Puyallup Real Estate Market Update 7/14/08-7/21/08

The third week of July in the Puyallup Real Estate market can be marked by steady consistency. Pending sales rose for the third consecutive week, which is a sign more buyers are out there and more are making offers on homes.

Sold listings remained the same from week 2 to week 3 of July in Puyallup. More homes were on the market in Week 3 of July as well. With more homes on the market and the same number of solds, it appears the Puyallup real estate market is moving slightly in the buyers direction this week. The increase in pending sales is off-set by the increase in active listings.

Homes priced in the $200,000 - $260,000 range reported the most solds and the most pendings in week 3. The highest price sale this week was $415,000.

When searching for homes and/or looking to sell your home, be sure to choose a REALTOR you trust to know the market. Thousands of dollars can be gained or lost based on market conditions in your area.

Feature Blog Artist - Trey Affolter

This week I have found Trey Affolter's blog to be an inspiration due to it's content and the way he has taken on producing quality posts in such a short time on Active Rain.

Trey has a cool logo too!

Not only is Trey a great agent, but the volunteer work he does at the Boy's and Girl's club of Tacoma provides hope to some of the neediest kids in the area.

One way Trey provides hope is through his feature of  Lexi Bonner in Realtors, Family & Friends support 2 yr old Lexi Bonner & her Battle.

Take a look at some other great posts by Trey like

McChord Air Expo 2008 feat. the Thunderbirds - Tacoma, WA

American Lake - Tacoma, WA (Pierce County) Recreation, Beauty & Homes

 The Open Championship - 2008, Share your thoughts???  

Widgets can Jazz up your message!

Congratulations, Trey! You are the featured Blog Artist of the Week! Thank you for providing great information, pictures, and links.

Goals Make a Difference

Soccer is a sport that really relates well to life. Teams spend most of the game working the ball to score a goal and rarely actually score.

Goals in life are much the same. We seem to start each year with a "New Year's Resolution" or at the very least set a goal in our mind to have a better year and rarely see the goal to completion.

In soccer, teams set up a game plan to beat the defenders, but so often get denied by the defense, goalkeeper, or their own mistakes. Much like in life, where we set up a plan of action, but busy schedules, poor attitudes, or our own lack of persistance thwarts our plans to reach the goal.

I could go on an on, but I'm sure you can add your own comparisons for all of us to see.

The point here, is that today I reached a blogging goal that started two months ago and was set for July 15, 2008. My goal was to be the number 1 featured agent in Puyallup by this date, and with this post I have accomplished my goal.

Another part of my goal was to make my posts worthy of being read, not just a post for points, but to actually have something worth saying. So, I started the group, Active Rain Running Challenge and with Matt Thomson's support, have been able to workout 3 times a week for at least 20 minutes each while helping encourage others to join the group and do the same.

The next part of my goal was to comment on others posts twice as much as I write my own posts. Yesterday, I reached 200 comments on other's peoples blogs and this post is number 97 for me. I believe when you give to others you will receive in return.

To this date, I have yet to receive a referral or client from my blogging, but I have been able to refer out two buyers to other agents I met on Active Rain, and I'm grateful to have met these two agents, along with so many others. I've yet to receive a referral or client from blogging, but I believe that day will come. 

Heck, I have a long way to go to match Lanre Folayan, who has 75,000 points and still no referrals. Keep on blogging, Lanre, you are an inspiration to me.

All this to say, set a goal and be consistent in your pursuit of it. There are many times I wanted to give up and some days, those nasty defenders got in my way and I just didn't blog. Still, through some creative offensive attacks (inviting others to join the rain) and writing even when it hurt, I feel great to reach the goal I set out to achieve.

Thank you, Active Rainers!

Response to Referrals

A day ago I posted a blog looking for an agent in Spokane who could care for my buyer looking to move to the area immediately. At the same time, I put the referral on Active Rain's referral network. You know the tab at the top of the page between Search and Q&A?

There was quite a response! Then came the decision on how to choose. I didn't have time to interview all the agents and each one seemed to have something that stuck out as unique to that agent.

So, first of all I want to thank all those who responded to my request on the AR referral post. The agent I decided to go with replied with a comment on my blog post, emailed me, and called and left a message on my voicemail. Being that I was in a class all day, the voice mail was the first response I received.

The agent left a messge that allowed me to know a bit about him and his way of doing business. I especially liked that he had a shared foundation of beliefs, is a top blogger on AR, and is up on the technology that will help my buyer. Also, he is willing to team with me on some business he has coming to my side of the mountains in the future.  

So many factors play into making a decision on where to send a trusted referral, but I think the response from Ross made the difference. He briefly told me what he offers and was willing to work with my requests. By doing so, I reduced the referral fee I originally requested and look forward to see how this pans out.

For all those others who responded, "Thank you so much." I think any one of you would have been a terrific choice for my referral and who knows, maybe I'll send someone your way in the future.

In the end, I am so thankful for Active Rain and the ability to network with agents around the country.

Spokane Real Estate Agent Needed

I love Spokane! It is my home town and I visit every year for Hoopfest. This year was no exception. You can see the fun we had this year in the posts Spokane Hoopfest Day 1 and Spokane Hoopfest Day 2. Yes, we actually made it to the second day!

