Lynnwood Undressed

Pickett Street

Pickett Street, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

I have spent a lot of time out and about reading real estate blogs lately. One in particular that I like is the Pickett Street website and blog. Pickett Street Properties is made up of three excellent Realtors with Keller Williams Realty in Bothell - Dennis Pearce, Jesse Moore and Lisa Bender - together they manage to put out a solid piece of work and some quality posts. They recently announced their new map based property search through Diverse Solutions - it is an awesome tool, easy to use and you can save your preferences for automatic updates. There was a particularly timely post by Dennis Pearce regarding his thoughts on where the market is and where it might be headed. I appreciate professionals that take pride in their work and as a Buyer or Seller these days it should be one of the things you look for in selecting your next agent, go see for yourself at Pickett Street. If you get a chance to leave a comment or message be sure and tell ‘em you heard about them from fellow Realtor, Jim Warner over at Lynnwood Undressed.

Keeler’s Corner - Long Before Lynnwood

Keeler’s Corner, originally uploaded by bunkyroo.

The old Keeler’s corner store and Gas Station in Lynnwood, Washington

The Corner Store - Heart of the community

A cross roads store, bar, “juke joint,” and gas station in the cotton plantation area, Melrose, La. (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

Back in the day, as people came and went in their busy lives, they would certainly venture past the local crossroads store on their way to anywhere. In order to be relevant on a continuing basis the storekeepers felt they needed to carry every conceivable item crammed in to any space left unfilled. Of course in they end they had to prioritize and make sure they provided the essentials, the things people in the community needed to have or they would risk becoming irrelevant. The irony was that whether or not one actually needed anything, you would generally make a stop either outbound or on your way home, to find out what the latest news in the community might be and pick something up anyway. These corner stores have long since faded into history in many parts of the country, replaced by the ubiquitous 7-11or Wal-mart. Stores that still try to carry everything, except the personality and heartbeat of a community. As the internet has proliferated and information washes over us like one tsunami after another, we see small communities being reformed in every conceivable area of common interest on the web. People want to go where the information they get is not only current, but relevant. These small communities are thriving once again. Blogs are the new country store. Treat your customers well and make sure in your attempt to stock your shelves with what you think they want,  in order to remain relevant you have to carry what the community needs.

Black + Pickett Real Estate Group

Black Pickett, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

The ROCS Alliance is pleased to introduce you to the Black + Pickett Real Estate Group of        Keller Williams Realty, Greater Seattle. Jacob Pickett and Alex Black lead a team of seasoned real estate professionals and home staging experts with a rock solid reputation and a track record of success. If you know of someone in the Greater Seattle Area that is struggling to get their home sold, give this Dynamic Duo a call to see how it is they and their team are so successful when others are having such a tough time getting things done. You can expect sound advice, a proven plan of action and deliberate execution and follow through on all aspects of the home sale process. Of course, their priority is to get you the right price in a time frame that makes sense for you with a minimum of inconvenience. In this market, what more could you ask for? If you are looking to buy a home in Seattle they have you covered with a team of agents who specialize in knowing the inside scoop on the most popular neighborhoods. First time buyers, be sure and sign up for your complimentary copy of the best seller ‘Your First Home’ a guide to home ownership. This book couldn’t be more timely. Get on over to Black + Pickett.com to see all the services they offer to meet your real estate needs. You will be glad you came to know them. Tell ‘em fellow Realtor, Jim Warner sent you.

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah Blogging

Courtesy of Walkthetalk.com

A lot of my friends and colleagues are getting an earful these days about the wonders of blogging and all it can do to enrich your life. That’s because I am a salesman and when I get excited about something it is in my nature to go out tell everyone I come in contact with all about “the deal.” As most of you know by now, I am a Realtor here in Lynnwood and I spend a great deal of my time finding deals and then trying to find people who are looking for a deal and then working to get them all in the same room, at the same time to see if we can achieve a meeting of the minds so as to press forward and conduct commerce in one form or another. It’s a great life but as people get busier and busier it gets harder and harder to coordinate, never mind the negative press about the market. As it happens in this wondrous technological age, I can now create a virtual room, so to speak, in which all these facets of the business can come together at the convenience of the participants. Blogging, a term that is shorthand for Web Log, is a form of online diary or chronicle of things going on within a community created and maintained by the blog author and/or other contributors from within the community. Outsiders are allowed to see in via the internet and may join the community and remain a part of it so long as they conduct themselves in accordance with the standards of the community as defined by the community. Anyone abusing the privilege can be easily banished. So blogging is about forming and connecting small communities and each community has it’s own story and personality and eventually, commerce. When conducting commerce, the currency of the realm varies from community to community but they generally take one of three forms: Money, as in ads or goods, Time, as in maintenance and oversight, and Resources, as in content and participation. So it comes as no surprise that businesses have discovered that blogging is a cost effective method of communicating to and with the community of customers they have and, naturally, hope to expand. So while at first glance a blog may look like a random enterprise with very little purpose, look closer and you may find a commonality and dare I say it, a relevance, to the world you inhabit on a daily basis. The internet exposed each of us to millions and billions of people with a few clicks of a mouse, personal information, Spam, ID theft and the convenience of internet commerce all followed. But as was predicted, after spending time in a vast expanse with so much information and background noise going on, sometimes you just want to go back to a quiet community of people with common interests and where you know what to expect and who you’re interacting with. It all becomes manageable again. At the ROCS Alliance we are working on creating and supporting these smaller communities by spreading the word about blogging and helping people figure out ways to make it work for them. Whatever their interests may be. I am Jim Warner, Local Realtor, and you are invited to help write this story.

