Gig Harbor Undressed

Size matters…but bigger isn’t always better

Our society seems to be obsessed with BIG.  Cars are getting BIGGER.  Take out meals are getting BIGGER.  Prices are getting BIGGER.  And in Gig Harbor, houses seem to be getting BIGGER. 

In a quick search of new construction homes in Gig Harbor (homes built in ‘08), there are currently 67 homes for sale with a median size of 3214 square feet.  Looking at home SALES in Gig Harbor (any single family home that has sold thus far in ‘08), the median size is 2400 square feet. 

This makes me wonder if new home builders are building too much.  If you were to be looking to buy a house in Gig Harbor, what would you look for?  What matters most to you?  Do you like huge houses on small lots, or would you be willing to sacrifice size of the home for a larger lot?  What about the new homes that are starting to pop up that are smaller homes on nearly non-existent lots?  I’m curious to hear your thoughts on size. 

Thanks to Kate O’ for the photo of the homes.

What homes are selling?

It’s Monday.  Mondays are real estate market review days here on GigHarborUndressed.  A tool that I’ve had a lot of positive feedback on is my home sales map.  Each month I try to map all of the homes that have sold in Gig Harbor, and include final asking price (not necessarily original asking price), the final sales price, and how many days the home was on the market.  Click here to access the July solds map for Gig Harbor home sales thus far.

13 single family homes (and 0 condos) have sold thus far in July.  Homes are selling at a median price of $365,000 (97.3% of asking price) and are on the market for a median of 142 days (partially skewed by a few new construction sales).  Gig Harbor real estate usually picks up towards the end of the month, so I’ll re-post this in a few weeks.  If you’d like any further information on home sales in your neighborhood, just ask.  I’m here to help.

I usually post an image of the map and say “click on the map,” but I realized that I have more beautiful photos of Gig Harbor than I know what to do with, and the map images aren’t all that pretty, so I figured I’d ditch the map images and put pretty pictures of Gig Harbor instead.  Just for fun, you can click on the photo to access the map.  Thanks again to Jan Pauw for the photo of the Gig Harbor Blessing of the Fleet.

Up close at the Mariners game

One of the great things about living in Gig Harbor is that you get the small town lifestyle, yet you’re still quite close to the big city events.  We got some tickets to the Seattle Mariners game today versus the Cleveland Indians.  From our house in North Gig Harbor it took 53 minutes to drive up to SafeCo Field in South Seattle.  Not bad.  Our tickets looked pretty good online…section 137 row 6.  What we didn’t know until we got there was that section 137 is right behind the visitor’s dugout, and the first 4 rows are the dugout…so we were in the 2nd row!  Sunny skies, 72 degrees, and baseball.  What a great day!  The M’s are horrible this year, and although they gave up 9 runs before they had an out in the 3rd, it was still fun.  Here’s a few photos from the game.

Oh yeah…it was 80’s day at the ballpark.

Light load for open houses

With the Gig Harbor Art Festival happening this weekend, I wasn’t sure whether agents would all try to hold open houses to capture all of the visitors of if nobody would hold opens so they could enjoy the festival.  I’ll take B.  Only 9 open houses in Gig Harbor this weekend, and I had to go out to Olalla to get the number that high! 

Click on the map for details.

Information is from the NWMLS and is reliable but not guaranteed.

Don’t think you can afford Gig Harbor?

I speak with a lot of folks who want to move to Gig Harbor, but don’t think that they can afford it.  Sometimes they’re right.  Here’s a great option.  We just lowered the price on a house at 4576 Keystone Ct in Port Orchard.  This home is 12 minutes from the Gig Harbor YMCA, Costco, Target, etc.  Only 5 minutes to HWY 16.  You’re also a stone’s throw from Long Lake recreation area, a great place for freshwater boating and water skiing.  Views of the Olympics and Mt Rainier, new home (’05), large (2792sf, 3bds, office, bonus room), large fenced lot with gate for boat or RV parking, and a great location at the end of a cul-de-sac in a nice quiet, low traffic neighborhood.  Priced at $468,950, you can get way more home for your money than if it were in Gig Harbor.

Click on the home’s photo for more information. Please give me a call if you’d like to view the home.

Aren’t dogs the best?

Okay, so this has nothing to do with Gig Harbor, but I’m a sucker for dogs.  Enjoy.

Summer Arts Festival in Gig Harbor

This Saturday and Sunday (July 19-20) marks the annual Gig Harbor Summer Arts Festival.  If you’ll be in the Puget Sound area this weekend, it’s well worth making a trip to Gig Harbor to check out these great artists. 

Judson Street in downtown Gig Harbor will be converted to a nice little art walk, and the scenery of Gig Harbor combined with the great artists makes for a great weekend!

Gig Harbor Landscapers

If you are looking for a good landscaper in Gig Harbor, there are several different options.  I’ve written a few times about Harbor Point Excavating, which is the company of choice for larger landscaping needs.  If you’re looking to move dirt, build a rock wall or water feature, or level out your lot (what, a sloped lot in Gig Harbor?), then Harbor Point is your Gig Harbor Landscaper of choice.

I’ve also written about Phil Hoffman, owner of Phil’s landscaping in Gig Harbor.  If you need a basic lawn care and maintenance company, Phil’s Landscaping is the place to call. 

If you need a nice natural landscaper who will cut down your tall grass, or get your blackberry bush problem under control, you may want to try Goat Trimmers.  No joke!  I saw these guys tending to some vacant lots with great water views while I was out and about today.  Sadly, you can barely make out the goats in this picture (I was in a friend’s car when we spotted them, and by the time we got back and got my camera, they’d moved down the lot further).  I don’t know what the deal is with the pop-up tents, but I thought it was great that this lot, a nice Gig Harbor waterview lot, was being landscaped by goats!  I know nothing about Goat Trimmers, but it was quite a site.

Blackberry season is coming to Gig Harbor!

I was out taking some photos yesterday and took this artsy little shot:

Although the photo is pretty, the best part is the reminder that blackberries will soon be ripe for the picking all around Gig Harbor.  Blackberry bushes in your backyard can be a pain…they’re really hard to get rid of and they hurt (see the thorns?).  Blackberry picking is great, though.  My favorite spot is at Sunrise Beach.  Any other favorite spots to pick?

Summer in Gig Harbor

Each Monday I like to write some sort of a real estate report.  I’m going to make this week’s report a little different.  Many real estate agents say it’s their job to sell homes.  I don’t sell homes.  I do, but I don’t.  I introduce people to Gig Harbor, help them to fall in love with all that Gig Harbor and Washington have to offer (that’s not a tough job, by the way), and then I help them find a house for sale in Gig Harbor that fits their needs.  So I guess I do sell homes, but I don’t see that as my primary responsibility. 

I don’t mind the rain much, but I will admit that Gig Harbor’s weather from November through April can be a bit tough.  Summers in Gig Harbor, however, can’t be beat.  Here’s a quick look at what I mean.  If living in an area like this interests you, give me a call.  If you currently live in the area, and this makes you want a waterview or waterfront home, I can help with that, too.