Kitsap County Real Estate :: Bremerton WA Real Estate :: Silverdale WA Real Estate
Homes For Sale in Bremerton WA | Homes For Sale in Silverdale WA | Kitsap County WA Homes for Sale
Military Relocation to Naval Base Kitsap
Bremerton | Bangor| Keyport | Puget SoundNaval Shipyard (PSNS & IMF) | Naval Hospital Bremerton
PugetSoundRealEstateToday.com is the place on the Internet where you will find local real estate market information about selling or buying homes in Kitsap County on the Kitsap Peninsula. Here you can search for homes in Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo and any other area that is located close to Naval Base Kitsap hassle free. I want to be the real estate professional you choose on your own because you feel I will represent you better than anyone else. Please feel free to read my No SPAM Policy and sign up for all of the free information I offer. When you are ready I know you will give me a call! It will be like talking to someone you already know. If you have any questions just email me or leave a comment on one of my blogs. If you have an idea for an article I should research and publish please let me know. I want to be YOUR Local Expert!
PugetSoundRealEstateToday.com :: Real Estate Market Information
 My name is Jo Soss and I am the designated Broker and owner of HomeFront Realty. I am your local expert for information on buying or selling homes in the West Puget Sound communities of Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard, Seabeck, Keyport, Bangor and Poulsbo.
I am also proud to serve the real estate housing needs of the Naval Base Kitsap area of the Navy Region Northwest, which includes Bremerton, Bangor, Keyport, Naval Hospital Bremerton, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS & IMF).
If you are planning on buying a home or selling a home in the Bremerton, Silverdale, Port Orchard, Seabeck, Keyport or Poulsbo area or if you are planning on relocating due to Military Relocation PCS orders, please contact me for all your local real estate needs.
I realize that people do business with people they trust and so that is why I am interested in what is the best for you, the customer, and am also committed in establishing a long-term relationship based on trust. I pride myself on being knowledgeable and staying current with changes in the real estate industry that will affect the success of your home buying or home selling transaction. You have worked hard to be able to purchase the home of your dreams and I feel the responsibility to make those dreams a reality and to help you pursue the right solution enthusiastically.
Bremerton WA Real Estate :: Bremerton WA Real Estate Information :: Homes in Bremerton WA
Bremerton, newly proclaimed the “Metropolitan Center of the West Puget Sound” is located in Kitsap County on the Beautiful Kitsap Peninsula between the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges in Washington State.
The Bremerton area offers some of the best views of mountains and water as well as some of the best boating and recreational opportunities in the Greater Puget Sound Area. Within a mile radius you have several attractions and facilities to vistit and explore. Welcome to the Kitsap Peninsula
Bremerton WA homes feature style and character - with secret rooms with retro door knobs. Did you know that Art-Deco was the style of the 1940's? Bremerton WA homes have features like big porches, stately overhangs, high pitched roofs and dormer windows. The list goes on and on and on - There are not many places in the Pacific Northwest that can boast such home detail and Bremerton WA is one of the areas where these homes are still affordable.
 More publicity for Bremeton this month of March. The Cover of Washington CEO Magazinefeatures Bremerton with the title "Bremerton Rising". Click the link and read the article "Welcome to Boomertown".
There will be a couple of nice pictures of Mayor Bozeman and of former Seattle Seahawks kicker Norm Johnson who is now a local Bremerton real estate agent. You are going to read words like "bummertown", "boomertown" and "forgotten step-child".
I think there are several people looking at what is beginning to be our "turn around". Years ago Forbes listed Bremerton as one of the bests places to start a business. I hope that some smaller "niche" shops see the value of locating in the downtown sector. With the new marina's completion soon we are going to see some new tourist traffic this summer.
Check out these articles I have written in the past about Bremerton's Revitalization.
