Wenatchee Realtor Is Assaulted At Open House

Realtors have many open houses per month.  The weekends are sprinkled with corner signs advertising open houses.  It’s a great opportunity to show off homes and allow potential buyers a preview, but you hardly ever consider the dangers of allowing strangers into your space.  Last weekend a Wenatchee realtor was assaulted at an open house.  Thankfully she was not harmed and made wise decisions to protect herself.  This is a a great time to review the safety guidelines realtors should follow when exposing themselves to unfamiliar people and environments.  Take a look at these Open House Safety Tips from the National Association of REALTORS®.

“A real estate agent was assaulted during an open house Sunday afternoon at a home for sale in the 700 block of Cascade Street in Wenatchee. Police Sgt. John Kruse said the local woman called police after incident about 1:30pm. Kruse said she told authorities a husband and wife had toured the home together but the suspect returned alone and asked to see the home’s basement.  Kruse says the intoxicated man allegedly tried to grab the female real estate agent.  Officers contacted the man who claimed they were just having a “consensual hug”.  Kruse says the woman was not injured.”

Source:  KPQ.com

Kirkland gains 31,000 residents and Woodinville loses a fire department.

We perform a lot of Kirkland home inspections and I’m sure the new home buyers and current homeowners are very happy they’ll receive property tax savings soon. The Kirkland annexation will boast the benefits of 31,000 more residents, a decrease in property taxes and increased law enforcement, but one neighborhood loses a fire department. In a KING-5 News video interview the Kirkland mayor says that they are prepared to cover the larger area. The city had been working on the annexation for 10 years. The Woodinville area fire department had a closing ceremony today to honor their “second home” and office.

“One of the biggest annexations King County has seen in a long time became official a minute after midnight Tuesday. The Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods are now part of Kirkland…the city has done extensive research and is confident Kirkland can welcome 31,000 additional residents and 200 new businesses while providing essential city services. One change will be law enforcement. On Tuesday, the King County Sheriff’s Office patrolled the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods. Now Kirkland police take over. That’s why the department hired 24 new officers and still plans on adding 13 more. The Kingsgate area, however, lost a nearby Woodvinville fire station. Residents there have concerns about what that will mean for service. Kirkland’s mayor said the city has hired additional firefighters and they are working to make sure response times stay low.”
Source KING 5 News, June 1, 2011 at 7:20 AM

Selling your house? Order a pre-listing home inspection in Wenatchee & Seattle areas to sell fast and increase your profit.

Give yourself an edge in this tough market with a pre-listing inspection. Most folks only order an inspection when they are purchasing a home. We believe home sellers have a lot to gain when they order an inspection before their home goes up for sale. Here are a few reasons:


Sell your home faster! Put your best foot forward from the beginning and let buyers know that you have nothing to hide.

Receive better offers when you have disclosed the true condition of the property with a pre-listing inspection report. Avoid “low ball offers.”

Eliminate price negotiations based on the buyer’s inspection. If you’ve priced the home based on the pre-listing inspection’s findings then you’ve decreased the reasons for price negotiations after mutual acceptance.

Avoid walk-away buyers by removing surprises. Frustrated buyers will often walk away from a deal when the inspection report exposes concealed repairs.

The price is right!  Resolve all issues before the house goes on the market and price it accordingly. Don’t want to fix it? Reflect the current condition in the listing price.

Increase profits when you have completed the repairs yourself. Even minor findings in the buyer’s inspection can result in profit losses. The buyer will frequently provide the highest contractor bid while you would have chosen the best value bid.

We’ve seen a greater interest in pre-listing inspections recently. Motivated sellers are using this effective tool to sell their home faster.

Investors Buy North Lake Union Parcel for $3.58 Million

What will we see moving to North Lake Union?  An investment group is taking advantage of competitive commercial real estate prices and scooping up a half acre parcel in the great location between Wallingford and Burke Avenues.


"An investment group led by David Zarett paid $3.58 million for a second half-block property overlooking the north end of Lake Union. Northlake LLC now owns the full block along North Northlake Way between Wallingord Avenue North and Burke Avenue North. The investment group bought the 0.47-acre site at 3301 Burke Ave. N. from Restaurants Unlimited founder Richard Komen and his family. The property includes the 8,051-square-foot Restaurants Unlimited office building. Northlake LLC acquired the adjacent 0.31-acre parcel at 3301 Wallingford Ave. N. for $850,000 back in 1998. Six years later, Zarett filed for permits to construct a mixed-use residential office building on the site but never moved forward on the project."

Original Post: Investors buy North Lake Union parcel
Puget Sound Business Journal
By Jeanne Lang Jones
May 24, 2011

Wenatchee home inspection company, AMS Inspection, sponsors NCHBA Breakfast June 8th

Are you hungry for important information about the North Central Home Builders Association? Then join us Wednesday, June 8th at SMITTY’S PANCAKE HOUSE, Wenatchee at 7:30 am – 8:30 am. This great FREE breakfast is sponsored by AMS Inspection Services, Inc. Come fill up on awesome information about the benefits of being a member of the NCHBA. Whether you’re brand new or been here since the beginning there is always something to learn about. If you know of someone thinking about joining then this is a great opportunity for them to learn what the NCHBA is all about. ***Please RSVP by calling Cindy at 509-665-8195 by Monday, June 6th. VIEW FLYER.

Bubble Meter: U.S. housing price decline accelerating

Bubble Meter: U.S. housing price decline accelerating: "According to Zillow.com, in Q1 2011 housing prices experienced their biggest quarterly decline since 2008: Home values posted the largest d..."

A New Seattle Office for Bank Of America Offers Foreclosure Alternatives

“Bank of America announced Wednesday it had opened an office in Seattle to allow distressed homeowners whose mortgages it services to meet face to face with specialists and consider alternatives to foreclosure.”

Source: Seattle Times, April 27, 2011. “BofA opens office for foreclosure alternatives.”

People considering foreclosure can speak to specialists at BofA by appointment to weigh out their options. An increase in foreclosures and short sales in the Washington area has required banks and mortgage providers to add more services and departments.

Outreach events are planned for May 19-21 in Bellevue and Spokane and require registration. To register for the BofA events go to www.bankofamerica.com/outreachevent.