NCW Real Estate Blog

From the PUD today:

Following more discussion on the policy allowing permits for private docks over PUD-owned land on Lake Chelan and the Rocky Reach Reservoir, commissioners asked staff to present a final proposal for a decision on May 12.  The policies discussed Monday are available here and are worth a look.

Commissioners reviewed options from staff and listened to comments from five community members on Monday. They also agreed to exempt the Water Street area in Chelan from the policy until the city determines its interest in a possible “micro” park there.

Commissioners asked staff to prepare a resolution that [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest, Land Use, Local by Al Lorenz
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A reader sent in this question:

In the Sunday Seattle Times there is an article about a new law starting June 12, requiring professional condo Reserve Analysis.  You can check out the article here.

This statute was news to me, and I assume most condo associations have no idea about this new requirement.  Lenders are probably going to want to know about your reserve analysis (or lack thereof) when a sale or refinance occurs [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest by Al Lorenz
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Open House Meeting #1

June 3, 2008 5-7 p.m. (3:30 setup) at the Confluence Technology Center 285 Technology Center Way, Wenatchee.  The meeting is to Introduce the public to the update process for the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan, describe current conditions, and solicit input on issue and potential improvements.

There will be a brief presentation at 6:00 p.m. and stations with hosts, displays and flip charts for comments.  There will be a rating system to identify [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest, Local by Al Lorenz
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Yesterday the members’s meeting was held for the Chiwawa Community Association.  It was a well attended meeting with over 65 voting members.  I estimate about 100 people were in attendance.

Topics included voting on an amendment to the protective covenants, an update on the water system, a presentation from the Leavenworth hospital on ambulance and construction, election of board of trustee members, and other new business.

First, there was an amendment to the Protective Covenants that would change the covenants to allow low-impact service oriented businesses and clarified that residences could not be rented for terms less than 6 months.  The vote in favor was [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest, Local by Al Lorenz
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I attended the Affordable Housing Symposium hosted by the City of Wenatchee yesterday afternoon.  As I suspected, the “Independent” recommendations were anything but.

I was actually pretty favorably impressed with the consultant, David Rosen, of DPR Associates.  They took census data from 2000 and Office of Financial Management data from as recently as 2006 and 2007 and did a thorough statistical analysis of the housing situation in Wenatchee.  They are also very knowledgeable of housing trusts, housing authorities and the taxes and regulation that can be used to support such ventures.  They are experts and have facilitated $7 billion of affordable housing.

However, the consultant was chosen by a group made of representatives from the Planning Department, Housing Authority and the NW Justice group.  These groups stand to gain from [Read more →]

Tags: Uncategorized by Al Lorenz
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That’s right, I don’t want to hear any complaints about traffic in two or three years if you don’t at least get involved in the County Comprehensive Plan - Transporation Element and County Wide Transportation Plan Update that is ongoing starting about now.  A public meeting is scheduled for May 28th, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at a location yet to be announced.

Here is your chance to have your say.  Worried about Highway 150 to Manson?  You better get involved!  Union Valley Road, the Chiwawa Loop Road or [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest, Local by Al Lorenz
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The “Snapshot” from Pacific Appraisal Associates for March is out. It shows a softening market in sales volume in both the Wenatchee multiple (down 10% in $) and the Wenatchee Market (down 24% in $). The number of homes sold is down 19% year to date in the Wenatchee multiple and 28% in the Wenatchee market.

But, for the good news, average home sales price year to date is still up 11% in the multiple and median price is still up by 10%. In the Wenatchee market area, both median and average price are [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest, Local, Marketing by Al Lorenz
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I met with Ron Tate and Mary Pat Scofield at Bear Mountain Ranch this week. I knew that Bear Mountain Ranch is a beautiful project, but felt remiss in that I really didn’t know what was happening up there these days. So, I went to find out.

What I saw is that I really had no idea how much the Bear Mountain Ranch project entails. I learned a bunch. 

This year will mark the first year that they have offered the Private Residence Club at Bear Mountain Ranch. This is a fractional ownership opportunity for 1/8 share (6 weeks per year) in 2-story single-family style homes. This is a deeded equity ownership that allows the flexibility of scheduling any of the homes in the Club and use of the amenities of the resort development.

Also new this year is the Beach Club [Read more →]

Tags: Construction, General Interest, Local, Marketing by Al Lorenz
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In an April 4 press release, the NWMLS reported price stability in the market with an uptick in the median price in March. According to NWMLS data, the price correction in the market is old news and happened in August and September of 2007 in King County.

Having energy back in the King County market usually means there will be energy in the Chelan area market. Share your thoughts in the comments!

Here is the first part of the press release, before the county by county information:

KIRKLAND, Wash. (April 4, 2008) – Stable housing prices and strong real estate fundamentals are creating an attractive market for buyers, according to officials from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. Commenting on just-released figures for activity for the month of March, MLS director Matt Deasy noted prices have been stable for six months and conditions have changed to a buyer’s market. [Read more →]

Tags: General Interest, Marketing by Al Lorenz
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Here’s a link to an article from MSN with some pretty good information on the topic. It talks about a couple of studies, one from California and one from Bellingham, on the relative value of views. It’s a pretty good read! One of the more interesting things to me is that there is this gentleman in California who makes his living simply by pricing views for developers. Does that make him a “Viewpraisor,” a Viewologist or…

Tags: General Interest, Marketing by Al Lorenz
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