The Widow Part - 5 This thing became huge! 240 people from our church offered to come. 150 actually did come and sign in. I think all but 8 were from our Church. We even had one of the Church buses running back and forth with people. 5 parking people. A general contractor from our church in charge of all the projects. Contractors in charge of each individual project. 25 extra large pizzas for lunch paid for by a member of the church. It was wonderful! A reporter from the local paper made a report. He seemed to miss entirely that it was our church project, but his write up is interesting... Big hometown rally at the Babcock place Written by Don Mann    Monday, 25 January 2010 10:46  Annie Babcock, 83, offers direction to Jason Burt, a family friend, during the roof-party at her place on ... 01/23/2010

Home Sales Trending Woodinville WA 98077 This report offers a look at the existing home sales activity in 98077, Woodinville, WA. Through Q3 '09. All home sales information is derived from public records provided by the county offices. As you can see by the trends, both Number of Home Sales Transactions and Avg Sale Price are moving upward through Q3 '09.     ______________________________________________________________ Disclaimer: The first and last quarters shown may not include all the sales from that period.This information is provided as available through public records. In cases where the county recording office does not provide specific information, properties may be classified as 'existing' and 'single family'. Where no information is available, property type will be indicated ... 01/23/2010

Don McIntosh, contractor in charge of directing the workers from our church, and i, met on site at the home in Woodinville. John, the former Chief of Police was there. He is my hero for pushing this project so tirelessly for so long. And his father in law - Gary was there. Here is a man who has dedicated much of his time, now that he is retired, to rebuilding this house. With his own hands, and with his own money, if necessary. We are gathered around, when in drives the Woodinville compliance officer. Normally that event would send chills up and down the spine of a contractor. Nope! Warm greetings all around. In storms a police car. Full dress police officer steps out. Folks stiffen up? Prepare for the worst? Nope! Chuckles and normal male bantering. An extra bonus? We met Annie. No lon... 01/20/2010

The Widow Part 3 Excitement is in the air! Everyone I have talked to about this story wants to get involved. Today the responses were counted at our church in Redmond. Over two hundred people want to volunteer! So we plan to strip the roof on this widow's house in Woodinville and put a new one on in one day.                 We would like to pull all the wires to the boxes on that day. Do some more of the plumbing.   Repair some of the siding in the back of the house... Maybe bring this beautiful little sitting area by the creek to life again... And, of course, show the blackberries who's boss! Heroes are popping up like popcorn. A roofer who is donating all the materials for the roof. Someone is paying for the 30 yard dumpster to haul the old roof away. Our church is paying for one of o... 01/19/2010

The Victims: Elderly couple. Give $285000 to a contractor to remodel their house. The Villain - 1 He guts the house down to the studs,  steals the money and skips town. They have moved into an apartment while the work is supposedly being done. The husband contracts cancer and dies. The widow is now 84 years old, living in an apartment. The Villains - 2 The now abandoned property (on 2 acres) becomes the local garbage dump for scumbags too cheap to pay to get rid of their garbage. Time goes on. The Villains - 3 Local hoodlums use the house as a hangout, eventually smashing all the windows. The widow is getting older. The Hero John McSwain, Chief of police of the town of Woodinville, begins a drive to clean up the mess, restore the home and get the lady's house back to her. There is a dri... 01/18/2010

The Seattle suburb of Woodinville is often refered to as "wine country" - over 45 world-class wineries are in this area, including the ever-popular Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery.  SISTERS Interior Redesign recently staged this cozy condo in the heart of Woodinville, not far from the new Woodinville Town Center.  The day we staged it was pouring rain, which is typical Seattle weather in January.  I guess all that rain is good for growing grapes!  When we were finished, the stage was set for potential buyers to envision themselves relaxing in this home, sipping a glass of their favorite Chardonnay by the fireplace and enjoying their new home. By the way, the name of this condo community is "Le Chardonnay" - no kidding!   Living Room before staging:   Living Room after staging:   Dining Roo... 01/17/2010

