Traffic Updates at the Beach

The city has announced that it is finally moving forward with installing a new roundabout at the town’s main intersection of Point Brown Avenue & Chance A La Mer Avenue. Construction will begin soon… That doesn’t excuse bad behavior at the 4-way intersection though. While we're on the subject of driving, here are a few things to consider and remember while driving in and around Ocean Shores while we’re still in the tourist season…   

1. When you’re at one of the two 4-way intersections in town and the car or truck in front of you goes, you have to wait until the vehicles to your left, right and across the intersection go (assuming that there’s a car across from you and to your left and right). That’s not a green light that just let the car in front of you go so don't think you can follow him right away. You have to wait your turn…

2. When they put the roundabout in where the 4-way used to be, try not to take out more than one pedestrian at a time. That will really slow things down and traffic is already at a crawl as it is. If you do take out a pedestrian, please do all other drivers a favor and make sure the pedestrian is at least out of the road before you get out to make sure everyone's okay.

3. The city is not going to put signal lights at the 4-way intersections. That would be too easy and apparently costs more than the $2.9 million needed to create the roundabout…

4. The new speed limits around town aren’t permanent. It’s just a short term fix for the town’s budget crisis (more speeding tickets = more cash for the city). Once the city gets its finances under control, I’m very confident the old speed limits will come back, so don’t take it personal if a Chevy Avalanche driving behind you is getting a little close. Better yet, if you see an Avalanche behind you, just pull over and let him through. Thank you very much!

Ocean Shores Real Estate Update

I’m sure if you’ve been a regular reader of my monthly updates, you’re probably starting to think I sound like a broken record this year. I only say that because my head keeps spinning around and around when it comes time to write this monthly update. So I’m going to spare you and not go into how second home buyers are still a little reluctant to pull the trigger on making an offer on their beach getaway or how all of the lending institutions are too tight to actually loan money to well qualified buyers unless they actually have 20% to put down or how I totally believe that the bottom has come and gone and before we know it, prices are going to be on the rise. Anyway, I didn’t say any of those things. I also won’t tell you that this week alone I’ve sold 3 houses and have another 3 that I believe will get sold this weekend as it is. Buyers are calling me about listings that have just gone pending and they’re disappointed because they wanted to buy, but they waited too long….. Don’t let this be you… If you’re planning on buying at these low prices at the beach, you need to get on it. Okay, you’ve been warned.

Here are some real estate numbers and stats which apply to the Ocean Shores real estate market. All statistics are supplied from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

July Residential Sales

15 Houses sold in Ocean Shores during the month of July and as lousy as that sounds, I could restate that differently and tell you that residential sales have increased over 20% from June to July this year… since that really did happen. That’s what happens when only 12 of them sold in June. So anyway, home sales are up. Not nearly anywhere close to where they should be (25 sold last year during the same time period) anyway. The average price of a home sold in July was $202.601 which is also up. That’s good news I suppose. There are currently 29 homes that are pending in Ocean Shores right now.

There are 253 homes on the market right now versus 249 homes in June. Inventory will start dropping off in September... Average price is $228,004. Average time of the market is 139 days. One house has been for sale for 1,107 days. Yikes!

July Vacant Lot Sales
18 Lots sold in July up from 14 Lots sold in June for an average selling price of $40,050. The cheapest one was $16,000 while the most expensive one was an ocean front at $150,000. Average time on the market was 407 days. There are currently 14 lots that are pending around town.

July Condo Sales
Two condos went pending this past month and two more actually closed. Average sales price of the two that sold comes in at $335,000 and the two that went pending averaged $182,575 in price. Foot traffic is way up. Buyers are saying now that they’re going to make an offer and some actually follow through. Prices are still ridiculously low while sellers are offering more incentives and there’s easier financing options now for buyers.

BrandNewBeachHomes.com is a new real estate blog about new homes and new construction out at the beach. Take a look!

If you have any questions regarding Ocean Shores/North Coast Real Estate, call Jeff Daniel of Coldwell Banker Ocean Beach Properties at 360.581.9020 or visit my website at www.cityofoceanshores.com. Thanks!

Upcoming Events

Gospel MusicFEST

August 22, 2009
4th Annual Gospel Music Festival presented by Higher Ground Ministries. Quartet, talent showcase, endless live performances, door prizes, food booth, talented musicians and more. Bring the entire family and sing along.

Arts and Crafts Festival

September 11-13, 2009
41st annual event. Visit one of Western WA's largest indoor & outdoor handmade arts and crafts bazaars. 1,000's of unique items are showcased by gifted artists and talented craftspeople. Takes place at the Convention Center.

Paddle the Shores

September 19-20, 2009
Paddling activities on the lakes & canals. Races, poker paddle, seminars....

Beach News

This is where I've been getting mine lately: