Gig Harbor Undressed

Memorial Day in Gig Harbor

A few years ago my wife and I attended a nice Memorial Day breakfast at the Downtown City Park on Vernhardsen St in Gig Harbor.  It was a pretty good time.  A local Gig Harbor Boy Scout troop will once again be hosting the Memorial Day breakfast.  Come join us Monday morning at 7:45am at the City Park.   Suggested donations are $6 for an individual, $25 for a family (I think…I’m not certain).

Anybody know of any other events happening this weekend in Gig Harbor?

There are just a few open houses.  Two new developments (Crescent View Estates and Salmon Bay Estates) will be open both Saturday and Sunday, and one other beautiful view home off of Reid Rd will be open on Sunday.  That’s it.  Click here for the open house map.

Any info on events this weekend would be appreciated.

Summer came to Gig Harbor–Go house hunting!

Summer decided to show up in Gig Harbor yesterday afternoon.  After a cloudy morning in the low 60’s, the sun made an appearance around 2pm and the temps jumped to the low 70’s.  It’s sunny and bright this morning, with temps expected around 80!  So what to do?  How about tour Gig Harbor and Fox Island looking at open houses?  There are 34 properties being held open this weekend, ranging from $209,000-$1,475,000!  Click on the map below to see a list of all the open houses in Gig Harbor and Fox Island this weekend.

Make sure you visit the Narrows View condos on Saturday afternoon.  There are 4 units in there ranging from $500,000-$575,000.  Amazing views of the Puget Sound and the Tacoma Narrows Bridges from this gated condo community.

Remember, this information is taken from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed. 

Take mom to an open house in Gig Harbor!

Looking for something to do for mom this weekend?  If you’re in the Gig Harbor area, why not take her on a tour of some open houses?  Chances are you can’t buy mom that $1M home for mother’s day, but don’t you think she’d enjoy touring one?  There are 2 homes priced at over $1M open in Gig Harbor this weekend, and Salmon Bay Estates, priced just under $1M, will also be open.  Click on the map below for the 10 properties that will be hosting open houses this weekend. 

Information is from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed.  If your mom falls in love with any of these homes, give me a call.  I’d be happy to talk with you about the process of purchasing these or any other homes in the Gig Harbor, Fox Island, and Port Orchard areas.

Lots of homes to view in Gig Harbor this weekend!

If you’re out and about in Gig Harbor or Fox Island this weekend, there are 18 open houses for you to view.  Just click on the map below and you’ll be taken to my interactive Gig Harbor open house map.  Hover your cursor above any pushpin to see stats, time and date of the open house, and which real estate agent has that home listed.  For a view of the neighborhood, click on “Birds eye view”…it’s pretty neat but remember that the pushpin may not be on the exact property that’s for sale. 

Be sure to drive out to Fox Island and check out the grand opening of Salmon Bay Estates.  They’ll have exciting prizes and great food.  All of the information given on these homes for sale is from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed.  For more information on these or any other available homes for sale in Gig Harbor or Fox Island, please give me a call!

Gig Harbor’s best Landscaper/Excavator (I think)

I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m not a super handy guy.  I drive a big truck to try and make myself feel tough, but really I’m not.  I own a few tools, some I even know their names, but I can’t use many of them correctly.  My wife’s parent’s are selling their waterfront home here in Gig Harbor, and I tried to use my handy skills to give them easy access to the beach.  It didn’t work too well. 

That’s my father-in-law checking out my handy work.  Lucky for me I gave him a cute granddaughter.  So I called Gig Harbor excavator Tony Dulas, owner of Harbor Point Excavating to help out.  I wrote about Tony once before, highlighting some of the excavating, landscaping, and rockery work he does around Gig Harbor.  In only 3 days, Tony’s crew had this new path down to the beach!  I still don’t know how they did it.  I can make it from the beach up to the house in 35 seconds now, where as before it was inaccessible!

 If you’re looking for a local Gig Harbor resident to do some landscaping for you, or you want to build a new water feature in your yard, or you need some drainage work or any other excavating work done, give Tony a call.  Truly amazing!

If you want an incredible Gig Harbor waterfront home, with easy beach access and views that just won’t end, for only $750,000, give me a call!  Truly amazing (the property, not necessarily me…though I’m pretty good).

Good to tour Gig Harbor again

It’s interesting when you live in an area how easy it is to forget what makes it special.  You tend to get into your little routine, travelling the same routes, doing the same things, seeing the same people, and while it’s comfortable and nice, you can miss what else your town offers.  When I lived in Park City, Ut, I took the skiing for granted.  When I lived in Santa Barbara, Ca, the beach was just kind of there.  Now, living in Gig Harbor, Wa, I can tend to miss the true beauty of our neighborhoods and the kindness of our residents.

