Be sure to visit Roman at Rain City Wines. He has over 1200 Old World wines. Stop in on a Friday or Saturday and make it even more fun by doing a tasting.
https://www.raincitywines.com/
Zulu’s Board Game Cafe – Bothell, WA
Zulu’s Board Game Cafe is right on Main Street in downtown Bothell. It’s kid and dog friendly and has fantastic and local food, beer and wine. You can try games before you buy and purchase right there if you like them.
http://www.zulusgames.com/
Skilled Labor – A Real Shortage
This is true all over the country but becoming and increasing problem in the Pacific Northwest with the rapid growth and development we have been experiencing.
Home builders, home sellers suddenly shy
By
JEFFRY BARTASH
Steadily rising construction of new homes has given a jolt of adrenaline to the economy in the past several years, but a building slowdown raises questions about whether a key driver of U.S. growth has fallen into a ditch.
Sidetracked, perhaps. But certainly not down in the dumps.
The recent slide in construction is probably due to temporary headwinds that will soon ease. Home builders got a head start in 2017, for instance, because of an unusually warm winter that allowed them to do more work earlier in the year. Hence they don’t need to do as much in the spring.
Not all is fine and dandy, though.
Builders say it’s tougher now than it’s been in years to find skilled carpenters, electricians and other workers critical in the effort to put up new homes. That’s might also help explain the slowdown.
“Builders continue to express their frustration over an ongoing shortage of skilled labor and buildable lots that is impeding stronger growth in the single-family sector,” said Robert Dietz, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders.
The higher cost lumber and other raw materials is another headache for builders.
For the most part, though, the wind is mostly at the back of builders. The economy is entering its ninth year of expansion. Unemployment is at a 16-year low. Wages are rising. Household wealth has recovered. Mortgages are more accessible. And millions of Americans who could not afford a home five years ago are now able to dream of owning one.
A pair of reports this week might tamp down unease about the health of the housing market.
Sales of previously owned homes are expected to remain near a 10-year high, although they might taper off in May.
The biggest problem: Not enough people actually want to sell their homes even with demand near the highest level in years.
It’s not just home owners who don’t want to sell. Investors who bought homes on the cheap during the Great Recession and immediate aftermath might be waiting for prices to rise higher still before they sell, the National Association of Realtors contends.
“The lack of inventory of homes for sale is one of the most pressing challenges in the housing market today,” said Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American.
The lack of homes for sale is also largely behind a surge in rents and home prices in the past few years that only recently has tapered off. Prices are unlikely to fall much further, though, unless builders ramp up construction.
Sales of newly built homes in May won’t offer much proof of that. While they are forecast to rebound from a small dip in April and hover near a nine-year peak, sales can only rise as fast as builders complete new homes.
Cairn Brewery
This is the first of my video blogs of the businesses north of the lake. I”m so excited for all the great new places in Bothell and Kenmore I wanted to share them with you.
Waiving the Inspection Contingency – Risky Business for Sellers
The Pacific Northwest has one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. In the Central Puget Sound area, there has been consistently less than a month’s worth of inventory on the market all year. This has created intense bidding wars between buyers for the few properties that become available, particularly in highly desirable neighborhoods. It’s become the norm, in these markets, to receive multiple offers well above the asking price with many of the offers waiving, once standard, contingencies such as the financing and building inspection contingencies. It’s obvious why waiving the building inspection is risky for a buyer but why is it risky for a seller as well?
An inspection report is Not a Repair List for the Seller! An inspection report provides the new home buyer a comprehensive evaluation of the property. With this information, the buyer knows what is being purchased and the general integrity, functionality, and overall safety of the home. The seller is not required to make any changes to the home because of the inspection report. While it does give the buyer the right to back out of the sale during the inspection phase this may be advantageous to the seller in the long run.
Under state law sellers are required to provide to buyers a Form 17 which covers a wide array of topics related to the home such as water, sewer, appliances, building permits, pests, etc. Failure to be thorough and honest with these disclosures can lead to law suits down the road if the buyer feels they were misled in the purchasing process. In the same way not allowing the buyer the time to obtain an independent inspection of their choosing can open the seller up to a potential law suit if unexpected defects are discovered in their new home. In this market, not a lot of time must be allowed for an inspection, as few as three days, and there is no requirement to make changes to the property due to what is found. Allowing the buyer a few days to have an independent inspection done can provide to the seller the peace of mind that they have obtained a clean break from their home and the likelihood of a law suit much less likely.
