Leavenworth Real Estate Blog- Our New Home

The Leavenworth Real Estate blog that has been hosted here has moved. Our new site is www.IcicleCreekRealEstate.com

We have taken the idea of the blog - constantly updated real estate articles , statistics, news, and opinions and melded that with real estate search functions. Our new site is filled with info about Leavenworth neighborhoods - Plain, Lake Wenatchee , Fish Lake , Ponderosa Estates , etc. We hope to be able to have all sorts of neat maps and lots of video.

The idea for a real estate blog came to me in 2005:

Here's what the first post looked like:

Friday, January 14, 2005

Brand New Blog

Welcome to my new real estate blog. This will be a great spot for me to talk about all the new and exciting things that are going on in the real estate market around Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee Washington. Check back here often, there's sure to be something new all the time

At the time, the site name was pretty horrible. www.leavenworthwashingtonrealestate.blogspot.com. It took me a few years to change that to something more manageable - MyLeavenworth was a takeoff on MySpace and all the other Mysites at the time - it certainly was easier to type.

My blog has been a lot of fun (and a lot of work) - it has helped us meet all sorts of great people and gotten us some great press - from the NY Times to the Wenatchee World and the Spokesman Review.

If you have feedback about the new site, good or bad I'd love to hear it. Just shoot me an email: geordie at windermere.com

I have a bunch of new articles already in the pipeline: 

• Mortgage Roundtable - 5 real estate lenders discuss the challenges of getting a home loan in 2009
• Appraisals are Useless 

We also plan to be posting info on homes that have recently sold in Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee on a monthly basis. That seems to be info that folks are really interested in and really isn't available elsewhere.

You can sign up to receive updates on our new blog by subscribing to the RSS Feed .

Or you can sign up to get the articles in your email .

FHA - Today's Best Mortgage Deal?

Guest Post by Darel Ansley of People's Bank Home Loan Center in Wenatchee

Just about everything is in place to stimulate the housing markets, prices and rates are lower, and banks have money to lend. I think the only problem is the media has the potential buyers scared to come out of their bomb shelters to see if the coast is clear. 

Here are a couple ideas to share with past prospects who never bought:

 Read the rest of this post about Leavenworth FHA Loans at http://iciclecreekrealestate.com 

Cashmere Real Estate in 2008

While I feel good about the constant updates we have done about Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee's market activity, we haven't done nearly as many real estate updates for Cashmere.

( We'll have to add "More Cashmere Real Estate News" to our to-do list for 2009" )

So let's get to it shall we, how did Cashmere's real estate market do in 2008?

                                               2005  2006  2007  2008 

Total number of houses for sale      102      93      106      114

Total number sold                        67       50       41        34

Average price                               198    278     291      259

Median Price                                 180    235    238      238

 

*These numbers are for single family homes. Only 1 condo sold in 2008 or 2007.

What do these numbers mean?  Click Here to See the rest of this article on Cashmere Real Estate 

Leavenworth Real Estate 2008 Review

2008 has been a rough year. The stock market lost nearly 40% of its value and real estate values nationwide have taken a hit as well. (At the end of November, national home prices were down 13% from the same time in 2007.)

In January of 2008 I was able to report that average home prices had climbed 18% despite a drop in the number of homes selling.

Here is what I predicted for 2008.

What will 2008 bring to the Leavenworth real estate market? I think much depends on external forces. What will the U.S. economy do? How will the stock market fare? How will the technology companies like Microsoft, Adobe, and Nintendo do?

I tend to think we will see a slight increase in prices with longer market times and about the same number of homes sold in 2008 as in 2007. (Check back in January 2009 to see if I'm right.)

Well, I guess I was right to couch our market in relation to the stock market. If I had seen that coming, I would have pulled out some investments and stuck the cash under my mattress.

How did I do in relation to volume, market times and prices?

Number of Homes Sold in Leavenworth

Only 98 single family homes sold in Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee in 2008. This is down 20% from 2007. (124 homes)

Leavenworth Home Prices

The average home price in the Leavenworth area dropped in 2008 from $415,000 to $389,000 or 6%. However, the median home price in Leavenworth went up 2% from $342,000 to $350,000.