All that to say, I am a Spokane native and love my hometown, but am currently in Puyallup with my family working at Keller Williams Realty. Often times I have people in the Spokane area that are in need of real estate services and I am looking for someone to team with in Spokane to trade referrals.

Currently, I have one client heading that direction and there is a possibility for more business, maybe even a couple listings.

Do you know a great agent in Spokane that can handle quality clients that are referred to them? Is there an agent willing to refer back to the West Side when clients move this direction?

Please let me know via email at bsolinsky@kw.com

Thank you Spokane!

Puyallup Real Estate Update 7/7/08 - 7/14/08

Puyallup residential real estate pending sales were up from the previous week, which is a sign the real estate market in Puyallup is making the turn towards a sellers market, however it has a long climb to get there.

Buyers still have a significant advantage when purchasing in Puyallup. Oftentimes, sellers are paying the closing costs for buyers as an incentive to get a buyer to make the purchase. Some sellers are even providing downpayment assistance, in an FHA program such as Nehemiah or the Grant America Program. Several other grant programs are FHA and HUD approved and can be found on the FHA Grant website.

Many buyers are finding homes that are bank owned or in pre-foreclosure. These properties can typically be purchased for under market value as banks are trying to rid themselves of holding these properties and owners are trying to save their credit by selling before a foreclosure.

When looking to purchase these properties, buyers must be aware there are some risks involved. Banks usually have their own set of documents or addendums that the buyer must sign in order to purchase. In most cases, the bank documents weigh heavy on the side of protecting the bank in the transaction. When looking to purchase a short sale property, Washington State buyers need to be aware of the new Distressed Property Law that went into effect on June 12, 2008.

Generally, in Puyallup the real estate market is steady and showing signs of improvement. Talk to a real estate professional for more details about specific neighborhoods within Puyallup. Brian Solinsky studies Puyallup neighborhoods to know what is available and can help on pricing. Whether you are buying or selling in Puyallup, the Solinsky Home Team is a great place to start.

Hands Free Driving - Watch this video and laugh

This new Hands Free Driving law has got me all worked up. So hard to remember my keys and wallet, let alone my cell phone and now my bluetooth.

Last week I wrote a blog on the new LAW - Hands Free Driving, but I gotta hand it to Trey Affolter who posted a blog titled, Pssst...Hands-Free Law now in effect. In it, there is a link to this You Tube video that you just gotta see.

Video - Click Here!

I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt and just had to share with my readers too. Thank you, Trey for the laughs.

Drive safe!

Pit Stop - Featured Business (Puyallup)

Looking for convenience on Puyallup's South Hill could not be easier than a quick drive into Pit Stop Express.

Located just off the freeway on South Hill Park drive, next to Bethany Baptist Church, Dennys, and Holiday Inn Express.

Directions Pit Stop.

When you pull into the parking lot you will find lots of other people like to use the convenience of this location as well.

Surprisingly, service is quick and easy as should be expected at a Pit Stop. They want to get you back on the road as quickly as possible.

Drive right up to the front door and run inside to grab a Red Bull,

fill up a fountain soda, or use the restroom (always kept clean).

As you can see the car wash service is touch free. No bristles touching your car to make those nasty scratches you can never get out.

You can pay at the Car Wash entrance or get your receipt inside after pumping gas.

My favorite Car Wash day is Monday, because it is manager special day when you can get the Night On the Town, full-service wash, for just $9,99.

With Night on the Town you get wax and tire buffing along with a great wash.

On days other than Monday you can still find terrific service with reasonable prices on the car wash of your choice.

A typical car wash takes about 10 minutes. Be sure to ask for a dash towel too.

Pit Stop is the place I like to go for convenience when I am in a hurry. It doesn't take long to drop by and fill up my drink (pop refills are only 97 cents). Others enjoy the Bigfoot Java and the Subway that are in the same location.

If you live in Puyallup or are just driving through, make Pit Stop the place to take a break, fill up the tank, and then get back on the road.  

For current Puyallup weather and other places of interest in Puyallup, click here.

Brought to you by the Solinsky Home Team.

Fannie and Freddie Takeover?

News on Friday, July 11th, shows once again the volitility of our market. Fannie and Freddie are in trouble and facing the possible need for further government assistance.

If you are in the real estate business you need to be aware of what is happening with Freddie and Fannie. I don't completely understand it, but it helped to read this article, "Economic Storm Brews as Fannie, Freddie pushed to the brink" by Rob Lever.

 Weigh-in with your thoughts on the situation with Freddie and Fannie. What do you see as a solution?

Is a government take over the best scenario for our nation?

Have we hit bottom or is there more fallout in our future?

I want to read about something positive that will come out of all this.

Help with Images?

So much to do and so little time. For weeks I've been wanting to know how to get my text around my images on my blogs. I seem to always type about the image, then insert it.

and I want to have my text wrap around my image like everyone else. Please help? Point me in the right direction.

Also, how do I change font, font size, and font color - why aren't those options at the top. Bold, Italic, and underline are great, but I know there must be a way to add some FLAIR to my text without capitalization.

Please help, again?

Sincerely,