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Real Estate QueenAnne & Magnolia news Serving Queen Anne & Magnolia since 1919 QueenAnneNews.com AUGUST 12, 2015 VOL. 96, NO. 33 Kim Wesselman WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE Get Ahead of the Game: Inspect Before You List The real estate market is hopping and you may have heard about buyers who are so eager to get a property that they waive the inspection contingency. Why would anyone do that? They wouldn’t or, at least, shouldn’t. When we hear that buyers waive the inspection contingency, they have typically conducted the home inspection and sewer scope before making their offer. Now their offer, without an inspection contingency, will be more attractive to the seller. I advise my buyers to never make an offer on a house without either conducting a pre-inspection or including an inspection contingency in the offer, unless they’re qualified to assess the condition of the house. And in this sellers market, pre-offer inspections are the standard procedure. What isn’t standard is for sellers to do a home inspection and sewer scope before listing their home. Smart Sellers Eliminate a Hurdle As a listing agent, I advise my sellers to hire state-licensed inspectors to conduct a home inspection and sewer scope before we list their house. Why do this in a sellers’ market? Because you can increase the number and quality of offers you receive. Buyers will have full knowledge of your home’s condition, which could mean more offers and possibly a higher sales price. Just last month, one of my sellers provided the home inspection and sewer scope reports to prospective buyers. On the day we were scheduled to review offers, two prospective buyers saw the house for the first time. With no time to schedule an inspection, they would not have made an offer. But both submitted offers with confidence, since they had seen the inspection reports. As a result, we received four offers instead of two—and received a higher sales price. The sellers INSPECT Page 2 CEILING Page 3 HOUSE Page 3 Specializing in Home Purchases & Refinances for Over 20 Years. Come see me for a no cost, no obligation home loan consultation today! Jeanne Neal S.A.F.E Licensed Mortgage Professional Lic # MLO-94009 206-200-8773 [email protected] www.SalmonBayLending.com Powered by American Pacific Mortgage Corp. NMLS # 1850 { { SELLING? Understand the 5 keys to successfully selling a home, in any market. BUYING? Select a broker that understands current market conditions, uses strategies which will ensure your offer stands out among others, and understands your needs and timeline. WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE/NW | 206 409 3705 | [email protected] | robbiewaldtradal.com — Serving clients in — MAGNOLIA, QUEEN ANNE & SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS Residential Listing Broker | Accredited Buyers Representative | Relocation Specialist When you’re planning a full kitchen renovation, or even just a few choice upgrades, counter tops, cabinets, appliances and flooring command your attention. But do you ever look up? Unless a lightbulb burns out or you want to replace a light fixture, you probably don’t think much about the ceiling in your kitchen or other rooms. Yet with all the cooking and living that goes on in the kitchen, a whole lot of unpleasantness can gather in the top half of the room, including heat and moisture, cooking odors and grease. All that can make the ceiling dingy, darken the room and turn the air in your kitchen stale and unpleasant. As you’re refurbishing your kitchen, here are some ways - simple to lofty - to improve the ceiling and brighten the whole room: The simple stuff Just as painting walls is the easiest, most cost-effective way to create a new look in a room, Ceiling improvements can get things looking up in your kitchen painting the kitchen ceiling can have a huge impact on how the room feels and functions. For example, if your kitchen is short on windows and often feels dark, painting the ceiling a high gloss white can help brighten it by reflecting light back down into the room. You can also add faux tin What makes a person or a family decide a home is the perfect for them? Is it all location, location, location? What about price, schools or the neighborhood? Or is it something else; a feeling they get when they walk in the door, a detail they notice or a scent in the air. If you’re selling your home your home, your location, neighborhood and school district are predetermined. Yet there is plenty you can do yourself to make sure your open house has that wow factor and captivates would-be buyers. Here are five tips to get you started so that next family will determine your home is the perfect home. * Get clean. It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how many homeowners don’t clean their homes before an open house. This is one case where lived-in isn’t going to cut it. The kitchen and bathrooms should be spotless, cracked tiles should be repaired and any plumbing issues should be addressed. Expect that people will try the sinks and flush the toilets. If you don’t feel you can get your home ready on your own, hire a professional cleaning service to do the job for you. The money you spend on the cleaners will be well worth it when your house sells quickly. * Add a fresh sent to the air. Your home should be pleasing to the eye as well as pleasing to the nose. Realtors have recognized the benefits of great smells for years. You can keep your home smelling great throughout the showing - and without synthetic ingredients - by using pure essential oils from Aura Cacia. Try this simple recipe to create a warm, comforting atmosphere that can help put potential property buyers at ease with these recipes: 1 cup coarse-grained, chunky sea salt 1 teaspoon jojoba or grapeseed oil (just enough to make the salts glisten) 25 drops vanilla precious essential oil 10 drops lavender essential oil 5 ways to get buyers to see your open house as their next house Space saving skylights free-up kitchen wall space for more cabinets and shelves while admitting abundant daylight and natural ventilation. Energy Star-qualified VELUX no leak solar powered fresh air skylights and blinds are operated by touchpad programmable remote control and close automatically in case of rain. The skylights, blinds, and installation costs are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. Details at www. whyskylights.com.

