then cast your vote to help bring a Trader Joe's store to Olympia.
Trader Joe's different from most common supermarkets, in that you won't find a lot of branded products. Instead, Trader Joe's carries many interesting and unconventional products at great prices. Shopping at Trader Joe's is always an adventure, as you'll discover new products from all over the world. I love their smooth authentic Greek yogurt with honey, Kerry Irish butter, French chocolate torte and their great selection of international wines at bargain prices.
The buyers for Trader Joe's taste every product before they decide to stock it and bring it to the local shoppers.
The shopping experience at Trader Joe's is as unusual as their inventory. The stores are much smaller than regular supermarkets, the interior is decorated with an exotic nautical flair, the staff wear colorful Hawaiian shirts and instead of a PA system, you'll hear a ship bell ringing.
The company is privately owned by the Aldi family of Germany. I've been driving to the nearest Trader Joe's at University Place since it opened. Before that I drove all the way to Federal Way. All this driving might soon come to an end, since Trader Joe's is considering opening a store in Olympia. I've been pestering them for years to move to our neck of the woods and like to think that had something to do with it. However, another option on the table is to open a store in Gig Harbor instead.
So here's your opportunity to weigh in on the matter: Vote for Olympia here:
http://www.traderjoes.com/location_requests_form.aspx
I believe a Trader Joe's store will be a great asset to the Olympia / Lacey community. I personally can't wait to have one here.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
INVENTORY VERSUS DEMAND
The absorption rate shows quite a jump for the past month. With over 2000 active residential properties currently on the market across Thurston County, it would take 6.8 months at current sales rates to deplete the inventory.
While inventory rates of over 5 months typically denote a buyers market, what the numbers show us is that while buyers have a lot of homes to choose from, they don't get them at a steal.
LIST PRICE VERSUS SALES PRICE
The past month's sale statistics show that the average home sold at 98.43% of the list price. The average home in Thurston County was listed at $305,692 and sold for $300,895 after being on the market for over 120 days.
Buyers who try to "low-ball" sellers with ridiculously low offers will, more often than not, find themselves face to face with a counter offer that barely deviates from the list price. As you can see from the above numbers the margin is less than 2 percent.
For additional and up-to-date information on the Thurston County real estate market and trends, feel free to contact me.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
(360)789-7505
The "There's No Place Like Home" team of local real estate professionals held their annual rummage sale on 17 May 2008. Thanks to the huge amount of generous donations, we were able to fill a parking lot with everything from office furniture, toys, clothes, dishes, jewelry and other treasures. Thanks to the many people who stopped by to shop, the team yielded over $1000.00 in donations to the Thurston County Relay for Life Campaign. The list of volunteers who made this event possible is long and includes Brenda Hartshorn, Eric Prehm, Sandy Nelson, Rob Chrisler, Al Stickland, Kami Clark, Dawn Taft, Polly Barber, Ken Fisher, Jeff Hughes, Benna Jones, Melanie Sawetz and many more. The volunteers put in long hours in preparation and a full 8 hour day at the event in 90 degree heat. It was a rewarding experience and a lot of fun. Thanks to the cooking crew, we had food and refreshments on hand to keep us fortified.
Our next fundraising event will be a car wash on the 7th of June at Lacey's K-Mart parking lot. We hope for nice weather and a strong turn out to help raise enough money to get us to our team's goal of raising $10,000 for cancer research funding.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
Lacey's Hawks Prairie area is growing and developing into a valuable prime residential location.
The planned development of the "Gateway Town Center" promises to bring added value to the neighboring communities of Meridian Campus, Continental Crest, Campus Highlands, Christa Heights, Jubilee etc. The sidewalks and bike paths will connect local residents to accessible shopping, entertainment venues, civic amenities and restaurants.
The ground stone was laid at the end of 2007 with the opening of the Cabela's anchor store. Soon to follow will be 1,000,000 sq.ft. of office space, 2.0 Million sq.ft. of retail & leisure space with community & civic amenities, as well as 7,000 additional residential units.
The Lacey Gateway Town Center is a master planned community by Triway Enterprises.
http://triwayenterprises.com/land_gateway.html
It will be exciting to see this concept come to life. It promises to bring employment opportunities as well as a new concept of city life. The way the project is designed, it will feature many public spaces, art and outdoor plazas, inviting visitors to park their cars and stroll instead. This lay-out will create a pleasant meeting place for the community. Located less than 10 miles from Fort Lewis and McChord AFB, it will offer convenient housing and shopping opportunities for our military families.
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
Sometimes I think I must be the luckiest Realtor, because I'm fortunate to have two unbelievable business partners. Actually I should be the third luckiest Realtor, because my two teammates have me. In 2006, Al Stickland, Rob Chrisler and I have decided to pool our resources and talents to form "The Key Group".
We have developed the highest standard of ethics and practices that set us apart from most other Realtors, and we have designed a support system that strengthens our business, as well as provides extended services to our clients.
Before founding "The Key Group", conducting my business solo, I felt like I was constantly performing a one-man balancing act. Now, with the solid support of my partners, I feel stable, grounded and able to shoulder a much bigger load. A group of three people is the optimum number to be able to stay closely involved and connected, yet also being able to stretch out and undertake bigger ventures with low risk.
Our clients appreciate the benefit of always being able to reach one of us, and receiving the compounded experience of three individuals. For example: Before doing a listing presentation all three of us individually do a market report on the property. This way we can be sure we're "spot on" with the value. By pooling our resources we can offer more client benefits and programs, and by relying on each individual's talents we are able to direct responsibilities to the person best suited for specific tasks.
Al Stickland is a retired First Sergeant with the US Army, and Rob Chrisler is from the field of Academia with a varied background (in other words he knows everything). These guys are worth their weight in gold, and I'm extremely grateful and honored to have them as partners.
-"It is probably not love that makes the world go around, but rather those mutually supportive alliances through which partners recognize their dependence on each other for the achievement of shared and private goals."
Fred A. Allen
1894-1957, American Radio Comic
Sandy Nelson
Realtor for Olympia area real estate
www.sandynelsonrealestate.com
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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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