Real Estate for Vashon and Points Beyond

Vashon Home Tips, Hot Deals and Happenings

2008-05-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

If you aren't already aware, Home Team Realty sends out a monthly e-mail newsletter filled with lots of useful information and valuable coupons! The newsletter features tips for your home, community happenings, money-saving offers with local businesses, and more. If this sounds like information you can use, visit our website and click the Newsletter Sign-up link on the left-hand navigation menu to sign-up. It's really simple.

Here is a sample from our current newsletter, regarding our monthly market stats:

The latest Vashon market stats
The market feels a bit like when your car battery is dying and you just keep cranking and cranking and hoping that the darn thing will start up. Any minute now...
Things are picking up a bit, but we still have nowhere near the activity we had last year. From January to April of 2007, we had 36 houses close after being on the market an average of 94 days. This year, average prices are down, and days on market are up. We've had 24 closings (that's two thirds - I can do that math without my calculator) at an average of $459K, after 135 days on market. Months in inventory is still quite high in some price points. To check out the latest, go to our website, then click on Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics to see the April report.

Vashon Recycling Events

2008-04-11T16:16:00.001-07:00

April is a busy month for spring cleaning and recycling! I know Granny's Attic continues to get a tremendous amount of donations thanks to Islanders who believe in keeping gently used items in circulation and out of the trash (and in the process, they are supporting the health of fellow Islanders). And Vashon Freecycle has a large volume of items offered and taken on a daily basis. However, there are certain items that cannot be donated or thrown away (such as hazardous waste), but they can be recycled through the upcoming recycling events on Vashon Island:

Wastemobile Collection Event
Dates: April 11 - 13, 2008
Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
Location: K2 Parking Lot
Details: http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/house/disposal/wastemobile/index.html

Vashon Recycling Collection Event (some fees apply)
Date: April 26, 2008
Time: 9 AM to 3 PM
Location: Harbor School
Details: http://www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd/garbage-recycling/event-detail.asp?ID=1000&Cal=1

Cleaning Your New Home Naturally

2008-04-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Moving into a "new" house is always an adventure, especially identifying what you need to do to be comfortable as you move into the new space. At a minimum, you will need to clean your new home. And depending on your attitude toward cleaning, or your budget for hiring someone else, you will need to clean your home on a regular basis! I would like to share some ideas for naturally cleaning your new home and keeping it clean:

First, use non-toxic ingredients to clean your new home. The germs that you are fighting as you clean your home are often not as harmful to your health as the ingredients that are in the cleaning agents themselves. Try natural cleaners such as vinegar and water, baking soda, tea tree oil and salt. Many websites have recipes and instructions for mixing the most effective cleaner for specific jobs. Try putting the keywords "natural, homemade, cleaners" in your favorite search engine, or check out the links below:

http://www.mixitproductions.com/prjmisc/guides/greentips/tip10.html
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html

Second, let the sunshine in! There is nothing like fresh air and sunshine to freshen your home and keep it nice and clean. Winter is over, so now is an optimal time to be letting as much light and fresh air into your home as possible. (Assuming you don't want to be living with things that *like* dark and musty spaces!)

Third, clean as you go. If you put off cleaning, the effort and time required to clean can increase immensely. Clean up spills when they happen, rinse dishes that you don't have time to wash right away, wipe the counters in the kitchen and bath, etc. Regular, light cleaning significantly reduces the need for major deep cleaning -- and seriously, who enjoys that??

Good luck in your efforts to maintain a clean, healthy, and non-toxic home!

Opening Day!

2008-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

The Farmers Market Opening Day is finally here--this Saturday at 10:00 AM. Every time I drive past the Village Green on Saturday mornings, my son says we need to stop and get pluots. Luckily, pluots and all of the wonderful produce are not so far off!

Here are the (brief) details...

The market will be open this Saturday, April 5th from 10am to 2pm. You'll find plant starts, vegetable starts, trees and perennials, plants, annual and perennial cut flower starts, culinary herbs, strawberry plants, and possibly some produce. Also, meats, eggs, dairy products, wine, chocolates, hot teas, hot lunches, art work, crafts, knife sharpening, chair massages, soap, lotions, essential oils, original drawings, homemade cutting boards, jewelry, incense, thought bubbles, and metal work!

In search of SMART Part 1

2008-03-25T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have been driving Marie nuts talking about the new smart cars. As gas prices here on Vashon Island soar out of control $4.09 per gallon today its time to get serious about reducing our fuel consumption. In this business of real estate we do a fair amount of driving both with clients while showing houses and alone running around contracts and driving to look at peoples homes. Even though a Smart car is a two seater its a great option for us as an island car and it looks cool in a nerdy sorta way.

