Better Seattle

Recently, as many of you know, I had the privelege to interview a fascinating group of people, Rainers and non-Rainers alike, for RainTV at Real Estate Connect in early August. Here's a link to the blog post I wrote for ActiveRain and the three videos that are up and running (we have tons more coming!)

Introducing RainTV

RainTV--Hugh MacLeod of GapingVoid, Keynote Speaker and Inman Real Estate Connect

RainTV--Lockhart Steele, Founder of Curbed Real Estate Blog

RainTV--Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin

Bellevue City Council announced last week the purchase of a choice 1.5 acre property that would connect Bellevue's Meydenbauer Bay waterfront to Downtown Bellevue and the Downtown Park. Quoting Bellevue Mayor Grant Degginger, "The sustained vision of an entire community is responsible for this remarkable achievement". City Council has been working for decades for the creation of a waterfront park and corridor.

Expect a couple years before walking your pooch over, though. Currently on the site sits the Bayvue Village Apartments, where tenants of the 51 unit complex will be allowed to continue renting until plans are formulated in detail for the new park.  The City is working with a citizens committee to create a general blueprint for the park. The master plan should be completed sometime in 2008. 

The site is one block away from 16 acre Downtown Park. The graphic also shows the popular Meydenbauer Beach Park and the Bellevue Marina at the bay. Already strong and one of Bellevue's most sought out areas, real estate prices immediately surrounding should be bolstered with this new addition.

Official Press Release

In our city of beautiful views, downtown is the place to be this summer! If you haven't yet savored a 2007 Live at Lunch concert, there's still time. These concerts rank right up there with Bellevue's winter holiday Magic Season Ice-skating and the Seafair Marathon, and showcase the best of our local Puget Sound talent. From noon to 1:30 pm, concerts are held at various locations Tuesdays and at Bellevue Galleria Thursdays.  

Some that I won't miss:

Tuesday, August 21st is the day to catch accomplished pianist Scott Cossu at Bellevue City Hall as he mixes up world-inspired jazz beats to soothe your tired and weary bones (did I mention he has a background in classical and blues?) Grab a bite to eat and sit a while, this is as close as you get to therapeutic treatment short of a day at the Eastside Oasis.

Worth the extra effort to leave your stuffy office and voted by Earshot magazine as the best jazz vocalist in the northwest, Greta Matassa's sophisticated but yet demure vocals will knock your socks off! I've followed her all over Seattle proper to watch her perform; it's a treat to have her grace our lovely city this side of the pond. Tuesday, September 4th at the Civica Office Commons (plaza in back). 

Bellevue's Live at Lunch would not be complete without Rock A Roake on Thursday, August 23rd at the Bellevue Galleria, where you can finally step out of those unpretentious and good-natured inhibitions and sing your heart out with a live back up band to answer the question, "Who's Bellevue's Ultimate Rock Star?" We know you want to. Don't be shy, there's an August 16th cutoff date to register, email events@bellevuedowntown.org or call (425)453-3111 right away.

Bellevue City Hall:  450 110th Avenue NE, Downtown Bellevue, WA 98004, Parking on site (fee)

Civica Office Commons: 225 108th Avenue NE, Downtown Bellevue, WA 98004, Parking on site (fee)

Bellevue Galleria: 550 106th Avenue NE, Downtown Bellevue, WA 98004, Parking on site (fee) 

Complete Live at Lunch Summer Schedule: Live at Lunch Concert Schedule

Lately an idea's been haranguing my mind...Real estate is a lot like dating. How do you know when you have the right agent for the job?

A first or second date is not enough to give you an idea of how the agent will sell your home. Sure, they make a great presentation, they seem on their feet, smart, knowledgeable, etc. But impression does not equate with reality. Some shier, less imposing agents will do a far better job selling your home, with more intelligent marketing, less hassle to the you, and far better hands on customer service than agents who merely succeed in the "impressions" ring. So as a home seller, how can you know which way to go?

First, listen to your gut. This is different from listening to your fears. Listening to your "gut", or your intuition, is important because our capacity as humans for deciphering truth from fiction and promises from exaggerations is often beyond the level of rationalization. Stats and figures are not the only proof of what makes a great agent. Our intuition can tell us a wealth of knowledge otherwise unjustified.