Your Last Chance to Help Protect OUR Internet By Thursday (January 14, 2010) midnight your chance to voice your opinion to the FCC regarding Net Neutrality will be over. Who will protect your rights, if you don't stand up for your freedom to compete with anyone else on the Internet on an equal footing? If you have already commented to the FCC, thank you, and think about commenting again. If you don't understand Net Neutrality, learn about it quickly, so you can write an informed comment to protect your rights to equal access. If you don't care about Net Neutrality, that is your choice. But, don't get upset when someone with more money than you can buy faster speeds and better access to your clients and customers. Don't get upset when the Internet as we have come to enjoy, becomes like t... 01/13/2010

Need to See a Bit of Light Breaking Through?The Federal Housing Finance Agency's newly released (Jan. 8, 2010) third quarter, Foreclosure Prevention & Refinance Report includes some rays of sunshine breaking through the dark clouds that persist overhead. According to the report, although loan payment delinquencies are still showing an upward trend, foreclosure sales have gone down as a percentage of foreclosures started by lenders. In other words, a variety of solutions available to borrowers becoming delinquent are more successful. This is keeping more people in their homes and reducing the flow of more foreclosed property into the inventory of available housing.One of the important elements of the report is that the new loan modifications are working better than the first round, that ... 01/12/2010

Competition or Cooperation, What do you Choose? I enjoy the adrenalin rush of competition and the knowledge that a competitive spirit is at the heart of what makes America so great. At the same time, the events and conversations of the past few days have made me consider the value of cooperation, even with those considered to be competition.   Consider the fact that even though we may be in the same general business as our "competition" we all have our specialties, and our distinct capacity to connect with specific individuals. In that we are in the business together, we can inspire, support, and educate each other. If we all become stronger through the experience of cooperation, we all look better and more professional to our respective client bases. Yes, we may "compete" for the same ... 01/12/2010

The White House Blog - - - Silence Won’t Work For US Now - - - No matter if you agree or disagree with the current administration, we need to speak our minds or we have given up our freedom of speech and shouldn’t be too quick to complain if we don’t like what is going on. As I’ve posted in the past about communication with the White House regarding the housing mess and job creation, I am now the recipient of another invitation to wade in on discussions at the White House. So, here is the schedule of opportunities for the week I just received. Please give it some consideration to either join in on your own or pass your thoughts on to me and I’ll be more than happy to transmit the sense of your ideas. We need to work our way out of the mess we are in at this point. Thank you in advance f... 01/11/2010

Buyers, Start Your Engines --- If you need to buy a house, now is the time to get real serious. The government tax credit is about to expire (contracts must be in place by the end of April). Interest rates are starting to go up (which will eventually reduce the number of homes for which you are qualified). We can help you find a trustworthy lender to get you prequalified We are ready to work with you in determining your housing needs and match them to the appropriate inventory. We will help you negotiate a transaction that protects your interests and guide you through the closing process to achieve ownership of the home you seek. Please give us a call and we can start rolling . . . 01/10/2010

Sellers, Now is the Time --- If you need to sell, there is no time like the present. The government tax credit is going to expire (contracts must be in place by the end of April). Buyers are now coming out in increasing numbers. Inventory is low. Interest rates are starting to go up (which will eventually reduce the number of qualified buyers). In order to be able to market your property to the maximum number of buyers at this point, and get a contract that is acceptable to you into escrow, the time to list is now. We highly recommend preparing your home to be on the market no later than February 1st or as soon as possible. We can immediately guide you through the process: Preparing your house to show at its best Doing the homework necessary to establish a price based on current market... 01/10/2010

While looking through my photo files for a picture to illustrate a post earlier this week, this picture jumped out and caught my attention. The photo brought back the memory of the moment it was captured. It was while strolling through a friend's garden under a pretty dense canopy of trees that the light broke through and fell on these wonderful flowers. I remember it was a magical moment as if the flowers were waiting for the blessing of the light to show up just then. I also remember feeling that I was blessed to be there at that moment as well. 01/09/2010

