Uncategorized • June 12, 2009

Bark in the Park!

by Nate Scott

C oming to Storvik Park, the 5th annual Bark in the Park Dog Festival ~ a fundraising event for the Anacortes off-leash park. The future off-leash park is located at 38th and H Ave and is part of a bigger project, the Ace of Hearts Creek Rotary Park; a joint venture involving the City of Anacortes and the Anacortes Noon Rotary Club as well as F.I.D.O (Fidalgo Islanders for Dogs Off Leash). The future park will serve many needs, consisting of a 1.5 acre off-leash, fenced dog park with wash-off area, agility equipment, gazebo and benches; a baseball field, playground, restrooms and parking area are also part of the Ace of Hearts Park plan.

Join us June 13th as we mix 500+ enthusiastic dog owners and 300+ of their furry friends looking to have a fantastic day full of activities and events and help us raise funds to support a park for our four legged friends.

Sponsorship packages are available and vendor opportunities at the Bark in the Park are available. Email your questions to info@anacortesdogpark.com .

If your furry friend just cannot wait for the new park, visit our temporary dog park located at the corner of 9th and Q Ave!

Uncategorized • June 11, 2009

We can’t stop now!

by Nate Scott

W e’ve saved the ferry for now, but the long term goal of keeping this Internation Run viable still needs work! WSF Assistant Secretary David Moseley and staff members will be hosting a community meeting tomorrow night, Thursday, June 12 6:30-8:30 at the Anacortes Senior Center located at 1701 22nd St. Topics will include a recap of the 2009 legislative sessions and looking ahead to what needs to be done to guarantee the Sydney ferry run in the future. Bring your questions and join in as we continue the fight to keep our ferry.

market trends • June 9, 2009

May Market Statistics for Anacortes

by Nate Scott

W aiting to buy? Don’t. While we are not performing at the same level as the rest of the area, we are on our way. The North West Multiple Listing Service reports shrinking inventory, double digit increases in pending sales, solid open house activity, and signs of stabilizing prices (eight of the 19 counties reported show price gains since January), all of this points to an improving market, which means one that moves from a Buyers market, to a balanced market. Buyers will lose their upper hand soon, and Sellers will be back in a position to negotiate more. Skagit County is not one of the counties reporting gains since January, but history tells me we always lag a bit behind Snohomish, King and even Whatcom counties. So if they’ve hit bottom and are on their way up, might we be at the actual bottom here? I don’t know, but we are showing signs that we might be.

Residential single family home Inventory in Anacortes continues to climb and is at its highest level in the last five years, we are up 19.7% from a year ago. The good news is Pendings are also up to the tune of 30% over a year ago, this represents the highest number of Pendings since August of 2008. Number of Solds is down a bit, and this can be attributed in part to the number of Short Sale properties that typically have much longer closing timeframes. Of the 38 single family homes pending right now, 6 are short sales. The average price per square foot had dropped continuously over the past year, due in part to the higher percentage of starter homes selling. Days On Market, which is the average number of days it takes to get a contract on a home was at 149 days in May. Another good sign is that the average price for sale is dropping while the average price sold is rising, narrowing this gap is important as we line up Sellers expectations with Buyers price tolerance. Months of Inventory based on pending sales is dropping from a high of 27.6 down to 12.2 in May.

Condo Inventory is also high, but down a bit from last summer and even down from early ’09. Pendings are up, and average price per square foot remains relatively high at $262 per square foot. Percentage of Sales Price to List Price is in the low 80’s signaling a need for Sellers to get more realistic in pricing and Days On Market is 200 +. Months of Inventory is 17.4 based on Pending Sales and 43.5 based on Closed Sales.

Land Inventory is extremely high, and isn’t moving. We have 183 months, or 15 YEARS of inventory. This number drops to 91.5 months based on Pending Sales because we put 2 pieces under contract in May, but in general Inventory is high, Pendings are low; Sellers really need to price aggressively if they need to sell their land.

So while Anacortes and Skagit County are not doing as well as most of Washington, this is just our typical lag behind the other markets and I expect us to be in the same boat within a few months. This signals to me, that the time to buy is now as prices will start to stabilize and actually appreciate, and inventory will drop removing choices and bargaining power.

Uncategorized • May 20, 2009

Farmers Market Has Opened!

by Nate Scott

T he Anacortes farmer’s Market opened the season last Saturday, May 16th at 9 am, there was a full contingent of booths offering fresh locally grown produce as well as some awesome local arts and crafts. Running thru the 2nd Saturday in October, the farmer’s market is an opportunity to taste, smell and see the bounty of the Skagit Valley. Enjoy local baked goods, artesian cheese, seafood as fresh as it gets and the beauty of a fresh bouquet among other surprises at the market. Located at the Depot Arts Center, just 2 blocks East of Commercial Avenue alongside the historic Preston boat. This Saturday is also the first day of the Anacortes Waterfront Festival ~ breakfast at the market, local bounty for a wonderful dinner and a day at the festival, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Uncategorized • May 13, 2009

Anacortes Waterfront Festival This Weekend!

by Nate Scott

C oast In and Hang Out at the Anacortes Waterfront Festival this weekend, located at Cap Sante Marina in downtown Anacortes. The festival has everything from boat building for kids, to boat rides for adults and everything waterfront related in between. With tons of vendors selling their boating and waterfront related merchandise, entertainment hourly and events galore; this is truly a great waterfront experience in a fantastic setting. While you’re there, just down the street is the opening day of the Anacortes Farmers Market!

