Being an active agent, I can contest to both scenarios being true. Great homes with no home inspection issues and excellent buys that require sweat equity. In 2009, one of my clients purchased a short sale and by doing so he received an excellent deal on a home in Mill Creek. This home is situated in a established neighborhood with few fixer uppers left – this home seemed to be the troubled home on the block. On the flip side, a few other 2009 clients purchased bank owned homes in Marysville that where just a few years old and required little to no work.

The Fixer Upper

The majority of the short sales and banked properties fall into this category because the owners, or previous owners, where going through financial hardship and as a result regular home maintenance was neglected. This is not uncommon and, in my opinion, should be expected. My Mill Creek client purchased the home because it needed an injection of blood and sweat to recapture the brilliance the home once had. But this may not always be the case. When showing to clients I come across many homes that are rapidly approaching the point of no return. The homes are in such poor condition that it is highly recommended to have additional inspections, pest and mold etc, just to see if the purchase would even be worth it, envision The Money Pit with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long (1986). Both scenarios require a heavy investment of money, time and oodles of patients. When buying the fixer upper make sure you know what you’re getting into and ready for a lengthy hands on home.

The Great Deal

Some short sales and bank owned properties fall into The Great Deal category. Again, in 2009 I worked with a family to purchase a short sale in Aspen. The home was just a few years old and looked like it never had been occupied. It was outfitted with every known functional and cosmetic upgrade and was a classic example of Northwest Architecture. Another two buyers, also in 2009, purchased bank owned homes in Lake Stevens and Marysville that where built in 2006 and needed zero to a little touch up work at extremely low prices. These buyers took their time watching the market, viewing many homes and waited for that right home to appear. Both parties had goals of putting the least amount of money and time into the home post purchase. This has left them time to take weekend vacations instead of working on their home.

The property condition spectrum for short sales and banked owned properties can swing from “like new” to “I need a shower when I leave” so just be very aware what you are purchasing. As of March 8, 2010 there are 724 short sales and 339 bank owned properties in Snohomish County with those numbers expecting to rise in the next few months. So if you’re looking at banked owned or short sale properties there are no shortages.

Related Page: Bank Owned Property Search

Related Post: Short Sales and Distress Properties

Throughout the Home

1. Open the draperies, pull up the shades, and let in the sunlight.
2. Create a positive mood. Turn on all lights, day or night, and install higher wattage light bulbs to show your home brightly.
3. Remove clutter from each room to visually enlarge them.
4. If you have a fireplace, highlight it in your decorating.
5. Keep your home dusted and vacuumed at all times.
6. Replace the carpet if it does not clean up well.
7. Have a family “game plan” to get the home in order quickly if necessary.
8. Air out your home for one-half hour before showing, if possible.
9. Lightly spray the house with air freshener so that it has a chance to diffuse before the buyer arrives.
10. Put family photos in storage.
11. Improve traffic flow through every room by removing unnecessary furniture.
12. Create the feeling of a spacious entry area by using decorative accents and removing unnecessary furniture.
13. Putty over and paint any nail holes or other mishaps in the walls.
14. Paint all interior walls a neutral color to brighten the home and make it look bigger.
15. Repair or replace any loose or damaged wallpaper.
16. Clean all lights bulbs and fixtures to brighten the home.
17. Wash all windows inside and out.
18. Use plants in transitional areas of your house.
19. Make the most of your attic’s potential.
20. Remove and/or hide excess extention cords and exposed wires.
21. Open doors to areas you want potential buyers to see such as walk-in closets, pantries, attics, etc.
22. Remove all smoke and pet odors.
23. Repair or replace banisters and handrails.

In the Kitchen

24. Microwave a small dish of vanilla twenty minutes before showing and place it in an out-of-the-way place.
25. Highlight an eat-in area in your kitchen with a table set for dinner.
26. The kitchen and bathrooms should always be spotlessly clean.
27. Expand your counter space by removing small appliances.

