Seattle Real Estate:

• Reading: Home assessments fall, tax bills don’t http://tr.im/viTY #
• I’m so pleased that our weather is back to being reasonable. #
• Just had a standardized test moment – apparently laughing is to lifting weights what a mouthful of crackers is to trying to whistle #

Seattle recently made MSN’s list of Top Ten Pet Friendly cities of 2009. This is unsurprising news if you live in the Seattle metro area since you’re used to seeing dogs of all shapes and sizes on sidewalks, in parks, inside shops and even some offices!

According to the list, “These cities have earned their bones based on the variety of pet-friendly hotels, restaurants, tourist amenities and pet events that will ensure that your pooch will have a grrreat time.”

Of course, if you’re more of a cat (or other kind of animal) person there are plenty of other pet parents in the metro area too. Just add it to the list for one more reason to live in the Seattle area.

• Reading: ‘Brutal’ heat bakes Pacific Northwest http://tr.im/uC7t [Yuck] #
• RT @seattlepi So hot that the lowest temperature was not just hot, it was hotter than any lowest temperature ever. http://bit.ly/14D5iG #
• Reading: Foreclosures will continue to weigh on Seattle, report says http://tr.im/uLTF #

Well, it’s official. According to the Seattle Times

Voters in North Juanita, Finn Hill and Kingsgate will decide Nov. 3 whether they want to become part of neighboring Kirkland.

The Metropolitan King County Council voted Monday to put the annexation issue on the ballot.

The Kirkland City Council authorized annexation in April, and the state Boundary Review Board for King County gave its approval July 9.

If residents in the unincorporated area north of Kirkland agree to annexation, it would add 32,000 residents to the city.

• Overheard: Pain is just weakness leaving your body. #
• HOT. #
• Reading: Mortgage fraud up nationwide, down in Washington, FBI says http://tr.im/tw34 #
• RT @KIRO7Seattle Ballard Man Struck In Buttocks With Blow Dart http://bit.ly/iqpFI [Who *does* that?] #
• Reading: Seattle-area housing market remained weak in May, report says http://tr.im/tHto #
• Reading: WSJ – Home Sales, All Over the Map http://tr.im/tHwH #
• RT @pnwlocalnews “Hottest weather of the year” predicted for this weekend, next week http://tr.im/tIQl Heat wave warning in effect. [Rats!] #

One of the many wonderful things about living in the Seattle area is the fact that such stunning natural sights are in such close striking distance.

Alex and I took a spur of the moment jaunt out to the Olympic peninsula this weekend. We enjoyed the summer weather and took in the sights. Here are photos from two of our stops – Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park outside of Port Angeles and also the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge near Sequim.

• So, it turns out that I’m not very good at relaxing. #
• Wondering why nonsensical is a word, but sensical is not…it is senseless. #
• Harry Potter here we come! #
• RT @movetrends Homeowners who’ve refinanced are using the savings as much to pay living expenses as to remodel … http://bit.ly/XCltZ #
• People in Seattle look cranky when it’s nearly ninety degrees….go figure. #

The Seattle Times printed a feature on the Finn Hill area recently.  You can see the original article here, but here are a few excerpts:

“Once known for its population’s singular heritage, the Finn Hill neighborhood is now a study in diversity that spans age, wealth and even geographic identification.

Depending on where you live on the hill, your address could be in Bothell, Kenmore or Kirkland, said George Rudiger, who has lived on Finn Hill for 20 years.

The city monikers may be different, but residents say the neighborhood’s familial atmosphere, lush greenery and peaceful aura is uniform.”

We happen to live on “the Hill” and have a special section of our site dedicated to information about homes for sale on Finn Hill, real estate market statistics, and other information. Check it out and, by all means, feel free to ask us any questions you may have.

According to US News and Word Report, Seattle’s own University of Washington Medical Center made their list of America’s Best Hospitals, which is “an annual ranking of the country’s elite medical centers”.

The list complied is a, “…tool for patients who need medical sophistication most facilities cannot offer. Unlike other rankings and ratings that grade hospitals on how well they execute routine procedures like outpatient hernia repair or manage common conditions like low-grade heart failure, the U.S. News approach looks at how well a hospital handles complex and demanding situations—replacing an 85-year-old man’s heart valve, diagnosing and treating a spinal tumor, and dealing with inflammatory bowel disease, to name three examples. High-stakes medicine.”

Of course, it’s better to stay out of the hospital but if you have to go it’s good to know that one of the best is nearby!

• Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties http://tr.im/r1uW #
• Reading: Preventing another bubble meltdown: Some see Federal Reserve unfit as regulator http://tr.im/r9o4 #
• Reading: House sales up in King County http://tr.im/rao6 #
• Reading: NAR won’t fight creation of consumer agency http://tr.im/rg1Y #
• RT @EvergreenFF Seattle considers more “backyard cottages”: It’s no secret that Seattle.. http://tinyurl.com/mc82xl [interesting idea...] #
• “Jewel-box” houses are built smaller, smarter http://tr.im/riY3 [Don't you just love Realtor-ese? BTW, since when is 2300 sqft cozy?] #
• Reading: U.S. Home Prices to Fall Through 2011’s First Quarter http://tr.im/rj0t #
• Federal Government Was Culprit in Housing and Economic Crisis, Says Congressional Report http://tr.im/rr2I #
• Interesting – petition to Congress and National Association of Realtors re: stopping Cap and Trade – http://tr.im/rMso #
• Seattle Metro Real Estate Update from Rion Real Estate – http://eepurl.com/cgeh #
• Reading: More trouble ahead for housing http://tr.im/rPrm #