Robert Lani

One of my biggest passions in life is helping raise money and awareness for different causes, whether they be for health care, animals, people, or music, to name a few. I started my quest back in Rhode Island and brought it here to Seattle. When I moved here and started my real estate career, I wanted to help animals. I contacted PAWS and that is how it all began. I started through small happy hours to help raise awareness, money, and necessary supplies. It has now been 8 months and the effort is growing.

A few months back, I connected with Tracy Oklander Anderson from Tread Light Gifts and Carol Walter from Solace Essentials who had the same passion to help people and animals in need. Each month, the three of us host a happy hour at a local Seattle establishment. We invite the charity of that month in to talk about their mission and how we can help. It has been very successful making small dents in a huge need.

Thursday night we hosted an event for Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN.) It was small crowd of people who are all passionate about the same thing. It is a great way to help a charity and at the same time bring likeminded people together. In October, we have a huge event planned with some local sponsors. If you are interested in attending one of our events, know of a charity that you would like us to support, or would like to support past charities we have helped, email me at rlani@kw.com.

Robert Lani
rlani@kw.com
www.lrgroupseattle.com
206 919 1755

Our Business is built on referrals. Whenever you come across friends, family and coworkers who are thinking about buying or selling a home, make sure to call or email us with their name and contact information so we can follow up with them.

Your referral helps us change lives.

Being a real estate agent is not an easy job and trying to differentiate yourself while keeping your buyers and sellers your main focus is tough. I do think I stand out because of my many tattoos and my informal way of doing business. Our team at L + R Realty offers a unique approach because we are complete opposites and can help wide range of buyers and sellers. Referrals are what drive our business and what we try to do in return for our clients is be a value-added resource for them.

The first and, what we think is the most important, step in getting a house on the market is hiring Meg Angell from Less Clutter. She spends 1-2 hours with our client going through the house determining what needs to be done before the house goes on the market. We recently had Meg out to our listing at 4019 1^st Ave. NE to help the client get her house ready to list. Meg spent a couple of hours with the owner and was able to put what needs to be done in perspective. Once this was done, we then could determine what other services may need to be ordered. We then help by getting the landscaper, window washer and the house cleaner. By going the extra mile and being who you are, you will stand out from all the rest.

We feel that this is our way of differentiating from the thousands of other agents and we provide excellent customer service to our buyers and sellers while do so.

L + R Realty Group
www.lrgroupseattle.com
206 919 1755

If you are a dog lover or know someone who is Pete and Maya need your help. They have been living in their foster home for the last 6 weeks. Pete is a little Chihuahua-mix and Maya is a Cairn terrier. Both were rescued out of a high-kill shelter in California by Ginger's Pet Rescue. They were both scheduled to be euthanized a few hours after their rescue. We need to find a home where these two can go together because they become inseparable. They are both about 2 years old and need your help.

Spread the word and help these 2 find a good home together!!

Good news! Signs of the end of hard times are finally here. Ballard, Green Lake, and North Seattle have suddenly reverted to a seller's market. Other areas that have changed over to a seller's market is the Beacon Hill and South Downtown Seattle area. The single-family supply of homes in those areas is down to a three-month supply. In April and May, those five neighborhoods have seen pending sales rise. In North Seattle, single-family home supply was 1.9 months and the pending sales increase was 61.9% while in Green Lake/Ballard, the month supply was at 2.5 while pending sales increased 10.6%.

The North Seattle area includes Wedgwood, Ravenna, Lake City and several other neighborhoods.

Other parts of King County have also improved from a buyer's market to a balanced market, according to Matt Deasy, Windermere Real Estate East. A balanced market means it would take three to six months to sell all homes in that area.

One reason for the market turn is because of the first-time home buyer. Home buyers are taking advantage of the low interest rates and the $8,000 tax credit.

Houses in Green Lake/Ballard had a median price of about $389,000 in May, which is down about 20% from the same time in 2008 and North Seattle is down 23% from last year with their median price for May at $415,000.

As an agent, I do see things changing; open houses are busier and I have seen several multi-offers in the past month. With this good news, hopefully it will get those buyers stuck on the fence to finally jump.