Tacoma

...now browsing by category

Tacoma Side Sewers a Bedtime Story

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Effective October 1st. 2010 the City of Tacoma will begin to require a side sewer inspection for all homes sold in the city limits of Tacoma. It is only July why do you care? Why do I care? Let me tell you a little story….

I have a client who is getting ready to bring a home on the market. The home is part of an estate so very little is known about the home. My seller is a very thoughtful person and wants to make sure that the basic systems in the house are functioning as they should be. She called a company that was offering a free sewer line inspection. Free as long as there is an easily accessible clean out opening. Free as long as you do not want the DVD of the inspection. (The city of Tacoma requires the DVD to review the inspection) Almost $500 dollars later my seller is told that the side sewer is in need of repair. Almost $8,000 worth of repair. My seller is collecting additional bids and will have the work completed as she feels it is important. Now that we know the sewer line is broken it is material fact so this is a good thing to have done.

Here are some take away items from this little story.

Side sewer inspections will be expensive for the seller to have done
Sewer repairs are not going to be inexpensive to have repaired.
Waiting until the last minute will cause your home sale to take longer to close.
Buyers will be nervous that if the sewer line is broken what else is?
Lenders are going to be requiring the work to be completed and then they will most likely want to make sure the work is done prior to releasing the funds.
In Tacoma we now have another hurdle to get over to close on sales.

I am leaving out short sales, and REO’s. Who will pay for this if there is no money to pay for the inspection or repairs?

Just helping get you ready for buying and selling homes in Tacoma. Being prepared will help you make the best decisions. Get things taken care of prior to bringing your home on the market. Buyers knowledge is power too!

When you are ready to buy or sell a home in Tacoma please give me a call. Together we can put together a plan to help insure the success of your purchase or sale. I can be reached at (253) 219-1194

Posted in Buying a Home, Selling a Home, Tacoma | 1 Response »

Tacoma Home Sellers Are You Ready to Have Your Side Sewer Inspected?

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Selling a home in Tacoma will get a bit more involved starting October 1st. 2010. Homes within the city limits of Tacoma will have to have their side sewers inspected prior to sale of the home.

As the ordinance is currently structured the inspection is simply to inform the buyer of the condition of the sewer line. No repairs will be required by the City of Tacoma. The sewer inspection will need to be conducted by a licensed sewer contractor with a business license in the City of Tacoma. The cost of the sewer inspection will vary by vendor. The City of Tacoma will not charge for their review of the video inspection. The

Directly from the City of Tacoma’s website

As of Oct. 1, 2010, Tacoma property owners are required to have a certified inspection of their private side sewers and other sources of inflow and infiltration prior to the sale or transfer of a home or business, major remodeling or any construction over an existing side sewer. This requirement is detailed in Tacoma Municipal Code 12.08.720, titled “Inflow and Infiltration Removal from Private Side Sewers.”

The inspection requires a video camera inspection of the sewer line. The DVD of the inspection will be given to the City of Tacoma for review. The city will then allow the property to be sold.

Here are some observations about the side sewer inspection and how it will impact home sales in Tacoma.

Sellers will now have another inspection to handle during the sales process. The seller will be asked to cover the cost of the inspection.
While repairs are not required by the City of Tacoma lenders will most certainly require any known defects to be repaired. Buyers will also be asking for repairs. This will cost will impact the bottom line of the seller.
It will take longer for a transaction close. The additional inspection and potential repairs will take more time than the current home inspection.

If you will be selling your home in Tacoma I would advise you to work with a reputable sewer company and have your side sewer inspected and

Tacoma Home Owners Lets Hope Your Sewer Pipes Dont Look Like This

repaired before you put your home on the market. An inspection is good for 5 years so having an inspection conducted prior to putting your home on the market will make your home just a bit more of a known commodity. Nobody wants a surprise like a defective sewer to stop a home sale. By being prepared and organized you will be able to sell your home for more money, with less stress in a shorter period of time.

If you want more information on how to sell your home in Tacoma please use the contact form on the right of the screen. I will send you some additional information that will help you get your home ready for sale. When you are ready to discuss what your house is worth please call me directly at (253) 219–1194. Working together we will get your Tacoma area home sold!

Posted in Selling a Home, Tacoma | No Responses »

What do You Look For When Buying a Home?

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

I have a question for the readers of this blog. What do you look for when you are thinking of buying a home?

I sell homes in and around Tacoma that much should be obvious if you are visiting my blog. I know what I do to find potential clients who can benefit from my services. I know what works and what does not work when it comes to finding clients. What I need to learn now is what do you look for when you are going to buy a house?

