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As an office, we have decided that it is time to lose some excess poundage once and for all.  So a few people have organized a "Biggest Loser" competition in our office.  Out of about 90 people, 32 people have paid their $12 and have signed up for the 12 week program.

Here's how it works:

• Each person pays $12 into the pot to enter the program.  In return, we receive a binder full of different weight loss programs, tips for losing weight and other health articles.  The first page of the binder is where we write down our goals, and why we want to lose weight.  The second page tracks our week to week weight loss in pounds and percentage of body weight lost.
• You can choose to be on whatever diet program you wish.
• As a group we meet every Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. to weigh in and discuss the previous week's successes and challenges.
• By the end of the next day we learn who has won the weigh-in;  a small token prize is given to each week's Biggest Loser.
• For every pound we lose, we must bring in a non-perishable food item of the same weight to what is called a "Food Shrine", which gives us a visual of how much weight we have collectively lost. At the end of the program all food will be donated to the local food bank.
• Whoever loses the biggest percentage of body weight on January 14th will win the pot of money in addition to having lost all of that weight!

I am happy to report that our first week was a success!  Our office goal is to lose 740 pounds - this week alone(Halloween week no less) we have collectively lost 112 pounds! Hopefully after this challenge we will no longer qualify to be on the next hot reality series, "Fat Realtor"...

I must say that having the office participate in a collective diet has been good for us.  The free donuts from the local heating company now go virtually uneaten(and the agents who aren't on a diet usually end up getting their favorite donut now) and people are more conscious of the kinds of food that they bring in to the office to share.  And, of course I must mention that we are now all policing each other ("Excuse me, what did you just put in your mouth?") I don't know how much I like that, but it's keeping me somewhat more accountable for what I eat.

I'll post more about this after the next weigh-in; wish us luck! And, by the way, if you would like more information on how we are doing this, don't hesitate to contact me directly.  I think that this would be a benefit and good team builder for any office.

1. Interest rates are low.

2. Buyers are in a better position to negotiate.

3.Our market (Puget Sound market anyway) is experiencing a 'price correction', which is great for buyers!

4. There are currently LOTS of homes to choose from.

5. The market has brought new construction prices closer to those of existing homes.

6. Here in the Pacific Northwest, prices are projected to only go up.

7. Homes are less expensive now than they will be in the Spring. (And who knows where interest rates will be then?)

8. For new construction, there are now all kinds of builders incentives and warranties that may not exist in a seller's market.

9. Sellers are much more willing to negotiate.

10. It's a good time to move up or make a lifestyle change.

11. Avoid the hassle of remodeling your current home(just make sure that if you sell it that you list it for a realistic price).

12. Money is becoming more available since the summer's mortgage "crunch".

13. For new construction, there are now more options, upgrades and flexibility.

14. You may be able to find a home that's more energy-efficient...and

15. As with stocks,  you can always shop for the lowest price but you will never find it.  Why not just negotiate it?

I read a quote the other day that said something to the effect of, "Today's crises have always turned out to be golden opportunities in retrospect." 

If you're trying to time the market, please reconsider.  I know people who've been trying to do that for a year, two years, and prices have only gone up; even if they go down now, they'll never be where they were 2 years ago.

If you have the desire to buy a home, especially if you're a first-time home buyer, there's no time like the present! 

Every once in a while I find that working in the office isn't particularly productive for me.  When I find myself chatting it up with other agents for long periods of time and otherwise using my time in an unproductive way, it's a sure sign that I'm bored and need to get my face out in front of people.  

Oddly enough, I find that it's easier to work among the din of a coffeeshop atmosphere; for some reason it's less of a distraction to me than being at the office.  So I pack up my laptop, my bookkeeping or other work and head out to a neighborhood coffee shop, usually an independent one that offers free wi-fi.  

For me, doing this is beneficial in many ways:

• Hanging out at a local, independent coffee shop(preferably one that's in your marketing area) keeps me in the loop regarding who the local leaders are, and what local issues are impacting the community.  I can stay abreast of when community meetings and activities are, and get involved in something that interests me.  This has the added benefit of being good for my business.
• Once I get to know the proprietors, they usually let me leave my marketing materials in the flyer area. I create materials that focus on that particular area/neighborhood.
• Being in a new surrounding gives me a boost of creativity.  It helps me to get out of any rut that I'm in, and drives me to look at challenging situtions in a new way.
• There is nothing better than meeting with new people and finding a comfortable, familiar spot in which to work and hang out.  As long as it doesn't get as comfortable as the office sometimes does!
  

http://www.wififreespot.com

http://seattle.wifimug.org/ 

Get out there and have fun! 

In the Puget Sound region we have seen, and hopefully have personally experienced, this appreciation.  History has shown time and time again that every strong market eventually experiences a temporary slowdown or 'correction'. 

