Kenmore Undressed

Embracing Alternative Energy – Zero Energy Idea House!

Oil Prices Up Today – We Never Learn

A vintage picture from the 1973 "oil crisis"

I  was in Junior High School when the 1970’s and the oil “crisis” hit. It was a real wake-up call to Americans regarding our dependence on foreign oil. In response, there was a huge wave of interest in innovative solutions to problems that, at that time seemed imminent: dependence on fossil fuels, overpopulation, world-wide starvation, etc..  Back then it seemed as if our capacity for innovation and enterprise would lead the U.S. into the 21st Century with technologies and ideas making us more self sufficient than ever.

Alas, when the price of gas fell and the Reagan Administration declared “it’s morning in America,” we all but forgot about changing our way of life. After all, Americans have always had the attitude that our “lifestyle” is not negotiable. The 80’s, the 90’s and now the first decade of the 21st century have come and gone and we are only now coming to grips with some enormous challenges.

As a Realtor® and homeowner, I’ve been aware that the way we build and power our homes hasn’t changed in over 100 years. In spite of the technologies and building methods at our fingertips, our homes are extremely inefficient and wasteful. We are incredibly dependent on the “grid” for our existence. Sooner or later we will be forced to change our ways. We simply cannot continue to burn coal, natural gas and oil to run our homes and cities. Well, it was inspiring and enlightening to find a home that is blazing the path for others to follow: Zero Energy Idea House!

Home Building Pioneers in the Seattle Area

Last week the SeattlePI reported that there would be an open house in Sammamish at a home called Zero Energy Idea House which, by incorporating a number of “green” building technologies, results in the consumption of only $500 worth of energy per year. OK, I couldn’t resist checking this out. So, on Saturday I visited Zero Energy Idea House.

The owners, Donna and Riley Shirey (Shirey Contracting) have owned the land on which this home is built since the 1970’s. According to Donna, this home is the result of many years of thinking and planning. They want the home to be a model that others can use to incorporate “alternative” solutions to our modern-day energy challenges.

Notice the solar panels, pvc hot water system and wind turbine!

I asked Donna why there are so few home builders interested in incorporating alternative products into homes. Donna indicated that they have approached builders for many years and basically found none willing to incorporate green technologies. “It’s all about profit margins,” she said. Donna indicated that many of the components of her home are not “new.” Most are easily obtainable from suppliers and have been for years.

I did not take pictures of the interior of Zero Energy Idea House out of respect for the owners; however, I did have the opportunity to wander around and check out the huge number of green products including the surfaces, floors, appliances, the water and heating systems, etc. One of the most fascinating components of the house was the HelixWind turbine which is ideal for city applications as it does not require the straight-line winds that the propeller turbines need.

Click on this picture to view a video of how it works!

Overall, it was a great educational visit to Zero Energy Idea House. I believe that it’s time we begin a serious discussions with our governmental leaders and those who actually build homes to start utilizing these 21st Century technologies.

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Some Fun Open Houses in and Around Kenmore This Weekend

This Weekend is Full of Fun Events around Kenmore

The weather promises to be nice for the next couple of days and anyone who lives here in the Northwest knows one must seize the “sunny” day! So get out there and have some fun! There are some festive events going on here in Kenmore this weekend. I hope you have an opportunity to attend:

Northshore Fire Department Open House & Pancake Breakfast

Click on the picture for a larger view

Ostrom’s Drug & Gift Grand Opening

Ostrom’s Grand Opening Celebration begins this Saturday, May 16th.

See details of this event on www.kenmoreblog.net. Laurie Sperry has done a great job describing the grand opening! There will be fun and prizes, so don’t miss it!

Soft Tail Spirits Grand Opening

Click on the picture for more details!

For more information about Soft Tail Spirits & Grapparia, please read my blog post “Celebrating an Exciting New Craft Distillery.”

Also, Don’t forget the UofW Street Fair

For more details go to: The Daily – 38th Annual Street Fair in the U District This Weekend.

