Queen Anne Blvd: Seattle's Queen Anne Neighborhood

Top 5 Selling Improvements On A Budget: You should know putting a new roof or stainless steel appliances in the kitchen won't necessarily sell your home faster and you definitely won't recoup the cost.

So what does help improve our home when it's up for sale that won't cost an arm and a leg? 

Number 1:  CLEAN UP.  I mean take your home to the next level.  Hire a pro and give it a deep cleaning.  Remember how great it looks and smells afterwards?  Keep that up with a weekly clean (either you or a pro) and it will really pay off with first impressions.  Also make small repairs, ie: broken outlets, door latches, flaws that the buyer views as signs of deeper problems.

Number 2:  STORE YOUR CLUTTER.  $100 a month for a storage unit (or a good friend or relative's use of their garage) to store those holiday decorations, extra kitchen pots and pans, arts and crafts, and extra clothes in the closets.  It will make your house look bigger, brighter, and more valuable.

Number 3:  TIDY THE YARD.  Again, first impressions and curb appeal.  It's not necessary to uproot the junipers and jack hammer the cement pathway.  Simple put color spots or planters in empty places, rip out any weeds and mow any grass. 

Number 4:  PAINT.  Interior and exterior.  It's likely to cost less for you to do it before selling.  You'll recoup more in the long run.

Number 5:  REPLACE HARDWARE:  Instead of remodeling that kitchen, just paint cupboards and pick out new hardware.

For most, the value added is a mere fraction of the cost.  So it's in your best interest to do these small steps above by honing in on attention to detail for a greater return.

For more tips on selling or buying your next home feel free to contact us at Cooper Jacobs Real Estate!

Do you own at least 4,000 square foot lot in Seattle?  Then you could have a second dwelling on your property.  It's just one of many dedicated Green Building Projects in Seattle.

DADU are Detatched Accessory Dwelling Units.  They're also called Backyard Cottages which sounds ... not so "detatched".  Backyard Cottages is a way to give more BANG for your BUCK by emphasizing the blueprint for your lot.  These create minimal waste (since they are prefabricated) as well as a short build time.  Super efficient and efficient on the pocket book too.  They start at $98,000.

 

Come see award winning designers and architects for some of the most innovative backyard cottages in the city.  Seattle City Planning Commissioner, David Cutler, will also be there.

 

 

When:  Monday May 24th

Time:  5:30pm

Where:  7601 Greenwood Ave. N

Cost:  F*R*E*E

Call (206) 790.2852 for more information, sponsored by Method Homes.

Meet over 35 designers in one place!

 

 

Good Housekeeping: 5 Points To A Sale

The goal is to sell your house as quickly and as profitably as possible. To do that seller's need to stage the house. Here are four-steps designed to maximize the value of your house.

1. De-cluttering Tips
2. Repairing Tips
3. Cleaning Tips
4. Revitalizing Tips
5. Showing Tips

De-cluttering Tips

Make four distinct piles: Trash, Return, Donate, and Might Need.

It would be overwhelming if you tackled the whole house at once. Delegate the work to other family members accordingly and go at it. Put checkmarks next to each completed room. It's important to know you're making progress. Golden Rule - Consider hiring a garbage collection agency or rent a commercial garbage bin if you have a lot to throw away.

Repairing Tips

Buyers expect a trouble-free home. They want to buy a house, move in and start enjoying it right away. They don't want to waste time and money fixing up the place. If you don't repair your house, it will be seen as a fixer-upper and you will not be able to attract the right kind of buyers, nor will you get the price you want for it.

Know whether you need a pre-listing home inspection and understand the difference between repair and renovation can save you money and headaches. Golden Rule - Repair cracks in the foundation immediately.

