More • February 4, 2010

News from the Foundation

by Christine Wood

Greetings from the Windermere Foundation,

We are celebrating our 20th anniversary and we have much to celebrate! Collectively, we have raised over 21 million dollars since 1989 allowing us to help hundreds of thousands of low-income and homeless families.

While the past year presented challenges for many, it proved to be especially trying for anyone near the border of poverty. Thankfully, generous agents, owners, managers, staff and public supporters have continued their dedication to the Foundation which helped raise over 1.2 million dollars.

For the 10th consecutive year, the over-and-above donations have exceeded the transaction fee revenue! In 2009, 60% of Foundation revenue came from over-and-above donations, while 40% was comprised of transaction fee revenue.

These much needed funds are distributed to many social service agencies committed to assisting low-income and homeless families throughout the West.

A couple stories that help illustrate what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years – thanks to your support:

From 1989 – The cycle of giving continues
A mother with three young children was helped by the Windermere Foundation’s housing assistance grants and she always remembered the generous gift. She said the Foundation gave her hope and encouragement at a time when things looked pretty bleak. She made a promise that at some point her family would repay the Foundation for the generosity they received.

Then in October 2000, three teenagers and their mother arrived at Windermere Real Estate and asked to see Maria Bunting, Founder and Executive Director of the Windermere Foundation. During their visit with Maria, the teenagers spoke about the positive impact the Foundation has had on their lives. Before they left the Windermere office, they each made a hard-earned contribution to the Foundation so that the cycle of giving would continue.

From 2006 – Windermere Kids at the Y
In 2006, the Windermere Foundation and the YMCA partnered to create Windermere Kids at the Y, a tuition-assistance and volunteer program that provides low-income children with quality child care and after-school enrichment programs through local YMCA sites.

Over the years the Foundation has supported the YMCA with over one million dollars in contributions. We’ve also received countless testimonials from parents whose children attend a Y site where our program is offered. This one is my favorite:

“My son has been attending the YMCA since the fall of 2006. Being a single father I have not been able to afford many things for my son, but due to the Windermere Kids at the Y program I have been able to enroll Ryan and know that he is safe, well cared for and getting the help that he needs. I am happy to say that the YMCA and Windermere have made a big difference in our lives. Thank you for giving us the chance to succeed.” – YMCA Parent

From 2009 – Christmas House
The Snohomish County Chapter of the Windermere Foundation is comprised of 12 offices. This past Christmas, eight of the offices found a great way to give back and have a terrific experience volunteering their time at Christmas House. Their dedication helped 3,890 families and 11,000 children received Christmas gifts they likely wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Christmas House is a non-profit organization that provides gifts for children of low-income families in Snohomish County. The operation procures gifts year-round and runs from 8AM to 3PM for several weeks prior to Christmas relying on 50 volunteers each day during those busy weeks.

Several Windermere agents volunteered their time during these weeks and many brought older children to help out – giving kids a whole new perspective and appreciation of the difficult times many families are facing.

Kay Frederickson, coordinator of the Snohomish County Chapter said the following about her experience, “I think it goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway, when you give of yourself you always get more than you give and Windermere agents really seem to understand that.”

Looking ahead to 2010, we will continue to focus on all the amazing stories of how your continued support is changing the lives of so many in the communities we serve.

What are you looking forward to in 2010?

In the words of Cesar Chavez, “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about the progress and prosperity for our community.”

Best,
Christine Wood

More • February 3, 2010

Children’s amazing free-throw skills lead to contribution from Windermere Foundation

by Christine Wood

Greetings from the Windermere Foundation,

On Saturday, children from the local University YMCA participated in a fun free-throw contest during halftime of the Apple Cup of men’s basketball (University of Washington vs. Washington State University). For each free-throw the children made, the Windermere Foundation contributed $100 to the YMCA benefiting its sports programs.

