Kitsap County Real Estate Blog by Dupuis Team |Recently posted or modified blog posts by tag - Kitsap Area Livinghttps://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/Copyright FindKitsapCountyHomes.com2022-06-02T16:40:40-07:00tag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:7623Why exactly do we LOVE #Kitsap?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-06-02-Loving-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Exactly Why Do We Love #Kitsap?" title="Exactly Why Do We Love #Kitsap?" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="734" />
We do like to go on and on about our humble opinion that Kitsap is, you know, exactly perfect for anyone who might be considering relocating - and everyone already here. We'd like to think our pile of very happy clients year to year, agree with this outlook - and perhaps those a bit skeptical come to love the area as much as we do.
But you'd like specifics, you say? Our very humble opinions aren't cutting it for you today? Glad you asked! We totally have you covered:
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/whats-the-traffic-really-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">Traffic in Kitsap</a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">Schools in Kitsap</a>
Seasons: <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-summertime-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">Summertime in Kitsap</a>; <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-kitsap-really-like-in-the-fall/" target="_blank">Fall in Kitsap</a> (We gotta do a Winter and Spring!!) and <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/the-truth-about-kitsap-area-weather/" target="_blank">Weather in General</a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/natural-attractions-of-kitsap/" target="_blank">Natural Attractions of Kitsap</a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">Commuting from Kitsap</a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-can-you-get-in-kitsap-for-your-money-compared-to-greater-seattle/" target="_blank">Comparing Kitsap Value</a> to, yes, that big mega city to the East.
Kitsap living for <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/its-a-kitsap-dogs-life/" target="_blank">Dogs</a> and <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-backyard-chickens/" target="_blank">Chickens</a>
Hobby life? Check out <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-area-a-photographers-dream/" target="_blank">Photography in Kitsap</a>, <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-locavore-exploring-the-local-food-scene/" target="_blank">Local Foodies</a>, and <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/historical-kitsap-county/" target="_blank">History of Kitsap</a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/comparing-affordable-kitsaps-growth-rate-in-puget-sound/" target="_blank">Our affordable growth curve</a>
...but if we didn't touch on your own favorite lifestyle issue, please give us a call - we'll definitely give you our benefit of experience in the area. We look forward to making a neighbor out of you in the near future!2022-06-02T16:15:00-07:002022-06-02T16:40:40-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:7368Finding the Right Real Estate Agent for YOU<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-05-05-Pick-the-Right-Agent.jpg" alt="Finding the Right Real Estate Agent for YOU!" title="Finding the Right Real Estate Agent for YOU!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
Whether you are buying or selling a house here in Kitsap, you'll want to engage an agent. Of course a team of agents is going to say that, but a little research will show you that it's worth it in nearly every single case.
It can be distilled down to the numbers: if you're buying, it costs you nothing to use an agent, but will give you by far the easiest access to prospective properties, and will help you right the most attractive, airtight offer that protects YOU as possible. There's simply no reason not to use a buyer's agent.
If you're selling, then you are on indeed on the hook for the commissions earned by the buyer and seller agents. It's typically two distinct people, who split the commission you pay. The commission is typically contracted as a percentage of the final sales price of the house. (Certain cases may deviate from those, but that's what's most common.)
While you certainly CAN do a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sale, it leaves you with a great deal of work to do - arranging for professional staging and photography, marketing the property as widely as possible, arranging for showings and open houses, evaluating offers, and making sure an actual mountain of paperwork has every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. The most compelling reason to turn this huge time commitment over to someone who does these tasks every single day, is simple: it will almost certainly (more than) pay for itself. Properties represented by an agent typically sell for significantly more - and after all, that's the whole point to selling, once you've made the decision to move on yourself: getting as good a price as possible. The National Association of Realtors reported that in 2014:
“FSBOs typically have a lower median selling price: $208,700 compared to $235,000. Thus the typical agent-assisted home sale typically has a 13 percent higher sales price than the typical FSBO sale.”
Obviously a few years have gone by with significant increases in median house prices, but the gap still exists. A little quick math will show you that it nearly always pays to use a seller's agent - in both increased profit, and time/hassle saved for the seller.<br />
So, having to decided to use an agent (... a decision we obviously applaud) how do you make sure you've got an agent who understands YOU and understands your particular needs for the upcoming transaction? We have a few suggestions on that front as well.
First of all, there is no such thing as the right agent for everyone; agents differ in experience, local knowledge, backup staff, and personality. We include the last one because it can be a huge help to feel like your agent is someone with whom you mesh well on a personal level. Selling or buying a property, while a starkly business and legal proceeding at the end, is steeping in deeply intimate steps along the way. You have to have someone who can level with you about the flaws of the property, someone who can be gentle with you if your transaction involves a difficult life transition.
Towards that end, we always recommend interviewing at least three agents, and that is advice you'll find just about everywhere. Our brains are really good with the "compare three" activity, and it's great way to find your own perfect match. In narrowing down the three to interview, read reviews and ask your friends and family who they have personally used and know to be good.
When you interview the agents, ask them about their backgrounds, and what brought them to real estate. On our own team, we have a HUGE diversity in former occupations: one person was in HR in health services; one person was a teacher and musician; another was in the pharmacy field. One member was in physical the
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-05-05-Pick-the-Right-Agent.jpg" alt="Finding the Right Real Estate Agent for YOU!" title="Finding the Right Real Estate Agent for YOU!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
Whether you are buying or selling a house here in Kitsap, you'll want to engage an agent. Of course a team of agents is going to say that, but a little research will show you that it's worth it in nearly every single case.
It can be distilled down to the numbers: if you're buying, it costs you nothing to use an agent, but will give you by far the easiest access to prospective properties, and will help you right the most attractive, airtight offer that protects YOU as possible. There's simply no reason not to use a buyer's agent.
If you're selling, then you are on indeed on the hook for the commissions earned by the buyer and seller agents. It's typically two distinct people, who split the commission you pay. The commission is typically contracted as a percentage of the final sales price of the house. (Certain cases may deviate from those, but that's what's most common.)
While you certainly CAN do a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) sale, it leaves you with a great deal of work to do - arranging for professional staging and photography, marketing the property as widely as possible, arranging for showings and open houses, evaluating offers, and making sure an actual mountain of paperwork has every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. The most compelling reason to turn this huge time commitment over to someone who does these tasks every single day, is simple: it will almost certainly (more than) pay for itself. Properties represented by an agent typically sell for significantly more - and after all, that's the whole point to selling, once you've made the decision to move on yourself: getting as good a price as possible. The National Association of Realtors reported that in 2014:
“FSBOs typically have a lower median selling price: $208,700 compared to $235,000. Thus the typical agent-assisted home sale typically has a 13 percent higher sales price than the typical FSBO sale.”
Obviously a few years have gone by with significant increases in median house prices, but the gap still exists. A little quick math will show you that it nearly always pays to use a seller's agent - in both increased profit, and time/hassle saved for the seller.<br />
So, having to decided to use an agent (... a decision we obviously applaud) how do you make sure you've got an agent who understands YOU and understands your particular needs for the upcoming transaction? We have a few suggestions on that front as well.
First of all, there is no such thing as the right agent for everyone; agents differ in experience, local knowledge, backup staff, and personality. We include the last one because it can be a huge help to feel like your agent is someone with whom you mesh well on a personal level. Selling or buying a property, while a starkly business and legal proceeding at the end, is steeping in deeply intimate steps along the way. You have to have someone who can level with you about the flaws of the property, someone who can be gentle with you if your transaction involves a difficult life transition.
Towards that end, we always recommend interviewing at least three agents, and that is advice you'll find just about everywhere. Our brains are really good with the "compare three" activity, and it's great way to find your own perfect match. In narrowing down the three to interview, read reviews and ask your friends and family who they have personally used and know to be good.
When you interview the agents, ask them about their backgrounds, and what brought them to real estate. On our own team, we have a HUGE diversity in former occupations: one person was in HR in health services; one person was a teacher and musician; another was in the pharmacy field. One member was in physical therapy, and came to real estate while pursuing a graduate degree in business. We love that these backgrounds really give our agents a broad background by which to relate to our clientele, beyond their present housing transactions - and we see first hand how that helps create the personal bonds that create a truly fantastic buying or selling experience.
Additionally, ask your prospective agent why they choose to practice in Kitsap - after all, agents are licensed by the state, and could conceivably work just about anywhere. We think you'll agree that this is one place where our Dupuis Team agents really sit up and smile: we genuinely, deeply love the Kitsap and West Sound area. It's such an amazing gem - bucolic and wild areas are right out our front doors, yet the conveniences of modern life exist conveniently right in the middle of everything as well. Our cost of living is amazing compared to the East Sound for sure - yet Seattle and its attractions are just a short boat ride away. We know we sound like evangelists for the area, but we truly are devoted to the quality of life Kitsap offers. If you're buying or selling here, you'll want an agent who has their pulse on the lifestyle.
Finally, ask your agent about their workload, and what sort of staff support they have. Again, this is where a team agent is a boon. For example, at Dupuis Team we have a dedicated Admin (who is herself a fully qualified agent) to support the team with marketing, client support, and more. We have a tech expert who keeps us up and running with the fastest and most secure computerized processes. We utilize a transaction coordinator to meticulously comb over each listing and each closing, to ensure that paperwork is in pristine order, and there won't be any holdups or snags. While we keep very busy, we are careful to ensure our client load is such that everyone is still getting the individualized attention each transaction requires and DESERVES.
At the end of the day, it's really about your gut feeling: you need to feel "at home" with the person who will be conducting this very personal and intimate transaction for you. It's not going to work if you feel awkward and stiff around each other, so thank that interviewee for their time, and move on. Any agent who says he or she is the right person for anyone . . . simply is someone to avoid. We know perfectly well that we are individuals ourselves, and as such cannot possibly appeal to every single client out there, nor should we.
When you're ready to pick an agent, we hope very much that you'll give Dupuis Team a ring, so we can hear what your own Kitsap housing hopes and dreams might be - we suspect we might have exactly what you need! We look forward to hearing from you soon.
rap, and came to real estate while pursuing a graduate degree in business. We love that these backgrounds really give our agents a broad background by which to relate to our clientele, beyond their present housing transactions - and we see first hand how that helps create the personal bonds that create a truly fantastic buying or selling experience.
Additionally, ask your prospective agent why they choose to practice in Kitsap - after all, agents are licensed by the state, and could conceivably work just about anywhere. We think you'll agree that this is one place where our Dupuis Team agents really sit up and smile: we genuinely, deeply love the Kitsap and West Sound area. It's such an amazing gem - bucolic and wild areas are right out our front doors, yet the conveniences of modern life exist conveniently right in the middle of everything as well. Our cost of living is amazing compared to the East Sound for sure - yet Seattle and its attractions are just a short boat ride away. We know we sound like evangelists for the area, but we truly are devoted to the quality of life Kitsap offers. If you're buying or selling here, you'll want an agent who has their pulse on the lifestyle.
Finally, ask your agent about their workload, and what sort of staff support they have. Again, this is where a team agent is a boon. For example, at Dupuis Team we have a dedicated Admin (who is herself a fully qualified agent) to support the team with marketing, client support, and more. We have a tech expert who keeps us up and running with the fastest and most secure computerized processes. We utilize a transaction coordinator to meticulously comb over each listing and each closing, to ensure that paperwork is in pristine order, and there won't be any holdups or snags. While we keep very busy, we are careful to ensure our client load is such that everyone is still getting the individualized attention each transaction requires and DESERVES.
At the end of the day, it's really about your gut feeling: you need to feel "at home" with the person who will be conducting this very personal and intimate transaction for you. It's not going to work if you feel awkward and stiff around each other, so thank that interviewee for their time, and move on. Any agent who says he or she is the right person for anyone . . . simply is someone to avoid. We know perfectly well that we are individuals ourselves, and as such cannot possibly appeal to every single client out there, nor should we.
Stephanie Dupuis, our team owner, recorded a video on this subject just this week - give it a view, and subscribe to our channel if you like what she has to say - it's a great way to get first view of all our listings, too!
When you're ready to pick an agent, we hope very much that you'll give Dupuis Team a ring, so we can hear what your own Kitsap housing hopes and dreams might be - we suspect we might have exactly what you need! We look forward to hearing from you soon.2022-05-06T10:45:00-07:002022-05-06T11:04:55-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:7316Historical Kitsap County<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-04-21-History-Kitsap.jpg" alt="1925 Kitsap County Fair - Volunteers" title="1925 Kitsap County Fair - Volunteers" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="892" height="622" />
When we buy or sell our homes (or frequently - both together!) it can feel very much like the focus is on the FUTURE: what will life be like in the new place? Will it suit your needs for a long while to come?
But it's worth it for devoted Kitsap residents to take a look at what came before us, too. Our history goes back a lot further than you might think!
Starting in about 5,000 BCE (...which predates the ancient Egyptian cultures), the Suquamish people began settling the Kitsap peninsula. Before contact with non-indigenous people, this area was <a href="https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/about-us/history-culture/" target="_blank">one of the most populated places north of Mexico City</a>! The tribal name translates as "The People of the Clear Salt Water."
A mill was built in what is now Kingston by one of the first non-native settlers to arrive on "The Great Peninsula" in 1852.
Among our illustrious historical figures, famous Chief Seattle was born, lived, and died in Kitsap in 1866. He is <a href="https://suquamish.nsn.us/home/about-us/chief-seattle-days-2/" target="_blank">celebrated every year during Chief Seattle Days</a> (which will hopefully be returning to pre-COVID levels of observances open to the public very soon!)
The <a href="https://www.portgamble.com/about-port-gamble/" target="_blank">mill at Port Gamble</a> was established in 1854, and unbelievably operated until 1996! The site is now a National Historical Site.
In 1891 - probably much earlier than you realized! - the <a href="https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/organization-and-administration/installations/naval-base-kitsap.html" target="_blank">Naval Station in Bremerton</a> was established. It began to serve a critical role in National Security as our nation became involved in the first World War, and subsequently World War II. Kitsap remains a very active military site, at many locations. We are lucky to have such a vibrant contributor to our local economy, and to have military service members and their families as our neighbors!
Keyport is home to a special slice of local Navy history - the <a href="https://navalunderseamuseum.org/" target="_blank">US Naval Undersea Museum</a>. It is full of great displays showing the advancement of this special division of our national security, and worth the trip!
The <a href="https://www.pugetsoundnavymuseum.org/" target="_blank">Puget Sound Navy Museum</a> is steps away from the Bremerton ferry dock, and maintains well curated collection of the history and impact of the Navy on our beloved Puget Sound.
Finally, we have a wonderful <a href="https://kitsapmuseum.org/" target="_blank">local history museum</a> in downtown Bremerton - dedicate an afternoon to its displays, and then wander around enjoying the local shops and galleries.
We'd love to help our fellow lovers of Kitsap history, find their futures here too! Give us a ring at Dupuis Team today, if we can help you with your upcoming real estate transaction.2022-04-21T15:00:00-07:002022-04-21T15:35:21-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:72542022 Best of the Best of Kitsap Awards!! <img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-04-07-Best-of-Kitsap.jpg" alt="2022 Best of the Best Kitsap Sun - Best Real Estate Team" title="2022 Best of the Best Kitsap Sun - Best Real Estate Team" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="891" height="746" />
Last year, we were very excited and honored to be nominated for the 2021 Best of Kitsap award, in the BEST REAL ESTATE TEAM category. The event, nominations, and voting are operated by our own local paper, the Kitsap Sun.
We would love your help for the 2022 round of nomination and voting. With the help of our clients and cooperation of the whole team, we've had a spectacular year in Kitsap real estate, and we'd love to cap that off with another nomination for this award. <br /><br />You can vote at the <a href="https://kitsapsun.secondstreetapp.com/2022-Best-of-Kitsap/gallery/?group=413927" target="_blank">Kitsap Sun "Best of the Best" webpage</a> - and you can vote every day from now until April 21st, and it's easy to do. Simply choose a category (scroll down to Real Estate Team on the linked page), make your nomination, and fill in your email address. Continue and complete the registration form. You MUST register in order to nominate.
Thank you very much - it means a great deal to us all!2022-04-07T13:30:00-07:002022-04-07T15:03:35-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6715Is It Time to Move Away From Seattle?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-02-10-Seattle-Costs-Too-Much.jpg" alt="Seattle" title="Seattle" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Seattle: We Just Don't Get You, Man
Okay, okay - we know Seattle has a lot going for it. Great food and arts scene, some wonderful live shows come through (we are looking forward to a post-COVID time when that can resume as before!) The city has such a neat history, and a really special locale right on Puget Sound. There are few cityscapes out there as pretty as Seattle, all lit up with the iconic Space Needle hovering high.
But do you know what else fits all those descriptors? Kitsap County. Truly, you can even see the cityscape face-on from many locations. Except, you get to keep a lot more of the money you spent on Seattle housing if you live on the west side of the sound, instead of the east. #WestSoundBestSound
We <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-can-you-get-in-kitsap-for-your-money-compared-to-greater-seattle/" target="_blank">covered this issue on the blog previously</a> (one of our more popular articles of all time!) but we thought it deserved an update. We still maintain that the best neigborhood for the King County professional is . . . Kitsap County, and a ferry ticket. (Did you know you can grab a beer or glass of wine on the way home? Nobody's gonna try THAT stuck in 405 traffic to Renton. At least, we fervently hope they do not.)
Consider these side by side ratings by website BestPlaces.Net, dedicated to various indices of living. They set the national averages as "100" and then rank locations as being more or less than this average. Here are <a href="https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/county/washington/king" target="_blank">King</a> and <a href="https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/county/washington/kitsap" target="_blank">Kitsap</a> counties side by side:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-02-10-Kitsap-KingCOL.jpg" alt="King vs Kitsap COL" title="King vs Kitsap COL" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1185" height="791" />
Compare too, what the they indicate for rents in those markets:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-02-10-King-Kitsap-Rents.jpg" alt="King and Kitsap Rents" title="King and Kitsap Rents" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />These numbers are even more alarming, actually. Why? Because the reported Seattle area rents are NOT significantly more than Kitsap, proportionate to incomes. Seattle area median income is about $49K/year for individuals and $92K/year for households; closer to hoe, Kitsap area median income is about $36K/year for individuals, and $75K/year for households. That means that rent is harder to afford for a lot of Kitsap locals (and certainly wouldn't be better if they moved to Seattle, unless they have a different skillset they can use for income there. Not usually the case.)
Obviously, we know a lot of folks who keep their Seattle area employment - either by being a ferry commuter (...we're fans) or by <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/consider-a-kitsap-home-for-your-remote-workplace/" target="_blank">telecommuting</a> from Kitsap. The way to really optimize that is to BUY in Kitsap, not rent. You knew we were gonna say that, of course! But these numbers are something else, wow.
We continue to think Seattle and King County looks best from THIS side of the sound - she's still RIGHT THERE, just a pleasant boat trip away. Come check out how life looks from our point of view - give one of our real estate brokers a call today at Dupuis Team - we'd love to talk over what you have in mind!2022-02-10T18:00:00-07:002022-02-10T18:49:31-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6627... But Why Pick Kitsap?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2022-blogimages/2022-01-20-Why-Pick-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Why Choose Kitsap?" title="Why Choose Kitsap?" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="2200" height="1466" />
Many of our clients have the luxury of DECIDING to move to Kitsap County (as opposed to being transferred here on, for example, military orders - we <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/tag/kitsap-military-life/" target="_blank">help lots of these folks</a> too, though!) When people move here electively, it may beg the question: WHY? Why not more rural country out east of the Cascades, or livlier urban life closer to Seattle? What exactly is the local draw? Today, we'll share some of what we hear from our clients who enthusiastically move to become our new neighbors.
One draw is purely <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-can-you-get-in-kitsap-for-your-money-compared-to-greater-seattle/" target="_blank">value for one's housing dollar</a>. While we have continued to see increases in local median prices, it's nowhere near what has been seen in more urban areas of Puget Sound, or the greater region Indeed, most cities have experienced this the past couple years, with minor exceptions. Here in Kitsap, we <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">still hover just at or under the $500K mark</a> for median. And remember that means the halfway price: half the houses close for LESS than $500K. That is a ray of hope for a lot of middle class folks, who feel priced out of crazy prices elsewhere.
Another thing we hear frequently as a bonus for the area, is that we have that great "away from it all" feel around every single bend in the road - you will not believe our scenery, if you haven't taken a day trip or weekender over this way - yet for those of us living here, it's literally out the front door. Our area hasn't been inundated with exclusive, extremely expensive waterfront properties (cough cough, Lake Washington, coughcough) - there are unbelievably great views from what might be considered very modest properties all over the place. If you dream of watching the ferries glide by, for example, give the Manette area of Bremerton a look - lots are true Midcentury Modern gems, too. If Hood Canal views float your boat, maybe Poulsbo or Seabeck are for you. Let your agent know what you dream of seeing while you sip your morning coffee, and chances are she or he knows exactly where to take you.
