Usually, I unveil the truth here on myLeavenworth.com, but this time I shared it with the readers at the Seattle PI. Click here to read my musings on real estate, the media and perception.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Leavenworth Real Estate - No Fire Sale
Real estate has been in the national news of late. The National Association of Realtors recently announced that existing home sales are at the lowest point in 9 years.
Sounds like great news for buyers and real estate investors hoping to buy at a low point in the market. It would be, if it were true in Leavenworth and Lake Wenatchee.
This summer I reported a slowdown in the Leavenworth real estate market . At the time we had 135 single family homes for sale and a deluge of newly constructed condos.
Fast forward to this Winter and the Leavenworth real estate market looks a little different. This isn't spin from a rosy glassed Realtor, the real data look very encouraging.
Stealing from Howie Mandel - Let's play Deal or No Deal
No Deal (Inventory is low, demand is high)
Lake Wenatchee waterfront homes 
Riverfront property on the Wenatchee River or Chiwawa River or Icicle Creek
Cabins - almost anywhere
Building lots in Ponderosa or Chiwawa River Pines
If you own a property like this and want to sell, please don't hesitate to call. The market demand is high.
Deal (Inventory is high, demand is low)
Condos zoned multi-family
Houses located within the city limits of Leavenworth
Steep land
If are looking for a deal, look here. If you are selling, you need to hire the best agent you can and price your property aggressively.
Friday, February 15, 2008
MEMORIES OF OUR CABIN AT THE LAKE
Geordie and I help a lot of customers find a cabin get-away. These clients are seeking a place to be in nature, to get away from their cell phones and computers, and to spend more time with their family. I come from a cabin culture. When I was growing up, our family had a cabin on a lake in western Ontario. This area created many fond memories and helped shape my love of the outdoors. Here are some of those memories.
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The sun shines its last rays across the water as it slips down below the opposite tree lined shore. The sky holds the orange color in a softly fading glow. The water turns from yellow to orange and finally to an inky black. The haunting call of a loon echoes across the lake. The crickets start their nightly symphony and the mosquitoes begin their evening feast. A typical night at Echo Bay on Lake of the Woods, Ontario.
My family owned a small cabin on this shore. My dad bought a forested lot with his cousin, Rick, when he was 20 years old in 1967. The waterfront lot was .89 of an acre with a steep drop off to the lake. After clearing a spot, the young men bought the lumber in Winnipeg, and hauled it out to the lake on a Thursday night. On Friday they started transporting the lumber in their 15' tin boat across three bays to the lot since there was no road. A fellow at the landing took pity on them and lent them his barge allowing the rest of the lumber to be carried over in one load. The following week the two men with the help of Rick's dad, framed, sided, and roofed the 20'x24' structure. The cabin was born.
Initially, the cabin was a rough structure with one big room. My dad cooked and heated the cabin on a coal & wood stove. Later propane was brought out and a stove, fridge, and lights were added. Over the years the interior configuration of the cabin changed, ending up with two bedrooms and an L-shaped living room/dining room/kitchen.
My first trip to the cabin was Aug 1978 when I was 2 months old. From then on, I made the 2 ½ hour journey from Winnipeg every weekend from May long weekend till Sept. long weekend.
My dad’s best friends had cabins on either side of ours, and their kids were roughly the same age as me. This provided fellow participants in all our adventures and schemes. Namely made up water games or catching frogs to put in the moat around our sand castles.
The lake was a place of firsts.
First time blueberry picking. The blueberries never seemed to get above a certain level in my ALL detergent bucket, but my belly was always full and my lips purple.
First time water skiing. After a few turns around the bay, I felt confident enough to try dropping a ski which I tried repeatedly for an hour. The only thing I succeeded in was falling repeatedly and giving myself such a stiff neck the next day I couldn’t move it.
First time watching the northern lights dance across the night sky. I can still picture the faint glow of the dying sun and the green whisps of light gently pulsating overhead.
The first time paddling a canoe with my dad.
The lake was a magic place that occupies a special corner in my mind. A brief thought recalls the wind in my face as we speed in the boat towards the cabin or the smell of the morning forest.
My memories are all of family time spent together. No television, no phone, and in the beginning no electricity. Just us hanging out on the dock, taking boat rides, playing games and having campfires.
Leavenworth Real Estate Heating Up
Real estate in Leavenworth is heating up again after a lull this fall. Our phones and email accounts have been busy hearing from folks looking to buy property in Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee and Cashmere. The buzz around the Leavenworth Windermere office has been really positive so I decided to see what the numbers look like.
The year over year numbers for January and early February are pretty interesting. Granted, it's a small market and the sample sizes are pretty small, but the statistics about the Leavenworth real estate market confirm what we suspected.
Leavenworth Homes for Sale
The number of homes for sale in Leavenworth is down from the summer and fall. We peaked at 135 homes (single family residential - not condos, or manufactured homes.) In January we had 89 homes for sale and today we have 71. Some sellers have given up trying to sell in this market, some sellers are waiting for better weather and some home sellers are.. actually selling their homes! We have also seen a decline in the number of new homes placed on the market. Last year 25 homes came on the market during the 1st 1.5 months, this year it's only been 21.