Beware of Home Improvement Books Yesterday (1/08/2010) almost one million home improvement books under the "Lowe's" and "Sunset" brands were recalled by the publisher Oxmoor House of Birmingham Alabama. One other additional lesser known brand "AmeriSpec" was included in the recall. The recall was over inaccurate do-it-yourself diagrams on how to do electrical wiring for basic home improvements and repairs to water gardens and general wiring. These books were published from the beginning of 1975 through the end of 2009. So in other words, anytime during the past 35 years. Yikes! The Consumer Product Safety Commission said that while no incidents have been reported, people could be shocked or a fire hazard could be created. I am reluctant to give out even more specific information because... 01/09/2010

Woodinville Real Estate, Check It Out If you are looking for a place that offers small town friendliness, close to big city amenities, and a wide variety of employment and educational opportunities then you must consider Woodinville, Washington. The city is named after Ira and Susan Woodin, the first permanent settlers, who homesteaded 160 acres in 1871 along what is now called the Sammamish River. The City of Woodinville is situated adjacent to the City of Redmond, home of the sprawling Microsoft campus and is minutes from Seattle. Woodinville real estate includes both properties incorporated into the town, and unincorporated areas situated in King County. King County is home to some of the strongest companies and employers in the USA. Though definitely a high tech hub, in King County ... 01/08/2010

Come join me at the Open House for this fabulous home in Brook Trails Estates.  This elegant home has a room for everyone and everything -  living room, dining room, gourmet kitchen, family room , 4 bedrooms including a master suite, bonus room, den, office, media room, and spa room. The home backs to the Tolt Pipeline Trail and is nestled at the end of a dead-end street.       Virtual Tour: http://www.seetheproperty.com/45112 01/08/2010

As I hurriedly drove onto the private road of some clients for a meeting, I was met by one of the local residents standing by the side of the road. I immediately slowed down, paused, and snapped this picture. I then proceeded at a greatly reduced speed; knowing that there are usually more than one of these graceful creatures around somewhere. It seemed appropriate to slow down even though I was running a few minutes late for the appointment, due to traffic on the way to the property. I was immediately reminded of the importance of being careful in our daily routines. Sometimes we get so caught up in our quest to achieve something, we lose sight of our responsibility to take care of what is already before us. At the same time in our rush forward, how many priceless moments do we leave in... 01/07/2010

Do you want to fix up a home? Consider a HUD FHA 203 (k) - - - This loan program is intended for the rehabilitation and repair of single family properties of up to 4 units. Many lenders use this loan program to assist borrowers, sometimes even in cooperation with other programs offered by local housing authorities, as well as state and federal agencies. It is even possible to combine other financial programs like the current HOME and HOPE programs also offered by HUD. A few of the features and intentions of the FHA 203 (k): To preserve and restore the Nation's existing housing stock One loan for both purchase and the planned rehabilitation Funds can also be used for refinance with intended rehabilitation Funds can be used for 1 to 4 family buildings at least one year old (can add or dec... 01/05/2010

I'm Shopping in at McLendon Hardware Woodinville WA in 2010 - - - Are You Planning to Support Your Local Businesses This Year? Even though our general practice is to shop local, if at all possible, this year we are going to make an extra effort to support our local businesses in our hometown of Woodinville. Besides being generally the right thing to do, it is now more important than ever in our current economic situation to support the backbone of our country, our local business people. Pulling together in tough times is how we can help sustain our communities. As we move into the New Year, look around and try to find the goods and services you need in your hometown. A great Woodinville example is McLendon Hardware, family owned in the Puget Sound area since 1926. I'm guessing they made... 01/04/2010

What worked in 2009 --- Wear the Hats that Fit --- the opportunity at hand --- Real Estate Agent and Private Artist --- As work with my commercial client summarized in Part 1 and Part 2 concluded, I found myself engaged in one of the most exciting real estate transactions of my career as an agent. During my work on the preceding commercial project I sought out a highly regarded landscaper who was out of the country at the time of my first attempt to track him down. Persistence paid off finally after exchanging emails for months we met at his world famous property, ironically not far from where I live in Woodinville. His 18 acre property was a showcase for his decades of development as a celebrated landscaper. The property contained two lakes, waterfalls he constructed, his two-story hom... 12/31/2009