I had the pleasure of touring Gig Harbor again this weekend, as I had some clients in from out of state.  It was busy (we had 34 homes to tour, added 2 more to the list, eventually crossed 16 off the list, but saw 4 homes twice!) but it was a lot of fun for me (and my clients too, I hope!).  I runjog or walk through Canterwood nearly every day, but driving through it and seeing it through the eyes of a potential resident, it just jumps out at you again how nice Canterwood is.  I’ve loved the Millbrooke neighborhood off of Rosedale ever since it was built about 4 years ago, but visiting there with potential residents made me that much more aware of the impeccable condition of those homes and their yards.   Driving through Cromwell Woods and Trillium Park, and so many other fantastic Gig Harbor neighborhoods just re-invigorated my love for the whole Gig Harbor area.

I also had some interesting interactions with several of our residents.  How do you schedule appointments for 36 homes?  How do you give ample notice and maintain minimal inconvenience?  I guess I found out that you don’t.  I cancelled 16 appts (and by cancelled I pretty much mean didn’t show up for) this weekend.  With one exception, every seller whom I had requested a showing and then ended up not being able to make it was very gracious.  That’s not an easy thing to do, as the process of getting your home ready to show, vacating the home for a period, and getting your hopes up that these might be the people who will want your house, is a very taxing process.  I truly appreciate all of those sellers who made their homes available and accepted our inability to visit their homes.  I apologize to the one seller who was angry…it’s just the way it goes.

In addition to getting to speak with gracious Gig Harbor residents, it is always fun to have conversations with amiable sellers as you schedule the appointments.  Many ask about my business, some ask about the buyers, a few leave out candy or bake cookies.  It’s really a fun way to “meet” the folks in our community.  There’s one home in particular, in a great gated community in a very good location, that I really wish I could find a buyer for.  The yard is fully fenced and huge, the house is spotless and very large, and the seller is just plain kind.  She made a baby cap for some buyers of mine a few months back (my clients were pregnant at the time of showing), and she had fresh snicker-doodles made for us this time.  I’ve never met her, she doesn’t know me, but she’s always fun to talk to and makes her home extremely inviting.  Unfortunately it just hasn’t worked for either client to whom I’ve shown it.

As a resident of Gig Harbor I can tend to get stuck in my routine rut.  Spending a weekend like this past one, driving through so many of Gig Harbor’s fine neighborhoods, seeing yards decorated for birthday parties, passing picnics in the City Park, watching the Gig Harbor Little League field covered with excited young future Mariners, speaking with residents whom I’ll most likely never meet but still feel as though I know, is a real treat.  If you haven’t visited Gig Harbor recently, or if you’re a resident of Gig Harbor stuck in your routine, take a weekend and just tour the town.  Maybe go to some open houses or call a Realtor and go view that home for sale that you’ve been wanting to see.  It’s a great way to reconnect with our community!

Port Orchard Home Sales Excelling

Each week I track the real estate market in Gig Harbor, Port Orchard, and the Key Peninsula.  I like to look at how many homes were listed for sale, and how many homes received acceptable offers and are now pending sales.  Gig Harbor’s homes for sale is pretty consistently outrunning the number of homes actually selling in the Harbor.  Key Peninsula maintains a pretty steady line, not seeing much fluctuation but rather a steady increase of homes for sale.

Port Orchard seems to be the hot place to buy a home in our area.  There are several potential reasons.  Port Orchard is very close to Gig Harbor.  The home I have listed in Southlake Ridgeis only 12 minutes from the Gig Harbor Costco, YMCA, Target, etc at Gig Harbor North.  Port Orchard is also close to the ferry for those who work in Seattle.  You’ll most likely get more for your money in Port Orchard.  It obviously depends on the neighborhood, but I’d imagine that the Southlake Ridge home I have listed at $485,950 would be around $550,000 in a comparable Gig Harbor neighborhood.  That’s obviously speculation, but basing it off of the size and year built, that’s a safe guess.  Taxes in Port Orchard will be significantly lower than Gig Harbor as well (probably about $2000 per year less on a home such as the sample I’ve used).

Here’s a look at the total homes for sale and the total homes pending sales in a week by week comparison for 2008.

You can see that Port Orchard has seen a recent decline in the number of homes on the market, and a steep jump in the number of homes pending sales.   Bottom line?  This looks like a great time to get in on the Gig Harbor market if you are thinking of buying.  Inventory is rising, buyers have more options, sellers are needing to meet the buyers more on their terms.  If you’re selling in Gig Harbor, you need to make sure you’re in tip top showing shape, and you’ll probably want to be priced 5%-10% lower than homes that are comparable to yours.  For folks looking to move to the area and maybe wanting more of a deal, Port Orchard has some great options.  Port Orchard is a different school district, it’s not as convenient to Tacoma as is Gig Harbor, and doesn’t quite seem to have the same small community feel as Gig Harbor, but that is certainly up for debate and a matter of personal opinion.  With all of the new growth, there’s not much distinction between south Port Orchard and north Gig Harbor anymore.

For more detailed information on home sale activity in your area, just email me or give me a call.

