2023 Football & Hockey Schedules, Recipes & Tips…
Football is BACK and hockey is coming in hot! Scroll down for printable schedules, tailgating hacks (including how to pack the perfect cooler!), and favorite gameday recipes. Fans of all ages will also love our printable bingo sheets.
Need to brush up on your sports lingo? Check out Wikipedia’s handy football and hockey glossaries. You can say impressive things like, “Are they running a 3-4 defense?” and “It’s not icing unless the puck passes the goal line…”
We earn the trust and loyalty of our brokers and clients by doing real estate exceptionally well. The leader in our market, we deliver client-focused service in an authentic, collaborative, and transparent manner and with the unmatched knowledge and expertise that comes from decades of experience.
© Copyright 2023, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.
Favorite Summer Festivals
The sun is here and the whole PNW is celebrating! Whether it’s a fair close to home or an excuse to pack up the fam for a destination festival, I hope you get out and make the most of these fun events…
JUNE
JULY
- Seafair Summer 4th (7/4)
- Redmond Derby Days (7/14-7/15)
- Ballard Seafood Fest (7/14-7/16)
- Kirkland Uncorked (7/14-7/16)
- West Seattle Summer Fest (7/14-7/16)
- Mercer Island Summer Celebration (7/15)
- Renton River Days (7/21-7/23)
- Bite of Seattle (7/21-7/23)
- Sequim Lavender Weekend (7/21-7/23)
- Timber! Outdoor Music Festival (7/27-7/29)
- Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair (7/28-7/30)
AUGUST
- Seafair Weekend (8/4-8/6)
- Watershed at the Gorge (8/4-8/6)
- Festival at Mount Si (8/12-8/13)
- Chief Seattle Days (8/18-8/20)
- CHOMP Redmond Food Festival (8/19)
- Evergreen State Fair (8/24-9/4)
- Port Townsend THING Music/Art Festival (8/25-8/27)
SEPTEMBER
- Washington State (Puyallup) Fair (9/1-9/24)
- Bumbershoot (9/2-9/3)
- Mercer Island Art UnCorked (9/8)
- Fremont Oktoberfest (9/22-9/24)
JUNE
Fremont Fair
One of Seattle’s biggest events, this bohemian-inspired festival features 300+ craft vendors, food, beer garden, dog parade, music, and the Solstice Parade (including the unofficial but famous naked bide ride).
Saturday, June 17 & Sunday, June 18, 2023
West of Fremont Ave N, on N 35th St. and N 34th St.
Seattle PrideFest
Held in two locations (Capitol Hill & Seattle Center) this year with beer gardens, food, performances, and dancing in the Seattle Center fountain.
Saturday, June 24th – Capitol Hill
310 Broadway E | Seattle
Sunday, June 25th – Seattle Center
305 Harrison St | Seattle
JULY
SeaFair Summer Fourth
Seattle’s biggest fireworks show plus live music, family activities & beer gardens. Watch the show from free open seating or reserve a front row seat.
Tuesday, July 4th, 2023
Gates Open at 3pm, Fireworks at 10:15pm
Redmond Derby Days
Redmond’s bike-themed summer event including bicycle races, kids bike parade, carnival rides, drone light show, craft fair, arts festival, food, cornhole tourney, and live music.
Friday, July 14th & Saturday, July 15th, 2023
Ballard Seafood Fest
Live music, salmon BBQ, kids entertainment, vendors, and excellent craft beer. Don’t miss the Festi-Bowl skateboard events at Ballard Commons Park on Saturday, the 15th.
Friday, July 14th – Sunday, July 16th, 2023
2208 NW Market St | Seattle (on Market St from Leary to 24th Ave NW, and on Ballard Ave from Market St to 22nd Ave NW)
Kirkland Uncorked
Sip local wine, beer or cocktails and listen to live music in beautiful Marina Park on the water. There’s also a street fair with crafts, art, food, dog modeling contest (!), and more. Buy tickets here (proceeds benefit the Homeward Pet Adoption Center).