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Page 1: Queen Anne Real Estate - August 2015

Real Estate

QueenAnne&Magnolianews

QueenAnne&Magnolianews

QueenAnne&Magnolianews

QueenAnne&MagnolianewsQueenAnne&Magnolianews

QueenAnne&Magnolianews

Serving Queen Anne & Magnolia since 1919

Queenannenews.comAUGUST 12, 2015 Vol. 96, No. 33

Flat 1 - COLOR

Kim Wesselman

Windermerereal estate

Get Ahead of the Game: Inspect Before You List

The real estate market is hopping and you may have heard about buyers who are so eager to get a property that they waive the inspection contingency. Why would anyone do that?

They wouldn’t or, at least, shouldn’t. When we hear that buyers waive the inspection contingency, they have typically conducted the home inspection and sewer scope before making their offer. Now their offer, without an inspection contingency, will be more attractive to the seller.

I advise my buyers to never make an offer on a house without either conducting a pre-inspection or including an inspection contingency in the offer, unless they’re qualified to assess the condition of the house. And in this sellers market, pre-offer inspections are the standard procedure.

What isn’t standard is for sellers to do a home inspection and sewer scope before listing their home.

Smart Sellers Eliminate a Hurdle

As a listing agent, I advise my sellers to hire state-licensed inspectors to conduct a home inspection and sewer scope before we list their house. Why do this in a sellers’ market? Because you can increase the number and quality of offers you receive. Buyers will have full knowledge of your home’s condition, which could

mean more offers and possibly a higher sales price.

Just last month, one of my sellers

provided the home inspection and sewer scope reports to prospective buyers. On the day we were scheduled to review offers, two prospective buyers saw the house for the first time. With no time to schedule an inspection, they would not have made an offer. But both submitted offers with confidence, since they had seen the inspection reports.

As a result, we received four offers instead of two—and received a higher sales price. The sellers

➧ INSPECT Page 2

➧ CEILING Page 3

➧ HOUSE Page 3

Specializing in Home Purchases & Refinances for Over 20 Years.

Come see me for a no cost, no obligation home loan consultation today!

Jeanne NealS.A.F.E Licensed Mortgage ProfessionalLic # [email protected]

www.SalmonBayLending.comPowered by American Pacific Mortgage Corp. NMLS # 1850

{ { SELLING?Understand the 5 keys to successfully selling a home, in any market.

BUYING?Select a broker that understands current market conditions,

uses strategies which will ensure your offer stands out among others, and understands your needs and timeline.

WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE/NW

| 206 409 3705

| [email protected]

| robbiewaldtradal.com

— Ser ving c l ients in —MAGNOLIA, QUEEN ANNE & SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS

Residential Listing Broker | Accredited Buyers Representative | Relocation Specialist

When you’re planning a full kitchen renovation, or even just a few choice upgrades, counter tops, cabinets, appliances and flooring command your attention. But do you ever look up? Unless a lightbulb burns out or you want to replace a light fixture, you probably don’t think much about the ceiling in your kitchen or other rooms.

