“Serving Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee, Plain and Beyond”

Leavenworth Real Estate | Sold Homes June 2010

 

This month eight homes and one condo sold in the Leavenworth area.

 

915 Pine Street, Leavenworth915 Pine Street, Leavenworth

List price: $325,000.  Sold price: $200,000.

Days on Market: 364

3 bedrooms | 1 bath | 1552 sqft | .45 acres

This is a multi-building property that included a 3 bedroom home and a former church all on 5 1/2 city lots.  It will be interesting to see what happens with this property.

 

 

 

 

12774 Wilson Road, Leavenworth12774 Wilson Street, Leavenworth

List price: $209,800.  Sold price: $220,000.

Days on Market: 60

3 bedrooms | 2 bath | 1384 sqft | 1.06 acres

This house was a foreclosure with multiple offers.  This house last sold in Jan 2007 for $300,000.  The new owner then put it back on the market two months later in March for $439,900.

 

 

 

 

 

8449 Mountain Home Road, Leavenworth8449 Mountain Home Road, Leavenworth

List price: $310,000.  Sold price: $310,000.

Days on Market: 60

2 bedrooms | 1 bath | 1152 sqft |  7.27 acres

Cute cabin in the woods.  In the winter, the house does not have road access.  It is snowmobile or ski in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

23095 Lake Wenatchee Highway, Leavenworth23095 Lake Wenatchee Highway

List price: $450,000.  Sold price: $407,500.

Days on Market: 77

3 bedrooms | 2 bath | 1822 sqft | .45 acres

Great cabin across North Shore Dr from Lake Wenatchee.  Lake and beach access are across the street.  The house had a large basement with another family room for entertaining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

12275 Village View Drive, Leavenworth12275 Village View Drive, Leavenworth

List price: $699,000.  Sold price: $495,000.

Days on Market: 617

4 bedrooms | 2.5 bath | 2635 sqft | .57 acres

New construction home on Ski Hill outside the city limits.  Nice view of Wedge Mountain.  The house was on the market during construction.

 

 

 

 

 

14132 Idlewild Road, Leavenworth14132 Idlewild Road, Leavenworth

List price: $549,000.  Sold price: $745,000.

Days on Market: 244

2 bedrooms | 1 bath | 2232 sqft | .31 acres

This cabin is on Fish Lake.  The house was sold with an adjoining waterfront lot, which is why the sales price is higher than the asking price.  Originally the house was listed for $875,000 which included the lot.

 

 

 

 

 

6310 Campbell Road, Peshastin6310 Campbell Road, Peshastin

List price: $685,000.  Sold price: $540,000.

Days on Market: 1317

3 bedrooms | 2 bath | 2103 sqft | 40 acres

This house has been on the market since October 2006.  The whole property consisted of 100 acres, in five 20 acre parcels and was listed for $1,600,000.  Over the years they have tried to sell the property a variety of ways; the house plus 20 acres for $775,000 & again at $499,000, the remaining lots separately for around $225,000, the house plus 40 acres, etc.  It is a very private setting on the Peshastin side of Mountain Home ridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

8156 Icicle Road, Leavenworth8156 Icicle Road, Leavenworth

List price: $799,000.  Sold price: $742,000.

Days on Market: 55

4 bedrooms | 3.5 bath | 4168 sqft | 1.01 acres

Custom home out Icicle Road on an acre.  The apartment above the garage had a view of Wedge Mountain.  A buyer was waiting in the wings for this house and it was under contract quickly.

 

 

 

 

Leavenworth Sold Condos

 

900 Main Street, Leavenworth900 Main Street #303, Leavenworth

List price: $400,000.  Sold price: $245,000.

Days on Market: 1124

2 bedrooms | 1.75 bath | 1096 sqft |

One of the last remaining condos in the building still with developer.  This is an interior condo on the third floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Leavenworth Real Estate Info

 

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Required Disclaimer

NOTE: This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the North Central Washington Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Association nor its MLS guarantees or are in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market.

Working Harder to Sell Your Leavenworth Home

I spoke with a homeowner the other day who was disappointed by the results that he got from the three agents who had previously listed his home.
 
His big question to me was great –  ”What do you do that is pro-active when it comes to selling my home?”
 
I started my answer telling him about the marketing we do on the internet.
 
“But Geordie, anyone can post a home on the internet!”
 
