Make a Good Life

Griffin Neighbors Annual Meeting a Success

The annual meeting of the Griffin/Steamboat community was a great success last night.  We couldn't stop talking amongst ourselves and therefore did not leave the fire station until well after 10pm!

The speakers were terrific, as were the board members of the Griffin Neighborhood Association (GNA).  It was great to hear updates from Thurston County Commissioner Karen Valenzuela, Thurston County Prosecutor Jon Tunheim,  Griffin Fire Department chief John Wood, St. Christopher's Pastor Andy Willis, and Greg Woods, the superintendant of Griffin School.

It was also nice to meet Jeff Davis, a current Port of Olympia commissioner who is running for a Representative position for the 35th District. 

Greg Woods of Griffin School spoke on the importance of our upcoming levy vote for Programs and Operations.  I encourage those of you living in our community to strongly consider passing this levy.  Cast a more expansive view of the future implications of failed school levies:  Property values and desirability of area.

Because I work in real estate I can attest to the continued desirability of the Steamboat Peninsula.  People moving here from all over the county have done their homework online and agree, Steamboat is a neat place to live.  That is, in large part, directly attributed to the continued success of the Griffin School.  Stop passing levies and we may see the services, employees and programs at Griffin diminish.  If Griffin is no longer able to draw newcomers with stellar scores, special ed. programs, nicely maintained facilites, after school programs, etc we may see fewer people willing to make the drive to our beautiful peninsula to live.

Many of us have watched over the past 15 years as other school districts have suffered the fate of continued failed levies...even in stronger economic times.  Schools increase class-sizes, programs go away, enrollment declines as the reputation spreads.  Fewer people move to the area as they hear the rumors....and thus property values are dimished.  I am not making this up....

So, even if you don't have a Griffin student and you don't think the levy issue affects you....think again and consider the decision carefully.

You can read more about what this levy would fund by clicking here.  For a couple of dollars on each dollar of tax assessed value of your property(ies) you CAN make a difference in your community by supporting the school that binds us together and continues to protect our biggest investments; our homes and property.

What happens when your house sells FAST

That depends on how plucky you are!

A fast sale in a neighborhood where other homes for sale are sitting dormant.  Sounds great right?  In today's market a fast sale is something all Sellers covet.  Unless that sale means that you have to move three weeks before your scheduled closing!

We have sellers in just that position.....either agree to an early closing or the buyer extends until March, which would mean that the sellers lose out on the opportunity to buy the house they want.  That was the decision they had to make, in a 24 hour period.  They decided to go for it, packed up their entire 2,400 square foot house and two children in ONE day and moved into a hotel.  What champs!

The process may have been a little painful, but the end goal was met.  They got their sale and were able to purchase the home that they love.  Without such flexible (and energetic!) Sellers we would not have closed the deal and this buyer would have slipped away.  In today's market the buyers are holding most of the cards.....so if you receive a good offer, make it close.

A Meeting Worth Mentioning

Karen Valenzuela, Thurston County Commissioner
Tim Braniff, Thurston County Under-Sheriff
Jon Tunheim, Thurston County Prosecutor
Greg Woods, Griffin School District Superintendent
John Wood, Griffin Fire Chief
Andy Willis, Pastor at St. Christopher's Community Church

Where can you meet and hear from all these local officials? At this
Thursday's Community Meeting!

Come join the Griffin Neighborhood Association for its annual Community
Meeting this Thursday evening, January 26, at the Griffin Fire Department
Headquarters.

Thursday, January 26
7 PM, but arrive at 6:30 for light refreshments and conversation
Griffin Fire Department Headquarters
3707 Steamboat Loop NW

In addition to hearing from our featured speakers, we'll also review the
activities of the Griffin Neighborhood Association over the last year. Plus,
there will be a report from the Steamboat Conservation Partnership.

Each year, up to half the positions on the Board are offered for election.
This is your opportunity to renew your membership in the Griffin
Neighborhood Association, since only current Association members can vote to
fill the Board.

Not already a member of the GNA or need to renew your membership? We'll be
able to sign you up, at the meeting. Or you can join/renew online at
http://www.griffinneighbors.org/joinus.htm

Learn more about the Griffin Neighborhood Association at
www.GriffinNeighbors.org

Learn more about the Steamboat Conservation Partnership at
http://www.griffinneighbors.org/scp.htm

Ahhhh...Loreto

Loreto seemed the perfect spot for Renee and I to get some sun and celebrate our first year together as partners in Brenner and Watts Real Estate. With direct flights into Loreto offered by Alaska Airlines, it was easy to get there.

