Seattle Real Estate:

I attended a fascinating lecture Monday night about the concept of “Smart Growth” in development.
What is Smart Growth?  According to one ubiquitous internet source:
“Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, [...]

I ran across an interesting article in the Puget Sound Business Journal this week.  Apparently a cottage style development on Whidbey for which second home buyers were the target market is not being purchased by second home buyers…but by downsizing seniors.
Back in November I wrote:
“It would seem to me that one segment of the market [...]

I found this article in the Seattle Times “Make your home less inviting to mice.” The article offers some very good advice. There is one suggestion that I wouldn’t necessarily take unless that was all I had to work with. It says “Steel wool makes a good temporary plug.” Sadly it has been my experience [...]

Will I get my money back if I remodel my kitchen?  What about adding windows? 
We hear these kind of questions all the time from past clients.  We generally recommend that folks never undertake an expensive remodel just for the sake of resale value.  If you’re contemplating a upgrade that you’ll get the use and enjoyment [...]

When you’re looking at homes for sale, is there anything in particular you should notice?  Alex spent years in construction and real estate and gives a great guide.
 

You can find this video in its permanent home at Alex Says - How to Get the Most Out of Showings.  This is just the first in the [...]

I’ve been hearing more and more about cottage style new development.  I think is this an interesting trend, but if it catches on could easily be overbuilt. Particularly in the Seattle market we’re seeing the push for high density and infill development - not only as a result of the Growth Management Act, but also [...]