the
Volume 8 | Issue 10
EYE ON THE
OCTOBER 2017
market
Traditionally, the market slows during the last few weeks of summer as locals go on vacation and families begin backto-school preparations, but the month of August showed minimal signs of slowing. According to the most recent report released by the Northwest MLS, closedsales volume in August was up nearly 6 percent throughout the MLS territory despite inventory being almost 13 percent lower than during the same period last year. The stats also show closed sales prices for single-family homes in August were up again year-over-year. Prices were up by 18.18 percent in King County, 9.82 percent in Pierce and 13.75 percent in Snohomish. Falling mortgage rates continue to influence the market. With mortgage rates remaining low, many homeowners are choosing to refinance instead of selling. This is part of why inventory remains low throughout our region. Falling rates allow buyers to increase their home search price range and withstand rising home prices resulting from competition over sparse listings.
LOCAL Multiple offers are still common, especially for those listings in the affordable firsttime buyer and mid-level/move-up buyer price ranges. Move-up sellers are in a great position to get a good return on their investment when they sell, and they can take advantage of low interest rates for their next home purchase. Baby boomers on the brink of retirement may have the most to gain from our current market, which can help them fund a comfortable retirement. According to a recent Zillow report, Seattle sellers who have owned their home for an average of nine years gained 53.1 percent, or about $185,000 on a 2016 sale. Brokers caution that sellers still need to price properties appropriately. They cite an increase in the number of “stagnant” listings, which are properties that have been on the market for a while, with few or no offers at the asking price. As we move into the last quarter of this amazing year, pricing looks to be a critical factor in getting ahead of the slowdown that traditionally comes with the colder months.
prepare BEFORE THE POWER GOES OUT It’s barely October, but inclement weather is right around the corner. When a power outage happens, even if it’s just for a few hours, it’s worth it to be prepared: • Check your emergency supplies • Stock up on canned food that can and replenish early on in the easily be heated over a fire, along cold-weather season. with a manual can opener. Have enough drinking water stored for • Heating your home is several days at least. a primary concern during a cold-weather power • Consider a generator if you outage. if you have one, a fireplace or live in an area where power a wood burning stove is the most outages are common. A portable common solution. Keep a ready generator may be all you need if you supply of firewood for emergencies. want to keep the refrigerator operating. Be sure to read all the • Check your supply of batteries for safety instructions, especially about flashlights and radios. Be sure they where to place the generator. are fresh.
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happenings
9/29- Everett Sausage Festival 10/1 everettsausagefest.com
9/30- Northwest Tea Festival 10/1 nwteafestival.com 5-12 Tacoma Film Festival tacomafilmfestival.com 6 Marysville Brew & Cider Fest marysvilletulalipchamber.com 6-8 Seattle Home Show seattlehomeshow.com 6-8 Oktoberfest Northwest in Puyallup | oktoberfestnw.com 7 Fife Harvest Festival traveltacoma.com
7-8 Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah | salmondays.org 8 Seattle Children’s Festival nwfolklife.org 14 Orting Pumpkin Fest tacomaevents.com 14 Bothell Beer Festival bothellchamber.com 14-15 Point Defiance Zoo Boo pdza.org 19–22 Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival | traveltacoma.com 21-22 Halloween Storytelling Train & 28-29 trainmuseum.org 28 Redmond’s Thrill the World thrilltheworld.org 28-29 Pumpkin Bash and Trick or Treating | zoo.org 29 Run Scared 5K at Seward Park runscared5k.com 31 TROLL-O-WEEN fremontartscouncil.org
