As the year is drawing to an end, and the Holidays are right around the corner, you would think our real estate market here in Pullman Washington would of come to a dead halt.  I can't speak for other Realtors®, but I know I continue to be working at a good pace. Saturday we had quite a snow storm here in Pullman.  It came down pretty fast and furious.  I spent Saturday morning showing homes to a brand new first time home buyer.  It was snowy, but lots of fun.  We had a great time.  Saturday afternoon I spent showing homes to some folks who are considering moving into a little bigger home here in Pullman.  By the end of the day I was beat, but it was a good kind of tired for sure!   People often think that our real estate market here in Pullman is a seasonal one.  In some respects that ... 12/20/2010

I've had a number of calls and emails sent to me regarding this fantastic article in Businessweek this week.  Our community is excited and I am too!  Pullman WA, our incredible community, was named the Number One town in WA to raise Children 2011!  Whohoo!   The article looks at smaller communities for this study.  Education, recreational activities, crime activity and cost of living were the focus in making their determination.   This is something I have felt all along.  As a mother of a young child, I've enjoyed the positive attributes that Pullman has offered.  It is a strong community that offers a safe environment for children, a super education system, also ranked at the top, and a great value for purchasing a nice family home.  The feel of family is strong as well with special ci... 12/17/2010

Tomorrow a very special buyer of mine will be a new homeowner in Pullman Washington.  Today was our signing and tomorrow we fund and record.  It has has been a pleasure to help her find her new Pullman Home.  I have known this buyer since I hosted an open many years ago.   Needless to say, we are both thrilled that tomorrow is the big day and I get to hand keys to her.  She got a great deal....on a home she really loves...and a great interest rate to boot!  I am truly so happy for her!  And I am so proud of her too.  She is a very special lady with a wonderful family and I feel so honored to be a part of this big step in their lives.   A new home for Christmas.....and if anyone deserves it...this most special client does....This Pullman Realtor sure looks forward to handing those keys o... 12/08/2010

~ How many clicks does it take to get to the center of ActiveRain? ~ You tell me? Inquiring minds want to know. What is the center? A featured blog a day on the AR Homepage? 300+ Subscribers? 1 million points?   I have run across a lot of blogs lately about getting there faster, higher points, more backlinks etc.. Is there a magic number? It all depends on what you are trying to achieve. Do you just want more points then the Jones'? If so, keep at it. Do you want to promote yourself and your business? Keep at it. Do you want to create SEO back links to your site? Keep at it...  You getting the idea here? But it all depends on which of those you are after. There is no quick way to the top as we all should know by now. You can't buy quality back links and no SEO company can promise you ex... 12/06/2010

Main Street in Pullman Washington will light up tonite with Christmas Festivities.  Our Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Event will be tonite, December 3 from 4 to 7 at the Pine Street Plaza.  There will be free cocoa and cookies as well as local bands and choirs setting the mood.  And there is definitely lots of white stuff for a great back drop for the festivities!  Rumor has it Santa is arriving around 6 as well! I am fortunate to work right downtown at Beasely Realty, so it is just a quick stroll down the street and I look forward to taking in this wonderful event prior to heading over for the Whitman County Association of Realtors Annual Holiday Party at the Bell Tower which is right next door.  Looks like a fun day today here in Pullman Washington.  Today is definitely going to be boo... 12/03/2010

Excitement is always in the air when Apple Cup comes to Pullman Washington!  Apple Cup is our annual football rivalry game between the Washington State Cougars and the Washington Huskies for the much coveted Apple Cup Trophy.  Each year at the end of the season we meet to play this all important game to us here in Washington. This year the big game will be here in Pullman and folks from all over the state are pouring into town today to begin the festivities prior to kick off on Saturday at 4. As a loyal Cougar Fan living in the heart of Cougar ville here in Pullman I am delighted to see the snow.  And it is going to be cold too.  It is forecasted to be a high of 27 tomorrow.  Now for those who know me, they know I don't like the Snow...and I don't like the Cold....too much anyway.  It i... 12/03/2010

