Bloggerrodeo!

I am happy to say that next week I will be delivering two checks for $1,000 each.  One check will go to Highline Food Bank, and the other will go to the Des Moines Food Bank.  This is in addition to over $1,000 and a couple thousand pounds of food already raised for the food banks during our annual Food Drive. 

 The two $1,000 checks are grants from Prudential Financial, or "Mama Pru" as we affectionately call it. It was particularly exciting because we were not sure if we would get the grants. This year, Prudential Financial was only offering a limited number of grants to applicants, whereas in the past everyone who participated in Global Volunteer Day would be eligible to receive a grant.

So in preparation for a possible letdown, we had to let the food bank directors know that unlike in the past, they were not guaranteed to get the additional $1,000.  I'm sure they will be excited that the grants did indeed come through, as it is a very tough time of year for donations, as needs multiply.

A great big "THANK YOU", Mama Pru!

Or brochures and business cards.  I've been using Custom Postcards Direct for many years now.  They are located in Pennsylvania and you can find them online at www.custompostcards.com.

They offer 4-color both sides business cards and postcards, and their prices are very good(at least I think they are!), and the service is excellent.

For example, when I get a really nice listing in a walkable neighborhood I will order 5,000 color postcards.  For this, I usually just get one-sided color postcards, which cost just $179.00 plus shipping for 5,000 pieces.  Then I give a bunch to my client, send a bunch out to all the neighboring brokerages, walk the neighborhoods and leave the postcards at coffee shops, CD stores or wherever they will allow you to leave postcards or place them on bulletin boards.  They look professional, and clients love the fact that I take this extra step.

Now that listings are on the market for months at a time, since I have 5,000 postcards I can send one out every month if I want...and when they sell, I can slap a "SOLD" stamp or sticker on it and send it out again. 

I, and other agents in my office, also use them for personal mass marketing.  The only thing is, you need to submit the postcard design in a certain format, which unfortunately I know nothing about since my husband does it for me(he's in graphic design).  And it's best to get it right the first time, or you'll get charged hourly graphic design fees. If you have a designer friend it would be great to barter for service!

Anyway, check it out for yourself! www.custompostcards.com.

Sung to the tune of Davy Crockett, folks! 

On Christmas Eve my husband, son and I made the 1 1/2 hour drive up north to the quiet logging town of Sedro-Woolley.   My family has roots in Sedro-Woolley that go back to the late 1800's, just about back to when there were two towns, one named Sedro(Cedro, Spanish for cedar) and one named Woolley. It's located off of historic Highway 20 just north of Mount Vernon, and 30 minutes south of Bellingham, in the beautiful Skagit Valley.

Sedro-Woolley is famous for (at least) 3 things: Loggerrodeo, the 4th of July logging festival;  the carved wooden statues that adorn virtually every storefront in downtown Sedro-Woolley; and the giant Christmas tree.  Every year around Christmas we make the trek to Sedro-Woolley to visit my old stomping grounds, pay our respects at Union Cemetery, and to see the giant Christmas tree in the center of the town. 

Back in 2005, Sedro-Woolley's merchants, residents and city invested in building a great new Town Square.  As we drove into town on Monday, Christmas music was playing loudly throughout the town, and it was such a welcoming thing for us, most likely the only tourists to visit downtown Sedro-Woolley on Christmas eve. 

But no one was actually in Town Square; at that moment,  most people were in the Oliver Hammer clothing store buying some last minute gifts for Christmas.   Stuff like raccoon tails, dungarees and long underwear. 

As a child I spent many weekends and summers at my great-grandparents' home.  Much of my time was spent hanging out in the kitchen with my great-grandmother, reading in the attic bedroom, picking fruits and vegetables from the garden or adjusting the rabbit ears on the TV so we could watch one of 3 channels that were available.  The Lawrence Welk Show seemed to have a monopoly on all of them. It wasn't worth fighting over who got to watch what anyway, because before long the neighbor with the CB hobby would start chatting away on his radio, and when that happened no one got to watch anything but static.