Even our "busy" main highways (routes 3 and 16) have beautiful glimpses of sea and forest, while <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/whats-the-traffic-really-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">sparing you major city traffic snarls</a>. We hear this reason why Kitsap beckons a LOT - people are just fed up with traffic around the I-5/405 corridor (or are fleeing similar in another big metro area.) As people have the increasing ability to work remotely or find employment that beckons in Kitsap, there just is no reason to put up with the pressure and expense of major city traffic. Traffic (or its lack) has become a leading indicator of quality of life in modern times.
Furthermore, many people move to Kitsap while <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">continuing to work in person jobs in Seattle</a>. Our fabulous and inexpensive ferry (and Seattle area transit, or perhaps a bike) makes it possible. Truly, ferry life is at the center of how we live over here, and we love it.
Many folks are surprised that they give up VERY little in the way of retail access over on this side. You'll be surprised to find we have multiple sites of several home centers, and nearly every chain retail/eatery you enjoy in larger cities. We have a Costco in Silverdale, and one in Gig Harbor (...okay, that's technically just outside of Kitsap - but we give it honorary membership since it is this side of the Narrows!) We certainly have many thriving local businesses offering goods and services that bring the local flavor, too. (We do confess we all make the occasional trek to Ikea, so you got us on that one.)
The bottom line is that many of us who choose life in Kitsap, find that we recover a lot of personal time, and that counts for a LOT in modern times. Combined with a lower housing cost, the value of Kitsap becomes clear. What do we like to do with that time? Well, glad you asked!
Dogs are widely welcomed, and <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/its-a-kitsap-dogs-life/" target="_blank">there's lots to do</a> with your best canine buddy.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-area-a-photographers-dream/" target="_blank">Photography</a> is a VERY popular hobby, especially <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/natural-attractions-of-kitsap/" target="_blank">combined with hiking</a>. We don't let the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/thriving-in-the-kitsap-area-rainy-day-survival-kit/" target="_blank">weather keep us indoors</a>, either! (Be sure to give that article a read if you're new to the Pacific Northwest altogether.)
Our region has lots of wild, natural land - but many people like that landscaped look, or are looking to raise veggies. <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/gardening-in-kitsap-good-for-everyone/" target="_blank">Gardening is huge</a> - we have garden tours in the area, and even have a local private arboretum that is not to be missed, <a href="https://www.albersvistagardens.org/" target="_blank">Albers Vista Gardens</a>.
People taking up a more bucolic life often think of <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/thinking-about-backyard-chickens-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">keeping chickens</a> (would you believe this is one of the most popular articles on our blog? Someone must be into it!!)
We have a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/arts-and-culture-in-kitsap-a-real-treasure/" target="_blank">thriving Arts & Culture scene</a> - be sure to check out local favorites!
One thing people may wonder about is moving with kids - we have an article outlining some of the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">educational choices in our area</a>. We have abundant parks and recreational areas that will appeal to busy younger folks, too. If you've been frustrated with schools in your current locale, this could be the fresh start you crave for your family.
It can't be denied that COVID remains very much on everyone's minds. It's such a present thing in our daily lives. You can keep up with infection rates and other <a href="https://kitsappublichealth.org/communityHealth/EpiData/EpiDataMain.php" target="_blank">COVID stats here</a>, at the Kitsap County Public Health page. We visit it regularly ourselves, to keep abreast of how things are locally. The truth is, we've been spared some of the worse numbers larger cities see. Partly that is the elbow room we largely enjoy over here - that is, our population density has been in our favor. We also have a big military population, and they thankfully have high vaccination rates - our vaccination rate overall is very high, something to be proud of. Like most places, we are struggling with post-holiday Omicron infection in our area just now, and are looking forward to days when that is back under control. (Be sure to speak to your agent about COVID protection we observe relative to looking at properties, getting together in person, and more.)
We would be very pleased to hear from you if you are considering relocating to Kitsap this season - we want to hear what you're looking for with the change, and we believe we can help you find what you're looking for!2022-01-20T18:15:00-07:002022-01-20T18:52:58-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6495Does Your #Kitsap Property Have Racist Deed Restriction Language?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-12/2021-12-16-Removing-Racist-Deed-Restrictions.jpg" alt="Does Your Kitsap Property Have Racist Deed Restriction Language" title="Does Your Kitsap Property Have Racist Deed Restriction Language" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
We recently <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/does-the-deed-to-your-seattle-area-home-have-racist-language-next-year-you-can-formally-remove-it/" target="_blank">read an article in the Seattle Times</a> detailing the history of racist deed restrictions in many area neighborhoods, particularly those built before World War II. In that era, neigborhood covenants could exclude members of the community by race or religion without consequence. It likely was considered prudent development, by societal norms that have thankfully gone by the wayside. Seattle is providing a way for area residents to strike the language from their own property deeds, even though the actual enforcement of these sorts of deed restrictions has been illegal for many decades. The language's very existence on the deed of a beloved and cared for property, understandably bothers and angers residents in a modern era. It can be a hurtful reminder of the era of segregation and housing disrimination.
It got us curious about the probability that similar property deed restrictions exist in our own backyard, here in Kitsap. The climate surrounding racially charged language on property covenants changed nationally in 1948, when the Supreme Court ruled that racist neighborhood bylaws were not enforceable - and in 1968, the Fair Housing Act banned racially discriminatory deed restrictions altogether. But we certainly had a lot of property developed in Kitsap prior to those landmark changes in the housing market.
Kitsap County maintains a page dedicated to helping area residents check their own property records for problematic language, and provides the process (which is a bit different than what is detailed in the Seattle Times article linked above) for homeowners to address the archaic and obsolete inclusions on their own deed.
There are a couple ways you can examine your own deed. First, peruse the public database maintained by the county auditor of all Kitsap properties. The second way is by examining your documents issued by your Title Insurance, at the time of sale. This is <a href="https://www.kitsapgov.com/auditor/Pages/restrictive_covenants.aspx" target="_blank">detailed in the Kitsap webpage dedicated to the topic.</a>
With the information in hand, you'll be able to request a modification to your deed. While you might encounter a notary fee or similar, there is no fee charged by the county to enact this modification - it really just costs your time in order to research the issue, and file the paperwork.
And this is strictly voluntary: nobody can enforce a restriction against you on your property based on these old covenants. The rights of persons of any racial, ethnic, or religious background to own property are guaranteed by federal and state laws. You do not need to redact the racist language found in a deed, in order for this to be true. It is largely a method by which people who find the language hurtful and offensive, have a method to strike it from the working records of their home. It absolutely is not necessary, in order for homeowners to retain rights to their property, however.
If you're unsure about moving forward or leaving the deed as is, consult your real estate attorney for advice on modifying the deed. We happen to think it's nice that we have a way to exclude the distasteful language moving forward. It's not something we want as part of the landscape of Kitsap community.
If we can assist you with your own next property transaction, please give us a ring at Dupuis Team - we're looking forward to hearing from you!2021-12-16T17:00:00-07:002021-12-16T17:23:24-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6411Happy Thanksgiving to our Clients, Friends, and Families<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-11/2021-11-25-Thanksgiving.jpg" alt="Thanksgiving 201" title="Thanksgiving 201" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="800" height="533" />
Happy Thanksgiving to our wonderful #DupuisTeam clientele, friends, and families. We are all taking the day to be with our loved ones, and we hope everyone has a relaxing day full of counting their blessings, and is looking forward to a season full of health, wellbeing, and joy.
Thinking you need a better place to host next year's celebration? Give us a ring at Dupuis Team, and we can help you start looking . . . but maybe a Thanksgiving nap first! Best wishes, everyone!2021-11-25T11:00:00-07:002021-11-25T10:59:39-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6308Happy Veterans Day, Kitsap!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-11/2021-11-11-Veterans-Day.jpg" alt="Happy Veterans Day 2021" title="Happy Veterans Day 2021" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
Here in Kitsap, we tend to especially notice our local veterans - we are home to several large military operations, thanks to our location on the protected waters of Puget Sound. Every single homeowner benefits from the influence our local military neighbors bring to our lives, even if we think we don't personally know any soldiers or sailors (...which would honestly be unusual around here, we think!) It cannot be ignored that one of the most stabilizing influences we've seen our our housing market, is the presence of a huge reliable employer in the area. In Kitsap, that's largely our military bases - for both active duty, and civilian workers. All of us can trace significantly improved community life to our local military presence.
Today, we honor the service of those who serve our nation in the armed services - and especially from Dupuis Team, we honor our Kitsap vets. Thank you for all you do for our country, for our local area, and for each other. We look forward to serving you in return, when it's time to think about settling into homeowner life. We've helped hundreds of VA-loan=eligible people purchase a Kitsap home, whether it's for the tour or for permanent roots. Give us a ring today!2021-11-11T16:15:00-07:002021-11-11T16:36:28-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6217What's the Scoop on #Kitsap HOA's?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-10/2021-10-21-Homeowner-Assoc.jpg" alt="Kitsap HOAs" title="Kitsap HOAs" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
For our Dupuis Team first time home buyers, one of the biggest concerns is often whether or not their home will have a Homeowner's Association, commonly referred to as an "HOA." It can seem daunting if you are facing a purchase that has an attached HOA, having just waded through some very complex paperwork to purchase the home in the first place. We're here to demystify for you!
These are sometimes called by different names depending on intent and the sort of property - some rural properties might have a simple Road Maintainence co-op to keep the gravel smooth for everyone, or a condo community will have a Condo Owner's Association that covers things like roofs that cover multiple units, restrictions on what you can keep outdoors, upkeep of community ammenties like a gym or pool, and gardening for the common areas.
Restrictions and rules imposed by HOAs are often called Covenants. You'll sometimes see the body of work referred to as the CC&R (Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions.)
If you've previously been a renter, you might think of an HOA as similar to how your lease defined what your landlord or property management did and did not cover. You'll know all about that going into the deal, and that's useful - no surprises!
First of all, a great many properties in Kitsap are simply without an HOA restrictions at all. If that's the case - phew, nothing to learn! You won't have any covenants (other than those imposed by the municipality, county, or state on everyone) regarding the use and appearance of your property. You'll be solely responsible for upkeep, possibly including things like the grass on the far side of your sidewalk ("parking strip.")
On the other end of the spectrum, you'll find HOA's such as those that will necessarily accompany a condo purchase, where you share walls (and maybe floors/ceilings) with other owners. In addition to the previously mentioned condo association topics, you'll need to work with them when you buy and sell that property.
HOA's differ by how much power they wield, and this is where a few bad apples given them an understandably bad name. In some cases found nationwide, they can demand you remove decorations of which you are fond, they can levy fines against non compliant homeowners, and they can evict or force the sale of your property if you remain in egregious noncompliance with the covenants, and so on.
In response to some difficult standoffs of these sorts that have cropped up over the years, federal and state laws have formed governing what HOA's must (and may not) do. In Washington state, you'll find HOA's governed by <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=64.38" target="_blank">this set of laws</a>. It may be worth keeping that link in a bookmark for quick reference if you run into trouble. Should you have a serious disagreement with your HOA not easily resolved by the group's own grievance procedure, you'll want to consult a real estate attorney - they handle these sorts of cases frequently, and will be your best bet.
So, why bother with buying a home if you "can't do what you want" anyway - why buy a property with an HOA? There are a number of "Pro" items to consider, against the cons:
The HOA can spend its own time finding the best service providers vs return on costs. Getting bids on larger, communal work will almost always work out to less per resident than each homeowner will have paid addressing an issue individually., and meet with those contractors on behalf of the homeowners
The HOA can be responsible for meeting with contractors on behalf of the homeowners, freeing up a lot of time and hassle for individuals.
An HOA may provide services you enjoy, but would be disinclined to build or maintain yourself, such as snow removal, landscaping, playgrounds, clubhouse facilities for parties and meetings, pools, gyms, and more.
Your property may have a higher value within an HOA. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0094119019300300?via%3Dihub" target="_blank">A study published in 2019</a> found that overall, there was about a 4% higher value nationwide for homes that sold in HOA-covenanted areas.
Some HOA's include certain utilities, such as well water held in common. That can be much more convenient and cost-effective than managing your own, month to month. It can mean fewer bills, too.
There is often a social side to HOA's, which will arrange potlucks, welcome parties for new residents, children's events, and more. This can be very welcome if you are new to an area and struggle with getting out there and saying hello! There is nothing like having several neighbors whom you feel you know well, and can count upon to really feel like you're putting roots down . . . and that's really one of the reasons to be a homeowner!
So, the cons - we mentioned a few above, but we left out:
The fees. Yeah, depending on location and what's covered - they can be high. You'll absolutely need to take them into account when budgeting your new housing purchase. We don't see the crazy $10K/month fees some hot Manhattan building might command anywhere in Kitsap, but you will need to seek clarity - the fees are usually listed right in the MLS property description. This is one of those things you'll need decide for yourself and what is reasonable will vary for each person. It's something you absolutely will want to familiarize yourself with QUICKLY before making a bid on a property - once you decide to buy, the fees (compared to what's offered) are pretty much carved in stone. It does amount to a little less purchase power for you as a buyer.
Discovering that you chafe under terms you previously thought agreeable. Your own tastes as a homeowner may morph over time, and you'll wish you had more freedom with your property. The main cure there is to sell and move, so if you think this might be you, consider carefully before you purchase an HOA home.
Restrictions on business conducted at the property. If you are a business owner, be sure to read these rules very, very carefully. These typically govern actually hanging out a shingle and having clients come to your home, not so much remote work from that many of us find ourselves doing in recent times - but read carefully and be sure!
By and large - and this is a generalization - we see very, very low key HOAs in Kitsap. They are mostly low cost collectives just to deal with communal landscape areas, plowing private roads, and such. It's again a big generalization, but in our experience PNW'ers kind of have a streak of individuality and self sufficiency that makes highly restrictive covenants a no-go. If you find you can't stomach the idea of one at all - there will be loads and loads of HOA-free areas to pick amongst. Just give us a call at Dupuis Team today - your preferences in this area (for or against!) is exactly the sort of tailored way we represent our buyers every single day.2021-10-21T15:15:00-07:002021-10-21T15:31:43-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6163Thinking About Backyard Chickens in Kitsap?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-10/2021-10-07-Chickens-in-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Chickens in Kitsap" title="Chickens in Kitsap" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Surprising the entire team, we've discovered that a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-backyard-chickens/" target="_blank">blog article published here</a> with the most hits has been - something we wrote about Backyard Chickens last year. It really tickles us for a number of reasons, chief among them being that it means so many people really want to dig in and make Kitsap HOME. You can't think about chicken keeping if your life is in transition and flux, for sure. It's a sign of a settled home, if you have the time and attention for something like that. We thought we'd dive a little deeper with a followup article, including a few takes from a team member actively keeping chickens.
Many of us enjoyed the <a href="https://manetteneighborhoodcoalition.org/event/manette-edible-garden-tour/" target="_blank">Manette Edible Garden</a> tour this year, something that runs every other year (but was wisely skipped last year, while we were all still figuring out COVID safety.) It was evident that many of the gardeners utilize chickens in their edible garden cycle - as a source of rich, compostable manure, to help with pest control, and to scratch and till the beds when a crop is spent.
Additionally, young hens will obviously supply your backyard homestead with fresh eggs - a real boon to one's table. The number of eggs a hen will lay varies a lot by breed, but on average you can count on about 4-5 eggs/week from each bird during the warmer months. When the days turn darker, they will begin to lay less and less, often stopping altogether through the coldest months. It's possible to keep them laying with artificial light in the henhouse to "extend" their days, but that is up to each chicken keeper. (Or chicken tender - get it?) That will necessitate a more complex coop.
Chickens only lay for a couple years, but if well cared for, they can live for a good decade. You should plan to continue looking after older chickens, or have a plan for slaughter. Older chickens have very tough meat, and are only good for soup (although great for that.) Indeed, you should know someone who can do this for you humanely from the outset, in case you have a hen that is attacked or takes ill.
A closer read of the regulations for the City of Bremerton indicates that slaughtering chickens is not allowed. It is not clear whether they mean that licensed chickens cannot be slaughtered and must live out their natural lives (reinforcing a climate where they are considered pets like other licensed animals, a fair way to distinguish) or if they simply are barring slaughter on City of Bremerton properties. You'll want to ask, if this applies to you. There is an active Kitsap Backyard Poultry group on Facebook that is quite active, as well as several groups that service the wider region at large. These groups are a great addition to the resources listed in last year's article.
If you find that Kitsap living sounds wonderful but the chicken restrictictions worry you, consider looking to bordering Mason or Jefferson county. The more rural nature of these areas are still very close to Kitsap resources, offer reasonable commute times depending on where you work, and may have a property that is more to your liking.
Your best bet is to work with a Dupuis Team buyer's agent who knows exactly what you're looking for, chicken coop and all. We have placed several clients on chicken friendly properties in just the last several months. If you've been a chicken owner and want to list that property, we can help with suggestions for that too - an existing coop can be a real draw for the right buyer! Give us a call today and we'll help you realize the backyard chicken flock of your dreams.
2021-10-07T16:15:00-07:002021-10-07T16:58:40-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6117Knock-knock, Who's There? #Kitsap Real Estate Jokes!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-09/2101-09-23-Real-Estate-Jokes.jpg" alt="Kitsap Real Estate Jokes" title="Kitsap Real Estate Jokes" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
Real estate - here in Kitsap County, and really everywhere nationwide - has just been bonkers the last couple years, and it only intensified during the pandemic. Sometimes, it can help to take a moment out from all the Super Serious aspects of real estate and the local area, and have a laugh. Today, we bring you exactly that . . . a few puns, a few memes, and hopefully a smile to your face!
Why can't you compare Washington State and Florida? Because it'd be like comparing apples and oranges.
What do you call two days of rain in Kitsap? A weekend.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-09/2101-09-23-Real-Estate-Jokes-meme1.jpg" alt="WA State Meme" title="WA State Meme" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" height="565" />
How many real estate agents does it take to change a lightbulb? Six. No reason, that's just how it's always been done.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-09/2101-09-23-Real-Estate-Jokes-meme6.jpg" alt="Real Estate Meme" title="Real Estate Meme" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="206" height="245" />
What does a house wear? Address
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-09/2101-09-23-Real-Estate-Jokes-meme3.jpg" alt="Real Estate Meme" title="Real Estate Meme" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="700" height="700" />
How did we know the new British neighbor was in real estate? She was always going on about proper tea.
If we can lighten up your next real estate transactions, give us a ring here at Dupuis Team - we would love to give you a hand, and maybe swap another joke or two! Okay, here's one more for the road:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-09/2101-09-23-Real-Estate-Jokes-meme7.jpg" alt="Real Estate Meme" title="Real Estate Meme" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1280" height="826" />2021-09-23T13:45:00-07:002021-09-30T15:16:18-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:6088Spend Money or Spend Time? How #Kitsap Homeowners and Homebuyers Decide<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-09/2021-09-16-Spend-Money-or-Time.jpg" alt="Spend TIme or Spend Money? How Kitsap Homeowners and Homebuyers Decide" title="Spend TIme or Spend Money? How Kitsap Homeowners and Homebuyers Decide" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Everyone gets into homeownership understanding that they will be personally responsible for the upkeep and improvement of the property - it marks a departure from the years of perhaps being a renter, or even college dorm dweller and living with family, when others shouldered that responsibility.
It's fair to say, though, that every single homeowner faces that moment when they think they might be in over their head with a home repair, or desired upgrade. For homebuyers, it maybe comes a little sooner - they are facing a possible immediately needed repair in order to move in. (Home sellers are sometimes in this boat, if inspection discovers something that the buyer's lender will require to be addressed before funds can be released for closing.)
Nearly every single bit of home maintainance comes down to an initial decision (once you've decided not to ignore it!) - spend your time, or spend your money? In the case of the former, we're talking about DIY ventures. In the latter - well, you know how that goes: get out your wallet.
So, what do you weigh exactly, when you make that decision? Obstensibly, the first thing is simple skillset: can you manage the task at hand? There's a scale here, from "change a lightbulb while standing on the ground" to "rewire the whole house" and "dig a fresh well." You'll know where you land on that metric, but the exciting thing these days is how much more accessible DIY is to non-tradespeople, thanks to resources like YouTube tutorials, blogs, Pintrest, and so on. You really CAN do quite a bit more than you realized by simply watching a few tutorials.
But just because you can, doesn't mean you SHOULD. (How many times in life does THAT aphorism hold true, right??) You might not have the tools, you might not enjoy that sort of work - or (this is a clincher) you might not have the time to do the project in a satisfactory timeline.
Then there's the other side of the equation: can you afford to pay someone else to do it for you? Pro tip: if you're wavering, do yourself a favor and at least ask around, and get an estimate or two. Homeowners who are not in the trades themselves, often have a skewed idea of what particular projects cost. (Electrical work is often MUCH cheaper than you'd think, for example - but landscape work is probably a lot more than you think.) In addition to being able to pay for the work to be performed, remember that you'll be charged for materials, and might have to take time off work.
And neither option can be construed as entirely without some investment of the other: doing a project yourself inevitably involves some costs (and probably more time than you think) - and spending money on a pro will still involve time spent organizing and supervising, to different extents depending on the project.