In the Bathrooms

28. Create a master suite effect in your decorating.
29. Depersonalize bedrooms and decorate in a neutral scheme.
30. Make sure that the beds are made and the linens are clean.
31. Organize your closets, remove unnecessary items and put them storage.

In the Bathrooms

32. Do not leave towels around and wipe down the sinks and shower areas after each use.
33. Re-caulk the tub if the caulk is not sparkeling white.
34. Repair or replace broken tiles in the shower/tub.
35. Replace shower curtains and keep them clean.
36. Put out fresh towels and decorative soaps.

Outside

37. Keep the yard mowed and raked at all times.
38. Use flowering plants to dress up the yard, walkway, and patio.
39. Remove all toys, bicycles, tools, unsightly patio furniture, and trash from the yard.
40. Porches, steps, verandas, balconies, patios, and other extensions of the house should be kept uncluttered.
41. Paint all entrance doors.
42.Make sure the garage door opens easily. Fix and paint the garage door if necessary.
43. Clean and shine all hardware and accessories indoors and out (doors knobs, knockers, lamps, mail box, address numbers, etc).
44. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed and pruned.
45. Use a new dormat.
46. Be sure the front doorbell is in good working order.
47. Be sure the front door and screen door work properly.

Implementing these items will give any home a leg up on the competition especially when there are so many bank owned properties selling for less than the resale homes.

Lot Sale Increase

The increase in sale volume has surged due to the high availability of vacant lots and limited number willing and able buyers. National building chains have seized the opportunity to purchase large volumes of lots for cheap. DR Horton purchased 38% of Snohomish County’s total lots with their single largest plat having 27 individual lots — Camden Meadows.

Decrease in Sale Price>

In the 1st Quarter of 2006 individual lots in Marysville were selling from $130,000 to $190,000. These were approximately 6,000 sq/ft lots. Now that same lot is priced from $44,550 to $60,000. In a perfect world, builders would lower the offering prices of their homes while keeping construction quality the same. New construction homes are being priced lower but have not retained the same interior quality — granite countertops, luxury carpet … etc.

Snohomish County Lot Sale 4th Quarter 2009

The mls search has been reinstated and the problem was due to our recent change. Have a great weekend.

Update Friday @ 4:44pm

The account has been disable due to our recent move to Keller Williams Realty.

The MLS search and foreclosure search are currently down. I have a call out to our providers tech support and awaiting a resolution. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes during your home search.

The contact numbers have been changed due to Mickie and I finding a new home at Keller Williams Realty in Marysville with Roy VanWinkle and Jason Woodward. It is an exciting time for us and office the digs are quite nice. Our office is set up and very functional but have to say I miss having a window seat.

The listing pages have been updated to incorporate local market statistics, school directories, businesses, and a walkability score that encompass a particular property. Now buyers can get a more indepth look at a property’s profile and the proximity of schools, businesses and recreation. Pretty exciting updates, maybe that is because everything tech is cool to me, and look for some more small changes on the site in the near feature.

Last winter, a friend and I took 18 people which have never experienced the sport out for a three day weekend trip. I found it very rewarding for them, along with myself and a repeat trip is already in the making. Snowmobile parks in Washington State are some of the best around. There are more than 100 snow parks in the State of Washington with 80 designated for snowmobiling. Every snow park has its advantages and disadvantages and your skill level will determine which snow park is most suitable for you. Here is a list of snow parks that I enjoy to visit in no particular order.

