Preparing For Your Transition to Your New Home

For all sellers of homes, you know that there is going to be a transition time before moving into your next home, whether it is a home you are building, renting, moving to across town, moving to across the country, or maybe moving in with your parents because they need extra medical comfort care. No matter the reason for your move, you are going to have transitional housing and moving expenses. What you need to do is prepare for them ahead of time so that you don't get caught looking for something at the last minute.

Here are some ideas:
Rent a house
Rent a hotel room
Borrow a friend's RV
Live with your family members
Check out transitional housing in your town. There just might be a company available that does that. Here in Moses Lake, WA, we have a company that rents furnished units and has a laundry facility available. It's a little higher than the local hotel on the lake, but you don't have to unpack your dishes or linens because it's taken care of for you. The name of that place here in town is called Heritage Suites.

Many of these places need to be reserved in advance. So, call ahead!

Please remember, as the adult of your household, it is your responsibility to cover all of those expenses yourself and if you check with your CPA, you might even be able to put the expense on your taxes as a deductible moving expense.

Connie Suehiro, Realtor
Gary Mann Real Estate
509-431-5804 direct

$95 million in home sales in Grant County

I enjoy getting statistics of home sales. Here is a short summary of statistics of residential sales and residential land sales in Grant County from the Grant County Assessor's website. (Click on the title above for the complete summary.)

2007
Over $95 million in residential sales.
Over $17 million in resident land sales

2006
Over $98 million in residential sales
Over $20 million in residential land sales

2005
Over $77 million in residential sales
Over $20 million in residential land sales

We're up $18 million from two years ago in residential sales, with this year's average home sales price at $195,453.

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Call 509-431-5804 for a free emailed list of homes in the Moses Lake area. As of this date, there are 95 homes under $195,000 and 180 homes over $195,000.
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Quote of the day: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways at the last minute, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO - That was Fun!” - Anon


Connie Suehiro, Realtor
Gary Mann Real Estate
305 E. Third Ave
Moses Lake, WA 98837
homes@iglide.net
509-431-5804 DIRECT

Firefly Cafe in downtown Moses Lake

Did ya'll know there's a new cafe' in downtown Moses Lake?


I stopped in there the other day to introduce myself and met some real nice people working there. My co-worker and I asked if they had take-out menus, and sure enough, they did! So, I took one back to the office where I work at Gary Mann Real Estate so we would have one handy.


And you know how espressos have become a form of art? Well, Firefly Cafe' has a sandwich artist! So, they serve coffee and ice cream, sandwiches on croissant buns and sandwiches on regular bread. They also serve baked potatoes! Can you imagine a hot baked potato on a cold winter day? Put chili and butter, sour cream, and other goodies on it. Oh yes, and they also have hot dogs and hamburgers if you'd like something more traditional.


Go on down to Firefly Cafe' at 202 W. Third Ave. and tell them you heard about them from the blog at Moses Lake Real Estate Musings.


God bless you, and Merry Christmas!

Connie Suehiro
Real Estate Agent
Gary Mann Real Estate
(509) 431-5804 cell
Call me for a free list of homes in your price range!

View Current Listings

What homes are available in Moses Lake? Is there one that is just right for YOU and your family?

You can search for your ideal home by viewing current listings with detailed descriptions and photos. Go www.GaryMannRealEstate.com , then click on "Market Search" to find your home. Under "County" scroll down and click on "Grant County," then scroll down and click on "Moses Lake" and start searching with the rest of your criteria until you find a list of homes you are interested in. Then, call me at 509-431-5804 to preview your list of homes. I'll help you get pre-qualified so we look for the homes that fit your budget. That way, we save time looking only for the homes you can afford, not the ones that will waste your time. If you prefer to get prequalified before you call, which I highly recommend, contact loan officer Heide Backus at Homestead Mortgage at 509-771-1061, and she will ask you an assortment of questions to determine what price range you qualify for in buying a home. This step will save you a lot of time as you prepare to look for your ideal home in Moses Lake.

Congratulations on taking the first step of buying a home! I am here to help you and look forward to your call. Again, call me at 509-431-5804. Let's find your home!