So how do you weigh the decision? Obviously, everyone's circumstances, resources and pressing need to complete the project at hand differ so there's no one pat answer. If you're pinching pennies, there can't be a lot of wiggle room - fire up the Tubes of You, and start learning how to tile (or whatever.) If you are working 80 hour weeks, put the plumber on speed dial and program an access code into the smart doorlock and don't look back.
Beyond those extremes, lies the gray area. If you're on the fence, we suggest what we notice as a growing trend: maybe consider giving it a shot yourself! There's been a real uptick in people trying their own hands at home maintainance lately, with impressive results. We encourage this, because it's one of the best ways to really get to know your property and gain confidence as a homeowner.
DIY skills - like anything else - tend to be cumulative. People who worry about handling gutters in the fall, eventually find themselves building a woodbox and installing gardens without a second thought . . . but only if you wade in and roll up your sleeves.
If you decide to get a contractor, we suggest you give our <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/recommended-contractors/" target="_blank">Recommended Contractor</a> list a look as a starting place (and please let us know if you know someone who should be on it.) It's something we do to try and support our clients. If we can offer you any additional help with your real estate transactions, please give us a ring at Dupuis Team today!2021-09-16T14:45:00-07:002021-09-16T15:04:08-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:5967What's Making America Move House?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-08/2021-08-12-On-The-Move.jpg" alt="What's Making America Move House?" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
It's no secret to anyone who follows local #Kitsap real estate news, that it's been an incredibly busy year for anyone making a transaction - buyer OR seller. Our expectations of the market at the outset of last year - followed closely by the outbreak of COVID - have been turned completely on its ear. Fear that we would experience economic collapse that would ripple into the real estate sector simply didn't materialize.
What's different than other ups and downs we've seen in real estate, is what's fuelling this bubble: what's prompting people to move house in the first place? Of course, here in Kitsap, military personnel and their families comprise a large portion of our neighbors. We expect that a good number of those folks will transfer in and out each season, and have a consequent impact on local housing.
But we are seeing locally, much of what has been <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/14/975826704/why-america-is-moving-money-space-family-lifestyle" target="_blank">reported nationally</a>: with the extensive Work From Home movement, combined with uncertain employment, people are taking the opportunity to move out of expensive cities in particular, and take advantage of less expensive suburban and rural/semi-rural areas. NPR reports (in the article linked above) that moves out of the New York City boroughs alone were quadrupled in the first quarter of the pandemic last year.
That definitely describes a big part of what we see here in Kitsap - large numbers of folks moving here from tech-centric jobs in greater Seattle in particular. The influx makes our low inventory/seller's market conditions all the more complex, too.
Additional ripple effects occur in the desire or need people have to move, based on young adult and middle aged folks choosing to move in with their family elders, or combining households with same age family members. We see a lot of this from younger, urban-based workers who found pandemic life very lonely, and decided to quarantine with family instead. In addition to vacating one residence, we find many of those folks decided to buy bigger homes to accommodate the larger household - creating another sale and buy in their local communities. We've handled several of these type transactions in the local specifically, and hear our fellow brokers comment on this anecdotally.
One thing we have NOT seen here in Kitsap, is an effect seen in the largest metro areas like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles: they've seen the development of a buyer's market, with values falling significantly. (Watch our <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">Weekly Kitsap Housing Market</a> stats report - you'll see our median housing prices have risen significantly.) So in those areas, they've seen some rebound in purchasing, as people take advantage of finally being able to afford city living.
And in the midst of these recent unconventional reasons people are moving to places like Kitsap, we have the usual reasons still happening as well: people get jobs in or out of the area; people's income levels shift; people's nuclear family size grows . . . or shrinks. People marry, or divorce. These sorts of life milestone moments very often come with a need to change housing as well.
We hope that if you have a reason to move into (or amidst!) Kitsap, you'll give Dupuis Team a call to handle your transaction. We can help you at every step of the way, from prequalifying for your new mortgage, to <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/recommended-contractors/" target="_blank">hiring movers</a> for the big day.2021-08-12T15:15:00-07:002021-08-12T15:42:03-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:5858Wondering if Our #Kitsap Market is a Housing Bubble?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-07/2021-07-08-Housing-Bubble.jpg" alt="Is Kitsap County Experiencing a Housing Bubble?" title="Is Kitsap County Experiencing a Housing Bubble?" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
The simplest definition of a housing bubble is a market in which housing values rise so sharply that prices are not sustainable. A quick glance at our Dupuis Team- compiled <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">weekly housing stats</a> easily gives the impression that the rate is rising quickly. See that "trendline" on the blue 2021 average weekly median sale prices, compared to the one for (green) 2020? That is the rate at which prices have been changing. We certainly felt them climb in 2020, but this 2021 market is, to use a technical term, "completely freaking bonkers."
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-07/2021-07-08-Housing-Bubble-Graph-v2.jpg" alt="Kitsap Market Stats - Graph of Average Median Prices by Week" title="Kitsap Market Stats - Graph of Average Median Prices by Week" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1330" height="1048" />
Clearly, things are rising at an increased rate compared to last year - significantly faster, in fact (that's the difference between the slopes of the lines in the case of these graphs- remember your algebra?) The big question is whether or not it's SUSTAINABLE.
When wondering if a seller's market (which is what we have currently ) is about to change into a buyer's market, you have to consider a wide number of factors, and many of them are unique in Kitsap. For one thing, we have a huge unmet housing need here in Kitsap - so many people desperately want to get into a purchased (or even rented) home and simply cannot compete with the prices right now. You'd think that eventually the needs would be met - but fueling this is a lot of "Equity Refugees" from pricier areas, especially from the East sound (Greater Seattle and Tacoma.) As so much workforce moved to Work From Home over the last year, many people realized they didn't need to live in such an expensive area and hightailed it over to Kitsap. We are still experiencing that pressure on the Buyer's side of the equation.
Additionally, we experience a lot of insulation from economic ups and downs in Kitsap thanks to our military presence. With an annual influx and outgo of military personnel on tour rotation, we have a lot of turnover other regions don't experience. Furthermore, we have a reliable pool of well qualified buyers from year to year, in our newly-arrived military neighbors.
Indeed, the bottleneck on our local market continues to be inventory: available homes for sale. It may seem like a no-brainer to list your home for sale right now and enjoy the profits - and we largely agree - but individual circumstances vary. For example, someone who is experiencing job instability right now (but is keeping up with mortgage payments) would be better off holding on to the home they've got, because it will be hard to secure a new mortgage with a job in flux. This is a very common situation right now, due to the global pandemic. Some people would like a new home, but don't list out of fear that it will be too hard to win a bid on that new place - so they stick with the roof they have. (Please speak to your favorite broker if you fit that criteria - there are creative ways to deal with this quandry!)
So "sustainable" remains a very regional-specific factor in determining if a place is experiencing a bubble. Our market values have spiked sharply in Kitsap, but it does not seem like we are going to find ourselves short of buyers for these listings any time soon, which lends credence to the idea that it IS sustainable. Our prices also are historically <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-can-you-get-in-kitsap-for-your-money-compared-to-greater-seattle/" target="_blank">MUCH better than what people find across the sound</a>. It's a very fair bet that we will see economic crunch in the housing market (that is, a bubble bursting) in advance of experiencing it in Kitsap. Short of losing our military bases (which have history dating back to pre-World War I, with the shipyards) we will bear up.
One stat to watch weekly is the "Sales Price to List Price" - we report that percentage to you every week. This means how much a property sells for, compared to what was asked upon listing - and lately, the vast majority sell for significantly more than listing. (In fact, that's what defines a seller's market vs. buyer's market - whether the SP/LP percentage is above 100%, or below.) It's continued to climb locally over the last 18 months or so. If you see it consistently start to fall, that will be a leading indicator that the local market has experienced a bubble - and it's about to burst.
Another statistic to keep an eye on loosely, will be the average number of days a property is on the market. The speed with which properties get snapped up speaks to how robust a market is. It's likely we will see those numbers start to creep up in advance of valuations dropping.<br /><br />Lastly, keep an eye on mortgage rates. They have risen slightly since last year's stimulus-oriented lows, but they will rise significantly if we experience serious default rates resulting in bank ownership, and the need to recoup losses. They may also rise if the Fed is concerned about supply and demand in the market. Rising rates will in turn slow down the number of people looking for homes, and the values they can afford in light of higher rates. Sellers will in turn have to decide to drop prices to attract buyers - and the overall market values will fall.<br /><br />Hang in there, Kitsap - it's been a wild ride lately, but we have indeed continued to get our buyer clients into homes (and very good prices for our seller clients!) - and market indicators really aren't falling anytime soon. Give us a call at Dupuis Team Real Estate if we can help you with your next property transaction.
2021-07-08T15:30:00-07:002021-07-08T17:53:47-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:5838Curb Appeal: What Color Should You Paint Your Front Door?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-07/2021-07-01-Color-Front-Door.jpg" alt="What Color Should You Paint Your Front Door?" title="What Color Should You Paint Your Front Door?" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
One of the most fun and rewarding parts of being a homeowner is the freedom to really put your own stamp of personality and style on your dwelling. Nothing is more evident than the front facade of your home, in terms of what can be seen by the world at large. That charisma is what we call curb appeal - literally how attractive and enticing your home appears from the curb.
Perhaps one of the most eye-catching elements is your front door - we feel drawn to that feature by its very nature, and a welcoming appearance can greatly enhance your curb appeal. If you are trying to list your home - or are dreaming about how to fix up your newly purchased home, we have some tips!
First of all, consider if you are beholden to any HOA concerns. Occasionally, HOA bylaws will dictate paint colors for a harmonious appearance to a neighborhood as a whole. You may need to propose your paint color choices to a board for approval. If you are planning to list the home for sale, make sure you allow enough time for this process AND the repainting.
Don't pick anything completely outlandish if you are trying to sell. While the home will certainly stand out among other listings, the effect will be a bit polarizing and turn-offish. Examples here include electric/neon colors, or jarring patterns. If it could have been a psychedelic rock album cover . . . steer away.
If you want something that stands out but is harmonious with the other tones in the house, find yourself a standard color wheel, and pick a tone opposite the main color of your home. The photo at the top of the article is a good example of this. Green and orange are opposite on a color wheel. This owner has further chosen tones that are slightly muted of each.
If you feel bad at color theory (...many of us do!) there are some fun mobile apps these days that let you mix different color pallettes to see what seems pleasing - or will suggest complimentary colors to the main color you designate. The paint store can scan your custom selection, if the app isn't specifically a paint color selector. Check your favorite app store for downloads.
Most larger paint sellers have some really good online tools to help with your choices. Try <a href="https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color">Benjamin Moore</a>, <a href="https://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/color/color-tools" target="_blank">Sherwin-Williams</a>,<a href="https://www.behr.com/consumer/colors/paint/" target="_blank"> Behr Paint</a>, and <a href="https://www.valspar.com/en/colors/color-tools" target="_blank">Valspar Paint</a>.
For inspiration, google the year and "paint color" - most of the major players in design, home improvement, and paint manufacturing put out reams of articles weighing on trending color. <a href="https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/color-palettes/color-of-the-year-trends-2020" target="_blank">Here's one from 2020</a>, and you can compare with the <a href="https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/color-overview/find-your-color/color-collections/ct21/color-trends-2021" target="_blank">pallette they suggest for 2021</a>. It's quite interesting to see what colors go in and out of vogue - and it's something to be aware of, if you don't want your door to look dated. Many times, those sources await the announcement of each year's <a href="https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2021" target="_blank">Pantone Color of the Year,</a> and build from there.
On the other hand, it really only needs to resonate with you. You want something that makes you proud to arrive home, and happy to be walking in. Give <a href="https://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/color/what-color-should-you-paint-your-front-door" target="_blank">this quiz</a> from HGTV a spin, and see what you come up with! Try driving through a neighborhood you know to be colorful, and see which front doors really call out to you.
Apartment Therapy, a great online resource for living in smaller spaces (often true for those of us in historic Kitsap homes!) offers two recent articles - one suggesting some <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/8-unusually-beautiful-front-door-colors-youd-never-think-to-try-228589" target="_blank">unusual colors to try</a>, and another on <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/color-never-to-paint-front-door-36739237" target="_blank">colors to AVOID</a>. They hedge their bets by stating that they know one color made both lists. Oh, dear - we're not sure what to do with that information!
What color would you choose if nobody else would judge? What colors have you seen that were awful? Magnificent?
If you're looking for a new front door to call home - or if it's time to put yours up for sale - please consider giving us a ring at Dupuis Team today. We'd love to weigh in on your transaction, and share what we know about the local Kitsap housing market - we've been here through lots of ups and downs, and can offer you the guidance you seek.2021-07-01T14:00:00-07:002021-07-01T14:11:19-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:5719How Does the Cost of Living Compare in #Kitsap?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-06/2021-06-03-Kitsap-Costs.jpg" alt="Housing costs in Kitsap" title="Housing costs in Kitsap" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="638" />
We focus a lot of time and effort here at Dupuis Team, on the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">waxing and waning of market stats</a> in Kitsap County, our personal area of expertise. In addition to the obvious fact that housing inventory and prices fill up the minutiae of our professional lives, we honestly believe that fluency in these changes helps us do our best to advise our clientele. From the very start of our client relationships, that's how we see ourselves first and foremose: advisors. We hope you will rely on our knowledge of the area and experience in Kitsap real estate, to guide your own real estate dreams. That's true whether you find yourself a buyer or seller (or both, at the same time - super common!)
Towards that end, we try to make the concrete, scientific data the foundation of the art of Listening to Our Clients. We couldn't do that without up to the minute data - and so we track that carefully and always have it handy for you - both as visual data and downloads at the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">Weekly Stats</a> webpage, and covered in more depth by Dupuis Team founding member Steph Dupuis, in our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w" title="Dupuis Team You Tube Channel">Weekly Housing Stats video</a>. (Please do consider subscribing, if you'd like to learn more about Kitsap real estate!)
People serious in the short term about listing or buying a home in Kitsap, are going to be most interested in those current sales stats: where are housing prices RIGHT NOW? And that's totally fair - that's the bottom line for these folks. But of more interest for people who aren't quite ready to pull the trigger on moving to Kitsap, it may be about more than Today's Median Housing Prices.
Of course, there's no denying that housing prices have gone through the roof all over Puget Sound in the last couple decades. And while it's fair to say that the King County area - the focus of the recent tech boom - is probably always going to be more expensive, giving Kitsap an affordability edge (while King county remains quite <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">accessible to commuters via ferry</a>) it may be instructive to view each area through the lens of growth RATE . . . how fast have relative prices risen, over time?
For starters, it's worth noting that we've continued to see a little growth here in Kitsap, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/king-county-home-prices-dropped-as-coronavirus-squelched-activity-but-now-the-market-may-be-picking-up/" target="_blank">compared to King</a>, over this time last year:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap3.jpg" alt="Puget Sound Compared" title="Puget Sound Compared" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1000" height="749" />
The linked article largely attributes the decline in sales (and sales prices) in King county to having been one of the epicenters of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic - something that hit Kitsap much more gently.
And prices are undeniably higher in Kitsap, reflecting our ongoing low inventory. <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/02/10/kitsaps-housing-crunch-continues-home-prices-soar/4695596002/" target="_blank">This article from the Kitsap Sun</a>, written pre-pandemic restrictions, discusses the realities we've also been bringing to you in our blog and YouTube broadcasts.
But let's take a hard look at the rates of growth. These two graphs, which are interactive at their origin sites on the Federal Bank of St. Louis' website for <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53035A#0" target="_blank">Kitsap</a> and <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53033A#0" target="_blank">King</a> counties respectively, are set to show Annual Rate Change in median house pricing. Remember that a number above zero indicates a climbing number, and a figure below zero means dropping rate - these aren't the actual housing prices, just the rate at which they are changing. (You can really see some interesting info if you click on Edit Graph, on the linked pages - you can see the raw housing prices, and more. Slide your cursor along the graph to see how the numbers are changing.)
<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53035A#0" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap4.jpg" alt="House Price Index for Kitsap - rate of change" title="House Price Index for Kitsap - rate of change" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1165" height="763" /></a>
<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53033A#0" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap5.jpg" alt="House Price Index for King County - rate of change" title="House Price Index for King County - rate of change" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1164" height="756" /></a>
Note that the scale in the Kitsap graph only goes to 20, compared to King's 25. Note also that we continue to be in a gentle increase here in Kitsap, which is exactly the sort of growth economists teach are healthy for a community. Wild increases in growth may seem exciting to those who benefit from a boom economy, but it can have wildly unpredictable fringes - low and middle income housing becomes more and more difficult to obtain, labor crises tend to follow - and we haven't seen those same crunches in Kitsap, despite the challenges we already know exist (namely, LOW INVENTORY . . . so go ahead and list your house, if you were considering!)
We would love to discuss these and other Kitsap housing particulars with you - and of course, your own unique housing needs - anytime, here at Dupuis Team. Please give us a call - our contact info is below, we look forward to hearing from you!2021-06-03T12:30:00-07:002021-06-07T17:24:33-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:5403Military Monday: Where in #Kitsap Should You Live This Transfer Season?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-04/2021-04-05-Where-Should-You-Live.jpg" alt="Where in Kitsap Should You Live This Transfer Season" title="Where in Kitsap Should You Live This Transfer Season" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Military transfer season - Permanent Change of Station, or PCS - is upon us all! While some members and their families do transfer off season, the vast majority will transfer in the summer months, to take into account a traditional school calendar. If your orders are bringing you to the Kitsap region, we'd like to welcome you warmly!
With each transfer, comes housing choices. You could choose to live apart from your family in military barracks; you could choose to live in family housing areas; you could rent on the local economy; or you could purchase a home. You are likely familiar with this cycle of choices, by your second or third career transfer.
If you are moving to one of the Kitsap area military units soon, we urge you to consider buying a house for this tour's housing. Interest rates are outstanding right now, and we have many good mortgage brokers we can recommend who are very savvy when it comes to VA loans. More importantly, your housing dollars will be growing something real for you: equity. There is no other housing option you can pick, which will effectively be a <a href="https://youtu.be/u9RtpdGQ0qQ" target="_blank">piggy bank of your housing allowance</a>.
As a general guide, military Basic Allowance for Housing in Bremerton (98312 zip code) ranges from roughly about $1600-2800/month, depending upon rank and dependents. (<a href="https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm" target="_blank">Calculate your own BAH here.</a>) While this is also intended to cover monthly utilities, you may be pleasantly surprised to see what the balance can buy in a Kitsap area house! <br /><br />For example, last week the median home price in the Kitsap area (minus Bainbridge, which can throw off housing stats due to being a special higher-cost-of-living area - not to mention, a bit further than many Kitsap-assigned military wish to commute) of the 79 homes that sold was $445,000. Plugging that into a Mortgage Calculator yields a payment in the range of $1800/month, using VA Loan rates as of today. (Bear in mind interest rates have been shifting around a bit due to recent events - but it's a good peek into affordability nonetheless.) (Do some of your own <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/buyers/mortgage-calculator/" target="_blank">possible mortgage calculations here</a>!)
And this figure is merely the MEDIAN of the sold homes - that means half were less expensive! As of the same week in Kitsap real estate, there was an (unsold) inventory of 147 homes for sale.
As you <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/search-form/" target="_blank">browse local offerings</a>, keep an eye on the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">Weekly Housing Stats</a> mentioned above. We compile them afresh for you every seven days, as we know they they can be a helpful guide on affordability and market changes. Another not-to-be-missed resource is our own <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w" target="_blank">DupuisTeam You Tube channel</a>, where we keep our viewers updated with changes in the market, lending industry, and Kitsap in general. We also have exclusive video tours of our own listings, so give it a subscribe and check back frequently.
The real choice in housing, however, lies in comparing it to what you'll pay for local rent (or military managed housing.) Rent prices are going up dramatically lately, and don't show downward trends. A recent 2020 survey showed that a shocking 84% of Kitsap renters were paying more than $1500/month in rent - and of course, they receive no long term savings in the form of equity for themselves. <a href="https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/wa/bremerton/" target="_blank">Current figures</a> show Kitsap area renters paying even more, for very small apartment homes.<br /><br />This area has become a much harder market for Buyers, it's true. It's extra important to start early, and to consider what you need to do in order to make a competitive bid in this tight seller's market - but it is still 100% POSSIBLE and feasible. We strong encourage you to view our more recent YouTube videos on the subject of submitting winning bids - we even did one on utilizing your VA loan in a competitive way!
<br /><br />If we can answer any questions about buying in Kitsap as a military member, please don't hesitate to give one of our agents a ring - all of our contact data is in the footer below - and we are <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/sensible-precautions-for-your-real-estate-affairs-covid-19/" target="_blank">100% open for business</a> during the national stay at home orders. We are conducting virtual listings and closings every week! We welcome you to the Kitsap community!2021-04-05T14:00:00-07:002021-09-30T14:11:59-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:5107Military Monday: Is This Your Twilight Tour? Retire in Kitsap!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-03/2021-03-15-Military-Retirement.jpg" alt="Twilight Tour? Retire in Kitsap!" title="Twilight Tour? Retire in Kitsap!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
One of the inherent benefits of a military career is the possibility for travel - and not just deployments. You get transferred every few years, possibly around the globe. Getting to live in an area (vs. just visiting) lets you really get to know a region deeply: the pros and the cons, the local culture, the sights and people and cuisine. You leave with a far better understanding of an area, and how it aligns with your personal lifestyle.