Of course, trying to call 'Iron Butterfly' on the phone to ask him to cut it out with the CB was another challenge altogether.  Even in the late 70's/early 80's, my great-grandparents had a party line, which meant that they shared a phone line with two other neighboring homes.  Often, when we would pick up the phone to make a call, we would actually interrupt another neighbor's phone conversation; if you were quiet about it, you could actually listen in without them knowing you were even there, that is, until some loud background noise gave you away.  Imagine something like that today.

I'll never forget the feeling of living in the country, and I'll always treasure the experiences I had in this wonderful town.  That's why I love to take my husband and son up there so that they can experience it for themselves.  

By the way, if you ever find yourself in the Sedro-Woolley Museum, look for the T-Shirt from the 20's that says, "I Outran Tusko!".  It's in reference to the time when Tusko the Elephant and the circus came to Sedro-Woolley for a visit, and escaped from his cage! As the story goes, he stampeded down Main Street after a terrified crowd; my great-uncle Ernie was fortunate enough to have barely missed being trampled by Tusko, hence the T-shirt and display in the Museum.

Whenever I come into town and see the old locomotive that welcomes you into this city, I can't help but sing to myself the same tune that I used to sing many times in the car with my great-grandparents, "Sedro, Sedro-Woolley, gateway to the North Cascades!"

Happy New Year!

Here is a count of all active listings in 98146, by neighborhood:

All of 98146

Residential: 131, Condos: 28, Vacant Land: 12, Commercial: 2

By Neighborhood:  

Burien:

Residential        Condos       Vacant Land 

13                         23               2

White Center:

Residential      Condos        Vacant Land       

12                       1                     2

Boulevard Park(note that most property in BP has zip of 98168):

Residential                        Vacant Land

1                                              1

Seattle:

Residential      Condos      Vacant Land

7                         1               1

Fauntleroy:

Residential       Condos         Vacant Land

1                          1                   1

Shorewood/N. Shorewood:

Residential        Condos         Vacant Land

30                                               2

Arroyo:

Residential

2

Arbor Heights:

Residential                         Vacant Land

25                                           1

West Seattle:

Residential          Condo          Vacant Land

20                         1                    2

Top Hat: 

Residential

5

Chelsea Park:

Residential                     Vacant Land

1                                          1

Hazel Valley:

Residential         Condo

3                           1

Westwood:

Residential

3

Marine View:

Residential

6

DECEMBER SOLDS THROUGH 12/22:

Arbor Heights: 2, Burien: 3, White Center: 1, Top Hat: 1, Westwood: 2, Marine View: 2, Shorewood: 1

(Next time I hope to learn Excel and have this info on a spreadsheet! Thanks for reading!)

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Thanks for stopping by my blog!

You can reach me at 206-595-5866, or e-mail me: LisaBosques@PNWRealty.com

Or visit my website:  www.98146online.com

I am an Associate Broker and Marketing Specialist with Prudential Northwest Realty Associates.   I specialize in homes located in the Burien/North Highline/West Seattle area, and I am here to serve all of your Real Estate needs. 
Your success is my goal!

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Another dreary, rainy day in Burien.  Though I'm dead tired and groggy from my Nyquil-induced sleep(wasn't feeling well), I am at the office to do my Saturday morning floor shift. 

Since I'm still not awake enough to do anything that requires too much thought, I start reading the headlines.  One in particular grabs my attention:

"Tent City In Suburbs Is Cost Of Home Crisis"

Oh, my.  This would certainly be news to me.  I mean, I know that in many parts of the country the situation with short sales and foreclosures is getting desperate.  But how sad it would be if thousands of families were to end up in a situation where they had no alternative but to live in tent cities.

So I click on the link to the article and start reading.  The first 3 paragraphs give a brief overview of a particular tent city in Ontario, a city located on the 10 about an hour or so south of L.A. 

Quoting the 4th paragraph:

 "As more families throw in the towel and head to foreclosure here and across the nation, the social costs of collapse are adding up in the form of higher rates of homelessness, crime and even disease."

So, in my mind anyway, the story is building me up for an in-depth look at foreclosed-upon families living in tent cities.  But here's the next paragraph:

"While no current residents claim to be victims of foreclosure, all agree that tent city is a symptom of the wider economic downturn. And it's just a matter of time before foreclosed families end up at tent city when they really bottom out. "

This just about made me jump out of my chair.  Please don't get me wrong; I feel that the current foreclosure situation is a tragedy that did not need to happen for many people.  But the rest of the story's focus is on the nuisance that high rates of foreclosures brings to communities.  It does not refer back to the headline at all.

Yes, this is a very serious concern, and it's great that we are talking about the possible, unfortunate consequences of foreclosure now and not after the fact so that we can take action, instead of being able to do nothing but reflect on it(kind of like the mortgage crisis).

But I have to take issue with journalists and media outlets that write headlines such as this one, that correlates foreclosures with tent cities, when the content of the article has nothing to do with the headline. 

On the contrary, it has everything to do with fueling fear and misinformation amongst the general public, who may not even click on the article to read the true story.  Or, in this age of fast information, instant gratification and minimal attention span, they may not get down as far as the fifth paragraph.

But it's the headline that sparks conversation, spreads rumors and boosts readership. 

When I lived in Japan, I learned the cultural significance of New Year's greeting cards.  People busy themselves in December preparing their New Year's cards to send out the week after Christmas(well, 12/25 to them, as they don't do too much in the way of celebrating Christmas).  Some people send home made cards, but others are store bought, and adorned with additional stickers and ink stamps.  The ones I've seen measure about 4.25" x 6".  

I always figured that, in a pinch, if I didn't get my Christmas holiday cards out in time, that I could just send New Year's cards.  What a wonderful, non-denominational way to make contact with clients, friends and family.

This year, however, I was on the ball and sent out my holiday cards already.  I even hand-wrote all of the addresses, just as business etiquette dictates.  But my wrist is killing me!  

I am referring, of course, to washing machines.  I have had my beautiful Kenmore Energy Star front-loading washing machine for what, I don't know, about 6 years now.  I've (stupidly) had it serviced twice, to the tune of at least $300.00.  I actually got a discount from my repairman because he's a nice guy and a client of mine.

Now, apparently, the bearings are going out. When the machine hits the 'spin' cycle, it sounds something like what all the artillery fire must have sounded like during the storming of the beaches at Normandy. It feels like the machine is trying to jolt my house off of its foundation.  

Am I just being dramatic? Not really.  I think my husband likes to wash the clothes at midnight just to drive the point home that we indeed need a new washing machine.   But with Christmas coming up and business picking up, I just don't have the time to deal with this right now.  I mean, aren't appliances supposed to last longer than 6 years???

I asked my aerospace engineer-turned-appliance repairman this question.  His answer?  "Most front-loaders are no good.  They encounter many maintenance problems that front loading machines don't have that require a professional to repair."  He went on to suggest that the next time I buy a washing machine, that I simply buy a normal, run of the mill top loading machine. Maybe I'll even break down and buy an extended warranty this time.

Which is just what I'm going to do.  It would be nice if my next machine would last until my son hits college in 12 years. By then, hopefully we won't be doing so much laundry.  Is that too much to ask?

For more info on just why front-loading machines are the devil's spawn, check out Wiki on washing machines: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washing_machine 

www.98146online.com 

Check out my new wallpaper!  I know, not a smart thing to have when you're on a diet. 

In addition to being a full-time Realtor, I also run a wholesale and internet tea company with my husband.  I was delivering tea to a Korean grocery store when I saw these beautiful cakes.

Anyway, after the debacle of the last couple of weeks, I feel like I'm beginning to get back on track.  I've sugared myself out to the point where, aside from a little bit of dark chocolate every day, I don't want to eat the rich, sugary sweets anymore.  Hopefully that will get me through Christmas.

As for exercise? Last week was hard, with the snow and the flooding.  I don't like to walk when the ground is too wet! This week looks better(excuses, excuses!) 

As an office, we are still losing weight...slowly. Our goal is to lose 740 pounds, and  donate a pound of food for every pound we've lost to the local food bank.  We have one month left!

I'm happy to say that despite tempting fate by staring at cakes all week, I actually lost ... one pound.  Better than nothing!:)

The news all over the front page of the papers and the top story in the news today was, can you guess...that's right, the REAL ESTATE MARKET.  Contrary to the story on Yahoo!'s home page("Last Of The Red-Hot Real Estate Markets") right now, the median price of homes has declined in Seattle to just around $405,000. Home sales have gone down every month since May, and inventory is up by 40%.  

