The Facts for February. Inventory Edging Up. Sales Slide Two From January
Four Homes Sold in February
Sales are basically the same year over year reflecting on five in February of 2014. The four sold this February; all the work of the Elephant. We’re full-time because it’s a passion. We’re not snow birding in Arizona, California or anywhere else. We’re not on the golf course. We’re present, helping those who need it and enjoying serving from home in this beautiful community. We have our pulse on the market every day and we don’t need to play catch up.
Take a look:
| Model | Original Asking Price | Asking Price when Sold | Sale Price | Days on Market |
| Orchard | $439,950 | $439,950 | $439,950 | 2 |
| Vancouver | $565,000 | $565,000 | $565,000 | 0 |
| Hemlock | $709,000 | $699,000 | $695,000 | 72 |
| Monticello | $849,950 | $849,950 | $829,000 | 47 |
*Homes in bold & green; the Elephant’s Work representing the Sellers.
The Orchard was a well-cared for, four year old home with mid-level upgrades and was attached at the garage. The Vancouver was a lovely, corner greenbelt home where a buyer was procured before we could put it on the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. It was not advertised. Word of mouth sold this one. The Hemlock was built in 2013 and was quite lovely. The price reflects its location below other homes. The Monticello was one of our most beautiful homes sold to date with custom upgrades and a lovely greenbelt off Twinberry Way. The two most expensive homes closing in February came on the market during the holidays and colder weather thus taking a little more time to sell. The Monticello reached mutual agreement between the buyer and seller on Christmas Eve. Not much happens from Thanksgiving until the New Year. This year, strategy and lack of Inventory said “leave them on the market” and it panned out.
Eight New Pending Sales!
Contracts are up three over January’s five. Here’s what’s currently “Pending” or “Pending Inspection”. These are homes which have reached mutual terms between a buyer and a seller but have not yet recorded with the county.
| Model | Original Asking Price | Current Asking Price | Days on Market | Comments |
| Orchard | $469,950 | $459,000 | 26 | Stand Alone Home |
| Union | $479,950 | $479,950 | 1 | Greenbelt Hm. |
| Discovery | $479,950 | $479,950 | 6 | Exceptional Outdoor living |
| Vashon | $504,900 | $504,900 | 83 | Backs to Another Home |
| Whidbey | $559,000 | $559,000 | 20 | Close to Club |
| Hemlock | $785,000 | $774,900 | 118 | Spectacular Golf Course & Mountain View |
| Vancouver – Pending Inspection | $579,000 | $579,000 | 159 | |
| Redford – Pending Inspection | $825,000 | $825,000 | 253 | On Morgan Drive Greenbelt |
*Homes in bold & green; the Elephant’s Work.
The Orchard was a stand-alone home, meaning that it was not connected in any way to another home. These are few and far between and bring a premium. The Union was presented beautifully, had upper level upgrades and deep back yard with a traversing trail down to the greenbelt. More expensive homes take more attention to get to sell quickly. It’s something the Elephant concentrates on and we’ve had more and more success at it. There are three kinds of brokers in this world; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder “what the heck happened?” We work hard to make it happen in and out of Trilogy. Today we reached “Pending” status on a home in Maltby which sold in two days for $745K; well over asking price. It’s the two months of prepping this house on the three quarter acre property and the promotion that “made” it happen. We don’t always know where the Pachyderm may be needed. We do know we’re preparing a listing in Bothell at this time. We try to keep our tusks sharp and are well versed at serving the general public, as well.
There Are 15 Homes For the Taking!
At one point during February, there were 20 homes available for sale. It was a fairly active month of sales and contracts but new listings have not kept up. Here’s what’s available as of the last day of February.
| Model | Original Price | Asking Price | Days on Market | Elephant thoughts: |
| Angeles | $419,000 | $409,990 | 38 | 1st Angeles in a while |
| Chelan | $429,000 | $419,000 | 37 | Lovely Greenbelt – Now Pending Inspection |
| Discovery | $449,950 | $434,950 | 37 | |
| Discovery | $449,950 | $439,500 | 37 | |
| Washington | $500,000 | $485,000 | 100 | |
| Vashon | $514,900 | $514,900 | 18 | |
| Washington | $519,000 | $519,000 | 48 | Greenbelt Home |
| Washington | $519,500 | $519,500 | 5 | Greenbelt Home |
| Washington | $539,000 | $539,000 | 18 | Greenbelt Home & Close to Club |
| Vancouver | $569,000 | $569,000 | 30 | Backs to Trilogy Parkway |
| Bainbridge | $599,950 | $574,000 | 217 | |
| Vancouver | $599,000 | $599,000 | 15 | |
| Hemlock | $705,000 | $699,000 | 48 | |
| Hemlock | $729,950 | $729,950 | 38 | Greenbelt Home |
| Maryhill | $1,180,000 | $1,180,000 | 11 | Golf/Mtn. View |
*Homes in bold & green; the Elephant working for our Sellers.