What is it that helps you to “know” when you’ve found a place you want to call home? When you are just looking do you search the Internet to look at homes for sale? Do you use a search engine and type in phrases like Buying a home in Tacoma or Homes for Sale in Tacoma. Feel free to insert the area that you are actually looking at for Tacoma in your responses. What is it that you are looking for from the big machine that sends your answers back to you?

One of the nagging questions I am looking for help with is when do you decide to work with a Realtor®? At what point during your search to you want professional assistance? What value to you expect your agent to bring to the table? You can go to dozens of websites and see every agent in Tacoma or any other city tell you that they are the best to help you buy or sell your home. What cuts through the white noise? What makes you pick up the phone, send email, or visit the office of the agent you decide you want to find out more about?

You can search here to see all of the homes for sale in Tacoma Washington. You can search a lot of places to find homes for sale. You can find out a lot about borrowing money to buy a home in Tacoma here. You can find a lot of information on just about everything related to buying home online. What I want to know is what do YOU want to help you look for a home? If you can clearly answer that question then you will find that when you’re ready to buy a home you will have a much easier time. By sharing your answers you can help me to be the best Realtor® I can be. Together we can help one another.

So, What do you look for when buying a home?

Posted in Buying a Home, Tacoma | 5 Responses »

Open House this Saturday

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Well it is raining in Tacoma so many of you may be hanging around town this weekend. If so we will be holding our listing at 1327 N. Fir St. Tacoma, WA 98406 Open 1pm to 4pm on Saturday.

Please feel free to come by and see all of the features of this great view home.

3 bedrooms 1.75 baths. hardwood floors, updated kitchen and baths. Detached converted garage that will make a great area to get away from everything. Large lot that has mature landscaping and easy to maintain. Covered 2 car car port and parking in front of home. Everything points towards a home that you can entertain in.

Great views of the Olympic Mountains, the Narrows Bridges, Puget Sound and of course wonderful sunsets. Located on a low traffic road yet just a minute away from highway 16.

Stop by and see for yourself this beautiful mid century home. If you’re ambitious you could look into adding a 2nd. story and have amazing views!

See you Saturday 1pm to 4pm!

Posted in For Sale, Open House, Tacoma | No Responses »

Open House Saturday May 8th. 1pm to 4pm 1327 N. Fir St. Tacoma, WA 98406

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Saturday May 8th. 1pm to 4pm we will be holding 1327 N. Fir St. Tacoma, WA 98406 open to the public.

This 3 bedroom 1.75 bath home is offered at $439,995. Featuring great views of Puget Sound and the Narrows Bridges. Comfortable living awaits the next owner of this home. One level living with the potential of building a second story to fully capture the views.

For more information on this home you can visit our listing page for the home by following this link. If you are not able to attend the open house on Saturday please contact us directly and we will schedule a time for you to tour the home. If you are working with a Realtor® have your agent contact us and we will setup a time for your tour.

Posted in Open House, Tacoma | 2 Responses »

Open House Historic Preservation Weekend May 1st. and 2nd. 2010 Join us!

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

There are a number of historic locations that are being held open to the general public this weekend. As part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express grant of one million dollars. The properties are all competing for a share of the preservation money. The property that receives the most votes will receive a grant based on being the public’s favorite. You can vote every day for your favorite by following this link.

This weekend five local locations will be held open.

Titlow Park Lodge
8425 6th. Ave. Tacoma, WA
May 1st 12pm to 3pm and May 2nd. 12pm to 3pm

The Spanish Steps
South 7th. ST & Commerce ST. Tacoma, WA
May 1st. 12pm to 2pm May 2nd. 12pm to 2pm

Johnson Farm- Anderson Island Historical Society
9306 Otso Point Road Anderson Island, WA
May 1st 11am to 3pm May 2nd. 12pm to 4pm

Orting Soldiers Home – Garfield Hall
1301 Orting-Kapowsin, Highway Orting, WA
May 2nd. 12pm to 3:30pm

Skansie Brothers Net Shed
3207 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA
May 1st. 10am to 4pm May 2nd. 12pm to 4pm

All five locations are great and you should get out and see as many of them as possible. We will be attending the open house on Saturday on Anderson Island with a group of friends. If you would like to join us please see this post on Explore Anderson Island.

We have blogged about the Spanish Steps and the Titlow Beach house in an earlier post you can find that post here.

Get out and vote and help save our areas historic (or should we say classic) properties!

Posted in Open House, Ramblings, Tacoma | No Responses »

Tacoma's Spanish Steps and Titlow Park Lodge need your votes

Friday, April 16th, 2010

The National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express announced that the Seattle -Puget Sound area has 25 properties that are being considered for preservation grants. American Express is contributing one million dollars to the project. The location with the most popular votes is guaranteed a grant. Please get out there and vote for your favorite. You can vote once a day from each email address you have. Currently the 5th. Avenue Theater in Seattle is winning the popular vote. This is the time to show everyone that Tacoma believes we have some fantastic spaces too!

