October 2020 Newsletter

the

Home Connection

Volume 11 | Issue 10

OCTOBER 2020

eye on the market As we enter the fall season, brokers report that the real estate market is still highly saturated with buying activity. Concurrently there’s been a decline in mortgage applications, despite mortgage rates remaining below 3 percent. Low interest rates have contributed to a significant increase in refinances and in turn, a decrease in home inventory available for sale as homeowners decide to stay put.

Low mortgage rates and low inventory of houses have also continued to drive up home prices, making the market extremely competitive for homebuyers. The competitive landscape has not deterred buyers as there have been more multiple offer situations and an increased number of closed sales in our region. According to the Seattle Times, price growth in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties topped national averages for the eighth month straight. The most recent statistics from the Northwest MLS also show median

experience this! closed-sale prices for single-family homes are up significantly. Year-over-year in King County prices are up by 10.89 percent, in Snohomish County up by 13.27 percent, in Pierce County up by almost 15.84 percent and in Thurston County up by nearly 11.91 percent.

These market conditions are said to have affected the home buying demographic and influenced trends. Many more young home buyers have entered the market as millennials are reportedly taking out more for-purchase loans than last year. It will also be interesting to see if there is continued movement out of urban areas into the suburban and rural areas since more people are able to work remotely on a permanent basis due to the pandemic.

As we approach the winter months, time will tell how these trends will shape the coming real estate market and how the amount of inventory available to purchase will affect buyer demand.

Caffeine & Gasoline: Race Cars 10/3

Bellevue Jazz and Blues Music Series 10/5- 10/9 Virtual

Celebrate Schools 5K 10/10

The Seattle Glass Experience 10/15-10/18

Issaquah Goes Apples 10/17

Tacoma Holiday Food & Gift Festival 10/22-10/25

Zombie Walk 10/24

Seattle Children’s Festival 10/24-10/25

improving air quality in your home Improving Indoor air quality is a key factor of keeping a healthy home. Indoor allergens and irritants such as dust, pollen, and chemicals are often found in the air at home which can result in respiratory issues, allergy flare ups, and other illnesses.

Here are a few tips to help keep your air clean.

• Vacuum floors and carpets weekly.

Keeping floors vacuumed reduces dust particles chemicals, and allergens in the air. Using a vacuum with a HEPA filter reduces concentrations of lead and other toxins in your home. It is also important to use a vacuum cleaner that has strong suction with rotating brushes. In high traffic areas vacuum the same spot several times. Don’t forget to vacuum walls, carpet edges, and upholstered furniture, where dust accumulates.

• Take your shoes off & keep a floor matt

at every door. Taking your shoes off whenever you come in from outside is crucial to keeping air clean as our shoes can track dirt, pesticides, chemicals, and pollutants into the home.

Keeping a mat near the door helps to collect any dirt and pollutants from shoes and keeps them on the mat instead of on your floors. continued on next page

Craft Classic Half Cobweb Carnival Marathon and 5K 10/31 Virtual Race

OCTOber important dates Sunday, October 4 National Taco Day Monday, October 5 World Teachers Day Monday, October 12 Columbus Day

Thursday, October 15 Get to Know Your Customers Day Friday, October 16 National Boss Day

Saturday, October 24 United Nations Day Monday, October 26 Pumpkin Day Saturday, October 31 Halloween

composting in your backyard It’s that time of year when autumn leaves begin to fall and collect in our yards.

Composting is a great way to clean up the yard, while also creating nutrient-rich soil for a healthy garden. Adding compost to your flowerbeds and garden keeps soil fertile and productive while reducing the amount of yard waste that ends up in landfills. Here are a few tips to help create soil from autumn’s beauty.

• Choose the right varieties of leaves.

• Water the compost pile. A compost Birch, maple, ash, cherry, beech, and pile needs oxygen and water to any leaves from fruit and nut trees flourish. This is achieved by turning work the best for composting as they and watering the pile a on a regular decompose quickly and are balanced basis. This process brings oxygen into in the nutrients that they give to a the center of the pile and keeps the compost pile. Tough, waxy leaves from break-down process strong. Compost trees such as magnolia and ginkgo can piles need to be turned a few times take years to break down and are best each week for the best results. left out of the compost pile.

• Store your compost pile correctly.

You can create a compost bin, use a tumbler, or create a maintained pile to store your compost. If you choose to create a pile, make sure to find a place that receives partial sunlight. Too much sunlight will make the pile dry and prevent decay. It is also important to pick a spot that has good drainage • Shred leaves before adding to and to not place a compost pile near compost pile. Shredded leaves break concrete, cement, or asphalt. down quickly in a compost pile while • Moisture & cold control is essential. whole leaves take a very long time to Moisture control is necessary in decompose. Shredding creates smaller regions that receive a lot of rain pieces to compost which causes the or snow. Excess water soaks into leaves to deteriorate faster, benefiting the ground and is taken on by the your compost pile greatly. Be sure to compost, which hinders the pile’s make the pile high because the leaves ability to maintain proper oxygen will provide insulation during the levels. This issue is harder to prevent winter months. with a ground dwelling compost pile.

• Include a source of nitrogen to aid

the compost pile. Leaves break down faster if the compost pile includes a source of nitrogen. Nitrogen warms up the pile and helps with breaking down dry materials like leaves. A good compost pile is made up of 4 parts of ‘brown’ materials, and 1 part ‘green’ materials. Dry materials are the leaves. Green materials include fresh vegetable scraps, eggs shells, coffee grounds, fresh green grass clippings, and manure.

One solution is a compost tumbler which is sealed to stop rain and snow melt absorption. Another solution is composting with a bin, as this method also prevents ground water absorption.

For winter composting, move compost bins to a sunnier part of the yard if possible. You can also use layers of leaves, straw, cardboard, or sawdust to help insulate and keep warmth in the pile to prevent microbes from freezing.

Volume 11 | Issue 9

IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUALITY

continued from previous page

• Keep a healthy level of humidity. Mold

and dust mites accumulate with excess moisture and are notorious for causing poor air quality. The proper home humidity level is around 30%-50% as this percentage helps keep allergens under control. Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner during summer months to maintain healthy humidity levels and to reduce moisture in indoor air.

Additional ways to prevent excess humidity include not overwatering houseplants, venting the clothes dryer to the outside and fixing leaky plumbing to prevent mold. It is also important to use an exhaust fan or crack open a window when cooking, running the dishwasher or bathing.

• Let fresh air into your home. During

warm and cold months, it is important to open a window from time to time and let fresh air in to renew the air in your home. Good airflow is essential for indoor air quality as it removes particle contaminants and replaces them with new, clean air.

• Cut out aerosol sprays and synthetic

fragrances. Aerosol sprays release harmful chemicals that can pollute your home and the environment. This includes hairspray, deodorant, and air fresheners. To preserve the air indoors, choose non-aerosol alternatives.

Synthetic fragrances are also harmful to air quality as they emit many different chemicals into the air. Laundry products, scented cleaning chemicals and air fresheners should be replaced with fragrance-free or naturally scented products. You can also bring plants like ferns, spider plants, or aloe vera indoors as these plants act as living air purifiers by absorbing chemical pollutants in the air.