This has been one challenging week weather wise here in Pullman Washington.  The Washington State University Students have returned back to find Pullman in the depths of a major winter storm.  And yesterday they closed the school early to allow the students plenty of traveling time before dark.  I even saw one of our City of Pullman Buses stuck last night needing a tow! All of us in Pullman have been so busy coping with the elements that I think everyone is getting a bit tired.  The local hardware stores are temporarily out of de-ice. Snow shovels are running low.  I would suspect they have sold a fair share of snow blowers too.     In the two weeks we have had several major storms.  It all started with a major wind storm that toppled trees.  In fact, I have a rather large branch in my ... 12/01/2010

Snow, snow and more snow!  Everywhere you look, there is snow.  It sparkles as I look outside from the warmth of my living room.  We are pretty much snowed under at this point.  It snowed almost six inches today in the Pullman WA area and many stayed indoors.  This is quite a Winter Storm that hit the Northwest of the United States and it hit our Palouse Area hard.   The children are loving the snow.  The adults maneuver their vehicles carefully.  It shoud continue until tomorrow morning, according to the Weather Channel.  Brrrr...Are You Ready For The Snow? 11/22/2010

Washington State University has begun their Thanksgiving Break for the Fall Semester 2010.  Friday we watched as the students all bundled in their cars and headed home.  Today we are expecting a major snowstorm here in Pullman.  I am glad everyone made it home before the snow flies.  Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!   11/21/2010

Real Estate like all professions has it's own vocabulary such as CMA'S (comparative market analysis), Offers, Counter Offers, Contingencies Etc.  These are all pretty easy and straight forward to understand.  Others not so easy, and certainly navigating through a contract  from mutual acceptance to closing is an entirely different story! But there is another word that I find the essential ingredient necessary for a successful closing.  MOTIVATION.  And it is more necessary than ever in today's Real Estate Market. And although our Pullman Washington Market is stronger than many other market places in our country, it is still vital for both Buyers and Sellers.   With Sellers, motivation may seem more obvious.  What is a Motivated Seller you may ask?  Again, each market place is different,... 11/20/2010

Ok so I won't blow your house down but the howling winds that occurred in Pullman WA last night were absolutely scary!  And, it sounded like it was blowing my house down flat.  The wicked winds, crackling lightning and torrential rain woke me up last night.  My daughter was stuck to me like glue and our poor dog was whining next to the bed.  I couldn't believe the noise.  It was incredible. At this point, my husband and I were both up and my daughter opened her eyes in fright.  We listended and watched the covered window as the lightning lit up the sky.  It felt like there was a fireworks show going on right outside our home.  I was hoping it would stop quickly.  We fell back asleep, although restlessly, and when we awoke, we looked like we could use a tad more sleep. When I arrived at ... 11/16/2010

  There are many benefits from having your home on the real estate market here in Pullman Washington in the Fall.  Of course, it is always a balancing act, but one such benefit is there are less homes from which to pick.  Especially in Pullman, we do have folks moving in for second semester here at Washington State University.  And according to local news, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) is still hiring.   Another benefit to remember is that those who are out looking very serious about looking for a home.  They are not fair-weathered folks out just looking, they are ready to make a decision about their housing needs and it is motivating them to get out there and look in spite of the weather. For you sellers, that have chosen to keep your homes on the market, that is great new... 11/08/2010

Sleep tight Pullman!  Don't forget to set your clocks back on hour Saturday night as Daylight Saving Time ends on November 7, 2010. And enjoy your extra hour of sleep. I know my Grand daughter is already practicing!  Here is a picture I snapped of Sophia with my iphone on Friday as she slept in her stroller after her walk.  I just love her fuzzy purple bunting....yes Nana bought it... :)             11/05/2010

I can't get over what great Fall weather we have had in Pullman Washington this week.  This has got to be the most beautiful Fall Season I can remember in Pullman. Today's weather expects it to be 59 and partly sunny with similar weather tomorrow before the rain moves in all next week.   In fact, yesterday on the campus of Washington State University, shorts and flip flops were the norm! Before the weather changes it would be a great couple of days to get out and enjoy some of the great outdoor activities we have all around Pullman.  Of course, there is many things to do from a hike on Kamiak Butte to a bike ride or walk along the Chipman Trail.  I personally love a walk along Lawson Gardens.  I appreciate watching the seasons change amongst the gardens. This is a picture I took from La... 11/05/2010