October
IMPORTANT DATES
POWER OUTAGE
prep
Monday, October 2 National Child Health Day
Friday, October 20 National Mammography Day
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Thursday, October 5 World Teachers’ Day
Saturday, October 28 National Make a Difference Day
Monday, October 16 National Boss’s Day
Tuesday, October 31 Halloween
firewood batteries hurricane lamps flashlights candles generator & fuel matches warm blankets canned goods bottled water manual can opener battery-powered radio
Pierce County
Snohomish County
Double R Farms 5820 44th St E, Puyallup double-r-farms.net/pumpkin_patch.htm Maris Farms 25001 Sumner-Buckley Hwy, Buckley marisfarms.com Picha’s Farm 6502 52nd St E, Puyallup pichafarms.com/pumpkins.php Scholz Farm 14310 128th St E, Orting 253.848.7604 Spooner Farms 9710 SR 162 E, Puyallup spoonerberries.com/harvest-festival
Bailey Vegetables 12711 Springhetti Rd, Snohomish baileyveg.com/pumpkins.html Baylor Farm 28511 Ben Howard Rd, Monroe 360.793.0822 Biringer’s Black Crow Pumpkins & Corn Maze 2431 SR 530 NE, Arlington facebook.com/biringers.black.crow Bob’s Corn & Pumpkin Farm 10917 Elliott Rd, Snohomish bobscorn.com Carleton Farm 630 Sunnyside Blvd SE, Lake Stevens carletonfarm.com/fall-festivities Craven Farm 13817 Shorts School Rd, Snohomish cravenfarm.com/fall-festival Fairbank Animal Farm 15308 52nd Ave W, Edmonds fairbankfarm.com The Farm at Swan’s Trail 7301 Rivershore Rd, Snohomish thefarm1.com Foster’s Produce & Corn Maze 5818 SR 530 NE, Arlington fosterscornmaze.com Stocker Farms 10622 Airport Wy, Snohomish stockerfarms.com Thomas Family Farm 9010 Marsh Rd, Snohomish thomasfamilyfarm.com
King County Baxter Barn 31929 SE 44th St, Fall City baxterbarn.org/pumpkins.html Carpinito Brothers 1148 Central Ave N, Kent | carpinito.com Fall City Farms 3636 Neal Rd SE, Fall City fallcityfarms.com Fox Hollow Family Farm 12123 Issaquah Hobart Rd SE, Issaquah foxhollowfamilyfarm.com Jubilee Biodynamic Farm 229 W Snoqualmie River Rd NE, Carnation jubileefarm.org/harvestfestival Remlinger Farms 32610 NE 32nd St, Carnation remlingerfarms.com Serres Farm 20306 NE 50th St, Redmond serresfarm.com Thomasson Family Farm 38223 236th Ave SE, Enumclaw thomassonfarm.com
Volume 8 | Issue 10
When a Storm Is Predicted • Cook food in advance that can be easily reheated over a fire. • Turn your refrigerator and freezer to their lowest settings. If the power does go out, open the doors only when absolutely necessary, and close them quickly. The more you keep them shut, the longer the food will last. Fill the empty space in your freezer with containers of water. The less air space you have in your freezer, the longer your food will stay frozen. While the Power Is Out • Wear several layers of loose, lightweight clothing as opposed to one heavy layer. Wear a hat and mittens to keep your head and hands warm. • Plan to live in just one or two rooms of your home, close to a heat source. Try to prevent heat from escaping to other parts of the house by closing doors or hanging blankets in doorways. • Keep pipes from freezing by turning inside faucets on just enough so that they drip. Know where the emergency shutoff valve is in case of a broken pipe. • Assume that any downed power lines are live. Stay away from them, along with anything they might be resting on. • If you are able, check in on elderly neighbors who may need assistance.
October Football
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Quick checklist of the things you’ll need:
SUN SUN SUN SUN
10/1 10/8 10/22 10/29
SAT SAT SAT
10/7 vs. California 10/14 @ Arizona St. 10/28* vs. UCLA
SAT FRI SAT SAT
10/7 10/13 10/21* 10/28
5:30 pm 1:05 pm 1:25 pm 1:05 pm
vs. Colts @ Rams @ Giants vs. Texans
@ Oregon @ California vs. Colorado @ Arizona * Homecoming