Corn mazes & pumpkin patches!

It’s October and fall is here! The perfect time to stay inside and curl up with a hot drink and a good book. With that in mind, we wanted you to know about something worth going outside for this month: corn mazes and pumpkin patches!

Starting south and heading north, here a just some of what the greater Seattle area has to offer.

Enumclaw

Thomasson Family Farm

http://www.thomassonfarm.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thomassonfamilyfarm/

It’s a dairy farm – but in the fall they run a 5 acre corn maze and a u-pick pumpkin patch. It also hosts a Kids Corral with variety of activities for the little ones, including a chance to milk a cow!

Kent

Carpinito Brothers

http://carpinito.com/index.php/pumpkin-patch/corn-maze/

https://www.facebook.com/Carpinito-Bros-Pumpkin-Patch-Corn-Maze-166004863425401/

This place hosts a unique corn maze each year, a u-pick pumpkin patch and a farm fun yard. The farm fun yard hosts activities for kids such as a hay maze, rubber duck derby, and the all time favorite corn pen. Where there are countless corn kernels to play in!

Hours and prices listed on their Facebook page.

Redmond

Serres Farm

http://www.serresfarm.com/Pumpkin_Patch.html

This one is a little on the small side compared to many corn mazes. But for those of you looking for a short corn maze, pumpkins, and a few other kid-friendly activities this place is perfect.

Snohomish

Bob’s Corn & Pumpkin Farm

http://bobscorn.com/bobs-corn-corn-maze.htm

https://www.facebook.com/Bobscorn/

Here you get hayride/tractor pull over to Bob’s big corn maze & u-pick pumpkin patch. They also have a country store full of tasty treats and pre-picked pumpkins. They also host a number of kid-friendly spaces and a hay bale maze.

The Farm at Swan’s Trail

http://www.thefarm1.com/farm-at-swans-trail-corn-maze.htm

https://www.facebook.com/thefarmatswanstrail/

Their corn maze has 4.5 miles of path and is a giant map of Washington with more than 250 state roads and 400 towns and landmarks, each labeled with historical facts. Top off this experience with pumpkin and apple picking!

Stocker Farms

http://www.stockerfarms.com/default.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/StockerFarms/?fref=ts

They partnered up with the Ronald McDonald house and your visit helps kids in need! They offer a corn maze, pumpkin patch and more, including reservable fire pits.

Lake Stevens

Carleton Farms

http://www.carletonfarm.com/fall-festivities/

https://www.facebook.com/carletonfarms/

Located just north of Snohomish this place offers more than just corn & pumpkin picking. They have Zombie Paintball. And on weekends only they have pumpkin cannons! That has to be awesome.

This list only scratches the surface, there’s plenty more out there. And if those aren’t your thing there are still loads of great things happening this month in the Seattle region. Things worth getting out for, even getting wet and maybe even muddy for! And after that, then you can go home, curl up with a hot drink and read that book.

And don’t miss our handy house-hunting checklist below.  If you know anyone who could benefit from this information, just let us know and we’d be happy to follow up with them!

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Our 10th Annual Gratitude Gathering!

10 years is a long time.  A lot can happen, a lot can be accomplished.  More than we think, or give ourselves credit for.

This being the 10th year of our annual Gratitude Gathering, we thought about how we could make it extra special.  We gave our guests the usual treat bag filled with nostalgic snacks, as well as a branded mini bat, and we were even fortunate enough to have our game fall on the Karaoke Firework night!  As our extra special thank you to our clients this year we gave out The 10 Book to inspire our clients to dream a little bit.  Dream big dreams, think of new adventures, do that thing that they’re a little afraid to do.  Because in 10 years, you never know what amazing things can happen.  We certainly couldn’t have envisioned all of this.  From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for for your role in getting us to where we are today.

Welcome our new Executive Assistant!

It’s been an exciting first half of the year here at The Dan Faulkner Group.  One of the most notable changes is our new Executive Assistant, Tisha Giulini!

Tisha moved 21 times and lived in 11 states before settling in the Seattle area in 2012. After renting in the area for several years, Kelsey and Dan helped them purchase a home. Tisha was a stay at home mom for sixteen years, then decided to look for a job since her two children were in middle school and high school. Dan posted a Facebook message when he needed some temporary help and she started working part time in his office in January of 2017.  By February,  all parties agreed that she needed to be a permanent fixture on the team!  It has been a great opportunity to get back in the workforce and still have the flexibility to take care of her family and volunteer duties.

She enjoys reading, riding bikes, hiking, gardening, cooking, entertaining, and doing crafts. Her family has gone camping for the last decade in CA, TX, and WA in tents and a pop-up camper. Since it usually rains and/or hails during their trips in WA, they’re glad to now travel with a camping trailer. This summer will be her and her husband, Chris’ 20th anniversary and they’re planning a trip down the OR coast in the camper while the kids are at a teen summer camp.

Volunteering in her community is also important to Tisha and she enjoys working with several church and school organizations. Much of her volunteering time is spent as the Liberty High PTSA treasurer, and she looks forward to next year in the role as well.  

After living in many different states around the country, Tisha and her family look forward to learning more about the Pacific Northwest and exploring campgrounds in the area with their rescue dog Tommy, an adorable mutt.  