Please, keep in mind all the following data is as of February 28th, 2015 at midnight for month over month accuracy. Statuses of some of these homes have changed by the time you receive this report. Add the appropriate days per the month of March for time on market of available homes. Within this report, we share what is available at the first of the month for consistent and measurable month over month reporting
The Match Tic
| Low – YTD | High – YTD | Prior Month | February |
| 26 | 31 | 26 | 31 |
The total amount of all Northwest Multiple Listing statuses measured 26 at month end. Status may include Active (Homes currently available for sale), Pending Inspection (Homes under contract but still in the home inspection process), Pending (Homes that have worked through the inspection process successfully), Sold (Homes that have closed escrow), Contingent (Sold homes that are contingent upon the buyer selling their own home) and TOMK or BOMK (Homes that are either Temporarily Off Market or Back on Market after being temporarily unavailable.)
What Sets Devin Sanford Homes Apart From Other Brokers?
As mentioned above, we’re full-time. We are not snow birding in Arizona or California then trying to play catch up when we get home. We’re not on the golf course; we’re answering our phones and your emails. The last two months of the year, when it’s very slow and we do take some time off, we use that time to brainstorm and find ways to improve our service. You deserve it! We’ve been doing home pre-inspections to ensure a smooth closing, offering complimentary staging, landscaping services, pressure washing and rolling up our sleeves for years. We wrote the book on it in Trilogy. Recently members have shared with us identical knock-offs of our flyers , use of our vendors and even plagiarism of our phrases like “complimentary.” We’re flattered and, if we’re raising the bar on the level of service Trilogy members receive, then we’re accomplishing our purpose.
Years ago, we began marketing and putting this information out there in Trilogy for one reason; to make sure Trilogy members got the truth and a fair deal. We didn’t feel some of you were getting that at the time. We still have much to do. The truth is excellent service takes practice so why not hire the original. Other brokers, who were late to offer the services we do, will be continuing to play catch up for a very long time. They may begin to offer some of what we do but we assure you; it takes much time and repetition to get really good at it. We promise to always be a step ahead which means the best service possible. We’ve interviewed our vendors hard and have worked with them for years. They don’t get our business unless they serve you “The Elephant Way.” That means they’re prompt, reliable, and courteous, priced fairly and do excellent work.
You won’t find us flashing photos in our market reports of all the homes we sold last year. We report monthly about all home sales in Trilogy, regardless of who sold them. The fact is there have been ten homes sold in Trilogy in the first two months of the year and the Elephant sold five of them. There are five more in escrow. We measure our success by how well we serve others and we hope you recognize the difference. We care about YOU and you provide us purpose in our lives. We’re excited we have work to do the next day. Thank you.
Zillow Is A Great Resource For Some Things
Check recommendations too. One of the best places to do that is through client customer satisfaction surveys. Zillow is the largest real estate information site in the country and one of the best ways to see what people are saying about any broker. You can enter any broker’s name at the top of the home page at Zillow.com and their record will pop right up.
You should know that I have not spent any significant time building my Zillow profile. Believe me; they try to sell me stuff all the time to get me “more customers.” The truth is I don’t need to give Zillow hundreds of dollars a month to be listed as a “Premier Agent.” That advertising expense is for real estate brokers who don’t have enough referral business. We’re grateful our referrals keep us busy serving. Oddly enough, Zillow did notify me some time ago that they’ve listed me as a “Local Expert for Redmond” due to the amount of sales reported to them. Thank you. That didn’t cost a red cent or a second of time. I’m alright with a freebie.
The Elephant Travels Outside of Trilogy
Serving Sellers
Trilogy makes up more than half of the listings we handle each month but did you know we can apply the Elephant way to helping your friends and family outside of Trilogy? With that in mind, we’ve developed a team of brokers and a marketing specialist who can handle just about anything. We know Western Washington extremely well from the Canadian border to about the Kent/Renton area. We are willing to take care of any need from Mt. Vernon to the Kent/Renton area. This corridor allows us to serve effectively. By the way, thank you so much to our Trilogy member friend, T.C., for recommending us to your close friend near Bothell High School. Our cleanup crew is out there today. We’ll be handling things while she travels with business and takes care of her two girls. Need help outside of Trilogy? Please, feel free to contact us should you have any questions whatsoever.
Serving Buyers
With over 30 years experience as licensed real estate brokers between myself and our veteran broker, Brian Perrigo, we’ve got you and your family and friends covered almost anywhere in King and Snohomish counties. Although the majority of our business is on the East Side, we do a lot elsewhere with particular skills in Mukilteo, Bothell and Snohomish.
Open Houses
Brian Perrigo – Broker
Stop by our Open Houses and say “Hello.” We love to make new acquaintances and miss seeing those of you we’ve known a while. When you do stop by, don’t be afraid to ask questions. That’s what we’re here for. You stand a good chance of running into Brian Perrigo hosting one of those Opens. I’ve worked with Brian in sales for over 25 years and he knows what he’s doing. After working with a former Trilogy Trainer and Lead Sales Representative, in me, for the last few years, It’ pretty fair to say that Brian knows Trilogy better than the majority of brokers out there. His processes and his paperwork are rock solid. If you’ve got a friend you want to put in only the very best hands to help them find the right home, Brian has my highest recommendation. He does it the Elephant way; serving not selling. Plan a tour with either of us. We know the inventory and we know the values. You’ll be delighted you did.
We Love Feedback
Your emails are very welcome. If you have anything you’d like us to address, by all means, drop us a line! Of course, we are not perfect so mentoring is very welcome, as well. We love growth in any facet. Thank you, in advance.
That’s a wrap for February. We’ll see you next month.
Devin, Bridgette & Team