Seattle Real Estate Blog

Exotic Garden Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Lynette Hensley) — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:56:00 +0000

Elandan Gardens, located on Kitsap peninsula in Bremerton sprawls over 5 acres of reclaimed log dump and landfill that was transformed over the years into an exotic garden museum filled with bonsai and both ancient and familiar trees, stone sculptures and winding paths. The gallery houses artifacts from the Orient, Native American art, and unique gift items including clothing and jewelry. None of this is the usual gift shop fare. Fine furnishings and accessories surround the interior design studio housed within the gallery. The whole place is simply filled with eye-catching artifacts of various ages and prices. You will find antlers next to antique chinese stick puppets and coral beads in Native american baskets.

Dan Robinson, an international bonsai master, along with his family have created this wonderful tranquil and surprising place to visit and enjoy.

Located just past the mile marker 28 on Highway 15 in Gorst, 3050 State Hwy 16, Port Orchard. 360-373-8260. Hours at the time of this writing are: Tuesday-Sunday 10-5. There is an $8 admission fee (Adults) to walk the gardens. http://www.elandangardens.com/

Lynette Hensley, Associate Broker

Pacific Science Center

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Want to go to another world? Want to take the bus or at least spend only 15 minutes driving there? OK, try the Pacific Science Center in Seattle Center. From our home in Shoreline it only took us 15 minutes on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon. Our family likes to join because with a family membership card we can feel quite comfortable stopping by three times a week, or for only an hour when we get a chance, without having to stay for hours and exhaust ourselves. There are so many great things to see and do that we could go back every day for a week and it would still be Fun!!

This time we tried the Simulator, and it was worth it...at the last minute I got myself a ticket as well as Daniel and his friend. For a five minute ride, we were flying through space on skittery tracks, plunging into the void and somehow managing to land intact...a breathtaking journey. There are all kinds of simulations to choose from, or you can piggyback on one someone already chose. Next time I want to try the one about water!

Daniel always likes to go to the dinosaur room...when we had the fossil exhibit here, just over, he spent hours dusting sand off the dinosaur eggs in the anthropology simulation. The insect pavilion is great too, and going into the butterfly room is usually the highlight of my visit. They are so fragile and so delightful! But we never miss visiting the touchable tide pool and the naked mole rat colony. Of course, the Imax theater is great when you have time, a huge screen and 3-d glasses! When we saw the dinosaur Imax movie, it was as much as I could do not to run away screaming.

Don't forget a picnic or at least snacks so you can sit out in the courtyard, or walk about a minute to Seattle Center House and enjoy the good coffee and food court. Or go up to the coffee shop in the Science Center and take a rest there, before investing $1 in paper to make swinging pendulum drawings down below.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

24 Hour Vacation to Port Townsend

noreply@blogger.com (Lynette Hensley) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Larry and I took 24 hours and embarked on a little trip for a weekend getaway to Port Townsend. We began with a ferry ride at Edmonds to Kingston, and then took Hwy 104 all the way across the Hood Canal stopping at Port Gamble to antique and be tourists. We stopped at the sea shell museum and general store–and took some pics. We wandered through a gift shop and antique store on the street right next to the water, and then drove on to Port Hadlock. There we dropped into the Ajax Cafe where we arrived just in time to not need a reservation! What a great place for people watching! We enjoyed live music, guitar and clarinet and flute on a stage just big enough–they were having fun! The decor is eclectic, none of the dishes matched, there were movie posters, black and white photos of celebrities, costumes, tons of hats hanging on the walls, lots to look at. The food was brilliant–and then as the evening went on, more and more folks tried on hats. Larry found a wig and a tie that transformed him into a People started taking photos of each other–complete strangers were playing with each other–it was brilliant fun!

Larry really looks like this every day. NOT!

