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Olympia, WA Real Estate News

By Paul S. Henderson, REALTOR®, CRS, South Puget Sound Washington Agent/Broker!
(Fathom Realty Washington LLC)
Olympia Washington, 4 Bedroom, 2+ bath Home Market Report (3/31/2015)  For a FREE up-to-date 4 bedroom 2+ bath homes for sale list in your price range; please contact  Paul Henderson   ~ Currently there are 181 active 4 bedroom listings in Olympia ~ In the past seven days Olympia experienced;  2 New listings recorded  0 Homes came back on the market 1 Homes had list price reductions  0   Homes had list price increased  0  Contingent 0 Listings expired 0 Listings cancelled 0 Listings went pending 0 Listings sold and closed 6 Bank or real estate owned properties   Currently there are 77 houses that have been on the market for over 100 days...  (45 houses over 200 days)   About Olympia, Washington: ~ Olympia is a incorporated city founded in 1859. The population in 2010 census was 46,478. ...
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Olympia real estate trends don’t always trace patterns that are precisely identical to those in the rest of the state or nation, but sooner or later the local market almost always responds similarly. That’s because there is a certain amount of momentum—positive or negative—that is automatically spawned by the good or bad real estate market news reported in the mass media. So when March’s Commerce Department report on new residential home sales was released, Olympia real estate watchers had reason to smile. Delightedly. It wasn’t just that the bottom line number for February’s new home sales was substantial (estimated at 539,000, seasonally adjusted annual rate); it was how all the other stats supported them. Forbes headlined that February’s numbers hit a 7-year high. The financial web s...
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It can be a true three-ring circus as you close in on signing day for your new Olympia home. Sometimes there’s a near-simultaneous sale of the previous house that demands attention. There are the timing issues connected with moving out and then moving in. You may be dealing with furnishing the new house, school schedules, and sometimes work requirements have to be juggled; and everything seems to be happening at the same time. Amidst all the details you are attending to, there is one that appears so simple that it may not get as much consideration as it deserves. Seeming almost like a non-decision, this one actually has major implications. It’s a true ‘sleeper.’ The subject is your decision on how you want to time the new mortgage payments for your new Olympia home. It turns out that “o...
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For many Olympia parents of high school seniors, these are hold-your-breath days—the time of year when college acceptance letters begin showing up in Olympia mailboxes. If all goes well, after settling on a school, next comes tackling the array of decisions that follow. Chief among them: where he or she will live. Many parents tend to take the common course, assuming that a college dorm is automatically the best answer—but a college’s room-and-board plan is actually only one of the possibilities. In fact, it may not be the best financial, social or developmental choice for parent or student. Renting a house can be an intriguing alternative. Here are three of the reasons why some Olympia parents decide a home rental makes more sense: 1. Cost   Sharing a home rental is often significantly...
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By Francine Viola, REALTOR®, In Tune with your Real Estate Needs
(Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty, Olympia WA)
Most of the country is in a seller’s real estate market now, which means demand is higher than supply and home prices are on the rise.  Competition for housing is getting fierce and buyers are finding themselves bidding against other buyers, but all is not lost for buyers. Savvy home buyers still have leverage to negotiate successfully even in a seller’s market. Here are a few tips for today’s buyers to successfully negotiate their home purchase.     1. Understanding and acceptance.  The number one tactic how a savvy home buyer can negotiate successfully in a seller’s market is understanding the market conditions and accepting them.  A buyer who has this real-time understanding of the market will succeed.  It is the buyer who is still stuck in the past who continues to lose out on house...
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By Adam Crocker
(Elite Properties)
 When you own the Olympia home your family lives in, you are by definition a real estate investor: it comes with the turf. Your investment is essentially a passive one. Until the day you decide to sell and move on, any improvement in its value is secondary to how well it serves to shelter your family.How you think about your investment—and how you proceed to manage it—is altogether different when you buy an Olympia home purely as a financial venture. For one thing, you face an immediate strategic decision: will you be flipping for a quick short-term profit, or aim for the long term through a buy-and-hold strategy? You have to weigh some pros and cons in order to make the right decision.Flipping Pro: Capital is FreedA flipping strategy minimizes the amount of time your investment capital...