Right after we test-drove the Smart car at the Green Car Co. Marie and I set off in search of the Smart car dealer.We pulled into a number of other car dealers thinking maybe they might have a used one on the lot. Not a bad idea but no luck…..well duh its brand new it just hit the streets a short time ago. We really had a lot to learn about Smart cars. We had little luck that day and decided to head back to Vashon and our home office to do some research online. My first stop online was http://www.smartusa.com/ this is the official website and from there I learned that these were really like brand spanking new….nobody has em yet. You have to sign up for a reservation program and pay $100 to be on the reservation list just to get a test drive.
Ok so this was all seeming very crazy to me I just test drove a 2004 at the GCC and I didn’t have to pay $100 bucks I could have bought that one and drove it home and now online it says the wait is 18 months…..all very confusing.

Here seems to be the deal:

This is my take on it anyway its what I am piecing together. Once upon a time This company Zap (maker of the Zebra) had a dream and a deal to import the Smart car to the U.S. Unfortunately for Zap, that plan didn't work out and Smart's parent Daimler ultimately did a different deal with Roger Penske to be the U.S. distributor for Smart. Zap decided not to take this lying down and ultimately filed a lawsuit in 2005 against Daimler (then DaimlerChrysler) alleging the German company interfered with their business (need more background? click here). So that’s why there are a few older models apparently with a different engine then the 2008 model that is coming out right now.
You can also find Smart cars up in Canada. Oh yeah they have had a diesel version since 2005 it get 90 mpg and runs bio diesel with out doing any type of conversion. There are of these little beauties for sale on craigslist and I was stoked thinking I would just go buy one from our neighbor to the north. Not so its my understanding that its impossible to bring it in….no strike that you can bring it here drive it here but you can’t own it or register it here. I can’t help but think how sad it is that we have to struggle and fight to bring the cleanest burning, most economical vehicle in the world to the US and be able to own/register it here. It should really be the other way around… anyone who wants to drive a vehicle that averages under 15 mpg should have to justify why they need to waste all that fuel. Well its late and I have a big real estate day tomorrow. Things really are heating up here on Vashon we signed around 2 deals today and have another offer to present tomorrow. If we can get a few deals closed maybe Marie will let me do more then test drive a Smart car……one can hope!

Troy and Marie's Day Off goes SMART

2008-03-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Ok so sometimes I get obsessed. ("focused") As far as Home Team Realty and our business goes that’s a great thing and our clients benefit from our focus. It’s not always a great thing as it drives Marie nuts at times. When I get too “focused”.

We took a day off from Real Estate a couple days ago - our first day off in months I might add, and my wonderful wife let me decide what to do with it. I wanted to get off Vashon and head into Seattle. I have been very interested and very curious about electric cars for well over a year now and I have begged her to go test drive a Zap Zebra at the Green Car Company so that is what we did. We headed out on a beautiful sunny day for long trip out to Kirkland to test drive this little car.

Ok so we have been to the Green Car Company once before and new the way so didn’t have to rely on our navigation system. The last time we went there they gave us some excuse why we couldn’t test drive the Zebra and sent us home. On this day I called ahead and explained that we would be there in about an hour and wanted to take a test drive they said ok come on out so we did.

When we got there Don Fahnestock asked all the standard questions why a Zebra. Where did we hear about them yada…yada…Come on Don let me just drive one….
The time came to get behind the wheel oh man was I excited.
Harley had been instructed by Don to bring up a Zebra but when he went back for it with myself and Marie in tow the battery was dead. He selected a different one it was the Zebra pick up model and that was fine with me I just wanted to get behind the wheel and open her up and feel the wind blowing my hair back.

Something blew alright but it wasn’t the wind in my hair…. the Zebra blows…..Man was I disappointed. I had dreamed of this day. I thought this would be a great rig for us. This was going to a green car that would fit in with Vashon and reduce our carbon emissions and a 3-wheeler that we could priority load on the Vashon ferry the best of all worlds. But instead it was slow and tiny and just a disappointment. It may be great for some but its not for us.

I handed the keys back to Harley and started to walk out then I spotted the Smart car.
It was small but cute and I asked Harley about it and he said it was quick. I asked if we could drive it.
No problem…..says Harley

Wow what a cool rig. It drove great had tons of head and leg room and it was fast, really fast compared to the slug of a Zebra that we just got out of. Now its not as fast as my 300sl but it gets like 50mpg. And check this out it is made by Mercedes well sorta. Anyway Harley let slip that this was the European model with the great Mercedes engine and that’s why its 10k more then the new ones you can buy out by south center mall.

