Category Archives: Seattle Real Estate Stats

Getting in the holiday spirit yet?

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[photopress:139.jpg,thumb,alignright]Can’t say that I am. I’m just finishing the Thanksgiving leftovers. But you can’t wait for the spirit to grab you, or all of the best shows will be over…or SOLD OUT! So here’s an early heads up on some of Seattle’s favorites:

Kirkland Performing Arts Center’s “The Nutcracker” is coming up and will be over before you know it. Everyone should see it at least once. Or Maybe The 5th Avenue Theatre’s performance of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”.

[photopress:NW_20Boychoir.jpg,thumb,alignleft]Not quite as expensive are the Northwest Choir presentations of “A festival of Lessons and Carols” that travels to various churches in the area. The big St. Mark’s Cathedral presentation on Capitol Hill on the 18th, is probably the one I’d shoot for.

I’ve always been a sucker for big Cathedrals, and not just at Christmas.

Here’s a whole string of events from Emmylou Harris, to “Billy Shakespeare’s Christmas Extravaganza and Traveling Freak Show”, for a bit of the non-traditional.

[photopress:c.jpg,thumb,alignright] Getting in the spirit doesn’t need to cost anything. The Spirit of Seattle “Christmas Ship” should be floating around spreading good cheer by now. Apparently the ship pulls up to some bonfire beaches so people can hear the music without having to be on the ship. Anyone know where these “bonfire beaches” are? Here’s the quote: “On shore, thousands of people, young and old alike, gather around roaring bonfires to share the joy of the season. On the water, other decorated boats join in the festivities by following the Christmas Ship™, forming the largest holiday flotilla in the world, cruising to over 45 waterfront communities.”

I’d rather be at the bonfire on the beach than on a boat, so if anyone knows where those bonfires are, and when the boats will be happening by the bonfire, let me know.

No Public MLS Site?

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I just received an email that says, “San Francisco, CA – December 1, 2006 – The San Francisco Association of Realtors will remove public access to its MLS site as of January 1, 2007.”

It’s actually an advertisement of some kind suggesting that without the Public Access Site provided by the MLS, every broker will need their own, now more than ever. Robbie…Galen…there’s a heads up for you.

I thought NAR required that every MLS have a “Public Site”, albeit a crappy one. Anyone know if that rule changed?

Photos that tell you something

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Further to Galen’s post on photos, I like shots that tell you something. We have a 15 photo max, so that usually leaves room for more than just the obvious. Photo number one MUST be an EXTERIOR shot, per mls rules. And NO PEOPLE allowed. They seem to be Ok with pets…until they get one of those Boing-Boing shots. That will make for a “New Rule”.

This one of Soze (So-zay) saved me from the many calls I usually get, asking if the condo association permitted dogs :-)[photopress:tr.jpg,full,alignleft]

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This photo brought 20 people the first day, and two offers. At least half of the people who came to the first Open House said the free standing archway photo grabbed their attention and prompted them to come.

Your photos are staid because you do not obey the peekaboo law

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By and large, real estate photos are staid and boring. They don’t solve a problem and they don’t follow the “peekaboo law,” which states:

Evolution has seen to it that the very act of searching for the hidden object is enjoyable

i.e. they try to put it all out there. The first photo is usually the front of the house (that’s probably fine) and then we proceed to get a full view shot of each room. That’s not seductive! Usually the photographer (agent?) uses the same lens in each room and does nothing to focus the eye or the mind on what makes the property attractive or problem solving. Specifically: why show the kitchen, including the 6 burner stove from a distance? Why not take a very wide angle lens and show the rest of the kitchen from the perspective of the stove? Or show the view from from sitting at the counter?

One of my favorite real estate photos, which does none of the above, was found by BoingBoing a couple of years ago:accidental real estate pornography (safe for work).

(I’ve looked at a lot of real estate photos over the past couple of months preparing for the launch of ShackPrices.com. We’re coming down the final stretch – get your name on the list now if you want to hear about it when we launch!)

Snowing in Seattle

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[photopress:snow.jpg,thumb,alignright]Yes, they are the Seahawks.  Yes, they are playing here in Seattle and yes, that IS SNOW!

We don’t see a lot of snow around here.  I went over to Redmond Town Center to pick up new cell phones for the whole family on one plan before my daughter returns to L.A. tomorrow.  We got stuck in traffic on Redmond Way not far from Redmond Town Center for a whole hour of going absolutely no where, and the snow kept coming down.

We pulled over and got some dinner at Canyons where we got to watch the Seahawks game.  By the time we left there were many, many cars stranded on the side of the road and people just walking away from their cars.  I just saw some shots of Issaquah on the news, and it looks like it took a very long time for many to get home from work tonight.  Many just called someone with a bigger vehicle and left their cars behind.

This is the most snow, and most trouble caused by snow, that I’ve seen in Seattle.  Kim says it was probably the worst night he’s seen here since 1997.

Hope everyone made it home safe tonight! 

Worst Commute: anywhere to Bellevue

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I’ve had only unconventional communes: Seattle to Bainbridge Island (a 3 step bus/bike – ferry – bike/walk) and Capitol Hill to Belltown (walk or bike), but I’ve had early morning meetings on the East side and I can confirm that the commute stinks.

Last week the Seattle Times confirmed my suspicion: it’s worse to commute to and from Bellevue than anywhere else. Bellevue workers, would you support tolls to improve our region’s nasty traffic? I would.

Does It Really Matter….?

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Ardell’s recent post on FSBOs was courageous as you won’t see many agents talk about how one might sell a property without listing it. While it may be a bit counter intuitive to some agents, one reading the post should come away feeling that Ardell (and others like her) are not in the business of providing self-serving advice.

In her post, Ardell said, “[T]here are several companies that offer this service, and while it is true that some agents may boycott you and not show your house, if you have one of those houses that will “sell itself