Let's Get Real About the Housing Market

This post by "The Mass. Mouth" Michael Freedberg sums up quite nicely I think what is currently going on in the housing market in North King and South Snohomish counties. Freedberg is based in Massachusetts, but his observation could be applied to anywhere that is experiencing similar market phenomena.

The Mouth's supposition is that in a changing market, the reason prices will initially be observed to rise even as time on market and number of homes being sold is shrinking is because when the market changes, only the best homes on the market will sell.

He said some other things I didn't agree with as much, but this explanation of why prices are still rising as inventory creeps up along with time on market, did make sense to me.

This is certainly what I have observed in my neck of the woods. Currently, we have more homes on the market than buyers looking to purchase. So, buyers have their pick from the cream of the crop. That just means that if a home comes on the market and is not the best one in its price range, it ain't gonna sell. It's got to compete and win in order to sell. It's really as simple as that.

Now, a couple of years ago, quality didn't matter as much because buyers so heavily outweighed sellers. I think in some places such as close-in King county we're still seeing this kind of market, though even there things have slowed a bit. But here in the outskirts (North King and South Snohomish County) what I'm seeing is pretty much what Michael describes: the best stuff sells, and the worst sits on the market until price reductions finally cause it to move or sellers take it off the market.

So then the question is, "why am I talking about this?"

Simply because--and I wish the National Association of Realtors would realize this--you can't fight market forces by pretending they don't exist. It's best to understand and accept what the market is doing, and then plan your strategy accordingly. No matter what the market may be doing, there is a winning strategy. Usually, that strategy is to do the exact OPPOSITE of what the rest of the herd is doing.

Market forces are a lot like a mob, they move on momentum. Once momentum gets going, it's got to run its course. Which it will do in time. There's no need to panic when it comes to observing market forces in operation. What I am constantly telling people is that it's okay if prices come off last year's highs--they have to if normal people are going to be able to afford a home in the future.

15% appreciation every year (or more) is not normal--not unless we all start getting 15% raises every year. Normal appreciation is a rate that outpaces inflation, but not by a lot. Back in the day when I took economics in college, we were told that 5 - 8% return on real estate was pretty good. Stocks should be in the range of 8 to 10%. However, these are rates of return over time--the way it looks in reality is typically that prices go up fast, then drop back or level off before they go up again. If they go up a lot, they can drop back a lot--or they can be stagnant.

In areas where there is a lot of in-migration such as Seattle, I would expect stagnation rather than price declines, but it depends on a variety of economic factors. If something happened to shift the supply of jobs elsewhere, then, obviously I would be more concerned. But in general our overall economy in the area is good. Therefore, people will be needing a place to live.

Given that, I would not expect to see a mass exodus out of the housing market given that the pool of rental properties has declined over the last few years (condo conversions anyone?) so renting is not really that great of an option at this time. Rents have gone up significantly along with housing prices and of course, the law of supply and demand dictates that if demand for rentals goes up and supply doesn't meet the demand, then prices for rentals will also increase.

So it's natural for markets to move up or down. The thing that is important to keep in mind, is that they usually recover. Supply and demand will eventually bring a market back to equilibrium. A healthy market is one where neither buyers nor sellers have too much power, and neither supply nor demand is too far out of whack. In fact you could say that we are recovering right now from a market where sellers had too much power, and buyers didn't have enough.

The only time markets don't recover, is when the need for the thing that is being bought and sold goes away. I don't think the day will ever come when people won't need a roof over their head.

No matter what happens, I believe that home ownership will always be an important goal for most people. And like Scarlett OHara, I believe that a piece of land is the most important thing you can own, because it gives you roots. As the child of a life-long renter, owning my own home is an incredibly significant achievement to me. It represents stability, faith in myself, and faith in the future.

I also believe that it's a sound financial move for most people, most of the time.

Renovate or Buy New, Part II

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post about how a person could decide whether to renovate their home or buy a new one. Well, it turns out this is by far the most popular search term for people who find their way to this blog, so with that in mind I thought it was probably time to expand upon the original post.

Here are a few more things for people who are trying to make this decision to think about:

1. A good rule of thumb for how much you should spend on a renovation is, do not renovate if the cost exceeds 30% of your home's value. More than that and you are in "overimprovement" territory and you may find it difficult to recoup the value.

2. You should consider the neighborhood. Renovations will show more ROI in some neighborhoods than others. If others around you are renovating their homes, it probably makes sense to renovate yours too. If other homes around yours are not being kept up, you will probably find it more difficult to get a return on your renovations. So, compare your home to the surroundings. Also, find out if there are any changes, such as new construction, road expansions or zoning changes, coming to your neighborhood. A call to your city or county planning department will only take a few minutes but could save you money in the long run.

3. Remember that renovation or remodeling is not the same thing as maintenance and upkeep. Maintenance and upkeep includes things like repairing a roof, new exterior paint, etc. These are just part of the cost of owning a house and do not usually add value to the house. Renovations that are mostly cosmetic, such as installing new flooring, also do not necessarily add value. However, adding additional square footage to your home or adding to the functionality of your home--for instance, upgrading a kitchen--typically do add value.

4. You need to look at what the market is doing. If the market is appreciating, you probably will be able to recoup some or all of the costs of your renovations as long as you choose them wisely. If the market is depreciating, this will be more difficult.

5. Consider the factors that a buyer would look at when evaluating your home. Are the schools good? Is the neighborhood generally good? Would a buyer pay more for a home in your neighborhood with the planned renovations? For instance, in some new construction tracts or condominium complexes, homes tend to be pretty similar, and they typically sell in a certain price range. When buyers are looking at the homes, they will compare your home to others that have sold. In neighborhoods like this, it's harder to recoup the value of renovations than in neighborhoods where the homes are more diverse. Older homes, even if they were originally tract homes and fairly similar, will typically show more diversity over time and it is somewhat more likely that you will be able to find "comps" to support your new price.

6. Most importantly, does your home fit with your lifestyle overall? Ultimately, the best renovations are the ones that make it possible for you to enjoy your home now and for several years to come, while still adding resale value when you are ready to sell. Sometimes, we just outgrow our homes and the renovations we perform simply forestall the inevitable. If you think this may be the case, it probably makes sense to consider a move.

The Big Shakey-Shakey

No matter where you live in the United States, there is always some kind of natural disaster that is common to the area. If you live on the East Coast, you have hurricanes. The midwest and mountain states have tornadoes. Here in the Pacific Northwest (and all up and down the West Coast) we have earthquakes...and volcanoes.