These talented kids made 10 free-throws! And their total set a new record. The Windermere Foundation is honored to contribute $1000 to the YMCA and we are thankful to both the YMCA and the University of Washington basketball program for being a part of this great event.

See you next year!

Best,
Christine Wood

Buying • Selling • February 1, 2010

Find your real estate agent

by Guest Author

You have many tough choices to make as you start looking for the home of your dreams and prepare to make one of the largest financial decisions of your life. Finding the right agent to represent you shouldn’t add to your worries. I’ve met a few real estate agents over the years and here are 5 tips to help you find a great one.

Ask your friends and neighbors. Most consumers find their agents’ through referrals from those close to them. You’ll get real world references (good and bad) from the people you trust.

Search your online networks. Search for real estate agents within your professional network on LinkedIn.com. LinkedIn can show you the agents who are 2nd and 3rd degree connections within your network. LinkedIn will even show you the agent’s resume and recommendations, mutual connections and offer to introduce you.

Search local listings. Spend some time looking at homes similar to the one you wish to purchase or plan to sell on your favorite real estate website. Which agents are posting the best photos and doing the best to represent homes through their marketing efforts? Which agents are the most active in the area?

Search Yelp. Yelp.com started as a place where people could write reviews and rate restaurants and bars. Today, Yelp has become the one-stop site for reviews of local businesses and professionals. Take a look at the highest rated agents in your area and read what your neighbors have to say about their service.

When in doubt, Google it. When you’ve narrowed your search down to a list of possible agents start typing their names into Google. Google is a quick and easy way to see how active an agent is in the online world. If your agent has a common name include location or company search terms as well. You’ll be able to see any blogging or community activities they are involved in. You will also be able to see how active they are on real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia. Working with an agent who is active online benefits you because they are more likely to have larger networks and a greater reach with marketing efforts.

Living • February 1, 2010

Get in on the trend – just add turquoise

by Guest Author

The people who decide which colors are “in” and which are “out” have announced that turquoise is “in.” And it is the official “color of the year.”

Calming, dreamy and vibrantly tropical all at the same time, don’t be surprised if you start to see turquoise popping up when shopping for home décor. Everything from dishes, to couches, to electronics is turning turquoise this year.

Add turquoise to your home with some of these fun finds:

Mod Aqua Table Lamp at Crate and Barrel.

Turquoise and White Lotus Embroidery Pillow Cover by Kainkain on Etsy.

ZaZen Crackle Dinnerware at Target.

Old Hickory Tanner Turquoise Chair at Horchow. And yes, that really is turquoise leather embossed with a crocodile design.

Kainkain

Buying • January 28, 2010

Top five words of advice for a buyer today

by Michael Fanning

Do you want to find your perfect home for a fair price and make your move in a reasonable amount of time? With inventory lower than it was four months ago and buyers coming out of the woodwork to take advantage of the tax credit before it ends, you may want to think about what you can do to prepare so you’re ready to take action when the time is right for you.

We asked a few of our Windermere agents what top five pieces of advice they would give to a buyer in today’s market.

Top five by Bruce McKinnon Windermere Mukilteo

Get pre-approved with a "known" lender.

Learn the market. Pay attention to price per square foot, be realistic on pricing and observe short sales and foreclosures.

Understand "showing" protocol such as scheduling viewing appointments and a respect for privacy.

Identify your location preference. Initially focus your search there for efficient time utilization. Think about your ideal community, neighborhood and school district.

Mini buying process overview. For example, to minimize surprises, get a five minute explanation of offer, inspection, appraisal, closing, etc. by a professional or two.

Top five by Erin Mitchell Windermere Bellevue Commons

Work with a great agent that specializes in the area that you want to live. Meet with them prior to looking at homes to make sure you ‘fit’ each other’s personalities, they really listen to your wants and needs and that they ask you questions about what is important to you.

Ask your agent for a good referral to a great loan officer. Call them now and get pre-approved.

Make a top 10 list of the most important things you want in a home. If you find one that has at least eight of them, strongly consider the home.