  This year in Pullman Washington I have had the opportunity to work with a good amount of both buyers and sellers. My listings that I began with the season have for the most part sold.  I worked very hard this year to market their homes.  And those that sold were sellers who took advantage of their showings by putting their best foot forward and  priced their homes to sell.  A lot of sellers just don't get to see the competition as we as Realtors do.  But those who were motivated to get their home ready and priced right did well in our Pullman Real Estate Market. The buyers I have worked with are now settled into their new Pullman homes. In fact, as we are approaching Thanksgiving now just a few weeks away, I have found myself thinking of my new buyers in their new home for their firs... 11/03/2010

Yesterday I had a very interesting phone call.  A lady in Moscow Idaho called me wanting to have a few numbers of people I would recommend to blow out her sprinkler system.  She went on to tell me she had lost the number of the folks who had done it for her last year.  And when she went to google blowing out sprinkler systems, she had come across my blog that I had recently written on getting your Pullman WA or Moscow Idaho home ready for fall. To me that was an amazing phone call.  I have sent people to read my blog.  I have sent particular blogs off to clients.  I have even had a client go to a nearby recreation spot and find a blog I had posted there a year before.  In fact, we  are moving toward closing next month.  But I have never had a total who had come across my blog and tell m... 11/02/2010

  Daylight Saving Time comes to an end this weekend here in Pullman Washington.  So Pullman don't forget to set your clocks back one hour when you go to bed on Saturday so when you wake up  November 7, 2010 you are right on schedule! I have to admit, I personally enjoy the extra hour in the morning.  Somehow I feel like I get more done as I do a lot of my correspondence with buyers and sellers and study the real estate market in the morning.     But, on the other hand,  I will certainly miss the long days and will have to certainly adjust my schedule of showing homes here in Pullman.  As of today prior to falling back, it gets dark at 5:30....but by next week it will be getting dark at 4:30 and creeping towards 4.  It is pretty hard to appreciate that home in the dark!  So buyers keep ... 11/01/2010

Music is in the Air...soft, incredible music.  The WSU Jazz Festival in Pullman WA is slated to be on November 3rd, 2010 at noon.  What an incredible time to listen to some great music and be surrounded by the creative sounds of a number of area jazz groups.  There is even an opportunity to participate and with that comes a free entry to the event.      Join the fun!  Listen to some super music put on by special guest, Delbert Bump, the WSU JAZZ Big Band and many WSU Faculty members.  Take the time....you'll be glad you did!     10/28/2010

In Pullman Washington, we are fortunate to have a leaf pick up at our curbs.  This is a great service and one that helps our environment! The 2010 fall leaf pick up schedule is as follows: Military Hill - Nov. 8,9,10Sunnyside Hilll - Nov. 12, 15,16Pioneer Hill - Nov. 17-18-19College Hill - Nov. 22,23,24 You will want to get started on getting ready for having all those leaves picked up!   I like to collect a big pile on the lawn not too far from the street so the weekend before we can put the leaves out in the street. Besides it looks so festive!  I find it is a good idea to leave about a foot between your leaf pile and the curb to allow the City of Pullman's equipment to effectively scoop them up and take them off to be mulched!  Please no bagged leaves or tree branches. And do please ... 10/26/2010

  Many of my clients this year were first time home buyers who will be spending their first HALLOWEEN in their new homes.  Living in a small town like Pullman, we do still have little ones accompanied by their parents who go out for trick or treating in their local neighborhoods.   It looks like lots of rain all over the state of Washington this year which adds to the element of darkness.   Of course, safety is the name of the game for your visitors!  Here is an easy idea to provide a safe and well lit walk. Why not line your walk way and steps with glow sticks!  I was at our local dollar store the other day and saw these great glow sticks and thought what a great idea of Halloween safety. They could be carried, incorporated into costumes, but they could also be used as a safe alternat... 10/24/2010