Bremerton : Water has that Lure

I moved to the Bremerton area in 2002 because of changes the City of Bremerton was implementing. Specifically The City of Bremerton Revitalization Projects that were to begin. In the last six years several projects have been completed and 2007 was the year of several “dedications”. The Norm Dicks Government Center and City Hall was opened in 2004. The Kitsap County Housing Waterfront Condominium Project was complete in 2007 along with the Harborside Fountain Park project and the Bremerton Naval Museum with Fountain Viewing Room. Just this past summer the completion of The Port of Bremerton Marina Expansion was celebrated. The Ferry Tunnel project to be completed by 2009.

I was looking for a community that was small with a vision of economic success and a true passion for the area and its heritage. Having a downtown area on the water was a huge factor for me. I have to be close to some kind of easily accessible water. Bremerton has that feel and has amazing water access with the vision to continue improving the waterfront area for the community.

Water for some reason can make or break a community. If a city can use the waterfront in a positive way the possibilities and economic growth can be amazing. In September the City of Bremerton is hosting the “Urban Waterfront Revitalization Conferance” at the Kitsap Conference Center in downtown Bremerton. Of course I don’t agree with Seattle PI business reporter Bill Virgin’s first remark in his article, “On the waterfront: Cities aim to maximize shoreline’s allure”, but I do agree with the statements that we love to be in, around or on the water.

After looking at the event program and the schedule speakers I would love to attend to just listen and learn, however with a $350 price tag I will be sitting this one out and will hopefully be able to blog about the conference from what I can glean from the blogosphere.

West Bremerton | Was Your Home Built Prior to 1978?

Did you receive a pamphlet in the mail from the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority about the Lead Hazard Control Program? I did. My house was built in 1941. I don’t qualify for the program but would really like to make sure the information reaches as many households as possible. Lead poisoning is a tragedy.

If you are eligible you may receive up to $7,000.00 in free repairs to correct the lead hazards in your home. This program is in partnership with Washington State Community Trade and Economic Development in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency.

This program has a Maximum Income Limit.

Click for Pamphlet Here.

Lead poisoning is a very serious concern and can cause severe health problems in all ages. If you or anyone in your home suffers from headaches, stomachaches, nausea or irritability it could be a sign of lead poisoning. Only a doctor’s exam can be conclusive.

See the pamphlet or Contact Mary Barton at 360-535-6131

Main Sources of Lead in Homes

Pealing or chipping paint (if lead based)

Dust from sanding old paint

Contaminated soil

Bremerton WA Real Estate Market Report Recap | June 2008

Here is the Real Estate Market Activity for January – June 2008. Check back each month to see the monthly 2008 trend for Bremerton WA.

There are currently 691 homes for sale with 5 of those homes listed as a contingent sale and 43 of those listed as Pending Inspection (new NWMLS term STI was replaced) which means there is a contract that has been presented and excepted by the seller with the condition of the home inspection. Once the home inspection has taken place these 44 homes will either go back on the market or be listed as pending and will not show in the active section of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. (NWMLS)

During the Month of June 182 homes were new to the Bremerton area Real Estate Market with a average price of $291,686.

During the Month of June 61(29 more than May!) homes went under contract and were removed from the active Bremerton homes data base. The median price for Bremerton area homes was $235,000 with a market time of 73 days (median).

During the Month of June 55 homes sold – which means that ownership changed hands and there are new owners listed on the tax records recorded at the Kitsap County courthouse. These Bremerton area homes were on the market 68 days (median) and sold for a median price of $229,950.

The Absorption rate in the Bremerton area is 54.45 weeks or approximately 12.70 months of inventory if the current conditions remain unchanged. That figure sure looks bad. However, if you look at the pendings for June which will close in July – July’s figure should really improve the months of inventory.

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 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.

If you would like to find out the value of your home please feel free to contact me via phone or email. I would be more than happy to supply you with a FREE Market Analysis .

“Statistics not compiled or published by NWMLS.”
Equal Opportunity Housing
All information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Welcome to Bremerton

Bremerton Real Estate :: Bremerton Real Estate Information ::

Homes in Bremerton

—newly proclaimed the “Metropolitan Center of the West Puget Sound” is the largest city in Kitsap County located on the Beautiful Kitsap Peninsula between the majestic 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 will find several attractions and facilities to visit and explore. Welcome to the Kitsap Peninsula.