Connie Suehiro, Agent
Gary Mann Real Estate
305 E. Third
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509-431-5804 (direct)
509-765-3463 (office)
www.GaryMannRealEstate.com

Availability of Land and Homes for Sale in Moses Lake

Would you like to know, week by week, how many vacant lots there are for sale in Moses Lake? How about homes? What kind of price ranges would you like to see?

For instance, as of today, there are nine private lots for sale in Moses Lake. It is difficult to find a reasonably priced lot in our town because people are moving in rather steadily, and the demand is increasing. I just sold a lot for $29,000 on a corner in the neighborhood near Home Depot, and I'm looking for more for several clients. Most of the vacant lots in Moses Lake that are for sale have prices more like $45,000 per lot, but are they selling? Yes, two for $20,000 each. You'll find lots near Pelican Point over $100,000 each, even if they have only a lake view and aren't directly on the lake.

As for homes, as of yesterday, there were 95 homes for sale for $180,000 and less. And there were 45 homes for sale for $150,000 and less (this includes those in the "$180K and less" list). If you would like a summary of either of these lists mailed to you, call me at 509-431-5804 with your email address, and I'll mail one to you. I'd post my email address here, but the "spammer crawlers" would pick it up and I'd have an inbox more full of spam.

What's going on in Moses Lake? What businesses are coming into town? There has recently been a ground-breaking for a mini-storage to be built on Central. From Stratford, turn down Valley, then right on Central. It is behind Pops In-N-Out, on the left, before you get to the Goodwill store.

Does anybody know of a few other businesses that are moving into town?

Will have: the country home on acreage with five bedrooms, a sunken family room, ramp to a door, deck on the back, pasture, trees. We're working on it. There is new paint in the living room, dining room, hallway and bathroom so far, and the old sink looks brand new and is getting some new faucet fixtures.

Need: affordable vacant lots for $30,000 and less in Moses Lake, between ML and Ephrata, in Wilson Creek, and somewhere between ML and the Potholes Reservoir also. If you know of any affordable lots in East Wenatchee or Cashmere, let me know. I have parties interested in those areas. Of course, in East Wenatchee, we're probably looking at something more like $60K since it's more expensive. Let me know if you know of some. Thanks!

Need: 3 bedroom, 1 3/4+ bath home with over 1600 square feet with garage and room to park three vehicles and a boat on the southern side of Moses Lake (Garden Heights, Pelican Point, out Wheeler, etc.) for around $200,000.

Connie Suehiro
Gary Mann Real Estate
Moses Lake, WA 98837
509-431-5804 cell
509-765-3463 ext 110 office
http://www.garymannrealestate.com/

When Should You Make An Offer?

We have a beautiful newer home available with three bedrooms in a newer neighborhood, and the price is $150,000. When should you make an offer?

Analyzing and trying to figure out the housing market and when you should make an offer on a house can be a losing battle. The best time to make an offer is when you have the money to do it, and when you have found the home you want to live in for a few years.

Here are some statistics of mostly three-bedroom homes in Moses Lake for sale
for $150,00 or less:

As of October 19, 2007 there are 28 available right now.

Average number of days on the market: 79 days
1 of those homes has been on the market for one day
1 of those homes has been on the market for over 400 days.
5 of those homes have been on the market over 130 days.
I'll eliminate those 5 momentarily...

23 of the homes have been on the market for an average of 41 days.

Statistics of three-bedroom homes in Moses Lake that sold in the past six months
for $150,00 or less:
As of October 19, 2007 there are 67.
15 were manufactured homes.
7 homes were on the base.

55.2% were on the market for less than 30 days.
19.4% were on the market for 31-60 days
25.4% were on the market more than 61 days

Average square footage: 1,200 square feet
Average price: $116,000

Remember that beautiful newer home available with three bedrooms in a newer neighborhood for $150,000?

When should you make an offer?

Right NOW.

Connie Suehiro, Realtor
Gary Mann Real Estate
Moses Lake, WA
509-765-3463 office
509-431-5804 cell