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Making Good Neighbors
Living next door to someone doesn’t make you a neighbor. It makes you the stranger next door! One of the great opportunities we have in our communities is the chance to build real, meaningful relationships with the people who live closest to us.
While we understand the desire for privacy, we think it’s important we realize that regular, helpful communication with our neighbors makes us both safer and paves a smooth road for difficult conversations we might face with our neighbors in the future.
It doesn’t take much to start off the right way. Consider leaving a nice note in their mailbox, a small “thank you” gift for looking out for the neighborhood, or some other “olive branch” act that will build rapport.
Small gestures such as a nice note about landscaping, an invitation to a potluck, or an “all hands on deck” community improvement project allow us to get to know our neighbors. This is vital when you consider the people around you are the most likely to spot smoke in a fire, clue you in to suspicious activity, and have the opportunity to share vital local information.
What’s more, if you build a positive base with your neighbors, when the time comes to have a difficult conversation (such as a nuisance dog, kids running amok, or intrusive lighting issues), you’ll have a buffer of mutual respect and goodwill to draw on.
If your opening conversation with a neighbor is a complaint, you’re setting yourself up for a long, antagonistic relationship. Who wants to live next to that?
We think a civil community depends upon our connection to our neighbors. We all benefit when we depend on and trust one another.
If you like this post, watch for our posts daily on our blog, it includes even more helpful information.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-9577
The Art of Real Estate Negotiation
In our mind, a successful negotiation is not where one side has pulverized the other. You don't "win" a negotiation; you get the best possible outcome for your clients while doing the least harm. No one should leave a negotiation angry. After all, you never know when you might have to negotiate with the same people again. When it comes to negotiating on behalf of our clients, we keep the following in mind:
Set the stage: We like a location that's quiet, neutral, pleasant, and away from distractions and confusion. It’s best if everyone turns off their devices, and refrains from calls or texts during negotiations.
Be prepared: We never enter without our homework. We verify any outstanding facts before the negotiation begins. (Later fact-finding can cause a negotiation to bog down!)
Present a united front: We represent clients and have been hired to act on their wishes. At times we may not agree with their position, but we never share that with the other side. If we feel a client’s position is less than optimal, we only discuss it with them in private
Leave attitudes at the door: It’s very simple… treat everyone in the negotiation with respect, regardless of personal opinions. If anyone disagrees, disagree with the idea, not the person.
Watch non-verbal cues and body language: (Sorry, but we can’t reveal all of our secrets here… suffice it to say we take it all in!)
Hold something in reserve: We discuss concessions with our clients before hand and only offer these concessions when we absolutely need to concede something.
We don't harp about points that don't matter to our clients: Negotiations should never choke over a minor point. We like to get agreement on major points such as price and terms and put lesser items aside to return to later.
Never volunteer too much information: Knowledge is power in a negotiation. Telling the other side any information, however insignificant seeming, could weaken our clients’ position. On the other hand, we learn as much about the other side as we can.
If you ever need someone on your side in a real estate negotiation, feel free to contact us directly.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
CNE | Certified Negotiation Expert
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-9577
Broadview Thompson Backpack Donation
Thank you Office Depot 907 and especially Darbi, the assistant manager! Darbi did not blink an eye in helping us with school supplies for our donation of thirty back packs stuffed with essentials for students in need at Broadview-Thompson School in Seattle WA.
Steve Hill, Sandra Brenner and Our Windermere Colleagues
Windermere Real Estate
call/text 206-769-9577
The Seattle Wa BITE of BROADVIEW
Save the Date!
This year’s Seattle Bite of Broadview is September 27-29 There will be lots of family-friendly activities.
12 bands playing live music over three days, carnival rides, food galore, the kids zone, marketplace vendors, a car show and 5k fun run on Saturday…and more! This is an event you don’t want to miss!
The event is located at 415 North 117th Street at Christ the King Catholic Parish School. There is free admission and the hours are as follows:
Hours:
Friday – 4:00pm – 10:00pm
Saturday – 10:00am – 10:00pm
Sunday – 10:00am – 4:00pm
http://www.biteofbroadview.
See you at the bite!
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
Windermere Real Estate
call/text 206-769-9577
School Evaluations and Reviews :: Where You Buy Matters!
Schools are a contributing factor for anyone buying a home. Even if you don’t have kids yourself, your next buyer might, and they might base their decision to buy on the school district which serves your home.
The question remains: How do you evaluate schools? What’s the best approach for understanding if your local schools will score your property an “A” or relegate it to the land of “D-”?