It is very smart to utilize this up close view of different regions, to think about where you'd like to live AFTER retirement - well before turning in that letter to your command. It's easy to see why so many people choose the Kitsap Area, after a tour (...or two, if you're lucky!) here: we have abundant natural beauty and outdoor activities; <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/the-truth-about-kitsap-area-weather/" target="_blank">mild climates</a>; <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/so-whats-the-traffic-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">little traffic</a>; <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">easy access</a> to the offerings of greater Seattle; excellent health care at the <a href="https://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nhbrem/Pages/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Bremerton Naval Hospital</a> (or from great civilian providers, if you so choose;) access to two commissaries and exchanges; excellent job opportunities for post-military careers thanks to the shipyard, <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">school districts</a>; etc.
According to the <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kitsapcountywashington/PST045218" target="_blank">Census bureau</a>, mid 2018 showed 17.8% of our population 65 years and older, with nearly 33,000 veterans. It's perhaps difficult to extract the exact profile of military retirees here, as the retirement age for military skews significantly lower. It's safe to say that Puget Sound is extremely popular with military retirees, and Kitsap in particular has a lot to offer.
If you find yourself with orders to Kitsap (or are already assigned here) and are thinking about retiring to this area after your service is complete, it would be wise to buy a house locally now. You can start to reap the benefits of no-rent living now, <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/miltary-monday-what-happens-if-you-must-transfer-after-buying-a-home/" target="_blank">rent the house out when you transfer away</a> to complete your military career, and have a house well on its way to being paid for by the time you retiree from the military and return to Kitsap. (Remember <a href="https://www.military.com/spouse/military-life/retiring-from-military/qb-how-long-does-a-retiree-qualify-for-a-final-pcs.html" target="_blank">the military will move you one last time</a>, post-retirement.) You'll have the luxury of time to find a great post military career opportunity, without the pressure of needing to qualify for a mortgage - you'll already have that. Your <a href="https://themilitarywallet.com/military-retirement-pay-enough-retire/" target="_blank">military retirement may or may not</a> be enough for you to live on - but it ought to at least cover your basics, while you decide what's next! With an existing home to come back to, you'll also arrive with a very clear idea of what the basic budget will need to be for your housing - no surprises!
If you are looking ahead to your retirement needs, you'll be considering the shape of your family at that time too - will you be empty nesters? Will you want extra space for a lodger, visitors, or eventually a caregiver? Will you prize pared down living, so you can easily travel? Do you love to garden? Will you want workshop or studio space for creative hobbies? The considerations might be slightly different than what you actually need in your "right now" house - which is where your real estate professional really ought to enter the picture. Perhaps you're looking at swapping one house for another when retirement gets closer, or perhaps you can pick a home now, that will meet your needs in the future too.
Every situation - every client - has such unique needs, when it comes to housing and especially when it comes to retirement planning. We love the problem- solving this entails, and look forward to discussing it with you! Give us a ring at Dupuis Team, and we'll be happy to talk it over, give you our best advice, and walk you through the process. We have several team members with military experience, and have a broad network of providers for the additional services you'll need (mortgage, and so on) who specialize in military patrons. Our contact details are below!2021-03-15T14:45:00-07:002021-09-30T14:13:37-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4937What's the Traffic REALLY Like in Kitsap?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-02/2021-02-25-Traffic-in-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Traffic in Kitsap" title="Traffic in Kitsap" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="798" />
If you're relocating to Kitsap from a large, metro area . . . you'll undoubtedly have more than a passing familiarity with daily traffic hassles. It can become a real quality of life issue, even after a year of so many people working from home. According to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/22/us/traffic-commute-gridlock-transportation-study-trnd/index.html" target="_blank">this CNN report</a>, Americans waste an average 54 hours a year stalled in traffic. In cities like Los Angeles, that figure was doubled. 54 hours, the article points out, is a whole WEEKEND per year . . . stuck in traffic. And to further complicate commuters lives . . . that average figure is projected to increase to 62 hours in the next five years.
That is in addition to whatever the commute time would be in smooth traffic! And in many metro areas, housing availability and cost has people residing quite a long way from their workplaces indeed. It's really become a huge stressor of modern life. <br /><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Traffic.jpg" width="1920" height="1080" />
It's definitely not true that Kitsap is free of traffic. We do get some slowdowns surrounding work travel times, particularly with a large central employer like the shipyard that has a very set start/stop workday. A lot of that reflects the increase in population, on roads that were designed for lower volumes. Another factor is our geography: many of our travel routes involve bridges over or around water that are necessarily a choke point on the traffic. <br /><br />With that confession out of the way, it must be said that even these times of heavier travel in Kitsap simply are in a COMPLETELY different league than traffic congestion in large, metro areas. Many of us live within a 30 minute drive to work (and most, a lot closer.) So this means the cumulative effect of heavier traffic has a much smaller impact on our overall commute times. Traffic is much easier to bear, if you only need to traverse 5 or 10 miles of it. We also find that the traffic is largely confined to the major roadways. Even during busy times, the side roads remain quite open, in contrast to our congested counterparts in larger areas. Very often, you can subvert the traffic on Route 3 (for example) by simply taking surface streets in a different direction. We generally enjoy fairly accurate traffic reports on GPS apps like Google Maps and Waze, which helps one make choices about routing.<br /><br /><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/ferry.png" alt="Washington State Ferries" title="Washington State Ferries" style="float: right; margin: 5px;" width="151" height="116" />There is a strong contingent of people who live in Kitsap, but work in the metro Seattle area. These people do have an hour or so to get into the city . . . but they go by <a href="https://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/" target="_blank">ferry</a>, which is an extremely relaxing way to get around! We generally enjoy very calm water in Puget Sound, and the ferries are equipped with observation lounges, work tables, and cafes that even serve beer and wine! That, too, must be considered leagues better than sitting behind the wheel in a traffic jam. <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">We highly recommend this as a life choice, by the way</a>!
So aside from these main work hour travel times, we actually enjoy very easy travel in Kitsap. It's not uncommon to have certain roads to yourself for a mile or two at a time! The area is full of tiny little country roads meant to serve locals, but fair game for exploring and getting a little lost-on-purpose.
Helping <img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/kitsap-transit.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" width="364" height="76" />keep roads smoother, is <a href="https://www.kitsaptransit.com/" target="_blank">Kitsap Transit</a>. It's quite possible to simply leave the driving to these folks! Routes serve most of the area, and interface with the ferry system, and the counties to the north and south. There are park and ride areas for people who live more than walking distance from a convenient stop, as well. Many of the buses are equipped to carry bikes, for people who like to combine bike and bus commuting.<br /><br />This leads us to the last point about traffic in Kitsap: no matter whether the road is wide open, or you find yourself slowed up for a short time, we have amazing views from behind the wheel, around every single turn. Most of think we'd rather enjoy views of Sinclair Inlet or Port Washington Narrows on our daily drive, instead of acres of asphalt in all directions, across a dozen lanes (...looking at you, Los Angeles 405, and I-95 through a whoooole bunch of the Northeast!!) It makes all the difference in our outlook, and the attitudes we have when we arrive at work, or back home - or even just out and about on errands. This is not a small quality of life issue, compared to living in a larger metro area: it's a huge thing, and can be a big component of mental health and wellbeing. Combined with our more affordable housing, we think you'll agree this is a huge advantage to life in Kitsap.
So while we are not without the occasional slowdown, we think you will find the difference here in Kitsap astonishing compared to other places you've lived. We look forward to helping you improve your daily commute, with a move to Kitsap. Give Dupuis Team a ring today, and let us help find your next home!2021-02-25T17:00:00-07:002021-05-03T14:18:35-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4893Happy Presidents Day!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-02/2021-02-15-Presidents-Day.jpg" alt="Happy President's Day!" title="Happy President's Day!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
We ran across this fun infographic in celebration of Presidents Day, and thought we'd share it here on the Dupuis Team blog. <a href="https://www.trulia.com/blog/residences-of-presidents-how-much-would-they-cost-today/" target="_blank">Trulia rounded up these facts and figures</a>, and they are a fun companion to the more serious material we usually present. After all, these were once upon a time home to individuals with unique needs . . . just like every client we serve!
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-02/2021-02-15-Presidents-Day-Infographic.jpg" alt="Presidents Day Infographic" title="Presidents Day Infographic" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />
Give us a ring if you can use a hand with your next real estate transaction here in Kitsap County!2021-02-15T17:00:00-07:002021-09-30T14:14:20-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4849Military Monday - Did You Know? Homes Near #Kitsap-Area Bases are NICE!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-02/2021-02-08-Military-Kitsap-Nice-Properties.jpg" alt="Did you know? Homes near #Kitsap-area bases are NICE!" title="Did you know? Homes near #Kitsap-area bases are NICE!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />
(This article previously ran last year.)
Something that may not be "common knowledge" to a lot of people raised and living in the civilian sector - and also away from Puget Sound - is that in many (most?) stateside military base locales, the property near the bases is typically considered something to avoid. In many areas, it is beset by poverty, crime, neglect, and blight. It becomes doubly frustrating to military families, as they must increase their travel distance in order to live in a decent area, should they wish or need to live off base. While one hopes that investors will revitalize the area, that is not usually a great way for military families to spend their housing money in the here and now, when they usually must live where they buy.
Happily, this is not a concern should you find yourself assigned to one of the Kitsap area units. The units themselves are centrally located in Kitsap - largely at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, or at Naval Submarine Base Bangor (just outside Silverdale.) This means that driving times are excellent from all over the county. <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">School districts</a> are quite good, no matter where you land. And while some areas of Port Orchard and Bremerton are a bit gritty - it's the sort of thing that varies from street to street, not the miles and miles of blight you'll see in other areas. It's hardly restricted to the areas immediately ringing the bases, like you'll see in other locales. It helps that our bases are themselves plopped right down on gorgeous sites - the views and the settings cannot be beat! That definitely helps keep the adjacent community inclined towards nicer homes also wanting those nicer views.<br /><br />Perhaps more to the point - these slightly older, grittier areas remain some of the very best values in the area in terms of "fixer upper" properties, with great potentials for resale profits. Those streets are all undergoing a great deal of renewal activity within the last few years, bringing in higher quality tenants in rental units, and owner-occupied fixer uppers in the others - both things that drive down crime, litter, and blight type quality of life issues. (In fact, military renters are very popular in these refreshed neighborhoods, as they can generally afford to pay a bit more rent for nicer, updated housing. It's a point to consider, should you decide to buy now and rent out the property when you transfer.)
If a fixer-upper is not what you have in mind, it's fine! <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/search-form/" target="_blank">You will find a great deal to pick from</a> in family-friendly housing, still just a few minutes' commute. Even at the outer reaches of the Kitsap area, commute times to the bases will be about 30 minutes. When you consider that the geographical area of Kitsap is roughly the same as the greater Seattle area . . . you'll appreciate what a lack of traffic we experience in the West Puget Sound area.
If your military orders have you looking for housing in the Kitsap area this transfer season, please give us a call at Dupuis Team. We are open and as busy as ever during the shutdown, thanks to great remote tech. We have agents well versed in the needs of military life, including team members who have served on active duty themselves. We have a great network of military friendly vendors for all the details that will go into your real estate transaction, from finding the right <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/military-monday-the-big-scoop-on-va-housing-loans/" target="_blank">VA housing loan broker</a>, to <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/recommended-contractors/" target="_blank">contractors for a home improvements</a>. We look forward to hearing from you!2021-02-08T19:10:00-07:002021-05-03T14:10:35-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4724Honoring Dr. King<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2021-blogimages/2021-01/2021-01-18-Honoring-Dr-King.jpg" alt="Dupuis Team Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." title="Dupuis Team Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1234" height="979" />
Dupuis Team is comprised of members from widely divergent backgrounds. Some of us were born right here in Puget Sound, some of us were born abroad. Some of us came up through conventional education systems, and some of us are self-educated. Some of us come from fairly priveleged backgrounds, others of us come from backgrounds where we knew want.
One thing that unites us in purpose now is embracing the ideals we find embodied in the civil rights movement fostered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom we celebrate today. For example, in our professional lives as realtors, our lives are touched every day by the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/the-fair-housing-act-of-1968-improving-our-kitsap-neighborhoods-forever/" target="_blank">Fair Housing Act of 1968,</a> a direct result of the civil rights movement.
The moving quote featured on this graphic our team created expressly for today is heard widely, but you might not know it wasn't uttered at a microphone from a podium, heard by thousands. It was typed by Dr. King while in jail, in Birmingham, in 1963. <a href="http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf" target="_blank">You might like to read the scanned original</a>, from the archives of Stanford University. The quote can be found in the fourth paragraph.
The words may not have been heard aloud, but they echo through the decades loud and clear. We work hard here every day toward a better community for all, but we have a long way to go. Our team is in it for the long haul - here in Kitsap, and beyond. We hope you'll join our day of rememberance of Dr. King, and renewal of his spirit.2021-01-18T12:00:00-07:002021-01-21T10:44:57-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4672Happy New Year #Kitsap!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-12/2020-12-31-Happy-New-Year-FBTwitterv2.jpg" alt="Happy New Year to Kitsap, from Dupuis Team" title="Happy New Year to Kitsap, from Dupuis Team" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1660" height="792" />
As an unbelivably crazy, unexpected year closes, let's all be proud of having coped with the difficulties nonetheless. We here at Dupuis Team couldn't be more proud of Kitsap, that's for sure! Our community has been so strong, and held together beautifully. Here's to a much brighter 2021 for us all!
May your celebrations tonight be joyous and safe! We hope everyone has a relaxing weekend, and we'll see you back here Monday . . . and it won't be 2020, anymore!2020-12-31T11:15:00-07:002020-12-31T11:28:06-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:46522020 - Our Top YouTube Year!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-12/2020-12-28-YouTube.jpg" alt="Our Top #Kitsap YouTube Year" title="Our Top #Kitsap YouTube Year" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="797" />
2020 caps off a rather astonishing year for just about everyone, and we are no exception here at Dupuis Team. Kitsap area real estate itself has had a crazy year - both initially, when we all had to scramble to continue serving our clientele with the COVID shutdown. Thankfully, our industry (...which is fundamentally about housing our citizens!) was considered essential, and we were allowed to continue with safety precautions in place.
One of the ways we continued to reach out to our clients, was our video content creation. We tried very hard to step up both the subject matter, and the quality this year - and we have great ideas moving forward for the new year! We hope you'll <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w" target="_blank">take a moment and visit us</a>, and see just what we managed this year. We have more viewers than ever, thanks to you!
And if the YouTube platform isn't your cup of tea, we always send the same videos out on our <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dupuis_team/channel/" target="_blank">Instagram IGTV channel</a>, and our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bremertonrealestate/videos/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. We even announce them on <a href="https://twitter.com/dupuis_team" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, if that's your jam. As with all social media platforms, the best way to stay up to date is to like the channel, subscribe, and allow for notifications of new content. We always appreciate likes and comments, it helps us know what hit the spot with our viewers. Here's a sample recent video:
We believe strongly in consumer education when it comes to real estate - it's not like buying a new iPhone. It's not even like buying a car! The transaction is so complex, whether you are buying or selling. It's become necessarily sophisticated as transactions have gone digital, both due simply to evolving technology, and safety built in around COVID. If you haven't bought or sold a house before, or haven't done so in the last five years, you can definitely benefit from our video series. There is something for everyone - we cover how to submit winning bids in a tight market; how to prepare your home for listing; how to select a real estate agent that best suits you; and more. We think educated, savvy clients are most likely to end up satisfied with their housing choices, and that's really our aim in the end. It's a lot of effort put towards education, but we think it pays off for our audience. After all, at DupuisTeam - we view ourselves mostly as advisors to your real estate process. This is yet another way we can reach out and teach. (It shouldn't surprise you to learn founding member Steph Dupuis started her career in education!)
Every single week, we dive DEEP into the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeuH7B1xKfZsjPO83Di3XeZfRVCTPw--H" target="_blank">local housing market stats</a>, which we think the wise real estate consumer will follow closely in the time frame surrounding a sale or purchase. There is simply no better way to know which way the wind is blowing, and hearing our analysis of the raw numbers will help you know exactly how to respond to the market. (We also <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">publish this on our website</a>.)
Another recent 2020 innovation on our YouTube channel of which we are very proud, is bi-weekly Spanish Language videos by our team member Andreina Ramierez. She does a wonderful job bringing the same Kitsap real estate education to our channel, and we're so glad to add this to our lineup. Check out this recent video by Andreina:
Finally, and by no means the least, we offer full video tours of our listings on the channel. While we've done these for awhile now, it's become invaluable in a time when it's not always possible to view every home you might be interested in. It's the least we can do while restrictions remain in place - not to mention, many of our clients are coming from far away (military transfer season is upon us soon!) and video is invaluable when travel is difficult.
We look forward to ever-expanded offerings in 2020, and thank those of you who have come along on the journey with us this year. May next year find you all healthy, and in the home of your dreams! Give us a call at Dupuis Team, we love to chat over your particular housing needs anytime!2020-12-28T17:45:00-07:002020-12-28T18:01:04-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4643Happy Holidays 2020, #Kitsap!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-12/2020-12-23-Holiday-Greetings.jpg" alt="Happy Holidays to Kitsap County, from Dupuis Team Realty" title="Happy Holidays to Kitsap County, from Dupuis Team Realty" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
As we close on what we know has been a challenge and stressful year for many, we want to take a moment and thank our clientele for continuously being a bright spot for our team. You are all the reason we do what we do, and you all make real homes out of the houses we strive to bring to market. We wish you all joy and peace in the year to come, and hope you find the home of your dreams right here in Kitsap, with us - or at least, a gingerbread house while you dream a little more!
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-12/2020-12-23-Holiday-Greetings-Header.jpg" alt="Gingerbread Dream House" title="Gingerbread Dream House" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Best wishes and seasons greetings,
- Dupuis Team Brokers and Staff
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-12/2020-12-23-Holiday-Greetings-Team.jpg" alt="Dupuis Team Brokers" title="Dupuis Team Brokers" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1496" height="744" />2020-12-24T14:30:00-07:002020-12-24T14:51:39-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4547Buy #Kitsap! 2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Locals<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-12/2020-12-07-Holiday-Gift-Guide-Buy-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Buy #Kitsap! 2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Locals" title="Buy #Kitsap! 2020 Holiday Gift Guide for Locals" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
This has been an extraordinary year by any measure. Our lifestyles all had to make huge adjustments, nearly all of us had to make abrupt pivots to the way we conduct business. Among those hit hardest with the economic challenges related to COVID-19 restrictions have been small, local businesses. As we organize our gift giving this year, we wanted to spotlight some local makers who can help you give unique, Kitsap-oriented gifts, while also keeping your dollars very local.
Our suggestions come in price ranges below, and all products are available for online or phone purchase through the links offered. (None are affiliate in nature.) Many have gift certificate options as well.
Besides knowing and enjoying some of these products ourselves (ahem, Bainbridge Vineyard . . . ) we've sourced items on this list from the wonderful <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/483300985972293/" target="_blank">Shop Kitsap Online</a> Facebook group. You're encouraged to join too, and branch out from what we've highlighted below. This is just a starting point - so many folks have really excellent offerings, right here in Kitsap.
Below $20
<a href="https://sparksflycandle.com/collections/candles" target="_blank">Sparks Fly</a> soy candles. Imaginative scents, and sassy descriptions.
<a href="https://www.frenchiecoffee.com/collections/beans" target="_blank">Frenchie Coffee Roasters</a>. Port Orchard coffee
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PacificNWmaker" target="_blank">PNW Made</a> offers laser cut wooden decor items at many price points.
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/leahssoapbox/" target="_blank">Leah's Soap Box</a> - Vegan bath and body items, handmade in Kingston
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Studio-PNW-106889244044862/" target="_blank">Studio PNW</a> is offering some photomagic ways to get in holiday photos, while forgoing in person visits to a certain Man in Red. Many other small gifts and photo services available.
<a href="https://bainbridgebeer.com/the-beers/" target="_blank">Bainbridge Brewing</a> - local handcrafted beers
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JacquelynSpeare" target="_blank">Jacquelyn Speare</a> - local printmaker, lots of PNW themed pieces
<a href="https://www.lovecraftbrewery.com/" target="_blank">Lovecraft Brewery</a> - beers and more! Located in Bremerton, near the ferry!
Below $50
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Younityskateshop/" target="_blank">Unity Skate Shop</a> - Port Orchard store, has gift certificates!
<a href="https://bainbridgevineyards.square.site/" target="_blank">Bainbridge Vineyards</a> - great local wines, from grapes actually grown on Bainbridge Island.
<a href="https://fernstreetpottery.net/" target="_blank">Fern Street Pottery</a> - Kitsap area potter with beautiful items
Below $100
<a href="https://www.risingsundetail.com/about" target="_blank">Rising Sun Detailing</a> - mobile car detailers come to you! Multiple price points
We wish you and your whole gift lift of loved ones a special Holiday 2020 season. We know that gatherings will not be what we're used to, and that budgets may be tighter than usual. We hold all of our neighbors dear to us, and hope that 2021 dawns for you all with hope afresh.