The Spanish Steps next to the Elks Lodge have fallen into disrepair and need to be restored. Now is your chance to vote for the Spanish Steps. For more information on the Spanish Steps you can follow this link.

The Titlow Park Lodge was designed by Frederick Heath and completed in 1911. This property would use a grant to help restore windows and doors to original condition. This is your chance to make a difference and vote for the Titlow Park Lodge. You can see more about the lodge by following this link.

There are other locations in Pierce County that you can vote for as well. Please take the time to visit the Preservation Nation Blog to learn more about this exciting project.

The Johnson Farm on Anderson Island is another of the properties that is eligible for a grant. If you would like more information on The Johnson Farm you can start by visiting Explore Anderson Island’s blog post on the farm.

Posted in Ramblings, Seattle, Tacoma | 1 Response »
Tags: Preservation

Living in Tacoma is Great; Another Special Event April 10th. 2010 Hilltop Artists in Residence Return to the Conservatory

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

Starting April 10th. 2010 and running through May 31st. 2010 the Hilltop Artists in Residence return to the Seymour Conservatory at Wright Park. The exhibit will showcase wonderful works of glass art displayed amongst the plants in the Seymour Conservatory.

There will be a reception on April 1oth. from 1pm to 2:30pm. Come and meet the artists and support the local arts in Tacoma.

For more information you can visit our page on the Seymour Conservatory at Wright Park or visit the Metro Parks Tacoma pages.

We hope to see a lot of you this weekend at Wright Park

Posted in Ramblings, Tacoma | No Responses »

The Proctor District in Tacoma is a Great Neighborhood. Starting This Weekend the Farmers Market is Back!

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Living in Tacoma is a lot of fun. There is always something to do and starting this weekend the Proctor Districts Farmers Market is starting its 2010 season. One of the things that is great about living in the Puget Sound region is the abundance of small farms that sell their products at our various farmers markets. The Proctor District is one of the coolest neighborhoods in Tacoma. There is a lot of shopping with many small shops that carry local artists and local products. Restaurants are one of my favorite places to go and the Proctor District has a lot to choose from! The library is fantastic and in a very cool classic building. The homes around the district are varied and very interesting. There are a number of little coffee shops, a bowling alley, and Tacoma’s only Metropolitan Market Grocery (one of my favorite grocery stores in the world, ok in Washington how’s that?)

When you are considering moving to Tacoma or perhaps moving to a different home it would be in your interest to give the Proctor District a look. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find here.

Here is more information on the Proctor District Farmers Market.

Proctor District Farmers Market is Here! Starting March 27^th 2010

The Proctor District Farmers Market is starting early this year. Saturdays 9am to 2pm. This Saturday the Junior Daffodil Parade begins at 10am. It will be a busy weekend in the Proctor District!

The Farmers Market will give you a chance to purchase Fresh local fruits and vegetables. Cut flowers and plants for your yard. Local meats, cheeses, fish and more. There will be musicians demonstrations including cooking demos. Things for the kids to do and much more.

Hope to see you this Saturday at the Proctor District Farmers Market. I will be there taking pictures to share with everyone.

The market will run Saturdays from March 27^th to November 20^th. 9am to 2pm Rain or Shine. Located at North 27^th & Proctor St. Tacoma WA

For more information on what to expect in the way of vendors or to apply to be a vendor you can visit this link.

The farmers market is just one of the things that makes the Proctor District one of Tacoma’s coolest neighborhoods. I encourage you to get out and take a look at the Proctor District.

You can read the rest of my thoughts on the Proctor District and The Farmers Market here.

Posted in Tacoma | 1 Response »

Classic Homes Northwest Welcomes Marguerite Giguere!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

We’re adding another author! Please welcome Marguerite Giguere The Skydiving Agent! to Classic Homes Northwest! Marguerite is with Crescent Realty. She is very active around Tacoma and has been kind enough to post some of our articles on her blog Get Real Tacoma. Having her contribute her views on the Tacoma real estate market is something we will all benefit from.

When we pressured her to provide a bio she shared this with us

Marguerite Giguere is a lifetime resident of Pierce County and currently resides in Downtown Tacoma. She’s a REALTOR Specializing in homes and condos in Downtown Tacoma and the surrounding neighborhoods under $400,000. She has special expertise in buyer representation and foreclosures. Marguerite loves Tacoma, Karaoke, and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes.

Welcome aboard Marguerite! we’re happy to have you here and we’re looking forward to doing a cross sale one of these days!

Posted in Ramblings, Tacoma | 2 Responses »

Classic Homes Northwest

Helping people buy and sell classic homes in Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest