The national recognition is starting to pile up for Olympia, the unpretentious capitol city of Washington.
The latest recognition came from the American Public Transportation Association, which awarded Olympia with the prize for best transit system for its size in the nation.
This came on top of Olympia's ranking by Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine as the sixth Best City in the Nation.
In 2008 Forbes ranked Olympia #8 on their Best Places for Business and Careers list.
Olympia's Evergreen State College is listed among the "best Buy Schools" in the 2010 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, and Readers Digest has named Olympia's annual Procession of the Species as the top of its "can't resist" parades and processions list.
The most significant nod comes from Sperling's Best Places to Live, which ranked Olympia as the safest mid sized city in the nation, not just once, but these past two years in a row.
I'd like to award Olympia with my own personal recognition, naming it the most beautiful mid sized city in the nation.
What other city can compete with this?
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
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All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
This is my 4th blog post about Trader Joe's. It started years back with activating people to petition Trader Joe's to open a store in Olympia, through the confirmation of a planned store, to the progress, and finally the grand opening. I really should stop writing about Trader Joe's, as people who google the store inadvertently come across my blogs and call me for information about opening times and the store phone number.
Being a big Trader Joe's fan, I couldn't miss the grand opening of the store today. I thought arriving 45 minutes before the doors were supposed to open, I would be one of the first shoppers, but apparently there are a whole lot of people more dedicated than I. Shoppers waiting in line were entertained with a live band, playing island music.
After the store finally opened its doors, shoppers clogged the aisles and all the shopping carts were quickly gone. I planned to just get a few of my favorite things and be on my merry way, but how can one rush through a store that's so nicely decorated with large murals of Olympia's beautiful sights and its shelves loaded with its popular goods.
The cheerful mood and colorful shirts of the store's crew took away from the long check-out lines and crowds. I'll wait a few days before I come back for more shopping and hope the crowds will have subsided by then. Olympia now has one attraction more and I hope the Trader Joe's store remains a big success.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Are you playing with the thought of buying a bigger or better home? For some buyers even down-sizing to a smaller one story home may mean moving up the amount of the new mortgage payment. The following questions should help you figure out if it makes sense to move up.
1. Have you outgrown your home?
Your family might have expanded, your life style may have changed, or maybe you're running out of room for your furniture or collectibles.
2. Are there reasons why remodeling is not an option?
You may be able to adapt your home to your new needs by adding on or remodeling. If adding more room is not feasible, then moving to a larger home may be your best option.
3. Are you comfortable with the current housing market?
When the market is a hot seller's market, your home may sell quickly and for top dollar, but the new home you plan to move into will also be more expensive. By the same token, when it's a buyer's market you'll have a lot of inventory to choose from and you'll be able to negotiate a great price for your new home, but your current home will likely sit on the market for a while.
4. Have you built up equity in your home?
It usually takes a few years to build up equity by steadily paying down the principle of the loan and hopefully also by an increase in the market value of your home. Compare the mortgage balance with your home's current market value. Your Realtor can prepare a comparative market analysis to help you gauge how much your home should sell for.
5. Have you had a change in income?
If your financial situation has improved you may be able to afford the higher mortgage payments of a bigger home.
6. Are interest rates favorable?
Low mortgage interest rates keep your monthly payments low and make homes more affordable. Low interest rates also make it easier for buyers to afford your current home.
7. Have you outgrown your neighborhood?
Your neighborhood may have changed and no longer has the same feel it had when you first purchased your home, or you may want to live in a different school district or have a shorter commute to work.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
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All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
I've heard and read much about Seabrook and have finally made it a point to take a look for myself during a family vacation at Pacific Beach.
Seabrook is a planned beach resort community just outside the town of Pacific Beach, Washington, that implements a new approach to urbanism that is actually an old approach. It's like stepping back in time when neighborhoods were connected with sidewalks, when parking was an afterthought because the automobile was not a focus and when the pace of life was slower. It's a place where homes are close together and have front porches where neighbors can meet and sit to watch the kids play in the street.
There are no cookie cutter homes here. Every house has a distinctive style, and each one is cuter than the next. It's an eclectic mix of Craftsman homes, Victorians, beach cottages and New England salt box style homes that blends together into a quaint charm with surprises around every corner where you'll discover park benches, pavilions, community fire pits, play grounds and even a lemonade stand.
If you've ever wished you could jump into a Kincaid painting, wished there really was a place like Disney land's Main-street, or fell in love with a charming European village, you'll love Seabrook. It's not sugar coated, fake or pretentious. It is a real and organic quality community that blends into surrounding nature as if it's been there for centuries, when in fact it is less than 5 years old.
The hub spots of the town are the cafe, the market and the park. The most common way to get to those places is by bike or foot. As a matter of fact, every new home sold comes with two bicycles.
Vacation home rentals start at around $250 a night, but the homes and cottages get booked up quickly and one has to reserve plenty of time in advance. I was surprised how inexpensive the rental fees were in comparison with the high purchase costs of the homes. Supply and demand have driven home prices mostly above $500,000. I've encountered a small vacant land lot priced at $249,000. At those prices home owners aren't buying there for investment purposes. There is no way to re-coup the purchase costs through rental fees. Buyers simply buy at Seabrook because they want to own a piece of the magic.
There are some re-sale homes available, and new homes are still being built. I'm excited to follow the progress of the town, as much is still in store for Seabrook. I can imagine that an art gallery, a pub and a community pool would be great additions for the town once it is built out.
Congratulations to Casey Roloff and his Seabrook Land Company team for realizing their vision of a new town. I wish there were more versions of Seabrook in Washington, as even without the beach, none of the attraction of a place like Seabrook is lost.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
Every summer when lawn chairs start to line Capitol Way Boulevard, that's a sure indicator that Olympia's Capital Lakefair is in progress. The fair has been an Olympia staple for over 50 years and is still an immensely popular event bringing the community together and bringing visitors to Olympia.
