Green Building Can Be Fun!

Heard about the Triple Bottom Line in Green Building techniques and haven't seen a real life example? Well here you go. . . .

Who Says Green isn't Fun! A house "spotted" in Wallingford.

There's a remodel in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle underway with an obvious sense of humor. Green Canopy Home's latest endeavor has the moniker of "Keaton" after the famous actor Buster. If you aren't familiar with this company, they are 'house flippers'. While this might have a negative connotation to some, this partnership has a unconventional business plan. They look for existing homes throughout Seattle to improve and spruce up just like ordinary investors do. What they do differently isn't always easily apparent. Sure they add the usual bells and whistles buyers look for, but they go beyond the obvious and put in energy efficient windows, insulation and install energy efficient heating (and cooling) systems.

Don't trust that behind the walls might not be what they promise? This company tests the house before and after their improvements with a blower door test and provide the buyer with the Energy Performance Score (EPS). This is an objective measure of efficiency and can give the buyer peace of mind knowing what to expect for heating and cooling bills. The completed houses are certified with Built Green of King and Snohomish Counties.

What Green Canopy Homes also does extremely well is marketing. They get the neighbors involved; you can vote for the exterior paint color on their facebook page (a lesson they learned the hard way and turned it into a positive!). They hold events for the neighbors and the public with behind-thewalls tours, and educate whoever is curious through the whole process. If you happen to tour one of their completed homes there's information about what was done and a real time energy monitor so one can see how much energy is being used in the moment.

Flipping houses in this market is perceived as a risky enterprise. Green Canopy seems to be a great example of the working business model. The neighbors appreciate that the existing homes are kept in scale with the rest of the block. Less waste ends up in landfills. The homes perform much better than they did before and will last for at least a few more generations. In the process people are educated on what a green building is and get excited with the process and results. Green Canopy homes tend to sell for a slightly higher price and typically aren't on the market for long. It's a business idea that seems to work well for everyone involved. A very tangible example of a 'winning!' Triple Bottom Line.

Are you looking for home to do an energy efficient retrofit on? If you would like more information on how to make your house more efficient, I'm here to help!

Seattle’s Wallingford Home Prices are Taking a Brief Respite

Inventory and prices dip in Seattle’s trendy Wallingford neighborhood. Typically real estate in Seattle slows down in the 4th quarter of the year; this has been a pretty consistent cyclical trend for last 30 years.

Home prices in the Wallingford neighborhood came off their year’s high-water mark in September of 2011 to start a downward price trend that has continued into December. The median selling price in September was $465K adjusting downward to early December’s level of $425K.

Active listings in the neighborhood started to slow down in early November and should remain that way until after the holidays. Which is when we start to see quite a few homes in the Seattle area coming on the market?

The Wallingford area

The business district features many small boutiques, shops, banks, a pharmacy, a few taverns and bars, the popular Guild 45th movie theaters, and the original Dick’s Drive-in Founded in 1954. The urban neighborhood is rich with public spaces including Gas Work Park, Meridian Playground, and Wallingford Playfield. The popular Burke –Gilman trail borders Gas Work Park and offers some incredible views of Lake Union.

Current Listings in the Wallingford neighborhood

Do YOU Play By The Rules In Your Market?

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't generally post rants and tend to be more of a Suzy Sunshine when it comes to my blog posting. I admit to it fully, although once you meet me in person you might be surprised to find that although my blogging is one facet of my personality and I try to keep it "clean", I do tend to speak my mind and probably should work on getting a better filter. But, it is so cold in Seattle today and I was too cold to walk my daily 5 to 10 miles, so I am going to rant.

So here it is - my "filterless" real life rant. No Suzy Sunshine Here!!!

In my market - the Seattle real estate market - there are rules that ethical real estate agents should follow....actually even if you are unethical, you still better follow them!

It isn't rocket science and surely applies to all areas of our profession no matter where you are located. These basic things aren't difficult to figure out because they all pretty much stick to the Golden Rule - you know - do unto others...

1. Be Nice & Don't Lie

Come on! Really? Do I need to put this in here. Yes I do.

2. Don't Steal!!!

Please don't copy and paste my images and use them for your own "content". This includes grabbing my MLS photos to talk about homes for sale in that neighborhood.

3. DO NOT advertise another agent's listings without their written permission

Yesterday my partner found another of our listings advertised without our permission on Craigslist. The "professional" real estate agent literally copied our description straight out of the NWMLS and pasted it into a Craigslist Ad and then put in their phone number and a link to a page of home listings on their IDX site (one of which was the one she advertised without my permission).

She then swore she did not advertise our listings....

This isn't the first time I have caught this person stealing my own content. I have politely asked her to remove my content when I find it, but fear that I am seriously just touching the tip of the iceberg of the unethical rule breaking going on here.

Soooooo... I did a search on Craigslist using just the phone number on the ad.

Guess what I found! 155 Craigslist postings and no duplicates. It was all either stolen content from many Seattle real estate agents or spammy little blurbs that were a violation of Craigslist rules and also had links going to their site. Many of those were fictional properties, but at least half were advertised listings that were not theirs.

4. Don't Mislead the Public.

The above ads on Craigslist are all VERY misleading - the first obvious clue is that when I pulled stats on the NWMLS, the agent who posted them has one dinky little listing in all of our Seattle market and funny enough - that one was not anywhere to be found on Craigslist. hmmm... This isn't the only case of being misleading to the public obviously, but clearly I am irritated.

Saying you are a real estate agent when your license is inactive or delinquent and has been for many months is also not good.

Obviously, this person is getting leads and giving them to others, but misleading to the public never the less and totally unacceptable. Go do your education and get your license active again if you are gogin to play it off like you are a REAL real estate agent, PLEASE. It makes us all look bad.

5. Be Nice!

worth saying again....

OK, you get the idea!

Of course there are more, but these are the ones I am going to start with. Competition is GOOD. Being sleazy about it is not. Again, it makes us all look bad. Do you play by the rules in your market? What are those rules?

Rant Over and back to Suzy Sunshine...

Wallingford is a great Seattle neighborhood. It is easy to find traditional craftsman style homes, great parks and shopping, as well as close proximity to downtown Seattle and all it has to offer. Theater, Seattle Art Museum, fine dining, our waterfront Aquarium are all only minutes from Wallingford, yet, you will live in a community with a family friendly vibe and those fabulous home styles.

Tree lined streets, welcoming front porches and great community pride are all part of the Wallingford residential experience. If you are looking for a great Seattle neighborhood, Wallingford might be just what you are looking for.

Seattle Homes For Sale

YOUR SEATTLE REAL ESTATE EXPERTS

When searching Seattle real estate, you will notice many neighborhoods to choose from, all distinctly different in character and proximity to downtown Seattle. If you are looking for a friendly community with a plethora of craftsman style homes offering inviting front porches and yards to enjoy, think of Wallingford properties.

Wallingford homes for sale offer beautifully restored craftsman homes that retain their original charm and flavor. Wood burning fireplaces, hardwood floors, elaborate mill work and leaded window can meld perfectly with industrial grade kitchens, updated bathrooms, new plumbing and energy efficient heating systems, making Wallingford properties a great choice for a turn key home with historic flair!

Your Seattle Real Estate Experts

Wallingford Homes for Sale