Tri-City Area and Real Estate Blog

Summer certainly has taken its time getting to the Tri-Cities, but it’s finally here and it is time to take a good look at bringing your winter remodeling ideas into fruition. Understanding that you might wish to be puttering around in your boat on the Columbia or Snake rivers, or taking a hike up Badger Mountain, strolling along the waterfront trail in Richland…it’s time to knuckle down and tackle some of those projects.

The warm and longer days are a wonderful time to work on the little repairs and renovations that can reap a financial reward in the near or far future when it’s time to sell your home.  Let’s take a look at some of these ideas:

Patios and Decks:   What a better way to enjoy these summer days than by creating an outdoor living space for everyone to enjoy. Decks and patios are among the most popular summer remodeling ideas and there are lots of consideration to take into consideration when making the decision whether a patio or deck is the best project to undertake. Some factors include soil condition and consistency, site terrain, actual use, capacity, privacy as well as the cost and maintenance you are willing to deal with throughout the length of the project.

Home Maintenance:  Throughout the seasons, your home has taken care of you and your family, and now is the best time to give a little love back to it. Go through your property to evaluate and create a checklist on areas that need mending or replacement. This list is a crucial preparation before calling a contractor or handyman for maintenance and repair services. Some common maintenance and repair include:  1) Waterproof the basement, 2) Re-caulk and replace weatherstriping, 3) Clean and seal wooden decks, 4) trim bushes and shrubs  5) Re-align downspouts and gutters, 6) Repair roof, 7) Clean the pool, 8. mend the fence, 9) Seal cracks along driveways, foundation, walkways, etc. and 10) Maintenance of HVAC systems.

Energy efficient renovation:  When it comes to summer remodeling, there’s no better way to invest your hard earned dollars than by making your home energy efficient. An energy efficient summer remodel is truly a worthwhile endeavor as it will result in years of savings on your enegery bills. Some of the common items you can buy and intregrate into your energy efficient renovations include: 1) Insulation systems and materials, 2) roofs that resist heat gain, 3) biomass burning stoves, 4) energy-efficient windows, 5) HVAC systems with the highest efficiency tiers, 6) solar panels, 7) fuel cells  8) geothermal heat pumps, and 9) wind energy systems.

So hurry and finsh up these summer project so that you can get back to enjoying all the recreational activities that the Tri-Cities and Mid-Columbia region offer! The theme here is “Fun in the Sun” for a reason!!

The Bridge-to-Bridge/River-to-Rail riverfront makeover project has unanimously brought the City of Kennewick and Port of Kennewick commissioners together in a spirit of cooperation, thus allowing them to begin the process of creating the vision and planning for the future development of Kennewick’s rivershore. The Port of Kennewick has added many upgrades to the Clover Island area and that will feed into future plans. Both agencies also agreed to work together on how development should proceed for the Vista Field Airport and the adjacent Three Rivers Entertainment District. All of these improvements will add much to the economic stability of the Downtown Kennewick area with upscale real estate developments, tourism, business growth and recreational activities.

According to the Tri Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau, the Tri Cities is a wonderful spot for tourism with a 4 percent increase in rented hotel rooms in the community for 2009.  In comparison to the other areas like Spokane, Yakima and King County which saw drops in their hotel occupancy, the Tri Cities boasts $366 million in travel and tourism which helps support more than 4,400 jobs per year; this of course helps to diversify our community even more.

Wineries, golf, and recreational activities in the sunshine attracts folks to the wonderful Tri Cities, and we’re always hopeful that some of those tourists will become residents one day! Conventioners have brought big business and tourist dollars to the Tri Cities to the tune of 113,000 visitors which converts to more than $32.5 million in direct spending. Thus far for 2010 and beyond, around 180 conventions and sporting events have been scheduled worth $34.9 million in local spending.

The bureau has made tremendous strides to present the Tri Cities to the outside world, and to share all our positive aspects, which are many and diverse. They have been delightfully successful! When you come visit us and decide to stay, the agents at Distinctive Properties, Inc.,  will be more than happy to assist you with your real estate needs. Check us out at  www.distinctiveprop.com

Wine! Wine! Wine! Wow – the wine industry is still growing with leaps and bounds here in Washington State with 165,000 tons of grapes crushed last fall, which is an increase of 20,000 tons from 2008, with Reisling and Chardonnay being the largest crops.

Washington State is the second largest wine producing state in the nation, but a far cry from California’s number of 3.44 million tons crushed last year. However, we are the country’s largest producer of juice grapes, which are mostly Concorde grapes.

60 percent of the grapes grown in Washington are owned by or contracted to Ste. Michelle, who ownes the three wineries Columbia Crest, Chateau Ste. Michelle and Snoqualmie Vineyards. Chateau Ste. Michelle is the world’s largest producer of Reisling, which is fast becoming the country’s favorite in sales.

Here in the Tri Cities there are several wineries of merit, tasting rooms popping up all over, and many fine dining establishments carry local wines for you to sample. Come enjoy our wonderful weather, our outstanding recreational activities, and after a long day in the fun and the sun – enjoy the taste of our premium wines from vineyards right here in the Columbia Basin!

The real estate forecasting company, Local Market Monitor, indicates a strong real estate market for the Tri Cities again this year and recommends that the Tri Cities is a place where investing in housing is a good move. They have placed the Tri Cities 4th on the list of 10 smaller communities with strong markets.

With the predictions that housing prices to remain the same or increase a bit this next year, local officials of the Tri City Association of Realtors advise that a record number of homes were sold in 2009, and the homes under $300,000 are the strongest range.

The inventory of homes in the Tri Cities is right at 1,000 for sale right now, which is down and that inventory would be depreciated in approximately 4 months if there were no other homes added to the market. Higher end homes ($400,000+) are taking longer to sell, but the $0 to $300,000 range is where the majority of the sales are occurring.

The wonderful amenities of the Tri Cities bring potential buyers from the west side of the state and beyond. Recreational activities in this warm and sunny climate is attractive to people interested in the possibility of a 2nd home. The wine industry draws people from all over the state and many have discovered what we all know – the Tri Cities is a great place to live!

Pasco and Kennewick have had increases in the number of new home building permits in 2009, while Richland has seen a decline in housing permits, although Richland is seeing many commercial or Hanford related projects coming their way in the very near future.

Federal money brought into the Tri Cities and Hanford Enterprises, along with continued job growth throughout the area in other industries is assisting in keeping the Tri Cities a strong economy and the real estate market stable. The first-time and long-term tax credits that have been instituted are bringing more buyers to the real estate market in the Tri Cities as well. Additionally, the media nationwide has positively focused on the Tri Cities and our continuing job growth and housing market as being a safe market to invest in.