Snowmobile Parks

- Fish Lake Snow Park: Located off of US 2, on Chiwawa River Road and Offers 186 miles of groomed trails. You can also enter this snow park from Ardenvoir. Elevation is 2,000 feet with 100 spaces to park.
- Stampede Pass Snow Park: Located 8 miles east of Snowqualmie Pass summit which offers a trail system of 51 miles. Elevation is 2,400 feet with 250 spaces.
- Mt. Baker National Recreation Area: Located 12 miles north or Highway 20 via Baker Lake Highway. There are 2 snow parks here in which there are 75 spaces available. Elevation is 1,160 and 1,520.
- Blewett Pass: Located 25 miles south of Leavenworth of Highway 97. This snow park has groomed trails, but no record to the miles it offers. Elevation is 4,100 feet with 30 spaces available.
- Mill Creek: Located 18 miles east of Colville via highway 20 at Country Road 4954. This park offers 138 miles of trail system. Elevation is 3,200 feet. With 2 other snow parks nearby, total parking is 50 spaces.
- Kings Lake: Located on Highway 20 to Usk. 132 miles of trail system are offered at this park. Elevation is 3,100 feet, and there are 60 spaces available.
- Salmon La Sac: Located north of Cle Elum taking exit 80 and on Route 903 north for 16 miles. This snow park offers 38 miles of trail system. Elevation is 2,360 feet with 100 spaces.
- Boulder Creek: Located 6 miles north of Winthrop County Road 1213 north to Co road 9137 northeast for 1 mile. Snow Park is located at USFS Road 37. Offers 134 miles of trail system is offered. Elevation is 2,050 with 30 spaces available.
- Rock Creek Upper: Located 19 miles northwest of Naches, Highway 410 to Rock Creek Road. This park has 68 miles of trail system. Elevation is 3,340 feet with only 10 spaces available.

Washington State Park’s website: http://www.parks.wa.gov/winter/snowmobiling/

Snowmobile Rentals

- Franks Rentals – They have over 25 years experience in serving Okanogan County. This company is located at 625 Omak Drive, Omak Washington 98841. Phone: 509-332-6895
- Cascade Playtime Rentals: I have worked with this company before, and the knowledge and experience they have is superior. Located a few miles north of Roslyn, Washington. Phone: 509-649-2444

Snowmobile Tours

- Mountain Springs Lodge: A beautiful lodge located in one of the best towns in Washington State. I’ve seen, and talked, with this tour group on the trails on many occasions, and are one of the very best in the state. Located at 19115 Chiwawa Loop Road, Leavenworth, Washington 98826. Phone: 1-800-858-2276.

There are quite a few snowmobile rental companies in Washington State, which offer the experience at a reasonable price. Snowmobile tours are also available. With snowmobile snow parks located throughout the state, there is bound to be one close to you.

Today, I was talking with a previous client and she shared her recent experiences. Living in the golf course community of Gleneagle in Arlington, one wouldn’t expect to find to much craziness. This is not the case of Julie (real name not used).

Julie’s neighbor is actually a tenant renting the home. The tenant is a single elderly women. Now I know what you’re thinking, cat lady. Nope, not this time. This time the elderly lady owns a little dog. This little dog is mostly to blame for the increase of crazy activity.

On quite regular occurrences, this little dog gets loose and tears around in the front of the house. Being in a cult-de-sac, which is probably good thing for both dog and lady, there tends to be a lot of screaming and yelling directed at this dog while it runs circles around the elderly lady. This usually goes on for a solid 30 minutes or so.

I know it’s wrong to laugh but I just can’t help it. Owning a Yorkshire Terrier growing up I can relate to the frustration and humor of the whole thing. Our little dog would get loose in the front, mostly when the family had to be somewhere, and run away from us at speeds previously unthinkable by something so small.

Whatever the experiences, at the time I bet it wasn’t funny at the time. I can only image there are some whoppers of crazy neighbor stories out there and if you have a moment share 1 or 2 with us.

Before getting into the new changes it is probably worth reviewing a little history preceding the changes. The problem arose when excited buyers would inquire on a home to why the listing price was so much lower than competing homes. Feeling like they found the buy of the century and anxious to write a Purchase and Sale, buyers were quickly discouraged upon finding out the property was in a short sale situation.