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Are Real Estate Agents Really Working Harder? A Complicated Question

The Real Estate section of yesterday’s Seattle Times tackles one of the most fundamental and important topics in the real estate industry today: what value does a real estate agent bring to the purchase or selling of a home. The article entitled “Slow housing market means more hours, more expenses for agents,” focuses-in on the increased effort and cost agents incur in today’s tough marketplace in order to be successful.

What I find most revealing about this particular article is the following confession:

“The days of just taking the listing and putting it into the [Multiple Listing Service] and letting the MLS sell the property are gone,” said Brigitte Pascutoi, managing broker at John L. Scott Real Estate’s Bellevue North office. (quote from the article)

This may be over-stating the simplicity of a real estate transaction; however, it should be no surprise to the public or, more importantly, the real estate agents themselves that times have changed. In 2004-2007 our local market was overheated to the point of third-degree sun burn. Almost 70% of listed homes were selling each month and prices were increasing at double-digit levels. Lending was, let’s say, more liberal (this is a whole other subject) and it was truly the case that merely putting one’s home in the multiple service was enough to bring a buyer through the front door and sell the house.

Fast forward to today:

• Only 9%-11% of homes are selling each month
• There are almost 50,000 homes for sale in the multiple service
• Buyers, even willing buyers, are having difficulty obtaining a loan
• Credit markets have been frozen
• Home prices are contracting
• There is a vacuum of confidence in the marketplace
• Technology has revolutionized the relationship between consumers and the marketplace
• Owners must now pay with real money (not fake equity) to sell their home

These trends, among many others, have forced the Real Estate Industry to make huge changes in its business model. It has also revealed many of the weaknesses of agents, brokerages and business practices. I won’t go into the subject of commissions in this post, but I will say this: I’m not sure that agents are, indeed, working harder nor am I convinced that “working harder” is what they should be doing. Let me explain:

• We would not have almost 50,000 homes for sale in this marketplace if agents were advising clients to take their homes off the market UNLESS THEY MUST SELL! This isn’t hard work, it’s professional representation (something that became less valuable when the market was humming along).
• The article points out that some agents are helping owners by doing yard work, putting in crown molding, etc.. I would submit to you that this is hard work, BUT, real estate agents are rarely qualified to do this work. More importantly, they should not be expected to. An agent may recommend a landscaper or contractor to do these chores, but an agent runs the risk of taking on a mantle of expertise that he/she may be held liable for.
• Many agents have been offering FREE staging services or any number of other benefits to sellers to better market the property. Here’s something all you sellers need to know. NOTHING IS FREE IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS. The article rightly points out that proper staging and preparation of a home can run into thousands of dollars. In the old paradigm, when the marketplace allowed sellers an easy sale, non of this was as important. Sellers would gladly (or maybe not-so-gladly) pay a high commission to an agent with an expectation that marketing was happening. We all know this was not the case and this lack of integrity on the part of the industry led to a consumer backlash that continues to this day.
• Finally, sellers need to start putting skin into the game. Indeed, there’s a lot of blame we can heap on agents, NAR, and a lot of other players in this industry, but ultimately sellers must realize that agents should not be expected to take on all the costs of selling YOUR home. Put another way: Don’t expect agents to take your listing at a reduced commission and then demand the agent to overprice your house, pay for staging, marketing, open houses, professional photography, landscaping, your title report………and carry these costs for the average three to 8 months it’s taking to sell a home in this market. On the flip side, if you are willing to pay an appropriate commission, demand that the agent use professional services and hold the agent accountable for these activities.

I know I’ve gone on a bit here; however, I believe we all need to be more up-front about the current state of the real estate market. There are no magic bullets. There is no amount of hard work that will make this process easier. As the article correctly points out, this is a business based on trust and relationships. I have been in this business going on eight years now and I can tell you, after helping a huge number of families buy and sell homes, real estate can be complicated, emotional and difficult. When the time comes, choose your real estate agent wisely.

Picture by mrsdalloway

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Open Houses: Are They Effective? Are They Necessary?

