Rob Graham

Seattle is more then dog friendly. Here is a list of off leash parks and puppy friendly resources.

Off Leash Parks:

Dr. Jose Rizal Park
1008 12th Ave. S

• Genesee Park and Playfield
  4316 S Genesee St.
• Golden Gardens Park
  8498 Seaview Pl. NW
• I-5 Colonnade
  Beneath I-5, south of E Howe St.
• Northacres Park
  12718 1st Ave. NE
• Plymouth Pillars Park
  Boren Ave. and Pike St.
• Regrade Park
  2251 3rd Ave.
• Sam Smith Park
  1400 Martin Luther King Jr Way S
• Warren G. Magnuson Park
  7400 Sand Point Way NE
• Westcrest Park
  9000 8th Ave. SW
• Woodland Park
  Aurora Ave. N and N 59th St.

On Line Resources:

Citizens for Off Leash Areas - COLA is a 100% volunteer-run non-profit organization. We exist to support and maintain Seattle's many off-leash dog parks.

Seattle Parks and Rec Off Leash Area Site - Info, rules, maps and directions to off Leash Areas.

After hours Emergency Pet Care:

Just as an aside. If you would like to participate in the annual Furry 5K to support

Seattle Animal shelter, follow the follwing link.

2008 9th Annual Furry 5K
Fun Run and Walk
Sunday, June 8, 2008

Everyone is sick an tired of paying too much for gas prices. For some of us who virtually live in our cars, there is no getting around it. I just came back from the gas station and payed over $40 to fill my tank. Ouch! So I got on the web looking for help finding cheaper gas. Here is the result. Looks like the Cheapest gas around is $3.51 and ARCO and Costco seem to have a strangle hold on the cheap gas. For a full list, you can check out:

www.SeattleGasPrices.com

Have fun. Drive Save.

Here is a great idea for anyone who likes soda. Jones Soda of Seattle, WA. allows you to print your own label. You pick the picture and for $29.99 + shipping, they will send you a 12 pack. They have lots of great flavors too. Any time you are having an event and want to put a picture of a friend, pet, location, just download it to their web site. Real Estate Agents, you can use them as a unique closing gift, housewarming, staging, or for open houses. The possibilities are endless. Click on the bottle cap to go to their web site. It is pretty fun. Enjoy!

Every time I discover a great web site I like to share it. I was browsing and stumbled across Sperling's Best Places. It is a fantastic resource for all kinds of information about hundreds of metropolitan areas all over the country. They also host dozens of surveys for the best of lists that they create each year. It is a great place for relo clients to find out about other cities and for agents to have ammunition to brag about their own town. Here are just a few of the survey's and Seattle's rank:

Best Cities for Teleworking : #10

Most Secure Large Metropolitan Areas : #17

Most Energetic Cities : #7 (Its all the coffee)

Best Cities for Seniors : #2 (Portland was #1)

and my personal favorite:

Best Cities for Dating: #5 (Yes! Anyone want to walk around Green Lake? (Inside joke for my friends))

On of the most frequent questions I get from clients is about the current state of the mortgage industry. I have the general impression that there is an understanding that the industry has fallen on hard times but not a good understanding of why or when it might end. So here you go. To understand where we are you need to take a step back and understand the history first. If you travel back with me to "the good ole' days" of mortgages, you find a much simpler set up. Banks offered very few options. Most banks offered the same products and largely the same rates. People generally went to the bank they had a checking and savings account in and asked for a 30 year fixed mortgage. You needed to have a decent credit score, and prove that you had an income to support the loan. Pretty straight forward.

Then a few years back things got really complicated. Banking institutions began to figure out that if they got creative with the loan products they were offering they could attract more clients. Suddenly you had the birth of adjustable rate mortgages, 0 down loans, interest rates based on the phase of the moon loans, etc. It had huge appeal to everyone. You could get into a home for a lot less money and in many cases didn't need a down payment or even prove your income. The result you had a lot of people buying homes that probably would be wise to rent for a while longer. The result is where we are now. Banks are getting a lot stricter about the products they offer and many customers who didn't read the fine print on their loans are getting in trouble.

The pendulum is shifting back to where you actually need a decent credit score and an income to qualify for a loan. The writing of risky loans peaked a few years ago. Given the lag in the effect of defaulting on loans, this summer should see the greatest default rate and following that things will start to calm down.

So what does all this mean for you? If you own a home and are happy with your mortgage, and have no desire to move, it means almost nothing. It is a curious blip on the radar that you will be recalling with amusement in a few years.

If you are currently looking to buy, you need to be smart. Stick to the less risky loan products, stay within your budget and don't over extend yourself. There are a lot of great homes out there and sellers are willing to make a lot of concessions they were not willing to make a few years ago.

If you are trying to sell now, be realistic in what your home is worth. Don't think that because the identical neighbor home sold last year for $500,000, that you should be able to get $550,000. That simply isn't the market we are in. Prepare your home wisely and consider staging it professionally. Don't cut corners. Now is not the time to try to save a buck and miss out on potential buyers. And most of all be patient. It is taking a lot longer for homes to sell these days, but good homes do sell.

If you currently own and are in trouble with your mortgage, DON'T WAIT TO GET HELP! Contact your bank and find out exactly what shape you are in. Find ways to stretch your budget, or refinance. The biggest mistake people facing foreclosure make is doing nothing. Most people can find a way out if they just contact their bank and be honest. They want to work with you. The last thing they want is to foreclose and take possession of the property.

If you need help, give me a call.