the
Home Connection
Volume 13 | Issue 3
MARCH 2022
eye on the market Spring is just around the corner, which means the real estate market will soon shift into high gear. Along with changes in weather, market participants are reportedly hoping for changes in the current real estate-scape. Low inventory continues to be a challenge for homebuyers according to data from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The lack of listings directly impacted last month’s slower than year-ago sales, contributing to a drop of 14 percent. The year-over-year number of closed sales also declined by nearly 13.8 percent as prospective buyers faced difficulty finding homes to purchase. However, home sellers are experiencing a decrease in the number of days that their homes are on the market and steep increases in sales price, which brokers hope will entice sellers to list their homes. Data from the MLS gives a closer look at the closed sale price escalations for single famliy homes in specific counties, compared with the same month a year
experience this! ago. In King County prices are up by 6.9 percent, in Snohomish County up by 19.17 percent, in Pierce County up by almost 19.32 percent, in Thurston County up by almost 17.07 percent, and in Spokane County up by nearly 20.6 percent (Spokane Association of REALTORS). There is a significant backlog of buyers looking for a home to purchase and with higher mortgage rates expected, buyers are more anxious to find a home despite inventory shortages and price escalations. However, an influx of spring sellers entering the market is not the only solution. New construction is ramping up at unprecedented levels in residential and commercial areas to meet the high levels of demand. This may alleviate frenzied buying conditions and encourage sellers to list their houses, since there would be more opportunities to move into new homes. The next few months will be exciting to observe and critical in determining the state of the market for both buyers and sellers.
Night of Dancing with KidsQuest Museum 3/4
St. Patrick’s Landing 3/11
Drive-in Movie Nights 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26
Tea Blending with Brambleberry Cottage 3/15
Leprechaun Quest 3/5-3/17
Annual Lucky’s St. Patrick’s Day Crawl 3/19
Free State Park Days 3/9, 3/19
Alice in Wonderland 3/26-3/27
Wicked 3/9-3/27
2022 Everett Half and 10K 3/27
Kitchen Organization Kitchen clutter can build up quickly and be a hard home improvement project to tackle. Keeping the kitchen consistently clean can be made easier with a few tips to help you get started and create lasting systems for organization.
• Work on one area at a time. Trying
to declutter the entire kitchen at once can be an overwhelming task. Start by sorting out just one area at a time. Begin with cabinets, drawers or the refrigerator and then move on to the next area according to your plan. Splitting the job into manageable tasks will help you stick to the project and get it done quicker.
• Use wall space. Free up counter and
cabinet space by hanging items on the walls. Hanging pans, cooking utensils, and shelves on the wall will help you maximize storage and give your kitchen a more organized look.
• Organize inside of cabinet doors.
Silverware, baking utensils, spices, towels etc., can all be stored more easily with drawer organizers that keep items in place and make them easier to find.
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