Facebook
X
Pinterest
Copy Link
- Allow winter’s rain and melting snow to properly drain
by removing fall leaves and other debris from your gutters. - Consider having your furnace professionally cleaned and turned annually. Replace those furnace filters monthly, if needed.
- Repair any obvious leaks in the most common drafty areas: recessed lighting, window and door frames and electrical outlets.
- Feeling drafty? Check the attic to make sure you see a minimum of 12 inches of insulation.
- Check crawlspace for flooding after the first long rainfall.
- Check your heating ducts and clean out any abundant dust, animal hair and other debris that can gather and cause respiratory issues.
- Reverse your ceiling fans to force warm air downward, keeping your home more comfortable. Note to self: As you look up, blades should be turning clockwise during the winter months.
- Make sure you have at least one fire extinguisher on each floor and in the garage.
- If you haven’t checked the operation of your home’s smoke detectors.. now is a great time to do so. Check batteries too!
- Invest in a carbon-monoxide detector: Every home should have at least one. They also make great, utilitarian holiday gifts!
For Home Owners • Tips & Tricks • Upgrades & Renovations •
December 17, 2016
Winter Home Maintenance List
Investing • Tips & Tricks •
December 14, 2016
4 money tips for new homeowners
More than 60% of Americans own their homes, 
and while there are certain benefits to ownership, there’s also a downside: the cost.
You may have thought that coming up with a down payment was the greatest financial hurdle you’d face, but as you’ll soon come to learn, there are numerous expenses associated with owning a home. Here’s how to handle them.
1. Create a new budget
Given that your monthly mortgage payment is bound to differ from your previous rent payment, it might seem like a no-brainer that you’ll need to adjust your budget accordingly. But there’s more to it than that, because you may find that other costs change by virtue of your new home. For example, if you move from a two-room apartment to (more…)
About Kari Haas • Family • Investing • Tips & Tricks •
December 2, 2016
A smarter way to invest in your child’s education
What if you could invest in something that earned 
enough profit to pay for your child’s college tuition and still kept your initial investment growing towards your own retirement? That’s the picture when you purchase a home or condo as an investment for college. There are options in every price bracket and investment models that work no matter how soon college starts for your kids.
Interest rates are historically low and the demand for housing is continually rising in our tech-rich, mild-weathered, green, economically-advantaged neck of the woods. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, SpaceX, Boeing and Facebook attract over 5,000 net new people per month to the Sound, giving the Pacific Northwest a very hot housing market that’s grown strongly for generations. Don’t you wish you had bought Mercer Island waterfront in the 1980’s? In a few years (more…)
For Sellers • Investing • Real Estate Related • Tips & Tricks •
November 28, 2016
How to Sell Your House in the Winter
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…)
Family • Tips & Tricks •
November 21, 2016
Less Stress During the Holidays
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…)
For Buyers • Investing •
November 18, 2016
Terrified to Buy a House? Your Top Fears Debunked. #realestate
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…)
For Sellers • Investing • Real Estate Market Updates & Insight •
November 15, 2016
When Selling Your House Does the Office Commission Matter?
Should I negotiate the commission when I’m selling real estate?
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…)
About Kari Haas • For Sellers • Investing • Real Estate Market Updates & Insight • Tips & Tricks •
November 3, 2016
What best day of the week to list your house?
Selling a house
What is the best day of the week 
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…)
About Kari Haas • Food •
October 8, 2016
Bubbie’s Apple Coffee Cake
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…)
Family •
October 4, 2016
How much is too much? Free to be a kid!
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…)