We ended up in a B&B in Port Townsend, F.W . Hastings House, Old Consulate Inn, relaxing, and with a 7 c ourse breakfast in the morning. Lots of antiquing in the morning and good coffee and gift shops all around.

Lynette Hensley - Associate Broker

Green Seattle (St. Paddy's Day Parade Tomorrow!)

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:11:00 +0000

This is the thing, everybody's Irish on St. Patrick's Day. So from wherever you may find yourself there is just one thing to do this Saturday morning. Come down to 4th Avenue and Jefferson Street in Downtown Seattle at 12:30 p.m. That is Saturday, March 15, for the St. Patrick's Day Parade! The parade will travel north on 4th Avenue to the reviewing stand at Westlake Park (that is 5 minutes from our office!) and it officially ends at 2 p.m. at Seattle Center. With Formalities! Closing Ceremony! What might you encounter if you make your way down?

http://www.irishclub.org/parade.htm

This link will take you to a site which has all the details, and not only that but photos from last year's parade! Which includes a wonderful photo of what is undoubtedly The REAL St. Patrick! Since he was at the parade last year, there is no reason to believe he will not be there again. In fact, I am counting on it.

Something else that sounds worth attending...a St. Patrick's Day Mass for Peace. Details are on that same site. And there is an Irish Week Festival Noon-6 p.m. Sunday at Seattle Center. The excitement includes "booths selling Irish and Celtic products, Irish food and libations, Irish music, singing, dancing, an Irish Film Festival, workshops, lectures, cultural displays, children's contests and activities, etc. For more detailed information, call 206-223-3608."

More! Everett's Irish Cabaret Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave (at Hewitt), downtown Everett. It's an old fashioned Irish event with humour, dancing, music, and singing, MC'd by an Irish Storyteller and an Irish Singer. Gotta be there!

For the fast (preferably not furious) among us, there is the St. Patrick's Day Dash Sunday (Mar. 16) at 9 a.m. It goes downhill from T S McHugh's near the Space Needle to F X McRory's near Safeco Field! It's nearly 4 miles, and last year over 15,000 runners participated. You have to register PRIOR to the day, go to this website for details: http://www.stpatsdash.com/. And on the day itself, more Irish Week Festival at Seattle Center, noon - 4 p.m.

Something a bit more bouncy where you can down a pint or two and tap your toes to great Irish music? On March 17, St. Patrick's Day, $5 joint cover gets you into both Molly Maguires (610 NW 65th St in Ballard) with music from 1 p.m. to closing and into the Ould Triangle (9736 Greenwood Ave N) with The Raybourne Experience performing all day. Click on this link to hear some of the promised music: http://www.myspace.com/ouldtriangle See you all there!

How Walkable is Your Home?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynette Hensley) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 20:35:00 +0000

What is Walk Score?

Walk Score shows you a map of what's nearby and calculates a Walk Score for any property. Buying a house in a walkable neighborhood is good for your health and good for the environment. The walk score of the Space Needle, for example is 89. Bill Gates’ house walk score is 6. Our house is 65. The higher the score, the more walkable the location. How does the site calculate walkability?

How It Works

Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. The walkability of an address depends on how far you are comfortable walking—after all, everything is within walking distance if you have the time. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:

· 90 - 100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.

· 70 - 90 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.

· 50 - 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.

· 25 - 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.

· 0 - 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

WalkScore.com

Lynette Hensley
Associate Broker

Splashes of Sun, Seattle Valentine

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:41:00 +0000

I can report three gorgeous sunny days in a row and everyone saying winter has turned the corner...I even drove down to Richmond Beach yesterday after a showing and just sat on a driftwood log for an hour staring at the waves and watching people walking, running with their dogs, building things with driftwood and stones, and of course taking pictures of each other doing it...since it is Puget Sound, and not really the Pacific, the breakers don't get as big as they do out around the actual ocean shores, but it is still the Pacific Northwest. That means when you are staring out where the sun is going down over the water, you know that past the snowcapped Olympics standing up seemingly out of the waves to the west, is nothing for a very long time, and then ... the Far East. It really does feel like the edge of the world.