Second, pay attention to their approach. Are they appealing to your fears, or addressing you as a rational human being? Do you feel any car-salesmany taste on your tongue? 

Ask them about their numbers and other pertinent questions.  How many deals have they closed? How many were sales that they listed? How long have they been in the business? What do they see as their future in the industry? What do they see as the future of the industry? This is a great time to address any questions you have about your concerns regarding real estate representation. Exactly what does the agent offer you? 

All in all, choosing to work with an agent means that you acknowledge what they offer in your home sale. An agent must earn the right to represent you. They had better be at the top of their field, and be working at 110% to stay on top of developments as a precursor to representing you. You don't want to get an agent who's on the way out from real estate... and as we know, everyone and their brother has a real estate license. If you're deciding to use an agent to sell your home, you had better make sure they are 100% what you are looking for...

And a last question, but not at all least of the bunch, in fact most important! What is their ethical stance in how they conduct business? Pay attention to how they answer this one. Are they defensive, or is this an area they advocate? 

The benefit of driving to San Francisco (fortuitous to live so close!) is the liberty of the drive itself. We meandered a bit on the way home to Laguna Beach from Inman's Real Estate Connect, staying through the weekend and managing like all truly "wired" individuals to get some work done on the way. These are some of my memorable pics, with a combination of architecture, real estate, and geography.  

 Picture 1: San Francisco's China Town, with Caleb Mardini of ActiveRain and and Bob Stewart of Brio Realty. What fantastic architecture!

Picture 2: Saint Mary's Square on Nob Hill, San Francisco, is beautifully nestled between commercial buidlings and an intelligent space! Given to the city as a gift by the Catholic diocese in 1912, beneath it is an underground parking garage. The grounds also feature a children's playground and enough space for a meditative break.

Picture 3: Saint Mary's Square, different view. The statue, made of steel and rose granite by California native Beniamino Bufano, is in honor of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the first president of the Republic of China, who found political asylum in San Francisco for several years in the early part of the 20th century.

This picture captures a lot of what I love about urban cities. Jon Washburn and I were at lunch with Kevin Tomlinson and Kevin read my mind. Our bistro, in the middle of Maiden Lane (both ends closed off between 11-5) was reminiscent of Paris. Maiden Lane used to be known as Morton Street in the Barbary Coast hey day. The former location of San Francisco's red light district, it was re-christened "Maiden Lane after the 1906 fire. Maiden Lane also boasts the only Frank Lloyd Wright building in San Francisco (140 Maiden Lane).  

I captured this picture on the way to finding a restaurant in Castro Valley. I love the way these houses nestle into hill's edge and the wild space around them. These homes are located near Jensen Ranch Elementary school. The land itself reminds me of Tuscany...

This Friday, August 10th, at 10:00 am, the Washington State Department of Transportation is commencing major construction work on northbound I-5 from S Spokane Street to the I-90 interchange, the area directly south of downtown Seattle. All northbound lanes except for one will be closed. Carpooling is strongly encouraged to ease congestion during this time, as well as detours. Completion is estimated for August 29th later this month.

Northbound I-5 between between Spokane and I-90 is comprised of an elevated bridge over 40 years old. Work to be done includes repaving the lanes and replacing expansion joints which currently pose a risk to drivers. 

WSDOT website - detailed info on project 

Metro Online's Travel Options in the area 

Metro Online's Trip Planner 

Metro Online's Service Exceptions and Reroutes Page 

Rideshare Online 

Sounder Commuter Rail ---A fifth train has been added for the duration of the August Construction

Construction update as of August 1st 

On Thursday, August 2nd, at Inman Real Estate Connect, Coldwell Banker announced the first real life listing to be marketed for sale via Second Life, an online, internet based three-dimensional alternate world created by Linden Labs of San Francisco. The 3.1 million dollar home, a new custom home on tony Mercer Island near Seattle, WA was built to scale according to the real life architectural floorplan. Located at 9215 SE 33rd St, the nwmls listing (#27053398) features pictures from its Second Life replica among real life pictures. 