Friday, July 14th – Sunday, July 16th, 2023
West Seattle Summer Fest
Live bands, arts & crafts booths, outdoor cafes, beer garden, and fun Kids Zone with inflatables.
Friday, July 14th – Sunday, July 16th, 2023
The Junction, 4210 SW Oregon St | Seattle
Mercer Island Summer Celebration
Parade and lively street fair at Mercerdale Park followed by a waterfront fireworks show at Luther Burbank Park.
Saturday, July 15th, 2023
Fireworks at 10pm
Mercerdale Park Fair: 3009 77th Ave SE | Mercer Island
Luther Burbank Park (Fireworks): 2040 84th Ave SE | Mercer Island
mercerisland.gov/summercelebration
Renton River Days
Summer bazaar, parade, rubber duck derby, live music, food trucks, beer/wine gardens, activity zone, drone show, volleyball & basketball tourneys, and 5k/10k Fun Walks on the Cedar River Trail.
Friday, July 21st – Sunday, July 23rd, 2023
Bite of Seattle
200 vendors, 50+ music performances (including Sir Mix-a-Lot!), 3 beer gardens, wine garden, & more.
Friday, July 21st – Sunday, July 23rd, 2023
Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St | Seattle
Sequim Lavender Weekend
Celebrate all things lavender with tours of local farms, live music, and 150 street fair booths highlighting NW crafts & food.
Friday, July 21st – Sunday, July 23rd, 2023
Carrie Blake Park, 500 N Blake Ave | Sequim
Timber! Outdoor Music Festival
In addition to a wide range of local musicians, discover adventures like bat/bird finding expeditions, hiking, biking, tree climbing, nature painting/photography, yoga, 5K run, coffee walk, obstacle course, stargazing, fika (a Swedish morning tradition), shibori shirt dyeing, and lots of kids activities. Enjoy great food & local brews, too.
Thursday, July 27 – Saturday, July 29, 2023
Tolt-MacDonald Park, 31020 NE 40th St | Carnation
Bellevue Arts Fair
Shop from over 300 artists showcasing their handmade arts & crafts. Kids Fair, food trucks, stage performances, and free Bellevue Art Museum exhibitions, too!
Friday, July 28th – Sunday, July 30th, 2023
Bellevue Square, 510 Bellevue Way NE | Bellevue
AUGUST
Seafair Weekend
Seattle’s iconic festival featuring a spectacular airshow, hydroplane races, classic car show, live music, local food/beverages, and log boom party for boaters.
Friday, August 4th – Sunday, August 6th, 2023
Genesee Park, 4316 S Genesee St | Seattle
Watershed
If you’re a country music fan, then this destination festival at the Gorge is for you. Three days of live bands plus carnival rides, food, drinks, and camping.
Friday, August 4th – Sunday, August 6th, 2023
The Gorge Ampitheatre, 754 Silica Rd NW | Quincy
Festival at Mount Si
This street fair in scenic North Bend offers music, a parade, 5K fun run, cherry pie eating contest, and even a live chili cookoff (not to mention food and craft vendors!). Make it a day and visit the outlet mall or go hiking while you’re at it.
Saturday, August 12th & Sunday, August 13th, 2023
Si View Park, 400 SE Orchard Dr | North Bend
Chief Seattle Days
A celebration of the Suquamish people honoring Chief Seattle since 1911, this festival is now open to the public and includes canoe races, a salmon bake, 5k fun run, market, games, traditional songs & dances, and a gravesite honoring for Chief Seattle.
Friday, August 18th – Sunday, August 20th, 2023
Gravesite Honoring of Chief Seattle: 7076 NE South St | Suquamish
CHOMP Local Food Festival
A King County celebration of all that is local, sustainable, fresh…and delicious. Spend the day at beautiful Willowmoor Farm in Marymoor Park and support area farms. Live music, local food vendors, all-ages activities, and zucchini races, too!