We thanked Harley and set out towards Tukwila in search of the Smart car. More on that later…..Now I need to get my head back on Vashon and selling real-estate.

Mooseheads and prime rib

2008-03-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the Sportsman of the Year banquet at the Vashon Sportsmans Club. No tofu in sight, just bloody juicy rare prime rib and all the good stuff that goes with it. I love the Club - it's the real deal. Mooseheads on the massive timbered walls, trophies, a roaring fireplace and plenty of whiskey drinking good ole boys. I have a lot of fond and blurry memories from nights at the Club - dancing to the Doiley Brothers in high school, assorted weddings and funerals, New Year's Eve parties with Loose Change, and the annual banquet, where they honor a long standing sportsman - Ed Babcock, a 41 year member, won the honors this year. Oh yeah, and Todd Gateman got Vermin Exterminator of the Year. It's a long story.

New Rules for 1031 Exchanges

2008-03-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Effective yesterday (March 10, 2008), tax-free exchanges are now possible on investment property that has been used partially for personal purposes. This falls under IRS Revenue Procedure 2008-16, with the stated purpose of "providing a safe harbor under which the Internal Revenue Service ... will not challenge whether a dwelling unit qualifies as property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment for purposes of § 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code." The procedure further states:

"In the interest of sound tax administration, this revenue procedure
provides taxpayers with a safe harbor under which a dwelling unit will qualify as property held for productive use in a trade or business or for investment under § 1031 even though a taxpayer occasionally uses the dwelling unit for personal purposes."

Check out the full Revenue Procedure on the IRS website:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-08-16.pdf

Or, check out this story on the new rules on HeraldNet.com:
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080302/BIZ/261080917/1005

Farmers Market News

2008-03-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

The Farmers Market opens for the season on Saturday, April 5th at 10 am!

In the meantime, this Saturday, March 8th at 7:30 PM, Cafe Luna will be hosting a Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) benefit concert featuring Sarah Christine and special guests. The cover charge is $12.oo and proceeds support music at the Vashon Farmers Market this summer.

Can't wait for the market to open? Good news--some farm stands are already open. Check out Vashon's many farm stands on the VIGA website: http://www.vigavashon.org/fs.cfm?id=99

Tax Rebate 2008

2008-02-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

I have been hearing a lot of discussion about taxes lately, and about tax rebates. Curious to find out how the 2008 tax rebate will actually affect our 2008 tax filing in 2009, I came across the following resources on the internet...enjoy!

The White House's official Fact Sheet:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/02/20080213-5.html

A Consumerism Commentary discussing the package, followed by a Q&A:
http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2008/02/08/how-will-the-economic-stimulus-tax-rebate-affect-2008-tax-returns/

And, a Tax Rebate Calculator:
http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/2008/01/28/economic-stimulus-tax-rebate-calculator/

New! Wednesday Night Farmer's Markets

2007-07-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

The Wednesday night farmer's markets have begun! Now we have two opportunities each week to buy fresh island-grown produce and island-crafted gifts at the Village Green!! Notice that I qualified that statement with "at the Village Green," since we can also get fresh produce and u-pick items at farms around the island throughout the week! If you are interested in learning more about where you can get fresh fruits and veggies on the island, stop by the VIGA (Vashon Island Growers Association) booth at the Farmer's Market for a list of island farm stands and more information. You can also sign up to be on their mailing list!

Food Thoughts

2007-07-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

During the Strawberry Festival this year, we skipped our traditional Sunday pancake breakfast in favor of having brunch at the Back Bay Inn. We had family visiting from Chicago, and we had heard so many positive reports on the food that the Back Bay Inn was serving, so it seemed like high time to try it out.

The ambiance of the dining and public areas of the inn is charming, graced by beautiful Ray Pfortner photography. The brunch consisted of a buffet of two types of eggs (with and without veggies), sausage links, bacon, two types of potatoes (plain and fancy), french toast, carved ham, fresh fruit, fabulous yogurt, scones, biscuits and gravy, and more. And if that isn't enough, you can also order a custom omelet or smoked salmon eggs benedict. I really couldn't resist and had to order the eggs benedict, which was fantastic! All of the choices were delicious, really, from the good meats to the yummy french toast. We are now looking for any excuse to go out to brunch. Really.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed their first visit to the island and we really enjoyed our first of what will be many visits to the Back Bay Inn!

Check out the Back Bay Inn's website for additional information: http://www.backbayinn.net/

Recycle...Reuse...Repeat...