Yet with all the cooking and living that goes on in the kitchen, a whole lot of unpleasantness can gather in the top half of the room, including heat and moisture, cooking odors and grease. All that can make the ceiling dingy, darken the room and turn the air in your kitchen stale and unpleasant. As you’re refurbishing your kitchen, here are some ways - simple to lofty - to improve the ceiling and brighten the whole room:

The simple stuffJust as painting walls is the

easiest, most cost-effective way to create a new look in a room,

Ceiling improvements can get things looking up in your kitchen

painting the kitchen ceiling can have a huge impact on how the room feels and functions. For example, if your kitchen is short on windows and often feels dark,

painting the ceiling a high gloss white can help brighten it by reflecting light back down into the room. You can also add faux tin

What makes a person or a family decide a home is the perfect for them? Is it all location, location, location? What about price, schools or the neighborhood? Or is it something else; a feeling they get when they walk in the door, a detail they notice or a scent in the air.

If you’re selling your home your home, your location, neighborhood and school district are predetermined. Yet there is plenty you can do yourself to make sure your open house has that wow factor and captivates would-be buyers. Here are five tips to get you started so that next family will determine your home is the perfect home.

* Get clean. It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how many homeowners don’t clean their homes before an open house. This is one case where lived-in isn’t going to cut it. The kitchen and bathrooms should be spotless, cracked tiles should be repaired and any plumbing issues should be addressed. Expect that people will try the sinks and flush the toilets. If you don’t feel you can get your home ready on your own, hire a professional cleaning service to do the job for you. The money you spend on the cleaners will be well worth it when your house sells quickly.

* Add a fresh sent to the air. Your home should be pleasing to the eye as well as pleasing to the nose. Realtors have recognized the benefits of great smells for years. You can keep your home smelling great throughout the showing - and without synthetic ingredients - by using pure essential oils from Aura Cacia. Try this simple recipe to create a warm, comforting atmosphere that can help put potential property buyers at ease with these recipes:

1 cup coarse-grained, chunky sea salt1 teaspoon jojoba or grapeseed oil (just enough to make the salts

glisten)25 drops vanilla precious essential oil10 drops lavender essential oil

5 ways to get buyers to see your

open house as their next house

Space saving skylights free-up kitchen wall space for more cabinets and shelves while admitting abundant daylight and natural ventilation. Energy Star-qualified VELUX no leak solar powered fresh air skylights and blinds are operated by touchpad programmable remote control and close automatically in case of rain. The skylights, blinds, and installation costs are eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit. Details at www.whyskylights.com.

Page 2: Queen Anne Real Estate - August 2015

2 august 12, 2015 | www.Queenannenews.com

Magnolia Home Sales for July 2015Address Bed Bath Sq Ft Year Built Days on Mkt Asking Price Sold Price Asking Price/Sold Price