Silverdale Real Estate :: Silverdale Real Estate Information :: Homes in Silverdale
Silverdale enjoyed rapid growth due to the decision to build a base for Trident submarines at Bangor. The Bangor area is just minutes north of Silverdale and is a huge economic factor.
The Silverdale area of West Puget Sound is home to some of the new home communities. Over the last several years there have been many “developments built to include the Ridgetop area, Summerwind, Ridgeview, The Glenn at Quail Ridge and several others. There are also several newer townhouse communities such as SilverRidge and Breckenridge. Choices of home styles and neighborhoods abound in the Silverdale area
Silverdale WA is the shopping hub of the West Puget Sound. Located here is the largest shopping mall between Seattle and Tacoma.
The Kitsap Mall
Silverdale though expanding and bringing several shops and restaurants to the area still has a small town feel and no better place to find it than in “Old Town Silverdale” a small community right on the waterfront. There are gallery ships and casual cafes with magnificent views of the waterfront.
Here lies the waterfront park which offers a children’s playground, a public boat launch and moorage, along with picnic spots and a beach walking trail.
Hot off the West Sound Live! Press...
So what can $6,500 really do? Incentive for “step-up” buyers will begin on December 1 of this year.
 As a first time home buyer $8,000 can be a lot of money. Depending on your location and what the typical first time home buyer is in your area $8,000 can be a HUGE incentive or one that just barely makes a dent in any type of scenario.
I don't sell in California and in fact I don't sell in Seattle where the prices for first time home buyers is considerably more than what a first time home buyer can purchase here in Kitsap County. It is true that with the real estate correction over the last 3 years we do have homes in the area that are in the low $100,000 range.
Our income levels are lower here and so the first time home buyer here was being helped tremendously with the $8,000 tax credit. We have a large percentage of military personnel and a large percentage of military personnel marry younger and start families younger. This sometimes has impacted their buying power. They have steady, good paying jobs with benefits but might have over the last several years incurred some debt that can be washed out with this incentive.
Who Qualifies - $6,500 Extended Credit
- Current home owners going under contract to purchase a home between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010 (closing on or before June 30, 2010), who have used the home being sold or vacated as a principal residence for five consecutive years within the last eight. (I am sure more detailed information will be forth coming) IRS publications I am sure to be released. Speak with your Tax Adviser prior to filling.
So what does this new "expansion" to the extended tax credit mean to local Kitsap County home sellers or "step-up" buyers? You know what cost are associated with selling your home. Check out this post I wrote a couple weeks ago to refresh your memory.
Your $6,500 tax credit could help you with the following charges when you sell your home
- Real Estate Fees - remember these are always negotiable but in our market area the average range is between 3 and 6 percent of the sales price.
- Excise Tax - currently you will be paying 1.78% of the sales price to the state for selling your home.
- Settlement charges like title policy fees and escrow closing costs.
This new incentive just might be what you are looking for to help you to that next dream home. Remember how fun it was to be a first time home buyer? Well, I can tell you that to make a move up is just as fun and almost more exciting because your possibilities are usually more. The move-up home is usually one that enables you to have the items that you only could dream about in your first home.
If you have any questions on selling your home in this market just give me a call, or send an email, or text me with your questions!
It is finally official. The homebuyers' tax credit has been extended to April 30, 2010.
I am sure lots of area home-buyers have thought this was approved a couple of weeks ago, however the President just signed the Bill this afternoon. The original 1st time home-buyer credit was extended and there was a new provision inserted to allow for higher income and for home-buyers who would like to be move-up buyers to receive a credit of $6,500 with certain restrictions. This next week I will be posting more in-depth about this bill but wanted to give an update and some quick facts.
- Home-buyers must sign a contract before April 30 and close by June 30.
- Single buyers can now earn up to $125,000 and still get the full credit while a married couple can earn $225,000.
- First-time buyers -- those who have not owned a home in the past three years -- still qualify for an $8,000 rebate.
- Those who have owned and occupied a residence for at least five years out of the past eight can claim a $6,500 tax credit if they close on a purchase by the end of June.