Bremerton is in the midst of a huge downtown core revitalization process, which has caught the eye of many -
Special to the P-I : by Lawrence Cheek : On Architecture: Bremerton could teach Seattle a lesson about its waterfont

Landscape Architecture Magazine : by Mark Hinshaw : Waterfronts : Sound Investment :

Washington CEO Magazine : by Bryan Corliss : Welcome to Boomerton

Seattle Magazine : by Lynn Cook : Urban Safari : Bremerton
The cities vision and optimism has given the residents and small business owners a much needed boost of confidence in the rebuilding of the once grand downtown Bremerton.

Bremerton is divided by the waters of Port Washington Narrows into what the local residence refer to as East Bremerton and West Bremerton. The areas are connected by the Manette and Warren Avenue bridges. Bremerton is a city of history and can boast many unique neighborhoods, such as Manette, with its art culture/Bohemian appeal in East Bremerton; Charleston, a back to yesteryear section of the city filled with some 1930 charm, and several others that will have you admiring rows of waterfront homes on the shoreline or looking to neighborhoods that will remind you of your childhood.

Bremerton has it all. With home prices considerably lower than on the Seattle side of the water and yet still being able to offer amazing water and mountain views, it is no wonder that Bremerton is a community that can attract those that work in Seattle.

Along with affordability Bremerton offers many cultural programs. The Bremerton High School complex has a modern performing arts center and provides a venue for theater, opera, dance and the Bremerton Symphony. Bremerton isn’t “your Dad’s Navy town”.

Yes, I would say Bremerton residents have it all. We have an amazing community that can brag of a close knit small town feel all the while being able to enjoy the big city lights of Seattle via a relaxing, scenic ride on part of the largest ferry system in the country.

Bremerton – where you can walk the shoreline, watch eagles fish, watch whales play in a nearby inlet and where you can be in the Mountains or at the Beach in around an hour if you don’t stop and smell the flowers along the way.

Bremerton has been ranked by Money Magazine as one of the future hot spots among cities with under 250,000 residents. In 2002, Bremerton was listed as the eighth-best place in the West to live among population areas from 100,000 to 249,999.

Bremerton WA Real Estate Market Report Recap | April 2008

Here is the Real Estate Market Activity for January – April 2008. Check back each month to see the monthly 2008 trend for Bremerton WA.

This is the Market report for the Bremerton area of Kitsap County which includes the NWML areas of 146,148,149,150 which are areas that all have Bremerton as the city for address purposes.

There are currently 668 homes for sale with 1 of those homes listed as a contingent sale and 45 of those listed as STI (subject to inspection) which means there is a contract that has been presented and excepted by the seller with the condition of the home inspection. Once the home inspection has taken place these 45 homes will either go back on the market or be listed as pending and will not show in the active section of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. (NWMLS) For all calculation purposes all 668 homes are seen as still being “on the market” because in all reality they are.

During the Month of April 167 homes were new to the Bremerton area Real Estate Market with a median price of $249,925.

During the Month of April 40 homes went under contract and were removed from the active Bremerton homes data base. The median price for Bremerton area homes was $207,475 with a market time of 37 days (median).

During the Month of April 61 homes sold – which means that ownership changed hands and there are new owners listed on the tax records recorded at the Kitsap County courthouse. These Bremerton area homes were on the market 72 days (median) and sold for a median price of $235,000.

The Absorption rate in the Bremerton area is 47.71 weeks or approximately 10.95 months of inventory if the current conditions remain unchanged.

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 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.

If you would like to find out the value of your home please feel free to contact me via phone or email. I would be more than happy to supply you with a FREE Market Analysis .

If you would like to purchase a home in the Bremerton WA Real Estate Area please give me a call or contact me via email. We can discuss your future plans and I can set you up on an email campaign to receive the hot new listings quicker than YOU can find them.

“Statistics not compiled or published by NWMLS.”
Equal Opportunity Housing
All information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed

Bremerton | It’s almost Market Time!!

The dates are released! It’s almost Market Time!!

Bremerton Farmers Market’s schedule has been released for 2008. Every Thursday, starting on May 15^th and continuing through October 9^th, at 4pm across from Evergreen Park in the Seaside Church’s parking lot you can find farmers, unique food sellers and high quality arts.

