Please join me in welcoming, all the way from Georgia, Jessica Horton to her new, soon to be role, of Broker of Brio Realty in Bellevue Washington. Many of you will know Jessica from her blog here on ActiveRain.
My initial 90 day position as Broker was extended for 90 days when we decided to move the Headquarters Office to 12207 NE 8th Street in Bellevue.
A very special thanks to all of the agents, and most importantly Liz Thompson shown with me above, for their hard work in getting situated in the new space. Life is change and change is good.
A big welcome to Jessica! We look forward to meeting you, and working with you, and being of assistance in any way we can with your getting acclimated to Seattle.
As soon as you get that Washington Broker's License, tentatively scheduled for March 1, I'll be passing the baton of Designated Broker of the three Washington Brio Offices, but please feel free to call on me at anytime in the future. Much success to you and your family and BRIO Realty is my wish for you and the Company.
Every week I have been tracking the sales stats for King County and visiting the Broker's Opens in Bellevue, to get a handle on where this market is going.
Last night, and every Sundy night, I posted the King County stats. Number of properties sold for the last three months ended January 31st compared to previous years is down about 30%.
Zero down mortgages are 20% or so of sales vs. 40% or so in prior years. 5% down mortgages picked up from almost none to 15% or so. That's based on a small market evaluation. I can't hand count the whole county.
I'm hoping to do a review of the Broker's Opens by the end of this weekend. We've picked the ones that should sell, which were few among the many. Now we're tracking the number of days it takes for ANY of them to go into escrow.
So many people getting their homes ready for market. When can they start planting those flowers?
My baskets were so big last year, they actually pulled the hooks right out and fell down. Lesson learned.
Seattle temperatures are mild, but there was frost on the cars this morning. I figure when I see the yellow heads of the daffodils, it's OK to plant other things at that point.
We used to say Mother's Day back in the Northeast, but seems to me in Seattle we could plant earlier than that.
I want to plant pink begonia. Anyone have an answer for that in the Northwest?
If you are picking carpet
Ditch the idea of white or very light traditional plush carpet
Instead, go with a darker toned Frieze in a light brown
or sage green
Light fixtures - NO GOLD!!
Dark Brass or Iron Oxide finishes work well with brown toned glass
You can never go wrong if you check out Pottery Barn for bath accessories
and then buy the cheaper knockoff at Home Depot or Lowe's
The want so much money for these basic shaker style mirrors
That I've decided to make my own with $2.00 worth of 1 X 3 trim glued to a mirror I have lying around. I'll let you know how it looks when I'm done. I'm painting them with "coffee" paint for that espresso finish in Satin gloss. No mitred corners, so it should be a breeze. I'm planning to make several for my home and for staging generally. I'll post some photos and break out the cost for you.
One of my clients went to the Seattle Home Show today. We're still looking for the answers to:
What's AFTER Stainless Appliances and
What's After Granite Counter Tops
We're just sick of both of them and they are not easy to keep looking nice day after day and year after year, so what's next?
Recently I have had the opportunity to speak with many agents. I quickly learned that what we assume and take for granted, many haven't really thought through to it's true meaning.
For instance, many have heard the phrase:
"Your Real Estate Agent For Life!"
But, when buyers and sellers call them to talk about things like what the neighbor's house sold for, or which improvements they should spend their money on, they get annoyed.
I've heard this many times. "Why are they calling me if they don't want to buy or sell Real Estate?"
I answer, haven't you heard the phrase 'your real estate agent for life'? to which they always answer YES. I ask, well that means they call you anytime they need info involving real estate. They answer "Oh, I didn't know that. I thought that just meant I want them to call me for their whole life anytime they are buying or selling real estate."
That's the difference between Agent-Centric thinking (call me when I can make money off of you) and Consumer-Centric thinking "Call me whenever you have a real estate related question".
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Real Estate related posts focusing on the Seattle Area including Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Green Lake, North Seattle and around Lake Washington to the Eastside aka either side of the 520 bridge.
"Ardell and Kim are outstanding real estate agents, and have gone above and beyond in getting us our dream location.
Our search took several months but they never lost patience and were always following up with good advice and good information. They were with us in the entire process, being there for us at short notice to look at properties, helping and educating us on various pros cons, giving us lots of advice throughout the process, and helping us make good decisions.
