Gabrielle's Blog

 May you be surrounded by friends and family ...

and may you find a moment, or two, or three, to play a few games, sing a few songs, and share a few memories ...

and may you be full of good things ... like TURKEY and cranberries and potatoes and stuffing!

May you find a comfy chair afterwards to nap it all off!

But most importantly, may you take the opportunity to thank God above for the opportunity to do it all!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Auburn area Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual trade fair at the Supermall of the Great Northwest this coming Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Enter using the Aviation Court, then turn right -- We'll be located near the Black Minerals and Glow Golf stores.

I'll be there greeting everyone that walks in ... with a display of houses for sale and information, should you want to talk real estate! (of course!!!)

Every exhibitor will also have a raffle item, but you'll need to visit individual booths to sign up!

Hope to see you Saturday at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair! It'll be fun; come by!

There are some vistas that take my breath away. Such was the gorgeous morning at Ocean Shores watching the tide coming in with the pelicans flying in formation. I loved this view with the remains of the old dock ... even the footprints in the sand added interest and texture.

The majesty of our planet is simply amazing ...

The news media provides an overall look at what the real estate market is doing coast to coast. If you regularly read the local Sunday papers, you may even get a feel for what's selling in various counties or even in your local community.

Graphs bring that information down in a visual, manageable method, making it a bit easier to figure out what's really going on.

The graphs here are for the Auburn, Algona & Pacific areas of King County, known by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service as Area 310. At the time we look at your home's individual value, however, this information will be localized even further, helping everyone involved understand what the appropriate market price for your home really is. It's tough to make educated decisions without the hard facts backing them up.

This first graph illustrates the average price for homes on the market (active) vs the average price for those homes where the sale was completed (closed) in the same month. Here one can see that there was a spike in sold prices in July, with a drop in August.

This next chart shows the average sales price for homes in Area 310 (not just Auburn --gotta fix that chart title) .. by month since the start of 2005. So .... if you purchased your home in August 2005, it's easy to see that your home's value may be slightly less than that $$ amount in August 2009.

Next: The number of new listings coming on the market each month since 2005. Good for helping decide when the right time to list might be.

And look how the number of closed sales went month by month for the same period. (still gotta change these titles -- this is for Auburn, Pacific & Algona, not just Auburn Addresses!). Remember that sales typically receive a mutually accepted offer 30-45 days prior to closing. Look at August -- there's that July housing shopping in action!

I like this next chart! Look how far the inventory has fallen. Either houses are selling, or listings are being cancelled or expired. There are certainly fewer of them! It's really important to remember here, however, that this little chart only compares one month's of active listings to one month's of closed sales -- That's a bit limited in scope, but gives you an idea.

These are just a few of the statistics I use to help you work on your own home's value. Don't hesitate to give me a call or an e-mail if you want to examine your own situation!

As agents, I think we sometimes forget the actual pain of buying a home ... and in selling one. It's easy to get caught up in the daily complexities we see from our clients, but until we face them firsthand, it's so easy to forget. I'm not talking about investment properties, I'm talking about the pain and emotional rollercoaster of finding a dream house, trying to get a mortgage that makes sense, going through inspections on both sides, packing up one's stuff, and then actually putting possessions on a moving truck and unpacking it on the other end. Trying to get everything organized again. Hoping nothing broke or got scratched or lost.

It's daggone hard! Agony. It's been a little over four years since I sold a home and bought a new one. I remember it well. Well, not like it was yesterday although it certainly seems that way sometimes. There are still things that I wonder about -- where'd that box with those favorite cups go to? I may never know. I can't find them.

An understanding of our client's emotions during the buy or sell/buy process is critical, in my opinion. There's so much more to our jobs than just guiding our clients through the process.

I remember the insult I felt when my perfectly maintained house ... it WAS perfect!, yes it WAS! ... was questioned by the Buyer. They wanted all this stuff fixed. But the house was perfect already! How DARE they!

I remember the frustration I felt when the Buyer showed up before they were entitled to move in ... when the house was a muddy chaotic mess during what had to be the rainstorm of the year. The day we moved out. And had the temerity to tell me that my perfect, albeit muddy, house was a mess. And that I was a terrible housekeeper! I remember telling her in no uncertain terms to leave. I hadn't said goodbye to my house yet and the housecleaner and carpet cleaners hadn't been in.

I remember the uncertainty we felt when the mortgage terms we wanted weren't available to us. And waiting on pins and needles while our loan officer tried to get us what we wanted. And waiting for the call. Waiting.

And finding a previous mortgage on title that had been paid and shouldn't have been there. Working with the title officers and trying to figure out what to do since the previous bank had been merged and then merged and then merged.

And the satisfaction ... and relief ... of finally getting there. Unpacking the boxes. Sleeping in the new bedroom. Ahhhhh!

Now ... as an experienced agent, I figured I had this whole sell/buy thing under control.

And yet! See ... it's been over four years and I still remember! I was an emotional wreck. It was HARD! And it was worth it!

Those memories are a critical component of the empathy and understanding I feel and attempt to express with each of my client's transactions. Our jobs are so much more than being experts. We need to remember! And sometimes help guide from those memories.

When was the last time YOU moved? If it's been a long while, maybe it's time to experience the moment again. I believe it makes us better agents.