2007-07-13T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about the many terrific resources we have on Vashon, and wanted to share them with you! There is abundance here. There are many resources for items that community sharing and cooperation make available to us for free! Some of these resources are unique to Vashon; others originated elsewhere and are at work on Vashon. Regardless, these are all very cool resources that everyone should be aware of, for finding and sharing these items. If I missed anything here, please let me know...I would LOVE to add to this list!

Vashon Freecycle
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vashonfreecycle/
An online "bulletin board" where people post free items they are offering as well as items they need.

Craigslist
http://seattle.craigslist.org/
As defined by itself, craigslist is "local classifieds and forums for 450 cities worldwide - community moderated, and largely free". Not just limited to Vashon (but you can use "Vashon" as a search term to narrow the area), this site is a fun and easy way to post and find items available for free (there is an entire "free" category under the "for sale" section). There is no charge to post items for free or for sale!

The Beachcomber Recycler
http://vashonbeachcomber.nw-ads.com/ (click on "Free Items - Recycler" in the "Stuff" category)
Or just look at the classifieds section in a copy of the Beachcomber. There is no charge to advertise free items in the paper.

Freed Book Project
Located near the Beall Greenhouses and Blue Heron Pottery
I think this is one of my very favorite ideas ever, though caution must be exercised if you are a bibliophile. This project is run by volunteers who accept book donations, stamp the books with the "freed book" stamp, and then make the books available to people for free. This keeps the books out of the landfill and is a fabulous way to encourage reading. They have books of all types (kids, fiction, non-fiction, etc.) plus magazines and more. And they do not limit how many books you can take, so you can read to your heart's content. Normally open Saturday (10 to 2) and Sunday (12 to 4).

The Vashon Library
http://www.kcls.org/
Next to Ober Park
I just want to be certain that we're not taking this resource for granted. We have an awesome library, plus an awesome system that makes SO many terrific books and materials available to us. Do you know how easy it is to get a book from ANY of King County's libraries?? You can check out books, music, DVDs. You can also access one of the best language learning software available, for FREE, just by being a King County library card holder. Email me at jackie@kwvashon.com if you want the details on that!

Why I Spent $37 on the 7th Harry Potter Book

2007-07-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so some of you may not know this, but you can pre-order the final Harry Potter book through Amazon.com for $17.99, with guaranteed release-date delivery, as well as a pre-order price guarantee (if the price drops before the release, Amazon passes the additional savings on to you). Considering the list price of the book is $34.99, why wouldn't I buy it from Amazon.com? I decided that I wanted to buy my book on island, from a local business.

This is an idea I have been struggling with ever since my Grandmother's rural town lost the only grocery store serving it. Too many people were driving 30 minutes away to a bigger town with discount grocery stores and a Wal-Mart. For some people, it was terrific to have so many buying options and the drive was not a big deal; however, there were many people in the community who did not have the ability to drive half an hour each way to go shopping. In the end, it was a tremendous blow to the community.

My desire as a consumer is to find the absolutely best price possible. I used to think that "best" was synonymous with "lowest." Now I am certain that is not always the case. The impact of our dollars is one of the strongest voices that we have in expressing ourselves. By spending or withholding our spending from specific businesses, we impact their ability to survive. When we go off island to purchase something, that is a sale lost by a local business, because there are not people coming to Vashon just to buy and balance this equation. I am not saying every purchase we make should be on Vashon, from a local business. I am saying that if we like having multiple grocery stores and gas stations to choose from, the majority of our purchases should be on island. While the loss of a business may not seem to impact us individually, it is a blow to the community…and our neighbor, who owned the business…and their family.

So here is the reason I spent $37 on the final Harry Potter book: When I looked at what was the best price for me...I saw a local book store that I could walk into (with a very cool selection of books to browse, where I can bump into my friends), that was doing its best to offset the impact of the higher book price (offering double points on their rewards card), and throwing a book release party (for the people who are just crazy-out-of-their-head excited about the Harry Potter books and want to hang out with others like me...I mean, "them!"). All of these are important factors to me. And when I learned that even people who bought their book elsewhere were welcome at the party, I really wanted to spend $37 at my local bookstore. It was the best value.

Happy Fathers Day!

2007-06-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day to all fathers: biological, spiritual, and father figures for those of us who can appreciate many!

New DDES Position

2007-06-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

King County DDES has created a new position for rural permit coordination. Jolene Higgins, who holds the new position, will be at the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council meeting to explain how this role will affect the permitting process on the Island. This meeting will be held at Courthouse Square on Monday, June 18 at 7:30 PM. I think we all should check it out!