Safety First - Always

To read the full Story

A momentary Lapse, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

I caught the sad story this week about the Richland man who got buried in a trench and died just weeks before his retirement. The company he worked for was fined $1,500 for not having a safety plan in place. Obviously there is a whole lot more to the story but it seemed like a low number fine for the seriousness of the outcome. As it turns out, lack of a safety plan is not an uncommon occurance on job sites. Just one of those things that takes time and money and never seems to be a priority until after the fact. That’s where my friend Kurt Stranne of Apex Saftey Consulting comes in. He spends his time educating companies and their employees about the few extra steps in a job or on a job site that can make a lifetime of difference. Whether you are a small company with big plans or a large company with a lot of small projects going on, it is the attention to detail that makes all the difference in the safety of your most valuable asset, your people. Many of these lessons can and should be applied at home though, especially when you have workmen performing tasks around your home. Often times, if a handyman or construction specialist is off the clock or doing a side job, there are all sorts of interesting things that can occur in the blink of an eye. Kurt has posted some intesting pictures of things he has seen out in the field. They make you think about, what if?  Call Kurt or Visit his website, Safety Apex.com to get more information on how to protect yourself and others at home and on the job.

Claire’s Pantry Comfort Food and Familiar Surroundings

Claires Pantry, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

T-Mobile

When an old friend of mine called me this morning to say he was in town and wanted to know a good place for breakfast I didn’t hesitate to tell him to meet me at Claire’s Pantry, a restaurant in Downtown Edmonds. I can’t tell you how many times I have uttered those words. Claires has been an Edmonds Staple for good food and familiar people for decades. Originally founded by the Petosa family it has since changed hands but never lost it’s character. My friend ordered a “light” breakfast of fritata with Egg substitute and was presented with 2 plates of food and toast on a third. Just up the street from the Edmonds Post Office and accross from the Bank of America on Main Street, it’s a great place to stop by on your way to anywhere via the washington State Ferries. You  can almost always find a local Realtor there as well.

Home sales activity 2007-08 comparison

yr - yr comparison, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

These are the year over year price and activity comparisons for home sales in July. Not a pretty picture for sellers by any means but on the bright side there is still quite a bit of activity. Low interest rates and motivated sellers continue to make this the best buying opportunity in a generation. Call me if you’d like to know more about what it takes to get your home sold for top dollar in this market.

Courtesy of Jim Warner, Lynnwood Realtor

The Waltons 1972-1982

The Waltons 1972-1982, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

I don’t know why, but I woke up this morning with the Waltons on my mind. The Waltons?! I have been thinking a lot lately about the economy and where we may be headed as a country. It’s just random thoughts, like this one, but they do come and go. What struck me, and I really can’t fathom as to why, is that the Waltons began it’s run in 1972 and was set in 1934 (a difference of 38 years) and ended in 1981. It occured to me that whereas the period of the Depression, which was the backdrop of the Waltons seemed like ancient history at the time, it has now been almost just as long (36 years) between the start of the show and our current looming economic crisis. I just wonder sometimes if we are still at a place as a society where we would conduct ourselves with as much dignity in the face of adversity as was portayed by the characters in this iconic american story. Just something to think about…. Good night John Boy, Good night Jim Warner, Realtor

change

change, originally uploaded by Jim Warner, Realtor.

As I survey the current real estate landscape I can’t help but be fascinated by how people are and in many cases aren’t adapting to the new rules of the game.

Surely as Sellers have come to find that positive equity is no longer a given, many of them are asking, “what the heck am I getting for the commission dollars I am being asked to pay?”

A very fair question and unfortunately, not a lot of good answers have been forthcoming. I have been trying to come up with some legitimate answers for most of a year now, answers I can share with my fellow Realtors through the ROCS Alliance as we begin the work of regaining the position of trust and confidence our industry fought hard to engender for many years. We somehow managed to piss it all away in short order when the free money started flowing and the internet offered up the spoils of anonymous commerce.

As things change there is a certain order to what comes next as we work our way through this.

The first noticeable change is going to come about regarding People. There will be fewer of them in the real estate business and that is all for the good. Too many people fighting over too few deals seems like a good thing for the consumer right up until the problems we face now are compounded by the hangers on who cut corners and even more people get hurt by poor representation in a tough market.

The Second change will be one of Process. The process by which we communicate, the process by which people make decisions, the process of securing financing and the process of accountability. Marketing for instance, is an art form that requires certain skillsets and is best left to professional marketing people. Sales are the other end of the elephant. If an agent is in the back room printing flyers or shooting photos on their digital camera to save money, they are already falling behind and selling the client short. The issue of investment and return on investment as it relates to the expense of proper marketing will become a more prominent part of the discussion in the agent selection process.

An finally, we will see a gradual but deliberate change in culture. Confidence will be the commodity held most dear in the marketplace. Confidence in the information being provided, confidence in the loyalty being proffered, confidence that the agent has a plan and a verifiable track record.

Unless an agent can instill confidence in the processes and people that he or she surrounds themselves with, the current culture of suspicion and distrust directed towards the profession will linger and the question will remain, “what do I get for the commision I am being asked to pay and what are my other options.”

At ROCS we are working on options. Ask your agent if they know about us. If not, tell them to call local Realtor, Jim Warner for some pointers. We can help.