One last holiday link for you: Try the Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/kitsapchristmaslights/" target="_blank">Kitsap Christmas Light Displays</a>. You can tour by car,in the safety of your own company, while still enjoying some holiday cheer on darker winter days!
Please give us a ring at Dupuis Team, if we can help you with any upcoming Kitsap moves you might be making. After all, you've seen what we make over here - why not become a neighbor yourself?2020-12-07T15:45:00-07:002020-12-24T14:54:13-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4496Happy Thanksgiving from #DupuisTeam!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-26-Thanksgiving.jpg" alt="Happy Thanksgiving from Dupuis Team" title="Happy Thanksgiving from Dupuis Team" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="674" />
We expect most of us are having very scaled back Thanksgivings this year, but it doesn't come with diminished gratitude from our team. We are so grateful for our wonderful clients, past and present. We are humbled to be involved in such a precious, pivotal part of our client's lives - purchase or sale of a beloved home. Nothing is more centric to anyone's life, and we know we are priveleged to be able to assist you with such an important transaction.
May you and your extended loved ones have a relaxing, reflective, and healthy Thanksgiving 2020 - and here's to expanded celebrations in the coming year! Best wishes to you all!
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-26-Thanksgiving-Team.jpg" alt="Dupuis Team Photo" title="Dupuis Team Photo" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1017" height="429" />2020-11-26T12:00:00-07:002020-11-26T12:18:32-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4487What is #Kitsap REALLY like in the fall?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-23-Fall-In-Kitsap.jpg" alt="What is Fall REALLY Like in Kitsap?" title="What is Fall REALLY Like in Kitsap?" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />
It's true, we Pacific Northwest types LOVE to <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-summertime-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">tell everyone how our gorgeous summers</a> confound the popular myth about soggy Puget Sound. Week after week of drenching sunshine that never gets TOO hot, cool nights, and extra long days. Our gardens thrive, our families and friends find every excuse to be outdoors, and . . . well, please do at least <a href="https://www.visitkitsap.com/" target="_blank">come visit us</a> some summer, even if you never move here. You absolutely must.
But . . . we wouldn't be called The Evergreen State without some rainfall to keep things looking verdant and lush. The fact is, it falls mostly from about October through March, give or take.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-23-Fall-in-Kitsap-Temp-and-Rain-Chart.png" alt="Kitsap Area Rain and Temps" title="Kitsap Area Rain and Temps" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="735" height="671" /><br />Source: <a href="https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/" target="_blank">NOAA</a>
That's a pretty dramatic rainfall difference season to season, right? If you're from another climate zone, the thing to zero in on - the thing that keeps us resolutely zipping up our raincoats and turning on the windshield wipers all fall and winter - is that the TEMPERATURES are so moderately inclined, along with our seasonal rainfall. We just don't see the wild temp extremes of (for example) the upper Midwest, or New England. In fact, you'll note we don't even have low averages that fall below freezing.
That's not to say we don't get freezing weather and snow - we do:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-23-Fall-in-Kitsap-Snow-and-Daylight-Chart.png" alt="Kitsap Area Snowfall and Daylight" title="Kitsap Area Snowfall and Daylight" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="725" height="640" />
Snow does often show up sometime between December and February - it just typically doesn't last very long, and is often accompanied with a sense of holiday, as Snow Days get declared for everyone. We don't have a fantastic infrastructure for the plowing and removal of snow, which allows those snowier climates to get on with things in heavy snow. It simply wouldn't see enough use to justify the expense. On those rare extra wintry days, we all tend to hunker down, light fires if we have them, brew up the hot chocolate, and rave about how much we love snow. (While those of us who have lived in snowier places nod sagely and remember endless months of sidewalk shoveling and windshield scraping, that lifelong Puget Sound types will never understand.) In terms of Fall lifestyle though - we only rarely see the snow fly, and only in very late fall.
If you've lived in wintry areas, you'll know allll about winter and summer tires, for sure - and it's a focus of your fall "preparedness" activities. We really don't do that here - we tend to look for good, all season tires that will be good at shedding rain, and then use them year round until it's time to replace. That does make for a little simpler car care - and perhaps, less expense and needed storage space, depending on your vehicle's need.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-23-Fall-In-Kitsap-wardrobe-v2.jpg" alt="Typical Kitsap Fall Wardrobe" title="Typical Kitsap Fall Wardrobe" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" /><br />Dress for the weather, and keep going!
One thing we are serious about in this area is good rain gear. It's something we tend to spend decent money on, and take good care of. If you stay dry - you stay warm. We tend to layer fleece and such underneath, as the temperatures demand. Footwear will reflect whether you've selected a mostly urban setting for yourself, or something with a bit of land. Even those with a decidedly paved living situation, often find they like shoes that are good on a trail, in any weather. And yes, the stereotypes of Washingtonians who wear socks with their sandals is true. Wool socks under all-weather sandals make a lot of us pretty happy!
Especially in this pandemic year, many of us like to use the indoor time of Fall and Winter to cook. We make <a href="https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/applesauce-2300953" target="_blank">homemade applesauce</a> or apple pies with our area's abundant apple harvests (so many of us have plentiful trees right in our own yards!) and start up the smoker for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJXEb0eJSfw" target="_blank">homemade smoked salmon</a>. Even if you're not a foodie at heart, it's <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-locavore-exploring-the-local-food-scene/" target="_blank">easy to seek out local foods</a>, and enjoy the plenty of our area.
We don't want to give the impression that we are all homebound this time of year - on the contrary, Kitsap boasts (...in non-pandemic years <img src="/res/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/img/smiley-undecided.gif" alt="Undecided" title="Undecided" border="0" />) a wide range of fall festivals and outings to attend. If you're looking for day trips, <a href="http://seattlerefined.com/travel/5-of-washingtons-best-fall-festivals" target="_blank">our counties across the water vastly expand your festival options</a>.
We tend to really take the view that the rain and darker days need not interfere with everything we love about Puget Sound - we just carry on! You'll love the sense of resilience the locals show, it really is a (thankfully harmless . . . time to take off, coronavirus!) contagious spirit.
So take heart, we know you'll love our quiet, introspective, refreshing, evergreen-making fall season here in Kitsap! If you're ready to make the move, give us a ring at Dupuis Team real estate - we'd love to help make it your best move ever.2020-11-23T09:30:00-07:002020-11-23T09:55:21-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4422Feeling Anxious About the Future? #Kitsap Real Estate Could Be Just What You Need!!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-11/2020-11-05-Anxious.jpg" alt="Feeling Anxious? Kitsap Real Estate Might Be Just What You Need!" title="Feeling Anxious? Kitsap Real Estate Might Be Just What You Need!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
We're right there with you, readers. 2020 has been rough on so many fronts - economic, political, health, climate, and more. When the shutdown was announced last spring, many of us in Real Estate drew our breath in and held it . . . we were pretty worried. We worried for our own livelihoods of course (just like everyone else) but we were very concerned about what this would mean for our beloved Kitsap area, and the industries that work in tandem with real estate, like the mortgage industry. So much of what real estate was at the time, involved close personal contact with a lot of strangers, so even our ways of doing business were challenged.
And for sure, some regions are really struggling to buy and sell right now - people are out of work, and can't sell because they won't qualify to buy anything else, yet they struggle to make the mortgage they've got. Things are fraught on those fronts.
But here in Kitsap, things have played out very differently. We remain a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-can-you-get-in-kitsap-for-your-money-compared-to-greater-seattle/" target="_blank">HUGE value compared to almost everything else</a> around Puget Sound. The biggest employer in the area - the Navy - is not going anywhere. The shipyard remains a busy employer of local civilians and active military alike, and the sub base near Silverdale is still hopping. That means we have well qualified buyers, which means we have people who can get (and pay) their mortgages. Believe us, this is huge. This is what keeps real estate afloat, truly (...and people wanting to live in these homes, of course!)
We have had good interest from people listing their homes, because right now <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">sellers tend to get about 102% of their asking price</a>. Sellers often turn around and reinvest that in a new local home as well - all activity keeping Kitsap real estate pretty darn healthy.
When so many workplaces turned to remote work-from-home, Kitsap suddenly was in an enviable position: people could live in a cheaper, Seattle-adjacent area, yet still hold down their Seattle paycheck. <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/consider-a-kitsap-home-for-your-remote-workplace/" target="_blank">This, too, has bolstered Kitsap real estate, for the good</a>. And these folks are onto something, we think! What a great time to find a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/so-whats-the-traffic-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">quieter community</a>, with <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/natural-attractions-of-kitsap/" target="_blank">a healthier lifestyle</a> right out your front door. (But Seattle is <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">still just Right There</a>, when you need a dose of that big city life!) We enjoy quite a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-county-demographics-who-actually-lives-here/" target="_blank">lively arts and culture scene</a> right here (quarantine rules notwithstanding . . . we know it will thrive again soon!)
For the renters, buying a Kitsap home gets them off that nerve-wracking cycle of annual rent increases . . . which have been astronomical in the Kitsap area (and all of Puget Sound.) Closing on a home (particularly, a fixed-rate mortgage) will let you know EXACTLY what your housing costs will be, no surprises, for decades to come. That sense of relief is huge, if you've spent a long time as a renter especially.
We can't discount the benefit of really being able to make a space your own, in these anxious times. Last year, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/fredpeters/2019/04/08/the-american-dream-of-homeownership-is-still-very-much-alive/" target="_blank">Frederick Peters of Forbes wrote</a>,
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Quotemarks.png" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" width="59" height="49" />As homeowners discover, living in an owned home feels different from living in a rented home. It’s not just that an owner can personalize the space; it touches a chord even more fundamental than that. Homeownership enhances the longing for self-determination at the heart of the American Dream. First-time homeowners, young or old, radiate not only pride but also a sense of arrival, a sense of being where they belong. It cannot be duplicated by owning a 99-year lease."
We think those sentiments echo doubly so in a year like the one we've all just been through - and they are prescient considering they predate the pandemic and shutdown.
We don't know how the election will play out yet, and that's frustrating. We know what an anxiety that is for our very politically mixed area - everyone is biting their nails tonight. But one thing you can count on, is how robust Kitsap has shown itself to be through this past difficult year - and that's something worth putting roots down for, no matter how the winds blow politically. If we can assist you with any of your upcoming real estate needs, give us a ring at Dupuis Team now.2020-11-05T17:00:00-07:002021-01-05T13:57:26-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4373Happy Halloween! Dupuis Team Takes the Fright out of Real Estate Terms<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-10/2020-10-29-Halloween.jpg" alt="Happy Halloween, Kitsap!" title="Happy Halloween, Kitsap!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="842" height="597" />
Happy Halloween, Kitsap county! Things are a little different this year thanks to safe observances for COVID, but we are still enjoying the crisp nights and our beautiful fall colors in West Puget Sound.
To make real estate transactions seem a little less spooooooooky, we whipped up this festive, custom infographic that defines some common real estate terms. You'll undoubtedly run into nearly all of them, whether you're the buyer or seller:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-10/2020-10-29-Halloween-Infographic.jpg" alt="Don't Be Frightened By Real Estate Terms - Infographic" title="Don't Be Frightened By Real Estate Terms - Infographic" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="5000" />
In addition to this fun graphic, we want to point you to our entire blog directory of topics - particularly the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/tag/real-estate-terms-tutorials/" target="_blank">Real Estate Basics</a> tagged subjects - and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w/" target="_blank">our YouTube channel</a>, where we put out regular updates on the Kitsap market, and the insider info you NEED, for your next Kitsap real estate deal - there is quite a library of topics! Give us a ring at #DupuisTeam, and we'll walk you through everything today!2020-10-29T16:30:00-07:002020-10-29T17:30:52-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4302Indigenous Peoples Day: #Kitsap's Native Americans<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-10/2020-10-12-Indigenous-People1.jpg" alt="Salish Coast, Pacific Northwest" title="Salish Coast, Pacific Northwest" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="801" />
While our country wrestles with a lot of Big Questions this year, the spotlight on whether or not to continue observing Coloumbus Day on the second Monday of October hasn't been quite as prominent. It remains a federal holiday, but the state of Washington doesn't recognizes it. <a href="https://patch.com/washington/seattle/heres-where-washington-celebrating-indigenous-peoples-day" target="_blank">Seattle, Olympia, Bainbridge Island, Spokane, Yakima, Pullman, and Tacoma</a>, have all adopted the day locally as <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/events-celebrations-set-to-mark-indigenous-peoples-day-in-seattle/" target="_blank">Indigenous People's Day</a>, and there are many colorful, celebratory observances in local areas . . . most years. This year, with gatherings necessarily limited for COVID restrictions, things are on hold for healthier outlooks.
Here in Kitsap, we are home to two Native American tribes, with a great deal of history and lore. The <a href="https://suquamish.nsn.us/" target="_blank">Suquamish</a> area along Agate Passage, between Kitsap Peninsula and Bainbridge Island, was the winter home of the legendary Chief Seattle and his peoples. (No doubt our West Sound weather was appreciated back through the ages!) It's easy to see why Bainbridge Island has been a leader in adopting the observance, with their proximity to this tribe.
Each August, the tribe movingly honors the memory of Chief Seattle. This year's memorial was necessarily virtual, and was conducted by tribal elder Marilyn Wandrey:
There is a <a href="http://suquamishmuseum.org/index.html" target="_blank">great museum honoring the customs, arts, and history</a> of the Susquamish, and we strongly encourage our readers to visit this cultural touchstone for Kitsap, especially if you are seriously considering moving to the area.
Additionally, Kitsap Peninsula is home to the <a href="https://www.visitkitsap.com/little-boston" target="_blank">Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe</a>, including some 1200 members who live along Port Gamble shores on the Kitsap Penninsula. There are several businesses operated by the tribe including a casino and resort, and local members continue to engage in traditional customs and ways of life including fishing, hunting, and more. They offer more information about themselves at <a href="https://www.pgst.nsn.us/" target="_blank">their website</a>.
If you are looking for resources to share with your children (many of whom are learning from home this year) have a look at <a href="https://www.spl.org/books-and-media/books-and-ebooks/staff-picks-for-kids/native-american-books-for-kids" target="_blank">this list of suggested titles</a> from Seattle Public Library. Note that many books are available as audiobooks are in e-book format, and that Seattle Public Library offers reciprocity library cards, if you have another from a fellow library community.
We believe at Dupuis Team that our local modern culture and lifestyle have been heavily influenced by the Native American indigenous tribes that came before us, and we honor their place in modern society, as well as memory. We have the benefit of living where Native culture persisted as prevalent much later historically (compared to most other areas of the U.S.), thus giving us closer and more relevant access to first-person accounts and materials - and we are wise to take the time to learn from them. These traditions and customs have a place in Kitsap culture to come in our collective future.
Best wishes to all on this auspicious observance, and we look forward to hearing from anyone who would enjoy becoming neighbors here in Kitsap. Give us a call today at Dupuis Team!2020-10-12T14:00:00-07:002020-10-12T14:17:12-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4087Bremerton's Historic Homes, and a Tip on Searching for Them in Listings!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-20-Historic-Homes-Bremerton.jpg" alt="A recently sold historic home in Bremerton, WA" title="A recently sold historic home in Bremerton, WA" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="943" height="628" />
Bremerton especially - though indeed, throughout Kitsap County and surrounding areas - is full of Pre- World War One and Two homes. Most are very desirable Craftsman style bungalow homes, in areas considered walkable to the Shipyard and the ferry for commuters.<br /><br /> In Bremerton, these homes reflects the surge in workforce needed by the Naval Shipyard, which was gearing up for America's role in those wars. In particular, prior to WWI, workers were living in very poor conditions indeed, crammed into tent cities on muddy streets, with unspeakable sanitary facilities. The very lucky found crowded rented rooms, stacked like barracks. As a backdrop to this time in Kitsap history, we had the 1918 flu pandemic, made worse locally by those crowded and unsanitary conditions.
In a <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2018/03/10/100-years-later-bremerton-housing-experiment-lives/412310002/" target="_blank">Kitsap Sun article from 2018</a>, local journalist Josh Farley discusses the federal dollars that poured into the area, in support of activities at the shipyard. The article predates our current pandemic, but the parallel is stark nonetheless.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Quotemarks.png" alt="Quote" title="Quote" style="float: left; margin: 5px;" width="59" height="49" />More than 1,000 men came to the shores of Sinclair Inlet in 1918, building hundreds of new homes, expanding road networks, trenching new waterlines.They were constructed at a great pace but built to last with the area's coveted old growth timber."
These homes have continued to be extremely popular with local homeowners. Many have undertaken careful restorations of the homes, equipping them with modern conveniences while maintaining the architecture we love. Their smaller footprint has meant they hold a niche as more affordable homes in general (particularly if you are willing to take on a fixer-upper or can be a cash buyer) even as post-remodeled homes, compared with newer built in the market. (Of course, this does boil down to some broad generalization, as we are talking about hundreds of homes.) <br /><br />If you are a Seattle area resident who loves the historic Craftsman style homes of the area but are put off by price, consider some of Bremerton's offerings. You'll still be an easy (and enjoyable!) commute from Seattle, and have the home of your dreams.<br /><br />To find these homes in the listings, you'll want to sort by "MAX YEAR." To get there on our website, click Search in the navigation above, then select Advanced Search. Fill in "Bremerton" (or our zip code, 98312) for the area, then scroll down to Year Built and put 1950 or earlier to see those historic-era homes, then hit "List Results." You can also execute this search from a regular listing page by hitting up the sub-navigation dropdown "More Options" as follows:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-20-Historic-Homes-Search.jpg" alt="Historic Home Search" title="Historic Home Search" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1525" height="904" />
We especially love the ones built before 1940 or 1930, but all are worth a look! You start to see more mid-century modern styling after 1950. The linked Kitsap Sun article includes an historic map of the area the project homes involved, so that may help you narrow your search geographically as well (although many similar private homes were built outside that area, so don't be overly strict.)
If antique charm is what you have in mind, give us a call today - these adorable, highly desirable homes go fast, so you'll want our guidance on finding one, and securing a winning bid! We'd love to hear from you at Dupuis Team to talk over this or any real estate transactions you have in mind - we look forward to hearing from you today!2020-08-20T10:15:00-07:002020-08-20T10:35:01-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4078What's Holding You Back From Buying a #Kitsap Home?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-17-Holding-You-Back.jpg" alt="What's Holding You Back from a Buying a Kitsap Home?" title="What's Holding You Back from a Buying a Kitsap Home?" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" />
According to the Kitsap County's Housing Department website, a <a href="https://www.kitsapgov.com/hs/HOUSINGBLOCK/Kitsap-Bremerton%20AH%20Study%20-%20Appendix%20C%20-%20FINAL.pdf" target="_blank">2017 Affordable Housing and Market Analysis report</a> shows about 2/3 of Kitsap residents are homeowners:
<br /><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-17-Holding-You-Back-Homeownership.png" alt="Home Ownership" title="Home Ownership" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="781" height="533" />
We look forward to the updated 2020 numbers following this census, but things likely haven't shifted dramatically from this data. Not surprisingly, the areas of Kitsap with higher median income does map to higher homeowner rates, while lower income areas have lower homeowner rates.
We wanted to address some of the things we hear our clients - or WANNABE clients - tell us, when they hesitate about moving forward with home ownership, particularly first time purchases. Let's explore those worries, in no particular order:
Buying a Home Takes Too Much Time. There is a certain time commitment, yes. You have to view possible properties, meet with the agent about issues that come up, be ready to respond to any issues the property may have, meet with inspectors, keep paperwork flowing throughout the process. It goes without saying that couples find this easier, as they can conquer and divide - but we have LOTS of singles who buy properties, too. And honestly, a lot of this has gone by the wayside in the era of COVID, as so much of the work is done virtually. We are physically walking signed paperwork around less and less right now, and it's benefited the process itself enormously.
The Process Is Hard to Understand - Boy, we sympathize with this. It can really feel like there is a learning curve when it comes to home purchase. The language is unfamiliar to a lifelong renter, and even the steps seem never-ending and befuddling. We are here to help! If you click on the "Buyers" section in the navigation at the top of this page, you'll see several helpful guides we've put together. Additionally, several of our blog articles are JUST for you - like "<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/real-estate-terms-arent-scary/" target="_blank">Real Estate Terms Aren't Scary</a>" and "<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/the-home-buying-process-visualized/" target="_blank">The Home Buying Process Visualized</a>".
I Can't Afford It - This is genuinely holding back some folks right now, and rightfully so during an economic turndown. If you've lost your job or are experiencing financial hardship - you're right, this might not be the time. But you know what? We will be honest and gentle about that, if you're not absolutely sure you fall into this category. However - don't just dismiss the possibility up front. Interest rates are SO low right now, that owning a modest home is almost always CHEAPER than renting - and your mortgage payment will stay steady, unlike the annual rent increases you can be sure will come along. We very often find we have clients that have absolutely no idea at all how much house they will qualify for. It's okay not to know! That's what we are here for! Just get the process started, and ASK!