Saturday, August 19th, 2023 from 10am to 6pm
Marymoor Park, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy NE | Redmond
Evergreen State Fair
Held each year during the 11 days leading up to Labor Day (for the past 114 years!), this fair offers a little of everything—a fun carnival with rides/games, food, shopping, contests, live events, and more.
August 24th – September 4th, 2023
(Closed Wednesday, August 30th)
THING: Music, Arts & Other Things
The ultimate destination festival, this 3-day event takes place amongst scenic sound views at Port Townsend’s historic Fort Worden (it’s even got a lighthouse!). In addition to an epic music lineup, you’ll also find art installations, workshops, and activities for all ages.
Friday, August 25th – Sunday, August 27th, 2023
200 Battery Way | Port Townsend
SEPTEMBER
Washington State (Puyallup) Fair
A September tradition, peeps all around the Sound flock to “Do the Puyallup.” You’ll find your favorite carnival rides, a concert series, rodeo, petting farm, and a plethora of exhibits & vendors.
September 1st – 24th, 2023
Bumbershoot
Seattle’s biggest music festival and a 50-year tradition. This year you’ll find a great music lineup along with everything art, dance, performances, roller skating, and…a cat circus.
Saturday, September 2nd – Sunday, September 3rd, 2023
Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St | Seattle
Mercer Island Art UnCorked
Discover Washington wine, beer & cider while you browse local artists at this outdoor event in Mercer Island’s Greta Hackett Outdoor Sculpture Gallery. Tasting garden, artist booths, live music, food trucks, and more.
Friday, September 8th, 2023 | 5-8 pm
78th Ave SE & Sunset Hwy | Mercer Island
Fremont Oktoberfest
Celebrate 100+ beers and ciders along with games, Texas Chainsaw Pumpkin Carving, and Dogtoberfest. Strictly 21+…unless you’re a dog.
Friday, September 22nd – Sunday, September 24th, 2023
© Copyright 2023, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.
Q4 2022 Western Washington Economic & Real Estate Update
The following analysis of select counties of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. I hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Regional Economic Overview
Although the job market in Western Washington continues to grow, the pace has started to slow. The region added over 91,000 new jobs during the past year, but the 12-month growth rate is now below 100,000, a level we have not seen since the start of the post-COVID job recovery. That said, all but three counties have recovered completely from their pandemic job losses and total regional employment is up more than 52,000 jobs. The regional unemployment rate in November was 3.8%, which was marginally above the 3.7% level of a year ago. Many business owners across the country are pondering whether we are likely to enter a recession this year. As a result, it’s very possible that they will start to slow their expansion in anticipation of an economic contraction.
Western Washington Home Sales
❱ In the final quarter of 2022, 12,711 homes sold, representing a drop of 42% from the same period in 2021. Sales were 34.7% lower than in the third quarter of 2022.
❱ Listing activity rose in every market year over year but fell more than 26% compared to the third quarter, which is expected given the time of year.
❱ Home sales fell across the board relative to the fourth quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of 2022.
❱ Pending sales (demand) outpaced listings (supply) by a factor of 1:2. This was down from 1:6 in the third quarter. That ratio has been trending lower for the past year, which suggests that buyers are being more cautious and may be waiting for mortgage rates to drop.
Western Washington Home Prices
❱ Sale prices fell an average of 2% compared to the same period the year prior and were 6.1% lower than in the third quarter of 2022. The average sale price was $702,653.
❱ The median listing price in the fourth quarter of 2022 was 5% lower than in the third quarter. Only Skagit County experienced higher asking prices. Clearly, sellers are starting to be more realistic about the shift in the market.
❱ Even though the region saw aggregate prices fall, prices rose in six counties year over year.
❱ Much will be said about the drop in prices, but I am not overly concerned. Like most of the country, the Western Washington market went through a period of artificially low borrowing costs, which caused home values to soar. But now prices are trending back to more normalized levels, which I believe is a good thing.