So don't let the little short-term snapshots fool you into thinking we're in a terrible market.  On the contrary, it may just be time to go out there and buy something now, since CLOSED home sale prices in our area are still rising, but not in the double digits like we've seen in previous years.  For the moment, buyers, you're getting the break you deserve.

www.98146online.com

Thanks to those who read my post last night regarding archival pictures of old homes.  As requested by some wonderful AR colleagues, I am posting  "Then and Now" photos of my house.

Our house in 1950.

Our house today; most of the extra space is in the back of the house.  Not that exciting but nonetheless very different from the 'before' photo.  Except for the front door - it looks like the same door but with a large, oval piece of wood screwed onto the top of it.  I really need a new front door.  

After I get my friend's permission I'll post before and after photos of his house, it's way cooler than mine and it will go on the market soon.  I ordered the archival picture for his house at the same time as this one.  His house was built in about 1920, a really neat old Craftsman, and I think that the photo will be useful as a marketing piece(and it will look really nice on the mantel).   

Cheers and thanks for reading! 

Well, now I know what mine looked like.  My house was built in 1949, and since then it has had several additions built on it.  Nevertheless, when I pulled out the photo that was sent from the Washington State Archives, my husband and I were surprised to see the little tiny warbox that used to be our house.  

We spent the next 30 minutes moving from room to room, trying to figure out the history of each area and what had taken place during each of the additions.  It was so interesting to see our home with no garage, no landscaping, no trees in front, and no fences.  And it used to be so small... 

It made me wonder, would anyone buy a new construction home this small today, even if the small size was reflected in the price?  As Americans we have really forgotten what we(or in my case, my parents), grew up with and expected out of a home 50 years ago.  I actually did grow up in an 800 sq ft house, and come to think of it, we were always cramped for space(can you say 'Jack and Jill' closet?) But it forced us to spend time in the same room together, for better or for worse. 

I am aware of the statistics, and how the average American home has grown, and how even first time home buyers have come to expect at least 2 bathrooms and three bedrooms in their very first home. Not that I'm knocking that in any way. 

The people who bought my home in 1950 and lived there for 49 years apparently decided not to purchase the 3 bedroom model next door; instead, they added an addition to the home each decade they were in it, until this 800 square foot home became almost 1900 square feet of rambler, all but swallowing up the backyard. Now everyone in my family can escape to their own oasis, for better or for worse.

As I was perusing the November 2007 issue of Realtor Magazine, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised to find an interview with James Norwood Pratt, founder of the Tea Society networking group, on the last page.("Serving Up Real Tea", Realtor Magazine pg 56).  In the interview Pratt discusses the growing popularity of tea, and how it can fit into various business situations.

I find it interesting because in addition to being a Realtor I have been in the tea business for over 5 years.  While I will never say 'no' to a good cup of coffee(black!), my husband and I drink several cups of tea every day.  There are so many health benefits to drinking tea; studies have shown that its antioxidant properties help with everything from lowering cholesterol to fighting tooth decay and cancer.  Caffeine-free herbal "teas" such as Rooibos (African Red Bush) tea helps reduce inflammation and insomnia, and soothes colicky babies, among other things.

So we've all heard about the benefits of tea for a long time, but how do we get more tea in our life?

Here are some easy ways-any one of these will make it easier to incorporate tea into your day:

1. Buy a hot water dispensing pot.  As for me, I can be such a space cadet sometimes that I won't dare turn on the stove in the morning to heat up water, for fear that I'll leave the thing on when I go to work.  A hot water dispenser is on all the time, and getting hot water is a easy as pushing a button.  Works for instant soups, noodles and hot chocolate too!

   
2. Get a teapot with a removable strainer.  I recommend "Bee House" brand teapots.  They are very functional and stylish. Though people tend to gravitate toward larger size teapots, I suggest buying a smaller size (15-26 oz) because that way you can drink your tea before it gets cold! And most loose-leaf teas are good for two or three steepings, unlike tea bags, which contain inferior tea.

3. Use disposbale tea filters.  At the beginning of the week you can fill several of these with 2 teaspoons of your favorite loose tea and keep them handy.  Remember to steep black, roasted or pan-fired green, white and oolong teas for about 3 minutes, herbal 'teas' for 5 minutes, and steamed green teas for less than 1 minute.  Then you can re-steep your teas! How economical is that?

4. Use an airpot for your tea.  Every day my husband and I drink an entire airpot full of black tea(Organic Breakfast in China is our blend). What we do is take a 64 oz container(1/2 gallon), put about 4-5 teaspoons of loose-leaf tea, add hot water from the hot water dispenser, and let it steep for about 20 minutes.  Then we strain the hot tea and pour it into the airpot, and voila! We have hot tea available all day.  Not only is it convenient, but it costs only pennies a day. 