I Don't Have a 20% Down Payment - this is absolutely NOT a bar to getting a mortgage, or success with an offer on a property. While it's a great strategy for avoiding tacking on monthly mortgage insurance, it's absolutely not necessary. Some programs exist that allow for very low or even NO down payments - just ask! We work with many local lenders that will find the right program for you.
Real Estate Is Too Expensive Right Now - A related concern to affordability, is that real estate is too expensive right now. It's true that we have a lot of high end real estate in Kitsap, some truly wonderful properties. Stop psyching yourself out looking at those places, though - NOBODY starts there, unless they have some fairy godmother buying it for them (...so, almost nobody, for real.) We follow the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">local sales stats</a> VERY carefully week to week, and right now the median price is about $430K if we exclude Bainbridge Island. That can still seem like a lot of money - but don't quit! All that figure means is that half of the properties cost more . . . and half cost LESS! That's a lot to still pick from at any given time.
And by the way, the other side of expensive is . . .value. When thinking about Kitsap prices, you should consider the value of Kitsap real estate, compared to our surrounding areas - particularly if you consider us the over-water western suburb of Seattle. Things go for half to 2/3 of what you might expect to pay in greater Seattle, with an arguably better <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/category/kitsap-life/" target="_blank">quality of life</a> and <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">commute</a>. For Puget Sound, Kitsap is an unbelievable value right now - especially if your alternative is to continue renting.
Things Might Be Cheaper If I Wait - This is always going to be the "gamble" of getting into real estate at ANY time, and we are indeed looking at some uncertain economic times coming up. However, the overall trend of real estate value is to increase over time - the best time to buy a house is already last year, you know? All you can do is get on that merry go round, and nurture the investment you've got. Maybe you can think about ensuring some increased valuation of your property via improvements, or simply by committing to holding the property for a length of time. People who bought immediately before the 2008 downturn certainly gave themselves ulcers for not waiting - but if they still have those same properties, they have indeed realized big upswings in value - and by now, have seen some equity grow as well. You just have to wade in when you can.
There Is Too Much Competition, I'll Never Manage a Winning Bid - it's true that buyers are facing a climb right now. People lose bids frequently, because more attractive offers are submitted. We'll give you a good grounding in what to expect, in the game of bidding for properties - it could indeed take a little longer than you have in mind. We aim to create realistic expectations on that front. However, this is hardly our first rodeo, as they say - so it doesn't matter if it IS yours! We can suggest several winning strategies that ought to help with winning bids. One of our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUj856wa0ms" target="_blank">best tips is this one</a>. (Subscribe to our channel while you're there - you will ESPECIALLY want to watch this week's upcoming featured video, hint hint!)
There Isn't Anything I Will Like in My Price Range - in this case, patience may pay off, or you may need to adjust your expectations up front, in order to get started as a homeowner. It might be okay to not LOVE the first place you buy - you can fix it up, sell it for more, and trade up to a place you like better, all while building wealth in your real estate holding. Continuing to rent because you don't love the lower end properties . . . is not a winning financial strategy. You almost certainly don't love the place you're renting now, either.
I Don't Understand the Kitsap Market - This absolutely should not stop you from buying a home. The whole point to having a buyer's agent is that you get to use THEIR expertise in the market and process, and don't have to be an expert yourself. However, we never want to stand in the way of encouraging our clients to become more familiar, so we suggest our <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">Kitsap Weekly Market Stats</a> series, both in press form and video form - we put out fresh info EVERY week. We live and breathe the Kitsap market, truly - we will talk your ear off, until you feel you DO understand the market (or at least are happy to trust that we do, on your behalf!)
I'm Not Sure I Want to Live in Kitsap - this might be a legit reason to rent for a year. We know we have a lot of <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/tag/kitsap-military-life/" target="_blank">military neighbors</a> who might find themselves thinking this over. Get your feet wet locally, find your tribe, and then decide. However . . . if you already rent here, you want to live here. If you live across the sound and think you might like to be a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">ferry commuter</a>, we've written about that. Kitsap especially has attractive value if you are a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/consider-a-kitsap-home-for-your-remote-workplace/" target="_blank">remote worker</a> now, and likely to continue in the future. Take some time to be a bit of a tourist over here, and get to know the area like we do. Give us a ring, we're always happy to suggest our favorite spots!
I Like the Ease of Renting - on the face of it, there's no arguing with this. Maybe your life is really busy and complicated right now, and it totally is the right choice. You just send that rent money every month, and DONE! But that's the thing - you send the money and it's GONE, GONZO, ZIP, DISAPPEARED. The money is your landlord's now - you're making a monthly payment to build financial stability for THAT person. We've written some about the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/tag/real-estate-terms-tutorials/" target="_blank">differences of renting vs home ownership</a>, and it's worth thinking over, if you believe you fall into this category.
If you find some of these worries resonate with you, it's likely you have a dozen more we didn't even touch on. Remember EVERYONE (including our whole team) was a first time buyer once upon a time, and we understand! We have a whole range of articles aimed specifically at the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/tag/first-time-buyer/" target="_blank">first time home buyer</a>, accessible via the tagged posts. We hope this has given you some points to ponder, and the confidence to give us a call at Dupuis Team, and see if you're ready to take the plunge with us! We look forward to seeing the process through with you, patiently and with diligence. We know you can do it!2020-08-17T15:45:00-07:002020-09-21T11:19:38-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4067Consider a Kitsap Home for Your Remote Workplace!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-13-Remote-Work.jpg" alt="Remote Work from your Kitsap home!" title="Remote Work from your Kitsap home!" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
We've talked a lot about the factors behind our smokin' hot, yet comprably affordable, Kitsap real estate market right now, here on the blog and on our You Tube channel . . . it's not exactly the national norm. (Be sure to catch <a href="https://youtu.be/BXSm1ib0mOY" target="_blank">this week's featured You Tube video</a> by broker and team founder Steph Dupuis, she gives some really good insight and incisive analysis on where the market is likely to go in 2021.)
Underlining some of this, especially when we discuss people moving here from Seattle, is the rise in remote workplace practices. Some of this is a natural outgrowth of changing workplace culture and available tech, but obviously the big driving factor right now is COVID-19. Many people miss their coworkers and office life, and we get that - we have a great team, and are used to seeing more of their faces too! Zoom REALLY isn't the same.
Stats from immediately before the pandemic shutdown put <a href="https://justremote.co/articles/10-remote-work-statistics-to-know-in-2020" target="_blank">numbers at around 5% of US workers</a>, or 8 million people. Those numbers themselves <a href="https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/" target="_blank">represented a LOT of growth</a> in the practice. But right now? A J<a href="https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/" target="_blank">une 2020 Stanford report</a> puts it at a whopping 42% of the labor force.
But at the same time, we have been experiencing a tidal wave of people who are finding that they (and their teams) are indeed able to be productive from home, and that they quite like the change in lifestyle. They like regaining their commute times, they have some privacy about exactly when they momentarily step away from the desk for personal needs, and certainly there is a global fellowship of dogs who are happy to have their owners around a lot more (survey is outstanding on the cats, who refused to send this blogger's forms back.)
If you find yourself in a position to engage in remote work from your Seattle area job at least some of the time, you'd be missing the boat (...that's a <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">ferry joke</a>!) to not seriously consider buying a home in Kitsap right now. While it's readily apparent that the rise in tech industry in Seattle has had positive effects for the residents - excellent services are easily obtained at home - you may wonder how far out that ripple effect goes.
We interviewed recent Dupuis Team home buyer Jake about his own situation. He was formerly commuting on the ferry to a downtown Seattle tech job, but worked a lot of overtime from home in Kitsap. He put some effort into making sure their Manette area home had an upgraded bandwidth. Worries about stormy weather impacting power delivery haven't really been a problem, he says - fewer residents mean fewer power lines to go down, and fewer people impacted when they do. It also seems that East Puget Sound (Seattle side) gets the worst of the tree-toppling storms, but that isn't something we've pulled hard numbers on.
"Really, I am set up at home with the same conveniences I have in the office. The tech here at home in Kitsap, is every bit as good as what I had in the office in Seattle. My partner and I are actually both working from home right now, plus there's usually a fair amount of streaming going on - we might have Netflix on in the background, and her job involves some pretty big video files and image work, among other data needs. We're loving it here!"
We do suggest that you look into whether you'll need a <a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/144269/htg-explains-what-firewalls-actually-do/" target="_blank">firewall</a> and <a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/133680/htg-explains-what-is-a-vpn/" target="_blank">VPN</a> for secure remote work, and everyone should have a good <a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/33776/powerchute-makes-managing-your-apc-ups-easier-during-power-outages/" target="_blank">Uninterrupted Power Supply</a> for their critical equipment, and charging during power failure. Be sure you have a system in place for backing up your work remotely, too. Those are universal suggestions of course, and not unique to Kitsap. This column is authored by an IT type who can't help herself. . . but who nonetheless suggests you look to Kitsap for <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-can-you-get-in-kitsap-for-your-money-compared-to-greater-seattle/" target="_blank">home value</a> and positive life factors!
Give us a ring at Dupuis Team real estate if you are thinking of moving your remote workplace to a Kitsap area home - we'd love to talk over your needs, and share our take on your unique circumstances today!2020-08-13T12:45:00-07:002020-08-17T09:43:00-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:4023What Can You Get in Kitsap For Your Money (...Compared to Greater Seattle)?We<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-06-How-Much-House.jpg" alt="How Much House Can You Buy In Kitsap?" title="How Much House Can You Buy In Kitsap?" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="755" />
Whether you live in King County now or are thinking about moving there - even if you're a renter now - you cannot have missed the uptick in housing prices in the past several years. Many properties have doubled in value, without seeing correlating increases in resident income. Despite the apparent cash crunch, sales remain extremely brisk, with a lot of competing bids among seller, and houses often going under contract with days of listing. It sounds a lot like the real estate activity we see in Kitsap . . . with one MAJOR difference: Median. Sales. PRICE!
Check out what we mean - here are some hard numbers we crunched, straight out of the Northwest MLS stats machine. This compares median sales prices for the last 5 years, in King County and Kitsap County for a 3 bedroom house on lots less than half an acre . . . sort of your basic family house with a yard. (Remember that "median" means half the homes that fit this description sold for more, and half sold for less.)
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-06-King-County-3-bedroom.png" alt="King County Median Housing Prices" title="King County Median Housing Prices" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1203" height="453" />
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-08/2020-08-06-Kitsap-County-3-bedroom.png" alt="Kitsap Median Housing Prices" title="Kitsap Median Housing Prices" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1208" height="452" />
Um, wow. King County . . . whatcha thinking? How do you see that holding up long term?<br /><br />We can only guess at the reasons - and we know lots of people happy to stay in King County. But for people who are agog at the side by side difference, we cannot stress how much more value you get in Kitsap. Thanks to <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">our fabulous ferry system</a>, we are as viable a bedroom community as Snohomish or Pierce County. Heck, it's often as fast as commuting from the Eastside communities into downtown. As more and more workers become remote or hybrid-remote over time due to evolving workplaces (but certainly shaped by the current pandemic) the commute itself even becomes a moot point.
So, let's say you ARE considering bringing your King County house money to the Kitsap market. Curious what you get for that money, side by side? We picked out some comparable homes that recently sold, in a couple different price points and market type, just to give you a good idea. For the record, none of these were our own listings nor sales - we're just trying to draw a picture of what is comparable.
So, for the current period, Kitsap median homes prices are sitting at about $365,000. <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/detail/69/1627384/1213-7th-st-bremerton-wa-98337/" target="_blank">Here's a recently sold home that typifies that price point</a>. It is a beautiful, historic (1918!!) Craftsman, and in a great location. Lots of Seattlites adore these little historic Craftsman homes, but they go for a GREAT deal more in King County, and are not always located in such efficient locations. Bremerton especially has hundreds of these homes, many of them just begging for loving updates - or even already updated and ready to go, for prices you'll never see in King County.
What will that sort of money get you in King County? Well, there's <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/detail/69/1617416/3724-s-360th-st-auburn-wa-98001/" target="_blank">this home in Auburn</a>. It'll be a 45 minute drive (at best, let's be honest) into downtown Seattle, and the listing pretty much says the place is a tear-down. Yikes.
So, let's compare homes that typify Seattle median price money. That's currently sitting about $610,000. We're pretty sure you know what a Seattle median house looks like - split level, no special neighborhood, still gotta drive to everything. We're not going to bother linking - if you live there, you know what gets listed. But here's a couple homes that sold recently in Kitsap for "median" Seattle money
- A <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/detail/69/1622774/8469-bessie-place-nw-silverdale-wa-98383/" target="_blank">gorgeous contemporary home in Silverdale</a> with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a half acre yard.
- A <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/detail/69/1618836/16300-nw-hite-center-rd-seabeck-wa-98380/" target="_blank">truly stunning home on 5 acres</a> in exclusive Seabeck.
- This <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/detail/69/1606771/7465-view-park-rd-se-port-orchard-wa-98367/" target="_blank">lovely shingled cottage on over 2 acres</a>, with water and Vashon Island views.
Look, we love Seattle. We do, really - it's our favorite big city. We love the vibrant multiculturalism, the art scene, the food scene, the exciting advances in tech that happen RIGHT HERE . . . and it's set right on gorgeous Puget Sound, with views to the Olympics and Cascades. It's really hard to think of another urban center that competes with that! But when it comes to spending your housing dollar, we are in complete sympathy with the folks who are fleeing the sky high prices. Come get the best of both worlds - enjoy some financial breathing room, or upgrade what you were used to from Seattle. Kitsap is waiting for you! And those mountains that look so pretty across the water, are right here at our front doors. Seattle is just a pleasant boat ride away.
If you're ready to move to Seattle's most underrated "next door", give us a call at Dupuis Team. We are your Kitsap area expert, and have helped hundreds of people make the leap. We are ready to help you find your best next home!2020-08-06T14:00:00-07:002021-01-05T14:44:46-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3950What is Summertime Like in Kitsap?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-07/2020-07-20-Summer-in-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Summertime in Kitsap!" title="Summertime lifestyle in Kitsap County, Washington" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="801" /><br />Whew, today is the warmest day of 2020 so far - but welcome nonetheless, as the warm days took a long time to show up this year! We are lucky to have <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@5788054/climate" target="_blank">relatively moderate weather year round</a> - our hot weather isn't that hot, and our cold weather isn't that cold. It has us reflecting on what we at Dupuis Team would say characterizes life in Kitsap, in the summertime.<br /><br />As an area that is intrinsically connected to the natural world right outside each and every door, many of us look forward to the drier months of summer. It means easier planning for hikes and beach visits, and more certain plans when it comes to outdoor dining. This year we all have to take extra consideration for COVID-19 related protections, but it's not really dampening too much enthusiastic Kitsap summer fun! We are all finding ways to maximize safety without sacrificing fun. <br /><br />Wondering what we like to do in the summer around here? Read on!<br /><br />Good old fashioned drive in movie theater - this classic has to be a huge win in the Already Socially Distanced category! Everyone stays in their cars, and you enjoy the movie along with the balmy nights. Try <a href="https://www.rodeodrivein.com/" target="_blank">Rodeo Drive-in</a> just south of Bremerton. They feature a concession area, but you may also bring your own. Pro tip: bring an air mattress for the back of the SUV, you'll be more comfortable. When restrictions can be lifted, this location has a great playground and grass area for tossing a Frisbee, too.<br /><br />The Kitsap Regional Library always has great summer reading programs, and <a href="https://www.krl.org/summer" target="_blank">this year is no exception</a>, albeit with a few cautious modifications. There's nothing like a lazy summer day, and a book - get the kids started young on life's simple pleasures!
One thing we are blessed with Kitsap is an abundance of coastline - both here on Puget Sound, and in nearby Hood Canal. Beach-combing is lovely this time of year, and you can always bring a bag and help do your part to <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/keeping-an-eye-on-the-health-of-puget-sound/" target="_blank">keep Puget Sound looking beautiful</a>! <a href="https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.html?gid=1415" target="_blank">Always check the tide tables</a> before you go, and remember to double check any restrictions on visiting your chosen beach, during the coronavirus outbreak. Hit up this <a href="https://www.kitsapdailynews.com/life/kitsaps-best-beaches-kitsap-week/" target="_blank">2013 Kitsap Sun guide to the best beaches in Kitsap</a>.
<a href="https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/green-mountain-1" target="_blank">Green Mountain</a> is an oft-overlooked place to spend a summer day in Kitsap. It's easily accessible as a quick, nearby hike and features some really spectacular views of the local surroundings, and the Olympic Mountains.
For those of us that like to putter at home, these warmer days are peak gardening time - our tomatoes and peppers are finally prospering, and we are moving into some really showy flowers this time of year too. We often spend our days getting filthy in yard, moving our little homestead closer to our own vision of a personal oasis - and then have a cool shower, and enjoy dinner and drinks al fresco, on a patio or balcony. One thing our relocating Dupuis Team clientele always comment upon are the VIEWS - nearly every home has a really special view of our local landscape, be it water views, quaint townscapes, or dreamy forests. It's not restricted to high end properties here, either - the drinks-and-a-view summer evening lifestyle is for EVERYONE in Kitsap.
The <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/@11886734" target="_blank">sun sets late in summer</a> in this area thanks both to our northerly latitude and western position in our time zone, and it finds many of us using the extra daylight as an excuse to squeeze a little weekend into our weeknights - we often strike out for short nature trail hikes, squeeze in a weeknight barbecue with friends, or dawdle on the waterfront before going home. Sunset strolls are popular as a nice way to unwind right before bed, given the later sunset times and how reliably the temperature drops in evening, with Kitsap so close to the water.
<a href="https://www.weather-us.com/en/washington-usa/bremerton-climate#daylight_sunshine" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-07/2391601-750-daylight_sunshine-en.gif" alt="Daylight in Kitsap" title="Daylight in Kitsap" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="750" height="525" /></a>
One final thing about summer in Kitsap - it's rare for people to own air conditioners, although we are starting to see in newer construction and renovations. For the most part, we all do really well indoors with a couple fans and open breezy windows. We are lucky to still have vast areas where trees have been left standing near residential zones, and that helps with shade and as a heat sink. Even on our warmest days - it nearly always drops into a very cool range over night, and so after our action packed summer days, we all sleep pretty soundly - none of that Midwest or east coast all-night misery from the heat.<br /><br />Come give us a try, and see if a move to Kitsap might not change your whole view of summertime! Read here about the commuting life, <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/so-whats-the-traffic-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">the traffic</a>, <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">the schools</a>, <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/tag/kitsap-military-life/" target="_blank">military life</a>, and <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/category/kitsap-life/">more</a>! Give us a ring at Dupuis Team if you want to talk over real estate in one of the best priced markets left in Puget Sound today!2020-07-20T14:00:00-07:002020-11-19T13:02:01-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3883How Healthy Is the Kitsap Real Estate Market?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-07/2020-0702-How-Healthy-Is-Kitsap-Real-Estate-Market.jpg" alt="How Healthy Is the Kitsap Real Estate Market?" title="How Healthy Is the Kitsap Real Estate Market?" style="border: 1px solid black;" />
As we came into spring and the shutdown necessitated by the spread of COVID-19, the real estate industry braced for the worst - along with most sectors. This was true for Kitsap, too - we were very concerned about low inventory (meaning people weren't listing their homes for sale) and we had some serious concerns about the pressures on the mortgage industry - which of course, underlies the real estate market for nearly everyone.
It's been a lot of breath holding for us all - and we continue to be cautious - but we have been pleasantly surprised. Sales of homes have been brisk; days homes are listed is very short, and lenders are catching up with some of their backlog. One challenge remains our very low inventory - but it's arguably as much to do with brisk sales, as lack of new listings, because those figures are strong week to week.
We did a little calculating behind the scenes with some pencil scratching by firing up the spreadsheet, which does all the hard work honestly, We thought it might be interesting to compare median home prices for this year, to the same sales week last year. We picked sales from May and June as our basis for comparison, and included figures on into the fall from last year, just as a possible indicator of where the market goes seasonally.
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-07/Weekly_Median_Housing_Prices_Two_Months.png" alt="Comparing Kitsap Median Sales Prices" title="Comparing Kitsap Median Sales Prices" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="815" height="613" />
As you can see, if we consider median sales prices as an indicator of market health - Kitsap has remained robust over last year. The green line is something called a "trendline" (linear refers to the arithmetic used) and shows a rough average of all figures represented, and can extrapolate where figures might continue. While it doesn't really have a real-world analogue, it does visually smooth out the expected up and down values you see when we zoom in this close.
So what do we see when we zoom out a bit more? Let's look:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-07/Weekly_Median_Housing_Prices.png" alt="Comparing Kitsap Median Sales Prices" title="Comparing Kitsap Median Sales Prices" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="815" height="613" />
So, we can see that we actually started out the year with higher figures, relative to last year (although we only have records that start the 7th week, sorry about that.) This year's median prices are tightening a bit to last year's. It's a bit different picture than what we see up close, right? It's also important to remember this is merely one metric for the market - inventory, number of sales, time on market . . . those things matter too, and aren't reflected in this singular comparison. (But we DO track them! <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">Check here</a> and subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a> for weekly insights!)
