Get Real Tacoma

A little bit busy...

Every full-time Realtor I know is swamped right now.  Don’t even get me started on the loan officers.  Ask anyone in the Real Estate business right now how things are going and you are likely to hear “I’m busy! Gha!”

So, if anyone is wondering why my posting has been lax this past month or so, it is because every buyer and seller on the planet decided to start making deals and the result has been a very heavy workload.

Enough with the excuses! On to some real numbers for Downtown Tacoma Real Estate. Read the rest of this entry »

I was having a delicious breakfast with some friends at Puget Sound Pizza this weekend, and this blog came up in conversation.  

“I never read the numbers and stuff” my friend said. 

“But the numbers are the most interesting part!” I exclaimed in reply. 

So, in an effort to make my boring numbers more entertaining for you, I am learning how to make graphs and charts online.  Here is my very first one:

I know it’s a little dry, but bear with me.  I’ll get better at it! Hopefully this will make some of the dryer data a little more digestable in the future.

For the second installment in the neighborhood sales statistics, we will visit 98405.  Loosely translated here as “Hilltop” this includes areas that many consider downtown, as well as the McCarver Neighborhood.   I can say hands down that this is the neighborhood that the majority of my first time home buyers are asking about these days. It’s affordable, convenient, and cool.

Downtown gets all the attention, but 98405 has been a real workout this year, churning out lots of affordable sales.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sold Signs

So I promised earlier this week that I would break down the 2008 Sales Statistics for Homes & Condos in the City of Tacoma neighborhood by neighborhood.

I know folks around here are pretty sensitive about where neighborhood lines are drawn.  I swear I almost heard someone go to blows over whether the were “Stadium” or “North Slope”.  God forbid you start the discussion of “North End” or “Near North End”.  I’ve decided that for the purposes of these statistics we are going to go by zip code, thereby sparing me the need to defend my definition of neighborhoods.  I just hate conflict…

So today we will start with Downtown Tacoma, in the form of zip code 98402.

Read the rest of this entry »

View From Unit #401 at Cliff Street Lofts

This might sound a little strange, but sometimes I get a little attached to certain properties.  That happened with Unit #401 at Cliff Street Lofts.  A 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath Loft with 14 Foot Ceilings.  

What I loved most was that it was on the corner, shaped like and “L”  so there was TONS of light and a really open feel.   The angle meant you had a view of both the port AND the mountain.  I showed it a few times but did not have a client that clicked with it the way I did.

It sold for $174,000 and closed today.  I hope the new buyer loves it as much as I did! Pictures after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a couple weeks since we reviewed the Downtown Tacoma Condos that have sold, so here you are.  There were 9 condos that closed, 6 of those I already wrote about earlier this week located at The Esplanade.  

Selling like (price reduced) hot cakes.

CitySteps continued the great townhouse blowout with 2 sold this week, both for $219,990.  They were units #105 & 106 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, with 1113 square feet.  One was originally listed at $259,990.

The final condo was over with Survon at Marcato, unit #319.  A 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1040 square foot that was originally listed at $369,000.  It sold for $309,000.   For information on Marcato check out another of last weeks posts here.

I believe it is worth mentioning that right now there are 225 condos listed for sale in 98402, 98405, & 98403.  There are 24 that are pending sale.  That gives us an 11% sales ratio- which is DEFINETLY a buyers market.  If you want a good explanation of a sales ratio, I recommend reading Tacoma Realtor Tom Hume’s post on the topic.  He explains it well.  Basically, less that 50% is a buyers market, more than 50% is a sellers market.

It is also worth mentioning that in the past 2 weeks int the same downtown area, 1 condo listing was cancelled, 1 was temporarily taken off the market, and 4 expired.  That’s one way to get the inventory down.