Ally Wangsness

These are just a few events in Seattle you may enjoy from now until the Thanksgiving day.

Free Santa Pictures and Toy Drive

When: from November 19th, 09 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Pictures taken on November 19th, December 3rd and 10th

Where: Quality Inn & Suites in Seattle

618 John St
Seattle, WA 98109

Contact phone: 206-728-7666 ext. 600

Central Library Architecture Tour

When: November 20th, 09; 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

Where: Central Library

1000 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

Cost: Free

Savor Seattle Pike Place: Off the Beaten Path Tour

When: November 20th, 21st, 09; 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Registration required

Where: World Spice Merchants

1509 Western Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

Cost: $41

Contact phone: 1-888-987-2867

For more info, click here.

Gage Guest Lecture: Artist and Author: Lessons in Landscape

When: November 20th, 09; 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Gage Academy of Art

1501 10th Ave E
Seattle, WA 98102

Cost: Free

Seattle Pub Crawl

When: November 20th, 09 (call for other dates); 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Where: starts at The Pike Brewing Co.

1415 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

Cost: $25 Advance/ $28 Walkup

Contact phone: 1-800-838-3006

For more information click here.

Magnolia Village Tree Lighting

When: November 20th, 09; 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Where: Magnolia Garden Center

3213 W Smith St
Seattle, WA 98199

Cost: Free

Holiday Dinner Cruise of Seattle Lakes

When: November 20th, 21st, 09; 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Where: Waterways Cruises and Events

2501 N Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98103

Cost: $54.95/adult, $24.95/children (ages 5-11) – Registration required

Contact phone: 206-223-2060

Michael Tomplinson: Thanksgiving Concert

When: November 20th, 09; 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. A free pre-concert reception at 7:00 p.m.

Where: Great Hall, enter on 8th Ave

Cost: $25 at www.brownpapertickets.com

Contact phone: 1-800-838-3006

For more information visit www.michaeltomlinson.com

Friends of the Seattle Public Library Holiday Sale at Warren G. Magnuson Park

When: November 21st, 09; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Where: Warren G. Magnuson Park

7400 Sand Point Way NE Building No. 30
Seattle, WA 98115

Cost: most books sell for $1

Yulefest

When: November 21st, 22nd, 09; 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Where: Nordic Heritage museum

3014 NW 67th St
Seattle, WA 98117

Cost: Suggested donation is $3/adult, $1/child under 12, children under 3 – free admission

Brunch Cruise of Seattle Lakes

When: November 22nd; 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Where: Waterways Cruises and Events

2501 N Northlake Way
Seattle, WA 98103

Cost: $39.95/adult, $35.95 Senior and Military, $16.95/child (ages 5-11) – Registration required

Contact phone: 206-223-2060

Festival of Trees Celebration

When: November 22nd, 09; 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Dinner at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Fairmont Olympic Hotel

411 University St
Seattle, WA 98101

Cost: $72/adult, $33/child. Free admission includes refreshments, music and entertainment

More information: http://www.seattlefestivaloftrees.com/

Teddy Bear Suite and more at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel

When: November 25th – December 26th , 09; 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Where: Fairmont Olympic Hotel

411 University St
Seattle, WA 98101

Contact phone: 206-621-1700

Don’t forget to visit Savor Seattle tours mentioned in earlier blog posts.

Source:

www.seattle.gov

When home buyers start looking for a new home they take first steps differently: while second time buyers tend to do research online or contact a real estate agent, the first time buyers seek information about the home buying process, talk to their relatives and friends before contacting the real estate professional. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) survey about 33% of all buyers looked for properties online, 17% contacted the real estate agent, 12% looked for information about the home buying process, 9% drove by homes/neighborhoods, 7% talked with a friend or relative about home buying process, 7% contacted the mortgage lender or a bank, 4% visited open houses, 3% looked at the newspapers or magazines, 3% contacted builder/visited models, 1 % contacted a home seller directly, 1% attended home buying seminar, 1% read books/guidelines about home buying process, 1% used other resources.