The tiny airport is brand new, the downtown square is brand new, as are many of the hotels and restaurants.  But don't be fooled....Loreto is a small town.  There is no nightlife here other than Auggie's bar on the Malecon maybe.  And....that's just how we like it!  The Cabo of yesteryear.  Though I hate to say it out loud, I am really partly glad that the economy fell apart and prevented Loreto from ramping up to fill its new square and airport.  Clearly, with the installation of the fake-American/Canadian town of Nopolo, the town was bracing for a full-on gringo invasion.

We were lucky enough to stumble upon Coco Cananas via the Internet.  I ripped off the ad above, but I don't think the owners, Barret and Stephen will mind since I am going to give the place rave reviews.  Let's start by saying this is not a five star hotel.  So, if that is what you are after, scroll past this one in your searches.  But if you are looking for a great value, terrific location, sheltered pool, comfortable and clean accomodations, AND english-speaking hosts.....you should give Coco Cabanas a try.

Important to know about Loreto:  It can be windy, especially in December, January, February when we pale Washingtonians are seeking sun.  And because of the eastern exposure of Loreto's siting on the Sea of Cortez, if you have a big building to your west, you will lose all sun at your pool by noon or 1:00.  AND if you think that staying on the Malecon seems like the best idea (pool right by the sea sort of set up), I would remind you of the suggestions above, and add that there is a smelly sewer pipe that vents under the Malecon, causing stinkiness strong enough to have reportedly shut down the condo project partially completed there.

We were very happy with our hotel choice.  The food was absolutely terrific and CHEAP.  Don't miss Del Ray Tacos or the english bookstore in the historic district.  The owners are darling and like nothing more than to have you pull up a chair for a chat, a cup of coffee and a cupcake.

Fabulous trip, business and a little pleasure......but sadly we arrived back in Washington on the day that the snow started.  Then we were both stranded without power, like many of our friends and clients for a week.  So this is our f

Moody Washington

We just returned from a fabulous family trip around the "loop" of the Olympic peninsula.  You can never really have enough time to make the loop on highway 101....there are so many side trips, beaches, rain forests, lakes, waterfalls, and other things to see.  It was my birthday, and as such I could demand that the family accompany me wherever I wanted to go.  Because this happens only once a year, I decided to make the best of it (for me) and head to the ocean beaches for some beach-combing.  I wanted to find a float, a buoy, or some rocks, some sea glass, driftwood, whatever!

We started out highway 8 through Aberdeen (a town that I have always loved, despite their current depressed economy with the withdrawal of the logging industry there....It has a special pull to me).  From Aberdeen we headed north through Humptulips and around the Quinault Indian Reservation.  Back west to the coast found us in Kalaloch which is not a town but a compilation of beaches preserved through the State of Washington Parks department. which has interest in a coastal strip that runs north all the way to the Makah Indian Reservation near Cape Flattery.

Once we hit the coast again at Kalaloch we ventured out on Beach four for some beach-combing.  The rocks here were gorgeous, but the tide was still coming in, leaving us little beach to comb.  It was cold, but not raining and the kids were agreeable to hanging out here for a while.  Different story later on....

I really wanted to see La Push, and Rialto Beach in particular, which is on the north side of the Quillayute River.  Rialto Beach was AMAZING.  Truly...this is the wildest and most awe-inspiring beach in the state.  I couldn't take photos because it was raining sideways and the wind was blowing.  The kids lasted about ten minutes....but Carl and I took our time scouring the beach and climbing over "driftwood" which was actually TREES that were hundreds of years old.  They were stacked like cord wood along the spit at the mouth of the river, some partially covered by sand drift.  The rocks were like those on Beach four, but there were more, bigger ones.  It is amazing the colors these rocks come in, and how they are so perfectly shaped.  I was like a kid in a candy store....looking for a perfectly egg-shaped rock in the perfect aqua blue color.  Carl found the perfect one to bring home.  The kids sat in the car with the heater on, watching a video...oi vey.