This is one of the big concerns that is expressed to me by people moving here from out of the area, and it's something that we who live here do need to keep in our minds and be prepared for. They don't happen very often, but when they do, there is no warning. So, you need to be prepared and know what to do BEFORE they occur.

Here is a list of the Top 5 Things You Should Do Before, During and After an Earthquake.

Before

1. Have your disaster preparedness kit ready. It should include at least a 3 day supply of non-perishable food and water, protective clothing, bedding, battery powered flashlights and batteries, a first aid kit and any essential medications, a working fire extinguisher. You should have a kit in your home (everyone should know where it is) and one in your car.

2. Have a disaster/earthquake plan. This includes having an out of town contact that knows how to reach you in case of emergency, and making sure others know who that person is. If possible, take a first aid class.

3. Identify a safe place in every room of your home, and practice "Drop, Cover and Hold On."

4. Identify and mitigate any safety issues in your home BEFORE a disaster occurs. This includes strapping or bolting down any "tippy" objects in your home, such as bookshelves, cabinets and water heaters. As an aside, if you're buying a home, strapping the water heater is an item that comes up on our home inspections in Washington state so if you can get the seller to address it, that's one less thing for you to worry about later. It costs about $20 so there is no reason not to do it.

5. If your home is on natural gas, you should know where your shut-off valves are and know how to use them. Posting written instructions in your home is a helpful tip, in case you are not home when disaster strikes.

During

1. During an earthquake, move away from any windows.

2. Go to the safe place that you identified before the earthquake and "Drop, Cover and Hold On." Protect your face with your arm.

3. If you're in bed, stay there and cover your head with a pillow.

4. If you're outside, move away from any trees, buildings and power lines.

5. If you're in a car, slow down and drive to a clear place. Stay in the car until the shaking stops.

After

1. Check yourself and others for injuries. Administer first aid if necessary. There may be a lot of debris around, so protect yourself from possible injury by wearing long pants, a long sleeved shirt, gloves, and sturdy shoes.

2. If you smell gas or think it may be leaking, turn it off at the shut-off valve and do not turn it back on until instructed to do so by a professional.

3. Check for any small fires and extinguish them. Check your home for damage and be prepared to leave if the home is unsafe.

4. Listen to the radio for instructions. Expect aftershocks and be prepared to "Drop Cover and Hold."

5. Stay off the phone unless there is a life threatening situation.

It's also important to know where to go for help, so here is the contact information for some of our local emergency services providers.

Snohomish County

Snohomish County Red Cross
Phone: 425-252-4103
Website: Snohomish County Red Cross

Snohomish County Emergency Management
Phone: (425) 388-5060 during office hours (call 911 for emergencies)
Website: Snohomish County Emergency Management


King County

Seattle Red Cross
Phone: 206-323-2345
Web site: http://www.seattleredcross.org/

Emergency Services Division
Phone: 206-296-3830 (call 911 for emergencies)
Web site: http://www.metrokc.gov/prepare/

Seattle Makes another Top 10 List

Seattle made another top 10 list this week. Unfortunately, it was the Forbes list of Top 10 Least Affordable Cities. According to the Forbes article,

"A lot of it has to do with regulations and zoning," says Robert Bruegmann,
a history and urban planning professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
"The higher cost of doing business--and the uncertainly of business--in places
like California drives up home prices. The cost of building isn't that different
in Houston versus Los Angeles, yet L.A. prices are so much higher. ... One of
the few variables you can look at is regulatory burden."

...Unaffordability is also relative. Few residents of Sacramento,
Calif., and Seattle can afford homes in the areas, but property there is still reasonable by regional standards. Both cities are experiencing strong growth and immigration patterns, in large part due to the fact that they're less costly than West Coast cities like San Francisco, San Diego or Los Angeles...

Forbes' criteria for unaffordability is what percentage homes recently sold would be affordable to a family earning the median family income. Here's how Seattle stacked up:

Median household income: $67,870
Recent affordable home sales: 22.6%
Price-to-income affordability: Eighth worst

The news is not all doom and gloom however, as Seattle also recently made Forbes' list of Best Cities for Young Professionals, ranking 7th, based on ability to attract and retain graduates from top universities nationwide. Our strong hiring market and relatively low cost of living as compared to other similar cities (think New York, LA and San Francisco) still make this area one of the best choices for career-oriented young people.

The best take-away from this is that if you are considering a move to the Seattle area, your best course of action is to take housing prices into account when negotiating your salary. For those moving here from San Francisco and other areas in California, housing prices here will probably seem refreshingly low, but if you're moving here from the Midwest or Mountain States, plan to spend at least 10% more of your annual income on housing, and negotiate for salary accordingly.

Real Estate Vocabulary

In honor of studying for my Broker's Exam, I thought I would write an entry about the vocabulary that really is used in real estate listings. These are not the legal terms that all agents and brokers are required to learn for their state licensing requirements, rather, words that are used in the marketing of our listings on a regular basis.

This vocabulary is intended to help the average consumer understand what they see in our listings just a little bit better.

Without further ado:

A

Approximately XXX square feet - We have no idea how big it actually is.

B

Beautiful - The most overused of all Realtor terms. Means "I lacked inspiration and I read somewhere that using the word 'beautiful' will inspire buyers to pay more for this house."

Big enough for the whole family -As long as it is a family of mice.

C

Custom - Seller had it built/installed himself. You will probably want to tear it out/down.

Cute - Small. Very, very small.

D

Den - The oddly-shaped, windowless room under the stairs.

Designer Paint - Not white.

E

Elegant - Everything the seller owns is in storage right now.

Exquisite - Similar to "Beautiful."

F

Finishes (as in, "top-quality finishes throughout") - Normal people refer to this as trim or woodwork. May mean that the seller bought a $15 door trim kit and installed it himself, then added $1,000 to the price.

First-Time Buyers (as in, "Attention First-Time Buyers!") - People with no money, willing to live anywhere.

G

Garage - This is the room that your cars may or may not fit into, after you load it up with all of your stuff.

H

Handyman's Special - Tear down that may actually be falling down. Get an inspection.

I

Investor's Dream - Cheap. See Handyman's Special.

J

Just Listed - This house has been on the market for three months. Please buy it before the seller fires me.

