Leavenworth Real Estate Blog

If the empty nest syndrome is near, or if you can count the years until retirement on one hand, then it’s the perfect time to consider a 2^nd home in Leavenworth.

With only a short, beautiful 2 hour drive from Seattle, Leavenworth offers endless summer and winter activities along with the postcard Bavarian Alps scenery.

According to a recent survey, baby boomers with discretionary dollars to spend have fueled an increase in the number of vacation-home sales in recent years. In fact, the National Association of Realtors reported that a record 1.07 million vacation homes were sold in 2006, a 4.7% increase over 2005.

According to a recent survey, buyers are buying second homes for these reasons:

1. The majority bought a second  home to use for vacations or as a family retreat
2. Buying was to diversify their investments.
3. Using the home as a primary residence in the future
4. The tax benefits were a reason to buy.
5. Buying because they had extra money to spend
6. Planned on renting out the second home nightly to help pay the mortgage while getting to use the property when not being rented

Your second home will be as popular with the children and grand children as it is with you. It’s a great way to bribe your kids to want to hang out with you!

 “No one is going to have fun basking in the light of their municipal bond,” –     Stephanie Cuthill, Realtor

So here we are, all wondering just where we are, financially speaking that is.  Some say we are teetering on the brink of a recession, some say we are already in a recession.  There are certainly some slow downs in different sectors of the economy, not so much in others.  I’m happy to report that our business here at Prudential Mike West Real Estate has been fairly brisk for the past few months.  I think it’s the combination of a good selection of quality homes and properties and savvy buyers.  The Seattle PI stated that prices of homes in the Seattle area rose 1.2% in February, a fairly strong indicator.  Time on the market of homes there was estimated at five months near the city and as much as eleven months further out, say in the Snohomish area.  That’s not bad at all, especially compared to other areas of the country, like Arizona or Florida, where foreclosures are rampant and spec builders overshot their market by thousands of units which now sit vacant.  A few days ago the Federal Reserve met and shaved another three quarters of a point off the prime lending rate.  This followed a release of two hundred billion dollars made available for banks to borrow at this new lower rate,  which is now at about two percent.  Thinking that great loan rates were imminent I called several lenders I do business with and they all had the same comment for me, “don’t count on it, kid.”   Okay, I deal with really old bankers.   But, let me get this straight.  There are Brinks trucks stuffed full of billions of cheap money and lined up in front of the Fed, ready to roll to a bank near you, and still no great rates?  Their explanation was thus:  ”We banks took a bath when we made a bunch of bad loans and now we have to recoup.”  They explained that their plan was to borrow as much as they could of the really cheap money and then purchase bonds which would yield big returns in order to replenish their own depleted coffers.  Call me crazy but I don’t think that was what the Fed had had in mind with their recent financial gyrations.  Not only are lenders not passing on loans at reduced rates, they are circling the wagons and creating lending rules which would deny a loan to Warren Buffet.  Come on you guys, share the wealth a little.  Sure you need to recoup from the tremendous mess you’ve gotten yourself into.  That will come with time and sound business practices.  Right now you need to let that money flow to those it was intended for.  There are good, credit worthy borrowers who deserve that reduction in rates which was put into place to stimulate the housing industry.  Thousands of people with ticking ARM time bombs are doing their best to hold on to their homes and counting on you.  So, come on, open those flood gates and let some of that money flow.  If we do it right there’s enough for everybody.    –Mike West          

Another beautiful day in Leavenworth, another day marketing Leavenworth real estate.  I have been doing this job for about twenty-seven years.  Before that I didn’t think I would stay at any job for more than two years, much to my wife’s displeasure. I had managed to stick with the U.S. Coast Guard for four years, then the UW for another four but beyond that nothing seemed to hold my interest.  Somewhere around the end of my college career I invested in some real estate in Merry Canyon which lies north of Leavenworth.  That investment was an instant success and I was hooked.  Real estate, especially Leavenworth real estate, seemed like a most exciting adventure.  I started this company about twenty-five years ago. It has been quite a ride, coming from the recession of the early eighties and through all the innovative and scary banking debacles to get finally to this point.  Along the way I have learned a lot about real estate brokerage and a lot about people.   Prudential Mike West Real Estate is now and has always been the biggest and busiest and most trusted real estate brokerage in this area. If you want quality real estate in the Leavenworth area, we have it.  All of my agents and associate brokers were hand chosen by me, not so much for their sales skills, they are all well educated professionals,  but more for their character and integrity.  In dealing with anyone from Prudential Mike West Real Estate you will be in the place that Allstate Insurance made so familiar, you will be in good hands.  – Mike West