Cleaning Tips

Cleaning your house for sale goes well beyond dusting, mopping and vacuuming. You must clean it like you mean it. You must minutely examine every square inch of your house and restore it to near-new condition. An advantage of a well-cared-for house is that you're less likely to receive a low offer. When buyers can't find faults they focus less on how much money they can squeeze out of you and start thinking that the house is right for them. If you don't have the time to clean then you should hire a professional. It's a smart investment.

Golden Rule - Clean the area around your fireplace and then the fireplace itself.

Revitalizing Tips

Revitalizing is not remodeling, which is usually expensive and delays the selling of your house.

Revitalizing starts with improving your curb appeal, follow up with lighting, and painting. Only then can you start staging your house for sale. Golden Rule - Home Office: Move your filing cabinet into the basement.

Showing Tips:

You'll need to dust the undisturbed rooms once in a while but you can see how this strategy ensures your house is always ready for showing with minimal efforts. For the rest of the living space create three to-do lists:

• A weekly must-do checklist
• A daily must-do checklist
• A final checklist before the open house

Golden Rule - Put away personal valuables. Turn off your computer.

　

Curious what YOUR home value is and what's been selling in the neighborhood?

 

FHA Accepts DocuSign

Here at Cooper Jacobs RES in Seattle, WA we've been using DocuSign for our buyers and sellers for the past 18 months or so.  It saves everyone time, money, paper, and trees.  This news just in from the Chief Legal Officer at DocuSign:

http://www.trulia.com/blog/DocuSign/2010/04/federal_housing_administration_to_accept_docusign_for_real_estate_contracts

 

Seattle's Amazon Gets A New Home!

We've all heard about the changes occuring in the southern edge of Lake Union for some time.  Mercer Street getting a facelift, the new street car quietly tracking up and down the south side roads and Amazon moving it's headquarters. 

201 Boren Avenue is the site for the new giant e-retailer.  I think it's a sure bet to say housing will become highly precious starting right now. 

Read the full Seattle P.I.'s article here.

Surrounding Amazong and Lake Union Real Estate:  Areas To Know And Places To Buy

Capitol Hill is a wonderful place to live and a short commute.  Capitol Hill/Portage Bay currently has 16 beautiful homes for sale, a peaceful park, and quiet streets.  Tons of history live in the walls of these homes.  So if you like upper end homes with in-city living style, North Capitol Hill is definitely for you.

Eastlake is another awesome neighborhood!  Eastlake provides tons of westerly sunshine, famous Pete's Wine and Grocery Store, a houseboat community that is unbelieveable, and a sweet little cafe on the corner of Eastlake & Lynn called The 14 Carrot Cafe.  Many townhouses and condos have been built up in this neighborhood over the past five years.  But you will still find a mix of the old and the new here.  Plus you can watch Kenmore Air seaplanes come and go on a daily basis. 

Queen Anne: Lower Eastside.  You want to walk or bike to work?  Then Queen Anne is the place for you.  Loaded with tasty eats, cool record stores, and a walking path to work. 

And last but certainly not least...consider a FLOATING HOME for your next new address.  Enjoy all sides of Lake Union.  Take a quick bike ride on the Cheshiahud Loop!

January 2010 outshines January 2009 home prices: rising 3.8% in the city for King County. This shifts the median price from $400,000 to $415,000. Median being half the homes are lower and half the homes are higher than this figure.

According to a Seattle Times article today, people are searching for homes that are closer to the city's amenities because now homes are more affordable. They want to live closer to work, their friends, schools, and community. So buyers want the whole package and now they can take their pick from some amazing homes on the market right now.

At Cooper Jacobs, we've noticed walkability has been a big trendsetter lately. Our buyers want to walk to grocery stores, bus stops, theaters, great local restaurants and even schools. We use www.walkscore.com frequently to help our buyers get a better idea of what is less than 1 mile around the property.

Unfortunately, the suburbs have dipped a bit in the red, dropping 2%. High gas prices back in 2007 didn't help homes being foreclosed on in these areas either. Less time in the car is what people want. They no longer have to drive until they find a home to financial afford.