Open Houses in Gig Harbor this weekend

Kind of a slow weekend for open houses around Gig Harbor, WA.  Only one on Saturday, and 9 more on Sunday.  If you’ve ever wanted to visit Fox Island and see what homes are for sale on Fox Island, this is a good weekend for it.  4 of the 9 opens in Gig Harbor on Sunday are actually on Fox Island!

Click on the interactive map to view the open house schedule.  Move your cursor over any of the pushpins for property info, open house times, and who the listing agent of the home is.  This information is from the NWMLS and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.  If you are selling your home in Gig Harbor, or you’re a builder of one of Gig Harbor’s new construction homes and you don’t see your open house listed on here, please be sure to contact your agent and request that they post the open houses in the MLS.  As always, if you find a home you like while you’re out and about this weekend, I’d be happy to talk to you about the process of purchasing a home in the Gig Harbor area.

Great buy in Gig Harbor! VIEW and LOCATION!

Check out this amazing view property listed in Gig Harbor, Wa.  Easy walking distance to the downtown Gig Harbor waterfront as well as the Kimball Drive shopping area, this home has fantastic views of the Puget Sound.  This home sits on a rare .56 acre lot within the City limits.  The 4bd, 2ba, 2173sf home is in need of some cosmetic updating, but at only $460,000 this is an opportunity you won’t want to pass up!

House is listed by Matt Foster of Handspring Real Estate and published here with his permission.  If you are interested in viewing this home, or any other home on the market, please give me a call!

Buying a home in Gig Harbor, WA

Buying a home is a huge decision.   Homes are definitely financial investments, but they are emotional investments as well.  So much thought goes into buying a home.  I work with several buyers who are moving to Gig Harbor from out of state, and that can make learning the buyers’ needs a little bit more tricky.  Often times I’m unable to ascertain what is truly important to a buyer until we’ve walked through a few homes together and I can listen to their likes, dislikes, and concerns.  Often times buyers aren’t really sure of what they want until they experience it.

Size, number of rooms, etc are pretty standard across the board.  So what are some factors to consider when purchasing a home in Gig Harbor?

• Truly usable rooms.  A home may be listed as a 3 bedroom, but it may actually have 4 or 5 bedrooms.  Why?  Nearly all of our homes are on septic systems here, and if you only have a 3 bedroom approved septic, you have a 3 bedroom house.  Look in the marketing remarks for “bonus room” or “office/den.”  Often times those will be clues that the home is larger than it may appear.
• Views.  Gig Harbor homes have several different categories of views, including “Sound,” “Mountain,” “Partial,” and “Territorial.”  I’m frequently amazed at the amount of waterfront and waterview homes that are available for sale in Gig Harbor.  “Sound” views will be looking out at one area of the Puget Sound.  Take a look at any map of Gig Harbor and you’ll see that we’re surrounded by the Sound (that’s why we’re a peninsula!).  “Mountain” views will either refer to the stunning sunrise views of Mt Rainier, or breathtaking sunset views of the Olympic Mountains.  Both are gorgeous, and both will often have water views as well.  “Territorial” views are more subjective.  We have several forests, green belts, and valleys in Gig Harbor that are beautiful to look out upon.  Those are “Territorial.”  “Partial” views are up to the discernment of the agent.  Some say if you can see a hint of blue through the trees when you’re squinting at noon time, it counts as a partial view.  Others feel that if it’s even somewhat obstructed by trees or rooftops, it’s partial.  If you see “View” in the remarks but there’s no photos, probably not a sweeping view! 
• Schools.  All of Gig Harbor is part of the Peninsula School District, however there are certain schools within the district that are more highly sought after than others.  My daughter is nowhere near school aged yet, so I have no first hand experience with the schools, but I have a hard time believing that one is that different from the others.  I certainly can’t imagine moving from one area of Gig Harbor to another to get into a different school.  But again, I can’t really speak to this.  Check with the PSD to find out which schools have which programs, what their test scores are, and what areas those schools service.
• Commute time.  Many Gig Harbor residents work in Seattle or Tacoma.  From HWY 16, it’s really not that bad of a drive, and there are public transit options as well.  But some areas of Gig Harbor (especially Fox Island), can be a 20 minute or more commute just to hit HWY 16.  If you’ll be commuting frequently, you may want to consider living closer to freeway access.  For example, the home I recently listed in Port Orchard is closer to Tacoma than a home I sold this past summer on Fox Island.  If you’re not sure where a house sits, or how long it will take to get to the freeway, just ask! 

Obviously these are just a few of the things to consider when buying a home.  I’m not even getting into the considerations of when to buy, or how to go about making an offer.  Most consumers are tired of hearing real estate agents scream “BUY NOW,” so I won’t.  Remember, prices may or may not be at their low point (I don’t think that they are).  However, unless you’re planning on buying with cash, I’d consider moving sooner than later.  The government isn’t making home loans any easier.  Despite the needs, and despite their claims, financing a home is actually getting more difficult.  If you are moving to Gig Harbor, or considering a move within the area, I’d be more than happy to talk through all of the different buying options!