I recently conducted a market analysis for a family who wants to sell their home. They asked me whether or not open houses are effective or necessary. Real estate agents get this question from potential clients all the time. It’s a good question, yet,  I’m not sure it’s the right question. The right question is: If you conduct open houses, what will happen? It’s a Steven Covey thing: “Begin with the end in mind.” The answer should be: “They help sell your house.” Well do they? Check out the video below for one possible outcome:

Funny, huh! Look, I have years of experience listing homes and holding open houses and I’ve drawn my own conclusions about their effectiveness (purpose) . I’ve also asked colleagues with decades of experience what they think about open houses. Here’s the consensus:

In today’s marketplace, open houses do not help sell a home. The last decade has brought technological changes to the marketplace that have essentially eliminated the need for open houses. When my wife and I were looking for our first house (in the late 80’s) open houses were the only way one could approach a neighborhood.  Realtors® had to spend time at broker’s opens and regular Sunday open houses to examine the inventory. Today, the Internet has transformed this experience with on-line photos, virtual tours (in HD photography!), personalized home websites, etc.. The average buyer has access to a tremendous amount of information regarding  particular homes, neighborhood/city statistics and demographics. Certainly, 99.99% of consumers will visit homes to touch and feel the inventory; however, the fundamental mechanics for doing this have changed.

So what does help sell a house? I believe that sellers and their agents need to spend more time discussing and implementing the right marketing campaign for a home. This should include but is not limited to: print media, addition to the Multiple Listing Service, yard sign and directional signs (if they are permitted………they aren’t legal in Kenmore), flyers, etc.. The real important marketing occurs in a whole new array of Internet/cyberspace arenas, especially through Internet Syndication. In the future, I’ll explain more about Syndication. Think of it as blasting your home out on the Internet to a huge number of potential customers. Unfortunately, many agents have no idea (or money) to accomplish this.

Ultimately, most agents like to hold open houses to meet new clients rather than actually sell the house they are holding open. The bottom line is that very few homes are actually sold because the agent held an open house. And a final thought: Today, fewer and fewer homes are being held open. In my community, Kenmore, WA, very few agents hold open houses on the weekends with the exception of the new-construction sites.

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Kenmore, WA – Open houses 7/12 & 7/3

Here are the open houses advertised in the MLS for this weekend. Just click on the map (above) for more details. Please note that there are more homes than depicted in the map as several of these homes are part of larger, new construction sites. As a result you may find more choices. Please let me know if you have questions regarding these homes or any other homes in Kenmore.  

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Kenmore Open Houses June 28th & 29th

Here are the open houses in Kenmore this weekend. You can get details by clicking on the map above. I also want you to know that this is not a comprehensive portrayal of all the open homes. Several icons are in new construction neighborhoods where there are many more homes to preview. Although I’m not the listing agent on these particular properties, I’d be happy to provide you with information if you wish. Have a wonderful weekend as the weather people tell us it’s going to be warm and sunny.

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Kenmore Open Houses June 7&8

Click on the map above to locate the MLS published open houses this weekend. Although, I am not the listing agent on these particular homes, please let me know if you would like more information regarding them. You can always reach me at (206) 713-2102.

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Kenmore Open Houses 5/31-6/1

If you click on the map above and waive your cursor over the houses, you can get some details on the open houses in Kenmore this weekend. Please keep in mind that non of these listings are mine; however, if you have any questions regarding them, please call me at 206.713.2102.

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Kenmore Open Houses 5/17 & 5/18

If you would like to tour the open houses in Kenmore this weekend, simply click on the map above and waive your cursor over any of the “little houses.” I am not the listing agent for any of these properties; however, if you have any questions regarding them or would like to take a look, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (206) 713-2102.

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Kenmore Open Houses May 3 & 4, 2008

If you’d like to check out the public open houses in Kenmore this weekend, simply click on the map above. There you will find some basic details about the home and the name of the listing agent. I am not the listing agent for most of these properties; however I do have a new Condominium listing today. It’s a 3BE/2BA townhouse in Kenmore. You’ll see it as the bubble on the map! If you need more details about any of these properties please contact me at (206) 713.2102. You can also click on the Property Search button, enter the MLS number and view more information.

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