Bainbridge Home Sales: Fourth Quarter Report

Fourth Quarter 2010

The fourth quarter of 2010 did not compare well with 2009. Fewer transactions, slower time to close, a ten percent drop in average sales price. 

We do not expect this decline in sales to continue long. As interest rates start to climb (this climb is inevitable), buyers will decide to get off the fence and begin making offers. 

If you are a buyer, now is the time. If you are a seller, be patient.

As of this post, there are 161 single family residences on the market, ranging in list price from $69,000 to $4.25 million. The average list price is $863,210. 

If you'd like the selling details of the home that closed in your neighborhood, send me an email. I'll be happy to send them to you.

Last-minute Christmas gifts

I always stress out at Christmas (and so do you!). I can still remember wandering around Queen Anne Avenue the day before Christmas trying to find something affordable, usually for my father. He always got a bottle of Mennen After Shave or Old Spice, which he always opened with a shouted "Just what I needed!". I think he had a pretty large collection over the years.

Sure wish I'd had the following list then. But then Mennen might have gone out of business.

I hope one of these eases the last-minute stress for you.  Merry Christmas!

1. Gourmet coffees with a personal coffee cup
2. Pound of pistachios
3. Child's artwork, framed
4. Journal with special inscription inside
5. Teacup with box of herbal tea
6. Deck of cards and book of card game rules
7. Homemade cocoa mix in a pretty jar
8. Collage of special photos
9. Gel pens and pretty stationary
10. Bottle of sparkling cider
11. Home baked bread, include recipe
12. Disposable camera or rolls of film
13. Basket filled with deli cheese and fruit
14. Craft supplies
15. Holiday serving bowl or platter
16. Pretty basket filled with special jams or mustards
17. Decorative napkins and napkin rings
18. Fancy chocolate bars tied with a ribbon
19. Gardening gloves with a plant or flower seeds
20. Photo album, hand decorated is even better
21. Makeup tote
22. Prepaid photo developing envelopes
23. Homemade cookie mix with instructions for baking
24. Variety of bread mixes
25. Special coffee cup filled with candy
26. Fancy magazines tied together with a pretty ribbon
27. Gourmet popcorn and flavored oil
28. Locally made barbecue or steak sauce with basting brush
29. Pancake or waffle mix and a bottle of real maple syrup
30. Movie theater gift certificates
31. Board games
32. Jar of sourwood or pure honey with biscuit mix
33. Note cards and book of stamps
34. Picture frames, buy them on sale!
35. Specialty cookbook
36. Pretty glass jar filled with candy
37. Collectible sports cards
38. Muffin mixes with muffin pan
39. Books, there are still a few for under $10
40. Set of dish towels and dish cloths
41. Nail polish kit
42. Night shirt
43. Basket filled with kitchen gadgets
44. Netflix gift certificate
45. Pepper mill and fresh peppercorns
46. Handwritten copies of your favorite recipes
47. For the pets, gourmet dog biscuits or cat treats
48. Baking pans and supplies
49. Prepaid long distance phone cards
50. Small clock or radio
51. Pretty box for keepsakes
52. Colorful Post-It notepads
53. Address book
54. Christmas ornaments
55. Puzzles
56. Blank RW CDs
57. Sewing supplies
58. Flashlight with batteries
59. Favorite quote embroidered on a nice handkerchief
60. Makeup brush set
61. Expensive socks, still under $10
62. Special soaps and bath puff
63. Home baked cookies

 And, of course, a bottle of Old Spice. 

Still a buyer's market in Bainbridge

 Closed Transactions Month of November

Only eleven percent fewer closings last month than there were last year during the same time period.  This is an improvement over October's figures.

Transactions closed much faster.  The average selling price was down by twenty-seven percent.   Sellers are pricing their homes much more realistically.

Inventory on Bainbridge is still good.  It's still a buyer's market.

If you would like details of the home that closed in your neighborhood, call or email me.

You think The Ancients aren't worth listening to?

"Ancients" are anyone older than I am. If you're one of those, you have my respect. 

Thanks, Marijane Milton, for introducing me to Miss Pixie, a self-confessed "blue-hair" who has the guts to tell the truth about what goes on in Bainbridge Island!

And we might take a minute to think about our own guts--are we on the right track or not?

Bainbridge Market Report: slow, low for month of October

 Closed Transactions Month of October

Forty-three percent fewer closings this October than last year.

Transactions closed faster but the average selling price down by twenty-eight percent. 

Inventory on Bainbridge is still good. It's still a buyer's market

If you would like details of the home that closed in your neighborhood, call or email me.

Bainbridge market up 1/3 over the first three quarters!

Through the first three quarters of the year, the Bainbridge housing market appears to be recovering. This is good news for sellers, and still good news for buyers.\

The number of closed transactions increased by nearly one third. The average sales price dropped slightly, but far less than the national average (remember real estate is local).

If you are interested in the details of the home that closed in your neighborhood, just email and they're yours.