Luckily, there are some excellent resources out there for vetting schools online. Here are a few I’ve come across which provide a good place to start:
Education.com: A major portal site for education everywhere, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the schools section, found here: http://www.education.com/topic/school-and-academics/
GreatSchools.org: A good search engine for researching schools, you can do zip code based searches and learn lots about the public and private institutions in the area.
ProjectAppleseed.com: A website dedicated to improving public schools, you can learn a lot here about the crucial elements of what makes a local school and excellent local school.
Finally, here are a handful of questions to ask yourself if you’re doing research:
How comprehensive is the school’s safety policy?
What social/support services are available at the school?
How does the school handle discipline?
Are people involved in a parent/teacher organization?
How healthy is the school district’s annual report?
Finally, be sure to ask your broker!
Looking for neighborhoods with great schools? we can help!
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfation
Windermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-9577
The COST of a Home: Last Year, This Year & Next Year
The cost of a home is determined mainly by two components: price and mortgage rate. Today, we want to show how the monthly cost of purchasing a median priced home has changed over the last twelve months and how it might change over the next twelve months. For the first two examples, we will be using the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Existing Home Sales Report to establish median price and Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey to establish mortgage rate. We also assumed a 20% down payment in all examples.
LAST YEAR
The median priced home in the country was selling for $187,800. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was at 3.5%. Here is what it would cost to buy a home last year:
TODAY
The median priced home in the country is selling for $213,500. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate is at 4.5%. Here is what it would cost a purchaser to buy a home today:
The monthly cost increased by: $190.78!
NEXT YEAR
Projecting into the future in real estate can be rather tricky. To establish future pricing, we depended on the over 100 housing experts surveyed for the Home Price Expectation Survey who called for an approximate appreciation rate of 5% over the next twelve months. For the interest rate, we took the average of the projections from the Mortgage Bankers’ Association, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Here is what these experts project will be the approximate cost of a home a year from now:
The monthly cost will increase by about: $97.32!
Bottom Line
From a financial perspective, why wait if you are thinking about buying?
Article courtesy of KCM Blog
Posted: 26 Aug 2013 04:00 AM PDT
If you are considering buying a new home, get off the fence! Waiting will only cost you money. Give us a call, we are ready to help you find your new home.
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction
WIndermere Real Estate
Call/Text: 206-769-9577
Designing Your Kitchen: How to Choose a Sink Size
Bigger isn't always better. Here's how to pick the right size sink for your kitchen, needs and budget
In addition to choosing the best material, mounting type and number of bowls for your kitchen sink, you'll have to pick from a range of size options too. An extra-large kitchen sink will obviously give you more space for food prep and cleanup, and you might prefer it over the confines of a smaller sink, but bigger sinks typically cost more and can take up valuable real estate in a small kitchen.
Feeling overwhelmed? Don't worry. I've pulled together kitchens that feature various sink sizes, along with tips to help you figure out the perfect sink size for your cooking and cleaning needs.
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Size your sink to your kitchen. If your kitchen is on the smaller side, consider installing a smaller sink. An oversize, triple-bowl model would have overwhelmed the charming kitchen shown here. This more modest-size single-bowl apron-front sink is large enough to accommodate any kitchen task, but it doesn't take over the room. Countertop and base cabinet storage areas are likely at a premium in a smaller kitchen, so a smaller sink will improve overall function too.
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Size your sink to be a focal point. If you opt to go with an extra-wide sink, it's going to be difficult to disguise it. My advice is to take the opposite approach and make your wide sink a focal point. Repurpose an interesting salvaged sink or consider an unusual material, like copper.
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Personally, I'd rather splurge on my countertops or kitchen floor than the sink. After all, you can get a perfectly fine 20-inch-wide stainless steel undermount sink for less than $200. Check out eBay, Craigslist or your local salvage yard or building material resale shop for a deal.
A sink this size will require an extra-wide sink cabinet and will take up quite a bit of space, so it's best for a generous-size kitchen. A sink like this starts at around $900, whereas a smaller, single-bowl version costs about $400.
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If you have the space and budget for it, this is a nice setup for a multicook household that does a lot of entertaining. Three separate sinks allow several people to work in the kitchen simultaneously. None of these sinks needs to be exceptionally large, but this configuration still has the potential to be costly due to the duplicate plumbing fixtures and installation fees.
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Fun-size sinks. I love these linear sinks. While it'd be difficult to wash dishes in one of these, they work just fine for fetching a glass of water or dumping out abandoned drinks when the party's over. You can also fill one with ice and stash cold drinks in it, a nice alternative to keeping an unsightly cooler in the kitchen or having guests search through your refrigerator for a cold one. And it doesn't take up much space on the countertop.