Some believe that loose-leaf tea is expensive; indeed, you can pay $30/pound and up for good tea. Others believe it's too difficult to prepare.  I hope I've been able to disprove those myths and give you some good ideas for incorporating more GOOD tea in your life.  I'll write more on the subject of tea in future posts. Thanks for reading!

On Halloween I set a pretty hectic schedule for my son to go trick-or-treating.  First, to Grandma's condo, then the outdoor mall, then to church for its first annual "Trunk or Treat", then to Grandpa's neighborhood, then back home to our neighborhood.

The mall has always been a great place to trick-or-treat.  I know that merchants enjoy this, though having been a merchant myself, it's thoroughly exhausting to be bombarded by an uncountable number of kids all night.  More recently(in my experience anyway) churches have joined in the fun.

For example, at our church, volunteers decorated the insides of their trunks, trucks and vans in various themes for a "Trunk or Treat", a modified tailgate party if you will.  My favorites were the "Mission Impossible" trunk, where kids had to climb in a dark, fog-filled truck through laser beams to retrieve their treat, and the Disco, complete with disco ball and laser "dance floor".  It doesn't get better than shakin' it to ABBA's "Supertrooper" in the church parking lot.

Meanwhile, inside the church there was chicken noodle soup for everyone, "tacos in a bag", hundreds of home made cookies, a cupcake walk, and videos for the kids.  Who woudn't want to stay there and hang out?

I felt guilty, but I kind of rushed my son out of there after he won his plate of cupcakes so that we could go trick-or-treating in Shorewood, which is Grandpa's nice neighborhood of mostly rambling 50's era homes with generous views of the Puget Sound.  This is where all the trick-or-treaters were.  Lovely, brightly lit homes decked out in Halloween decorations.

I guess it's always been the case that some people bring their kids to the nicer neighborhoods to go door-to-door.  In contrast, there were very few kids trick-or-treating in my neighborhood, which is about a mile from Grandpa but much less well-heeled.   We didn't have such a great turnout at our house, even though we(and everyone else on my street) are very generous with the candy - no Dum-Dums on our street! (Not that there's anything wrong with that...)

As we headed home we passed by three more churches - two more with "Trunk or Treat" events and one with bouncers and other goodies for the kids.  Perhaps in the next few years we won't see any trick-or-treaters at our house at all.

As for me, I feel safer trick-or-treating at public events than I do at individual homes.   Then again, there won't be as much walking, so we'll have to be more conscious of the amount of candy that we consume.  

At least at church my son probably won't have to worry about the bag-snatching, costumeless teens that start roaming the streets after 8:00 at night. Who needs that? Maybe when he's their age, bag-snatching, costumeless teens will be a thing of the past.  Well, one can only hope.

Yesterday afternoon I headed out to my new listing to attach a name rider to my sign.  Now, my listing is a cool old house with lots of potential, but its somewhat weathered appearance, combined with the tall, overgrown hedges, give it a look that's, well, appropriate for today's holiday.  

To add to the eeriness of it all, I arrive at the house yesterday to find a downed sign, a dismantled mailbox and a dead raccoon within steps of each other.  And I'm standing there trying to figure out if these events are connected, and if the raccoon had anything to do with it.

My first reaction was to blame the next-door neighbors.  Did they yank down my sign because it may have been in their line of sight?  Were they too passive/aggressive to call the phone number on my rider?

After a few more moments of pondering, however, this what I'm pretty sure happened: Someone was probably going down the street in the middle of the night at a good rate of speed when they suddenly hit the poor, unsuspecting raccoon.  The impact sent the raccoon flying through my sign, smacking itself hard against the mailbox, and knocking it off of its post before finally arriving at his final resting place.  At least I think it happened this way. 

Anyway, I'm off to call King County Animal Control so that they can remove the raccoon before the trick-or-treaters come around.  After all, isn't that my job?

HAVE A SAFE AND FRIGHTFULLY FUN HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

This 5 bedroom, 2 bath home is located on a nice street in Seatac.  Owner also owns the small parcel that wraps around the property(1474 sq ft); it is used as a right of way to the properties behind this house. The main parcel is 14,012 sq ft, and by combining these two parcels it may be possible to subdivide the lot.  Buyer to verify all info to his/her satisfaction.  2 bedrooms on the main floor and 3 good-sized bedrooms up.  Hardwood floors, port package windows, 2 car garage and large, bright unfinished 1100 sq ft basement with potential for future expansion.  House needs cosmetic work and clean-up, but there is lots of potential here. 

For more information, please contact me at 206-595-5866 or go to www.98146online.com. Or send an e-mail to lisabosques@Pnwrealty.com.

 Thanks for reading!