"All Things Edmonds" Blog

The Washington State Auditor raised some red flags over lax enforcement of guidelines meant to prevent abuse of use of Edmonds School District credit cards. Parents with kids at public schools in Edmonds, WA certainly don't want to see a scandal like what the Seattle SD recently went through. The Edmonds School District and schools in Edmonds, WA in general have generally been great for our kids (and pocket books). Take this opportunity to talk with school administrators and school board members to let them know that you expect them to do as good a job keeping the books as teaching from them.

You can view the full report on enforcement of credit card use for public schools in Edmonds, WA.

Casey

My wife and I are expecting our first son this summer which, naturally, prompted some questions about the schools in Edmonds, WA and how they rate.  There are a plethora of websites and organizations out there that rate schools and school districts.  Based on the ratings of one website (www.greatschools.org), I've compiled some very broad ratings. Not comprehensive at all, so forgive the brevity!  It's just a website I happened upon that rates schools. Their criteria for rating schools is listed at the bottom of this blog post. I would love to hear your own thoughts and feedback of the schools in your own part of Edmonds. I'm sure other readers would benefit from this as well.

The average rating this website gave the eight public elementary schools in Edmonds, WA was a 7 out of 10, with the highest school receiving a 10 and the lowest school receiving a 2.  Here's the breakdown with direct links (ranking in parentheses). I didn't include private schools schools.

Elementary schools:

• Maplewood Parenting Co-op (10)
• Madrona Non-graded (9)
• Picnic Point Elementary (7)
• Seaview Elementary (7)
• Westgate Elementary (7)
• Edmonds Elementary (6)
• Serene Lake Elementary (6)
• Chase Lake Elementary (5)
• Sherwood Elementary (5)
• Mountlake Terrace Elementary (3)
• Edmonds Heights K-12 (2)

Middle schools:

• Alderwood Middle School (7)
• Meadowdale Middle School (7)
  
• Brier Terrace Middle School (6)
• College Place Middle School (6)
• Terrace Park School (4)

High schools:

• Meadowdale HS (9)
• Edmonds-Woodway HS (8)
• Mountlake Terrace HS (8)
• Lynnwood HS (7)

GreatSchools Rating Criteria:
"GreatSchools Ratings for Washington In calculating these ratings, GreatSchools analyzed the 2009-2010 Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) reading, writing, math and science results and compared them to the standardized scores of all Washington schools with the same grade levels. If there are no GreatSchools Ratings for a school, the school's test results were either not reported or incomplete. The different student groups are identified by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; if there are fewer than 10 students in a particular group in a school, data is not reported for that group. Keep in mind that when comparing schools using GreatSchools Ratings, it's important to factor in other information, including the quality of each school's teachers, the school culture, special programs, etc. GreatSchools Ratings cannot be compared across states, because of differences in the states' standardized testing programs."  -- Taken directly from their website @ http://www.greatschools.org/issues/wa/ratings.html.

Another website you may be interested in is www.schooldigger.com.

It's no surprise that with the current economic straits our various communities are in that the city of Edmonds also has issues. One ongoing issue is the lack of funds to pave our streets. Here's a good overview of what city leaders are considering. Come August, it looks like we'll be asked to vote on at least one levy to raise more money for Edmonds street maintenance and possibly parks.

Casey

In a previous post I mentioned that a new national economic study had suggested that the (national) housing market would lag the overall economic recovery.   And while it's always nice to get the "big picture" sense of how we're doing, it's also very important to localized and focus on our own area - Edmonds, WA.

One of the metrics folks use to determine the health and type of market is by calculating the level of housing inventory.  Typcially, when it is determined that there are 0-3 months worth of inventory, it's considered a seller's market. When ther are 3-6 months of inventory, it's considered a balanced market, and when there is 6 or more months of inventory in any given market, it's considered a buyers market. It's basic supply/demand economics. The less inventory there is out there (0-3 months) means that buyers will be competing for fewer homes. The more inventory there is out there (6+ months) means that there is a glut of homes to choose from.  The assumption (and downside) of this model is that it doesn't account for the number of buyers out there at any given time.  In essence, we assume the number of buyers is, therefore, always constant. 

By this metric, how healthy is the real estate market in Edmonds, WA?

As of this post, there are 158 active condo listings and 40 under contract.  Similarlry, there are 240 active single family residence (SFR) listings and 71 SFR listings currently under contract.

There are two ways we can calculate inventory: one based on sales rate (actually closed in past 30 days) and one based on pending sales (homes currently under contract but not yet closed)*. I'll do both here for kicks:

Condominiums:

• # of months inventory (sales): 19.8
• # of months inventory (pending): 4.0

SFR's:

• # of months inventory (sales): 6.5
  
• # of months inventory (pending): 5.1

By these numbers, I make one observation that is obvious to me as a Realtor and one that may be a little surprising to folks.  First, the condo market in Edmonds is horrible. It's been hit the hardest throughout the Puget Sound region and is no different here in Emdonds.  Second, our inventory level for SFR's is coming down and is starting to tread near the "balanced" market range. 