K

Kitchen Upgrades - The garbage disposal (refrigerator, diswasher--insert your appliance of choice) crapped out and the seller had to buy a new one. And he would like YOU, Mr. Buyer, to double his money.

L

Lots of Upgrades - We painted.

M

Many Upgrades - We had the carpets cleaned.

N

Natural Setting - You have to go 10 miles down a dirt road to get to it, if you can ever find it.

O

Open Space - The county won't let me build on it but is taxing me for it anyway.

P

Pastoral Setting - See "Natural Setting." Think of the movie "Deliverance."

Q

Quality (as in "Quality Finishes") - Home Depot special.

R

RV Space - We paved over our entire yard.

S

Seller is motivated - Desperation, people. It's not pretty.

Staged - The listing agent made the seller get rid of his stuff, and also his 30 cats.

T

Truly (as in "Truly beautiful") - I had some extra space in this ad, and nothing else relevant to say.

U

Unbelievable - This one depends on context. If it says "unbelievable view," the house probably has a pretty good view although it may or may not be obstructed. If, however, it just says "Unbelievable!" that usually means that we're hoping you won't notice that the roof is about to cave in. It's only unbelievable because you won't believe someone would actually list their house for sale with it looking like this.

V

Value-Priced - House has nothing going for it except a low price. See "Handyman's Special."

W

Well-appointed - The seller is taking everything with them.

X

Extra Large - Average size.

Y

Why Wait? - Frequently seen on new construction. Means roughly "We're lowering the price in a week." You should wait.

Z

Zilch - Hey, I did pretty good keeping this up all the way until the end but I can't think of anything for Z.

This list is mostly for fun, but I also wrote it to let buyers know that sometimes, words don't mean what they seem to mean. So, read carefully, and to get the most from your home search work with a buyer's agent who previews properties for you.

This is also an admonition to those of us in the business to remember that a lot of these words are overused, and in some cases are not understood the way we meant them, so we must choose our words carefully!

North Sound Round Up, Part Two

Mukilteo's mayor got a raise, but the pay is still less than the mayors of other nearby cities of similar size, and by my estimation, he is also paid less than the salary of a good administrative assistant. Now, I don't purport to be an expert, but I am thinking the job of mayor is more complex, by far, than what your average administrative assistant would be expected to handle.

Part of the issue with bringing the pay scale for the position of Mukilteo's mayor in line with what a mayor of a city this size would be expected to earn, is the question of whether or not the job should be a full time one or not.

According to Mayor Joe Marine, the job is effectively a full time one whether it's paid as such or not. Others in the community feel that the mayor's job should remain a part time position. When Marine was elected, the position was understood to be a part-time one so some people feel that when Marine chose to run for the office, he should have been prepared to do what he was elected to do based on the pay scale as offered.

I think there is probably some merit to that argument, but on the other hand, I think this is part of a larger problem that the city of Mukilteo seems to have with adapting to change. It seems to me that what once worked for Mukilteo as a small town, can't be expected to work as the city continues to grow. The last 20 or so years has transformed what was once a sleepy little town into now a fairly large suburb. And I would expect that the growth will continue with the healthy economy that we enjoy. So, pretending that we are still a town too small to need infrastructure, to need planning, and to need full time employees to help manage the growth that we are experiencing, seems rather short sighted to me.

Now that I've thrown my hat into the ring on THAT little argument...

Across Puget Sound from Mukilteo, the Clinton ferry terminal on Whidbey Island has been renamed for late Washington Senator Jack Metcalf. I had the good fortune in my life to be acquainted with Mr. Metcalf growing up on Whidbey Island. He was a good man--had a farm not far from our home in Langley and I have fond memories of going to his farm to buy fresh, unpasteurized milk. I also experienced electric fencing for the first time on his farm! He was described by the Seattle Times as "having a reputation for independence and quirkiness." Sounds like a Whidbey Islander to me!

Finally, a real estate tidbit from the Zillow Blog. Today's post called, "Selling or Buying, Better Check that Calendar!" talks about the best time to list or buy a home. No, they are not talking about which month of the year is the hottest buyer's or seller's market. The topic is what day of the week, is the best time to list or make an offer.

Best time to list? Thursday morning. List any earlier in the week and your listing is stale by the weekend. Wait any longer, and you could miss some of the buyers that are searching for homes to tour that weekend. Thursday also gets you on the hotsheet for the buyer's agents that are planning tours for their clients.

Best time to buy? The first Tuesday morning of any month. Why? Because sellers will have just paid their mortgage on the first of the month (ouch!) and by Tuesday they will have given up on receiving any other offers based on the previous weekend's showings.

I think these are interesting thoughts, but there are a couple of other things that clients need to consider. For instance, when listing your home in my area, a Thursday listing will eliminate the possibility of getting your home seen on our Broker's Open, since those occur on Thursday. And in my office, our office tour is Wednesday, so a Thursday listing would mean that clients wouldn't be able to be on tour until the following week.

Northsound News Round-up

I'm a bit short on time today, but I've been saving up tidbits for the blog in my Google Reader, so I'm going to round 'em up and head 'em out!

This year's Seattle Street of Dreams home show is now in progress. This SOD differs from previous years in that the show is incorporating a focus on green building techniques. Though the homes featured are still large by any definition and of course they feature all manner of bells and whistles (this is about dreams after all!) , square footage is capped this year at just under 5,000 asf. Street of Dreams takes place in Quinn's Crossing, a community of 48 homes near Maltby.

Redfin has announced that it has received $12 Million in VC funding from Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and is now open for business in the Washington DC market. This has been covered with varying degrees of seriousness all over the blogosphere, but I'm going to chime in with my own two cents here anyway.

The real estate industry today reminds me very much of the IT industry about 8 or 10 years ago. I was involved in that industry at that time, and I recall that retailers were very concerned that their brick and mortar business model was doomed to go the way of the dodo, with the advent of companies like Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, etc. There was a huge influx into the Internet marketplace of online retailers and discounters. Some of these retailers have lasted, and others burned bright and flamed out.

Take as an example, HomeGrocer.com. The media played it up that ordering groceries online was the wave of the future, and competing grocers were concerned that it was a threat to their business model. HomeGrocer soaked up huge amounts of VC funding, but never turned a profit and eventually went out of business.

Even those pure-play dot-com retailers that outlived the dot-com bust, such as Amazon, still struggle. Meanwhile, those companies that effectively combined the best of the web with a brick-and-mortar presence eventually won out. Look at Nordstrom--fabulous website, and fabulous service whether you visit their store online or in real life. At Windermere, we often look to Nordstrom as the gold standard of service and what we should aspire to in our business.

The major real estate brokerages had it good the last few years, with lots of easy sales and plenty of cash to go around--very reminiscent of the 90s dot-com boom. The industry has NOT been quick to adapt to changes in the marketplace but by and large we have a business model that still works. It could be more consumer friendly, and we need to be more proactive about adopting technology.

Technology will revolutionize real estate and the way we do business will change. But the real estate agent will survive, even if we do our jobs somewhat differently, because we provide a service that people want and need. Maybe not EVERY person will need a real estate agent in the future, but enough of population values what we do that we are in no danger of following the dodo into extinction. Though, I would say that the easy money of the last few years has inflated our ranks, and it's likely that there will be a thinning coming. And frankly, it will be good for the industry to have that happen.

What I hope from all this is that companies like Redfin will help the industry move in a more consumer-friendly direction, and that it will force the industry to embrace change, rather than resist it. But will Redfin be the one to outlast the field? I don't think so. They just don't seem to have a business model that will take them to profitability, and they don't have the kind of universal appeal that will allow them to work with the population at large. They are and will always be a niche player. But we do NEED what they are bringing, even if we don't always like it.

Okay, moving on!

There's been ongoing talk of converting the Smith Tower office building in Downtown Seattle into condominiums. Looks like we are a step or two closer to having that happen. The developer is down to the last city approval before they can move forward with the project. Seems like that would be a pretty cool building to live in, if they can upgrade the systems to modern standards. In particular, a faster elevator would be good! And it's a great way to preserve an important piece of Seattle history.

Last item. 3Oceansrealestate blog ran a great feature this morning on how to know when it is the right time to buy a home. Regardless of what the market may or may not be doing, here are the factors buyers should be thinking about:

• You found the home you really want and you can see yourself living
  there.
• It’s affordable.
• You can get a reasonable loan.
• It will serve you and your family for years to come.
• You’re not looking for perfection.
• No home is perfect.
• You’ve given up trying to beat the market.
• You’re comfortable with your compromises, whether it’s location, size,
  price, features, or condition.
• You’re confident the home you’ve chosen is desirable enough that you will be
  able to sell it in any market.

While it makes sense for investors to try to time the market, with home-buyers, it makes less sense since you are talking about a longer holding period, and also, there are other reasons--tax relief, pride of ownership, stability, etc.-- to buy besides the investment possibilities.

Okay, that's it for today. I. Am. Outta here!

Mukilteo on Money Magazine's Top 100 Places to Live!

Mukilteo is number 69 on the Money Magazine "Top 100 Places to Live," one of only four Washington communities to be featured. Other Washington towns to make the top 100 are Silverdale on the Kitsap peninsula in 99th, Camas in the Portland/Vancouver area at number 63, and Sammamish on the Eastside, which came in at number 11.

So how does Mukilteo stack up against the rest of the Top 100?

Median family income is a little lower, with the average family earning $83,569 compared to $90,316 for other communities in the Top 100. Job growth in the area is higher at 15.83% versus 13.41% for the rest of the Top 100. Real estate is more expensive here, with the average home in Mukilteo being priced at $401,510 compared to an average of $359,352 for the rest of the Top 100. On the other hand, property taxes are lower, as is auto insurance. And while sales tax here is higher than other towns in the Top 100, there are no income taxes in Washington state, so our overall rate of taxation is well below the average for the Top 100.

As for schools, approximately 100% of students in Mukilteo attend public schools, compared to 91% for other towns in the Top 100. Test scores for reading are .7% lower than other towns in the Top 100, but math scores are 17% higher. This makes sense given our proximity to Boeing and other high-tech employers.

Mukilteo is also one of the more diverse communities in the Top 100. The average racial diversity index for the Top 100 is 59.2%, while Mukilteo scored 81.3%, with higher numbers indicating higher levels of racial diversity.

Click here to see how Mukilteo stacked up in all other areas considered by the Top 100.

Northsound Weekend Calendar

There are lots of fun things to do in the Mukilteo and Everett area this weekend. With a slight cooling in the weather, it's a great time to get outside!

Friday, July 13th

Wine Tasting - Wicked Cellars
Everett's Wicked Cellars is hosting a wine tasting of eclectic wines from around the world. 4 -6 pm, 2616 Colby Avenue, Everett. Call (425) 258-3117 for more information.

Everett Cinema Under the Stars
Take advantage of a balmy evening and see "Over the Hedge" at Everett's Cinema Under the Stars, an annual, summer-long festival featuring movies shown at Thornton A. Sullivan Park at Silver Lake."Over the Hedge," a family-friendly animated film, will begin at 7 p.m. tonight at the park, at 11405 Silver Lake Road in Everett.

For more information, call 425-257-8322.

Saturday, July 14th

Mukilteo Garden and Quilt Tour
The Mukilteo Garden & Quilt Tour promises to be an outstanding event for local gardeners and quilt lovers. The tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine

Jetty Island Sunset Harbor Cruise
Be dazzled by the splendor of the sunset over Port Gardner Bay. Enjoy the sights and discussions with a Jetty interpretive naturalist. This popular cruise happens only four times in conjunction with late-night campfires, and it always fills up. Call the Jetty Kiosk for reservations at 425-257-8304.

Sunday, July 15th

Sand Castle Building Contest
Test your sculpting skills against some of the region's most creative amateur builders in this increasingly competitive contest. Or just come to have fun! Bring digging tools, buckets and your imagination. Prizes awarded.All ages welcome for single or group entries.

All Weekend

Jetty Island Days
Jetty Island Days are still in progress. Ferry runs on the half hour between Everett 10th Street Marina and Jetty Island dock. Take the ferry or rent a kayak to get to the island (or, hitch a ride with a friendly boater).

For more ideas, see this article from the Everett Herald, Top Ways to Spend the Day.

Swing for the Fences

Here in Boeing-land, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting someone that either works for the big B or is married/related to someone who works there. When I was a kid growing up here, nearly everyone I knew had a dad or an uncle working for Boeing. Naturally, my rebellious nature caused me to swear I would never marry a Boeing employee. But, time has a way of proving us wrong, so naturally, when it came time to marry I married a Boeing engineer.