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This March has been such a busy one on the Olympia real estate calendar that I thought it would be a good idea to double-check everything just to be certain I wasn’t overlooking any important happenings. It wasn’t just that the first day of spring on the 20th is the traditional start of what’s regularly the busiest time of year for Olympia real estate activity. This is a reliable phenomenon, further reinforced by the 61 million results you get when you Google “Spring Real Estate Selling Season.” To be accurate, the National Association of Realtors® fudges a little by calling spring and summer the hottest seasons for real estate activity—but it turns out they are pointing to the fact that many sales initiated in spring close during the summer (which is when people prefer to move). March ...
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The first day of spring! The vernal equinox! 2015, March 20 is the red-letter day on Olympia’s real estate calendar. It’s the nominal kickoff to the traditionally rambunctious spring selling season—historically, the go-go time of year. It’s when more homes come on the market, more prospective buyers come out to see them, and more sales are launched than in any other season. But 2015, what happens three days later might well turn out to be nearly as noteworthy. The 23rd may not mark an annual event, but it could become a second red-letter day for Olympia home buyers and sellers in 2015. If all goes according to plan, it’s the day when Freddie Mac joins Fannie Mae in easing the down payment requirements mortgage lenders observe. This is part of a development that surfaced in 2014 when sha...
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Would you buy a house where someone died? Would it make a difference if the death was peaceful or…otherwise? You might never have considered such questions, but the answers can become a serious issue for an Olympia house for sale—especially if it has a history that could be right out of a CSI episode. And what if you are the owner of an Olympia house for sale with this kind of issue? It may be labeled as stigmatized—the unpleasant term that can attach to a house for sale which buyers or tenants may shun for reasons unrelated to its physical condition. It’s a good thing that the list of potentially disturbing events isn’t a long one: death; murder; suicide; scary illness; being haunted (rather, the belief that it’s haunted—let’s not get into that discussion!). An owner might have known o...
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By Qualls Team - Quincy & Amy Qualls, Real Estate for the PNW
(Thunderbird Real Estate)
Don't have time to volunteer? You can still help to make a BIG difference in someone's life!   This week, the Thurston County Food Bank is in need of Baby Cereal. Follow their page to see how you can help each week. Many organizations have been able to obtain much more assistance through social media avenues!   Follow TCFB here, or you can look up your Local Organization you would like to support online: https://www.facebook.com/thurstoncountyfoodbank/posts/10153162442262603?fref=nf  
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Starbucks will boost your home’s value? This was the  “hot home-buying tip” splashed all over the airwaves at the end of February—one that Olympia real estate watchers probably assumed had to be one of those weird, crazy coincidence feature stories that crop up from time to time. It was a little surprising that Zillow, the big national real estate firm, was said to be the source. It was all over the TV and radio newscasts, usually providing the cutesy end-of-broadcast segment. It hit dozens of news blogs, led by headlines like “Starbucks will boost your home’s value” (Fortune) and “Starbucks increases neighborhood, home values” (cnbc.com).    Yeah. Sure thing—just like the one about a rock on Mars that looks just like a monkey. Here in Olympia, we’ve seen Internet stories like this come...
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By Qualls Team - Quincy & Amy Qualls, Real Estate for the PNW
(Thunderbird Real Estate)
*SOLD by the Qualls Team in 13 Days!*Gorgeous, Unique 3000+ SF home on 2+ acres. Looking to Buy or Sell? Our team would love to help achieve your Goal.QuallsTeamInfo@gmail.com  -OR-  www.QuallsRealEstate.com     
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  As the demand for age-restricted senior housing continues to grow nationwide, it’s certain to influence more than just the new home builders whose bread and butter depends on paying attention to such trends. It’s also likely to influence the character of neighborhoods as a whole, Olympia’s included. The numbers tell a story that’s been written about for years. As Olympia’s baby boom generation joins their cohort’s arrival into retirement age over the coming decades, they will become part of the wealthiest generation of senior home buyers in history. Senior housing developers are very well aware of that fact, but its full impact has only really begun to be felt recently. One evidence: the National Association of Homebuilders reports that starts of age-restricted homes nearly doubled b...