Uncategorized • May 6, 2009

Trawler Fest Returns to Anacortes!

by Nate Scott

A nacortes is thrilled to host the 2009 Trawler Fest, presented by PassageMaker Magazine. May 7-9, 10am to 5 pm at Cap Sante Boat Haven. If you are a boat lover you won’t be able to miss the big white top at the Marina full of vendors & instructional opportunities. Walk the floating boat show around the marina docks and take in the sights and sounds of the boating lifestyle.

finance • Uncategorized • April 28, 2009

Tax Credit Advance Loan Program

by Nate Scott

G reat news coming out of Olympia! Washington Realtors is in the process of teaming up with the Washington State Office of the Treasurer, Housing Finance Commission, and a yet to be selected financial institution to create an easy way for first time homebuyers to borrow the up to $8,000 Federal tax credit to help with down payments.

You see about 50% of qualified buyers, with good credit and jobs are unable to buy and take advantage of the tax credit because they lack down payment. This loan program will give buyers their credit before its due in the form of a short term loan, so that they can close on a home. Then once the new homeowner files their taxes, the IRS will pay back the loan from the homeowner’s tax credit proceeds. This is a win, and a first in our Nation.

The house bill authorizing the $25 million in funds for this has passed the House and the Senate and now awaits the Governors signature which is expected within a week. Once that has happened it should take about 30 – 45 days to implement the program and have funds available to first time homebuyers. Washington Realtors will be depositing $400,000 in the selected financial institution to provide security ageist loans. We are actively putting our money at risk to help first time homeowners take advantage of this tax credit and give a little boost to our housing market. Love seeing WR lead the way!

Uncategorized • April 8, 2009

Anacortes Spring Wine Festival Update

by Nate Scott

T his Saturday April 11 from noon to 6:00 At the Port building at north end of Commercial Avenue the following 24 wineries will be pouring: Andrew Will, Challenger Ridge, Chinook, Cuillin Hills, Delille, Des Voignes, Gorman, Hightower, JM Cellars, Lopez Island Vineyard, Mark Ryan, Mt Baker Vineyards, OS Winery, Ross Andrew, Rulo, San Juan vineyards, Sheridan, Sleight of Hand, Stevens, Tasawik, Walla Walla Vintners, Whidbey Island Winery, Woodinville Wine Cellars, Woodward Canyon.

The following restaurants will have all sorts of tasty treats to sample: Adrift, Bellissima Trattoria, Cameron’s Living Room Dining, Deception Café and Grill, Randy’s Pier 61 and Star Bar

This an Anacortes Chamber of Commerce event.

Tickets are $30 and may be purchased via cash or check from Compass Wines and all of the restaurants listed above. You can also purchase them directly through the

Anacortes Chamber of Commerce at 360-293-7911 with your credit card.

The following restaurants in town are holding winemaker dinners the evening of the event paired with the following wineries. I will be posting menus as they are passed on to me.

Please contact the restaurants directly for more details and reservations.

Deception Café and Grill 360 293-9250 7:00 pm

Delille Cellars, and Doyenne

Woodinville Wine Cellars

Whidbey Island Winery

Mixed Greens with roasted beets and Gorgonzola

Moroccan chick pea soup

Braised lamb shank with rosemary, asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes and mango chutney

White chocolate crème brulee with raspberry linzer cookie

$80 per couple

Bellissima Trattoria 360 293-1362 7:00 pm

Reservations required

Sleight of Hand

Mark Ryan

Gorman

Tuna, Asparagus, and New Potato Salad with Chive Vinaigrette and Fried Capers

Antipasti Platter with a Selection of Olives, Cheeses and Meats

Sausage & Broccoli Rabe Torta

Lamb or Beef Osso Bucco served on a bed of Saffron Risotto Milanese

Lemon Sorbet or Tiramisu

$60.00 per person

Adrift 360 588-0653

Chinook

JM Cellars

Hightower

Il Posto Ristorante 360 293-7600

Walla Walla Vintners

Tasawik

Challenger Ridge

For lodging information contact

The Ship Harbor Inn 360 293-5177

market trends • Uncategorized • March 26, 2009

Ripple Effect?

by Nate Scott

t’s not unusual to hear people ask about the market in California because the perception is that how California fares, so does the Northwest. To some degree that’s true, we historically have a fair number of transplants from California to our area, specifically here to Anacortes, so we do feel some ripple effect from California. I have no real data on the numbers; just know it to be true from experience and watching our ebb and flow over the years. So it is good news for many reasons, including our selfish ones of wanting life to creep back towards normalcy up here in Anacortes that I read the sales pace of previously owned homes jumped a whopping 83% this February over last February! That’s huge! Now, the other part of the news is that the median price dropped 40.8%, but guess what – they had unrealistic gains to begin with. We’ve not had anything near the appreciation (or false appreciation) that California had, so we should not see that type of drop in value. Three more important statistics from California that help paint a picture of housing recovery. The median price this February versus last dropped from $418,260 to $247,590; folks are getting realistic about selling prices. The unsold inventory of resale homes hit 6.5 months in February, down from 15.3 months a year ago. Six months is considered a healthy market! And the average time it took a home to sell dropped from 69 days to 51 days. All of these are great indicators for California, which if they hold true for more that just February, they will also be great indicators for Oregon, Washington, and on down the line.

Uncategorized • March 25, 2009

Keep That Home Even If You Lose your Job!?

by Nate Scott

H ere is an interesting offer being put forth by a local condo developer; buy his condo and if you lose your job, he’ll pay your mortgage! Well, the small print states only for six months, and only up to $2,500 a month, but heck -that’s a creative way to get past job securtiy fears and maybe move a condo or two! Here is the article from King 5.