RCG Flashback to gHomes May 1, 2008
Links from the Video:
Sphere: Related ContentWelcome NYT’s readers! April 30, 2008
I had a wonderful conversation with Stephanie Rosenbloom a few days ago and was thrilled to help her out with her story about using social networks (and Facebook in particular) for business purposes.
In the story, she mentioned my internet marketing seminars for real estate professionals as well as the associated Facebook group for 4RealzEd.
And while you’re here at Rain City Guide, consider checking out one of the many great articles about the Seattle real estate market that we’ve written over the 3+ years that this blog has existed. Some of the articles that stick out for me include:
- 10 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Seattle
- Short Sales
- 3 Steps to Understanding Real Estate Commissions
- The Difference between a 679 and a 680 Credit Score
- The Commission-Based Fee Structure: it’s Bad for Buyers
We’re always looking to engage more people in discussing the Seattle real estate market, so feel free to get engaged if you see a topic that strikes you!
(And if you’ve been looking for a good use for the webcam that’s sitting next to (on?) your computer, consider playing with a new feature to RCG: video comments!)
Sphere: Related ContentRCG Intermission to bring you …… April 18, 2008
…..2″ of snow and rising in Snohomish County. Ummm, isn’t it April 18th, 2008, not mid February? Stevens Pass ski area closed a wee bit too early! If you can make it to our place, the hot chocolate is brewing, the fireplace is on and the kids are heading out to play and we have NO last minute escrow signings tonight! Yeah!
Chrome and Teak are thinking….”you have got to be kidding us!”
Sphere: Related ContentLast chance for Space Needle happy hour March 27, 2008
Through March the Space Needle has been offering free evening tickets to the top and cheap drinks. It’s the last weekend, so go get your drink on! And be sure to print out the ticket so you don’t have to pay $15 for the elevator ride.
A while back I spelled Seatttle with… February 26, 2008
three “t’s” on the sidepanel and was surprised just how much traffic it brought. Because I was more concerned with being professional than traffic, I fixed the type, but Mary just reminded me of the effectiveness of the error, so I thought I’d try it out again! 
And if you are looking for Seattle real estate information, dont’ be discouraged if you landed on this page! 
We’ve got tons of great stuff on this site!
To highlight just a few: Ardell gives local condition stats ever Sunday, Rhonda provides mortgage rate updates every Friday, and I wrote a post about moving to Seatttle a while back that is loaded with questions, answers, insights, dangers, etc. from people. (There are almost 500 comments to date!)…
Sphere: Related ContentBest Pizza Delivery in Seattle February 9, 2008
Hands down…Pagliacci. Do you have another favorite? I’d love to hear it. My “standby” is the Brooklyn Bridge…however the “seasonals” are a treat…The pizza in the photo is the current seasonal: Salumi’s finocchiona salami, Mama Lil’s goathorn peppers, roasted fennel, mozzarella and ricotta cheese on an olive oil base.
Delish! Do you know of a better pizza delivered to your door in Seattle? Bring it!
Sphere: Related ContentHow difficult is it to find a good rental in Seattle? January 6, 2008
I have a few “Google alerts” set up to be notified when certain terms are published on the web, such as Rhonda Porter, Mortgage Porter and West Seattle. Tonight, the West Seattle Google alert pointed me to someone who is looking to rent a 2 bedroom home with “a soul” for up to $2800.
We are moving to Seattle very soon. Need online resources to find a nice rental home for the two of us. We are looking in the Ballard, Queen Anne, and West Seattle areas. I’d prefer non-mega corporate rentals, ie. one or two unit townhomes, a house, or a smallish apartment building. I’m familiar with craigslist, which I’ve been using a lot. Also familiar with NWapartments. The larger sites like rent.com list rentals that are just too cookie cutter and commercial for us. Please give resources to help us find a nice, unique, home with a soul. BTW, we are looking at the $1800-$2800/month rent range for a 2bedroom.
Are rents that high? Do rental homes really lack soul? I rented my two bedroom in West Hill Auburn on Northlake a short time for $1800 per month a couple years ago that had “the soul” of worn out shoes. I loved that funky house. However, it was not a “good rental” for many reasons (1/3 acre garden, septic tank, etc), I clung onto it for personal reasons and have since sold it.
I’m just full of questions after reading this! :) Guess you could call it soul searching.
Sphere: Related ContentHere’s to a shimmering ‘08 December 31, 2007
For some sad reason, right as a year is close to screeching to a halt, I can’t help but utter the phrase “good riddens.” It rolls off my tongue almost perfunctorily. Each year has its highs and lows, and this year was no exception. 2007 kicked off in morbid fashion when my mother was almost killed in a head-on collision (thanks to an ignorant driver) in the leafy Chicago suburbs. Luckily, she survived relatively unscathed, at least physically. On the plus side, I moved to Seattle and made headway on some new goals, established new routines and dived into graduate school and volunteer projects. But besides mourning our own unpleasant experiences, it’s easy to be sullen over the year our own nation has endured: We continue to heartbreakingly lose too many American soldiers as tension swells in the Middle East; the housing market continues to look grim; scandal riddled the sports worlds; and the most recent blows - floods battered Seattle and the senseless slayings in Carnation. At times, it’s difficult to not want to disencumber yourself from the fetters of all that plagues our world, and just pretend it’s not happening.