Farmer’s Markets can be such a great way to meet others in your community while sharing a passion for organic gardening, beaded jewelry making, compost tweaking and several other homemade type products.

The Bremerton Farmers Market is on the lookout for some musicians that would fit in with the Market’s atmosphere at the park. If you know of any have them call (360) 621-5934.

See you on Thursdays!!!

Bremerton | Silverdale in the Green

You know Green is the New… oh no that’s for colors. This Green is for Eco-Friendly. Try and find a definition for “Green” and you will be searching pages and pages on Google.

Country Home magazine just released in their April issue 2008 Best Green Cities in America. Bremerton/Silverdale as they are listed together ranked in the top 25 at number 22 out of the total 379 cities in America.

Green is huge as we all look for ways to help shrink our “footprint” and treat the earth with respect and honor. We are all trying to REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE! As individuals try to conquer this feat we are demanding the same from the companies we deal with and the place we live.

In its second annual Best Green Places Report the Country Homes magazine studied hundreds of cities on items such as, official energy policies, green power, green buildings, and the availability of locally grown food.

Several Washington cities made the list -

• Bellingham: 3
• Seattle-Bellevue-Everett: 13
• Wenatchee: 26
• Olympia: 28
• Spokane: 37
• Mount Vernon-Anacortes: 48
• Tacoma: 61
• Kennewick-Richland-Pasco: 108
• Yakima: 112
• Longview: 244

Here is the link to all the areas – Did your area make the list?

CountryHomeGreenCitiesIndex

But the Federal Funds Rate Dropped | Why no Mortgage Rate Drop?

I hear the conversations when the Fed’s drop the rate and everyone believes that mortgage interest rates will come down too. Not the case.

I am going to give you a link to a very knowledgeable Realtor who has recently written a blog about this very subject.

Bill Gasset sells real estate in Metrowest Massachusetts. Here is the article that will explain in really simple terms what happens when the Federal Funds Rate Drops. 

Federal Funds Rate Drop v.s. 30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgages

Old Fashioned Service with the Technology of Today!

Are you aware of the advanced marketing trends of the new technology age of Real Estate? As a member of the Baby Boomer Generation (1943-1964) I have lived a life of change. We are after all the generation that started it all! Boomers are associated with expressing individual freedom, the civil rights movement, gay rights, handicapped rights, right to privacy and the important feminist cause of the 1970’s. I don’t call that slacking and I don’t call it out of the loop. Those movements taught us how change was good, how it could improve our lives and how it would lead to great things.

If I was one year younger I could be considered a member of Generation X. Generation X (1960-1979) is the most tech friendly of all the generations so far. This generation has driven the majority of the Internet’s growth. Google, Yahoo, MySpace, Youtube and other tech companies were all founded by people who belong to Generation X.

Finally, we come to Generation Y. Generation Y (1981-1995) or sometimes called the “Net Generation” is the first generation to grow up fully surrounded by a total digital and Internet driven world. They are the ones that keep us on our toes when it comes to all the latest tricks and trends.

As a Real Estate Professional it is imperative to keep abreast of all the latest marketing and sales trends. There are over 15 different free websites just to market a listing on. There are several networking sites to reach out to other Real Estate Professionals to help make a relocation transaction less stressful.

Do you know what these companies do? Are you aware how much information is out there when it comes to buying or selling real estate? You want to make sure you have an agent that knows this information like I do.

Zillow - provides free real estate information including homes for sale, comparable homes, historical sales, home valuation tools and more. …

Trulia -Use Trulia to find real estate, homes for sale, recently sold properties, local school information and much more. Trulia is a free unbiased real estate…

ActiveRain-ActiveRain real estate network allows real estate agents, mortgage professionals and brokers create a customized profile. …

Do you know what a BLOG is? From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: A blog (a portmanteauof web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning tomaintain or add content to a blog. Click on any of these three pictures to be directed to one of my three different blogs. When I list your home it will be displayed on all of these sites along with all of the other free flyer sites – Yes, and even CraigsList. CraigsList flyers seem to show up very quickly on the first page of Google for some awesome exposure.

As a real estate consumer whether you are buying or selling you want to make sure your agent is “tech-no savvy” so be sure to ask some questions about their online presence. Ask about their social networking and see if you can make a connection!

Bremerton | Cover of Washington CEO March Issue | Bremerton Rising

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.

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