Start with the exterior
As with any time of year, make sure that the house looks
well maintained and cared for, with eaves clean and minor repairs taken care of. While you can’t paint in winter, washing paintwork and siding with warm soapy water on a mild day can make a big difference. Make sure the windows are freshly washed as well; winter light has a way of highlighting grime.
Tend to foliage
Make sure that shrubs and (more…)
1 Be organized Make lists for groceries, people to shop for, cards to write,
decorations to buy. Sit down with a
calendar and give yourself target dates for getting things done.
2 Less is more. Simple decorations
can speak volumes more than a room
crowded with all kinds of knick-knacks. Choose recipes that are tried and true favorites.
3 Leave the cooking to someone else.
A caterer may cost the same as buying the
ingredients yourself. And even if it’s more expensive, it may be worth the time and headache you save. (more…)
You wake up in a cold sweat. There’s something lurking in the dark, 
visible by flickering computer light. Something’s haunting you. It’s… the real estate listings! Deep down, you’d love to own a home, but whenever you take steps beyond idle window-shopping, a chill runs up your spine, and paralyzes you from moving ahead.
So in case you’re harboring some heebie-jeebies, here are some of home buyers’ top concerns — tackled head on so you know what you’re really dealing with.
Fear # 1: ‘I’m afraid I can’t afford a home’ (more…)
We did an analysis of over 35,000 closed sales in King, Snohomish and Pierce Counties to see if the S.O.C. had any impact on a home’s selling price and on the time on market. For this project we looked at closed sales for all of 2015, but we only looked at residential resale under $1,000,000. We did not include new construction, short sales, bank owned properties, land or mobile homes. Here is what we found. (more…)
to list your home?We analyzed over 18,000 closed residential sales (under $1,000,000) in King County in 2015 to see what effect the day of the week had in relationship to the chances the home would sell in two weeks and, if so, how much over asking price would the home sell for? (more…)
There is nothing like a good apple coffee cake lunkwarm with sourcreame or icecreame. This is the best one there is. My Bubbie’s old recipe is below. Enjoy.
Ingredients
½ pk Butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 ½ tsp baking powder (more…)
Here’s a simple guide that will help you decide how much is too much for your child.
Kindergarten: 1 or 2 classes per week are enough at the beginning. Once the child settles down, look for more challenging activities like a music program.
Grade 1: One or two activities per week, play dates and playground visits are recommended. Avoid competitive sports activities. The child is still too young to have to worry about winning and losing. Physical activities and noncompetitive sports are best for this age.
Grade 2: Your child is old enough to voice opinions on what activities they want like sports, skating, swimming or computers. Many children begin lessons on a musical instrument around this age. But, remember to allow your child some ‘alone time’. (more…)
Even with mortgage interest rates sitting 
near record lows, mortgage applications failed to make any gains recently. Total application volume decreased 4% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Even refinances, which are highly
rate-sensitive, were unimpressed by the continued low rates, falling 4% from the previous week, seasonally adjusted. They are, however, nearly 48% higher compared to the same week one year ago, when interest rates were higher. (more…)
As temperatures cool down, and we prepare for a season of shorter, darker days, it’s time to think about the inside of your home – how to make it as glorious on gloomy days as it was during the brilliant sunshine of summer. Oh good: Projects!
But wait. Don’t let the excitement of improving your home get in the way of proper planning. Rushing your project list can lead to unnecessary spending and less-than-thrilling final results. Here’s what you need to consider before picking up a hammer or swiping a credit card: (more…)
Next time you whip up a quiche
or bake a cake, you may want to think twice before tossing the eggshells in the trash. From deterring pests to making better coffee, practical uses for eggshells abound. Note that, except when using them in the garden, raw eggshells should be sterilized before using. To do this, place the shells in a pan on the stove, cover them with water, boil for 5 minutes, and let them completely dry on a cookie sheet. (more…)
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