3413 21st Ave W #B 3 3.5 1450 2008 7 $475,000 $485,000 102.11%2108 W Ruffner St 3 2 1550 2007 16 $495,000 $495,000 100.00%3302 W Government Wy #A 3 2.25 1440 2003 5 $469,000 $500,000 106.61%3048 21st Ave W #A 3 2.25 2,010 2007 8 $550,000 $550,000 100.00%2504 30th Ave W 3 1.5 1,500 1949 7 $559,000 $559,000 100.00%2309 W Crockett 3 1.75 1,530 1994 4 $579,900 $579,900 100.00%3455 33rd W 4 1.75 1,760 1943 5 $562,500 $590,000 104.89%3029 23rd Ave W 3 1.75 2,000 1918 7 $625,000 $625,000 100.00%3207 W Harley St 3 1.75 1,790 1955 14 $649,000 $645,000 99.38%2621 37th Ave W 3 1.75 1,600 1939 10 $649,000 $649,000 100.00%3820 36th Ave W 3 1.5 1960 1908 9 $635,000 $661,000 104.09%3053 32nd Ave W 3 2.75 2,580 1947 7 $680,000 $685,000 100.74%3056 24th Ave W 3 2.5 1,713 2011 25 $785,000 $710,000 90.45%2615 37th Ave W 3 1.75 1,631 1939 13 $715,000 $715,000 100.00%3645 23rd Ave W 3 3 2,370 1996 10 $649,950 $749,000 115.24%2608 23rd Ave W 3 3.25 1,886 2015 7 $750,000 $750,000 100.00%2807 30th Ave W 3 1.75 2,180 1939 8 $599,000 $757,000 126.38%2610 23rd Ave W 3 3.25 1,928 2015 15 $800,000 $775,000 96.88%4444 29th Ave W 3 3.25 2,980 1986 13 $799,000 $787,500 98.56%3242 25th Ave W 4 2.25 2,420 1963 7 $735,000 $841,400 114.48%1962 Thorndyke Ave W 2 3.25 2,622 2009 9 $844,000 $850,000 100.71%2346 W Viewmont Wy W 3 3 2,640 1922 70 $899,950 $858,888 95.44%2921 W Ruffner St 3 1.75 2,300 1951 6 $699,000 $863,000 123.46%3042 32nd Ave W 4 3.25 3,270 1999 5 $889,000 $875,000 98.43%2317 W Ruffner St 4 3 3,370 1985 40 $910,000 $875,000 96.15%2800 26th Ave W 5 2.25 2,620 1955 7 $899,000 $890,000 99.00%2011 30th Ave W 3 1.5 3,410 1937 6 $800,000 $905,000 113.13%2917 24th Ave W 4 3.5 2,890 2005 5 $979,000 $990,000 101.12%2253 Viewmont Wy W 3 2.25 2,980 1936 9 $895,000 $1,050,000 117.32%3222 24th Ave W 5 3.5 3,160 2008 22 $1,150,000 $1,100,000 95.65%2315 Eastmont Wy W 4 2.5 2,760 1939 8 $1,100,000 $1,152,500 104.77%2110 Condon Wy W 5 3.5 2,927 1927 36 $1,250,000 $1,183,800 94.70%2612 30th Ave W 4 3 2,850 2002 10 $1,100,000 $1,191,466 108.32%2508 W McGraw St 4 2.5 3,140 1958 17 $1,350,000 $1,320,000 97.78%

Queen Anne Home Sales for July 2015Address Bed Bath Sq Ft Year Built Days on Mkt Asking Price Sold Price Asking Price/Sold Price

2803 Queen Anne Ave N 2 1 1,840 1926 8 $575,000 $625,000 108.70%1629 5th Ave W 3 1 2,020 1904 5 $499,777 $650,000 130.06%3812 A 13th Ave W 2 2.25 1,594 2015 26 $669,950 $660,000 98.51%412 W Fulton St 3 2.25 1,517 2015 8 $667,000 $667,000 100.00%410 W Fulton St 3 2.25 1,517 2015 9 $677,000 $677,000 100.00%2205 Bigelow Ave N #5 2 1.75 1,390 2003 6 $639,000 $705,000 110.33%2443 Queen Anne Ave N 2 1 1,020 1907 12 $629,997 $725,000 115.08%408 W Fulton St 3 2.25 1,527 2015 7 $717,000 $753,000 105.02%316 W Newell 3 2 1,710 1926 0 $780,000 $780,000 100.00%3650 13th Ave W 3 3.25 2,410 2012 7 $725,000 $785,000 108.28%3421 10th Ave W 5 2.25 3,030 1914 103 $850,000 $810,000 95.29%723 W Dravus St 3 1.75 2,080 1948 7 $775,000 $850,000 109.68%1813 12th Ave W 6 3 4,000 1913 25 $875,000 $883,000 100.91%2541 10th Ave W 4 2.75 2,740 1913 6 $850,000 $888,000 104.47%1824 8th Ave W 4 1.75 2,640 1906 6 $865,000 $963,000 111.33%1202 W Armour 4 3.75 2,930 1991 8 $995,000 $1,122,500 112.81%103 Newell St 4 2.75 2,450 2006 11 $995,000 $1,180,000 118.59%1633 5th Ave W 4 4 3,056 2008 10 $1,329,000 $1,330,000 100.08%3407 10th Ave W 4 3.25 3,800 2008 6 $1,495,000 $1,480,000 99.00%3042 10th Ave W 5 3.5 4,476 2010 16 $1,895,000 $1,790,000 94.46%1521 9th Ave W 6 4.5 4,560 1931 43 $2,500,000 $2,362,500 94.50%524 W Highland Dr 6 3.5 8,390 1909 618 $3,650,000 $3,450,000 94.52%