Above all, they have very high integrity. They were not afraid to turn us away from many, many properties even though they had a commission to lose at each point. They were more concerned that we get the right property for us at the right price. That is admirable indeed.
In addition, Ardell and Kim have an enormous amount of experience, both in evaluating properties, as well as evaluating buyers, sellers, and the 'other' agent. You only need to look once at Ardell's Blog and you will know they are super-smart.
In short, they rock!!"
Ganesh & Kala (Google)
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"Ardell and Kim are patient and trusted advisors, and we wouldn't think of making a real estate decision without them. We found their expertise to be reassuring and their transparency to be refreshing.
After being burned by an agent in the past we were skeptical about the value that agents could offer, but the level of knowledge, professionalism, ethics, and client dedication that Ardell and Kim brought to the table far surpassed our expectations. We recommend them highly."
-Erik & Chris
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"...I found Ardell. Full disclosure - we're working with her now. I'll tell you this, she walks the freaking walk..."
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"Is it real you ask? I keep pinching my arm just to verify and although I'm still not fully convinced, I'm pretty sure it's real... I went from discouraged internet home seeker to proud home owner in 2 and a half days. Couldn't have done it without you Ardell.
Thank you so much."
"Jack" - As Good As It Gets
If you are relocating to Seattle, see the link below for an ongoing discussion that has lasted for about two years between Seattle Area residents, agents and people moving to Seattle. You may find your questions and answers addressed there by others over that time. It is clearly one of the best sources of info for people thinking about Moving to Seattle that is available on the internet.
Top 10 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Seattle, Seatttle and Seatle
http://www.raincityguide.com/2006/03/07/10-things-you-should-know-before-moving-to-seattle/
Remember, the info is in the comments, not just the post itself.
The majority of my clients already live here and are both selling and buying in the area. Many are selling in Seattle or Edmonds or Shoreline or most any part of North Seattle through Mt. Baker and Leschi (I do very little if any real estate in West Seattle), and are moving to the Eastside and often to Kirkland, Bellevue or Redmond, but sometimes Kenmore and Bothell in the Northshore School District. Lake Washington Schools and Northshore Schools being my primary focus on the Eastside. Kirkland is annexing, or expected to annex, some areas toward and to Kenmore. So the Juanita and Finn Hill markets are interesting and more affordable at times. The new (not there yet) Totem Lake Mall will also be an interesting development as will be the revamping of the area near Overlake Hospital and Microsoft.
I have assisted buyers in the purchases on the Seattle side, but those clients were very internet savvy and did a lot of the looking on the internet and did drive bys as well. Rarely do my clients want "tours" of homes except on a first time out. Mostly we target homes to see via the internet and jump up and meet at only the best homes. Buying a home and the home search process has gone way beyond looking at what is "for sale". Often it involves the home listed 30 minutes ago and finding property that is not for sale. Life has changed and me and my clients run at the top fo the ridge in that regard. No old fashioned real estate except for my "having their back" part.
Should You Buy a Short Sale?
http://www.amazon.com/Newcomers-Handbook-Moving-Seattle-Handbooks/dp/0912301732
Sunday Night Stats for King County Washington
http://www.raincityguide.com/tag/sunday-night-stats/
Neighborhood Stats, this one is for Tam O'Shanter in Bellevue, but by special request I will do any neighborhood that I work in as "my service area". Just ask on this blog post and I will get the current info for any neighborhood by request.
http://www.raincityguide.com/2008/03/01/tam-oshanter-in-bellevue/
My blog is a place where I can write anything I want, but I don't notice comments there as well. So ask on the http://www.raincityguide.com/ site on one of my posts for quick response. My blog is a good source of more detailed market stats for those who like to Track the Seattle Area Real Estate Market beyond the Sunday Night King County version above. I try to keep them all in one category and the stats go back to 2005 and maybe even 2004.
http://www.realtown.com/Ardell/blog/tracking-the-market
ARDELL DellaLoggia - Seattle Area Real Estate - For all of your real estate needs. If you just want to talk about the market without being obligated to buy or sell real estate just because you spoke with an agent...just comment anonymously on my blogs here and there as noted above.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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