Christmas 2007

Here is the crowd! From the left, Kyle, Kari, Shauna, Pete (in his ultra dorky Christmas vest,) Jason, Annika, Yours Truly and Saben. Pete is Shauna's fiance and he fits right in with our zany and fun-loving family. I trust you all had a fabulous Christmas and here's to a wonderful 2008 for each of you!

Saben, our two year old grandson, with his grandpa, getting a few tips from the expert.

Now a bit about real estate! You know that's what I do and I'd like to ask each of you to please remember me when you hear of someone looking to buy or sell. Whether it is a condo, house or vacant land, I promise to take the best care of your friends and relatives. And I won't hound them should they not require my services. Perhaps you have friends who would enjoy my Service For Life! newsletter which I send out monthly. Simply give me their name and address and I will add them to the list. If you weren't already aware, I specialize in first time buyers, so if you have a child, niece, nephew, grandchild or friend who is looking to purchase their first house, send them my way! I love educating first time buyers about the process and helping them every step along the way towards home ownership. Thanks to those of you who have referred friends, neighbors and family to me in 2007!!

Golf, golf and more golf

I know, it's cold outside and wet. Not the ideal time to be out golfing. So, why not click on the YouTube link on the right (with the picture of the little boy) and be amazed! This little tyke has gone through some tough times for his young age, but what an utterly talented guy he is! He has a natural golf swing. I'm jealous!! And when did you buy your current set of clubs?? If you haven't purchased a new set recently, you might just want to think about getting some good quality clubs with graphite shafts suited to your age and strength. And those hybrids!! You've gotta love those! Nothing feels quite like setting foot on that first tee with your new clubs, after whacking a few buckets of balls, full of confidence, knowing all is right in the world, everyone watching as you prepare to hit that ball straight down the fairway.....and then.....all that nervous energy translates into a shanked shot and questioning why you ever thought new clubs could cure all your ills!! Not to worry! It's just first tee jitters. Shake it off and hike those 10 paces to your ball and try again. Those expensive new clubs can't help you with the jitters, but in time you will be glad you upgraded when you see improvement with each trip to the golf course. Ahhh, makes me want to bundle up and hit the greens!

A nice Christmas tradition

I just got home from the Issaquah Village Theater where Brohn Journey performed for a sold-out crowd. Some of you may not have heard of Brohn Journey, so I will tell you...he's a harpist. Yup, you are right! He plays a harp. Now you may think that sounds boring, but it's not. For the past MANY years a friend of mine has invited several of her lady friends to join her for dinner at her house and then we all caravan out to the Issaquah Village Theater (or other locations in the past) to listen to Brohn Journey's Christmas concert. His wife has a fabulous soprano voice and sings several songs as he plays. He has several people playing a variety of instruments as well. You really should look at his website: http://www.bronnjourney.com/

If not this Christmas season, plan to go next year!! Not only is he talented, but he's FUNNY! Or buy one of his CD's. You will be glad you did.

Just for fun, here is a photo of my 10 pound shih tzu, Frodo. Where's Frodo???

OK, so here's another one.

And don't forget to scroll down to my earlier entry!

My First Blog!

I guess I've finally arrived! My hope is that this will be a fun and easy way to share information with you and that you will likewise share information that I as well as others can have access to. It looks like the first snow of the season has come and gone, so life will be normal this week after all....rain!

I already posted this on my website but in case any of you haven't seen it there I wanted to place it right here for you. It just goes to show that the experts are not always as credible as we think!! Enjoy....

PAST QUOTES FROM THE MEDIA REAL ESTATE AND FINANCIAL EXPERTS


1) “The price of houses seems to have reached a plateau, and there is reasonable expectancy that prices will decline.” (Time Magazine, December 1, 1947)
2) “Houses cost too much for the mass market. Today’s average price is around $8000, out of reach for two-thirds of all buyers.” (Science Digest, April 1948)
3) “If you bought your house since the war, you have made your deal at the top of the market. The days when you couldn’t lose on a home purchase are no longer with us.” (House Beautiful, November 1948)
4) “The goal of owning a home seems to be getting beyond the reach of more and more Americans. They typical new house today costs $28,000.” (Business Week, September 4, 1969)
5) “Be suspicious of the ‘common wisdom’ that tells you to buy now because continuing inflation will force home prices and rents higher and higher.” (NES Journal, December 1970)
6) “The median price of a home today is approaching $50,000. Housing experts predict that in the future price rises won’t be that great.” (National Business, June 1977)
7) “The era of easy profits in real estate may be drawing to a close.” (Money Magazine, January 1981)
8) “…In California for example, it is not unusual to find families of average means buying $100,000 houses. I’m confident prices have passed their peak.” (John Wesley English and Gary Emerson Cardiff, THE COMING REAL ESTATE CRASH, 1980)
9) “The golden age of risk free run-ups in home prices is gone.” (Money Magazine, March 1985)
10) “If you are looking to buy, be careful. Rising home values are not a sure thing anymore.” (Miami Herald, October 25, 1985)
11) “Most economists agree, a home will become little more than a roof and a tax deduction, certainly not the lucrative investment it was through much of the 1980s.” (Money Magazine, 1986)
12) “We’re starting to go back to the time when you bought a home not for its potential money making abilities, but rather as a nesting spot.” (Los Angeles Times, January 31, 1993)
13) “Financial planners agree that houses will continue to be a poor investment.” (Kiplinger’s Personal Financial Magazine, November 1993)
14) “A home is where a bad investment is.” (San Francisco Examiner, November 17, 1996)
15) “Your house is a roof over your head. It is not an investment.” (Everything You Know About Money Is Wrong, 2000)