Another beautiful day in Leavenworth, another day marketing Leavenworth real estate.  I have been doing this job for about twenty-seven years.  Before that I didn’t think I would stay at any job for more than two years, much to my wife’s displeasure. I had managed to stick with the U.S. Coast Guard for four years, then the UW for another four but beyond that nothing seemed to hold my interest.  Somewhere around the end of my college career I invested in some real estate in Merry Canyon which lies north of Leavenworth.  That investment was an instant success and I was hooked.  Real estate, especially Leavenworth real estate, seemed like a most exciting adventure.  I started this company about twenty-five years ago. It has been quite a ride, coming from the recession of the early eighties and through all the innovative and scary banking debacles to get finally to this point.  Along the way I have learned a lot about real estate brokerage and a lot about people.   Prudential Mike West Real Estate is now and has always been the biggest and busiest and most trusted real estate brokerage in this area. If you want quality real estate in the Leavenworth area, we have it.  All of my agents and associate brokers were hand chosen by me, not so much for their sales skills, they are all well educated professionals,  but more for their character and integrity.  In dealing with anyone from Prudential Mike West Real Estate you will be in the place that Allstate Insurance made so familiar, you will be in good hands.  – Mike West

1.  Pay special attention to the front door, which is considered one of the most powerful aspects of the entire property.  Besides being the first impression from a buyer; abundance, blessings, opportunities, and good fortune enter through the front door. Make sure the area is swept clean of cobwebs and clutter, properly lighted, or better yet, light the path leading to the door to create an inviting atmosphere.2.  Chi energy can be flushed away wherever there are drains in the home. So always keep the toilet seats down.

3.  In the master bedroom, it is better if you can place the bed diagonally in the farthest corner.  Paint the room in colors that promote serenity, relaxation, and romance.4.  The dining room symbolizes the energy and power of family togetherness.  Make sure the table is clear and uncluttered and use an attractive tablecloth to enhance the look of the table while also softening sharp corners.

5.  The windows are considered to be the eyes of the home. Getting the windows professionally cleaned will make the home sparkle and ensure that the view will be optimally displayed.

Source: Sell Your Home Faster With Feng Shui by Holly Ziegler (Dragon Chi Publications, 2001 

-Stephanie Cuthill, Realtor, Prudential Mike West Real Estate
Selling real estate in and around Leavenworth, WA for 9 years.

Well, at least I thought I did.  If necessity is the mother of invention then I guess I could place some of the blame or credit there. 

It all started back in about 1984.  I was showing a cabin to some folks who lived and worked in the Seattle area and would be using it for a getaway place.  They said they would only be using it a few days a month, perhaps two weekends, and were trying to justify the mortgage payment for such minimal use.  Ultimately they decided it was just too much monthly outlay to put toward something they would use sporadically and so walked away.

 It wasn’t the first time I had heard that concern from potential purchasers of recreational properties.  I began to ponder just how to make those places more affordable.  There were only a few factors to work with.  Either the sellers had to come down to about half price in order  to make the difference or the bank would have to loan at ridiculously low rates to reduce the payments and make it work.  Those two entities seemed to be unlikely participants, at least to the degree I needed in order to make a substantial dent in the payment and thus make those properties more affordable.

I ordered my brain to work on the problem and then went about business as usual until the light bulb appeared, comic book style, bringing the solution.  Since people would  be using the homes for only  a few days a month, the home would be available for other users to come, stay, and leave money.  The solution seemed so simple.

 I called a friend who had a gorgeous log home which he hardly used and bounced the idea off him.  It did indeed bounce off him, sort of like bullets off Superman.  He told me I was crazy to imagine someone opening their home, complete with all furnishings, dishes, artwork, lava lamps, and other valuable and prize possessions, to complete strangers.  Haranguing and cajoling did the trick though, well, and me promising to cover any loss or damages, and so the first vacation rental cabin in Chelan County came to be.

It was a fledgling business indeed.  There was no infrastructure, no contracts, no paved road to follow.  There wasn’t even a beaten pathway to guide us.  My wife and I did the cleaning on the first cabin and made the kids help.  They loved it because all kids just love to work.  We learned things that worked and some that didn’t.  There were some wasted motions but pretty soon we had gotten it down to a well oiled process.  Most important of all we learned that people treated the homes as good or better than their own homes.  There was zero theft, minimal damage, perhaps a wine glass or two, and maximum appreciation for their opportunity to enjoy a quality getaway place. 

After that it was easy.  I started a new company called Destination Leavenworth and hired my Cousin Carol Porter to manage it.  We were able to garner a dozen or so cabins to start and added to it as we went.  Maids were hired to help us with the quick turnover required in some instances.  I bought a couple of cabins myself to put into the rental pool.  One of them was a great cabin on Fish Lake which my family was able to use ourselves when it wasn’t being rented out.  The kids enjoyed it immensely and have fond memories of it today.  The part time rental scenario made it possible for all that.

The income on the cabins we managed was adequate to offset the price of purchase to the degree that it enabled many people to own getaway places who otherwise could not have afforded them.  Destination Leavenworth is still in business today and is owned and managed by Dan Eby    If you’re interested in a quality getaway cabin you can reach them at www.destinationleavenworth.com.

So, I don’t know if I actually invented the vacation rental property system but I know it didn’t exist anywhere in my world at that particular time.  There are now more than a thousand overnight rental units in Chelan county which spun off my original idea and company.  Al Gore may have invented the internet and even pants which he can add to his list of accomplishments but I’m claiming vacation rental properties as my own.  Nobel prize material, who knows?  It could happen!!!!! www.prudentialmikewest.com  or  www.leavenworthluxury.com