I Dig Dueling Digs April 1, 2008
Zillow, which seems to produce new features almost daily, has birthed something totally unique. As a member of Zillow’s board of directors, I usually get previews into what’s coming through the pipeline, but with this release, I hadn’t seen too many of the details.
Dueling Digs is like nothing I’ve ever seen on a real [...]
From ‘A&E’s Flip This House’ to You! September 29, 2007
Have you been watching the current real estate market and wondering how to find the pot of gold in it? Fix and Flip guru Than Merrill from A&E’s Flip this House will show you how right here in Seattle on October 11. Than, like many other saavy investors, is building his business taking advantage of sellers in trouble. [...]
Trends - New Construction & Remodel Finishes March 29, 2007
I view trends more from the standpoint of how people who are buying homes view the trends, moreso than how people who actually live in their homes view them.
“The carpet that “has become extremely popular of the last few years is the Textured or Frieze style. It is also referred to as the ‘trackless’ or [...]
Low flow toilets and old houses February 28, 2007
A relative of mine just replaced the old high-flow toilets in all 5 units of his building with low flow toilets. The result: a water bill that is $100 a month lower - the replacements should pay for themselves in six months. The toilet of choice: Toto Drake. It’s approximately $200 and it gets rave [...]
Watch Out Below! February 6, 2007
While I-pods are a great way to catch up on the numerous webinars posted during working hours, they can be a bit dangerous when the listener removes themselves from the world around them. Let me give you a little example of what I mean by this.
Last weekend, my son and his pregnant (yes, I’m proud!) [...]
Phinney Neighborhood annual home fair, Sunday, Jan 28th January 27, 2007
Phinney Neighborhood Center is hosting their annual home fair this weekend. This is a wonderful event with a lot of great information about home upkeep, upgrading, and overall design concepts. Several builders and architects attend this event and provide their expertise in a comfortable environment. One of my clients, Kirk Jolley, of Kirk Redo is [...]
Bathroom Remodel November 7, 2006
Can you totally remodel a 3/4 bath for only $3,500 in 48 hours? One of my clients recently purchased a house that needed a remodel of the basement level 3/4 bath. I have lots of before and after pictures in my head, of “what is” vs. “what can be”, but it is often difficult to convey that information to my [...]
Light Fixers - Before and After October 1, 2006
As a follow up to Ardell’s post about finding those homes where the owners just didn’t take the time, or have the money/energy to bring the home to retail condition, I’d like to share a few before and after photos. These two sets of photo are from light fixers my wife and I rehabbed last [...]
Where are those bargains? September 30, 2006
In the last six months, two of my clients purchased homes that were real bargains in a hot market. That was earlier in the year of course, when the market was stronger than it is now in the last quarter.
To me a bargain is a house where I can be confident that if the new [...]
What makes a house a “tear down” August 1, 2006
Here in Kirkland, a lot of people complain that the builders are tearing down homes and putting up “McMansions” in their place.
I can walk up and down the streets of Kirkland and “label” each and every house I pass. “Remodel project”, “tear down”, “fixer”, “builder’s dream come true”, will sell “as is”, etc… [...]
