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HOMEWARD BOUND

More Than Just Real Estate News

JANUARY 2022

VOLUME

ISSUE

Home Maintenance Checklist for 2022 – What to Do Each Season

Some tasks just need to be done. It’s part of home ownership – if, that is, you want to keep your investment in pristine shape so you can sleep well at night and have proud in your ownership (and yes, when the time comes to sell, you don’t have to spend gobs of time and money catching up and repairing for years of neglected maintenance.)

To help you stay on top of things – here’s a checklist for some tasks to do throughout the upcoming year. I recommend sticking this on your fridge or to-do board, and then knock off the items at the start of each new season.

With that plan in mind, we’ll start with the Spring maintenance tasks, which you can plan to do in March or April.

Spring Maintenance Checklist

• Change filter on your HVAC system

• Clean windows and door screens

• Inspect roof for missing, loose, or damaged shingles and other possible leaks

• Clear gutters and downspouts of debris

• Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors

• Vacuum lint from dryer vent – this is a potential fire hazard if left undone for years

• Fertilize lawn

Summer Maintenance Checklist

• Oil garage door opener and chain

• Clean kitchen exhaust fan filter

• Check around toilets and lower cabinets in kitchen and bathroom for leaks

• Prune trees and shrubs

Fall Maintenance Checklist

• Change filter on your HVAC system

• Clean carpets

• Inspect exterior doors – fix squeaky handles and loose locks

• Check water heater for leaks

• Check fireplace – have it cleaned and inspected by professional (especially if a gas fireplace)

• Rake leaves

Winter Maintenance Checklist

• Change filter on your HVAC system

• Drain and winterize exterior plumbing, including hoses, sprinklers, driplines, and insulate outdoor faucets and pipes in unheated garages

• Cover your AC unit to protect it from rain, snow, and debris

• Clean drains in sinks, tubs, showers, dishwashers

• Vacuum the coils in your fridge and freezer, and clean and empty the drip trays

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What It Takes to Prepare At-Risk Children for Kindergarten & Beyond

Children can’t remain sheltered and protected forever. We all know this, but for the kids who attend Childhaven, the question of what happens when they leave this healthy, safe, and developmentally strong environment is often on the minds of parents and caregivers.

Kindergarten and a regular school environment is very different from the one at Childhaven. You’re in a class with 20-30 other kids. You won’t get as much personal attention. You have to handle distractions, learn to follow directions, deal with unpredictable peers, and so much more.

What It Takes to Prepare At-Risk Children for Kindergarten & Beyond

A boy named Tyson attended Childhaven for most of his life until age 5. He was born drug-affected. That brings all sorts of extra challenges that other kids don’t face.

From the time he arrived, Tyson was given an individualized treatment plan and a bevy of attentive teachers. Over the first few years, the stability and personal attention he received helped him progress into a smart, goofy little boy.

But his mother Sheila wondered what would happen when he graduated from Childhaven.

During his last year at Childhaven, his teachers started combining classes so he would have to cope with more noise and distractions. This helped Tyson learn to manage his emotions and state of mind. He also learned to tie his own shoes by age 5 – which is amazing – and to spell his name verbally.

Also, Sheila got to attend Childhaven’s pre-K parenting group to help her navigate the school system and advocate for her son.

By stepping up Tyson’s daily routine to be ever more challenging, and by working with his mother to prepare her for what lies ahead, Tyson and other kids like him are set up for success in school and beyond.

This is a big reason why we donate a portion of every home sale to Childhaven. Because helping kids requires more than just food and a safe place to live. It requires preparing them for the future and setting them up for success.

Our donations to date for Childhaven!

Your business and referrals help
the kids at Childhaven

A portion of every sale from
Weisbarth & Associates is
given to Childhaven and in the
past 5 years we have donated
over $250,000 to them.

DORON WEISBARTH

Designated Broker/ Owner

206.779.9808
Doron@weisbarth.com
Weisbarth.com

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Through all of COVID-19 the Childhaven staff continues to care for every child, delivering counseling, developmental therapy, wrap-around
supports, home learning, meals, family meetings, and much more. Every referral you send our way helps the kids at Childhaven, because we donate a substantial portion of our income from every home sale to this amazing organization. If you know anyone considering buying or selling, you have three options:
1. Send an email with your referral’s name, phone and email to refer@weisbarth.com
2. Call me direct or pass on my number - 206.779.9808
3. Go to our website at Weisbarth.com/refer

What 2021 Tells Us About 2022?

Is 2022 your year to sell your home? Should you wait a bit longer? Rather than look at monthly real estate data like we usually do, this month we’re going to examine data from the past 11 years. We’re then going to combine that with what has transpired this past year. From there, we can make a fairly confident prediction of what you can expect in the King County housing market in 2022.

We’ll use this graph to help crystallize the main points. Here’s what the three lines mean:

The gray bars represent the total population in King County for each year, dating back to 2011. The red line is the average days that a Single Family Home (SFH) is actively for sale before it gets an offer and goes ‘pending’. And the blue line is the average price per square foot of SFHs in King County.

Now, before we dive deeper, one thing that you need to know is that the number of SFH listed for sale every year has not changed much in these past 11 years. This fact is a big surprise for many people. Sure, there are some variations from year to year, but they don’t exceed about 3%, hovering somewhere around 30,000 to 31,000.

And yet, when looking at the chart, the average cost per SF for SFHs in King County has been rising quite dramatically, while the average days on market are plummeting.

The question is, what’s fueling these trends? How could the same number of homes for sale each year result in far tighter inventory and rising prices?

The answer can be found in King County’s population data.

King County’s population has been growing rapidly in the past decade or so. In fact, King County was one of the fastest growing counties in the nation for quite a while.

What that means is that, with a similar inventory of homes for sale every year, there are more people looking to buy. This strong demand for housing does three things: 1) drive up competition 2) shorten the time a home is on the market, and 3) increase the prices – especially because much of the population growth has been from people who work in high-paying technology jobs.

Two other trends, fueled by Covid, that contributed the run on homes this past year, were the amazingly low interest rates AND the desire of many people to have a more stable housing situation.

So what can we project from all of this for 2022?

Interestingly, the recent census data suggests that the rates of population increase in King County is slowing down. This is likely because more people are working remotely. In fact, many companies had been following Amazon’s lead and have told many of their employees that they can continue working full time from home. However, they must live close enough that they can make it into the office on a short day’s notice.

So, while the demand for homes will continue to exceed the supply, this demand is likely to spread over a larger geographical area that spans further out from the major job centers.

As for the interest rates, those have been creeping up recently. And the Fed had announced that they are probably going to raise the prime rate a few times in 2022. So while the rates will likely remain historically low, the increased rates will dampen some consumers’ buying power.

My guess is that the number of new listings will remain stable in 2022, meaning that the supply won’t change much. However, for the three reasons stated above (fewer people moving to our area, ability to live a bit further out, and higher interest rates), I expect that the demand will be a bit slower this year. We’ll still have a strong seller’s market, with good appreciation, but perhaps not quite as crazy as 2021. And we’ll probably see stronger demand and better appreciation in the areas further away from the major job centers, where homes are more affordable.

Please Send Us Your Referrals!

If you or someone you know is looking to sell or buy a home, we’d love to help! Please send us your referrals and we’ll take great care of them and guarantee their success and happiness. And remember that your business and referrals help the kids at Childhaven.

Here’s how to send us referrals:

1) Email me at refer@weisbarth.com with your friend’s contact info

2) Call me directly, or pass my number on to them – 206.779.9808

3) Go to our website at Weisbarth.com/refer