Archive for December, 2009
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Dec
30
Posted by Matt Thomson
Sticking with yesterday’s theme of great chef’s in Gig Harbor, today I’m going to introduce you to the Kettle Corn Man in Gig Harbor! Anybody who has attended any kind of fun function in the Puget Sound region has tried Kettle Corn…you know, the it’s almost pop corn but WAY better stuff!
What you may not know is that the Kettle Corn Man is from right here in Gig Harbor. You may also not be aware of how many ways there are to prepare Kettle Corn. If you have an event in the South Puget Sound region that you’d like to have some Kettle Corn for, give Greg Sweet (the Kettle Corn Man) a call (253-255-1955) or visit his website for more information.
Take a look at this fun video for how to pop Hot and Spicy Kettle Corn!
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Dec
29
Posted by Matt Thomson
If you need a great window cleaner in Gig Harbor, whether for your home or business, you need to give Hal Bennett a call at Always Clear Window Cleaning (253-225-6454). Often times, while showing homes for sale, something as simple as dirty windows can hurt the way a home looks. Getting your windows washed is a easy and cost effective way to make your home look newer and cleaner.
Window washing was my job as a high school and college kid, so I have a tendency to look at windows, not through them. A few years ago my wife and I volunteered to wash the windows at our church in Gig Harbor, thinking it’d be a nice way to volunteer. It was WAY harder than I thought. So this year, when the church needed the windows cleaned, we called Always Clear.
There’s a big difference between a good window washer and an okay one. Always Clear Window Cleaning is a very good window washer, the best I’ve ever seen in Gig Harbor. While cleaning interior windows in an office or any building for that matter, a window washer needs to be careful and courteous. Hal is both!
If you need a fair price on a great window cleaning job, whether residential or commercial, give Always Clear a try!
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Dec
28
Posted by Matt Thomson
If you’re looking for the perfect house in Gig Harbor, and haven’t been able to find it just yet, have you considered building it? The cost for building a home in Gig Harbor is lower now than it’s been in years, largely because many prominent builders are now looking for work. Home builders have been hit during this economic collapse as hard as anyone, and many are looking for ways to keep their businesses afloat. While prices have dropped, I’d venture to say that quality has improved, as builders are working hard to establish their names and reputations as the best home builders in Gig Harbor.
If you are looking to buy a home in Gig Harbor, and the thought of building has crossed your mind, you will want to take a look at this new building lot that I just listed in the Artondale area, just past the Gig Harbor Golf Club. This is a .4acre lot off of Artondale Dr in Gig Harbor, with a slight slope ideal for a daylight basement floorplan. Gas and electricity are in the street, water hook-up is available, soil test for the septic system has been completed, all that’s left is your dreams! You could live just minutes from Wollochet Bay, Artondale Elementary School, and the Gig Harbor Golf Club!
What’s the best part of this building-ready lot? The $125,000 price tag! If you’re ready to make your dream home in Gig Harbor a reality, give me a call today!
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Dec
23
Posted by Matt Thomson
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Dec
22
Posted by Matt Thomson
Tough to believe that it was 8 years ago that my wife and I were married! For a lot of my friends, it’s tough to believe that I got married at all. Shows there’s someone out there for everyone, I guess.
You hear people say they “married up” pretty frequently. It rings true, here. I’m not a bad guy, but my wife is an amazing woman. I tend to be much better with words written on a screen than spoken words, so sadly this is the first place she’ll hear much of this. What are some highlights of this day 8 years ago and the times since?
- Every man dreams of marrying a pretty woman…I got to
- After losing my only brother in ‘96, on this day in ‘01 I got 2 amazing sisters
- I thought I was a good teacher…then I saw my wife in action and realized what a good teacher looked like
- I’ve been exposed to a whole new level of compassion
- She’s shown me the value of relationships and friendships and other people in general
- While patience may not be her strongest point, her patience with me is undeniable
- Watching her be a mother the past 2+ years has been watching someone do what they were made for
- Not every woman would be able to stand by a husband in economic times like we had in ‘08…she did
- Sometimes I need a break from me, but she keeps enjoying spending time with me…weird
- I’ll try to actually say it, too…but I love you!
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Dec
18
Posted by Matt Thomson
Sometimes photos say it better than words. This is from Bryan Petersen, and he will have prints for sale at the Ebb Tide Gallery in downtown Gig Harbor. This photo is posted here with written permission of the photographer. Please respect his work and do not use his images without permission.
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Dec
17
Posted by Matt Thomson
With Christmas right around the corner, I figured it’s about time I posted November’s home sale statistics for Gig Harbor. November was a pleasantly productive month for real estate in the Gig Harbor area, especially when compared with last year. When I talk about “Gig Harbor,” I refer to zip codes 98335, 98332, and 98333 (which is actually Fox Island). I do not include Key Peninsula in my Gig Harbor search.
So…looking just at single family home sales in Gig Harbor, there were 42 homes that sold at a median price of $407,000. Last November, only 22 homes sold, and the median sales price was $318,608. That’s (obviously) a HUGE difference! The 42 sales is actually the 6th highest total we’ve seen in the past 24 months! Not bad for a time that is supposed to be seasonally “down.” As someone recently said, there may not be a winter season in real estate this year…the market is so topsy-turvy that seasonal factors may not be prevalent this year.
Key Peninsula only had 18 sales, with a median price of $242,500. Port Orchard, like the Harbor, saw a big increase with 70 sales (compared to 42 last year) with a median price of $233,500. Below is a look at the past 2 years of single family home sales in our area.
There’s one statistic that I’d like to point out special this time. Price is obviously one of the most difficult decisions to make when listing your home for sale. The common desire of home sellers is to list high to leave some wiggle room in there, or counter act “low ball offers.” What is often missed is that by over pricing the home from the start, you ultimately can end up losing a lot of money and time. Look at this graph that shows the relationship between % of sales price versus list price and days on the market. Notice how homes that sell most quickly also sell for the highest percentage of listing price. In other words, homes that are priced right at the beginning sell the quickest for the most.
If you’d like specific home sale information on your home or your Gig Harbor neighborhood, please give me a call or email me!
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Dec
16
Posted by Matt Thomson
RealTrends recently published the results of a survey in which they explored the Nation’s top and most recognizable real estate companies. Keller Williams Realty came out on top after the nearly 400,000 votes were cast! This survey is only one more piece of confirmation for what I’ve been saying for several years. Keller Williams, because the business model is centered around the agent (not the owners), is the best real estate company in the Nation to work for. Happy agents = happy clients.
Keller Williams Realty in Gig Harbor is rapidly growing in reputation and market share, as the great Northwest begins to discover what the rest of the Nation already knows. Ultimately, real estate is an individual business, centered more on the agent than on the company. A company that “gets this” tends to attract the best of the best, those agents who will serve their clients’ needs better than any others. Do you have a home to buy or a home to sell in Gig Harbor? Give me a call and discover first hand why we’re at the top!
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Dec
13
Posted by Matt Thomson
If you didn’t make it out to Gig Harbor for the Christmas light boat parade, here’s a little taste of what you missed. Photos courtesty of Rachel Payne and posted here with written permission. Please respect her work and do not use these photographs without permission!
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Dec
11
Posted by Matt Thomson
A few Friday’s worth of my favorite Christmas songs! Amazing if you go to YouTube and search these songs how many artists have sung these. Tough to beat Mac Powell’s voice, though.
Click to view video
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