Leavenworth Homes Selling in 2008
What excites me the most is not that overpriced homes are being pulled from the market, but that homes are selling. The same number of homes have closed year to date as last year (7) but the number of homes under contract or pending is up considerably. Last year 13 homes were under contract in this period but this year it is up to 21. A 60+% increase is pretty amazing.
I think it is truly amazing when you consider that the avalanches that closed Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie pass kept many of our buyers from visiting from Western Washington for a couple of weekends.
Home Prices Up
Despite day after day of bad national housing news, prices in Leavenworth have gone up astronomically year over year. Granted we only had a sample size of 7, but prices appear to have risen 35%. I think that number will moderate after we get more closings, but we won't be seeing price decreases in Leavenworth homes any time soon.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Leavenworth Snow Photo
Does it snow much in Leavenworth? I guess it depends what you are used to.
Here is a picture I took in downtown Leavenworth, a block from the Windermere office. Try and remember that it snows a lot more in Plain and Lake Wenatchee than it does down in town.
Kahler Glen Avalanche Destroys Home
A home at the Kahler Glen golf course near Lake Wenatchee was hit by an avalanche yesterday and carried 150 yards off its foundation according to the Wenatchee World. According to Lake Wenatchee sources, the home was located on Pelton Place which sits above Miracle Mile Road.
KIRO TV has the best photos of the avalanche damage and the home. They reported that a mandatory evacuation was in place for 15 nearby homes, due to avalanche danger and a buried propane tank that appeared to be leaking.
It doesn't appear that anyone was in the home, but that it was a vacation rental that was scheduled to be occupied this weekend. A two person cleaning crew had been in the home earlier in the day. It sounds like a second home was also damaged by the avalanche.
The condos at Kahler Glen are outside of an area that might be effected by avalanches. However, Pelton Place, where this home was located, is on a steep slope backed by land owned by a large timber company. Local news media seem surprised by this avalanche, but last spring, a home on this road was hit by a giant mudslide doing tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.
According to the Northwest Avalanche Center this is the seventh significant avalanche incident this winter. The NWAC had predicted high avalanche danger for Thursday and warned travellers to avoid backcountry areas.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Leavenworth and Cashmere Caucus
Leavenworth and Cashmere residents will be caucusing this Saturday like the rest of the state to decide who will run as our presidential candidates for 2008.
I'm a long time political junkie having been raised in Olympia and gone to campaign events since I was about 6. When I was in high school, I even went down to the Capitol to heckle Ross Perot. However, this weekend will be my first caucus. In years past, the primaries and caucuses have been too little, too late for us in Washington State. This year, with tight races, we count.
In Leavenworth - The Democrats are meeting at Icicle River Middle School on Titus Road at 1 pm. The Republicans are meeting at the Leavenworth Fire Station on the Chumstick Highway (across from Cascade High School) at 12:30.
The Republicans are also caucusing near Lake Wenatchee at 12801 Chiwawa Loop Road and for folks in Peshastin or Dryden at 2592 Saunders Road.
In Cashmere - The Democrats are caucusing at the Cashmere City Hall (in downtown Cashmere, just off of Cottage Ave.) again at 1 pm. The Republicans are meeting a block away at Cashmere Valley Bank at 12:30.
If you need more info, or want to get more involved in party politics contact the Chelan Democrats or the Chelan Republicans
Leavenworth's Eagle Creek Road - Wider or Not?
Eagle Creek Road winds up through a narrow canyon along the meandering Eagle Creek. Just a few miles from downtown Leavenworth, residents and vacation home owners along Eagle Creek get the best of both worlds - close to town and yet a very quiet rural existence.
Chelan County is currently considering making major repairs of this windy country road. According to a recent article in the Leavenworth Echo (article not yet online) the road was originally a wagon trail up into the mountains. The repairs would flatten and widen the road and add guardrails for safety. Currently the road is about 20 feet wide and would be widened to 28 feet wide.
An article in the Wenatchee World says that some local residents are against the plan. They fear that an improved road would lead to increased speeds and a degradation of the rural atmosphere that they like living on Eagle Creek Road.
I am going to add my voice to the debate. And you can contact your County Commissioner to add yours too.
I think that widening the road would be a great benefit. Those of us who ride bikes can now be safely passed and cars on the road will have increased sight distance to pass as well. Even slow moving tractors will benefit from the wider roads. In rural areas it is also common to walk along the road - also safer with wider roads.
From a fiscal responsibility point of view, I think it would be irresponsible for us to give back $2.5 Million to the state when that money is allocated for much needed repairs on Eagle Creek Road. I'm sure someone in Pe Ell would be happy to spend our gas tax money on roads in the Grays Harbor area (for example) but I'd rather the funds stay here.
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