However, there’s a sort of dis-ease that comes with a new year as well and as I’ve grown older have tried to ask myself, how am I going to make this year a step up from the previous? Even slight tweaks in one facet of one’s life can undoubtly make the new year more resplendent. But that’s always easier said than done. If your 2008 starts murky, here’s a web site that might quell your moroseness and prompt you to unleash chuckle or two.
Let’s hope 2008 is great! Cheers!
Sweet Home Chicago!
Going home to Chicago for the holidays was more than enjoyable. It had been a year since I had seen one of my brothers and sister-in-law and months since I had seen my parents and other siblings. Presents, food, laughter and fun brimmed my empty-nester parents’ home. What was most surprising was how maneuvering the airports during the holidays was quite a cakewalk. Though my redeye flight leaving Seattle was delayed two hours (mechanical aircraft problems really ease my mind, j/k), which meant we took off from the Emerald City at the ungodly time of 2 a.m., leaving me zombie-like for the first few days of my trip while my friends and I braved the malls for holiday gifts and indulged in a Chinese massage.
One thing that was apparent was that returning to the Midwest had me reverting to the fast-paced way of talking, going-about-things that I have somewhat left behind since I’ve lived in Seattle. It’s interesting to hear if others observe differences in a person that hasn’t been back in months. My mom (jokingly, I hope) repeatedly called me detached, which made me ornery and react with a slight cringe. Though I attributed any disconnectedness to the redder than red redeye flight and time change. Five days in Chicagoland was plenty, especially with the bitter cold that is inevitable there, but I treasured mingling and going to church with my numerous friends and family there. One of my hobbies is writing novellas, so I was also tempted to start a yearly book club with the family since books became a hot topic at the dinner table at certain points, or whip out the Scrabble board, but my geeky self resisted!
As a sort of news junkie, I couldn’t help but inquire into how the Chicago burbs have handled the intense media scrutiny that has swirled around Bolingbrook, IL (neighboring town of my hometown) and embattled ex-cop Drew Peterson, who is under the glare in regards to his missing wife. Some of my friends mentioned the onslaught of Fox News trucks around and others just cited an eeriness to the areas amid the hubbub.
And go figure, we didn’t have a white Christmas in Chicago, but I heard Seattle sure did. And how about the last two gorgeous sunny days we’ve had here in Seattle - just an anomaly? Perhaps yes.
Happy New Year to you all!
Sphere: Related ContentWhere are the coyotes in Seattle? December 27, 2007
The answer: everywhere. An especially instructive mashup would be coyote sightings and missing cats (via Craigslist?). I saw one running in my neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and found a raccoon two doors down last night.
Sphere: Related ContentAdventures In Articulated Transportation December 10, 2007
[Editor's note: Today, I'm excited to introduce Mike Schwagler as the newest contributor to Rain City Guide. Mike currently wears two hats in that he is an agent for John L. Scott in Redmond and also the founder of Write For Sales Copywriting. I've had an email dialog with Mike for a while now and I'm confident he'll be a great contributor to the site! Mike can be reached at 425-861-1588 or writeforsales@comcast.net]
My wife, Diane, and I have lived on the Eastside for over 20 years and never tire of going to Seattle. Well, perhaps the verb going is misleading. We like being in Seattle…at least once we get there! The hubbub, the energy, the cultural activities, the people on the street, everything about it is wonderful. Seattle truly is a great city!
Going there, however, has always been the issue. In fact, I’d bet there were 10 years when we only got downtown once a year. Driving in, along with the issues of parking and navigating the downtown streets had been enough of a hassle to discourage a lot of our visits.
About a year ago Diane took a position with Virginia Mason, working downtown, and discovered something quite remarkable - our public transportation system. At first we were a little bit hesitant about this whole bus thing, so on the Saturday morning before she started her new job, we took the bus downtown. It was a dry run to figure out the best stops for her to get off and the best routes for her to walk to her new offices. Once we were comfortable with all of that, we walked a few blocks to the shopping district and ended up hanging out in downtown Seattle all day. It was a blast!
When we were done, we hopped onto the “545″ (one of those long, articulated express buses) at Westlake Center and 23 minutes later we got off at the Redmond park and ride. Who needs a car?
Diane takes the bus to work every day and with the exception of a storm-related adventure last winter (which could’ve had serious consequences had she been driving a car), she has been having a great experience. She’s developed a group of bus-buddies and always has an interesting story about someone new she met on the bus. That doesn’t happen in your car unless you crash into someone.
As for me, I’ve used Metro and Sound Transit to get downtown at least fifteen times, for seminars, shopping and just for fun. I hop onto the “545″ right outside my office here in Redmond (how convenient is that?), do what I have to do downtown, and then meet Diane after work for a bite to eat or to just stroll around with my gal in the Emerald City.
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