Here are the NAR statistics of information sources while buyers search for homes, by age:

Age

18 to 24 25 to 44 45 to 64 65 and older

Internet 92% 94% 82% 56%

Real estate agent 88% 86% 86% 81%

Yard sign 63% 64% 61% 56%

Open house 34% 48% 51% 46%

Newspaper ad 50% 45% 51% 49%

Home book or magazine 31% 30% 31% 20%

Home builder 14% 20% 24% 26%

Television 11% 10% 11% 5%

Billboard 7% 7% 7% 6%

Relocation company/employer 2% 5% 5% 1%

Frequency of use of information sources shows that 69% of buyers used the Internet, 65% - real estate professional, 28% - yard sign, 15% - newspaper ad, 14% - open house, 9% - home book or magazine, 9% - home builder, 2% - television, 2% - relocation company, 1% - billboard.

How did buyers find real estate agent?

First-time buyers Repeat buyers

Referred by(or is) friend or relative 55% 35%

Used agent previously 2% 18%

Internet Web site 10% 9%

Visited open house 6% 7%

Saw contact info on For Sale sign 7% 6%

Referred through employer/relocation company 2% 7%

Referred by another real estate agent 4% 5%

Personal contact by agent 3% 3%

Walked into or called the office 3% 3%

Newspaper, Yellow pages ad 1% 1%

Direct mail less than 1% less than 1%

Advertising specialty (calendar, magnet, etc.) less than 1% less than 1%

Other 6% 6%

The NAR analysis of method used to find real estate professional among the sellers shows the following: 38% were referred by (or were) a friend or relative, 26% used agent previously to buy or sell a house, 5% visited an open house and met agent, 5% were referred through employer or relocation company, 4% through personal contact by agent (phone call, e-mail, etc.), 4% saw contact information on For Sale/Open House sign, 3% through Internet Web site, 3% were referred by another real estate agent or broker, 3% walked into or called real estate office, 2% through direct mail (newsletters, flyers, postcards, etc.), 2% found an ad in a newspaper, Yellow Pages, or home book, 1% received advertising specialty (calendar, magnet, etc.) and contacted real estate professional, 5% used other method to find a real estate agent.

67% of sellers contacted only one agent before selecting one to assist with the home sale, 19% contacted two agents, 10% - three, 2% - four and 2% - five or more agents.

What are most important factors when choosing an agent? According to NAR research conducted among the buyers 29% said that honesty and trustworthiness were most important factors, 21% said it was reputation of agent, to 17% it was important that agent was friend or family member, 12% believed the knowledge of the neighborhood was an important factor, 12% said it was important that agent had caring personality and was good listener, for 4% agent's affiliation with a particular firm was important, 1% thought the professional designations held by real estate agent were an important factor, 5% chose other important factors.

Most important factor in choosing a real estate agent to sell home:

Reputation of real estate agent 36%

Agent is honest and trustworthy 23%

Agent's knowledge of the neighborhood 13%

Agent is friend or family member 12%

Agent's association with a particular firm 5%

Agent has caring personality is a good listener 5%

Agent's commission 1%

Professional designation(s) held by real estate agent 1%

Other 4%

How important were agent's skills and qualities?

Very Somewhat Not

important important important

Honesty and integrity 97% 2% less than 1%

Knowledge of purchase process 94% 5% 1%

Responsiveness 93% 7% less than 1%

Knowledge of real estate market 92% 7% 1%

Communication skills 84% 16% less than 1%

Negotiation skills 83% 15% 1%

People skills 79% 20% 1%

Knowledge of local area 78% 20% 2%

Skills with technology 37% 51% 12%

Honesty and integrity seem to be the most important qualities the consumers are looking for in real estate professionals.

If you or somebody you know are looking for an honest, trustworthy, hard working Realtor® with a strong belief in quality of service in Seattle, please do not hesitate to contact me at 206-403-8346 or at ally.wangsness@century21.com

Source:

National Association or Realtors®

The Ballard Farmers Market is open every Sunday, year-round, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is located in the heart of Ballard – on Ballard Ave NW between NW 20th and NW 22nd streets. Vendors from all over the state arrive with fresh organic produce, meats, eggs, fish, shellfish, seasonal plants, flowers, home-made pies and pastry and jams, just to name a few. You will also find various crafts: soaps, clothes, candles and other great products.