There are several news articles you can read for more information
Gentlemen (Buyers) Start Your Engines
Buyer's you are in the driver seat With the local real estate market in a slow-down, with high inventory and an increase of days on market for Bremerton and Silverdale homes you can safely say we are in a buyer's market.
I define markets by absorption rates. An absorption rate is the mathematical relationship of supply and demand. The absorption rate is the number of months it would take to sell the entire inventory of homes in the Bremerton Silverdale area of Kitsap County if the pace were to stay constant.
My definition breaks down like this...
Normal Market - Between 5 and 6 months of inventory.
Seller's Market - Between 1 and 4 months of inventory.
Buyer's Market - 7 months and higher.
Last month, the month of March the absorption rate was around 12 months in our area.
So, is it a good time to buy real estate in the Bremerton, Silverdale area of Kitsap County? The question isn't as easy to answer as you may think. Do you wait for the "bottom out"? How will you know when we hit bottom? Do you chance waiting and then find yourself buying on the "upswing"? These are all very important questions and questions that many real estate experts are trying to answer for their buyers.
Just like real estate is local and "one size doesn't fit all" the same holds true for buyers. This may be the perfect time for you to buy and it may not. What we need to do is find out what is best for you. That is why you need a real estate agent that will help you buy a home and not just sell you a home. There is a difference. Call me and we can discuss that in more detail.
Does a buyer's market mean you can "low ball" or ask for a ton of concessions? The answer is - not really. Within a "buyer's market" we sometimes find a "seller's market" in certain areas or price ranges. So we need to still do our research which will include a comparative analysis of homes when we find the home you want to write a purchase and sell agreement on.
Being a buyer's market you now have the opportunity to take some time, do some research and relax a little. We are not going to see as many multiple offers, we are going to be able to ask for some concessions like closing costs, home warranty plan, appliances - there is some room for flexibility because the seller knows the buyer pool is a little on the low side. As a buyer you still must realize that the seller has goals too and some might even be offended if you offer a lower price. But don't worry through the research process we will know how to overcome this objection with evidence we have gathered with our comparative analysis.
ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM
When I first entered the real estate profession back in 1994 I was told that in order to survive in this business you must become a listing agent. You must go after the listing; a listing is like money in the bank. So that is what all of us newbie's did, we went after the listing. Then one day I was asked to help out at a new construction development, which really meant "we need a warm body" to sit an open house. Being the new agent that I was I felt honored that they wanted me to sit the open house. I had so much fun interacting with potential buyers that buyers became my new obsession. I (gasp) became a buyer's agent! Sure I still listed homes and was successful at it but buyers were my passion, my obsession, my addition. It was like being on a scavenger hunt or a treasure hunt when working with buyers. We "hung out" on the weekends or on weekday evenings, hung out getting our fix of homes on the market. You don't spend that much time with sellers - buyers get to become part of your family. They know you and you know them. You know they like lemonade in their coke, you know they don't want pickles on a sandwich, you chat about neighborhoods and schools.
Buyers are fun!
In the State of Washington real estate professionals are bound by "The Law of Real Estate Agency". Please see section five :: "Duties of a Buyer's Agent." Prescribes the additional duties of a licensee representing the buyer or tenant only. In the current market buyers are gold! All those real estate agents that wouldn't work with buyers before sure are working with them now. The reason is it's a BUYER'S MARKET here in Kitsap County! You the buyer, the person in the driver's seat want to make sure you are working with a Buyer's Agent that is looking our for your best interest. I want my buyers to be my best piece of marketing so I make sure that it is all about them - the buyer! What better marketing plan can you have then lots and lots of buyers running around town telling all their friends about "their Buyer's Agent"! My buyers are my friends, they are my neighbors, they are my neighbor's friends and family and all receive total quality service from me.
Subscribe to new West Sound Live! posts via email -
|
