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FOR ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE AND LIFESTYLE ON THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS

7 hours ago

Real Estate Market and Your Tax Assessment

All of us Island property owners will be receiving our tax assessment notices from the County in the middle of October. As real estate agents we will be 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. Areas of p

May 6

Docks; Fun Facts to Know and Tell

During the real estate boom years, waterfront homes on San Juan Island appreciate around 8-10% per year and those homes with docks appreciated around 13-20%. Docks have always been a coveted property amenity as they truly allow easy access to boating; the reason many want to live on an island. Many, many years ago, docks were easy to obtain and were often used for making a living such as fishing, crabbing, commercial boat use and marinas. In today’s environment, docks are v

Feb 1

IRS SECTION 1031 – TAX DEFERRED EXCHANGE

IRS SECTION 1031 - TAX DEFERRED EXCHANGE Another popular avenue for funding a real estate investment is utilizing a 1031 tax deferred exchange. During the last recession when appreciation was non-existent there were no gains for buyers and sellers to defer but in the current market, the use of the 1031 has made a strong return. 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. A

Jan 6, 2021

Update to Our Internet Connection

Rock Island has been busy for the last 5 years installing the base structure for our fiber and other internet connection options throughout the County. As a REALTOR, I can state that internet reliability is discussed as part of every real estate transaction. Now more than ever, Islanders, as well as newcomers need to be connected and they desire their families to visit and, of course, the children and grand-kids must have their devices. As I understand, there are several

Jan 1, 2021

Home Inspections and Their Role in the Real Estate Transaction

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

Jun 2, 2020

San Juan Quick Real Estate Market Update 2020 Video

#sanjuanmarketupdate #sanjuanrealestate #SanJuanRealestateforsale

Apr 8, 2020

San Juan County Q1-2020 Real Estate Market Update

The first quarter results for San Juan County maintained the momentum that was present during the last quarter of 2019. As compared to the first quarter in 2019; the data for San Juan Island, Orcas and Lopez all reflected an increase in volume and transaction numbers for the period ending March 31, 2020. San Juan Island had the largest increases with a 48% increase in transaction volume and a 56% increase in number of transactions. Orcas and Lopez had 11% and 16.5% increas

Feb 22, 2020

Home Projects that Sell Homes Quickly

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

Feb 17, 2020

San Juan Local Real Estate Video

#fridayharborrealestate #sanjuanrealestate #sanjuanrealestateupdate #ColdwellBankerSanJuanIslandsInc #SanJuanIslandLifestyleVideos #rocheharborrealestate

Jan 14, 2020

SAN JUAN ISLAND Q4-2019 REAL ESTATE MARKET SUMMARY

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

Sep 16, 2019

Excise Tax Increase, Decrease and Shift

There will be a major change in real estate excise tax taking effect January 1, 2020 for the State of Washington. I have provided a link below to the Senate Bill which created this change to a graduated tax rate. The Excise Tax adjustment will affect what the seller pays. In January 2019 the tax went up for the buyers in our County with the addition of the Affordable Housing Tax (Buyer pays 99% of the .5% tax). This new tax revision will equate to a decrease in the Excis

Apr 17, 2019

San Juan Island Real Estate Video

This Lifestyle video is a spoof on my favorite professional; San Juan Real Estate. I thought you might enjoy it. #sanjuanrealestate #RealEsateMarketupdateforSanJuanIslandWA #ColdwellBankerSanJuanIslandsInc #PropertyBuyersinSanJuanCounty #SanJuanIslandLifestyle

Apr 11, 2019

SAN JUAN ISLAND REAL ESTATE MARKET 1Q 2018 SUMMARY

The first quarter results for San Juan Island were very similar to the first quarter results last year. San Juan Island’s dollar volume for the quarter reflected a decrease of 12.5% as compared to the same quarter in 2018. The first quarters are often a roller coaster for our islands and are affected by weather, local and national events. The number of transactions was down 31%. The County’s first quarter dollar volume reflected a decrease of 25% as compared to 2018 and t

Apr 9, 2019

GENERAL COSTS TO BUY, SELL OR BUILD

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;

Mar 28, 2019

San Juan St. Patrick's Day Fishing Derby Video

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

Feb 14, 2019

San Juan Island Video - A Snow Day – Island Style

This video shares with you what the island looks like while in a winter wonderland plus what some islanders do on their snow day. #ColdwellBankerSanJuanIslandsInc #MerriAnnSimonson #SanJuanIslandLifestyleVideos #sanjuanrealestate

Nov 19, 2018

Choosing to Downsize as a Senior

Go through your belongings early on If you have already decided to downsize, the first thing you will need to do is to go through your belongings and decide what pieces you will keep and what you can get rid of. Keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to throw away the items you will not be taking with you to your new home – depending on the age and wear of the item in question, you may be able to sell it through an online site like eBay or OfferUp, or donate it to Goo

Oct 11, 2018

SAN JUAN ISLAND REAL ESTATE MARKET SUMMARY

The third quarter results for San Juan Island and the County were consistent with the first and second quarter results. Per the NWMLS, the dollar volume year-to-date on San Juan Island was $99,156,746 with a total of 181 transactions. This reflects a 12.5% decrease in the dollar volume and a 21.5% decrease in the number of transactions. For San Juan County, the total dollar volume was $218,491,175 with a total of 392 transactions. The County had a slight gain of 1/2% in

Jul 31, 2018

Boating Mishaps in the San Juan Islands Video

My past videos have shared how fun boating can be, this video share some of the mishaps and boating issues that can happen. #fridayharborrealestate #sanjuanrealestate #MerriAnnSimonson #ColdwellBankerSanJuanIslandsInc #SanJuanIslandLifestyleVideos

Jan 11, 2018

SAN JUAN ISLAND REAL ESTATE MARKET SUMMARY

In reviewing the year-end results for 2017, the sales dollar volume for the real estate market in San Juan County per the Northwest Multiple Listing Service was $299,943,083 which reflects an increase in volume of 19.5% over 2016 when the volume was $251,020,953. The percentage of growth this year was very similar to the increase we enjoyed for the last several years; very stable controlled growth is much more sustainable. The County closed an average of 49.3 transactions p