Mortgage Rates
Rates rose dramatically in 2022, but I believe that they have now peaked. Mortgage rates are primarily based on the prices and yields of bonds, and while bonds take cues from several places, they are always impacted by inflation and the economy at large. If inflation continues to fall, as I expect it will, rates will continue to drop.
My current forecast is that mortgage rates will trend lower as we move through the year. While this may be good news for home buyers, rates will still be higher than they have become accustomed to. Even as the cost of borrowing falls, home prices in expensive markets such as Western Washington will probably fall a bit more to compensate for rates that will likely hold above 6% until early summer.
Western Washington Days on Market
❱ It took an average of 41 days for homes to sell in the fourth quarter of 2022. This was 17 more days than in the same quarter of 2021, and 16 days more than in the third quarter of 2022.
❱ King County was again the tightest market in Western Washington, with homes taking an average of 31 days to find a buyer.
❱ All counties contained in this report saw the average time on market rise from the same period a year ago.
❱ Year over year, the greatest increase in market time was Snohomish County, where it took an average of 23 more days to find a buyer. Compared to the third quarter of 2022, San Juan County saw average market time rise the most (from 34 to 74 days).
Conclusions
This speedometer reflects the state of the region’s real estate market using housing inventory, price gains, home sales, interest rates, and larger economic factors.
The regional economy is still growing, but it is showing signs of slowing. Although this is not an immediate concern, if employees start to worry about job security, they may decide to wait before making the decision to buy or sell a home. As we move through the spring I believe the market will be fairly soft, but I would caution buyers who think conditions are completely shifting in their direction. Due to the large number of homeowners who have a mortgage at 3% or lower, I simply don’t believe the market will become oversupplied with inventory, which will keep home values from dropping too significantly.
Ultimately, however, the market will benefit buyers more than sellers, at least for the time being. As such, I have moved the needle as close to the balance line as we have seen in a very long time.
About Matthew Gardner
As Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, Matthew Gardner is responsible for analyzing and interpreting economic data and its impact on the real estate market on both a local and national level. Matthew has over 30 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.
In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities, Matthew sits on the Washington State Governors Council of Economic Advisors; chairs the Board of Trustees at the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at the University of Washington; and is an Advisory Board Member at the Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies at the University of Washington where he also lectures in real estate economics.
This article originally appeared on the Windermere blog January 26th, 2023. Written by: Matthew Gardner.
© Copyright 2023, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island.
2022 Football Schedules, Recipes & Tips…
Are you ready for some football? Fall is just around the corner and tickets are on sale now for 12s ready to cheer on a new era of promising rookies, as well as UW & WSU fans ready to show their college spirit. Scroll down for printable schedules, tailgating hacks (including how to pack the perfect cooler!), our favorite gameday recipes, and printable bingo cards to keep even the youngest fans entertained…
We earn the trust and loyalty of our brokers and clients by doing real estate exceptionally well. The leader in our market, we deliver client-focused service in an authentic, collaborative, and transparent manner and with the unmatched knowledge and expertise that comes from decades of experience.
2737 77th Ave SE, Mercer Island, WA 98040 | (206) 232-0446
mercerisland@windermere.com
© Copyright 2022 Windermere Mercer Island
3rd Quarter 2012: Reviews for Seattle, Mercer Island & the Eastside
The Seattle market has remained incredibly active with sales up 15% over the same quarter last year—1855 homes sold in the third quarter of 2012 compared to 1609 homes sold during the same period in 2011. The average sales price slipped ever so slightly to $474,633 while the median sales price increased 4% to $407,000.
Condominium sales are up a whopping 33% in the third quarter. Mimicking the single-family trend, the condo average sales price is down while the median sales price is up.
Click here for the full report and to see how prices have changed in your neighborhood!
