Seattle Real Estate:

• Reading: Seattle Homes Lost 10.5 Billion in Value in 2009
  http://blog.seattlepi.com/realestatenews/archives/187584.asp #
• Reading: Kirkland City Council To Vote On Annexation
  http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/kir/news/78922337.html #
• Reading: Seattle homeowner cuts down tree in yard and faces $23,500 fine
  http://www.libertylive.org/blog_main/post.php?post_id=1752 #

• Reading: House sales up 81% in November, prices down in King County http://www.seattlepi.com/local/412880_housing03.html #

We had the, somewhat unhappy, occasion to need the services of a locksmith this past week. The folks at Bonafide Lock & Safe in Kirkland were pleasant and accommodating. They seemed to offer a wide variety of products in services and were friendly to boot.

We visited the shop at:
12555 116th Ave NE, suite 10
Kirkland, WA 98034

You can reach them at:
425-820-7175
www.bonafidelock.com

This isn’t an advertisement, we were just impressed!

• If you’re in trouble on your loan, you’re not alone. Reading: Foreclosures hitting more people with prime loans http://tinyurl.com/yh3m3ka #
• Does this make anyone else nervous? Reading: With F.H.A. Help, Easy Loans in Expensive Areas http://tr.im/Frx7 #

The election on the proposed annexation area of Finn Hill, Kingsgate and Totem Lake into the city of Kirkland was November 3rd, 2009 and, as of yesterday, the votes are still so close that it’s unclear whether the proposed annexation areas (or PAA) are going to become part of Kirkland or not.

Requiring 60% approval to pass, according to the King County Elections Department release on November 20th, 2009 at 2:40:33 PM, the tally was still sitting at a hair-splitting 59.92% approved to 40.08% disapproved. According to the King County elections results schedule, the waiting will be over as of Tuesday, November 24th when the results are certified and posted by noon.

This vote just underscores the fact that, whichever side of the issue you’re on, it’s critical to stand up and be counted. With only 56.12% of the eligible voters pulling their metaphorical lever on this ballot measure, surely some of the remainder will be left wishing they had made the time to mark and mail their ballot.

Did You Run Out of Time?

If you missed out on the first deadline to take advantage of the up to $8000 first time home buyer tax credit, you now have a few months longer to plan your move. The original expiration date is November 30th, 2009 but prospective buyers now have until April 30th, 2010.

Did You Make Too Much Money?

If you ran into the income caps in the original version of the bill, now single people can earn up to $125,000 and couples up to $225,000.

Already Own a Home?

The expanded part of this bill will allow homeowners who have lived in their home for 5 of the last 8 years may be eligible for up to $6500 in tax credit.

You can read details, get answers to frequently asked questions, and more at the Washington Realtors website.

• Hurrah for homemade salsa with local ingredients - including tomatoes from our friends’ organic backyard garden - it makes everything better #
• Renters - Do Some Research Before Handing Over Cash - http://tr.im/xnbu #

• Reading: Is the worst really over for home prices? http://tr.im/wGzI #
• Reading: Job losses lead next wave of foreclosures http://tr.im/xlBF
• Reading: Mortgage delinquencies hit record high in Q2 http://tr.im/wNVE ["the recession...is likely over..." Huh?] #
• Learned this evening that Dairy Queen can’t sell their butterscotch topping in King County…outlawed for trans fat content. Who knew? #

• A great team of volunteers worked the @C4Liberty booth yesterday on Mercer Island and gathered over 100 petitions for HR1207/S604 #
• Reading: King County July home sales: A mixed bag of info http://tinyurl.com/nndvfk [I think Mr. Sparks might be a bit optimistic...] #
• Reading: U.S. Underwater Mortgages May Reach 30%, Zillow Says http://bit.ly/5FNtl #
• Reading: U.S. Posts $180.68 Billion Deficit for July http://bit.ly/qXN8J
  [Sigh] #
• Reading: Washington State Home Sales Fall 15.6 Pct. In 2Q http://bit.ly/43Npz #
• On a Sound Transit express bus right behind the accordion part in the middle…it’s kinda like the Wizards Bus when we do corners #
• Chivalry isn’t dead - just saw a guy give up a seat on the bus to a young lady #
• Whew…this has been an eventful week! #

What happened with real estate in King County last month? Pretty much more of the same. You can see below that both average and median prices resumed a downward trend, we’re seeing an increased number of sales that pretty much follows seasonal trends, and it’s still taking a while for homes to sell.

This is information about homes and condos that have closed in King County. These numbers include sales at all price points, and all styles of homes.

As ever, if you’re considering buying or selling you should be working with information that is more specific to your particular situation. We’d be happy to crunch some numbers for you, just let us know.