MEET THERESE

Do you realize that you may use all or a portion of your retirement funds to invest in real estate? Retirement accounts are basically Trust accounts for your benefit when you retire. In the 1970s, the IRS approved real estate as an investment option you can purchase with your IRA or a 401 (K). You may also obtain a non-recourse real estate loan that is granted to your self-directed IRA which will increase your purchasing power. Typically, the lender will loan up to 50% lo

Corner stakes are one of the most important components of purchasing real estate, I have learned this over 25 years of selling real estate on San Juan. For the properties that transacted years ago, corner stakes were not a big issue; of course, nor was a water source, or a septic permit or archaeological areas. Times have changed in our rural area and the buyer must know what they are purchasing before they close. To make an informed purchase decision on any type of real est

While showing property I am often asked, if the home could be renovated and/or increased in size as the lot is perfect but the home is too small or too dated for the prospective buyer. As I have said numerous times, it is still more cost effective to buy existing and remodel than it is to build new construction. With new homes, the cost is $400-$500 per square foot, and it is 20 months before you can walk over the threshold. If you are buying a home that you intend to remode

Most of the waterfront home owners in the County went through the process of determining if flood insurance is a necessity for their property when they purchased or refinanced.  As you may be aware, the majority of our waterfront properties are designated as being in the flood plain as determined by the current Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maps. What you may not realize is that a high percentage of the homes and other structures, when further analysis is done, m

Another positive sign of real estate market recovery for our County is an increase in buyers and sellers utilizing a 1031 exchange.  During the recession when appreciation was non-existent there were no gains for buyers and sellers to defer.  Many sellers decided to hold off and wait for more recovery. As a 1031 exchange is a handy tool for deferring income tax on the sale of real estate, I thought you might desire more details about the program.  As typical for any IRS code,

If you are a buyer or seller, I bet you thought just getting under contract was stressful for all parties but in reality, the home inspection and/or feasibility response and associated negotiations are often the more stressful event.  Allowing a buyer to have a home inspection and hopefully a concurrent feasibility study is a very necessary part of the transaction. Seller’s Disclosure form 17 As required by statue, the seller must provide a disclosure about the property.  Thi

1. Select an Agent to Represent You As you may be aware, all of the brokerage firms on San Juan Island are members of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service; therefore, any of the agents can assist you with any of the properties listed with Coldwell Banker San Juan Islands or other brokerage firms. One of the first steps in purchasing real estate on San Juan is to select an agent to represent you. Ideally you should select ONE agent that you feel will provide you with the lev

All of us Island property owners received our tax assessment notices from the County recently. As real estate agents we have been fielding many questions about the statements and new assessments. As you may recall, the State has mandated that our Assessor’s office convert to an annual assessment update cycle versus the cyclical system we were on for years. The current values are for a one-year period only, and will be adjusted the next year. The current process is much mo

The third quarter results for San Juan Island and San Juan County were consistent with the first quarter results; very robust. The second quarter was in COVID shock but that gave way to a strong third quarter. Per the NWMLS, the dollar volume year-to-date on San Juan Island was $139,281,708 with a total of 188 transactions. This reflects a 65% increase in the dollar volume and a 38% increase in the number of transactions. For San Juan County, the total dollar volume was

This video shares how the locals create a derby just to get out of doing chores at the home. It also shows off my fish cleaning skills!! #fridayharborrealestate #MerriAnnSimonson #FishingintheSanJuans #ColdwellBankerSanJuanIslandsInc #fishingderby #rocheharborrealestate #SanJuanIslandLifestyle #SanJuanRealestateforsale

The second quarter results, which complete the first half of the year, in San Juan County were extremely good when considering the virus impact. Per the NWMLS, the dollar volume in San Juan County was $118,381,567 with a total of 201 transactions. The numbers reflect a 6% decrease in dollar volume and a 4% increase in the number of transactions as compared to the same period in 2019. For San Juan Island the transaction volume was $56,453,142 with a total of 91 transactions

The average American homeowner spends more than $1,200 a year on homeowners insurance. That’s about $100 a month, year after year, for a product most of us will never use. It makes sense to find the lowest rates possible. But get this: The average homeowners insurance claim pays about $16,000 to fix damage caused by wind, fire, hail, lightning, and other perils. If you needed to use your policy, you’d want a company that would come through for you. The $50 or $100 you’d

It is imperative that you complete the 2020 census report as it aids in improving the quality of life in San Juan County. Our County needs federal funding. Do your part, be counted! The request for information will be either mailed as a letter or post card on a staggered basis. The correspondence will encourage you to go on-line to complete the questionnaire. They will not be mailed to a post office box. www.2020census.gov Other options for completion include calling-in

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If you are considering selling your home, you may be wondering what, if any, repairs you should make to increase the chances of getting a good offer. While the answer to that question will depend on the particulars of your home, some renovations provide a more significant return on investment (ROI) than others. And some repairs don’t equate to a specific ROI but increase chances of getting an offer. Evaluating your home If you are listing your home with a broker, they can he

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In reviewing the year-end results for 2019, the sales dollar volume for the real estate market in San Juan County per the Northwest Multiple Listing Service was $299,854,773 which reflects a small decrease in volume of 2.3% as compared to 2018 when the volume was $306,903,509.  The County closed an average of 37 transactions per month which is 19% below last year. Total volume on San Juan Island in 2019  was $139,593,052 as compared to $132,285,740 in 2018.  The increase was

Cost of construction, selling and buying real estate in the islands has continued to increase based the requirements to meet the current regulations and overall material and service cost increases. One could say that it costs more and takes longer to comply with the various regulations that govern the real estate and related construction industries. Based on the medium home price of $525,000 during the last 12 months, a buyer will spend an average of $10,725 in closing costs;

This video shares with you how we won the big pot of gold fishing in the St Patrick’s Day San Juan Island yacht Club sponsored derby. #fridayharborrealestate #sanjuanrealestate #MerriAnnSimonson #FishingintheSanJuans #ColdwellBankerSanJuanIslandsInc #SanJuanIslandLifestyleVideos #rocheharborrealestate

Thinking about selling your property? You may want to consider researching, collecting and completing the items detailed below. This is not a check list for planting flowers on your porch and painting your front door, you can go to the internet for that information. This list is to prepare sellers in San Juan County for marketing their property. The issues below are for regulatory compliance, contract performance, will prove beneficial and are worth the effort in the mark