Being a real estate agent, I can see this happening; I see perfectly great homes on the market that should be selling but aren't.  Lots of buyers are lookingI(or "lurking" on the 'net) but not taking that next step for some reason.  I realize that those of you in other parts of the country that are reading this are wondering why I sound like I just crawled out from under a rock, but here in the Northwest we are still coming to terms with this market correction.

Though we still have a relatively low foreclosure rate compared with the rest of the country(around 1%), those numbers are projected to move upward in the next 18 months or so.  At least the Feds came in to freeze mortgage rates for subprime borrowers; hopefully that will help keep the foreclosure rate low.

My marketing area is mostly within West Seattle, Burien and unincorporated North Highline in zip code 98146.  There are homes in every price range represented here.   In the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, area 130 represents West Seattle and area 140 represents Burien/North Highline.

November 2007

                    Active listings:                Average Days On Market: 

Area 130:         105                                       72

Area 140:         69                                        92

              Expired listings:                 Average Days On Market: 

Area 130:            7                                          89

Area 140:         6                                          86

              Pending listings:               Average Days On Market:

Area 130:            10                                       58

Area 140:           4                                       92

              Sold listings:                 Average Days On Market: 

Area 130:            11                                       85

Area 140:          9                                       60

**Out of the 11 homes sold in November 2007 in Area 130, the average sales price was $248,423 and the median sales price was $258,700.  The lowest priced property sold for $155,000 and the highest sold for $335,000. 

**Out of the 9 homes sold in November 2007 in Area 140, the average sales price was $523,717 and the median sales price was $530,000. The lowest priced property sold for $319,000 and the highest sold for $925,000.

To summarize, in 98146 there were 174 active listings as of November 30.  Only 34 of those properties went under contract.  That gives us an absorption rate that is just about in line with the rest of King County at just over 5 months; that is, if we stopped taking listings today, it would take just over 5 months for all of the homes that are currently listed to sell.

So sellers, hang in there, because this is not the market of years gone by; it will take some time to sell your home.  Please take the time to get your home in the best condition possible so that it will stand out to buyers.  Those who'd like to buy a home? There's lots more to choose from, and you never know when interest rates are going to creep back up, so why not consider taking that next step?

Today in Seattle and around the Pacific Northwest we had record-breaking rainfall today(about 5 inches of rain in 48 hours).  At least it washed away the 2-3 inches of snow that we got on Saturday. But the heavy rain has left much damage in its wake, including wet and flooded basements. 

Today we helped our neighbor get all of the water out of his basement; he was on his way to work when he noticed the water bubbling up from the drain.  Thank goodness he had a huge Shop Vac, and that the power didn't go out.  And that he caught this before he left for work and not when he came home.  We must have dumped close to 200 gallons of water. (Geekbooks.com has a great, short video and some good information on how to deal with flooding, by the way).

This experience got me thinking more about basements.  Perhaps I have an exaggerated fear/dislike of basements because I've never lived in a home that had one.  But sometimes I wonder if people realize how dangerous they can be. 

Here in Seattle, people love to use their basement as living space(master suites, home theaters, etc).  But the fact is, with most older homes, basements were never meant to be used for much more than storage, laundry and furnace space.  

As a Realtor, every week or so I see a home with basement rooms advertised as "bedrooms" that would not meet code.  If there was flooding, or more likely, a fire, what if you need to exit your basement through a window? Can you fit through it? Is it painted shut? Is it too high up?  Is there a huge shrub planted on the outside that blocks your exit?  Does your basement even have a window or other means of escape?

Here in Seattle, new and remodeled basements must have windows that meet code (windows no higher than 44 inches from the floor, and an outside exit).  But there are so many older homes out there that do not have basements that I would consider safe for my buyers to put their children to sleep in.  Fire safety proponents advocate two exits for every room - makes a lot of sense!

So be careful out there, basement dwellers, and try to make your basement as safe as possible.  For those of you who are looking to purchase a home with a basement, know what to look out for and please keep safety at the forefront.