Borrowed photo of Rialto Beach

We found our cabin that we rented for the night.  It was back south a way, near the Hoh River, and for that reason was called by its owners The Hoh Cabin.  Endless jokes from the kids.   For supper we ventured 22 minutes north on Hwy 101 to Forks.  Forks is right smack in the middle of a tourism craze.  Brought on by Stephanie Meyer's books, Twilight and the continuing series, this publicity has been a real boon to this tiny NW town.  Almost everywhere we went the signs read "Twilight" or "Edward's favorite" referring to one of the characters.  We stopped at the visitor's center and met the head of PR for Forks.  She told us that Forks saw 73,000 visitors last year, basically saving the tiny community from the fate of many other small towns in America in the face of our recent recession.  I asked her what the craziest Twilight story she had was.  She said that a group of women from the UK flew to Forks to buy the most recent installment to the Twilight book series, Breaking Dawn.  The friends wanted to get the book in Forks, where the stories are set, and they wanted to buy them before they were released in the UK, several months later.  Such was the climate in Forks....teenagers everywhere taking photos of the Twilight landmarks, the truck, the school, the house, etc.  My kids pretended not to be interested and did a lot of eye-rolling.  I took a photo of them in front of the now-famous "Welcome to Forks" sign.  I plan to post it on Facebook and to tag them for all of their friends to see ;)

This morning, our last on the road, we headed toward Port Angeles.  We drove around the south shore of Crescent Lake, which was absolutely amazing.  I had never even HEARD of it before, what a shame.  The kids loved it....they really like lakes for some reason, more than salt water, which I think is a sacrilege.

We have actually driven to Port Angeles from Olympia to have brunch at our favorite restaurant, The Chestnut Cottage.  We made it there in time to get some of their fabulous scones, which often sell out on the weekends by 10am.  Wish we had one in Olympia, but we would be fatter and poorer.

Onward to Port Townsend to the fabled Glass Beach.  We went everywhere the different people told us to go to find it.  I dragged out the I Phone to search blogs and posts for directions.  We tried everything, visiting half a dozen beaches and walking for miles, but we didn't find it.  By now the kids were tired and though Carl feigned determination, I think he was really thinking,"Another beach...really?"  That will be a trip for me some other day once I dial it in.  Supposedly the beach is the site of the old dump and even red sea glass (the most rare) can be found there on a good day. 

Home again, home again.....and back into the real estate world.  I admit, once in cell range coming home I was on the phone and email catching up.  My temporary cut from communication came to an end, my beach odyssey temporarily halted.  I am beach-satisfied for the time being.  Wait...!  I just heard on the news that a big storm is blowing in.  That is bound to bring in some flotsam and jetsam!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Another Chris Craft Commander owner showing his Christmas spirit!

It is absolutely beautiful today in Olympia!  Almost 60 degrees and FULL sun!  Makes me wish that I had Almalu ready for a ride.....though winter boating is not my favorite.

We went to see "We Bought a Zoo" today.  I cried for two solid hours basically....it is a much more emotionally charged than the commercials for it portray.  But it was a good movie....and now I want a zoo.

A full day off from real estate tomorrow.  Today I fielded a phone call from a disgruntled neighbor to a new home build, and several emails from peoples who are buyers having a hard time finding what they want.  Tomorrow, Christmas day, almost always finds my phone silent.  I have actually shown homes on Christmas Eve one year...I think that was 2008. Guaranteed phone silence makes me happy and nervous at the same time...

Visit me today at my Open House from 1 to 3pm

Desirable west Olympia...minutes from Evergreen State College, shopping, walking trails, downtown.  3135 Cardinal Drive in Madera is open today from 1:00 to 3:00.  Stop by for a visit!  This house is absolutely turn-key and very well priced for this neighborhood.  It is a large-living 2,636 square feet with four bedrooms, plus a bonus room....one bedroom and a 3/4 bath are on the main floor.  Granite, stainless, hardwoods, perfect condition and ready for a new owner!  

Save the date

Save the date for a holiday open house at my fabulous listing at 6049 Marantha Lane SW planned for December 11th.  More information soon...!  See more of this beautiful piece of property at brennerandwatts.com

The Glamorous Life of a Real Estate Agent

Photo borrowed from Trulia.com

Its funny how many people think that being a real estate agent is glamorous and sexy.  We must all just drive fancy cars around to look at cool houses all day and wrap it up with cocktails at the latest hip bar, right?  Well, no.  Renee, my business partner and I comment at LEAST once a week that we have to write a book.  We could write a book about The Reserve at Cooper Point alone!  Really it is amazing to look at the things that happen in a week, the people we meet and the stories we hear....The Things We See!  Naked people, bugs, trashed out houses, drunk people, fighting between spouses....the list goes on and ON.  And that is just showing property...we are not even talking transactions yet!

Industry blogs abound with stories of the ridiculous, extreme and dangerous in the real estate world.  I stumbled upon a funny blog tonight and because it is on a site not locked up just for real estate professionals I can share it with you.  Check it out! 

Heaven on Earth

Me and my boat and a windy overnight at the marina. Love! Why didn't I do this before now?

Sent from my iPhone so please excuse typos and terse answers