Tisha has been a huge asset to our team, mainly assisting Andrea with administrative tasks.  She helps keep us organized, pays attention to all the little details and adds a great touch of creativity and fun!

Curious how many homes sold in King County last month?

You don’t have to be an expert to know that our housing market is hot right now.  In fact, Seattle and Tacoma are currently trending as some of the most competitive markets in the country.  In this month’s email we wanted to show you exactly what those numbers are.

Overall, March was a seller’s market.  Here’s what that means:

Buyer’s market: more than 6 months of inventory based on closed sales

Seller’s market: less than 3 months of inventory based on closed sales

Neutral market: 3 – 6 months of inventory based on closed sales

Overall, the current King County months of inventory based on closed sales is .8 months of inventory.  .8 months of inventory is an historic low, and means that if no new homes were to be listed, it would take only 3 weeks to sell out of everything that is on the market.  We would run out fast!

Below are the market specific numbers.  If you want numbers specific to your city, let me know and I’d be happy to get those for you.

EASTSIDE

Homes For Sale in March 2017: 662 units.

*	Up 24.4% compared to the last month
*	Down 21.1% compared to the last year

Homes Closed in March 2017: 568 units.

*	Up 33.3% compared to the last month
*	Down 9.4% compared to the last year

Homes Placed under Contract in March 2017: 784 units.

*	Up 44.9% compared to the last month
*	Down 1.9% compared to the last year

SOUTH

Homes For Sale in March 2017: 638 units.

*	Up 6.3% compared to the last month
*	Down 23% compared to the last year

Homes Closed in March 2017: 760 units.

*	Up 28.8% compared to the last month
*	Up 1.1% compared to the last year

Homes Placed under Contract in March 2017: 922 units.

*	Up 37% compared to the last month
*	Up 4.7% compared to the last year

METRO

Homes For Sale in March 2017: 461 units.

*	Up 10.6% compared to the last month
*	Down 17.1% compared to the last year

Homes Closed in March 2017: 763 units.

*	Up 64.1% compared to the last month
*	Up 11.4% compared to the last year

Homes Placed under Contract in March 2017: 836 units.

*	Up 39.3% compared to the last month
*	Down 0.4% compared to the last year

KING/SNOHOMISH

Homes For Sale in March 2017: 2467 units.

*	Up 9.9% compared to the last month
*	Down 22.6% compared to the last year

Homes Closed in March 2017: 2971 units.

*	Up 36.2% compared to the last month
*	Down 1.2% compared to the last year

Homes Placed under Contract in March 2017: 3697 units.

*	Up 38.8% compared to the last month
*	Up 0.4% compared to the last year

If you’re thinking of taking advantage of this seller’s market, reach out and we’d be happy to let you know what your home might be worth.  If you’re hoping to buy in this market but not sure if it’s possible or worth it, please reach out and we’d be happy to discuss your situation to come up with the best course of action for you!

Thank you for your continued support!

Hope that 2017 is treating you well!   As I’m sure you’ve heard, home inventory remains low and competition remains fierce.  And while we can’t always guarantee the outcome, we are doing our best to help our clients to succeed in this market, both for buyers and sellers.  So whether you are looking to buy or sell, there are always opportunities, and we are here to help you find them!

On another note, thanks to your advocacy and referrals, we were again awarded the distinction as being in the Top 1% of John L. Scott realtors for 2016!  This means out of over 2700 agents, we were in the top 27.  As a way to say thank you, we put together a fun video. If you haven’t seen the SAG Awards Stranger Things acceptance speech, YouTube that for reference.

Hope you enjoy!  With your support and referrals, we can’t wait to do it again next year. We greatly appreciate the relationship we have with you, and never take you or your referrals for granted!  

Click this to watch.

My Favorite Books From 2016

We’re a couple months into 2017, how are you doing on your New Years resolutions?  Research shows that only 9.2% of people feel they are successful in keeping their resolutions.  Even if you’ve slipped a bit it’s not too late to get back in the game!  Seeing that the second most common resolution is self-improvement we thought this would be a great time to share some of my favorite books I read in 2016.  Check out my list below and let me know what books you think I need to pick up this year!

• The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday – Ryan Holiday has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  This is a book of Stoic wisdom that, in the past few years, has become popular with the Seahawks and the Patriots.
• Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss – Tim Ferriss is one of the most successful podcasters ever, and this book is summaries of close to 200 podcasts he has done.  Highly readable, concise, and packed with good gems.
• The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly – Kevin Kelly has, over and over again, been a very accurate predictor of future technological trends.  In the Inevitable, he explores 12 items, including topics such as Artificial Intelligence, that are sure to effect our future.
• The Go-Giver by Bob Burg – read it a few times before, and always return to it.  One of the all time greats.
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – and to finish off the list, this is a great piece of fiction that will have you guessing until the very end!

Happy Holidays!

This was our fourth year hosting our annual Pie Party for our clients!  Per usual we went all out with a hot cocoa bar, kids coloring station, and of course, the ever popular photo booth from Licorice Photography!  If you haven’t been to a pie party yet it’s a must for next year!  Our focus is to make life easy for our clients, and this doesn’t just mean during a transaction.  Every November right before Thanksgiving we give out a pie to our clients who can make it to our party to help check something off the seemingly never ending holiday to-do list.   We gave out over 130 pies this time!  Check out our photos and we hope to see you there next year!