So yes, we are a Boeing family, like many other thousands of Boeing families here in the "Northsound service area." Quite a few of my clients work for Boeing, many of them on the 787 project, so it was with a special sense of pride that we watched the 787 roll out last Sunday.

Boeing is the largest employer in my little corner of the world, and while I wouldn't say we are a one horse town, Boeing is definitely a major driver of the local economy. One metric I've heard is that for every one Boeing employee, there are 5 to 10 other individuals in local businesses that depend on him for their job.

And while the North King/South Snohomish county area is now a bedroom community for Seattle and the Eastside as well as Everett employers like Boeing, the housing market here still rises and falls with Boeing's business outlook. Since the 787 project began, we've seen a huge number of people come here to work on the project, and I've had the good fortune to work with many of them. There's been an excitement surrounding the project that has spread to the community at large. On Sunday, that excitement finally bore fruit.

After all, it's not like we get a moment like this every day. The day of the 747 roll out is still etched clearly in the minds of a lot of people around here. That was nearly 40 years ago. This is the first new plane program to roll out in nearly 15 years. And it wasn't too long ago that the pundits were saying that Boeing's days as the leader in the commercial aerospace market were numbered. So Sunday meant a lot, to a lot of us.

And not just because it's good for the local economy. A few years ago on 9/11, the aerospace industry was hit hard. REALLY hard. It was a real blow to a lot of people in our neck of the woods. So, for us, Sunday's ceremony wasn't just a chance to share in a moment of civic pride. To a lot of us, it marked the triumph of American ingenuity over those who would like to harm us.

We were hit hard, but we came back swinging for the fences.

Northsound News Bits

Here are a few of the stories that are of interest in North King/South Snohomish counties today.

1. The Weather! The temperature yesterday was in the upper 90s, prompting many north end residents to suddenly become sick and have to leave work. Most parts of the country see temperatures in the 90s pretty consistently during the summer, but here in the Northwest its not that common. In fact, it's so uncommon that it tends to precipitate a lot of sudden illnesses. Illnesses that can only be cured by going to the beach, or taking out the boat.

2. Kenmore Redevelopment: According to to the Seattle Times, the city of Kenmore has signed an agreement with Kenmore Partners LLC to redevelop a large, city-owned parcel of downtown into a new city center with pedestrian-friendly shopping, in accordance with Kenmore's downtown master plan. Kenmore Village by the Lake will include housing, retail, and a central gathering space. The 9.6-acre site, at 68th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 181st Street, is now home to a temporary City Hall, a park-and-ride lot and a shopping center that dates to the 1960s and is currently home to Ostrom's Drug. The public comment period will begin in the fall.

Kenmore is one of the areas where I work, and I think this is great news given that one of the things that is less desirable about Kenmore is lack of this kind of infrastructure. It's actually a neighborhood that has a lot to offer in terms of its location and the kinds of homes that are available, but home values have been somewhat lower here than other nearby communities because of the lack of a central core. The completion of this project should increase home values in the area.

3. Arlington Fly-In is In Progress: The 39th Annual Arlington Fly-In began yesterday at the Arlington Airport and runs through Sunday. The Fly-In is one of the leading air shows in the country for experimental and "sport" aviation.

Downtown & North Everett Market Stats - June

Downtown and North Everett are a couple of my favorite areas to work and play, so I like to keep abreast of what is going on in that market. So I have decided to start publishing market statistics for the central Everett area (which includes Bayside, Riverside, the Business District, Stadium, Rucker Hill and Forest Park) here on my blog. If you would like a breakdown of a specific neighborhood let me know and I will be happy to provide that for you.

All statistics are hand calculated by me, using NWMLS data, and include the period June 1, 2007 through June 30, 2007

Active Listings
Listing Count: 104 (this includes ALL active listings through June 30, regardless of date listed)
Average Time on Market: 76 days
Median List Price: $298,450
Average $ Per Square Foot: $212 (range: $111 to $475)

Under Contract (includes Contingent, Active STI and Pending)
Listing Count: 53
Average Time On Market: 50 Days
Median List Price: $272,500
Average $ Square Foot: $252

Sold Listings
Listing Count: 40
Average Time On Market: 50 Days
Median Sale Price: $323,445
Average $ Square Foot: $193 (range: $110 to $364)

Interestingly, times on market are longest in the $300,000 to $500,000 price range, at 87 days. Five out of 39 properties in this price range have been on the market longer than 200 days. One property in this price range was originally priced at $1.8 million and was recently dropped into this price range in May. The property in this price range that has been on the market longest has been on for 379 days (it is new construction and part of a new townhome development called BelMonte Heights in Riverside).

Average time on market is shortest in the $500,000 and up price range at 64 days. There are only 8 homes in this price range currently on the market, with the top priced home in North Everett currently listed at $2.9 million. Excluding this particular home, which has been listed for 289 days, the average time on market would only be 31 days.

What does this tell us? Demand for homes in this area is strongest in the highest price range. North Everett, particularly Rucker Hill and Bayside north of 19th, has always been an area known for its high end homes, many of which boast incredible views of Puget Sound and Port Gardner.

Other areas near Everett's downtown, such as Riverside and Stadium, boast a lot of great starter homes and rental property for which demand tends to be pretty strong.

In between however, there are fewer options, and fewer buyers looking for those homes. That price range tends to be dominated by families, for whom schools are a big concern. Many of these families choose to live in more suburban areas such as Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Silver Lake or Snohomish.

Overall, the central Everett market has about 5 weeks of inventory based on June figures, indicating a strong seller's market for homes in this area.

Note that according to the NWMLS system-generated chart below - click to see a larger version - inventory is about evenly divided between new listings (less than 30 days on market) and older listings.

Craziest. Transaction. Ever.

For the last couple of months, I have been sitting on a great blog post topic and haven't quite had it figured out in my head, what I wanted to say about it. I was still pondering it. There was a transaction I did, not long ago, that probably will go down in memory as the craziest one I have ever worked on. Well, craziest one so far. Maybe someday there will be one crazier--after all, I expect to be in this business for a long time and part of what attracts me to it is the craziness! Gives me good stories to tell over beers...and over the internet.

Anyway, I had a client that contacted me wanting to do a rehab/flip of a property. After going to great lengths to explain the various ways these deals can go south, and making sure that they understood the risks involved and so forth, we in the end decided to go forward.