Those who get hungry may enjoy a variety of foods right in the market – hot dogs and local sausages, veggie quesadillas, or may stop at restaurants like Bastille Café & Bar (French cuisine), Matador (Mexican cuisine – ages 21 and up), Volterra (Italian cuisine), India Bistro (Indian Cuisine), La Isla (Puerto Rican cuisine), Root Table (Asian cuisine), The People’s Pub (German cuisine), The Other Coast Café (Sandwiches), Thaiku (Thai cuisine), La Carte de Oaxaca (Mexican cuisine), The Hi-Life (American cuisine) among others. Most of them except The Hi-Life are within a block of the market!

Street musicians entertain both adults and kids. You will always see people having a little snack, listening to the music, chatting.

The Ballard market is pet friendly.

Here are a few pictures that I took when I was at the Ballard Farmers Market last Sunday.

Flower arrangements: each of them beautiful

Olsen Farms offering more than 10 kinds of potatoes.

Apples, pears, plums and other fruits so different from the ones we find in grocery stores. Yes, I bought them!

Moosedreams Lavender Farms offering lotions, soaps and other beauty products.

Everybody has fun!

For more information check The Ballard Market blog.

Hello everybody!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Please click here to watch the video.

Happy Halloween!

P.S. And no, this is not my second car in the picture! :-)

If you wonder what to do for Halloween in Seattle, you may want to consider following events:

Creepy Crawl: Witches and Wizzards

When: 10/30/09, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Garfield Community Center

2323 E Cherry St
Seattle, WA 98122

Cost: Free

Glow-In-The-Dark Spookfest

When: 10/30/09, 5:30 – 730 p.m.

Where: International District Chinatown Community Center

719 8th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104

Cost: $1

Halloween Howl and Carnival

When: 10/30/09, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Jefferson Community Center

3801 Beacon Ave S
Seattle, WA 98108

Cost: $.25/game

Fall Carnival

When: 10/30/09, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Yesler Community Center

917 E Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98122

Cost: $1/person

Freaky Fall Festival

When: 10/30/09, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: High Point Community Center

6920 34th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98126

Cost: Free

Freaky Fall Festival and Haunted Hall

When: 10/30/09, 6 p.m.

Where: Van Asselt Community Center

2820 S Myrtle St
Seattle, WA 98108

Cost: Free

Halloween Carnival

When: 10/30/09, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Loyal Heights Community Center

2101 NW 77th St
Seattle, WA 98117

Cost: $3/person or $10/family

Toddler Trick or Treat Play Time

When: 10/30/09, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Northgate Community Center

10510 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125

Cost: $5/family

Fall Festival

When: 10/30/09, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Alki Community Center

5817 SW Stevens St
Seattle, WA 98116

Cost: Free

Run Scared Halloween 5K

When: 10/31/09, 9 – 11 a.m.

Where: Seward Park

5895 Lake Washington Blvd S
Seattle, WA 98118

Cost: $25

‘Stones & Bones: Discovering Secrets in King County’s Oldest Cemeteries’ at the Central Library

When: 10/31/09, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Where: Seattle Central Library

1000 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

Cost: Free

October Harvest Festival

When: 10/31/09, 12 – 4 p.m.

Where: Rainier Community Center

4600 38th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118

Cost: Free

Halloween Concert with Captain Bogg & Salty at the Central Library

When: 10/31/09, 2 – 3 p.m.

Where: Seattle Central Library

1000 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104

Cost: Free

Halloween Make-Up Headquarters

When: 10/31/09, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Where: Magnuson Community Center

7110 62nd Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115

Call 206-684-7026 to make an appointment (event for kids 2 – 12)

Cost: Free

Columbia City Trick-or Treating & Costume Contest

When: 10/31/09, 3:30 – 6 p.m.

Where: Geraldine’s Counter

4872 Rainier Ave S

Seattle, WA 98118

Cost: Free

October Spooktacular !

When: 10/31/09, 4 – 8 p.m.

Where: Washington Park Arboretum 2300

Arboretum Dr E
Seattle, WA 98112

Cost: $6/person

Nature’s Halloween in the Forest

When: 10/31/09, 6 – 8 p.m.

Where: Carkee’s ELC

950 NW Carkeek Park Rd
Seattle, WA 98177

Cost: $8/adult, $6/child

Resource:

www.seattle.gov