There are sellers out there thinking, "This can't be. I'm having the hardest time selling my home." Well, aside from external factors like price, condition, location and marketing efforts, remember that this model does not take into account the number of buyers currently in the market. And it's clear that the number of buyers currently house hunting is lower than in years past. 

As with many things in life, there is goods news and bad news. The good news is that the SFR market in Edmonds has done well in both maintaining value and overall housing health (relatively speaking). The bad news is that the local condo market has not fared as well.

Great time to buy; perhaps a great time to sell as well.  Or not.

Casey
Edmonds, WA

* I used only those homes that went pending in the past 30 days.

Hey Edmonds,

Are you interested in a little orcehstral fun right here in our backyard?  Rainbow City Band is relocating from Seattle's Capitol Hill area to Edmonds for the upcoming 2010-2011 concert series. Their concert series kicks off Saturday October 16th with "ENCHANTED - A Night of Disney Magic!" at the Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA). 

Join Rainbow City Band for an evening of princes, Dalmatians, beauties and beasts, as we celebrate 80 years of Disney music, including When You Wish upon a Star, the sweeping melodies of The Sorcerer's Apprentice, a suite of music from the movie Enchanted and the music of The Incredibles (cape and matching boots optional).  Tickets are available through the ECA box office at (425) 275-9595 or online at www.ec4arts.org.

Details of their first performance series:
Saturday, October 16th, 8:00 PM
Edmonds Center for the Arts
410 Fourth Ave N, Edmonds, WA
Tickets are available at http://ec4arts.org, or by calling (425)275-9595
Prices: $25, $15, ($10 for children under 12yo)

Rainbow City Band was founded in April 1998.  RCB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington. About 75 musicians belong to the band and they also have a swing band, Purple Passion, that plays throughout the year.

EDMONDS REAL ESTATE UPDATE FOR THE WEEK:

There have been 19 new listiings and 6 back on the market in the past 7 days with while nearly twice as many (35) have come off the market (2 expired, 24 pending, 8 sold and 1 canceled).  Additionally, 29 listings have reduced their price in the past week.

Reading the tea leaves...

Buyers are still in the driver's seat but Sellers with decently priced homes are still able to move inventory.  All transactions can be a "win-win" for both Buyer and Seller.  The art of real estate is to bring the parties together to that mutally agreeable point.

If you have real estate questions, I have answers.  Feel free to drop me a line for honest answers.

Casey
206.234.5611
caseybui@gmail.com

I got a flyer in the mail the other day, courtesy of the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, with happenings in Edmonds, WA for December and January. 

Here they are:

• December 8, 2009 - Edmonds Christmas Ship Sing-Along.  7pm - 7:30pm on the Edmonds Fishing Pier (425-771-0230).
• December 17, 2009 - Thursday Art Walk. 5pm - 8pm. Program downloadable at the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce website.
  
• January 21, 2010 - Thursday Art Walk.  5pm - 8pm. Program downloadable at the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce website.

We've all heard the mantra about being thankful and giving of your time, talent and resources during the holiday season. And it's true; we should. And not just in November and December but at all times.

But if this is the first time you've done something, consider giving back by thinking locally.  Here are some ways to give during Thanksgiving in Edmonds, WA:

• Annie’s Community Kitchen provides free meals from 5 to 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Edmonds Lutheran Church, 23525 84th Ave. W., Edmonds WA 98027, and needs volunteers to help prepare, serve and organize food, wash dishes and collect donated food. More info: 425-744-8090.
• Edmonds Community College Foundation, 20000 68th Ave. W., Lynnwood, WA 98036, supports access, success, and excellence for students, faculty, and staff at Edmonds Community College. Cash and vehicle donations are needed. More info: 425-640-1274 or www.foundation.edcc.edu.
• Edmonds Food Bank, 828 Caspers St., Edmonds, WA 98020, is located at Edmonds United Methodist Church. Food and cash donations are needed. Donations are accepted through the north door of the church from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. More info: 425-778-5833.
• Need some help with dinner this year?  Thanksgiving at Westgate Chapel in Edmonds is open to anyone who would otherwise spend the holiday alone or not have enough money to feed their family. This will be the 15th year that Westgate has put on this dinner. Organizers encourage attendees to arrive one hour early for hors d’ouvres and family photos. Westgate Chapel is located at 22901 Edmonds Way.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Casey

EDMONDS, WA -- Edmonds lost a city community leader in Councilmember Peggy Pritchard Olson today. Until as late as last week, she was still at her job at the City Council working on behalf of the people of Edmonds.  A complete story of her passing was written up in the Seattle Times today.

- Casey

EDMONDS, WA -- Seattle Times writer Lynn Thompson wrote a nice article on Edmonds, WA in the November 5, 2009 edition of the paper.  It focuses mainly on how the town has evolved and yet kept true to its past, with the shops and stores that have clustered around the downtown area.

It's worth the read.  Perhaps over some coffee or breakfast at your favorite eatery.