real: Got Broadband: Options in the Lake Chelan Valley - 05/26/10 01:49 PM
Sure, there is fiber, DSL, satellite, cable and even cellular broadband service available in the Lake Chelan Valley. Even so, I had a question over the internet this weekend from a person who wanted to live in the area in a spot that wasn't served by fiber, DSL or cable. Cellular and satellite were too slow for what they needed. They wanted to know if there were any other options.
There is another option! Rabbit Meadows Technology offers a wi-fi style of broadband that is available in many areas around Lake Chelan. It is offered in many places without fiber, cable … (1 comments)

real: Remember the real estate market in 2006 and 2007? Lake Chelan's real estate market is very close to those days - 05/26/10 01:47 PM
That's right. Everyone thought it was booming in 2006 and 2007. So far this year, sales are very much like those years. The Lake Chelan Residential Real Estate Sales Summary is out through April and it has historical information back to 2005. Check it out. The nice thing about the current market is that there is actually inventory available for interested buyers. That's a big difference from the "boom" years. The market is also much more balanced between buyers and sellers. Look at the numbers for April: April 2010 had 13 residential sales compared to 5 in 2009. The average sale … (2 comments)

real: Bargains for Developers, but will they bite? - 05/26/10 01:42 PM
A good measure of the strength of the real estate market is when people become comfortable investing in it again. I don't mean investing in forclosed homes on hopes of flipping them on an upswing, but investing in new projects that bring new homes and properties onto the market. When that market stabilizes, the real estate market will have recovered. There are enticing properties out there for investors. I wrote about Saska Hills where an investor can have finished, fully serviced city lots for around $42 thousand per lot. That is pricing that wasn't heard of a few years ago and … (0 comments)

real: Finding a good contractor at Lake Chelan - 05/26/10 01:38 PM
I have clients who ask me how they can find a good contractor in the Lake Chelan area. There are resources for those of you who wish to do your research. The North Central Home Builders Association is a good place to start. They even have a consumer resources page that assists folks in finding builders, re modelers and financing for their projects.
Another good thing to do is to talk to people! In the current market, many builders have time available in their schedules. That has not always been the case. Some contractors haven’t been able to keep their crews … (0 comments)

real: Making Hay in Real Estate during winter clouds at Lake Chelan! - 01/22/10 05:23 PM
While the real estate market at Lake Chelan is getting warmer, there are still outside influences that can impact us.  Actually, with so much of our market driven by outside buyers, we are beholden to what is happening in the world around us when it comes to Lake Chelan Real Estate.
If you have business to get done in real estate, buying or selling your Lake Chelan home or property, I think now is a good time to get it done.  If you check the history of this blog you will see that is not a statement I make lightly.  Also, when … (0 comments)

real: Lake Chelan Commercial Real Estate Sales for 2009 - 01/22/10 05:21 PM
Here are the sales of Lake Chelan commercial real estate for 2009.  There were two sales on the MLS in the Lake Chelan area:

116 E. JohnsonChelan, WA
A multi-tenant retail facility of about 1780 square feet on a .10 acre lot.Sales Price:   $267,000Original Price: $359,000Days on Market: 370

229 E. Woodin AvenueChelan, WA
Restaurant space formally called the Bonfire Grill.  This was a bank owned sale of the property on .19 acres in Chelan's Historic Downtown district.Sales Price: $355,000Original Price: $399,000Days on Market: 66
As far as 2009 commercial sales at Lake Chelan that are on the MLS, … (0 comments)

real: Want to know when the real estate market at Lake Chelan bottomed out? - 01/22/10 05:17 PM
I can tell you now.  The bottom of the real estate market was almost exactly one year ago at Lake Chelan.  Sales at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 were the worst in a long time.  Since then, we have had two quarters of stronger sales.   Check it out on my Lake Chelan Real Estate Residential Sales Report.
Will prices start to climb?  Might we have another dip in housing?  The answer to all of those question is that anything is possible.  But, inventory of homes is still good for buyers with a great selection of homes.  Prices are … (0 comments)

real: A Coffee Table Book for the Antoine Creek Ranch! - 01/06/10 12:45 PM

One of the outstanding strategies I use when selling a home is to make a coffee table book of the home. A home has to be very unique, very stately or very luxurious to pull off a coffee table book, so we can't do this with every home we sell. But, where we can, the coffee table book works wonders.
By building a custom coffee table book for your home, and by leaving it open on the coffee table, right by the sofa in your carefully-staged living room, I am inducing the buyers to sit down. I want them to … (0 comments)

real: The Real Estate market at Lake Chelan is UP! Check out the 2009 Market Report! - 01/06/10 12:30 PM

We're past the bottom of the real estate slump at Lake Chelan.  The bottom was just about one year ago!  The last two quarters of 2008 and the first two quarters of 2009 were pretty dismal, making the mid point of all that last New Years!  Check out the Lake Chelan Real Estate Residential Sales Summary for 2009!
But, the 3rd and 4th quarters have been a big improvement.  December was 3 to 8 times December 2008, by transaction volume and dollar volume.  Waterfront home sales in 2009 were double that of 2008, but the average price fell from over $1.6 … (0 comments)

real: How Automated Software can be used to help Market your Lake Chelan Home or Real Estate - 12/10/09 05:47 PM
I make a dedicated web page for each of my listings.  The web site includes a photo gallery from the dozens or hundreds of photos we take about a home.  It includes the story, illustrated with pictures, of the experience of your property. We also make every document we can obtain about the property available as a .pdf file on that web site including: comparables, pre-sale inspection reports, the MLS listing itself, appraisal, and a property disclosure statement when available.  The web site is designed to take the interested buyer and immerse them in your house.   If a potential buyer invests hours going through all the information on your house, that … (1 comments)

real: See Chelan’s Downtown Master Plan! - 12/10/09 05:45 PM
The City of Chelan Planning Commission meets December 16th.  The scheduled agenda items include a presentation of the City of Chelan Draft Downtown Master Plan prepared by the consultants, Makers.
When: at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16th, 2009.
Location: City Hall Council Chambers, 135 E. Johnson Avenue.
For additional information, please contact the City of Chelan Office of Community Development at 682-8017.
… (0 comments)

real: Bears, Oh My! At Lake Chelan by Antoine Creek - 12/10/09 05:42 PM

Here are pictures of bears, black and brown bears, going about their business at the Antoine Creek Ranch at Lake Chelan, Washington. This video is shot in the western meadow of this beautiful private retreat that is teaming with wildlife. Recreation abounds with skiing, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, hiking and all the fun of Lake Chelan. Check out the bears, horses, and more at http://www.antoinecreekranch.com
… (1 comments)

real: More Lake Chelan Homes sold by the end of November than all of last year! - 12/10/09 05:40 PM
That's right, the latest Lake Chelan Real Estate Residential Sales Summary is out!  It shows that 112 homes have been sold through the end of November as compared to 108 homes for all of last year.  Average sale price is down a bit though, with the average dropping to $410,905 from $457,691 in 2008. 
In November, there were 10 sales closed this year compared to only 2 in 2008!  One Lake Chelan waterfront home sold in November.   The number of homes sold for the 3rd and 4th quarters of this year exceed 2008 even though we can't include December in the data yet!  … (0 comments)

real: Experts Agree Local Information Most Meaningful - 12/10/09 05:39 PM
To predict what is happening and when might be the best time to buy or sell in your home or property, you need good information.  What you see in news reports and in the papers are reports that are usually done on national real estate trends and may have little bearing on what is happening in your neighborhood.
Pundits love to make predictions as to when U.S. home prices will stabilize. But even well-respected forecasters and analysts may disagree, and even if a forecast proves true nationally, your local market may behave in a wildly different way.  - When will your … (1 comments)

real: Using YouTube to catch Home Burglars! - 12/10/09 05:37 PM
Technology for protecting your home and its contents has come a long ways.  Today, you can buy a kit to install an alarm on your home for a few hundred dollars.  For a few hundred more, you can buy everything you need to install your own video monitoring system.
And then what?  Some Atlanta homeowners used their video system and YouTube to catch the theives that robbed their home.  They helped to break up a ring that lead to 6 arrests!  Cool! 
A pair of Atlanta home owners took home surveillance video of their homes being burglarized and posted them to … (1 comments)

real: Using a Coffee Table book to Help Sell your Lake Chelan Home! - 12/10/09 05:35 PM

One of the outstanding strategies I use when selling a home is to make a coffee table book of the home. A home has to be very unique, very stately or very luxurious to pull off a coffee table book, so we can't do this with every home we sell. But, where we can, the coffee table book works wonders.
By building a custom coffee table book for your home, and by leaving it open on the coffee table, right by the sofa in your carefully-staged living room, I am inducing the buyers to sit down. I want them to … (0 comments)

real: Lake Chelan Residential Sales on their way UP! - 10/22/09 03:22 PM
For the third quarter, 52 homes were sold in the Lake Chelan area as compared with 35 in 2008.  That is still well below the levels of 2005 to 2007 which were all around 75 transactions for the third quarter.  But, things really ground to a halt in the fall of 2008 so I will go out on a limb and say I expect the fourth quarter this year will be stronger than last year's. 
Have a look at the Lake Chelan Real Estate Residential Sales Summary.  In it you can see that the 4th quarter of last year was the worst … (0 comments)

real: Property Rights, freedom and local government - 09/11/09 02:20 PM
Consider these words:
Help Americans understand that the first and best defense of their liberty is not free speech, a free press or free access to weapons, but, rather, the freedom to buy, sell, own, use, enjoy and profit from the land we live on. - Greg Swan
It is not that those other freedoms aren't important, but they pale in comparison to the power that individuals have when they have unfettered property rights.
I attend a slew of local meetings on comprehensive plans, zoning and property issues.  I continue to be amazed at how citizens and officials in an area … (0 comments)

real: The “End of Summer Sale” is on for real estate at Lake Chelan! - 09/11/09 02:17 PM
As we pass the middle of August and we start to worry about getting kids ready for school, those who were hoping to sell their homes and properties in the Lake Chelan area know it won't be long before buying activity wanes to winter lows.
So, what do they do?  It becomes "End of Summer Sale" time in Chelan!  There are fewer and fewer new listings and more and more price reductions.  There have been 148 price reductions in the last 30 days on the Chelan MLS and only 48 closed sales.  Even the properties that don't reduce their list price … (0 comments)

real: Does your Lake Chelan home really have to be “a bargain” to sell? - 08/17/09 05:30 PM
According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, yes!  Particularly if your home is a higher priced home.  This is not a local phenomenon, as home buyers all over the country aren't touching homes for sale unless they are perceived as a bargain.
A new report Friday shows that some sellers are getting that memo, albeit belatedly. Nearly one in four home sellers has dropped the asking price on their home, with an average price chop of 10% in July, according to real-estate Web site Trulia.com. More than one third of sellers reduced their asking prices in the top three … (0 comments)

 
Al_outside

Al Lorenz

Chelan, WA

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Criterion Properties

Address: PO Box 2988, Chelan, WA, 98816

Office Phone: (509) 630-6769

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Happenings in North Central Washington including Wenatchee, Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Manson.


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