But Who'll Do the Dusting?

Forbes.com has just published a list of the world's most expensive homes. My own property taxes just went up again, but this kind of puts it all into perspective.

Topping the list is Updown Court in Windlesham, Surrey, UK. For the asking price of $138 million, you get a home larger than Buckinghame Palace, including 103 rooms and 58 acres of gardens and woodlands.

Other options on the list include:

• An 8,400-acred nature reserve in Lusaka, Zambia complete with elephants, zebras, lions, baboons, ostriches. Price: $20,000,000.


• A 30,000-square-foot, 64-room home on the Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait) in Turkey. Price: $100,000,000.
  
• A home on Hong Kong's Peak with views of Hong Kong Harbor from its four bedrooms in 6,000 square feet, plus private pool and elevator. Price: $24,400,000.


• A pair of islands in Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Just wading distance apart, the islands feature solar-powered tropical villas. Price: $19,000,000.

Hmmm... what's that work out to in terms of monthly mortgage payments?

"America's Builder" Forced to Plant Trees

You'd think that a company that calls itself "America's Builder" would want to preserve the beauty of "America the Beautiful." But megabuilder D. R. Horton has fought tooth and nail to avoid City of Lacey tree-planting requirements at their new Horizon Pointe development. The 234-acre development is slated to include a mix of retail and housing, with some 1,700 homes and condos.

This week Thurston County’s hearing examiner Ted Hunter denied Horton's appeal of the tree-planting requirement [read full story]. But the site won't likely be a future forest of the towering Western red cedars or Douglas fir trees that define much of Western Washington. More likely are small non-native trees that will actually fit into the small yards of the development's homes. The civic definition of a tree is farily lenient, after all.

"Tree" means any living woody plant characterized by one or more main stems or trunks and many branches, and having a diameter of six (6") inches or more measured four and one half feet above ground level. [city ordinance]

Indeed, some buyers say they're moving to Horizon Pointe to get away from the arboreal giants whose falling limbs and trunks did so much damage in this winter's fierce storms. Hope they're not frightened of 6-inch flowering cherry trees.

Featured Home: Better Than New!

4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home in a wonderful neighborhood near schools, parks, walking trails, shopping centers, and I-5.

Spacious floor plan with approximately 2300 square feet includes family room with gas fireplace, living room, dining room, large master suite with private bath and walk-in closet. Professionally landscaped, fully fenced backyard, a/c, hardy plank siding. Approximately 15 minutes to Fort Lewis/McChord AFB.

MLS# 27021738
Price: $309,000

More info



For more information, contact
El Sanchez
phone: 360-791-2991
email: olympicrealtor@comcast.net
Web Site: http://www.olympiabesthomes.com/

This Land Is Our Land, It Isn't Your Land...

How important are urban parks? More important than private property rights?

Those are the questions radiating outward from Olympia this week after the city announced plans to use eminent domain to obtain land for parks from two private property owners who refused to sell.

Both cases involve relatively large tracts of land in Olympia's rapidly growing state capitol. To help achieve its goal of having a park within a 1-mile walk of every resident, the city wants 3.69 of the 10 acres Sue Haskin and Errol Dye on Mud Bay Road. [the story] Earlier, the city council tabled an effort to take 1.72 acres of Carl and Susan Ott's horse-pasture land on Boulevard Road Extention, but only after the Otts and about 30 neighbors showed up to voice their opposition. [the story]

Everyone loves parks, but opinion seems uniformly against this use of eminent domain, at least in The Olympian's comments, where descriptions range from "tyranny" to "a socialist power grab." And worse. Looks like the City Council has some quick retreating to do....

Deciphering Real Estate Jargon

As with all industries, real estate professionals have developed a lingo and acronyms to help them communicate with each other more easily. For the first-time homebuyer (and even some veterans), making sense of property listings can sometimes leave you feeling like you’re deciphering the DaVinci Code.
Let’s take a look at a sample real estate listing:

2,500 sf on a c-d-s, 2BR, 2.5BA, CA, spac grt rm w/ wbfp, grmet kit, det gar

Looks a lot like alphabet soup. However, using this type of abbreviated property description saves valuable advertising space. Some abbreviations you’ll probably encounters are:

• AC or A/C: air conditioning
• BA: bathroom
• BR: bedroom
• CA: central air
• C-D-S: cul de sac
• DET: detached
• DK: deck
• EIK: eat-in kitchen
• F/FIN BSMT: finished basement
• FDR: formal dining room
• FP, frplc: fireplace
• GAR: garage
• GRMT KIT: gourmet kitchen
• GRT RM: great room
• HDW, HWF, Hdwd: hardwood floors
• HOA: home owners association
• LR: living room
• KIT: kitchen
• OFC: office
• PVT: private
• SF: square feet
• SPAC: spacious
• VW, VU: view
• WBFP: wood-burning fireplace

In addition to the abbreviations in property listings, here are a few other common terms you should become familiar with.

FSBO—For Sale By Owner. This term refers to a property which the homeowner is trying to sell independent of a real estate professional.

MLS—Multiple Listing Service. MLSs are comprised of a group of real estate brokers who have agreed to share their property listings. This listing is then provided to the group through a database or directory. If you are buying your home, this is the service that your sales professional will use to search for potential homes for you to purchase. If you are selling your property, your real estate professional can list your home through the MLS. For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) properties are typically not listed through the MLS.

CMA—Comparative Marketing Analysis. This analysis is an informal assessment of a property’s market value. This is one of the tools your real estate professional can use to help you determine a reasonable listing price. Usually, the CMA compares your property with similar properties that have sold in your area within a certain time frame. Besides purchase price, some of the information typically listed is the number of bedrooms and baths, approximate square footage, size of major rooms, amenities such as fireplaces and pools, age of the home, and property taxes.

During the real estate process, you’ll more than likely come across more acronyms and lingo. Make sure you ask your real estate professional to explain any terms you are unfamiliar with so that you are not in for any surprises.

By the way, the listing above was a 2,500 square-feet home on a cul-de-sac, with two bedrooms and two and a half baths, central air, a spacious great room with a wood-burning fireplace, and a gourmet kitchen and detached garage.

Prudential Olympia, REALTORS is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

Featured Home: Private Park-Like Setting

Private park-like estate and the perfect home for lots of people or business. Great for a bed & breakfast or enjoy the $2000 per month income from three separate apartments attached to the home. A total of 6 bedrooms, 4.75 baths and a whopping 5400 sqft on .86 acre.


Wonderful high windows in the living room and closed in game room bring the outside inside. Close to shopping, I-5 and colleges. Beach access plus golf club privileges. Great Koi pond to add to the peace. $5,000 Buyer Bonus.

View this listing



For more information, contact:

John Bueche
Prudential Olympia, REALTORS®
2630 Martin Way
Olympia, WA 98506


johnbueche@comcast.net
Phone: 360-239-4080