the
Home Connection
Volume 12 | Issue 5
MAY 2021
eye on the market The spring market has been off to a very busy start which is evident in how quickly homes are selling. Even with the highest volume of homes in inventory since September, demand far outweighed supply according to recent MLS data reports, leaving about two weeks of inventory on hand area wide. There were also significant price increases on houses in most counties which did not discourage homebuyers. In fact, the Northwest MLS data shows double-digit price hikes were widespread across most counties when compared with the same month a year ago. In King County prices are up by 14.52 percent, in Snohomish County up by 21.90 percent, in Pierce County up by almost 17.07 percent and in Thurston County up by nearly 19.72 percent.
experience this! There have also been some notable trends this season. Brokers have reported having far more luxury listings, which implies that more buyers are entering into the market in those price categories. A continuing trend has been seen with millennial homebuyers moving farther away from urban areas into suburban and rural areas. To this effect, brokers reported having very little inventory in the outlying areas in contrast to listings found in the core of cities. There has also been an emerging component in home purchasing since mortgage rates have increased to above three percent for the first time since last July. While this increase has yet to impact homebuyer demand, it is something to anticipate in the upcoming months as we observe and operate in the housing market during the busiest season.
Redecorating rooms for kids
Virtual Spokane Bloomsday Run 4/30 – 5/9
Drive-In Movies at Marymoor April-June
Everett Downtown Virtual tour of the Planting Day 5/1 2020 Orchid Show
Northwest Folklife Festival 5/28 -5/31
History of boat building on Lake Union
Revamping your kid’s room is a great spring project that will give your home a fresh look and give your kids a space they will love. Here are a few simple and creative ways to help with the makeover.
• New paint. A new coat of paint is a
fairly inexpensive way to transform a room and a change of color can offer a completely different look in a short time. Repainting is also a good way to keep up with a kid’s evolving tastes, as favorite colors and trends can change.
• New bedding. New bedding
can make an impact in any room. Since the bed is the main focal point in a bedroom, different bedding can really affect the overall style or theme in your kid’s room especially with added touches like decorative pillows.
• Repurpose furniture. Redecorating your
child’s room can be done without buying new items. You can always repurpose old furniture such as headboards, desks, cabinets, wardrobes, and drawers with a new coat of paint. Or you can swap furniture from a different room in your house to change up the layout.
• Add a decorative rug.
Children spend a lot of time playing on the floor, making area rugs a must. From DIY projects to department stores, the choices for rugs are endless. This gives you a plethora of options for continued on next page
Opening Day of Boating Season with Seattle Yacht Club
Take a cooking class online with Sur la Table
Virtual tours of five national parks
Wildflower painting tutorial
May important dates
Redecorating rooms for kids
Saturday, May 1 May Day
Tuesday, May 4 Star Wars Day
Wednesday, May 12 National Receptionist Day
Saturday, May 1 Opening Day of Boating Season
Thursday, May 6 National Nurses Day
Saturday, May 15 International Day of Families
continued from previous page
Monday, May 31 Memorial Day
• Put up a cork board. Check your local
Sunday, May 9 Mother’s Day Monday, May 3-7 Teacher Appreciation Week
Mother’s Day gift ideas tips
creating a stylish comfortable touch to your kid’s room. art and crafts store for a peel-and-stick cork board. This makes wall application easy and will allow for kids to pin up decorations, pictures, and designs whenever they like.
Mother’s Day is the perfect occasion to show your mom or the moms in your life that you appreciate them and all that they do. Here are a few ideas to show mom you care.
• Support your local small businesses with a gift card for a spa, hair salon or nail salon appointment.
• Commission a custom hand-drawn family portrait from an artist on etsy.com (Printable Wisdom)
• For the coffee or tea loving mom, gift the Temperature Control Mug that will keep any drink warm. It can be purchased on amazon.com.
• Call your mom! The tried-and-true phone call still works and is a great way to catch up and stay connected.
• Plant flowers around the yard or in pots on the patio for months of cheery summer color. • Give mom a bejeweled family tree with a personalized birthstone necklace. • Create a kitchen herb garden in mason jars and include a few recipes she can try. • Just in time for summer, gift a charcuterie board set that is the perfect hostess aid.
Taking inventory while staying at home Creating a home inventory can help you purchase the correct amount of insurance and can save you time and heartache in case you ever need to file an insurance claim. Check the website of your homeowner’s insurance company for a home inventory checklist, template or app you can download.
• Choose an easy place to start. An area like a small kitchen
cabinet or an uncluttered closet is a great way to ease into itemizing before you tackle larger more complicated areas.
• Document each item as completely as possible and take photos or video. Include brand, model number, serial number, purchase date, condition, etc.
• Include receipts, canceled checks or an appraisal report to prove what you paid for (or the value of) items.
• Also remember to include items you don’t use regularly, such as holiday decorations, sports equipment or tools.
• For rare or valuable items such as jewelry, antiques,
artwork or wine collections, you may want to consider adding additional insurance (a rider) to your policy.
• Keep the completed list outside of your home. While
some may choose to save a document to the cloud, you may also want to have a hard copy stored at your office, at a family member’s house or in a safe-deposit box.
• Update the list annually.
Volume 12 | Issue 5