Also, regrettably I am now 5 pounds fatter than I hoped to be going into spring, which is the fault of my daughter who gave me a huge box of the loveliest truffles I've ever had for Valentine's Day! (Thank you, dear Mia!) In Seattle when this happens, the traditional thing is to call up all your friends and make numerous dates to walk around Green Lake, both catching up with all the important people in your life and shedding the five pounds in a couple of weeks. As long as I stay away from the truffles.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Olympic Sculpture Park

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:35:00 +0000

I have finished the virtual tour I took of Olympic Sculpture Park.

This was a wonderful day when Krista, a client that was relocating from California, and I went to the Olympic Sculpture Park with her dog Bella.

A bit later I will fill in my impressions and some history of the park...there's a great website the city has for it which I'll put in too...

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Snow Day! And Rates Fall!

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:10:00 +0000

Wow, we woke up and the world was coverd with white fluffy stuff. There is no school, it's an official Snow Day. Sorry, grownup world, but this is wonderful...and as a grownup, I have to go to the airport to pick up a guest from Japan so I will take my camera and see what the city looks like. Meanwhile, got a message from one of my most trusted loan officers, Jack de Cook which gave the following information (Thank you Jack!!!!):

Last Week in the News

Following a plunge in global financial markets, the Federal Reserve slashed the federal funds rate on January 22 by three-quarters of a percentage point to 3.5%, the biggest interest rate cut in 18 years. The federal funds rate is the interest that banks charge one another on overnight loans.

On the same day, the Fed also lowered its discount rate to 4% from 4.75%. The discount rate is the rate at which banks can borrow directly from the Federal Reserve. The Fed's twin cuts are designed to keep financial institutions lending money to businesses and consumers, rather than fuel an economic downturn by limiting credit.

For the week ending January 17, rates on 30-year fixed-rates fell to their lowest level since July 2005, Freddie Mac reported January 24.

Falling mortgage rates helped boost mortgage application volume by 8.3% over the same week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said January 24. Applications were 63.7% higher than during the same week in 2007. Refinancing accounted for 66% of mortgage applications compared to 62.7% a week earlier.

The news was tonic to a housing market that saw existing home sales fall 2.2% in December, closing out a year in which sales of single-family homes swooned 13%, the largest amount in 25 years, the National Association of REALTORS® said January 24. The median price for a single-family home dropped 1.8% to $217,000, the first annual price decline dating to 1968 records.

This week look for updates on new home sales on January 28.

Economic data compiled from government reports and news services msnbc.com, cnbc.com, cnn.money.com and Yahoo Economic Calendar.

Hey, Jack, thanks for all the good info, we appreciate you!!

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Happy New Year in Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:16:00 +0000

Here are the photos of the Fireworks at the Space Needle on New Year's Eve at Midnight ! These are a bit blurry, taken in the middle of the night, but hopefully you'll get the (ooooo! ahhhhhhh!) sense of it.

I will never forget New Year's Eve on the Mound in Gasworks Park, watching the fireworks. Last night around 11:30 p.m. we arrived at Gasworks Park. There were cars everywhere parked nearby, but turning toward the water we discovered the whole parking lot behind the park was empty. But we boldly parked there anyway, and 10 minutes later so did about 15 other people, it just took one car and the whole place filled up!

Gasworks Park is just at the north end of Lake Union. It is right down the street from our office and famous for a great kite-flying location (there is even a kite shop just down the street from us!) but there is also a great view of the Space Needle and downtown, and there were, I would say, over 1,000 people sitting on the hillside facing the Lake and the Space Needle. We only got there 15 minutes before midnight, but was my rear ever cold in those 15 minutes. Next time remind me to bring a blanket or at least a square of cardboard to sit on!! But it was wonderful, a bright black night with lighted boats crusing the lake and the space needle with it's little pointed Christmas tree on top standing up right across the lake from us.