Several months went by, looking for the perfect property. Finally, we found a property that my clients felt like would be worth the work to fix up as they envisioned. The neighborhood was great--right on a golf course, in an area with a lot of older homes that are being fixed up. Prices range from $600K up to over a million. The commuting distance to two of the Northwest's major employers is about 20 minutes in either direction depending on traffic. The home also has a view of the lake. And, it was a very large home.

It was listed with a Limited Service agency. That meant, all contact had to be made with the seller directly. Dutifully, I called the seller to set up a showing. Up to this point, there was nothing to indicate that things were about to get strange.

I call the phone-to-show and a teenager answers the phone. I say that I am interested in seeing the house and can I please speak to Mr. or Mrs. Seller? I was informed that the parents were out of town, but I left a message for a parent to call me back. I did, and we set up the showing.

The next day promptly at 10, my buyers and I arrive. The first problem is, there is no lockbox. The second problem is, there are two large dogs barking their heads off on the other side of the door. There also appear to be kids home...several of them. How many kids are living here, my buyers and I wondered? Looked like a reunion of the Lost Boys.

Well, the only thing to do was to knock on the door, so I did. The oldest of the Lost Boys answers the door. I mention that I called about showing the house? Naturally, he did not get the message, but says it is okay to take a look around, so my buyers and I go inside and start looking around. The first thing to hit us is the odor of dog feces, cigarette smoke, stale beer and rotting garbage.

And they say real estate is a glamorous job? Anyone who has worked foreclosures or short sales more than once (which I have) would recognize this house as a "distress case." Normally if it looks like this, or smells like this, for a showing, the sellers have issues--financial ones usually go hand in hand with "other" issues.

First stop was the kitchen. There we found two large dogs eating dog food directly from the 50 lb. bag. We noticed that both of the double ovens were open, with the heating units on. I asked the young man about it and he announced that, "oh yeah, the furnace is not working."

Okay.

Next stop was the living room, where in the middle of April, the Christmas tree was still up. It was a real tree, not a plastic one, so it was completely dried out and had dropped pine needles all over the floor. It reminded me of nothing so much as the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Shoot, evidently Pig Pen was living here so we even had some of the characters.

Continuing our tour of this lovely home, we went into the family room, which was built around a beautiful large fireplace. Every inch of floor in the room was covered in linens, dirty clothes and so forth, such that you could not see or feel whether the floor was carpet or hardwood. When I kicked aside a pile of clothes to see what kind of flooring was in evidence, I unearthed a large, petrified pile of dog poop.

Soon enough we had seen what we needed to see. The home was in terrible shape cosmetically, but beneath it all you could see that it was a lovely, well-built home.

And the signs of distress were so clear that I went home and did a little research on my own. I discovered that in addition to being behind on his negative amortization home loan, the owner was also subject to two tax liens totalling almost $80,000 and a judgement from the person who sold the house to him for an additional $5,000.

So, knowing all this, we decided to go to the seller with an offer that reflected the condition of the house, and explained to him that this would be a short sale situation. In fact, it would have been short whether he got full price or not. So I carefully explained our offer to him, and explained to him what would have to be done to actually sell his home. I explained to him that although I represented the buyers, I would be available to help him as he tried to clear title to his home so my buyers could purchase it.

After a few days of deliberation, during which time the contract expired, he finally accepted the offer. Now, we had 30 days to see if we could clear the tax liens, judgements, and get the lender to accept a short sale. Naturally, it was my job to make sure that all this happened. So, I was on the phone with the seller nearly every day, making sure that he had done his part, offering to run and fax documents around for him, and whatever needed to be done to make sure we got to closing.

Considering the situation, the actual short sale negotiation was relatively uneventful. The IRS worked out a payment plan and removed the lien, the judgement released their interest, and the bank accepted the short sale. The big trick was getting to talk to the right person at the lender, but a clever conversation with someone in the customer service department got me talking to someone at the right level to make a decision and we were able to get agreement.

The big hitch turned out to be with the buyer's lender. The appraiser had been pretty appalled at the general condition of the property and took some pictures, which made their way back to the buyer's lender who at the last minute (1 day before our scheduled closing) decided that they wanted to put some conditions on the closing. One of which was, that the property had to be cleaned up and the appraiser had to come back to take pictures showing that this had been done.
I explained the situation to the sellers who basically ignored it. So, the buyers and I were down there at 8am on the morning of closing cleaning up the property--it took 8 large contractor bags just to clean up the beer cans on the property. 8 LARGE CONTRACTOR BAGS of beer cans people. That is hundreds, maybe thousands, of beer cans.

Anyway, we got it cleaned up, the appraiser came back, the buyer's lender cleared the condition and we were good to go with releasing documents.

So, I go to the signing appointment with the buyers, all went well with no issues. That night, I went to the signing appointment with the sellers and a mobile notary, and we get down to signing all the paperwork when suddenly the seller stands up and asks, "hey, we aren't going to be able to move the washer dryer out before the buyers take possession, so can we come back for it?"

Well, you could, except that the washer dryer goes with the house. You signed a contract that said so. Which I explained to you line by line and point by point. Which you then looked at for over a week. During which time the contract expired...remember that?

I pulled out the contract and showed him where the box for "washer dryer stays with house" was checked. I showed him his initials next to the box.

"Well, I don't read contracts, I just assumed that it would be okay if we kept the washer dryer."

Finally he decided that it wasn't worth not closing on the house, just to keep the washer dryer.

Meanwhile, now that we actually could close, the seller realized he was going to actually have to move. The seller had found a place to move, but was working at a job site about 50 miles away on the day of closing, so his son, in his late teens or early twenties, was entrusted with the task of making sure that all everything was ready to go when the movers got there. The seller asked, since I was going to be there cleaning up, if I could maybe check in just to make sure things went according to "plan."

Now, the son was largely responsible for the aforementioned beer can issue, so I wasn't too sure that entrusting him with this job was the best of ideas. Sure enough, it wasn't. When I arrived that morning, the son was passed out (hungover I assume) in the master bedroom, none of the other kids were anywhere to be found and not one thing had been packed. The seller had left a list of what was to be moved and what was supposed to stay, which I made sure the movers had. They executed it to the best of their ability. About an hour before they finished, the son finally wakes up and starts pitching in. This only happened because the movers started moving the bed he was sleeping in, with him still in it.

We closed, my buyers took possession and everything seemed well until I get a call about a week later.

The seller, since he couldn't take the washer dryer with him, simply decided that he would go to the house to use it. My buyers asked if I could please discuss the matter with him.

I did, and that was the last we heard from him.

