Ten years later, Monark Realty is still going strong

By CARA LORELLO

Staff Reporter

It’s a buyer’s market in the real estate world right now, probably the best Medical Lake Realtor Donna Audett of Monark Realty said she’s seen in recent years.

Interest rates are at an all time low, but so is consumer confidence. Audett attributes low demand to the gloomy picture the national media is helping create, where the focus is all on home foreclosures and plummeting market values.

“I think they’re making it out to be worse than it really is, because it’s actually a good time to buy right now. Two years ago if you waited to make an offer on a house, it would have had three other offers by the following day,” Donna Audett said from her Medical Lake office, located at 711 E. SR-902, a post she opened and built steadily for the last 10 years.

She wants to assure potential customers that locally, it’s a great time to buy real estate, rent, or store in Medical Lake. At Monark Realty, you can do all three.

“We’re full service here, kind of like one-stop shopping,” Audett, a GRI-designated Realtor whose experience working in local real estate goes back 18 years. Her husband Pat, owns a successful contracting company, and son Kevin, recently joined Monark as a salesman having recently obtained his state license.

“I worked for six years doing construction before this,” Kevin, a 2002 Medical Lake High School graduate said. “Growing up with both parents working in the industry, you pick up a lot of things, plus my grandfather was also a realtor. It’s something I enjoy very much.”

With Kevin being added as her partner in sales at Monark, Donna Audett said her business offers a lot of variety in current listings, accessible online via virtual tours at http://www.monarkrealty.com.

Monark also has a number of apartments, duplexes, rental homes, and mini-storage units currently available that range in size from 6 feet by 4 feet to 30 by 50 feet—a popular choice for businesses, or people in transition looking to buy a new home.

When it comes to storage options, “We have the best rates around,” Donna Audett said.

On occasion, Monark sells listings in the Spokane area, she added, but local listings are the main focus. Medical Lake’s market is also fairly diverse; homes range from small, starter-sizes and price ranges to high-value, so there’s something for just about every buyer.

“We’ve kept the Medical Lake-West Plains area our little niche,” she said. “We know the area well, and it’s what we specialize in.”

With December coming up, the market typically experiences a bit of a slow down. Monark will start advertising it’s listings via a new roadside sign on SR-902, just installed last week, which includes a reader board that will be updated as new listings come through.

Donna Audett said it’s smart that clients are being cautious with their money, but people needing a place to live is something that, even in a recessive market, will always be in demand.

“The future’s a little shaky right now, but you still need to keep moving forward—just do it smart,” she said.

For current real estate, rental or storage listings through Medical Lake Monark Realty, visit the business Web page, or call (509) 299-7522.

Cara Lorello can be reached at [email protected]