September 11 will be my day off. My daughter will not be going to school that day and will instead get a lesson in what it means to be an American. The true meaning of being an American is something that in recent years has come to represent something negative. Believing in our constitution, demanding accountability and desiring democracy are somehow anti-American concepts in this climate of corporate media mind control. I want her to realize she has the power as an individual to stand up for her rights while they still tenuously exist. It is a lesson too many people too easily forget. Complacency is a silent killer of our civil liberties.
I urge everyone to put their differences aside for ONE DAY and join in an effort that could let the powers that be understand we are united in our willingness to bring change.


(the following is from the general strike myspace page)
The time has come to let go of our fear.

To stand up to lies and tyranny with passion and urgency. To connect with others and show our collective power. It’s time to realize that we’ve got nothing to lose. The time is now.

The General Strike is a national call to action, from citizens to other citizens. It is not about a single issue. It is not an anti-war protest, a civil rights protest, an election fraud protest. It is not about torture, surveillance, corporate media, the 9/11 coverup, or the environment. This strike is about all these issues and more.

We all have different concerns, but we all have the same concern: we are being lied to and this government does not represent us. Join other Americans in demanding truth, justice, and accountability.

This is our country.
And our world.
We just have to stand up.

A National Call to Action: Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 No school. No work. Buy nothing. Stay home or hit the streets.
No business as usual.

I-5 Downtown Seattle Construction Closures: Choose Your Way into Seattle


Contact: Linda Robson, Sound Transit Communications, 206.398.5149
Linda Thielke, King County Metro Transit, 206.684.1414
Lind Simonsen, Pierce Transit, 253.581.8034
Jamie Holter, WSDOT Communications, 206.714.1636

Local transit agencies offer many options

SEATTLE - In eight days WSDOT begins the biggest construction closures ever in downtown Seattle. Aug. 10 – Aug. 29, WSDOT contractor crews will close up to three lanes on northbound Interstate 5 and multiple ramps around the clock as workers remove and replace old expansion joints and repave the entire 1.1 mile section between Spokane Street and I-90.

To keep traffic moving, WSDOT traffic engineers say at least half of the drivers on northbound I-5 – more than 65,000 vehicles - must find alternate ways to work, leave early, take transit or carpool, telework or take vacation.

Sound Transit, King County Metro Transit, and Pierce Transit have stepped up to help drivers navigate these tough closures with extra buses and trains, rerouted trips, and added capacity on existing systems.

Sound Transit adds additional Sounder runs

Today, Sound Transit announced an additional morning and afternoon Sounder Commuter Train between Puyallup and Seattle. This extra run is added to the current four weekday daily round-trip runs on the south corridor for a total of five round-trip runs each weekday. The four regular Sounder’s south corridor trains will serve Tacoma, Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and Seattle. The additional train that will run during the I-5 construction will serve all of those stations except Tacoma.

“There’s never been a better time for people to try Sounder and see for themselves how nice it is to ride right past the traffic jam,” said Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl. “The extra round-trip train that BNSF has agreed to add will immediately increase our Sounder commuter rail passenger capacity and give our passengers more options.”

For more information on Sound Transit rail and bus services, visit http://www.soundtransit.org/ or call 800-201-4900.

King County Metro Transit enhances Elliott Bay Water Taxi service

King County Metro Transit today announced it will add an additional trip to the Elliott Bay Water Taxi schedule during the I-5 construction period. That trip will leave Seacrest Marina in West Seattle at 6:10 a.m. Monday through Friday. In addition, King County Metro Transit will increase capacity on each sailing from 149 to 250 passengers per trip. There also will be two vans, instead of one, operating on Metro's Route 773 shuttle that serves the Seacrest dock during both the morning and afternoon commute periods.

Transit agencies reroute buses during I-5 closures

Twenty-two King County Metro Transit routes will be rerouted off I-5 to avoid the work zone, and many will use a truck and transit HOV lane on Airport Way South. Metro will also have vanpool and vanshares available so people don't have to commute alone.

Sound Transit Express routes 586, 590, 591, 592, 594 and 595 will be detoured when traveling north into Seattle and the University District. Buses will depart at their scheduled time. However, bus riders should expect delays on northbound trips. The buses will serve all their regular stops except at Spokane Street at the SODO Busway.

Pierce Transit suggests that commuters use a local Pierce Transit bus to a transfer point such as the Tacoma Dome Station where a Seattle Express Bus or the Sounder Train will provide service into King County. Additional free parking is available at the Tacoma Dome Lot A weekdays only, Aug. 13 through 29. It is a short walk to the Sounder Train or Seattle Express Buses.

Free parking is available at the South Hill and Bonney Lake park and ride lots. Buses that serve these lots make timed connections with the morning and afternoon Sounder Trains at the Puyallup and Sumner Sounder stations.

WSDOT taking steps to ease congestion

WSDOT workers are also doing their part. Officials will activate the emergency operations center and put extra traffic engineers and communications staff in the traffic management center. We plan to use those extra staff members to communicate with the public about traffic conditions 18 hours a day for the entire 19-day closure.

Just some of the steps WSDOT is taking to ease congestion include:

* Extra incident response teams to clear collisions quickly
* Working with the Coast Guard to keep the 1st Avenue South bridge open to vehicle traffic between 6 a.m. and noon, and again between 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
* Reducing lane widths through the work zone to keep as many lanes open as possible

For more transit information, check out the following Web sites:
King County Metro Transit: transit.metrokc.gov
Sound Transit: http://www.soundtransit.org/
Pierce Transit: http://www.piercetransit.org/

Drivers can also look at WSDOT’s commute options Web page at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/I5/SpokaneStreetBridgeRepair/CommuteOptions.htm

The existing I-5 bridge deck is worn and rutted from over 40 years of use. Steel rebar is exposed in some areas and the expansion joints are under stress from heavy traffic. The condition of the bridge deck is an increasing risk to drivers and requires constant maintenance. These repairs are costly and require disruptive and repeated emergency lane closures.

We will replace expansion joints and resurface 1.13 miles of freeway on the northbound bridge deck between I-90 and Spokane Street. On southbound I-5, crews are repairing existing expansion joints.

Improved expansion joints and paving will enhance safety and create a smoother, safer ride for drivers. They will also eliminate the need for constant and disruptive repairs.

Copyright WSDOT © 2007

Vivian just got her blue belt! Here is one of the katas:

There are many avenues for homeowners to consider when it's time to sell. With so many discount outfits promising to save money for the homeowner, it's probably a good idea to outline just what a full-service agent like myself will do:

order preliminary title
contact escrow
take photos
enter listing info on MLS
provide a key lock-box
have a sign delivered
create and stock fliers
create and send broker's open mailers/emails
create and send open house mailers
Online Seller Advantage via Yahoo
provide a legal description and disclosures for potential buyers
provide a virtual tour
provide neighborhood demographics and maps
stage the home with furniture if needed
handle all calls and inquiries
if vacant, keep it clean and the yard mowed
schedule showings
market the property online
review offers with the seller
check buyer financing
insure all docs are complete and on time to escrow

When you entrust a discount brokerage to sell your home, they are merely listing it. You'll get a sign, a MLS number and a finite stack of fliers. All of the other things that go with selling the home and assuring a smooth close to the transaction are often left to the selling agent (representing the buyer and not you) who will likely work harder on your transaction than the agent or brokerage you initially hired. I know, because I have been that eager selling agent before. Of course I am speaking of one-off transactions. If a seller also needed to buy and was willing to work with me on both, I would be flexible regarding my commission. I believe in repeat business and loyal fans and I do my best to inspire it.

Local Designer and DJ extraordinaire Bob Hansen did a photo shoot for Megan and me a few weeks ago. I'm a photographer as well, but taking your own photos is highly overrated and a pain. I'm not sure we got the shot we needed (I blame my choice of location mostly), but we are considering using this photo as a business card background image...



We look so engaged in our tasks it's frightening. :)

There are many resources available for homeowners wishing to know the value of their property investment. However, be aware of the fact many online tools for valuing your home may be based purely upon average price per square foot of sold properties when calculating your value. As of late, I have been spending a great deal of time valuing properties for lenders and investors requesting BPOs or Broker Price Opinions. Lenders pay agents to perform these reports in order to save money on appraisal costs in managing their portfolios. They also use them in valuing properties in danger of foreclosure. Here are some tips for folks wishing to fine tune a value estimate from an online source.

First of all, know your comparables or "comps." Comparable properties are those that share similar attributes to your property; similar amount of living area, similar year built, similar style and within a reasonable distance to your property. I use a range of +/-15% in finding comps and try to stay within a half mile radius of the subject property. Generally speaking, three active listings and three sold properties are enough to compute a value for the subject property. When selecting comps, one should bracket the comps so that within the active listings there is at least one property that is superior and one property that is inferior to the subject property. The same is true for the sold properties. Consumers may have trouble finding this information, but it is available from several public sources.

You will need to make adjustments to the comps based on whether or not they are superior or inferior. Inferior comps receive POSITIVE adjustments to bring them in line with the subject and superior comps receive NEGATIVE adjustments. For example, let's say we have a 4 bedroom home with 2100 square feet as the subject and a 5 bedroom home with 2300 square feet as an active listing comparable. One would subtract the value of the additional bedroom and difference in square footage to see what the value would be compared to that of the subject property. Adjustments are made to the comps- not the subject property! One could also calculate a "contributory value" by dividing the difference in square footage by the difference in price to produce a price per square foot that can be used in making adjustments.

The hardest part of valuing your own property is removing your emotion from the process. How you *feel* about your property could cloud your opinion of its true value. It is imperative that you look for any and all needed repairs, deferred maintenance or functional obsolescence. These items will create a gap between your "as-is" and "as-repaired" valuations. The as-repaired value is for a like property in perfect condition. Since it is rare that a home is in perfect condition, you will have to rank your property accordingly within your comps in order to come up with an accurate value.