We continue to encourage those who are thinking of selling, to list soon. This is the robust time of year, and we have extremely motivated, well qualified buyers who are actually frustrated that they can't find homes, or are losing out due to competition. If you are worried about the logistics of needing to buy a home AND sell within a short time - in that same tight market - please give us a call, we deal with this situation every single day, and can walk you through it! In fact, one of our brokers did a video that talks about some ways people manage that issue just this week!
That's our take for now, partway through the always busy spring/summer sales season: prices are holding steady (and certainly steadier than was feared), the mortgage industry is catching up with their backlog, and buyers are still very interested. We attribute the health of our local market to the number of essential workers we have here in industries like the shipyard and other US Navy related employment, as well as tech workers who commute to Seattle, and were in good positions to continue working remotely from home, after the Stay at Home order went into effect in March. (<a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/04/14/essential-workers-kitsap-real-estate-housing-market-coronavirus-pandemic/2985349001/" target="_blank">This April article from the Kitsap Sun</a> largely agrees with us!)
If you want to mull this over some more and hear more of our thoughts on the health of the Kitsap market, please give us a ring! We'd love to offer whatever advice we can on your unique real estate situation.2020-07-02T14:10:00-07:002021-01-05T14:02:33-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3824Now is a GREAT Time to 'Trade Up' in Kitsap!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-18-Trading-Up-in-Kitsap.jpg" alt="Now Is a Great Time to Trade Up in Kitsap!" title="Now Is a Great Time to Trade Up in Kitsap!" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="799" />
We write a lot about helping first-timers and Kitsap newcomers get into housing - it's an area of real estate we are passionate about, for sure. But a fair amount of our clientele fall into the Already Homeowners category, and aren't looking to move into/out of the area.
Typically, this client is someone who finds themselves at a new lifestage: maybe they are expecting a new baby and need more space; perhaps their small children have grown and need a bigger yard - or a better school. Sometimes we see clients who are moving an elder into their home, and need space that will reflect those needs. Sometimes we see "empty nesters" - whom you typically think of as downsizing - actually trading up because they want a nicer home for their golden years, never mind if the space is smaller. This higher end home can nonetheless be more expensive, and therefore amounts to "trading up."
If you think you might fit one of those descriptions, consider whether now might be your very best time to list your current home, and get moving!
Kitsap is currently dealing with a low-inventory situation, and it's particularly problematic in the lower to mid range homes - so your "seller" home is likely to sell VERY quickly.
Overall, we see homes on the market for about a month right now, but it tends to be shorter in the homes below the median pricing, and slightly longer for homes above the median.
That means that you'll have a bit more leisure picking your "trade up" home to buy, because that's not where the heaviest buyer's competition lies. This week's Dupuis Team YouTube video was on how to make yourself even more competitive as a buyer:
You most likely have some accrued equity in your current home, between paying down your mortgage and appreciation due to our current market values. This will help make for a great down payment on that trade up home.
If you are going to get a loan for the new home, <a href="https://www.housingwire.com/articles/mortgage-rate-drops-to-within-1-basis-point-of-all-time-low/" target="_blank">interest rates are unbelievably low right now</a>, and likely to stay that way for a bit. That means you can likely get a bigger loan than you might have previously qualified for, based on the same income.
Finally, these lower rates mean lots and lots of new homeowners are able to qualify, and you won't have any problem selling the current home.
Check out our YouTube video from a few weeks ago, about this very situation, being both a seller and a buyer:
If you are interested in getting the process started, please give us a ring! We can walk you through the steps, and talk about any particulars of your own unique situation. We'd love to hear from you today!2020-06-18T08:15:00-07:002020-06-18T08:29:42-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3764Comparing Affordable Kitsap's Growth Rate in Puget Sound<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap-coverphoto.jpg" alt="Comparing Growth in Kitsap" title="Comparing Growth in Kitsap" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="638" />
We focus a lot of time and effort here at Dupuis Team, on the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">waxing and waning of market stats</a> in Kitsap County, our personal area of expertise. In addition to the obvious fact that housing inventory and prices fill up the minutiae of our professional lives, we honestly believe that fluency in these changes helps us do our best to advise our clientele. From the very start of our client relationships, that's how we see ourselves first and foremose: advisors. We hope you will rely on our knowledge of the area and experience in Kitsap real estate, to guide your own real estate dreams. That's true whether you find yourself a buyer or seller (or both, at the same time - super common!)
Towards that end, we try to make the concrete, scientific data the foundation of the art of Listening to Our Clients. We couldn't do that without up to the minute data - and so we track that carefully and always have it handy for you - both as visual data and downloads at the <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">Weekly Stats</a> webpage, and covered in more depth by Dupuis Team founding member Steph Dupuis, in our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w" title="Dupuis Team You Tube Channel">Weekly Housing Stats video</a>. (Please do consider subscribing, if you'd like to learn more about Kitsap real estate!)
People serious in the short term about listing or buying a home in Kitsap, are going to be most interested in those current sales stats: where are housing prices RIGHT NOW? And that's totally fair - that's the bottom line for these folks. But of more interest for people who aren't quite ready to pull the trigger on moving to Kitsap, it may be about more than Today's Median Housing Prices.
Of course, there's no denying that housing prices have gone through the roof all over Puget Sound in the last couple decades. And while it's fair to say that the King County area - the focus of the recent tech boom - is probably always going to be more expensive, giving Kitsap an affordability edge (while King county remains quite <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">accessible to commuters via ferry</a>) it may be instructive to view each area through the lens of growth RATE . . . how fast have relative prices risen, over time?
For starters, it's worth noting that we've continued to see a little growth here in Kitsap, <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/king-county-home-prices-dropped-as-coronavirus-squelched-activity-but-now-the-market-may-be-picking-up/" target="_blank">compared to King</a>, over this time last year:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap3.jpg" alt="Puget Sound Compared" title="Puget Sound Compared" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1000" height="749" />
The linked article largely attributes the decline in sales (and sales prices) in King county to having been one of the epicenters of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic - something that hit Kitsap much more gently.
And prices are undeniably higher in Kitsap, reflecting our ongoing low inventory. <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/02/10/kitsaps-housing-crunch-continues-home-prices-soar/4695596002/" target="_blank">This article from the Kitsap Sun</a>, written pre-pandemic restrictions, discusses the realities we've also been bringing to you in our blog and YouTube broadcasts.
But let's take a hard look at the rates of growth. These two graphs, which are interactive at their origin sites on the Federal Bank of St. Louis' website for <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53035A#0" target="_blank">Kitsap</a> and <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53033A#0" target="_blank">King</a> counties respectively, are set to show Annual Rate Change in median house pricing. Remember that a number above zero indicates a climbing number, and a figure below zero means dropping rate - these aren't the actual housing prices, just the rate at which they are changing. (You can really see some interesting info if you click on Edit Graph, on the linked pages - you can see the raw housing prices, and more. Slide your cursor along the graph to see how the numbers are changing.)
<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53035A#0" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap4.jpg" alt="House Price Index for Kitsap - rate of change" title="House Price Index for Kitsap - rate of change" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1165" height="763" /></a>
<a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/ATNHPIUS53033A#0" target="_blank"><img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-11-Comparing-Kitsap5.jpg" alt="House Price Index for King County - rate of change" title="House Price Index for King County - rate of change" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1164" height="756" /></a>
Note that the scale in the Kitsap graph only goes to 20, compared to King's 25. Note also that we continue to be in a gentle increase here in Kitsap, which is exactly the sort of growth economists teach are healthy for a community. Wild increases in growth may seem exciting to those who benefit from a boom economy, but it can have wildly unpredictable fringes - low and middle income housing becomes more and more difficult to obtain, labor crises tend to follow - and we haven't seen those same crunches in Kitsap, despite the challenges we already know exist (namely, LOW INVENTORY . . . so go ahead and list your house, if you were considering!)
We would love to discuss these and other Kitsap housing particulars with you - and of course, your own unique housing needs - anytime, here at Dupuis Team. Please give us a call - we continue to be 100% open for business, through all of the stay home/stay healthy restrictions, and are happy to tell you how we've been meeting those challenges as well. Our contact info is below, we look forward to hearing from you!2020-06-11T12:15:00-07:002020-06-11T12:27:15-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3745The Fair Housing Act of 1968: Improving Our Kitsap Neighborhoods Forever
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-06/2020-06-04-Fair-Housing.jpg" alt="Fair Housing Act of 1968 - Improving Kitsap Neighborhoods Forever!" title="Fair Housing Act of 1968 - Improving Kitsap Neighborhoods Forever!" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="800" /><a href="https://www.pexels.com/@nappy?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels" target="_blank">Photo credit: Nappy @ Pexels</a>
In 1968, the Fair Housing Act became a part of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, expanding protections for people of color and other discriminated classes when it comes to where they choose to live. These protections included the rights of people when came to the sale, rental, or financing of properties.
The absence of those protections is a chapter of our history we never want to see repeated: it was legal to deny mortgages to women, people of color, Jews, Muslims, disabled persons . . . any class of citizen a lender might wish to exclude. Furthermore, lenders could exclude areas on a map they considered "high risk" (almost certainly any non-white community.) Failure to obtain a home loan largely means failure to become a homeowner for most people, in years gone by just as surely as today. It was an effective tool in keeping segregation alive.
Kitsap, though not as diverse as tech-heavy King county, is impressively diverse for a relatively remote, rural county. We can largely thank our military neighbors and their supporting industries (and our access to easy ferry travel to King county) for this positive effect. At Dupuis Team, these factors are among some of the leading reasons we personally love Kitsap - the balance of natural and urban; the distance vs. access to Seattle; and the presence of our worldly, traveled, storied military neighbors and the professionals who support them at the Shipyard and so on.
We have always had modest neighborhoods mixed side by side with more expansive homes, adding to a very egalitarian feel to the community that can be lacking in other areas. Waterfront views are not the exclusive domain of million dollar real estate - and we embrace that ideal. We would like to think these inherent factors of life in Kitsap, have helped support the diversity we enjoy in our smaller county.
As real estate professionals who can claim the title of Realtor®, we not only <a href="https://www.warealtor.org/resources/member-resources/news-articles/sub-news-article/2018/04/17/realtors-commemorate-50th-anniversary-of-fair-housing-act" target="_blank">embrace the ideals of home ownership for all</a> - we are actually <a href="https://www.kw.com/kw/fairhousing" target="_blank">held to the ideals of non-discrimination by the Fair Housing Act</a> by law. We must <a href="https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/1994/07-23/296622_fair_housing__ads_can__39_t_use.html" target="_blank">present listings with marketing</a> that does not use any restricted language that might convey discrimination, we cannot discriminate in which properties we show clients, and so on. This responsibility is one we take very, very seriously. The bottom line is that improved housing choices for all, mean improved communities for all - and we stand by that ideal, every day.
We are here to serve our clientele as advisors to their housing search. Fair housing goes so much further than simply finding the right house in a search process free from discrimination. <a href="https://www.nar.realtor/fair-housing/fair-housing-program/what-everyone-should-know-about-equal-opportunity-housing" target="_blank">A good half of our job is to know real estate law inside and an out</a>, and we are happy to be a resource to anyone who feels any aspect of their real estate transaction has suffered discrimination - appraisal, inspection, lending, etc.
We stand by the Fair Housing Act as a foundation of modern American culture and life, and especially feel passionate about seeing it implemented with every single purchase in Kitsap. We want to make our commitment to diverse clientele known, during our current times of social upheaval. It's Pride month too - something sadly set aside for the most part this year, due to bans on large gatherings and celebrations, but also somewhat necessarily eclipsed by developing unrest. We are reminded of the chaos that was Stonewall - but the good that has eventually come from that, and it offers us all resolve and peace. We all commit to whatever we can each do personally for progress, and recommit to the tools available to us professionally on our behalf of our clientele.
At Dupuis Team, we happily serve clients from all backgrounds and walks of life. Please do not hesitate to call on any of us, for a warm welcome to Kitsap County.2020-06-04T12:30:00-07:002021-01-05T14:36:13-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3699How Much Is Kitsap Growing?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-05/2020-05-21-Population.jpg" alt="Kitsap Population" title="Kitsap Population" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="798" />
Whether you're already living in Kitsap and looking for a local real estate change, or are someone thinking of moving here, you may wonder exactly how many neighbors you have. It's especially on everyone's mind in a Census year like this one - and more so, when we wonder if current events surrounding COVID-19 will ultimately impact our Kitsap population. We've thankfully been largely spared the impact seen in more urban areas, despite our proximity to an outbreak hotspot - which means any population shift will be due to economic factors forcing people away, or desirability factors attracting people (that is to say, not DIRECTLY caused by the pandemic itself.)
This very question led us to look back at population in Kitsap county for the last century or so. We've had a really interesting history, including very early settlement by <a href="https://www.visitkitsap.com/native-americans" target="_blank">Native American tribes</a>, <a href="http://pugetsoundblogs.com/farm-to-fork/2011/05/20/then-and-now/" target="_blank">farming expansion in the 1800's and early 1900's</a>, followed by serious industrial expansion with the <a href="https://www.historylink.org/File/5579" target="_blank">arrival of the shipyard </a>and especially its military support of the world wars. Lately, many locals attribute continued growth in the area to both a strong ongoing local military presence, and an attractive cost of living compared to life across Puget Sound. We are all very much looking forward to the numbers from the current census!
We drew up a quick population growth chart, based on the numbers from the <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/kitsapcountywashington/PST045219" target="_blank">US Census pages:</a>
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-05/Kitsap_Population.png" alt="Chart of Kitsap County Population, 1900-2019" title="Chart of Kitsap County Population, 1900-2019" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="979" height="511" />
The blue line is fairly self evident - that is the growth of Kitsap county population, from our census records (the last data point is estimated by the census bureau, for 2019.) The green line, percentage change - the growth rate - is a little harder to read as a line graph, but it's interesting to track alongside the actual population count. Just remember that anything above 0% is GROWTH, even if the line is trending downward for a given decade: it just means growth was slower one decade, than the last. The only decade growth declined - was below 0% - was in 1930, when the population fell about 7% compared to 1920. Percentage changes will be greater when the actual numbers are smaller, so that is why growth was so much more, early on - they were working with very small numbers initially. With the exception of the modest decline nearly 100 years ago, Kitsap has really been all about the growth! With costs continuing to be astronomical elsewhere, it's almost certain we will continue to see this influx.
You'll notice that the growth rate itself is trending downward slightly. Remember that just as the growth rate was exaggerated when the population was tiny, this is not an indicator that people are not moving to Kitsap - it just means that as our numbers grow, the apparent rate at which that is happening seems slower overall. We are, as the blue line indicates, growing pretty steadily.
How does this relate to Kitsap real estate now? Well, it sure explains our ongoing low inventory! We have buyers left and right - and if you want to sell, we highly encourage you to go ahead and do what you need to do, in order to get the house listed. We project that prices are at a peak right now, for those who wish to sell in the near future. If you haven't caught <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w" target="_blank">our recent You Tube videos</a>, do give a few a watch: they cover these sorts of topics and more, and you'll want to have that deeper understand of the local market as you dive in yourself.
If you'd like to talk about Kitsap, or are considering a real estate transaction - give us a ring at Dupuis Team real estate today. We remain 100% open, and things continue to be quite brisk in local sales! We look forward to hearing from you soon!2020-05-21T16:30:00-07:002020-05-21T16:39:37-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3669Kitsap Area Living: Highlights from Dupuis Team<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-05/2020-05-14-Kitsap-Highlights.jpg" alt="Kitsap Area Highlights" title="Kitsap Area Highlights" style="border: 1px solid black; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="1200" height="596" />
We took a minute to pause here at Dupuis Team recently, and wow - we've really stacked up more than a few articles, chock full of original content, highlighting everything we love about living in the Kitsap area! We think as real estate season kicks into high gear, it might be a good time to circle them all up into one helpful post:
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/natural-attractions-of-kitsap/" target="_blank">Natural Attractions of Kitsap</a> - parks and reserves in our area, where you can enjoy nature.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/its-a-kitsap-dogs-life/" target="_blank">It's a Kitsap Dog's Life </a>- guide to living with a dog in Kitsap, a very dog-friendly area.<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/its-a-kitsap-dogs-life/" target="_blank"></a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/the-truth-about-kitsap-area-weather/" target="_blank">The Truth About Kitsap Weather</a> - find out what it's really like here, day to day.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/military-life-in-the-kitsap-area/" target="_blank">Military Life in the Kitsap Area</a> - Kitsap is homebase for many military units, members, their families, and civilian workers. Read here for how this works out as a community.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">Got Kids? Kitsap Offers Wide Educational Choices</a> - exploring options and resources for education in Kitsap.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/so-whats-the-traffic-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">What's Traffic REALLY Like in Kitsap?</a> - Actually, it's one of the better things, even when it's bad. Read up for how we compare.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/relocating-to-the-kitsap-area-time-for-a-road-trip/" target="_blank">Relocating to the Kitsap Area? Time for a Road Trip!</a> - You can see a lot on a short visit. Be sure to consider possible closings in the short term, due to the stay at home order.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/thriving-in-the-kitsap-area-rainy-day-survival-kit/" target="_blank">Thriving in Kitsap: A Rainy Day Survival Guide</a> - We all know what to do with a little liquid sunshine.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/arts-and-culture-in-kitsap-a-real-treasure/" target="_blank">Arts and Culture in Kitsap</a> - We have a surprisingly thriving scene!
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/dupuis-team-focus-updated-and-restyled-recommended-contractor-list/" target="_blank">Contractors We Love in Kitsap</a> - If you're buying a Kitsap home, you need our list
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/gardening-in-kitsap-good-for-everyone/" target="_blank">Gardening in Kitsap</a> - something for everyone!
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-backyard-chickens/" target="_blank">Backyard Chickens in Kitsap</a> - we've got the scoop!
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/backyard-habitat-for-kitsap-homeowners/" target="_blank">Backyard Habitat in Kitsap</a> - how to encourage native plants and animals
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/exploring-delivery-services-in-kitsap-staying-safe-by-staying-home/" target="_blank">Delivery Services in Kitsap</a> - especially helpful during the Stay at Home order.
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/what-is-it-like-to-commute-via-ferry/" target="_blank">What's It Like to Commute by Ferry?</a> - share our enthusiasm for this great lifestyle choice!
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-area-a-photographers-dream/" target="_blank">Kitsap - A Photographer's Dream</a> - check out the reasons we love to go on photo safaris, right here in our own backyards
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/kitsap-locavore-exploring-the-local-food-scene/" target="_blank">Kitsap Locavore - Exploring the Local Food Scene</a> - we are passionate about excellent, local food!
In addition, we break down Kitsap area buying in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlT_1_PDatwRSHjcrANK-w/" target="_blank">our YouTube channel</a> in a much more granular and accessible way, with a couple videos every week - we'd love to have you stop by, and subscribe to keep up with future releases.
Give us a ring today, and we'd love to share more about what we love about the Kitsap area. As always, we are open during the Stay at Home order and can assist you with your real estate transaction in whatever way your circumstances dictate.2020-05-14T11:00:00-07:002020-05-14T11:07:54-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3658Military Monday: Kitsap Near-Base Properties Are NICE!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-05/2020-05-11-Military-Kitsap-Nice-Properties.jpg" alt="Housing near Kitsap Military Bases is Really Nice!" title="Housing near Kitsap Military Bases is Really Nice!" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Something that may not be "common knowledge" to a lot of people raised and living in the civilian sector - and also away from Puget Sound - is that in many (most?) stateside military base locales, the property near the bases is typically considered something to avoid. In many areas, it is beset by poverty, crime, neglect, and blight. It becomes doubly frustrating to military families, as they must increase their travel distance in order to live in a decent area, should they wish or need to live off base. While one hopes that investors will revitalize the area, that is not usually a great way for military families to spend their housing money in the here and now, and must live where they buy.
Happily, this is not a concern should you find yourself assigned to one of the Kitsap area units. The units themselves are centrally located in Kitsap - largely at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard, or at Naval Submarine Base Bangor (just outside Silverdale) - which means that driving times are excellent from all over the county. School districts are quite good, no matter where you land. And while some areas of Port Orchard and Bremerton are a bit gritty - it's the sort of thing that varies from street to street, not the miles and miles of blight you'll see in other areas. It's hardly restricted to the areas immediately ringing the bases, like you'll see in other locales. It helps that our bases are themselves plopped right down on gorgeous sites - the views and the settings cannot be beat! That definitely helps keep the adjacent community feel.<br /><br />And perhaps more to the point - these slightly older, grittier areas remain some of the very best values in the area in terms of "fixer upper" properties, with great potentials for resale profits. Those streets are all undergoing a great deal of renewal activity within the last few years, bringing in higher quality tenants in rental units, and owner-occupied fixer uppers in the others - both things that drive down crime, litter, and blight type quality of life issues. (In fact, military renters are very popular in these refreshed neighborhoods, as they can generally afford to pay a bit more rent for nicer, updated housing. It's a point to consider, should you decide to buy now and rent out the property when you transfer.)
