Do Dining Rooms matter?  A common question when you're touring potential new homes to buy.  So when asked about the need to have a proper dining room, I believe that if you can find a place to set up dinner for four, you've got all you need.  Many older traditional homes feature a dining room off the kitchen,  and in the day when our lives were more structured that made perfect sense.  All of us...

The best days of Summer are upon us, and it makes me remember the importance of slowing down and enjoying them.  Six months from now we'll be bundled up in sweaters & coats, so take the time to walk on the beach, enjoy a short hike, or crack open a good mystery book.  When you're in the middle of a stretch of hot sunny days, it's a great time to reflect on how very fortunate we are to be living in...

Having listed & sold homes for many years, I've always been a big proponent of making a strong first impression on buyers, and nothing can create that emotional appeal as readily as good staging.  This handsome Loyal Heights home sold a while ago, in a week with multiple offers,  and the staging had a lot to do with raising the bar and the way you felt when you entered the home.  Terrific color...

I followed through on a New Year's resolution and met with Lauren yesterday to talk about food.  I've been wondering about what choices to make and having a chance to get advice from a nutritionist seemed like the best place to go.  If you're interested in this, get in touch with me and I'll share Lauren's contact info with you.  Mostly it's nice to have a plan so I can make better choices in the new...

Let your "New Home" Be a Perfect Match By Liz Talley, Windermere Managing Broker, Greenwood Branch The subliminal messages you get touring Seattle homes has a huge impact on how you select which one you want to buy. Have you noticed that some homes seem to say “sit down and stay awhile” while you’re looking them over? They feature spots to sit and read, or to enjoy a conversation, or to...

We're getting ready to list a really nice condo and like many condo owners you may wonder what do you need to do before it hits the market.  Here are some of the things on our list.  First impressions make a difference so wash the front door, refresh any pots near the outdoor entry with attractive living plants, sweep the entry area and add a new door mat by your front door.  Your windows are your view...

In busy Seattle where homes are scraped for new construction faster than you can believe it, we have listed a vintage farmhouse that really is calling out to be saved & restored.  Located in the heart of Crown Hill this little home, 8519 12th Ave NW, is affordable at $439,900 and offers a quiet reprieve from all the hustle & bustle of the city.  It sits on a big level lot, oversized by city...

What a busy weekend it will be, yet I believe I will be swamped at our open houses over in Blue Ridge on Saturday 1:00 - 3:00 and Sunday 1:30 to 4:00.  Between picking up groceries, getting kids to sports activities, and running errands, it only takes a couple of minutes to swing through an Open House and when you walk in the door you get an immediate feeling about the place.  Just doesn't happen with...

All I know is one day you wake up and you've decided - it's definitely time to move.  So when you're ready to move, where do you go?  The home I've just listed at 2048 NW Blue Ridge Drive for $1,250,000 could be that  home because it is a level entry home with big comfortable rooms, picture windows of the views, oak floors and a handsome bedroom/bath combo.  There is the two-car garage, no grass to...

I've been watching market trends for 25 years now as an active realtor in Ballard / Greenwood and beyond.  There is always a flurry of activity between Martin Luther King day in January and Mother's Day in May.  That's when the number of buyers always seems to outweigh the amount of available inventory.  The past two years have been a little crazy here in Seattle because of the huge number of...