I just came back in the house and to my home office desk. The weather is gorgeous -- clear blue sky and the garden just called for a quick walk through. Picked a few dahlias and stuff to put in a vase on my desk.

Such peacefulness.

Yes, I know that owning a home is tremendous commitment. It's hard, daggone it! Like many of you, we're close to being upside down on our house. We bought right in the middle of the 2005 upswing of prices. Four plus years later, we're back to where we started.

At least once a week I walk through the house and the yard and mutter about all of the remodeling that's still undone. And bemoan the hundreds ... make that thousands... of dollars we've spent on it thus far. With thousands yet to be spent.

Sometimes we make mistakes in our home choices. Sometimes we've spent too much or picked the wrong neighbors or painted the walls the wrong colors. Sometimes we just flat out can't afford our choice due to circumstances beyond our own control. Sometimes we have to face up to those mistakes and start over.

Every seller I've helped sell that had to sell for one reason or another--not just because they wanted a bigger or better house but because financially the house just didn't work for them--told me they couldn't wait to buy another one.

Homeownership IS a tremendous responsibility. But the Buyers with whom I work constantly remind me just how important it is to have one's own space. How badly they want it . It's an American obsession this desire to own a home. To be able to walk about one's own rooms or yard and look about.

There's a certain peacefulness about owning a home. I'm hooked. The dahlias are calling.

The start of the school year always signals the start of a new business year for me. It's supposed to mean that playtime is over for a while and it's time to get to it! I know most folks think of January as the first ... but for me, somehow it always seems to get fired up around the 1st of September. I can somehow stick my backside to my desk a bit better when the leaves start to turn and it's raining.

Our office has a brief hiatus from office meetings in August, so at least for me, today heralded the start of the Fall. Our fearless leader, the inimitable Colleen Fischesser, was in full form today -- running through all the recent updates on rule changes and law changes and office changes, etc. She's ready to go ... and of course wants us on board too ... time for business planning for 2010! Get started, get going, keep blogging, do more online, Go Team!

Pretty inspiring, if I do say so, Mz. Colleen!

One quote that came out of the meeting today that I really liked: you know the adage that we've all heard in the past that 10% of the agents are doing 90% of the business?

That quote was updated for us today: per Stefan Swanepoel, CEO RealtyU Group, Inc: 

"7% of All Real Estate Agents Do 93% of the Business!"

Whew ... 7%! Where are you? One of the 7%? or one of the 93%. I always figured I was at about 11% ... now I wonder if I'm at 8!

So ... time to bring it up a notch -- 1% more. I can do it!  GO TEAM!

Hubby and I spent the week before last at Ocean Shores. It was Heavenly! Truly. A much needed stress break, although far too short, as vacations often are. I think we need to adopt the "holiday" attitude in Europe -- you know six weeks a year! (course I don't know what I'd do with myself with that much time off!)

The weather was perfect -- sunny with a bit of a breeze, which was perfect for kite flying. The pelicans and gulls amused us several times a day with their antics. And the deer! They walked right up the beach to our deck. I'm sure the local population gets tired of them, but I thought they were charming!

And the dogs and I walked and walked and walked ... miles and miles a day. I need to do this more often; just think of the legs I'd have!

 As usual, we took a drive around Ocean Shores looking at properties. I just can't help myself. Oh, to live with the views of the water like this. However, I'm always totally taken aback by the price of homes in the area. Gads ... vacation houses in the $300k range and up. Whew. It's definitely a sign when I get online while I'm on vacation so that I can scout out the bank-owned properties in an area! That was enough real estate for the week though.

So ... I'm ready to go back! Ahhhhhhhhh, another margarita on the beach. That's life.

Visiting the Western Washington State Fair in Puyallup is a yearly tradition in my household. What can I say? ... I love looking over the pen at the massive momma sow with her bazillion piglets! Must be a frustrated farmer in here somewhere.

The fair starts next Friday, the 11^th and runs through the 27th, so I wanted to get the schedule out to you right away. After all, maybe you really want to go to the Rodeo. I know my son loves it!

Have fun! Get in line for scones, but don't eat too many fair burgers & fried Twinkies this year; after all I KNOW you'll want to ride the Extreme Scream!

Here's a quick schedule and info about transportation. For more, visit The Fair!

... when his mother's not looking.

At 19, my youngest son seems to think he's invinciable. Last Sunday, while out to dinner, I had moments of concern as I hadn't heard from my generally considerate son. I mean, usually he'll give me a call at least once during the day to tell me what he's up to.

Not Sunday. He had a date Saturday night, then went over to a buddy's house to watch a movie. Sunday morning some time I expected to hear from him. The day went on. Mom called. Nothing. Mom called again. Nothing.

About 8pm I got this call:

"Mom, just checking in. Me and the guys went bungee jumping."

"WHAT! You did WHAT? Did I hear you right?"

"Yeah, I jumped off this bridge above this river. "

OMG!!!

Tonight he says: "Hey, I'm on YouTube"

So ... just had to share. My inviciable son is trying to outdo his sister who climbs rocks and cliffs and anything that's straight up or inverted somehow. Or flies down mountains on bicycles.

WHERE do they get this!

(And they wonder why my hair is grey ......)