Seattle Public Utility Bills to See an Increase in Rates

Seattle Public Utilities has issued a statement indicating they will need to raise rates nearly 30% over the next 6 years for residential garbage, sewer, water, and storm water collection to keep up with current service demands. According to the Seattle Times, the average bimonthly bill will increase $16 each year, and SPU wants to hear from the public on the issue, and will be holding public meetings beginning next month to seek feedback.
They’re inquiring if the general public is most interested in cutting back on certain operations or planned projects, and recommend lower rates or smaller increases. Over the past ten years the city’s utility rates have risen 96%, and inflation in the area has gone up 25.6%. Seattle has higher rates than several of the neighboring cities with an estimated combined monthly bill averaging $139, compared to $126 in Tacoma and Portland, and $127 in Bellevue. If you’re interested in attending one of the public forums to learn more about Seattle Public Utilities plans for the future, see the lists of dates and locations here.

King County Still Experiencing Low Inventory

Even though 2014 is predicted to see an increase in inventory, right now there still isn’t a  big selection for prospective home buyers. According to the NWMLS, while December saw an increase in inventory of 6.2% from a year ago, an increase in sales mostly offset that increase.
While inventory rose slightly across the board in King County last month, it was especially tight in Seattle, where inventory fell slightly. Inventory is still quite tight across King County as we wait for more listings to hit the market, and builders to finish new construction projects. According to the NWMLS the median home price in King County in December was $419,825 which was up 10.5% from December 2012, and $450,000 in Seattle, up 7%. It is an excellent time to list your home in the Seattle area, and if you’re interested in selling your home, contact your local Seattle real estate agent today.

Ideas to Conserve Water in the Seattle Area

Environmental awareness and attitudes to the conservation of natural resources have changed significantly over the last few years and decades. What is more, the technology and methods that are now available to would-be conservationists can, even on a small domestic scale, make a significant contribution to the effort of saving water. Fresh water and drinking water may well become an even more valuable resource in the future. Therefore, a few simple steps now can help households to save a potentially precious resource, saving money at the same time.

Tips on conserving water to benefit homes and households

With help and advice from local companies such as Jim Dandy emergency plumbers, a number of beneficial water conservation techniques can be put to use. These can include apparently small actions and much larger conservation projects on a domestic scale. A few of the practical smaller steps can be carried out immediately, and the benefits may even be visible on the next water bill. Many of these steps involve ensuring that a household consumes only as much water, as it actually needs. Very frequently, additional water is used by mistake or needlessly, such as through a faucet that has been left dripping or through a toilet that flushes an inappropriately large quantity of water. Tackling these issues need not involve a large investment.

Cost benefits of saving water

A household can consume an enormous amount of fresh water each week, and this will be reflected in the utilities bill. The meter does not differentiate between water that is used for showering and water that is lost through dripping faucets, overfilled baths, or unsuitably large toilet flushes. Both intentional and unintentional water usage costs a household money.  Therefore, there can be great cost benefits to be had in checking and updating faucets, in changing to a dual-flush toilet or other modern bathroom technology, and in educating household members in how to use no more water than is necessary when bathing, cooking, or watering the garden.

Environmental benefits of saving water

There are, of course, environmental benefits as well as financial benefits to be gained from the smart use of water. For example, fresh water that is drawn from the surroundings for domestic use may deprive other elements of the environment from necessary supplies. In Seattle, this may be seen in the effect on water levels in rivers. A drop in water level in the river system can affect human uses, such as boating and fishing, as well as the natural users of the water, including fish and the other animals and plants that make up a healthy, diverse ecological river system. 

Furthermore, innovative efforts have been made to enable households to improve the quality and quantity of fresh water available to them. These efforts include the installation of domestic and neighborhood rain gardens that work to collect and filter rainwater, reducing the levels of pollution in the water. Furthermore, such rain gardens have in many cases become attractive visual features in their own right.

Mortgage Rates: Past, Present and Future

Over the past 30 years, mortgage rates have ranged anywhere from a high of 18.63% in the early 80′s, to a low of 3.2% in late 2013. While rates are considerably low, many prospective homeowners have been able to buy now, taking advantage of a more manageable monthly mortgage payment which can be a huge factor in the overall affordability of the home buying process. But what is in store for mortgage rates in 2014?
After hitting an all time low near the end of 2012, rates have progressively risen throughout 2013, but now that the Federal Reserve has announced it will begin to wind down the stimulus program, which has helped keep rates down in the past, and rates are expected to rise above 5% as the economy continues to recover. Those who missed out on the 3% mortgage dip might feel disappointed that they didn’t take advantage of the historic low, but in comparison rates will still remain considerably low over the course of the year. For more information on Seattle Real Estate, contact your local real estate agent today.