Carnival of Real Estate is Up

And my first submission to the carnival, "Salesperson or Consultant?" is listed! I didn't win, but glad I submitted anyway. Thanks Marty Van Diest of Wasilla Valley, Alaska for hosting the Carnival!

Everett Photoblogging--A Day at the Waterfront

We had a beautiful weekend here and so I thought it would be a great time to get out and take a few pictures with my new camera.

We tried to go to Jetty Island in Everett but it was a popular idea and we couldn't get on the ferry. Lesson? Get there early!

We may have missed the ferry but we were still determined to get some sun on our poor pale bodies. Lots of people were just hangin' out at the marina playing frisbee, fishing off the dock, working on their tan, picknicking, and waiting for the ferry to Jetty Island. So we just hung out at the Marina.



After we got tired of being at the Marina, we went up the hill to Grand Avenue Park to take in the view of the Everett waterfront. Eric just wanted to lay down and stretch out in the sun for a while.



While he made like a cat in a sunbeam, I took a bunch of pictures. I love North Everett! It is so beautiful. Here's a shot of Grand Avenue Park at the corner of Grand and 19th, with Puget Sound stretching into the distance beyond.



Grand Avenue is pretty spectacular itself. The neighborhood is about 100 years old, and this is where all the mill owners and wealthy citizens of Everett once lived. It's still a very nice neighborhood, with lots of beautiful old homes.



This next picture is the Jetty Island Ferry, its name is "The Queen's Launch." It holds about 30 people and runs every half an hour. It is free but there is a suggested $1 or $2 donation to keep it going. It is run by Argosy Cruises.



And here is Jetty Island. You can see there is a small dock on the Jetty side--if you have your own boat, kayak or raft, you don't have to rely on the Ferry to get there. The Jetty is about 2 miles long--plenty of nice sandy beaches for everyone to enjoy, plus they have nature walks and activities scheduled through Labor Day. If you are lucky, you will see the resident Ospreys, and on breezy warm days, the local kitesurfers will be out. No kitesurfers on this day--they usually come out in the later afternoons when the breezes come up.



Next week if the weather is nice we will go to Jetty Island and actually go to the beach!

10 steps to improving your credit score

1. Pay off or pay down your credit cards. However, do not consolidate your credit cards or close accounts. Pay them off or down, but keep the accounts open. Length of established credit is one of the criteria that affects your credit. Longer is better.

2. Make payments on time, every time, even if it is just minimum payments. Responsible credit behavior over time is what the credit agencies want to see. It will take about 2 years of consistent effort to improve a poor payment history. Collections, judgements and other such actions will take about 7 years to age completely off your credit report. Two years of responsible credit behavior, however, should be enough to go from bad credit to reasonably good credit.

3. Your FICO score depends in in part on the percentage of available credit used. In this post by Ardell, she explains how the percentage of used credit affects your score. This is important information. Basically, for every 10% of your available credit that you use, you will lose 10 points on your FICO score. That means 50% of available credit used costs you 50 points--depending on your score this could mean the difference between "A" credit, and sub-prime. Paying off or paying down your credit card will make a substantial difference in your score.

4. Don't open a lot of new accounts at once, and don't make a lot of credit inquiries (such as on purchases of cars, boats and homes where your credit report will be "pulled") within a short period of time. These will affect your score negatively.

5. If you are having trouble making ends meet, call your creditors and see if there is a way to work out a payment schedule or lower your payments. You can also meet with a credit counselor, but make sure they are a legitimate credit counseling agency. If you're wondering how to know whether a credit counselor is legitimate or not, read this article from the Federal Trade Commission.

6. If shopping rates for a new loan, do your rate shopping within a short period of time. This will tip off the scoring system that your rate shopping is for a single loan, rather than several and it will have less of a negative impact on your score.

7. When checking your own credit, the best way to keep the inquiry off your credit score is to order your credit report directly from the credit scoring agencies. Lenders will often be willing to pull your credit report for free but be aware that it does show up as a loan inquiry on your credit.

8. Don't open new cards just to have additional credit, or thinking that this will have a positive effect on your ratio of used to available credit. Using credit responsibly means using it only as necessary and not getting overextended with your credit.

9. Keep your balances as low as possible. Yes, this is basically a reiteration of the point about paying down your balance and using credit as little as possible, but the higher your balance, the lower your score will be. The very best credit behavior is to pay off your balance every month.

10. Use credit, but use it responsibly. Credit scores treat someone with no or very little credit history as a higher risk than someone who has shown they are able to have credit and use it responsibly. So, it's not necessary to close your accounts or try to live a credit-free life, you simply need to remember that your credit score reflects the credit establishment's assessment of your past handling of credit, and the likelihood based on your past credit behavior that you will pay back your obligations on time. If you treat your credit responsibly over time, you will have demonstrated to lenders that you are a good risk. This takes time, but is worth the effort.

Mukilteo Market Stats - June

Here are the market stats for the month of June in Mukilteo.

Sales activity was strong, with twice as many properties going under contract and closing in the month of June as were listed. However, we had a fairly large backlog of inventory coming into June, so even with the increasing sales activity, we still have a 2 month supply of inventory as of June 30.

As an aside, we calculate supply by looking at the number of listings on the market and dividing by the number of listings that went under contract or sold during a given period. Last month, we had a 2.5 month supply of inventory, which means that at the current rate of sales, it would take 2 fewer weeks to sell through the entire stock of housing inventory in Mukilteo than it would have during May. This tells us that things have in fact picked up for the summer.

I would classify this as a healthy market, if somewhat slower than last year (last year we only had about a 1 month supply of inventory). A balanced real estate market (a market that is neither a buyer's market nor a seller's market) occurs when there is about 2 to 4 months of inventory, though some would classify as a buyer's market any inventory levels of more than 6 months, and a seller's market as inventory levels of more than 6 months. Clearly, here in Mukilteo we are in a balanced market that leans towards still being a seller's market. But, with inventory levels up over the last two years, buyers definitely have more leverage than they have had in some time.

One sector of the market that plays a big role in how days on market numbers as a whole pan out is properties over $1,000,000. These properties comprise about 10% of the market in Mukilteo, and typically, we expect to see longer market times in this sector of the market. And this is what we are seeing. Currently, it is taking an average of 130 days to get properties in this price range "under contract" and it is taking an average of 139 days to get them to sell. But we have several properties in this price range which have been on the market in excess of 250 days, which has increased days on market figures for Mukilteo as a whole.