The people around us were in high spirits laughing and joking and calling out to the crowd, and one guy kept saying, if they don't do the fireworks pretty soon, then definitely the aliens are going to arrive...it really did look like the scenes in movies where people gather at the top of a mountain and raise up their arms to the sky waiting for the aliens to show up. My son started calling out "We come in peace!" My camera, not on a tripod, did not get any real crisp photos of the fireworks, so what I have to share here are some blurry, impresionistic images of the lake, night, the lights on Queen Anne Hill and the Space Needle spouting fire and glory

It was definitely the place to be and the thing to be doing, I doubt I will ever be anywhere else ever again on New Year's Eve. If Fremont is the Center of the Universe (as you may know this truth was discovered more than 20 years ago by a Fremont native), then Gasworks Park must be the Center of the New Year in Seattle. We watched 2008 being born on the Pacific Rim, in the dark and the crisp air among a crowd of joyful people who had no intention of letting the joyful event go by unnoticed!

May 2008 bear out the promise this celebration brought into life, and bring you all to Seattle to enjoy it with us!

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 21:25:00 +0000

Merry Christmas!!

Went over the Cascades to Wenachee (Apple Capitol of the World) a couple nights ago in the moonlight...to pick up my daughter who had been supposedly on a bus to Vancouver BC to visit friends...even the most sincere of girls can get on the wrong bus, I guess!

What a trip, how beautiful. Old forest firs covered in snow, that sense of expectancy in the air... now I think Santa must have been somewhere in that forest, preparing for the big day.

Seattle is still uniquely itself, humming with energy and a special mix of spice which comes from being The Most Highly Educated City in the US, full of fun and mischief and hopes for the future, and on the Pacific Rim with all the international flavor that brings, each area and neighborhood a delightful treasure trove of things to explore and discover. Of COURSE I found Starbucks coffee under the tree this year, the aroma of coffee is everywhere here, but that's just the beginning. I will try to be better at sharing my experiences of this wonderful place with you as the year progresses. Hope the coming year gives us many opportunities to spend time together and share our lives.

All the best to you and yours!

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Snow, Rain, Sun, and Here Comes the 25th!

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:41:00 +0000

It really has been an especially nice fall season. And it's not that I've done as much as usual, but ... quality people. Thank you, people in my life! Slowing time down and noticing the little stuff. This is not a burning revelation, I know, but it really does make a difference every moment. And it's like... let today linger.

Seattle? Yes, it's here. I love driving through Wallingford every day on the way to the office. On those little narrow streets with the round islands in the intersections so you weave around. And if another car starts up the street from the other side, you look for a driveway to pull over and let them pass. And you can see Lake Union, the boats, the city and Space Needle behind it in the distance, as you glance up from the narrow street and the green-in-your-face circles... and during the whole progress down toward the lake you are sneaking long, timeless glances at the as-much-as-100-year-old homes with various signs of age and glory, most often lovingly cared for and brought with shining honor right up into the present moment by those who live in them and care for them. And saying to yourself... This is Seattle...this is Seattle...this is Seattle...this is sooooo Seattle...

Tell you what, you've been good so next time I drive down those streets I'll take a few shots of lovely Wallingford character homes and put them in this post to try and give you a sense of the neighborhood.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

10 Must-Dos in Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 02:34:00 +0000

I picked up a "Seattle Visitor's Guide" at the airport when I went to pick up Sayaka a couple weeks ago (Sayaka is a college student from Japan who's staying with us for a few months). I thought it would just be for my clients, but when I started leafing through it, I found it to be full of interesting and even exciting things I felt I just had to rush out and do!