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Once you're mentally prepared for the relocating experience (to self: “it’s definitely the right move”), where is the first order of business. Perhaps you've outgrown your Olympia home anyway—the family simply needs more space. Perhaps relocating is necessary for work reasons; or now that the kids have moved out, you're ready to downsize. No matter what the reason for relocating from Olympia, thoroughly evaluating the possible destination communities before deciding to buy couldn’t be more important. While your real estate agent can be an invaluable resource in guiding you to the right home within your target area, the original question—designating the search perimeter—is pretty much in your wheelhouse. If you are not already committed to an area because friends or family make it an ea...
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When it comes to selling your Olympia house, the first attributes that will bring in prospective buyers will be found in your listing description: size, location, and all the details that either match prospects’ wish lists (or don’t). Price is in there, too. Next comes curb appeal, which can turn on or turn off prospective buyers. Although it is often the second “at bat” you get when you are selling your Olympia house, it’s not usually decisive. The third attribute can be just that—a bunch of factors that can hook your ultimate buyers. Call it your home’s “emotional IQ.”  Everything else is important, but emotion plays a powerful role in selling your Olympia house. That’s because home is, well, home—where people hang their hats, raise their kids, and spend their precious downtime. When...
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By Phil Sharp
(Phil Sharp Homes)
 Immaculate, barely lived in Westside Olympia home. This single owner home features an open floor plan with spacious kitchen, dining, living, and laundry down, Master and additional 3 bedrooms up. The master features a large walk in closet, 5 piece bath, and vaulted ceiling. There is a second full bath up stairs, and another half bath down. Secluded deck in the back with sweeping views of the Olympics (also from kitchen & dining room), minutes to Evergreen, SPSCC, Capital Mall, and downtown. 1 year warranty included. For more pictures please visit http://idx.diversesolutions.com/link/417820 
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By Francine Viola, REALTOR®, In Tune with your Real Estate Needs
(Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty, Olympia WA)
This morning was foggy with the sun just starting to come out.  In the dense fog, a faint rainbow appeared. This was taken at Percival Landing in downtown Olympia WA.  Strolling along the waterfront, you can enjoy the Farmer's Market, shipping activity at the Port of Olympia, art sculptures by local artists, fresh clam chowder, and views of the Olympic mountain range, the Capitol and the sights and sounds of the city! Olympia WA is a great place to call home - just ask me!  If you'd like to learn more about living in Olympia, check out my other blog posts at www.InTuneRealEstate.com.  
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      A 2013 National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Google survey found that 68% of people looking to buy a home found themselves using one or another of today’s popular mobile apps at some time during their odyssey. 2013 was ancient history in terms of the ascendance of mobile devices, so you’d have to guess that today’s percentage must be well north of that. It’s not surprising, since Google Maps (or one of the navigation programs built into many new autos) is becoming so indispensable for locating unfamiliar addresses. Most of the time, I accompany clients on tours of the listed homes in Olympia they’re interested in checking out; but there are other occasions when they do some investigating on their own. With the sheer number of apps designed to aid in such endeavors, it's good ...
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It can feel a little like a trip to the shore in springtime, before the summer sun has warmed the water. The water might be okay—but it also might be bone-chilling! Most Olympia residents will choose caution, and stick their toe in, first… Deciding whether to buy a house when you have been renting for a while means taking a much more significant plunge. And there’s no way to test the waters, either: you’re either going to buy an Olympia house or, you aren’t. It’s in or out. And it’s also a deeply personal decision. Momentum can be a deciding factor. Many people defer buying a home because it comprises such a major change. Especially if they are satisfied with their current rental—and even more if buying a house would make them homeowners for the first time —it would seem to require a m...
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In the weeks before you decide which of our local real estate agents will represent you and your home once it goes on the market, you’re probably looking for a Olympia Realtor® with the qualities that make a great sales person: knowledgeability, directness, personality, trustworthiness. Likeability is always helpful, but it’s only one among many qualifications. This is a business decision, and an important one for you and your family. Then, the instant you make your selection, the landscape changes completely! You are no longer on your own: you and your Olympia real estate agent are members of a team that’s ready to get to work on the project. You both want your home on and off the market as quickly as possible, so the smoother the workflow with your real estate agent goes, the better....
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