The NWMLS took note of the problem and in 2009 released an update to their system allowing agents to exclude or only include short sales, bank owned or standard sellers. If a property was a short sale most buyers would immediately removed it from their lists especially since the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit’s deadline was approaching.

But still consumers could not directly see for themselves if a home was a short sale or bank owned. Now that has changed. In December 2009, I was pleasantly surprised to find these upgrades found their way to the public real estate search sites. Right nowm, buyers can only differentiate between properties from standard sellers and bank owned, note the two different MLS search links.

– Standard MLS Listing Search
– Banked Owned Listing Search

Though the upgrades makes it easy to separate standard and banked owned properties it does not do anything for the appearance of short sales. A system should be fairly simple to build but granted I am sitting here describing the features instead of developing the code for it. When a real estate agent uploads a home to the NWMLS there are various fields that can be checked or not checked. From water front and swimming pools to builders and neighborhoods, the variety is endless and that is why getting as much information about a home makes the property far more searchable.

Consumers still don’t have the luxury of excluding short sales from their results like agents do. No fear though as they can be identified under the Property Details in the Residential field.

As of right now, public IDXs are having problems processing the new 3 digit code and as a result the properties may not be displayed, happening on this site. If you seen a home and it has the 3 digit MLS code please email or call me and I will send the information over.


It has me curious as to what type of technology will be the norm by the end of 2010. Will users demand websites to have a mobile friendly website or an app with all the homes for sale? It has me thinking.

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First Time Homebuyer Tax credit

From January to November sales in Washington increased from 2,650 total units to 5,523 total units with the highest month being October with 5,970 total units. During that time, even with rising unemployment rates, buyers who where on fence turned out in record numbers to capitalize on low housing prices, an abundance of inventory, and government incentives like the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. It is hard to discount the effects of the tax credit on sales but for 2010 it will take much more than incentives to get the economy going.

*June 2006 there was 11,187.00 total units closed.

The Year of the Bank Owned Properties

It seemed that the majority of the homes on the NWMLS where either foreclosed on or in the process. The homes where in a various conditions. Some foreclosed properties where missing their interior features. Floor coverings, cabinets, doors, and bathrooms where all gone. In some extreme cases homes where missing their ceilings. One the flip side, some homes where in excellent condition and buyers received some good bargains.

Current inventory shows 452 foreclosed properties in Snohomish County which includes commercial and residential. Bank’s toxic assets have assisted in the large price correction. Banks priced properties so low, which was great for buyers, that sellers where forced to reduce their prices so much just to compete.

Affordability Returning to Snohomish County

At the height of the economic boom, single family homes in Snohomish County would darn near cost a family’s first born. Prices for 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home reached the high $300,000 to mid $400,000, depending on which city you where looking at. In July 2007 the average home selling price was $393,553. Not what I classify as affordable. Since then prices have dramatically changed and buyers can now purchase a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom in Marysville for under $260,000 (a current client’s home).

Stability is another adjective to help describe 2009. 2009’s lowest average monthly selling price was $306,219 and a high of $330,345. The year end has settled at $308,699. Much more flat than the previous years increase and decrease. I look for prices to continue to stay flat and the market settle in 2010 with little price fluctuations.

Local Employment

Locally Snohomish County has a lot to think about. Due to Union and Boeing disagreements, the 787 Dreamliner’s assembly line will be moved from Everett to South Carolina. This could definitely impact the local economy and push the local unemployment rate well over 10% in 2010, 10.2% as of October 2009. Jobs will be the clear indicator that the local economy is turning around but I am not sure if President Obama’s Main Street Bailout will impact Snohomish County very much.

The Last Post of 2009

It is strange to think that we are at the closing of 2009 with 1 day in the calendar left to check off. For the most part 2009 will be the year of change for me. Change has touched everyone I know. From family and friends to business associates and clients, change is every. So I welcome the new year and looking forward to all the new people I may meet. Good Bye 2009 – Hello 2010.