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Article provided by
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction Zillow and Seattle Magazine
Windermere Real Estate Seattle – Northwest
CALL/TEXT: 206-769-9577
Small Home Repair Jobs with a Big Payoff
August
Maintaining a home is like eating a healthy diet. Everyone knows there's a whole list of things that should be done, but nobody really wants to spend the weekend painting the guest room, snaking out a slow sink drain, or cleaning out the gutters.
Still, just as some delicious, low-carb dinners are easy to prepare, not all maintenance tasks are onerous either. Some of the smartest upkeep projects you can do require less time than it takes to grill a salmon steak.
Even if you're lucky enough to have a great handyman's number programmed into your smartphone, these jobs are just too quick and effortless to hire out. Says Gino Goe, a property manager in Santa Barbara: "The most meticulous weekend warriors don't think to do these things, yet anyone can knock them out in minutes for virtually no cost, even if you don't have a basement workshop — or own a flannel shirt."
And they'll make your house more comfortable, efficient, and beautiful.
Increase efficiency
Whether your mechanical equipment is state of the art or aging and inefficient, you can reduce your energy costs by ensuring that it's operating at peak effectiveness.
Start by taking a leaf blower to your air conditioner's condenser (the box sitting outside) or the outfacing end of your window units to remove the muck and debris within, recommends Biddeford, Maine, plumber Jim Godbout. That move alone could knock 10% to 15% off your cooling costs, he says.
Also, slide your clothes dryer forward, pull off the vent hose, and vacuum out the built-up lint (get directions at ThisOldHouse.com). That can cut the laundry-related portion of your electric or gas bill by as much as 25% to 30%, estimates Godbout, the former president of the Maine Plumbing and Heating Contractors Association
And if your heating system uses radiators, buy a "key" for a few cents from your favorite hardware retailer and use it to bleed the air out of the system (see FamilyHandyman.com for a step-by-step guide). That could slash next winter's heating bills by as much as 20%, Godbout says.
Make things last
A few simple moves can also prolong the life of costly-to-repair elements of your house. Windowsills are extremely prone to rot, for instance, so peek out each window to check for any cracks in the sill paint, says Castle Rock, Colo., contractor Dean Bennett.
Use a few dollar's worth of exterior caulk to seal any fissures that you find and keep rainwater out. If the paint damage is extensive, the problem has unfortunately moved beyond a quick fix: Hire a pro to scrape and repaint them or do the job yourself.
Similarly, pruning back shrubs to leave a foot of air space around your building — checking your lawn irrigation system to ensure that the spray isn't hitting the house or garage — will help delay your next $6,000 to $10,000 paint job.
Article provided by:
Steve Hill and Sandra Brenner
Best In Client Satisfaction – Zillow and Seattle Magazine
Windermere Real Estate Seattle – Northwest
CALL/TEXT: 206-769-9577
5 Funny Real Estate Listings
#5. Be a Doll and Buy This House:
This may have only been the 5th most clicked, but it was one of my personal faves. Ellen DeGeneres even used it on her show recently (along with this one). The doll is in every photo of the listing, and her behavior gets increasingly bizarre as the tour progresses…
#4. In This Trophy Room, There Are No Winners:
Okay, maybe not too funny if you’re an animal lover…and the other rooms aren’t much better.
I thought it was actually kind of sweet (if misguided) how the pair of vases “staged” every room of the house together and gave us the tour. I loved all your comments on this one.
#2. It’s Time to Fire Your Real Estate Agent When…
This listing featured a series of bad, fuzzy, poorly lit photos, topped off by this fabulous one of the pleased-as-punch agent herself. I’m still not sure what she’s so happy about.
BROADVIEW’S ANNUAL BIG GARAGE SALE EVENT
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GREAT DEAL COME SEE US – WE HAVE IT!
GLASS WARE***TOYS***ANTIQUES***FURNITURE
BABY STUFF***KIDS STUFF***CLOTHES
MORE***MORE***MORE!
COME SEE WHILE THEY LAST!
MAPS GIVEN AT EACH HOME SO YOU CAN HIT ALL THE SALES!
COLLECTING FOR THE GREENWOOD FOOD BANK
We are also collecting food for our less fortunate neighbors.
If you have extra canned or dry food (or pet food), drop it off at
Windermere Real Estate at the corner of 125th and Greenwood 206-367-4720