True, anyone can post a home on Craiglist and any agent can get it on the internet by being a member of the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS). In today’s market, that’s not enough.
 
Internet marketing today is about understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how consumers use different tools today to find homes. Do you ever use Google to help you find an answer? You’re not alone.
  • How do you “get found” on Google or Bing?
  • What searches are home buyers using online?
  • What is the “long tail” and how does it affect real estate?
  • What is Google doing today that they didn’t last month?
Online Curb Appeal:
Having your home looked at online is only part of the battle. It also has to look great and be priced right if you want buyers to come look. We work with professional real estate photographers like Cook Imaging and Usher Creativeso that the photos come out great every time.  We also hire stagers or interior designers when we need help getting a house to look it’s best.
 
 
What other tools do we have at our disposal?
 
Social Media Marketing :
Can you sell a house using Twitter, Facebook, Myspace,or Linkedin? What are the best practices? What gets real results? (Yes, Twitter has helped us sell a house.)
 
Listing Syndication:
How do you get your house listed in as many places as possible on the internet? How do you get those listings to turn into showings and sales?
 
Analytics:
How many people are seeing your ads? Where do they live? How did they find out about your house?  Did you know that an increasing number of Leavenworth buyers live in the Tri-cities? Did you know that Americans living abroad are choosing to buy real estate in Leavenworth?
 
 
 
But what else?
 
I’m constantly working to put myself in touch with more people who may be buying a home in Leavenworth or Lake Wenatchee.  More often than not, this means someone who lives in the Seattle or Bellevue area and works in the technology or financial fields.
 
How do I reach these folks?
 
I am active in Windermere’s Premier Properties program. This means going to Seattle for monthly meetings with the Seattle area’s top luxury home specialists.  I make sure these agents know about my high end listings in Leavenworth and that they have a resource to turn to. While there are 70+  Premier Associates and Directors in Washington, only 9 live east of the Cascades and I am the only one in the Leavenworth area.
 
I have also been invited to speak at Windermere offices in the Seattle / Bellevue area about the Leavenworth market.
 
I am also involved in groups like Seattle’s Social Media Club. By going to Seattle I not only learn about the newest tricks and tips of online marketing, I meet the people involved in creating the newest internet tools – often the buyers for Leavenworth homes.
 
In 2010, I traveled to Austin, Texas for SXSW Interactive – a week long conference about all things internet, technology and social media.  It was great place to see what the movers and shakers are doing and planning in the tech space.

 

Real Estate Kaizen

Wikipedia defines kaizen as a ” philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, supporting business processes, and management”.  Kaizen is “the culture of continual aligned small improvements and standardization yields large results in the form of compound productivity improvement.”

I like to think that Allyson and I have embraced real estate kaizen – a culture of experimentation leading to continuous improvement. You might not see all the experiments we try – some of them fail. But know that we are  ALWAYS trying to do things a little better and always looking trying to find a way to build a better mousetrap. 

 

Cashmere Real Estate | Sold Homes June 2010

In June, five homes in the Cashmere area sold.

 

305 Cottage Avenue, Cashmere305 Cottage Avenue, Cashmere

List price: $259,000.  Sold price: $156,000.

Days on Market: 820

3 bedrooms | 2 bath | 1744 sqft | .21 acres

Classic Cashmere home on Cottage Ave, this home was on the market a LONG time and finally sold in a short sale situation.  House has a nice backyard with alley access but steep stairs to the second floor and is a bit dated.

 

 

 

9878 Motel Road, Dryden8978 Motel Road, Dryden

List price: $250,000.  Sold price: $245,000.

Days on Market: 137

3 bedrooms | 1 bath | 2309 sqft | 2.90 acres

This home was a foreclosure sale and the bank gave the buyer an additional $5000 in closing costs.  The house was previously on the market in a short sale situation for 310 days with an initial asking price of $439,000 and they ended at $320,000 before the bank got it.

 

 

 

5600 Weatherend Drive, Cashmere5600 Weatherend Drive, Cashmere

List price: $570,000.  Sold price: $259,000.

Days on Market: 505

4 bedrooms | 1 bath | 2324 sqft | 3.10 acres

Turn of the century home within the Cashmere urban growth boundary.  The property is zoned Suburban Residential and might have the potential to be developed into residential lots.  This potential was reflexed in the initial asking price.  The land also borders Brender Creek.

