Inspired by an annual event in Brussels, Belgium, Mathias Eichler, owner of the hippest store in Olympia, and community organizer, put together an innovative, yet simple community event in downtown Olympia called: A Table for Olympia
It took place early evening on Friday the 10th of July on Washington Street. The street was closed to traffic and one block-long line of tables was lovingly set with white table linens and vases with fresh summer flowers. The residents of Olympia were invited to come to town to share a pot luck dinner together, and plenty of people followed the invitation. The weather couldn't have been better. There was sunshine, live music and singing. Delicious Olympia artesian well water was served, people sampled each other's food, sat together, ate together and got to know each other.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this type of event being copied in other cities nearby. I only hope it will become an annual tradition in Olympia.
Mathias Eichler Fresh artisian well water
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
With a city as pretty as Olympia and with such stunning views, why are utility poles still tolerated?
No modern city has above ground power lines any more, and you won't see them in new subdivisions. Why then does the Capitol City of the State of Washington still look like a throw-back to the fifties, or like a third world country town when it comes to the utility poles?
I understand that placing these lines underground is a costly affair, but what's the alternative? Are we waiting until every home and business runs on alternative energy?
Not only would underground utility lines improve the look of Olympia's street scape and help give us unobstructed views, they would require less maintenance and fewer power outages in inclement weather.
Olympia is growing up and developing and should have the infrastructure to go with it.
How much nicer would this view be, if there were no utility lines ?
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.
Have you come across the term "New Urbanism"? Not sure what it means? It refers to the new concept that is actually an old concept, of living in close proximity to the city. Communities used to naturally develop around a city core, but then extended into suburban sprawl. With land getting sparser, traffic getting denser and the cost of gas going higher, the idea of living in the city is gaining popularity again. The city offers amenities that are easily reached by public transportation or by foot, smaller yards with low maintenance, and close proximity to neighbors. Since lots in the city are small and priced at top dollar, "urbanism" almost always means smaller homes and multi level building. The advantages of this are lower energy costs and less home maintenance. Other positive side effects are re-energized town centers with a vibrant economy, because going to town for dinner is only a short trip by bus, versus a 20 minute drive from the suburbs, and it means not having to worry about parking. New urban housing doesn't just have to mean town homes, condos and apartments.
These homes in Tumwater show what urban living can look like.
The "Overlook" homes come in several floor plan styles and are around 2000 sq. ft. They offer 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a 2-car garage. The yard requires next to no maintenance and is landscaped with drought resistant plants. The intelligent lay-out takes advantage of every nook and cranny and makes these homes seem much larger than they are. The ecological design includes a high degree of insulation, bamboo and linoleum flooring, locally produced cabinets, no VOC paint, high energy efficient appliances and much more. The best aspect of these homes is the rooftop deck that takes advantage of the fantastic views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains and the capitol dome.
These views are unmatched anywhere in Thurston County. Shopping and dining are just a 5 minute car, or 10 minute bus ride away. South Puget Sound Community College is within walking distance, and access to I-5 and Hwy 101 is less than 5 minutes.
Tumwater is currently the only place where this type of housing exists in Thurston County. I would welcome seeing more innovative and urban design options for housing being developed in Olympia, where a multi faceted city center is just waiting for more inhabitants.
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.
Few people know that there are thousands of dollars available in rebates from Puget Sound Energy, as well as federal tax incentives for installing energy star qualified heaters, water heaters and windows. The rebates from PSE are only for PSE customers, and the rebates listed below are for single family dwellings.
In addition to the PSE rebates and federal tax incentives, in many cases the manufacturers offer additional rebates.
To learn more visit:
www.energyefficiencycredits.blogspot.com
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor, GRI, ASP, Associate Broker
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Houses don't always have to look the same. Everybody knows a house or two in their neighborhood that doesn't quite conform to the traditional, but these houses are something else. Can you say extreme home makeover? These photos prove that a little imagination goes a long way.
Redneck Villa
Toilet Building
Bowl House
Mountain Lodge
Upside Down House
Railroad House
Flat Iron Building
My favorite is the Redneck Villa. I wonder how appraisers deal with these types of odd balls. Good luck finding comps.
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.
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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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