Renton New Construction for April - May

I like when I see a Renton new construction home being built. New construction - for the most part- means quality and a guaranty that everything works. Not like my 100 year old home – an ongoing project and head ache. Some one tell my wife, please, cuz she just wont hear it from me.

Often we buy a home and within in a few months or a few days the sink backs up or the cable line drops or something. New construction usually means this isn’t going to happen -for a while- and you biggest head ache is getting the contractor back within a year to honor his or her guaranty of finishing and patching any flaws that manifested themselves in that first year of ownership.

    Many of us have had the experience of sticking blue tape on those area's where some trim came loose or nail and screw heads popped through, etc and we live with the new 'blue tape' tapestry for a year, which is the typical time period for a contractor to provide work guaranty’s and they come in and fix up all the little things that sprung loose. And hopefully they stay fixed.

    The numbers for new construction in RentonWashington are encouraging. When I listen to the news including CNN, against my better judgment, I hear the reports of new construction for residential homes having dropped way off. And this is true for the most part.

    Remember we live in a comparatively robust economy here in the Northwest and particularly in KingCounty and naturally Renton totally rocks right in the middle of it all!. The April 2007 and April 2008 numbers new construction numbers show relative stability. So- are these homes selling? Good question.

    Currently in my neighborhood here on Talbot Hill we have some new construction. The stuff around the corner is junk and not worth a second look in my opinion. That being said they will be priced reasonably enough for first time buyers to seriously consider. Yes, I know that I said new construction reflects reliability and quality and all that good stuff but some builders are still building cheap homes so be aware. These homes are unfortunate for my neighborhood but at least I can’t see them from my house.

    We do however, have a new home directly across the street and it's nice. That builder will place 2 more on those lots I think. The issue he may have is in the list price. Way to expensive and no apparent strategy to 'power market' the home meaning it will probably go the distance for ‘time on market’ and end up selling for less then he would get it if he had priced it better to start with. Remember, my belief is if your not marketing Globally your not talking to your market. Any realtor can stick a sign in the ground and stick you on Craig’s list and the newspaper. Whatever….'Call 'er good!' I don’t think so. If you have a strategy then you are better off.

    Market saturation levels or market inventory is measured in months, now, and not days or minutes like the good old days a couple of years ago. Although this is improving I believe, in the final analysis the list price of your home -and this includes new construction homes- is the bottom line.

    And if your going to spend half a million dollars on a home then you absolutely need to take the time and see what else within the area of your search your dollar can buy. And that half million dollar home better have real hard woods on the floor and not top of the line Pergo. I like Pergo but let’s face it - it's Pergo!

    Our Housing market is different. The summer season is just about here. It is still a good market and if you have a strong professional working for you either helping you buy a home or helping you sell a home then you'll probably be okay if you have patience. Renton homes are a smart investment for many reasons and new construction in Renton might be just the thing for you.