Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Connect to Canyon Lakes on right hand side of this blog (Canyon Lakes Home Owner Association)  read the latest newsletter and Board of Directors meeting.

Canyon Lakes in Kennewick is doing better in Real Estate Sales, after a long sleep. The market has been very slow, and still is but improving.

As the Tri-City real estate market begins to heat up, more and more homeowners are considering putting their homes on the market.  Many are looking at Spring 2010, but have a relatively simplistic view of what is involved in preparing their home for sale. 

In today’s market, a market influenced by buyers who have neither the time nor the interest in fixing up a home, just adjusting the price to reflect condition doesn’t make sense.  In fact, if your house needs $30,000 worth of work to put it in good shape and you price it “discounted” by that amount, most buyers will estimate the cost to cure those defects at three times that amount.  At $90,000, you’re already $60,000 apart before they even see it!

In a series of blog entries, I will lay out a strategy for what it takes to prepare your home for sale.  It can take as long as six months to do those things that will make your property scream “buy me” to the buyer, unless you’ve been fastidious in how you keep the home.  There are several stages, and the first is potentially the most expensive:  the exterior, including landscaping and the building envelope.

Curb appeal is the buzz phrase for the exterior, but that’s a small part of the whole picture.  Let’s take a look at landscaping first.

Six months before your anticipated listing date, spend an hour or two walking about the outside of your house.  Landscaping is intended to be a setting for the house–not camouflage.  It should not be so overgrown as to cover windows, nor so close to the house that you can’t walk between the shrubs and house without difficulty.  Many shrubs take well to pruning and a well-manicured appearance can make a big difference.  Clear a path around your house and lower the shrubs that obscure the windows.  Be sure to notice trees that have shoots (called suckers, because they can suck the life out of a tree) protruding from the trunk and remove them.  Also, trim low hanging branches below six or seven feet–prospective buyers should be able to walk beneath a tree (non-weeping variety) without incurring lacerations.  

What about your lawn?  Does it look like a dried out rugby field or a putting green?  There are many products available to improve the appearance of your lawn and, of course, there are lawn services that can put your yard in top-notch shape.  Like landscaping, the lawn is the setting for the home and it is the first thing buyers see when they approach the house. 

So, start working on your lawn and landscaping now, so it will be in good shape by the time you are ready to put your home on the market come Spring.   The next step is to walk around the house and evaluate the building envelope.  And, that’s my next installment.  Stay turned… 

Submitted by:

Your Canyon Lakes Realtor

Sharon Sasser Warren, Realtor                         
   8022 W. Grandridge Blvd.    
   Kennewick, WA  99336

The media continues to report on real estate activties nationwide and locally.  Here’s an overview of real estate activity in the Tri-Cities for the month of April ‘09, compared to prior years.

          Active Listings    Sold      Avg. Sold $   Median Sold $   Under Contract   _________________________________________________________________

APR ‘06         1344         323           180.8             159.9                  262

APR ‘07         1365         317           179.6             156.0                  270

APR ‘08         1344         257           181.7             159.9                  233

APR ‘09         1228         191           178.5             156.8                  222

“It is the ‘doo-ty’ of conscientious pet owners to pick up after their dogs.”

Spring must be here…I found three golf balls in my backyard this weekend.  Since the golfers are back on the course these days, I’m wondering how many know that the Canyon Lakes Golf Course is rated 4 1/2 Stars by Golf Digest and is the highest rated golf course in the Tri-Cities?  Additionally, Canyon Lakes Golf Course is tied as the highest rated golf course in Washington State!  And, Northwest Travel magazine selected Canyon Lakes as one of the “18 of the Best in the Pacific Northwest.”

Here are a few more facts about the award winning golf course right in our own backyard.  For example, Hole #12 is famous for being the largest green in the Pacific Northwest–a 12,000 square foot thing of beauty!  Hole #9 was selected as one of the Northwest’s Dream 18 Holes!  The Canyon Lakes Golf Course not only has won multiple awards, but also plays host to a number of prestigious tournaments and charity events each year.  If you are planning a golf outing and want more information, visit golf@canyonlakesgolfcourse.com.   And, don’t forget to wow your friends with the facts, now that you know that Canyon Lakes Golf Course is so highly rated!

Your Canyon Lakes Realtor,

Sharon Sasser Warren,                                                                           Distinctive Properties, Inc.                                                                             (509) 551-4393

Based on the March 10th Canyon Lakes Property Owners Association board meeting, it’s becoming quite clear that the ARC plans to take a more active role in enforcing ARC Guidelines and the community’s CC&R’s.   In the past, ARC review of home remodeling plans, exterior painting and construction of onsite structures like sheds, walls and fences was minimal.  Now, that is changing and the ARC is embarking on a more active role.   In fact, at the board meeting, it was reported that the ARC recently denied a homeowner’s request to build a shed because the plan submitted did not meet the ARC guidelines.  Another homeowner was present at the board meeting to ask about changing the paint color of her new home in Canyon Lakes #9.  She was advised that  an application and paint samples must be submitted for review by the ARC.  To avoid future problems, homeowners are advised to submit an application and plans, including proposed paint colors, once formal plans are completed.  Remember, too, that you can access ARC Guidelines and the Canyon Lakes CC&R’s through this blog’s website.

Your Canyon Lakes Realtor,

Sharon Sasser Warren