These are just a few of the things I consider while determining a value for a property. I've attempted to demystify the process a bit for the DIY types, but it isn't easy nor is it an exact science. Following these guidelines however will insure that the value you produce is realistic and reflects current local trends.

Q: Should I buy, instead of rent?

A: Simple answer, YES. Many of my clients who were renting had the idea that they could not afford a home. Homeownership allows one many benefits like the ability to deduct the cost of your mortgage loan interest and property taxes from your federal income tax. The home will appreciate in value, at least in this market, earning valuable equity as well.

Q: How much money will I have to come up with to buy a home?

A: This amount varies depending upon the value of the home, but there are typically three costs involved in buying a home: earnest money, down payment and closing costs. Earnest money is money you submit with an offer to buy that shows the seller you are serious and protects the seller in case of default. One percent of the sale price is acceptable as a guideline for earnest money. A down payment may be necessary from your lender to secure your loan, but there are still products available that do not require a down payment. Closing costs are fees associated with the sale and transfer of title; generally a wildcard that requires constant follow-up to keep on target. Three to four percent of the sale price is typical for a range of realistic closing costs. Good faith estimates from lenders regarding closing costs are estimates and should be taken with a grain of salt. One could possibly entice a seller to pay closing costs by offering more (the closing cost amount) for the property and asking for the seller to pay closing costs up to that amount. The difference would be an amount you borrow versus an amount you have to come up with for closing. Depending on the loan there will be a limit on the amount a seller can pay for you, but it's around three percent typically. I have sold homes to first-time buyers who only had two or three thousand dollars saved up for earnest money, where partial funds were returned at closing!

Q: Pre-approval or pre-qualification?

A: Quite simply a pre-qualification means you could possibly qualify for the loan amount, whereas a pre-approval is a letter of loan commitment and much stronger than a pre-qualification. I ask all of my clients to obtain a pre-approval before beginning the home buying process.

Q: What will my mortgage cover?

A: You should structure your loan to cover principal (actual loan), interest, taxes and insurance (homeowners and mortgage policies). You will still need to pay utilities of course.

Q: How long will it take to close?

A: After your offer has been accepted it can take anywhere from three to six weeks to close. It can be done even faster if you don't need a loan.

I would like to take a moment to rant. Please be patient with me and enjoy the ride or kindly move on to the next entry. I had written several blogs last week and had gotten a few comments about them; I was overdue for new content and I had quite a bit to say. HOWEVER... my hosting company of nearly six years, Ipowerweb.com, has recently joined forces with rival company Endurance. They are also one of few companies responsible for the majority of malware found on the internet. Call it timing, but last week my blog suddenly reverted to APRIL! I found my content on the backend, but before I could save it and restore it, Ipowerweb shut off all means of access to its users on my particular server. For days I got the worst customer service you could possibly imagine in what was endearingly called a "migration to cPanel" but was really a complete lie. On one occasion I let my cell phone ring while on speaker for 59 minutes before a sudden disconnect- never reaching a soul. I "chatted" with their online support people who offer *no support whatsoever*. Even in this environment, expect hold times of thirty minutes or more! So while my hands are tied and I can do nothing to restore my site, it gets better (actually worse but sarcasm is hard to convey in this context)- they deleted my most recent files while "restoring" my site! I lost some ground and I will never forgive them. I tried everything I could to get them to help me and I did this as nearly a full time job for SIX DAYS. If you have that much time to waste both in the execution of your content and then in the subsequent display and safety, go ahead and switch to Ipowerweb. Any good press you see about this company is posted BY this company. The bottom-line is they don't make backups on a regular basis, they are careless and lack emotion and they will send you from department to department to get information you need to get the simplest of things done (like resetting an FTP password to the SAME THING in order for it to work); your site may suddenly visit the fountain of youth or not be accessible at all. The BBB, FTC and every forum I could find know about it, but their resellers are just as flakey. Please be careful and keep close watch on your hosts ratings. If they slip; switch. To say this kind of data loss, run-around and apathy from a company is aggravating is an understatement.


New host => Bluehost

I'm not sure why I haven't taken the course for this certification yet, but that will soon change. The e-PRO designation embodies everything I am about: technical ability in real estate, use of internet technologies etc. Basically, I do many of the things an e-PRO would do. I worked for a Seattle internet retailer, who I can't name, in management capacities for several years. The habits/skills obtained stuck with me as I started my business and as a result I am far more technologically driven than the typical agent. The e-PRO label will serve as proof that I am what and who I say I am regarding my technical ability.

My goal is to complete this course by next week. Wish me luck!

My wife, Megan, will be taking a class early May in an effort to earn her real estate license. What this means is an even higher level of service for our clients. Anyone familiar with the two of us realizes we mean business when we put our heads together! She will start off working with me part-time as an assistant, but we hope to have her working full-time by sometime in July. She is presently employed in retail and will need to slowly pull her roots.

I have received a high number of leads and referrals over the past couple of months, which has lead to fewer posts on my blog. Thanks to those of you who have sent messages about my site, as this tells me people are actually reading what I write! I will try to post more, even if the messages are short like this one.