Dan Edwards, REALTOR® Your NW Home reSource.™

Remember what mom says, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all." Here is how a sellers agent opened mouth and had to insert foot.

Before I get to that, Hurray!! Today I had a closing for a very happy family!

For the next part of the story a bit of background is necessary. First and foremost I negotiated the snot out of the price for my clients. That the market we are in, I am aggressively negotiating for my buyers(sellers to, but it's a buyer’s market) In the closing days of this transaction the Mr. seller finds out that he is responsible for all assessments at closing so the $3,500 sewage capacity charge is his, he is not happy. The chandelier in the dining room was somehow miss-ordered and isn't set to be installed until next week. And the window seat cushions that were advertised by the listing agent as to be sold with the house are missing. The mirror in the guest bath has been replaced with a cheap knock off etc.

We have all been here before on both sides of a transaction like this. It turns into a, for lack of a better word a pissing match between the seller and the buyer and the agents sometimes take it personally. I for one understand that this stuff is par for the course and why we get paid the big bucks. I patiently work through this with the buyer, explaining what we get done. We get the cushions put back and clarify with the lighting company to get the new chandelier installed. My clients are very understanding and again very happy with the home they are getting.

As always coordinating the pickup of the keys, etc. is always different. Sometimes it's seamless and other times I find myself driving needlessly all over the place cause someone is just "too busy." to meet me half way. Either way my buyers are eager to get moving....literally. In Washington State the official time of transfer is 9PM on the day of close unless otherwise noted in the contract. Today we were given the green light as soon as recording numbers were in.

At about 1:30 we were released to record at the county and the seller agent had sent me a email earlier in the day stating that the keys and the packet were at the front counter for pickup. I happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped by. The gal at the front counter was very helpful but, No keys, no packet, no agent and no answer on cell phone... I had other things to do so I decided to come back later, no big deal just....bummer.

Not more than 10 minutes later, as I was making the 405 to I-90 exchange I received a call from the front counter. The seller’s agent was in and the packet was there.... shoot I guess I will turn around and head back. Ten minutes later and I am walking into the lobby of Unnamed Brokerage and a woman was handing a packet to the woman at the front desk and said, "...here is that packet for the cranky guy." I promptly said, "Hey I think that's for me." Boy was she embarased.

Honest, if you knew me, I am a pretty cheerfully optimist.... Perhaps I was irritated and it showed. Two lessons I learned from this. One be careful what you say it may come back to haunt you, two always treat those around you with kindness and respect, it's not their fault if someone else messed up.

Redmond WA home sales are up slightly this week. We continue to demonstrate a nice up trend in general over the last several weeks. In the English Hill and Education Hill Neighborhoods we have seen relatively strong sales as home sales have been exceeding new inventory for several weeks.

For a complete list of homes for sale in the Downtown Redmond, Education Hill, English Hill Neighborhoods of the Redmond Washington real estate market, please call or Click here, to request an update.

If you are interested in selling your home for top dollar in the quickest amount of time, please contact me anytime at 206-818-8816 or Click here to send me an e-mail requesting further information.

Often we are berated for being arrogant, well not me anyways, but a REALTOR I know gets harangued that he or she loves to see their face in print.

Well I found just the place where their image can be immortalized. Heck their image could be handed down as a family heirloom. At Simply Silhouettes you can send photos to be converted to silhouettes.

In all seriousness, I highly recommend Simply Silhouettes for that perfect gift this holiday season. Simply Silhouettes will create custom-designed silhouette products like holiday cards, stationery, apparel, wall prints and more.

Each year me and the family head cut our own Christmas Tree. We love the idea of picking out the perfect tree. Fresh cut trees last longer in the home and the smell wonderful !Below is a short list of great U-Cut Christmas Tree Farms in King County.

If your feeling a bit more adventurous and want to save some money you can pick up a permit to cut down a Christmas tree from one of our nearby national forests!