Leavenworth Real Estate

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Leavenworth House For under $100,000

Yep, some things are too good to be true.

There have been a handful of properties over the years that would loosely fit that definition, but I have never seen a house that is inhabitable and that a bank would loan money on, for under $100,000 in Leavenworth WA.

Most consumers start their home search  these days on the internet.  It’s pretty common to think that you might have stumbled upon a great deal   that no one else has seen. I guess it’s possible, but there are a lot of folks looking at houses on the internet. Just on this website alone, we get between 1200-1500 visits a month of people looking at the homes on the MLS.

It’s pretty common that we tend to get lots of requests about the same properties over and over again. If the price just seems too good to be true, the house might be:

• Underneath the Bonneville Power Administration high voltage line
• Next to the Burlington Northern railroad tracks
• A former meth lab or drug house
• Within earshot of U.S. Highway 2
• Not accessible by car in the winter
• On U.S. Forest Service “leased” land with an annual rent
• One or more levels has less than 8 foot (or even 6 foot) ceilings
  

  Photo courtesy of Justanuptowngirl on Flickr

 

Stevens Pass Cabins For Sale

 With ski season just around the corner, we know a lot of folks are looking for ski cabins to purchase near Stevens Pass. One of the difficulties in finding a cabin near the pass is that there really aren’t a lot of houses or developed neighborhoods very close to the pass. Unlike other ski areas, there aren’t condos at Stevens Pass or other housing options where you can ski out your front door.

The first place to look is our Stevens Pass real estate search page.   This will take you to a geographic search and show you the closest homes for sale to Stevens Pass.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many homes within 5-10 minutes of the pass. Those that are closest can be found in the Yodelin neighborhood.  Roads are not plowed in Yodelin during the winter so owning a cabin here means walking, skiing, snowmobiling or even using a snow cat for winter access.  The roads are often snow covered into June if not July each year.

 

Where should you look for a cabin close to Stevens Pass? (See Map Below)

 

 

 

Your best chance of finding a ski cabin close to Stevens Pass is in the following neighborhoods:

 

•  Sunland Estates
• Highway 2 from Coles Corner to Merritt
• Reiche and Karl Road
• Pine River Ranch Neighborhood (Memory Lane, Conard, Nason)

 

 

 

Icicle Creek Road Open October 8 2011

According to a recent press release from the USFS:

Icicle Creek Road (FS Rd #76) on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest will reopen to motorized traffic October 8, in time for the Columbus Day holiday weekend.

Icicle Creek Road has been closed beyond Ida Creek because of extensive slides and flooding that destroyed the roadbed in 2008.

All major construction is complete on a new roadbed that is located on higher ground to alleviate interference with Icicle Creek and riparian functions.  Some road maintenance work on the upper Icicle Road above the new construction work will continue if weather permits.

Campers again have full access to Blackpine Horse Camp and Rock Island developed campgrounds in the Icicle Valley. These campgrounds will not have full services this late in the fall, so bring potable water and “pack out your trash”.  Chatter Creek Campground will remain closed to public use until campground maintenance is complete.

Motorized access to trailheads is once again possible.  Icicle Gorge Trail is one of the most frequently used trails on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, and is logged out and now accessible by vehicle.

“The road and construction crews have worked many long hours to establish the new roadbed, install culverts, remove mud and debris and make it safe for travel.  We know how much people love to recreate in this valley and we are pleased to provide motorized access again,” said District Ranger Jeff Rivera.

Occupy Leavenworth

The movement to Occupy Wall Street has been much in the news over the past few weeks and now it looks like there is a movement to Occupy Leavenworth.

In solidarity with our Bavarian brothers in Munich, citizens and beer drinkers from all over Washington State are descending on Leavenworth over the next two weekends.  Giant tents have been erected next to the Festhalle to try and contain the crowds and the mayor has even promised to tap a keg in order to appease the crowd’s demands.

A homemade video found on the internet clearly shows the occupation’s intent.

 

The political goals of the Occupy Leavenworth movement are nebulous but appear to lean libertarian with a focus on libations and general revelry.  The rumors around Leavenworth is that the crowd may also attempt to Occupy Leavenworth in the weeks prior to Christmas and have already arranged for dozens of buses to handle transporting huge numbers to town.

Are you headed to Leavenworth for the Occupy Leavenworth movement?

Leavenworth Condominium Market : 2011 Fall Update

So far in 2011, only 8 condominiums sold in Leavenworth that were recorded in the North Central WA Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  This  is considerably less than last year when 15 had sold by this point in time.

 Four additional condos are under contract (pending) at this point in time. These include one unit at Kahler Glen on the golf course , two at Riverpark Homes (the “yellow building”), and 1 at Alpine Place.

What condos have been selling in Leavenworth?

Sales of Condos at Kahler Glen  have been very slow over the past two years. In 2010 only 0ne of the Kahler condos and one of the Natapoc townhomes sold and in 2011 we only have one sale pending.  Currently there are 4 two bedroom units for sale at Kahler Glen with  prices as low as $175,000.

 All 16 of the condos at Rivepark (The “Yellow Condos” across from the hospital) have now sold.  Two re-sale units are under contract and an additional two units are listed for sale.

New Construction Condos Still Available in Leavenworth?

New construction condominiums are still available at Ski View aka Ski Blick (on Titus Road).  Ten units are currently listed for sale out of the 24 originally listed, though I believe only nine units have actually sold. No units have sold in 2011.

 Just one unit remains available at The  Boulders on the Wenatchee River.  The original units first listed in 2006 have now all sold, including two sales in 2011.

Eight units are currently for sale at Icicle Village Resort. The majority of these units were built in 2005, though some were built in 2007. These are a mixture of re-sale condos and sales by the original condominium developer.

 No condos ever sold at Haus Wunderbar (across from Gustav’s).  According to Chelan County records, this building went back to the bank in June of 2010. In July the building was sold to EGN Legacy out of Wenatchee for $2,226,000.  There were 10 residential units listed here, in addition to some commercial space at street level.  The total listed value of these units was above $5 million.

Click Here to see all Leavenworth Condos for Sale

Condo Dreams Abandoned

A number of condo projects in Leavenworth were not built or have been delayed indefinitely. These include:

• Obststadl (At the Fruit Warehouse)
•  Sonnenterrassen

Construction is well underway at the Blackbird site overlooking the river, but we have unconfirmed rumors that the construction is going to be a hotel and not 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.