My favorite event is the Grand Parade down Capitol Boulevard. It is lead off by a military color guard and includes imaginative floats, marching bands, drill teams, horse riders, classic cars and more. There's just something so typically American to a main street parade that makes me think of apply pie and Disney Land.
Some of the other events include boat races, a car show, kit car races, rides, games, amusements and food. This year's Lakefair was blessed with exceptionally good weather and attendance.
The crowning and closing Lakefair event each year is the firework show over Capitol Lake
and every year my kids and I agree "this year's fireworks were the best ever".
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number.
Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
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As a your full service Realtor and Accredited Staging Professional in the Olympia, Lacey, Yelm, Dupont and Fort Lewis area, I specialize in single family residential property and military relocation.
Who wouldn't want to own their own little piece of this beautiful place?
See pictures of the beautiful Olympia area and local neighborhoods here
You'll want to talk to me when it comes time for buying or selling a home in the greater Olympia area. I'm truly passionate about real estate, and I know what you want: You want a professional who is competent in her field, dedicated to your needs and passionate about her work. You don't just want marketing; you want superior marketing that gives your property an edge over the other properties listed on the market. You want your interests protected with warranties and guarantees. Everybody offers service; you want exceptional service, where every detail is attended to. You want a clear understanding of what you can expect. If you needed an operation, want the best surgeon. If you were sued, you would seek the sharpest attorney; so when it comes to real estate, a major investment, you'll want to turn to me and my team. Quality doesn't just happen by chance. It's accomplished by high expectations, intelligent planning, tireless effort and skillful execution. My services are designed to make your needs the focus of my actions. If you are, or ever have been in the military, you'll appreciate that I have been affiliated with the US military for over 20 years. And as such, you'll understand how familiar this makes me with relocation issues. I appreciate the service of our military and their family members and want to put myself at their service for all their housing and relocation needs.
I practice my profession with the support of two full time Realtor team members, who make up the "Key Group". As a "Key client" you enjoy the benefit of having three professionals with a wide range of expertise and training at your service at all times. Our designations include ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative), GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), ASP (Accredited Staging Professional) and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist).
What else do you get with me? You get a person who believes in giving back to the community. I try to accomplish that by serving on my neighborhood association board, supporting Habitat for Humanity and by being actively involved with the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life event. 
My Mission:
Memberships, Designations and Affiliations:
"Sandra is a woman of integrity and is unfailingly professional."
-Yvonne Pawelek, Ft. Lewis
" We enjoyed working with Sandy so much! Sandy's professionalism, attention to details, and understanding of real estate market are all outstanding"
-Jennie and Hirsch Diamant, Olympia
"...Her style effectively blends friendliness with professional objectivity and she approaches her work with enthusiasm and commitment."
- Ulla Torres, Lakewood
"You were so great working with our kids and both of them have said that over and over. How lucky to have you as a friend and to have you be a real estate expert."
-Diane Laslie, Olympia
"Sandy, thank you so much for all your hard work and help. You made buying our new home one of the easiest and best experiences we could have anticipated."
-Lilian and James Getchman, McCleary
"Sandy was instrumental in helping us buy our home. She listened to what we wanted and as a result we were able to narrow our search significantly and find exactly what we were looking for within a week.
Sandy's presence throughout the buying process was very reassuring and her advice was always genuine and spot on. We never got the impression that she was 'out to sell' but more so that she was there to ensure that we made decisions that were in our best interest.
Sandy made the purchase of our first home relatively effortless and quite fun. We have had no qualms in recommending her to our friends and will definately rely on her real estate expertise in the future."
-Jay and Prim Jeyasingam, Lacey
"I flew into town and only had a short week to look for houses. Sandy had the patience to show me pretty much ALL the houses between Dupont, Lacey and Olympia! 50 houses! Need I say more? Never grumpy, never grouchy that, even after a week, I hadn't found a house yet that I liked. On my last day I finally found a home that was suitable for our family. I signed the offer, left town and Sandy did everything else! We did not have to worry at all, and that alone took a huge load off my shoulders. I will recommend her to my friends anytime."
- Susanna Haynie, Olympia
"We have purchased several homes in the past, and experienced a variety of real estate agents, ranging from the poor to the exceptional. Sandy definitely fits into the latter of these two categories. Sandy is a consummate professional - she tirelessly searched for a property for us, and didn't waste our time looking at listings she knew would not interest us. When she did find us that perfect property, she continued to work closely with us, and even attended our closing to ensure we understood the process. When we decide to sell and/or purchase a property in the future, Sandy will by the first call we make."
-Brian and Yvette Jones, Olympia
...Our loan representative referred us to Sandy Nelson. From the first time we talked, she was genuinely excited to help us, especially since we were a military family using a VA loan, which she had lots of previous experience navigating.
From the first time we met, we found Sandy to be very in-tuned with what we were looking for and very anxious to help us...
Though we didn't work for weeks or months finding our first home, we would have never found it if it wasn't for Sandy. She is so pleasant to work with and has truly become a friend for life. What we love about Sandy is that she's there for you after you find your home, she doesn't just close the sale and forget all about you. She was there on moving day, providing our friends and family with food and drinks, and she's always so thoughtful. We recently celebrated our first year anniversary in our new home and there was Sandy, giving us flowers to celebrate the ocassion right along with us.
I strongly encourge all of my friends and co-workers to contact Sandy if they're looking for a great real estate professional they can trust. She definitley made our first home buying experience a very pleasant one. We'll always be thankful to her and consider her a friend!
- Gina and Jerry Hobbs, Lacey
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