Sell Your Home Successfully With These Helpful Tips

Many homes sit on the market for months and even years. Owners think that lowering the asking price will entice buyers but it only sends red flags and creates the idea that there is something wrong with the house that is causing it to not sell. Owners become frustrated and not sure what to do. If you follow the 5 tips below, you won’t have to worry as these tips will help your home sell quickly.
1.   Price it Low:   Many owners are hesitant to set an asking price lower than the estimated value of their home but it helps sell the house quickly. Most want to ask more than the value to give room to drop the price during negotiations but by asking a lower price, more buyers become interested and compete for the home which often results in a selling price that is higher than the value of the home and a much shorter time spent on the market. A real estate agent in Northern California listed a house for $535,000 even though it had been appraised at $560,000. The house had multiple bidders and sold for $575,000 within weeks.
2.   Try a New Sales Approach:   If your house is not selling and nobody is looking, try a new approach to advertising your home. Put out a larger ad that gives little, but important, information. The info should catch the buyer’s interest and lure them in. Use a photo that shows nice curb appeal and descriptive words. Be sure to keep the house clean so that buyers will be intrigued with what they see.
3.   Do Not Try to Fight the Market:   If in general houses are just not selling, don’t try too hard to get exactly what you want for your home. In a not-so-great market, many people have a hard time getting financed or can’t buy a new home until theirs sells. You may not get the price you hoped for but by accepting a lower offer you will be done with the deal and less stressed.
4.   Renovations Don’t Guarantee a Sale:   Although a new coat of paint or new carpet may make your home look nicer and allow the asking price to go up a little, spending a ton of money on renovations will not necessarily sell your home or at least not for the price you would hope for. A lot of sellers spend thousands of dollars making changes hoping that they can sell their home for a higher price and earn their money back that was spent on the renovations. Some changes are good but for the most part the price is based on appraisals of the surrounding houses. If you ask $100,000 more than what the houses in your neighborhood are worth because you remodeled the kitchen and put in new floors, buyers will find your home to be over priced and walk away.
5.   Advertise Your Home Online:   In this day and age everyone is doing everything online. There are more people searching for homes online than there are circling ads in the paper. Post an ad online using attractive and good quality pictures to advertise your home. Use social media to get the word out that you are selling. People aren’t walking into real estate offices asking “find me something” as often as they used to. They are now coming in with a list of homes they found advertised online.
Bonus Tip:   Find a good realtor. Interview at least 3 real estate agents before choosing one. Be sure to trust them and their methods. Selling houses is what they do for a living and they know what they are doing. If you’re looking for a Seattle real estate expert, contact your local Real Estate agent today.

Mobile Becoming Dominant Platform For Home Shoppers

Have you searched the real estate market using your mobile phone or ipad? According to Zillow, in 2012 more than half of all their traffic was using their search capabilities through mobile, and now as 2013 comes to a close, they’ve estimated that over 60% of their users are mobile users, hitting 70% mobile users on the weekends. Because mobile is clearly becoming the dominant platform to use in your home search, Zillow has put together a list of interesting highlights from mobile users in 2013. According to Zillow, mobile users spent over 5 billion minutes on the Zillow app, which averages about 16 minutes per person in the US. Shoppers views homes over 2.5 billion times, which is up 150% percent from this time last year. Almost 100 million gps-tracking searches were used nationwide on Zillow’s mobile app this year, and over 4.7 million loan requests were submitted through mobile users, which increased nearly 72% from this time last year. For more information about the mobile home search, contact your local real estate broker today.

Is SLU Too Expensive For Seattle Startups?

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, Chris DeVore of Techstars and Founder Co-op predicts that South Lake Union is becoming too expensive for Seattle startups. Startups innately need inexpensive office space to get their company up and running, and the combination of the new Amazon towers and other large scale office buildings in South Lake Union are beginning to push startups out. So where will these new businesses flock? DeVore predicts the University District is the next big up and coming neighborhood to become popular for startups, and he is so confident that he’s moving both of his businesses in at the end of the year.

He lists several strong points – the light rail will soon service the area, and it would be convenient to have all that tech talent from the University right outside your office doorstep. The City of Seattle is also planning on updating the U District’s zoning regulations to allow taller buildings, an enhancement that would likely attract larger office tenants. If you’re office is looking for new scenery, contact your local commercial real estate office today.