Mercer Island has seen brisk sales activity once again this quarter with sales up over 10% compared to the same quarter last year. A larger percentage of high end homes sales (deceptively) increased the average sales price to $1,405,792. The median sales price increased from $800,000 last year to $900,000 this year.
Brokers in the field note that the most desirable homes have received multiple offers and have seen moderate price appreciation in the past year, whereas more challenged properties have continued to languish. A handful of luxury estates have changed hands in the past quarter indicating continued strength in the upper end of the high-end market.
Click here for the full report and neighborhood-by-neighborhood statistics!
The Eastside has been a hotbed of activity with sales up over 28% compared to the same quarter last year—2086 homes sold in the third quarter of 2012 compared to 1634 homes sold during the same period in 2011. The average sales price, $623,836 was up 6% from third quarter 2011 while the median price remained the same at $510,000. The cost per square foot increased to $231.
Condominium sales were up 22% to 616 units sold this quarter with an increase in average sales price to $296,732 and a median sales price of $230,000.
Click here for the full report and to see how prices fared in your neighborhood!
© Copyright 2012, Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island. Statistics provided by the Northwest Multiple Listing service and deemed accurate but not guaranteed.
Exploring the Puget Sound Region: Best Beaches
Picnic on the beach, build sandcastles, find a treasure, or just read a book and relax. I hope you enjoy these great spots to visit as you explore our beautiful Puget Sound region.
Best Beaches for Sand
Marina Beach—Edmonds
Alki Beach—West Seattle
Golden Gardens—North Seattle
Richmond Beach—Shoreline
Meadowdale Park—Edmonds
Discovery Park—Magnolia
Carkeek Park—North Seattle
Dash Point State Park—Federal Way
Best Beaches for Fires (In designated pits only)
Alki Beach—West Seattle
Golden Gardens—North Seattle
Best Beaches with Playgrounds
Seahurst Park—Burien
Marina Beach—Edmonds
Richmond Beach—Shoreline
Golden Gardens—North Seattle
Best Beaches for Sea Creatures
Brackett's Landing North and South—Edmonds
Seahurst Park—Burien
Howarth Park—Everett
Best Beach Walks
With a stroller:
Alki Beach—West Seattle
Lincoln Park—West Seattle
With a backpack:
Meadowdale Park—Edmonds
Discovery Park—Magnolia
Best Beaches for Picnic
Richmond Beach—Shoreline
Kayak Point Regional Park—Stanwood
Saltwater State Park—Des Moines
Dash Point State Park——Federal Way
Seahurst Park—Burien
Lake Sammamish State Park—Issaquah
Seattle Economy Ranked #3 in US
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area economy was recently ranked third strongest in the US for long-term growth and resiliency! Independent research firm Policom Corp. analyzed data from 1992-2010 and based its rankings consistent growth in both size and quality of 23 different economic factors.
Olympia also made the list at #11 with the Tri-Cities close behind at #13. Stronger economies (like ours) have shown an overall growing trend and resiliency in the face of our recent recession. Click here for the full article!
Source: NWREporter, http://nwmls.com
May Reports Show Home Prices Up
New listings in the month of May lowered absorption rates slightly in Seattle, the Eastside and King County while pending sales remained strong. Mercer Island saw a decent decline in pending sales…likely due, in part, to the lack of inventory for sale in key price ranges. Median sales prices are up in most areas and average sales prices are varied. By far, the strongest spring market we have seen in years.
Data prepared and analyzed by Julie Nugent for Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island. For questions or comments, email Julie at julie@windermere.com.
Pending Sales Soar in Greater Seattle
The absorption rate based on pending home sales continues to be off the charts with listing inventory very low and sales activity brisk. Overall, prices have continued to slip slightly in all areas except Seattle Metro–which actually saw prices rise. Of note however, is the fact that distressed properties have sold for significantly less than non-distressed homes for sale.
Data prepared and analyzed by Julie Nugent for Windermere Real Estate/Mercer Island. For questions or comments, email Julie at julie@windermere.com.