If a fixer-upper is not what you have in mind, it's fine! <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/property-search/search-form/" target="_blank">You will find a great deal to pick from</a> in family-friendly housing, still just a few minutes' commute. Even at the outer reaches of the Kitsap area, commute times to the bases will be about 30 minutes. When you consider that the geographical area of Kitsap is roughly the same as the greater Seattle area . . . you'll appreciate what a lack of traffic we experience in the West Puget Sound area.
If your military orders have you looking for housing in the Kitsap area this transfer season, please give us a call at Dupuis Team. We are open and as busy as ever during the shutdown, thanks to great remote tech. We have agents well versed in the needs of military life, including team members who have served on active duty themselves. We have a great network of military friendly vendors for all the details that will go into your real estate transaction, from finding the right <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/military-monday-the-big-scoop-on-va-housing-loans/" target="_blank">VA housing loan broker</a>, to <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/recommended-contractors/" target="_blank">contractors for a home improvements</a>. We look forward to hearing from you!2020-05-11T11:15:00-07:002020-05-11T11:16:19-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3645Kitsap Locavore: Exploring the Local Food Scene<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-05/2020-05-06-Locavore.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Exploring Local Kitsap Food Scene" title="Exploring Local Kitsap Food Scene" width="1200" height="800" />
Honestly, we can't entirely claim a great Local Food scene for ourselves here in Kitsap: it would be a disingenuous claim here in the abundant Puget Sound area. Indeed, most of Puget Sound has a great Local Food scene. Which is how it SHOULD be - no need to travel great distances, to get great food everywhere. Local food means the money stays local, and less resources are expended to move it from farm to plate.
Kitsap (and its immediately adjacent areas) does itself proud, nonetheless. It's especially impressive considering the smallish population of our side of the Sound - about 270,000 people in Kitsap, and roughly another 90,000 in the adjacent counties of Mason and Jefferson. Combined, it's less than a third of the number who live in partially rural Snohomish County across the water - never mind King and Pierce counties, with their combined totals of 3.25 million.
With these relatively sparse numbers, we still manage to have a thriving local food scene, thanks to the enthusiasm of the local farms and fisheries, and the local residents who passionately support them, across a number of venues. Many local restaurants patronize farms either directly at the source, or through co-ops and farmer's markets. We have some local supermarkets that feature local foods, and consumers themselves are welcomed at many local farms. Several of our communities host thriving farmer's markets throughout the warmer months, giving weekly access to that which is freshest and in season. Several farms offer produce "farmshare" options, where an annual subscription will yield bags of whatever is in season for your family. And finally, quarantine needs notwithstanding, several communities boast some great food-oriented festivals as well. Be sure to check with organizers and owners for scheduled visiting times (or postponement) until social distancing is lifted.
If you're interested in learning more, great resources include:
<a href="http://kitsapag.org/" target="_blank">The Kitsap Community Agricultural Alliance </a>- this organization is responsible for the <a href="http://kitsapag.org/ckfarmersmarket/" target="_blank">Central Kitsap Farmer's Market</a>, among other community offerings like workshops and special events.<a href="http://kitsapag.org/" target="_blank"> </a>
The <a href="http://kitsapfood.coop/" target="_blank">Kitsap Food Co-op</a> established itself with a brick and mortar presence in Bremerton last year, after having been a conventional pick-up style co-op. They offer fresh, local produce and other products, as well as events and education.
Established weekly farmer's markets include: <a href="https://portofkingston.org/event/kingston-farmers-market-on-the-cove-4-3-7/" target="_blank">Kingston</a>, <a href="https://bremertonmarket.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Bremerton</a>, <a href="http://kitsapag.org/ckfarmersmarket/" target="_blank">Silverdale</a>, <a href="https://www.bainbridgeislandfarmersmarket.com/" target="_blank">Bainbridge Island</a>, <a href="https://www.poulsbofarmersmarket.org/" target="_blank">Poulsbo</a>, and <a href="http://www.pofarmersmarket.com/" target="_blank">Port Orchard</a> - hint: check their vendor lists for additional resources not mentioned here!
Local farms with well established farm stands, farmer's market presences, and/or CSA's include: <a href="https://aroundthetablefarm.com/" target="_blank">Around the Table Farm</a> in Poulsbo; <a href="https://petalandpitchfork.com/" target="_blank">Petal and Pitchfork</a> in Poulsbo; <a href="https://www.pheasantfields.com/" target="_blank">Pheasant Fields Farm</a> in Silverdale;
Specialty food outfits include <a href="https://crimsoncove.com/" target="_blank">Crismson Cove Smoked Foods</a> in Poulsbo, and too many bakeries and such to list - we're really lucky! Check out the Visit Kitsap list of <a href="https://www.visitkitsap.com/eat-and-drink" target="_blank">Breweries</a> and <a href="https://www.visitkitsap.com/vineyards-wineries" target="_blank">Wineries</a>, too! (Honorable near-Kitsap mention: <a href="https://www.finnriver.com/" target="_blank">Finnriver Farm & Cidery</a>!)
<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-tiny-but-mighty-olympia-oyster-regains-a-foothold-in-washington-waters/" target="_blank">Oysters are on the rebound</a> in Puget Sound waters, and beyond. Locally, look to <a href="https://suquamishseafoods.com/" target="_blank">Suquamish Seafood</a> in Poulsbo - look especially to nearby Sequim or <a href="https://hamahamaoysters.com/" target="_blank">Hoods Canal</a>.
Ask your favorite suppliers if they are featured in any local restaurants - it can be a great way to discover a new-to-you Farm to Table style eatery. (Many are doing takeout through quarantine!)
If there's one thing besides real estate we love to discuss at Dupuis Team, it would have to be food! We grow food, love to patronize the resources listed above, and are passionate about the impressive Kitsap food scene. Give us a ring, we'd love to talk over your plans to come join us in this abundant area!2020-05-07T13:45:00-07:002020-05-07T13:49:36-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3586Kitsap Area: A Photographer's Dream!<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-04/2020-04-30-Kitsap-Photography-Dream.jpg" alt="Kitsap is a Photography Dream" title="Kitsap is a Photography Dream" style="border: 1px solid black;" width="1200" height="800" />
Whether you enjoy photography from behind the camera or via a well-traveled Instagram account of others' captured shots, the Kitsap area offers rich subject matter. We are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty, wildlife, cityscapes, and intriguing human subjects. Very often the intersection of these, defines the very thing we find compelling about calling Kitsap home - our loved ones, against the wild vignettes right outside our doors . . . or a view of the very urban Bremerton waterfront, with orcas sliding past.
That hobby (or more than a few professional!) photographers can find this subject matter minutes from home is unique here: we live (affordably!) close to the creature comforts of our Kitsap cities, but have the wild right at our fingertips as well. We are spoiled indeed, in this sense! No long drives involved, which is doubly good right now, when travel is discouraged.
Photography has emerged as an expressive art form many are finding especially compatible with the needs of social distancing during this particular time as well - no harm in pointing your camera at distant subjects, and a zoom lens makes it seem like you're Right There.
If you're wanting to visit more of our Kitsap beauty without leaving your quarantine, we suggest a few of our favorite Instagram Kitsap related hashtags that will send you down countless rabbit holes of photography pleasure . . . until the travel limitations are lifted, this may indeed be one of the most intimate ways to experience Kitsap County sights and people.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/bainbridgephotographer/" target="_blank">#bainbridgephotgrapher</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/kitsapphotographer/" target="_blank">#kitsapphotographer</a>
<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/#poulsbophotographer" target="_blank">#poulsbophotographer</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/silverdalephotographer/" target="_blank">#silverdalephotographer</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/pugetsoundphotographer/" target="_blank">#pugetsoundphotographer</a>
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/kitsappeninsula/" target="_blank">#kitsappeninsula</a>
If you're thinking of making beautiful Kitsap County your own home (and perhaps photography headquarters!) give us a ring at Dupuis Team realty. We can get the process started for you right now - <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/sensible-precautions-for-your-real-estate-affairs-covid-19/" target="_blank">we are 100% open during the stay at home order</a> thanks to some fancy remote capabilities. We continue to take new listings, and schedule clients for closings! (Make sure you add <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dupuis_team/" target="_blank">#DupuisTeam</a> to your Instagram feed, while you're perusing those pics!)2020-04-30T12:30:00-07:002020-04-30T12:35:12-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3508Dupuis Team: Our Amazing Clients<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-04/2020-04-24-Grateful-for-Clientsv2.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Grateful for our clients!" title="Grateful for our clients!" width="1200" height="834" />
Here at Dupuis Team, we continuously cannot believe our good luck: we seriously get the best clients. We get referrals from happy clients, and get the privelege of turning those folks into happy clients, too. And this isn't selling office supplies or socks . . . this is your home. You let us inside your Next Big Dream, when you come to us to talk real estate.
Maybe you're looking to add some space because your family is getting bigger - maybe you're looking to sell and do something entirely different for awhile. Maybe your job locale has shifted, and you need your home to reflect that new commute - or need for home office space. Heck, we've had more than a few clients who are in that category euphemistically called "making relationship changes" - but the truth is sometimes our clients even come to us with broken hearts, stomped flat. (Doesn't it seem unfair that you have to look for a house just then, too?) All of these folks think to ring us up, and let us know what they need - and it's truly a privelege, and we take it seriously.
We are so grateful for the amazing people behind each of these stories - everyone is looking for home, or else looking to hand off their home to the next best family. We wouldn't be in any other business, and all of you make it worthwhile. Thank you so much, especially during times like this.2020-04-24T14:45:00-07:002020-04-24T14:50:06-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3439What Is It Like to Commute Via Ferry?<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-04/2020-04-15-2020-Ferry-Commute.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Seattle Ferry Commute to Kitsap" title="Seattle Ferry Commute to Kitsap" width="1200" height="675" />
Those of us who live around Puget Sound - our magnificent Salish Sea - are quite familiar with the sight of the white and green state ferries sliding gracefully from point to point. (In fact, we're missing them quite a lot during the Stay at Home order right now - they've temporarily slowed the schedule, too.) The inexpensive transport for people, cars, and goods facilitates what would otherwise make life in the Kitsap area seem quite a bit more remote.
For those on the Seattle side, ferries tend to be viewed as leisure travel - a way to visit the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas for recreation and getaways. (And we encourage that wholeheartedly!) On the Kitsap side, we tend to view the ferries more as a necessary transport artery - it saves a great deal of driving, and connects us to some of the more specialized services and goods a metro area like Seattle can offer.
For a surprising number of people, it's more akin to commuting on light rail in communities with that sort of infrastructure: they leave their cars at home on the Kitsap side, and either bike, bus, Uber, or walk to work on the Seattle side. The very existence of our wonderful ferry service makes Kitsap a true suburb to King county, and one you might find yourself considering in the near future.<br /><br />Many people are finding themselves needing to realign their financial picture right now.. It's become a common fact of life lately, and encompasses nearly all facets of our financial lives: housing, transport, acquiring goods - everything.
We know many in the greater Seattle area may find themselves feeling overextended with their housing right now. People may have purchased a house at fairly top-market prices recently, and find the monthly upkeep to be lot more than they wish to handle in their current circumstances.
One solution we are hearing more and more buyers consider, is selling the Seattle area home, and converting equity into a much more affordable (and probably bigger/nicer for the buck!) Kitsap area home - while maintaining their employment ties on the King County side.
Already a popular choice for many, the ferry route commute has a great deal to recommend it. Once you are on board the ferry, you have between a half hour (to Bainbridge or Kingston) and an hour (Bremerton.) (The ferry also goes from West Seattle to the Port Orchard area - Southworth - sometimes stopping at Vashon Island. Time is in the same range, depending on the stop.) That's right, there are FOUR disembarkation points in Kitsap, that connect directly to greater Seattle.
It's really very easy and quick to get where you want to go on the Kitsap side - and more to the point: the time is usually VERY similar to what one might spend driving on the metro freeways, commuting to King, Snohomish, and Pierce county suburbs.
Especially if you are taking the ferry on foot, cost often ends up less than for driving your own car on an East sound commute. In fact, the trip from the west side back to Seattle is free for foot and auto passengers (cars are charged fare each way, however.) Your auto insurance is less if you are putting fewer miles on it every year, and it will retain value better without high miles. The ferry option really starts to shine, when you add up all those savings!
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-04/2020-04-15-2020-Ferry-Commute2.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Seattle Ferry Commute to Kitsap" title="Seattle Ferry Commute to Kitsap" width="1200" height="606" />
The trip itself can really be a pleasure. The protected Sound waters are usually quite smooth, it's rare to experience wave activity. The ferries offer wi-fi, cafeteria snacks, and wine and beer. A common sight on the evening ferries is neighbors and friends congregating on the dining deck, unwinding with a drink at the end of the work day - it has the feel of old time pub life, stopping in for a pint on the way home. Another popular way to use the ferry transit time: napping! Two activities you definitely can't indulge while stuck on I-405: napping, and a cold one.
The screaming value over here in Kitsap, however, is the housing market - the whole point to your ferry commute. Our <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/about/weekly-market-stats/" target="_blank">median home price</a> has been hovering around $375 - 400K, depending on the week (and whether or not you exclude the somewhat pricier Bainbridge Island homes.) That is easily half the current median price in Seattle of around $755K, <a href="https://www.zillow.com/seattle-wa/home-values/" target="_blank">according to Zillow </a>at the time of this article. This translates very obviously into much more affordable outlay for those with mortgages. (<a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/communities/" target="_blank">Give today's inventory a look</a>!) <br /><br />We have <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/got-kids-kitsap-offers-wide-educational-choices/" target="_blank">wonderful schools</a>, and a lifestyle <a href="https://www.findkitsapcountyhomes.com/blog/so-whats-the-traffic-like-in-kitsap/" target="_blank">free of the traffic</a>, bustle, and congestion that goes with East Sound living. We are surrounded by unbelievable natural beauty - honestly, you can see why we are the local daytrip and getaway destination.
If you are thinking a Kitsap address to go with your Seattle job might be in your future, please give us a call at Dupuis Team. We are 100% open during the Stay at Home order thanks to some innovative listing, showing, and closing techniques, and we would love to give you a hand! We wish you smooth seas, as you're Kitsap-bound:
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-04/2020-04-15-2020-Ferry-Commute3.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Seattle Ferry Commute to Kitsap" title="Seattle Ferry Commute to Kitsap" width="1200" height="699" />2020-04-15T12:30:00-07:002020-04-16T15:45:11-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3418Exploring Delivery Services in Kitsap: Staying Safe by Staying Home<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-04/2020-04-08-Delivery.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Delivery During COVID-19 Crisis" title="Delivery During COVID-19 Crisis" width="undefined" height="undefined" />
A recent <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/04/08/kitsap-restaurants-delivery-pick-up-ordering-washington-coronavirus/2957708001/" target="_blank">Kitsap Sun article</a> reminded us how much we appreciate our small, local businesses in this area. So many little restaurants and services have banded together to make takeout and delivery a reality for people who are abiding by the stay at home order. We can both stay home to curb the spread of COVID-19, and be supportive of the businesses so affected by current events - every little bit helps!
Services like DoorDash, Instacart, and UberEats have become similarly indispensible to folks right now. It makes minimizing travel, more of a reality for more of the population. Most are emphasizing no-contact delivery right now, which is possible especially using apps that handle payment and tipping without a need to connect personally with your delivery person.<br /><br />We'd like to <a href="https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/news/2020/03/29/coronavirus-washington-food-delivery-apps-guide-ubereats-grubhub-kitsap/2933539001/" target="_blank">share this great article</a> (also from the Kitsap Sun) with tips about using the various services, and how they each work. Threre were a couple that were new to us! It's a great help if you're new to this sort of home delivery. Give it a whirl - we expect these delivery services are going to stay popular, once so many people realize exactly how convenient they are for daily life! And do see if your favorite restaurant is doing any sort of takeout right now - they will love to hear from you!<br /><br />We're proud at DupuisTeam to be a part of a community like Kitsap - we a enjoy semi-rural, small-scale lifestyle, yet have these bigger-city ammenities (like app-based delivery service) flourishing in our midst! It's certainly yet another piece of why we call Kitsap home. If you're interested in the area please give us a ring - we'd love to talk it over with you!2020-04-08T18:00:00-07:002020-04-08T18:21:43-07:00Dupuis Teamtag:findkitsapcountyhomes.com,2012-09-20:3100Backyard Habitat for Kitsap Homeowners<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-03/2020-03-30-Backyards.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; border: 1px solid black;" alt="Kitsap Area Backyards" title="Kitsap Area Backyards" width="1200" height="800" />
<a href="https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/cities_detail.aspx?i=35" target="_blank">Kitsap County</a> has some <a href="https://www.historylink.org/File/7864" target="_blank">really interesting history</a>! The Suquamish people are thought to have settled this area about 5,000 years ago. Capt. Vancouver, an Englishman, visited the area we call Puget sound in 1792, and the first colonizers established a mill in what is now Kingston in 1852. Back then, this area was called "The Great Peninsula" of Washington Territory. <br /><br />Farms and logging industry flourished, and with it - a whole lot of growing whatever people wanted to stick in the ground. As settlers flocked here from points east, they brought with them plants that reminded them of the homes they left, and established gardens that looked like familiar landscapes. The greater Puget Sound area is known for being an easy place to garden - we have very fertile soil, reliable and free water just falling right out of the sky, and mild seasons - our "hot" weather isn't that extreme and doesn't last . . . and similarly, neither does our "coldest" weather. We can thank all that nearby water for our temperate days, it's a great regulator!
One less-than-stellar long term effect of this has been that we have areas that have been decimated by non-native, <a href="https://extension.wsu.edu/kitsap/noxious/" target="_blank">invasive plants</a> - to the detriment of our native species. There has been a great deal of public information made available, and people are starting now to question what they plant in their own areas of responsibility.
On the other hand, we still have some things living here that have been devastating. Three of the most of the most visible include Scotchbroom, English Ivy, and Himilayan Blackberries. The latter two are both vines that aggressively overtake woodlands, and can kill forested area in a few decades. They choke out native undergrowth and meadows, leaving less habitat for wildlife. In turn, these things reshape the lay of the land, the health of streams, and more.
You can help, though - starting in your own backyard! The very first step is to familiarize yourself with everything that is presently growing in your yard. Take your time to make a plotted map of your property, and note trees, bedding plants, garden areas, lawn, and overgrown areas. If you are unsure of the species at hand, try a free plant identification app on your smartphone. (Two popular ones to try: PlantSnap and PictureThis - both available in iOs and Android. Both work via your camera, identifying the actual plant or tree in your yard.)
Next step is to work on eliminating known invasive species. The only solutions really are pulling everything out by the roots, and burning in a brush pile. They cannot be composted, for fear they will just propogate in the compost (rather than decompose.)
When planning your new invasive-free landscape, it's ideal to consider native plants. The Washington Native Plant Society maintains a county-by-county database that lists plants to pick from. At the time of this posting, <a href="https://www.wnps.org/plant-lists/county?Kitsap" target="_blank">the Kitsap list included over 350 plants</a>! That's a lot of variety to include in your own little lice of ecosystm, your Kitsap home! You can be assured they will thrive here, as they have adapted to our climate and locale over eons. It further serves to support habitat for other native birds, insects, and so on.
If you choose to include non-native plants, it can be done with caution. Just be sure to limit your choices to plants that are know to coexist nicely, and not spread aggresively. They certainly exist, but it takes some research to understand your own particular slice of the ecosystem, and microclimate. You may have to experiment a bit and see what will thrive among your native plants, and what needs culling if it seems to be overly aggressive in your garden.<br /><br />One of the most amazing examples of the sort of gardening that can be accomplished in this area - mixing both wonderful local samples with worldwide flora - is <a href="https://www.albersvistagardens.org/" target="_blank">Albers Vista Gardens</a>. They have some wonderful photo galleries online, and they offer tours (contact them directly first due to current coronavirus concerns - info on the website is a bit out of date.)
<img src="https://assets.site-static.com/userfiles/1128/image/Images_blog/2020-blogimages/2020-03/2020-03-30-KCD-logo.png" alt="Kitsap Conservation District" title="Kitsap Conservation District" style="margin: 5px; border: 1px solid black; float: left;" width="150" height="129" />Towards the efforts you can make in your own backyard, the <a href="https://kitsapcd.org/" target="_blank">Kitsap Conservation District</a> sponsors education and grants to make these changes more in reach for our neighbors, via an initiative called the <a href="https://kitsapcd.org/programs/backyard-habitat-program" target="_blank">Backyard Habitat Program</a>. Grants are available for people wishing to develop a project for their property. We encourage you to spend some time browsing their other various programs as well (give the <a href="https://kitsapcd.org/programs/raingarden-lid/rgbasics" target="_blank">Rain Garden</a> project a look!) - they are well integrated to many aspects of life here in Kitsap!<br /><br />Whether you're looking to fix up your property for sale in the near future, or digging into that new property you just bought, considering what is invasive vs. native is the way to go. It can be an attractive point when listing a house for sale, for sure! Give us a call at Dupuis Team if we can assist with your real estate!2020-03-30T13:45:00-07:002020-03-30T13:52:10-07:00Dupuis Team