Charlie Young, senior vice president of marketing for Coldwell Banker, said in an ActiveRain RainTV interview Thursday that he did not foresee Coldwell Banker rolling out Second Life house replication features as a routine advertising tool for listings in the near future due to feasibility and scalability costs. Young sees virtual and 3D replication as a medium that may one day be the norm.

Official Press Release

Designed by Code4Software, the virtual Second Life property has had 3385 unique visitors to date (as of 8:17 pm PST, August 4th). It is located in the southen continent of SL near its western coast.

Second life street address: Ranchero lot 28, Ranchero (56, 137, 40)

Alternatively, you can search for "Coldwell Banker Headquarters - Ranchero" in the search function once you login to Second Life and teleport from the listing sign directly to the property.

Third option, direct link to listing in Second Life: 

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ranchero/57/137/40

(Please note, to successfully operate Second Life you must download Second Life software to your PC/Mac. Certain minimum computer capabilities apply. For particulars, go to SecondLife.com)

Other involvement in Second Life echoes Coldwell Banker's commitment to affordable housing. Coldwell Banker has bought SL land, "developed" it and built virtual homes, which it sells to Second Life buyers who meet certain criteria. For those of you squinting your noses, land in SL has gone from affordable for most people to cost-prohibitive instead. My own land has more than quadrupled in price since my original purchase, less than a year ago. 

The best part of the Inman Conference is hanging out with new and old friends, especially when they live in different states! I thoroughly enjoyed the company of Seattle Realtors Ardell Della Loggia and Kim Harris (her partner in crime), and Kevin Thomlinson, luxury property realtor with EWM in Miami. Ardell mentored Kevin as his coach in ActiveRain's Project Blogger, so the discussion over crab cocktails, clam chowder and delicious cioppino at the Fisherman's Wharf was fascinating.

• Don't post anything in a blog you're not comfortable the world knowing.
• Be yourself. Don't worry about trying to create an image or to seem a certain way. Buyers and sellers are normal people who want to work with and connect with other real people. So forget the stodginess and let them see you're real.
• Don't put so much emphasis into the car you drive. Although some brokers are convinced all their agents must by the newest, flashiest car, drive what you like and be sensitive to your target market (as opposed to just trying to impress their socks off)
• Remember to have fun as an agent.
  
• Respect yourself, respect your value, respect your clients, and know when to say no.

Zillow's "Beer with Bloggers" at Inman's Real Estate Connect was a great starter to the conference. The beer flowed freely and the attendees got in their groove as the group began melding together. Old friends met up, new friendships took ground, and the evening was on!! 

Matt, Caleb, and I piled into Rudy Bachraty's RV along with the most superb group of new friends, including the pleasant Diane Cohn and Guy Johnson of Reno Realty Blog (an examplar of a successful blog). Ardell Della Loggia of Rain City Guide and  luxury condo realtor Kevin Tomlinson snuggled into the overhead sleeping area (suspended above Rudy's driving seat.)

Rudy and Joe Ferrara hadn't changed a bit (still handsome bloggers) since I'd seen them last at the Sellsius Bloggers Meetup in Laguna Beach. We  cruised toward the next destination, drawing the stares of pedestrians and partygoers braving the distance on foot. I especially enjoyed the RV ride! We laughed and goofed off and the big city of San Francisco suddenly became a very small and friendly place.

Trulia's party following Zillow's Beer with Bloggers at Inman's Real Estate Connect was a fantastic party. Trulia did a lot of the right things to get the party off the ground. Two drinks a person were on the house, with a full bar. I secretly suspect that party-goers got a few more, as the bartender kept slipping me drinks (I was the go-to for a few of my comrades). Three glasses of Chardonnay, and not two? How many Screwdrivers? (I confess, I'm not a very big drinker.. I had two, and it was enough to last me the night!) 

Hands down, Real Estate Connect attendees bring down the house at any party. I've met some of the most amazing people, not merely "networking" but connecting in a tangible life to life way. By the evening's end, the entire group was envirgorated and excited for the start of the conference. 

[Also seen in pictures are Brian Brady of MortgageRatesReport and Bob Stewart of Brio Realty]