When you find a home that fits, your agent will run a market analysis to determine appropriate value. Value is not always price related.

Write a good offer that includes a fair price, good terms and is realistic. If you want the house, buy it. If there is more than one offer, use an escalation clause in the offer.

Get pre-approved with a "known" Lender

Learn the market (e.g., price / sq ft, be realistic on pricing; short sale and foreclosure observations)

Understand "showing" protocol (e.g., appointments, respect for privacy)

Identify location preference (e.g., to initially focus search for efficient time utilization — community, neighborhood and school district – where possible)

Mini Buying process overview (e.g., 5 minutes – to minimize surprises — offer, inspection, appraisal, closing)

Living • January 25, 2010

What is a house?

by Guest Author

What does the Internet say we think about our homes in 2010?

This morning, I did an experiment to see what the Internet would say about the relationship we have with our houses. I typed “my house is” into Google and let the autocomplete tell the story (the autocomplete works by suggesting additional search terms based on content from across the web and other searches completed through Google).

There seemed to be a striking theme in the most popular searches. Aside from the search for “mi casa es su casa” and pricing information the rest of the searches were based on problems with houses.

The results aren’t surprising with the challenges faced by many homeowners today. But it leads me to speculate about how these Google searches would have looked in 2007 or how they may look in 2011 and beyond.

I suspect that in 2007 we would have seen “appreciating”, “making me money” or “a wise investment” as suggested additions to my original search. We may see those types of terms return in the future as the market finds its equilibrium and begins to return to long term patterns of price growth and balance between supply and demand.

Until then there is a negative shadow cast over the perceptions of our homes. Anyone can make predictions about what may happen with the future but only time will tell how the forces of supply and demand, consumer confidence and government intervention will affect the market in 2010. Until then, you can use Google’s autocomplete for your own experiments to see what the web will say about us.

More • January 20, 2010

What is success?

by Geoff Wood

“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” -Albert Einstein

I’ve never really defined whatever we’ve accomplished at Windermere in terms of success or failure; rather, it is what we value.

For me it is something very simple: it’s about family, relationships and community.

It all starts with family. By that I mean both my loved ones and the family known as Windermere. We’ve had some success because we embrace the same values in our organization as we do in our family: integrity, decency, great communication, compassion and grace, to name a few. And, like any family, we have our share of disagreements, but ultimately we come together on the important issues because we have shared values.

Great relationships are a function of those same values. My best relationships come from working and playing together and sharing experiences. Whether solving a problem or celebrating anniversaries, the experiences we share add up to strong relationships. In business and family, you can only go forward with those you trust and value. It’s the relationship that counts.

Community is a by-product of family and relationships. A community is simply a larger group of people who share experiences. It can be as simple as meeting at the neighborhood coffee shop every Sunday morning with some favorite neighbors, or a reunion of several generations of family.

Living • January 11, 2010

Five quick tips to organize your home

by Guest Author

Oh, the beginning of a new year. Full of hope to finally do those things we said we’d do last year – and the year before that. Now it’s already the middle of January and at my house, there’s still stockings hanging by the chimney with care.

Enough is enough! It’s time to get organized.

I asked some of my more meticulous friends how they keep their homes so neat and organized. Here are their top tips along with a few from some famous organized people:

Have an "inbox" for your home.
If all of your table and counter space occupies a different pile of mail, bills or magazines that you want or need to look at, the home inbox is a great trick to at least keep the piles in one stack. An easy method is to put a stylish container next to your door. If you get mail or write yourself a note to do later, put it in the box (unless it's extremely urgent). Each week, sit down and process everything in your inbox. File it away permanently or take care of it right now, but do not put it back in the box! (via David Allen author of Getting Things Done)

Kitchen: Skip the spice rack.
Does anyone really use all the spices in a spice rack? Try heading to your local organic market which carries bulk spices so you can buy just what you need. Bulk spices are especially helpful if a recipe calls for a pinch of something new to you, so you don't have to buy an entire jar.