That's my analysis, here's the data. All statistics are hand calculated by me, using NWMLS data, and include Mukilteo (in city limits) ONLY for the period June 1, 2007 through June 30, 2007:

Active Listings
Listing Count: 92 (this includes ALL listings currently on the market, regardless of date listed)
Average Time on Market: 88 days
Median List Price: $622,475
Average $ Per Square Foot: $259

There were 25 new listings in the month of June

Under Contract (includes Contingent, Active STI and Pending)
Listing Count: 21
Average Time On Market: 55 Days
Median List Price: $579,900
Average $ Square Foot: $252

Sold Listings
Listing Count: 29
Average Time On Market: 123
Median Sale Price: $620,820
Average $ Square Foot: $238

This graphic shows the breakdown of time on market for properties currently listed. Last month, about 54% of our inventory was less than 30 days old. This month, we are seeing more balance between new and older listings.

Mukilteo July Goings-On!

Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce just sent out its Chamber calendar for July. Here it is!

By the way, you don't have to be a member to attend a function (if there is a charge you just pay a dollar or two more), and it is a great way to meet all the business-people that make Mukilteo special.

After Hours Social

Hosted By: Sound Accounting Solutions (Troylyn Goldsberry) & Loan Network (Kathryn Hale)Address: 829 2nd St #4 (old town Mukilteo)Phone: 438-2920
Date: Thursday July 12th
Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Please join us for our July After Hours Social to be hosted by chamber member Sound Accounting Solutions & office partner Loan Network. Hope you can stop by for some appetizers, wine, beverages, networking and enjoying the summer evening with fellow chamber members.

General Membership Breakfast Meeting

Date: Thursday July 19thTime: 7:30 am
Place: Harbour Pointe Golf Course

Cost: $10 (Members) & $12 (Guests) * please make checks payable to The Pointe Restaurant

Guest Speaker: TBD“5” minute chamber speaker: NW Double Agents (Jeanmarie Trapp & Gordon Matheson with John L. Scott – Mukilteo)

Raffle tickets are 4 for $1.oo and proceeds benefit our scholarship fund.

Mukilteo Family YMCA
Groundbreaking Celebration

Date: Wednesday, July 11thTime: 5:00-7:30pm
Place: Mukilteo YMCA – 10601 47th Pl W.

Program: 5-5:30pm = Member BBQ & Social Time5:30-6:00pm = Groundbreaking Celebration: 6:00-7:30pm = Community Celebration & BBQ continue

Celebrate the expansion of the Mukilteo Y!

Volunteers Needed – Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival

The Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival Association is looking for volunteers to help out with:

· The Run-A-Muk (August 25th between the hours of 7am-10am)

· The Tour-de-Muk (August 26th between the hours of 7am-11am)

Please contact Kathy Wisbeck or Mimi Landsberg and staff @ the Lighthouse Festival office @ 353-5516 or info@mukilteofestival.org

Also--don't forget the Art Walk in Old Town on the last Wednesday of the month, and Farmer's market at Rosehill Community Center every Wednesday afternoon!

Your credit score

Following on the tails of last week's post about lease-option purchases, I wanted to say a few things about credit scoring and what to do if you are thinking of buying a home but are faced with credit challenges.


The first and most important thing you can do, is sit down and get a full understanding of your situation. People are very funny about their credit. Some people with clean credit think that they have terrible credit (they were late with a payment once, 5 years ago, and think that the lender will never forgive them for it!). Other people have terrible credit and are completely oblivious. But one thing I've noticed is that when people have credit problems, they are sometimes so afraid of what they will find on their credit report that they choose not to find out what their situation is by getting a copy of their credit report.

This is like thinking you have AIDS and not getting an AIDS test. Realize that getting a copy of the test, or your credit report will at worst confirm your suspicions. Best case scenario is that you find out you were worried for no reason.


Anyway, it's important to face the music about this. Only when you understand the problem can you create a plan to solve it, and only with a plan can you put this problem in your past. This is about gaining control of your financial life, and the fact that you have bad credit is not an indictment of you as a person. I'm not sure that it's fair to say that everyone has had credit problems, but certainly, there are many people out there who have faced these problems and successfully put them in the past.


So, the first thing you should do is get your hands on a copy of your credit report. Sometimes if you are really upfront with a lender about your situation and tell them that you want to work on your issues, they will pull a copy of your credit for you at no charge. If you are not comfortable with sharing this information with anyone else, you can also order your credit reports from MyFico.com for about $16 dollars.


Go ahead and order reports from all three credit bureaus--Experian, Equifax and Transnation. It sometimes happens that things show up on one bureau but not on another. At this point, you want to know everything, so get a report from each bureau.


Now that you have the reports, you need to understand how your credit score affects you. First thing to know is that your lender is going to qualify you based on your middle score. That is, if you have scores from the 3 agencies of 650, 690 and 700, the lender will use the 690 score.


What does that mean? The lending industry is always changing but typically if you have a score above 680, you are what most lenders consider a pretty good credit risk. You should be able to qualify for better rates, and you should have many lenders and loans to choose from. Between 620 and 680, you are considered to have average credit. You can get a loan pretty easily but your rates won't be as good as "A paper." Below 620 but above 580, you are what most lenders call "C paper." You are falling into the subprime category--fewer loan programs to choose from, and the lenders see you as a higher risk so they charge a higher rate of interest.


Recently, the sub-prime and prime lending markets have really tightened up, because many of the subprime loans written under the lax lending standards of the last few years have gone into foreclosure. Because of this, there has been a shift away from sub-prime and back towards safer government loans such as FHA and VA for people with credit issues. These offer fairly competitive rates and can be good for people with credit challenges.


In my next post, I will talk about how to improve your credit, and how long it takes for changes you make now to take effect.

Mukilteo / Everett News Roundup

Here is some of the latest news for the Mukilteo / Everett area:

July 5th marks the opening day for the Jetty Island Ferry. If you have never visited Jetty Island, you are in for a treat as it is a great family day trip and arguably Snohomish county's best beach. The ferry only runs to the island from now until Labor Day, so don't miss your chance to enjoy the sandy beaches, warm water, and natural beauty of this great beach. You can also observe the local kite surfers, who flock to this beach and park for its predictable westerly afternoon breezes.

The Mukilteo Art Walk is seeking artists to display their works at the next Art Walk on July 25th.