Information supplied by Northwest Multiple Listing Service

Eliminate a Hurdle➧ INSPECT, from Page 1

$50

[email protected]

Working for Your Best Interests

HEIDI WARD Real Estate

specializing inresidential

&condominiums

Jan [email protected]

www.janslawson.com206-949-4Jan (4526)

Queen anne | magnolia | doWntoWn

Windermere Real Estate/Wall St., Inc.

are very happy they invested the $700 for the home inspection and sewer scope. They got a great return

on a no-risk investment. Please send your real estate questions to [email protected].

www.morgansonline.com

Two Locations: Ballard: 8055 15th N.W. 206-789-3205

Wallingford: 3627 Stone Way N 206-547-1617

Computer Aided Kitchen and Bath Design Available

Serving Seattle for 33 Years!

Kim Wesselman is Managing Broker at Windermere Real Estate. She has advised clients on buying and selling properties in Queen Anne and Magnolia for 12 years.

Reserve your space today for the next issue

of the Queen Anne Real Estate

section.

Call: 206 461-1322

Page 3: Queen Anne Real Estate - August 2015

3www.Queenannenews.com | august 12, 2015

Feels like home➧ HOUSE, from Page 1

➧ CEILING, from Page 1

160 Highland Drive Offered for $3,500,000

707 West Florentia Place

Offered for $694,500 Call or Email206.298.0099 | [email protected]

For a free, no-obligation consultation and COMPARE!From the “King of Queen Anne”!

Jeffery Valcik

Proudly announces that after nearly 30 years, 600+ sales as a Top Producerwith a well known Northwest company proudly has gone nationally and joined

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices NW!

SeattlePremierProperties.com &

Jeffrey Valcik

Unparalleled recourses, advertising and marketingWorldwide for all my clients!

10 drops sweet orange essential oil

Mix salt and oils, pour into a decorative dish or bowl and set out on a table. Placing the crystals in a warm sunny window or near a heat register will help diffuse the delicious aroma throughout the room. Stir in additional essential oils to boost the scent as needed.

More recipe ideas and open house tips can be found at www.auracacia.com.

* Time for a makeover. If your home needs a more substantial makeover before it can sell, focus your energy and your money on the most important rooms in the home. Kitchens and master bedrooms sell homes, meaning that a granite countertop, new appliance or fresh coat of bedroom paint will give you a better chance to sell your home than other projects may allow.

ceiling tiles to reflect light and to create a vintage look.

Stuck with light-colored flooring, countertops and cabinets that make the room look washed out? Adding a subtle hue to the ceiling can help bring color to the room without the aggressiveness of a heavy wall color. Even if your kitchen has no design issues you need to resolve from the top down, repainting the ceiling can impart a fresh, bright look.

Perhaps new light fixtures aren’t in your budget or you really like the ones you have. In either event, replacing incandescent or flourescent light bulbs with LEDs or CFLs can soften harsh overhead lighting and use less electricity at the same time.

Practical luxuryKitchens cry out for light but

with wall space often largely devoted to cabinets, it can be a challenge to get enough natural light into the room through windows alone. Adding a skylight is a cost-effective way to compensate for a lack of windows and to bring balanced natural light and fresh air into a kitchen.

Skylights can help vent cooking odors and moisture from the kitchen if you choose Energy Star-qualified solar-powered fresh-air skylights, like those from Velux America. A programmable touch pad remote control operates the skylights as well as accessories like blinds. Solar powered blinds, which improve the overall energy efficiency of the skylights even more, are available in colors and patterns and allow you to make a

design statement while giving you full control of the light that enters the space.

In addition to kitchens, bedrooms and baths are the most popular rooms for skylights since you get the same natural light and passive ventilations benefits while maintaining privacy.

And no-leak solar powered skylights, which close automatically in case of rain, as well as solar powered blinds, can be upgrades that partially pay for themselves since both can qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit, as do the installation costs. Visit www.whyskylights.com to learn more.