Living room: Put the DVDs away please.
You can always discover something interesting about someone's personality by the DVDs they have, but all those bright cases can also be a cluttered distraction. Instead, store your DVDs in shoebox-style boxes with the spines facing up so you can quickly pull them out and find your favorites. Bonus points if you sort them by alphabetical order, genre or director.

Bedroom: Tuck your charging station into your nightstand.
We've all seen those bulky "valets" intended to organize your electronic necessities as they charge while you sleep. I must admit I own one, but it takes up too much space. Instead, drill a hole in the back of your nightstand (if you dare) and keep your phones and more out of sight while charging overnight. (via Martha Stewart)

Closets: Turn all the hangers in your closet to face one way.
As you wear an item, turn the hanger the opposite way. After a few months if there’s anything you haven’t worn, it might be time to donate it.

What’s your secret to keeping your home organized?

More • January 6, 2010

South King County Windermere offices raise over $10,000 for the Windermere Foundation at winter fundraising event

by Christine Wood

The South King County Group of Windermere Offices recently held a very fun and successful Foundation Wine Tasting Fundraiser.

The original goal was to raise $8000 after expenses. The actual amount ended up over $10,300! This amount, added to many contributions over the last several months, meant that the offices were able to grant $16,000 through the Windermere Foundation to 10 different agencies in South King County and Seattle, just before Christmas, to help provide food, clothing, utility bills and emergency housing for the many needy in the community.

The eight offices in the group pool their resources every year and combine efforts both in making grants and in fundraising efforts and include: Auburn, Burien, Federal Way, Kent, Maple Valley, Renton, Renton-Tukwila South and West Campus.

This year, the offices recognized that available funds were down due to fewer closed transactions and that need was up due to the Recession. They wanted to do something to give more and decided to host the special fundraising event in December.

The event featured live music, a silent auction, three wine tasting stations hosted by Chandler Reach Winery, Kalamar Winery, Hells Canyon Winery and Zhoo Zhoo Winery and an experience to learn food/wine pairings from David LeClair, a Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers.

A presentation was also made to the nearly 90 attendees highlighting the Windermere Foundation, how the donated funds would be used and if anyone could do more to support the Foundation’s efforts that night. One agent from the Auburn Office was so touched that she wrote a check for $2000 on the spot!

Thank you to all who attended and organized the event!

Best,

Christine Wood

Market News • January 4, 2010

Auld Lang Syne

by Geoff Wood

On New Year’s Eve, a bunch of us were talking about the true meaning of that song… the one we kind of know the words to. It starts like this, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?”

We figured that may be true at times but, in general, not in our industry. It is the people we meet and serve that we hope will never forget us. And it is the relationships we cultivate and honor that actually keep us in business. From that standpoint, I’m an optimist by nature… glass half full guy. I’m not naïve, nor am I Pollyanna, but I truly believe 2010 is going to be better. I think we bottomed out in 2009. Don’t get me wrong… it won’t be a skyrocket this year, but there are encouraging signs.

The first-time home buyer tax credit was extended and there is a new limited credit available to existing home owners.

Interest rates are reasonable and lenders are lending.

Jumbo loans are showing signs of coming back.

Our own inventory of unsold homes has shrunk dramatically in the past six months.

And yes, homes that are realistically priced are selling.

I told a story recently to a group of our brokers about a sailing trip I took years ago from Victoria to Maui. The route takes you down the Pacific Coast, almost to the Bay Area, and then you turn right. The trip down the coast is brutal. Continuous storms, freakish winds and generally bad weather. You wonder if you’re going to make it to the turn and if you will ever see good weather again.

And then you turn and head out across the Pacific and pick up the trade winds. From then on, it’s an easy ride to Maui.

I think we are getting close to the Bay Area. We are still slogging through it and will for awhile, but smooth sailing is on the horizon.