a ‘statistic junkie’ like I am, you’ll love the info at the bottom of this post.

Now…don’t take this new reality as all bad news. 

First, this information shows that the long-term investment in homeownership is stronger than ever. People who consistently pay off their homes will make their strongest investment! 

If you are looking…don’t despair. You are on the right path and I would love to help you start making equity that will benefit you for decades. 

But…if you’ve been in your home for a while… this would be a great time to at least test the waters. If you can downsize, or if you are thinking about moving somewhere new, now is a great time to call me and we can look at some comps and evaluate your possibilities. 

In the real estate world, bad news to some people can be GREAT news to you…as long as you have a real estate agent who knows how to navigate the process. 

I’d love to talk and weigh out some options. A tough time for buyers can be the perfect situation for someone wanting to maximize their selling price!

Contrary to popular belief- buying homes in the Fall and Winter can be the best times if you know what to look for…and what to avoid. 

Fewer Buyers Mean More Motivated Sellers!

This time of year, usually means the families with kids are already situated. Those owners of homes that didn’t sell will be extra motivated. Find a few homes you like and start the discussion. As your realtor, I can make sure you are negotiating from a place of strength to maximize your budget! 

The year-end clock is ticking!

Many sellers will want to have their home sold by year-end! Tax considerations for the seller are a very real financial issue. 

For a buyer, ‘Auld Lang Syne’ should be your theme song. Certainly, jump on the house you love at the price you can afford…but if you have a little flexibility in your timeline, waiting till the clock strikes twelve is to your advantage!

Winter Exposes Many Flaws

It’s easy to make a home look perfect when the grass is nice and green. But no leaves and drab gardens will give a buyer some more information and negotiating room. If the seller has been watching their home go from glorious Summer to drab-and-dreary Winter, they may start to panic a bit. 

‘Days on Market’ Mean Dollars Off Price

Memorial Day…Mother’s Day…Father’s Day…Fourth of July… as those Holidays go buy and Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, a seller may get nervous. Especially as the Calendar says December and January. 

If you have time on your side, you can score an amazing value if a seller has to get out from under their property. As your realtor, I’ve been watching homes age on the market and can inform you of when a great time might be to offer an extra-low price. This means you’ll either get more home or pay less for the home you want.  

While most people are thinking of Football, Turkey and Mistletoe…we can be thinking about snagging the Real Estate bargain of the year! 

Send me an email and we can start talking! 

mariakalafatich@windermere.com

Beautifully remodeled and showing off breathtaking views of the Puget Sound, Vashon Island, and Point Defiance, this one-of-a-kind view home is an absolute masterpiece in a prime location. Featuring a palatial 2,512-square-foot layout, this single-level home includes 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and living spaces designed with entertaining in mind. Located at 2848 Hollemgay Ct NW Gig Harbor, WA 98335, this not-to-miss gem is listed for $899,950. 

Curious to see exactly what makes this residence so special? Here are the top 6 reasons why buyers are sure to fall in love with this move-in ready retreat: 

1. The breathtaking view.

Whether you’re sunbathing out on the deck or you’re relaxing on the sofa in the living room, you have captivating views of the Puget Sound, Vashon Island, and Point Defiance. It’s easy to appreciate the Pacific Northwest’s natural beauty all year long thanks to this home’s lovely vantage point. 

2. Outdoor bliss is all yours! 

Nestled on 0.35 picturesque acres, this property’s outdoor amenities include an impeccably landscaped yard, an expansive deck (with prime views, no less!), and a secluded patio and garden area. Ideal for those who love to garden and entertain, this home’s mature, lush greenery provides you with your very own outdoor oasis that’s tucked away on a quiet, dead-end street. 

3. An entertainer’s dream layout. 

Boasting an inviting floor plan that seamlessly flows right from the living room into the formal dining area, those who love to host holiday gatherings, dinner parties, and special occasions are in for a real treat! You’ve got plenty of space to host a crowd, and the open-concept great room offers yet another well-appointed space to entertain in. The kitchen (which features high-end finishes like new quartz counters and premium, stainless steel appliances) promises both fashion and function, and it opens up into the dining nook and additional living area. Wall-to-wall built-ins and a cozy fireplace characterize this light-filled space, and even your more laid-back get-togethers can be comfortably elegant thanks to this carefully curated setting.  

4. Sumptuous master suite.

Not only does the master bedroom offer an extra-large layout, but the all-new ensuite bath showcases the perfect blend of timeless style and on-trend details. From shimmering counters to the intricately tiled shower, wellness routines are extra indulgent in this spa-worthy haven. 

5. Fabulous remodel boasts luxurious style at every turn.

This home features a thoughtful remodel, and new owners are sure to enjoy a long list of updates that includes new windows, skylights, hardwoods throughout, carpets, French doors, screen doors to the new deck, paint, and of course, the all-new master bath. 

6. Prime Gig Harbor location close to shopping, restaurants, the waterfront and more! 

At 2848 Hollemgay Ct NW Gig Harbor, WA 98335, you’re incredibly close to Gig Harbor’s best amenities! You’re only a 2-minute drive to be right in the heart of Downtown Gig Harbor, you’re a 4-minute drive to Uptown Gig Harbor, and you’re also only 4 minutes to connect to Highway 16. 

Interested in learning more? Click here to view the full listing! You can also contact  REALTOR® Maria Kalafatich online here or give her a call/text at (253) 376-5559!