Kenmore, WA

Yesterday was a classic snow day! I hate the snow, but I love an excuse to relax and enjoy some of my favorite pass times: reading and watching movies. Earlier in the day I finished an excellent book entitled ”Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell (more about this in a future post). I also watched an interesting, yet dark movie entitled “Assassination Tango.”

Assassination Tango is a complex thriller, written by and starring Robert Duvall who plays John J. Anderson, a professional hit man from NYC who is hired to do a job in Argentina. There he discovers the world of Argentine Tango which consumes him even though he’s a cold hearted killer. It’s a story full of irony, violence and sublime dancing sequences. I highly recommend the movie (although Rotten Tomatoes only rated it a 48). Robert Duvall is brilliant. He can also dance the tango pretty well.

My wife and I have been dancing Argentine Tango (and Ballroom) for many years. If you ever have a chance to learn a little tango, just do it!!! By the way, one of the best scenes in the movie is during the closing credits. I’ve included this scene below. This dance features Pablo Varon one of the most accomplished Tango dancers today. Watch it and ponder the Tango………………………….stunning, passionate, life!

This is an amazing example of the Tango.

Over on Gigharborundressed.com my esteemed colleague, Matt Thompson, mentions that he LOVES snow. It's interesting that we both grew up in Utah: Matt in Park City and I in Layton/Salt Lake City. Funny thing is, I love snow as well...................BUT I ABSOLUTELY HATE WHEN IT SNOWS IN THE SEATTLE AREA!!!! Whew......glad I got that off my chest. Even so, it sure is pretty:

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

I took these pictures at the University of Washington this morning after first taking friends to SeaTac Airport and then dropping my wife off at work (at the UW). The traffic was literally insane! I'm surprised anyone survived out there!

MY NEIGHORHOOD IN KENMORE (BRIDLE PATH)

As you can see, my neighborhood is blanketed in a few inches of fluffy snow. Pretty but I hate it! I can't wait until the weather returns to "normal."

Oh, there is one creature that had the good sense to stay in today:

MY CAT

Take advantage of an excellent NAR service: The Realtor.org Virtual Library. I wasn't aware of the Virtual Library until I received the December 2008 Realtor.org Essentials newsletter. Frankly, I'm amazed at the number of titles and the diversity of the subjects included in the library.

In order to find the Library, go to the NAR website, sign-in and then click on the Education section. Then find the eBooks Collection which is listed on the right hand side of the page listed under "IN THE LIBRARY." You will then come to the following:

Then the fun begins. Choose from subjects such as Personal Growth, Management & Leadership, Foreign Languages, Technology and much, much more. Just pick a book or subject you'd like to check-out, select it and you will be given choices on how to receive the book and how long you may use it. For example: If you wanted to check out Brian Tracy's book "Goals," you would find it under the Personal Growth section.

You then add it to your book bag where you can then check the volume out. If the book is already checked out, you can reserve it, as with a regular library. You will receive notice via email when it is available. Books can be checked out for 7-21 days. What's really cool is that some volumes can be downloaded into your iPod, or burned to disc. You are required to remove the book from these media once your check out term has expired, so please be honest. After all, you are a Realtor (c).......

Sometimes, we wonder if the NAR actually provides us with valuable services. Well, if you checked out 1 book a month (value $25.00 retail), that's a $300 value. Not only that, but you will add value to yourself and your business by doing so.

I don't know about you but, as an American, I've been doing a lot of soul-searching these days. I'm floored by the sheer number of scandals, deceits, rumors, betrayals and contradictions in the world. It's mind-boggling. It's made me a bit testy and cynical and impatient. Recently, here on AR, I had a verbal confrontation with another agent regarding unflattering comments he made about the President Elect. I was offended by his lack of candor and his "speaking-in-code" rhetoric. I felt justified in calling this gentleman out for engaging in what I felt was "intellectual dishonesty." Of course, discussions of this type are rarely productive. Everyone ends up even more assured of his/her convictions than at the beginning of the argument. Ultimately, reasonable people can agree to disagree. Unfortunately, as adults it's hard for us to reconcile some things. That's just the way it is. "I'm right and you're wrong!"

All this brings me to the topic of this post: During an ABC News interview this Monday, Dick Cheney admitted that he approved extreme interrogation methods (torture). Asked whether he still believes it was appropriate to use the water-boarding method on terrorism suspects, Cheney said: "I do."

Well, my friends, I'm not going to use any veiled, liberal code to describe Mr. Cheney. Simply put, he's a monster. Plain and simple. Go ahead and disagree with me. I don't care.

What's even more disturbing is the fact that there has been more press regarding Jennifer Aniston's "nude" poses for GQ magazine. So I ask you, what do you spend your time wondering about?

YOU ARE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN AND YOU HAVE A CHOICE BETWEEN TWO NEWS STORIES:

FIRST - JENNIFER ANISTON POSES NUDE FOR GQ MAGAZINE

Joking about the relentless media coverage of herself, ex-husband Brad Pitt and Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie, Aniston tells the magazine: "The funny thing is that people don't realize we all go away to the Hamptons on the weekends." (Quote from the AP)

OR......................................................................................

DICK CHENEY ADMITS TO APPROVING EXTREME INTERROGATION METHODS

"I was aware of the program, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared."

The November 2008 real estate sales statistics for Kenmore were to be expected given the chaos and uncertainty gripping the overall economy. As I’ve suggested in earlier posts, our financial system is paralyzed without two of the most important ingredients for success: CONFIDENCE & COMPETENCE. Until buyers and sellers feel that the market makes sense, it will remain extremely difficult to bring them to the table. Until lending institutions begin to loosen underwriting standards, even qualified buyers will hesitate to make offers. It’s ironic, because home prices are attractive right now. Here are the numbers:

KING COUNTY SINGLE FAMILY HOME SALES

Click on the picture below to see the details:

Sales of single family homes were down -58% in Kenmore from a year ago (8 in 2007 vs 19 last year). Year to date sales are down -44%. Prices have dropped 9% since the beginning of 2008.

I wish I had better news regarding real estate sales in our community. It’s been a pretty tough year.