 

 

 

207 Paton Street, Cashmere207 Paton Street, Cashmere

List price: $309,000.  Sold price: $279,000.

Days on Market: 310

4 bedrooms | 1.75 bath | 2610 sqft | .26 acres

Large 1950’s home on a quiet tree lined street a short walk from downtown.  The home has nice wood floors, updated kitchen and backs to Mission Creek.

 

 

 

5804 Evergreen Drive, Cashmere5804 Evergreen Drive, Cashmere

List price: $377,000.  Sold price: $325,000.

Days on Market: 407

4 bedrooms | 3 bath | 2887 sqft | 1 acre

Large rambler on an acre just outside the city limits.  The property includes a large 2 car garage with 3 car carport and has irrigation rights.

 

 

More Leavenworth and Cashmere Real Estate Info

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Required Disclaimer

NOTE: This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the North Central Washington Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Association nor its MLS guarantees or are in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market.

Leavenworth Home Prices Spring 2010

Reporting about Leavenworth home prices usually starts with a great image of a half filled cup.  It’s rarely a simple story and there is both good news and bad depending on whether you are buying or selling a home.

Let’s start with a chart comparing Q2 of 2010 to previous years.

Leavenworth Real Estate 2010
Leavenworth Real Estate 2010
So what does this tell us?
  • The number of sales this quarter was up 50% from last year’s dismal numbers.
  • The number of sales is still 50% of 2006’s stellar numbers
  • Home prices have remained fairly flat over the past few years.

What numbers are missing from this chart?

 

As I mentioned over on our Facebook page, I would rather be a buyer than a seller in the Leavenworth market. On the other hand I’d rather be selling a home in Leavenworth than trying to sell one in Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas or Phoenix.

 

 

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Required Disclaimer

NOTE: This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the North Central Washington Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Association nor its MLS guarantees or are in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market.

David asks about Leavenworth condos under $275,000

In response to my most recent post about the Leavenworth real estate market, David asks:

What do you think of Leavenworth condos under 275K? It seems to me there are an awful lot of those for sale now. Some of the Ski Blick are under 275, there are 3 Alpine condos, etc.

Thanks for the great question David.

The Leavenworth condo market isn’t a monolithic group. It is made of many sub-sets and buyers usually aren’t willing to move from one sub-set to another. For example, if you want a condo at the Kahler Glen golf course you wouldn’t trade for one in town, just because the price is less.

Currently we have 25 condos for sale under $275,000 in the Leavenworth area.

6 condos are for sale at the Kahler Glen Golf and Ski Resort near Lake Wenatchee.

6 Condos are for sale at Ski Blick on Titus Road. (cannot be used as vacation rentals.)

5 of the condos are in other developments that cannot be used as vacation rentals.

3 are at 475 Alpine Place (of the 6 total units in that development)

2 are at 575 Alpine Place

3 are at other developments that can be rented as vacation rentals

The easiest groups are Kahler Glen vs Leavenworth (6 and 19) or vacation rental vs non-vacation rental (14 vs 11) or best yet a combination of all 3.

Kahler Glen 6

Leavenworth non-vacation rental 11

Leavenworth vacation rental 8

Now let’s look at which 19 condos have sold in Leavenworth in the last 12 months:

5 at Kahler Glen

6 at Cascade Crest (1107 Front Street)

2 at 525 Alpine Place

2 at Ski Blick

4 non-vacation rental

If we break it down into our 3 main categories as before:

Kahler Glen 5

Leavenworth non-vacation rental 6

Leavenworth vacation rental 8

Are condos in Leavenworth under $275,000 in a buyers market?

You bet, but some are more than others:

Kahler Glen: 14 months of supply

Leavenworth non-vacation rental: 22 months of supply

Leavenworth vacation rental: 12 months of supply

What about condo prices?

Average SELLING price of Kahler Glen Condo: $266,000

Average SELLING price of Leavenworth non-vacation rental: $174,000

Average SELLING price of Leavenworth vacation rental condo: $228,000

What do you think is the best value in the Leavenworth condo market today? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

(Want to look at current condos for sale? Click here Leavenworth Condos for Sale )

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Required Disclaimer

NOTE: This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the North Central Washington Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Association nor its MLS guarantees or are in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the Market.