Cabins in the 'sticks' are reasonable!

I have a client that has been looking at cabins in a few remote locations. I am not talking about the moon or anything, but Goldendale, the Coast, and Packwood are among the locales considered. I am genuinely impressed with what one can find in a nice clean cabin on some land even 1/2 acre to 5 acres. I was looking in the $150-175k range and had no problem finding scores of properties meeting at least part of my client's criteria.

What a deal, for the price of a used Lamborghini you can have a cabin or beach house! The Lambo loses value as you drive it, the house gains value as you live in it.

The map shows the western half of Washington State and the check marks are the locations of the cabins/cottages/beach houses I showed my clients over the week. Sure these spots are not exactly in the thick of it all, but that's really the point of a cabin, right? Getaway from all those crowds and city issues and hang out in the wilderness or watch the waves crash on the shore.

Interest rates have been rising but they remain well below the 50 year average and that means buying a cabin is cheap right now! Talk to your tax pro and see if you can write off the interest on the "second home" and you might be pleasantly surprised to find out you can.

Washington State is chock-full of deals ob cabins in out of the way locations. As for the beach, we have the best beach house deals around. There is a tiny window here while rates remain manageable. If the cabin is not financable and you have a large chunk of equity in your home, you might be able to use some of that equity to pay cash for a cabin or other second home. 

Remote off the grid cabin... hmm... seems pretty legit :)

Top of the Market Still Buzzing

The bottom of the market is almost always hot, but the top is usually the softest of all. But these are strange times my friends, very strange indeed. The bottom is still ferocious with anything clean and tidy in the local market under 300k getting the spirited mob treatment of multiple offers and such. The middle has softened up a lot. In fact even the median price range in the 350-400k range suddenly has a fattening inventory. Sellers need to be prepared for picky buyers as the number of options has blossomed over the summer.

I figured it was a only matter of time before the sellers came back home to sell, but a strange thing is happening up top. The higher end homes in the 750k range are doing pretty well. Now lets be clear, we still have plenty of inventory in that price range relative to the pool of buyers, but clean quality properties in the 750 plus range are being challenged sometimes by multiple buyers.

Real estate has always been a game of location and quality. Curb appeal never goes out of fashion. Sellers that take the time to dress the home for success are reaping rewards while sellers that just park a sign out front are wondering where all the buyers are. At the height of a buyer spurt sellers can briefly get away with a sorry agent and lackluster effort, but friends I'm here to tell you that ship sailed, look closely you still see the top of the mast dipping over yonder the horizon.

Now it's time to get back to good practices and that means hiring solid realtors and taking the time to do the prep to get the house ready for market. Or you can get ready to slash your price, it's your call really.

I've written about the economy over and over, I'll mention it again here; this economy is too robust for a housing crash, so fear not. We are simply seeing an increase in sellers looking to capitalize on opportunities, some of which may have passed already. Overpriced listings are rarely successful but we did just have a 12-18 month period where they sort of worked, sometimes. That's done now, sellers need to just stop with the puffed up prices. Buyers are not biting, there is simply too many other choices for them.

This is a very healthy situation as the market is moving towards neutral conditions and that is sustainable.

Remodeling? Trendy is Short Term

I see many remodels happening out there. Many homeowners are flush with equity as our market has been solid for a number of years. Personally I have been taking care of some deferred maintenance on my own home. We recently painted our house which it really needed. We are also going to do some light remodeling.

I believe it is wise to be very cautious remodeling to trendy styles unless you are remodeling to sell or you tend to remodel often. Trendy is just that, a trend and trends change rapidly. The style market doesn't care how much you spent on that carpet or flooring, like all markets it is cold and unconcerned with your wallet or feelings.

If you are remodeling for the long haul, sticking to classic and timeless never hurts. The flashy color schemes and cabinet styles of today will look dated in a decade. Sometimes styles come back and sometimes they go away for ever. I don't think those 1980s parachute pants are ever coming back ;)

For those old enough to remember, the 1970s was the era of 'wall to wall' carpeting. Many homeowners carpeted over their beautiful hardwood floors to be in on the trend. Wall to wall carpet was sold in new homes as a positive feature when in reality it was a cheaper solution for the home builders. As we all know now, wood and wood laminate surfaces have been back in style for quite awhile and are likely to remain so. They also never really went out of style even in the 70s.

Think about enduring styles that never seem to go out of favor when remodeling your home for the long game. Trendy works very well for someone trying to sell, but trendy can fade away in short time. That parachute pants craze only lasted a couple of years, but everyone remembers them, for better or worse, mostly worse.

A few tips for maximum enjoyment and timeless style. Generous use of wood or wood laminate surfaces and don't skimp here. Don't use the cheap $1.29 a foot garbage. Step up to at least the $2.50/foot grade and preferably the best laminates are closer to $5/foot, the install labor is about the same for cheap laminate as it is for the good stuff. Avoid trendy wood patterns as that will look dated as well. remember the parquet floors of the eighties? Those are always in fashion on the basketball court, not so much in your home. Bamboo has been trendy but what will you think of it in 2025?Large area rugs rarely go out of style as long as they are in the classic vein.

In the kitchen white never goes out of style, especially here in the Pacific Northwest. White in the kitchen is actually coming in as trendy at the moment, but even several years ago when dark woods were the rage a white kitchen was still good. White is light and bright and most people prefer a bright kitchen.

In general light and bright is ideal in a home. An exception would be a classic 'library' style den or a movie room. Dark rooms are not inviting in any era.

Minimalism is always in fashion. Clutter is always clutter and few people want to living in a packed junk store. Having lots of 'negative' space gives the mind a chance to relax and relaxation is typically a good element of design for a home.

For the interior walls light and bright and neutral rules the day in any era. Off whites, taupe, or gray is always in fashion. Remember trendy comes and goes, but some things are always OK. In the late 1980s the rage was mauve and burgundy in the home. It was every where. But it went out of fashion and has not returned to favor some thirty years later. When I see a home with mauve and burgundy I immediately think of 80s "hair" bands like Twisted Sister and holy cow this place is dated. In all fairness the mauve and burgundy fad was a heck of a lot better than that 70s avocado and bright orange nonsense!

So in closing think about what you are trying to do. If you are remodeling with the intention of selling or remodeling again a few years, then hitting that latest fad in trendy home decorating is fine. If you are remodeling the home you intend to stay in for awhile stick to the classics and the timeless favorites because timeless is exactly that.