There have been some pretty disheartening stories shared on the DDES blog: http://ddesblog.blogspot.com/. It is noteworthy that we have not heard of a single positive experience with DDES... Does this support the idea that people are more likely to remember and talk about negative experiences? Or are there just not that many good experiences to report?

Revitalizing BARC

2007-06-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

The first of three public meetings for the Burton Adventure Recreation Center (BARC) Master Plan was held last night at the Vashon Park District offices. The purpose of the meeting was to seek public input on the future of the old Burton Elementary School site, which the Vashon Island School District is leasing to the park district for "public recreational and educational activities." There was a small turn out for the public meeting; however, the participants enthusiastically shared one desire--to see BARC become a community asset with a particular emphasis on providing activities that appeal to teenagers. Everyone present was excited to have the lease for the property signed, after a long wait during which no forward progress could be accomplished.

The ideas discussed during the meeting fell into two major categories: improving existing features and ideas for new additions. The existing features which would benefit from expansion, repair and improvements include the skate park, the BMX course, and the disc golf course. Those were pretty clear choices, as these features are all currently being used, and will benefit so much from improvements. Some of the ideas for new additions to BARC were the return of a climbing wall, adding an RC track, and adding covered picnic tables and a BBQ feature. There was also discussion of adding services such as a concession stand and equipment rentals (just in case you don't have your own set of discs for the disc golf...!) All of these ideas will be pulled together for review and discussion during the next public meeting, which should be scheduled sometime in July. Look for the specific date in the Beachcomber or online on the park district's website: http://www.vashonparkdistrict.org/.

I really love the public meeting process here on Vashon. Vashon is a small enough place, with the community organizations really seeking community input, that your voice is definitely heard. I feel hopeful that the revitalization of BARC will be one more example of the terrific community on Vashon Island!

Is your bluff or beach property eroding...?

2007-05-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

King Conservation District is offering a free workshop for property owners interested in: a stable natural shoreline; minimizing the potential for erosion and landslides; or, improving fish & wildlife habitat. The workshop, "Where the Water Begins," is being held on Vashon at the Vashon Maury Island Land Trust on Bank Road on Saturday, June 2nd. The workshop runs from 9 am to 1 pm, with an optional beach walk from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. Program details and registration information are available online at http://www.kingcd.org/new_cal_mar.htm! An additional session is also being offered at Discovery Park on Saturday, June 16th. I am excited to learn more about how our native vegetation can reduce erosion...we have seen a lot since the storms this past winter!

Balkan Cabaret Performance at Corbin Beach

2006-09-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

Wasn't it a gorgeous evening on Vashon? Click here to see video footage of the fabulous end of summer Balkan Cabaret dance on the beach. (The date has been changed to protect the innocent.) Video footage compliments of Charles Reed.

Seattle condo craze

2006-08-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

You may have seen this picture in a recent edition of the Seattle PI. It would be an understatment to say that the downtown skyline is changing dramatically.

Troy and I were recently invited to a presentation on Paul Allen and Vulcan Real Estate's latest developments in the so-called "South Lake Union" neighborhood of downtown Seattle.

SLU. Hmmmm...

I guess I could get used to saying that. I never thought I could say "Sodo" with a straight face, and now it just rolls off the tongue.

Anyway, the projects we saw are pretty darned impressive. The "2200", scheduled for occupancy this fall, is a mixed use development with 261 condos (all sold out, by the way) as well as retail (a huge Whole Foods Market!) and office space. And a world-class hotel (The Pan Pacific). Condo owners can even get room service. And maid service. It sounds like heaven to me.

We took a look at three new projects (a virtual look, that is; right now the buildings are just a gleam in Paul's eye). They are the Rollin Street Flats (flats - how continental!), Veer (lofts - how urban, how chic, how relativly cheap!), and the Enso (ahhhh...my favorite.) All of the condos will be sold via a lottery process. For info on this, give us a call at 206.463.5478. For virtual tours, check out these websites:

www.rollinstreet.com
www.veerlofts.com (how do they do that virtual paint trick???)
www.ensoliving.com

To get a more general idea of what Vulcan is up to, go to www.vulcanrealestate.com. What they are doing is actually pretty cool. If the Growth Management Act says we should live in the cities, then the developers have my full support in making the cities liveable.

Click here for Seattle Times Article

2006-08-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

This article from the August 12 Seattle Times talks about all the real estate information available to the consumer. We haven't used any of these sites extensively, except Zillow. It's estimates are all over the board. We'd love to hear what you think.