Lofty aspirationsAdding a ceiling medallion is

a simple yet high-impact way to change the look of your kitchen ceiling. You can either position it around an existing light fixture or place it above a kitchen island. Installing a medallion is well within the abilities of most do-it-yourselfers and you can accomplish the project in less than a day.

Wood accents, such as paneling, crown molding or a wooden frame add luxury and depth to kitchen ceilings. These are complex installations that may require you to hire a professional but they can pay off big to create your dream kitchen.

Investing some money, thought and effort into upgrading your ceilings can help give the rooms a new look and feel while providing benefits that are both beautiful and practical.BPT)

Utilize natural lightHome is where the heart is, and for most people, it’s where they feel safest. Yet for children, the home isn’t as safe as you might assume. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that 3.5 million children go to the emergency room every year for injuries that happen in homes.

Some parents are unintentionally putting their children at risk by making common mistakes in the home. For example, parents say they are worried about fire safety and 96 percent report they have a smoke alarm, yet 14 percent never check their smoke alarm battery, according to “Report to the Nation: Protecting Children in Your Home,” from Safe Kids Worldwide and Nationwide.

“Parents just can’t imagine a tragedy could happen to them, but it happens far too often,” says Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. “Sadly, 2,200 kids die from an injury in the home every year. The good news is that we know how to prevent these injuries, and parents can take simple steps to protect their kids.”

Safe Kids Worldwide teamed up with Nationwide and its Make Safe Happen program to help families keep kids safe in the home. “We know parents want to protect their children,” said Terrance Williams, Nationwide’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s our hope that by bringing this information to families and caregivers, we can help them protect what matters most.”

Here are 10 tips to make your home kid-safe so you avoid preventable injuries. To learn more, visit SafeKids.org or MakeSafeHappen.com.

10 tips to make your home safer for kids

10 simple home safety tips that could save your child’s life

1. Make sure there is a working smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm on every level of your home, especially near sleeping areas. Test the batteries every month.

2. Create and practice a home fire-escape plan with your family. Know two ways out of every room in case of a fire.

3. Give young children your full and undivided attention when they are in and around water. Only 1 percent of parents list drowning as a concern, according to the Safe Kids report, yet every week a child dies from drowning in a bathtub.

4. For young children, use safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs, attaching them to the wall if possible.

5. Keep cribs clear of toys and soft bedding, and make sure that babies sleep alone, on their backs, and in a crib every time they sleep. For children under the age of 1, suffocation is the leading cause of injury-related death.

6. Keep all medicine up and away, out of children’s reach and

sight. Think about places where kids get into medicine, like in purses, on counters and on nightstands.

7. Store all household cleaners, liquid laundry packets and other toxic products out of children’s reach and sight. Use cabinet locks to prevent young children from getting into products that may cause them harm.

8. Save the Poison Help line number into your phone and post it in your home where anyone can find it easily in an emergency: 1-800-222-1222.

9. Secure flat-panel TVs by mounting them to the wall and place box-style TVs on a low, stable piece of furniture.

10. Properly install window guards or stops to help prevent falls from windows. Each year, 3,300 children are injured by falling out of a window, yet 70 percent of parents say they have never used window guards or stops that prevent these falls.(BPT)

* Cut the clutter. Even the cleanest homes still feel messy if there’s lots of clutter. Before your open house, adopt a minimalist approach and keep your home as clutter-free as possible. Remember, you want buyers to see the beauty of your home, not simply the items you keep in it.

* Start at the curb. Poor curb appeal can put buyers off to your home before they even step foot inside. Make sure your home’s outside is every bit as beautiful as the inside. Paint the exterior if you need to, plant flowers in the flower bed and mow the lawn. Buyers should never walk up to your front door already thinking it’s a fixer-upper.

An open house provides an excellent opportunity to showcase your home and help buyers fall in love with. And once they do, they’re sure to make your current home their future home.BPT)

Page 4: Queen Anne Real Estate - August 2015

4 august 12, 2015 | www.Queenannenews.comMU Back Queen Anne Magnolia 080615.pdf 8/6/2015 4:00:54 PM