Does that mean home prices went up or home prices went down?  I think it means that Leavenworth home prices stayed stable in 2008 which is a great consolation considering the alternatives.

(Delving into the numbers, it looks to me like the decrease in average home prices is mostly a reflection of lagging luxury home sales in Leavenworth. Fewer homes sold above $500,000 in 2008 and they sold for less money.  There were also three properties that sold for above $1 million in 2007 that really weren't residential properties but rather commericial buildings or development opportunities.)

How long does it take to sell a home in Leavenworth?

In 2007 the average home took 139 days to sell. In 2008 that number bumped up to 145. I guess I was right on that one.

How about 2009? What are your predictions for the Leavenworth real estate market?

Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee Ski Report

Winter is here, Christmas is around the corner, and everyone wants to know... Is it ski season yet in Leavenworth?

It depends on who you ask.

Here is the round up of local ski areas from West to East.

Stevens Pass Ski Area

Stevens Pass opened the lifts on Thursday December 18th for the 2008-9 season. You can get current conditions and webcams at  www.stevenspass.com

Allyson and I have seasons passes at Stevens so if you see a hotdog skier dragging some long legged bumbly on telemark skis through the bumps, come say hi.

Stevens Pass Nordic Ski Center

Stevens Pass Nordic Center is opening their trails on Saturday December 20. They have 30" as of this morning and more on the way. Generally they are open Thursday-Sunday, but all week through the holidays.

Lake Wenatchee State Park (and Kahler Glen)

I got an email from the park on Friday afternoon.

The snow is falling and it's time to start thinking about winter recreation. As of today, Lake Wenatchee has received 22" of very dry snow, which has settled down to the current depth of approximately 12". The snow is too thin and dry for machine grooming at this time. We did try some limited "track packing" in the North Park today, but were occasionally catching roots and rocks (potentially damaging to the equipment) and found that the dry snow will not pack sufficiently. Until we receive more snow (forecasted for late Sunday), users can ski, snowshoe, and sled on all ungroomed surfaces. The park is accessible, with plowed roads and open restroom facilities. Sno Park Permits will be required beginning this Saturday, December 20th. If you want to get email reports from Lake Wenatchee State Park send a message to  EAWENA@PARKS.WA.GOV

Leavenworth Mountain Sports Club (Leavenworth Ski Hill, Fish Hatchery, et al)

The club's Icicle River Trails  opened today with the Ski Hill opening tomorrow. The golf course still needs more snow. You can check their website for the most recent info on local ski conditions.

Mission Ridge

Mission Ridge ski area had a limited opening last weekend.  They made quite a bit of man made snow and certainly this weekend's storm should help them open some more trails.  www.missionridge.com

Leavenworth Condo Auction - Update

Leavenworth had its first auction for condos on Saturday December 13 for the Riverpark Homes located on Main Street. Simultaneous bidding occurred in Leavenworth and in Kenmore. Approximately 50-60 people were on hand in Leavenworth, though most were local agents, builders and looky loos. There were perhaps 10 buyers in Leavenworth. Click here for an update on the Leavenworth Condo Auction to see the sold prices and a short video.

 

Leavenworth Condo Auction

As I have mentioned before, Leavenworth has an abundance of new condos and I think Leavenworth condo developers have made and continue to make a lot of mistakes. The most recent news in the Leavenworth condo market is the upcoming auction of the Riverpark Condos in downtown Leavenworth.  Read all about the Leavenworth Condo Auction .

Special Event this Weekend Nov 8+9

Looking for something to do in Leavenworth on a rainy day? Come visit me at 8920 Icicle road this weekend. Allyson and I will be hosting a Grand Opening for this newly constructed masterpiece on the Wenatchee river.

This incredible home features 4 bedroom suites and a total of 6.5 bathrooms. Massive cathedral windows show off a fantastic river view and also up Icicle Ridge. A grand rock fireplace is a centerpiece of the great room. Other luxury features include a library, exercise room, wine cellar, and media room or home theater. The gourmet kitchen features slab granite countertops, alder cabinets and a Wolf gas range.

Allyson and I will be at the house from 10 am to 4 pm both Saturday and Sunday. Please do come stop by.

Click here for a virtual tour of this fantastic home. (Photos used in tour are from during the construction process)