These 10 things must be on top of the list! I am not going into much detail tonight, but at least I can get the 10 things in and then go from there.
1. Ride the Space Needle
2. Explore the Pike Place Market
My Virtual Tour of Pike Place Market
3. Investigate Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
4. Study the Seattle Public Library
5. Dip Into the Seattle Aquarium
6. Wander the Seattle Waterfront
7. Woodland Park Zoo
8. Stroll Olympic Sculpture Park
My Virtual Tour of Olympic Sculpture Park
9. Take A Ferry
10. Trip to Tillicum Village

I know that visitors to the city can get a CityPass and a Go Seattle Card but I still have to check out exactly what these involve. Anyway, since I live here it will be much better to take it slowly and really enjoy each of these awsome ideas for exploring Seattle...I believe everything is better if you are with friends when you see it. Somehow the two intertwine and leave their mark on each other, the people on the world, and the world on the people.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Wet with Silver Skies

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 07:24:00 +0000

Today I spent the entire day in West Seattle. We started with cupcakes and coffee at Cupcake Royale at Alaska Junction...that's the large and strollable intersection of Alaska and California. There are 2 rival cupcake and coffee bakery/cafes there, both seem to have wifi and filled with people intent on some vital inner thought... of course it is impossible to know what is on their mind, but everyone I looked at seemed to have intent expressions...a man in a t shirt with a laptop in front of him, a young woman sitting quite still looking out the window, two cupcakes under plastic domes on the round table in front of her... Within only a few steps is a great used bookstore, a junk/antique store, a bread bakery...

Sitting there a few minutes, we absorbed the West Seattle ambiance, then met Krista (she's looking for a house), sat down and had cupcakes (mine was lemon frosted, yum) and really good coffee, and planned our ittenary from a selection of homes I'd printed out and brought along that fit within her criteria. Then we all piled into Jim's Jeep and commenced to zig zag West Seattle in search of the perfect 3 bedroom home...saw some very nice ones in fact! There were also a couple that were priced as great investments but needed quite a bit of work, which was not what we wanted on this day. However, we found that one particular neighborhood had a lot of houses that really might work. In particular one with 1800 square feet and a really great remodeled kitchen was pleasing. It was built in 1912 and retained the solid character, great moldings, and nooks and interesting spaces, but had been redone and really would be easy and rewarding to live in. Great day.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

Smartest City Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 07:30:00 +0000

I am intrigued by this month's Seattle Metropolitan Magazine. There are several great articles, but this one caught my eye right away...Smartest City! This is what I have been hearing everyone talk about for the past summer. First I learned the statistic that Seattle is actually the Most Educated city in the country. Not only is there a great educational system, but then the tech industries draw even more people with lots of degrees and achievements under their belts...now imagine all these people in a relatively small space.

I'm going to discuss this a bit more with some of my sources of Seattle Lore, but love this quote from the magazine: "How Seattle is inventing the future, winning the Space Race, saving lives, and spreading the religion of international geekdom." It goes on..."Not that it's news to you, but you're living in the brainiest city on the planet. Seattle ranks as the most literate and educated place in America. We have the most bookstores, the highest number of advanced degrees. And we are changing the world...for decades companies like Microsoft and Boeing have lured brainiacs to our fair city. When those minds set out on their own, take up hobbies, or spawn the next generation of geniuses, the results alter the planet. Technology from Seattle is saving lives around the globe, revolutionizing the way information is processed...Seattleites were the first to embrace a word that was formerly a term of derision: geek. Geeks are problem solvers. Geeks aren't afraid to flaunt their astronomical IQs. Embracing the term means embracing the idea that intellect is power, that our minds can overcome any obstacle, that our knack for high-level thinking should be celebrated. Let's face it, geeks run the planet and Seattle is the geekiest place there is. Here's why:"

It goes on to talk about Kirkland's Bungie Studios (gaming..."thumb to thumb combat"), UW Computer Science Professor Oren Etzioni (data mining..."The Sultan of Search"), Dr. Daniel Rubens of Children's Hospital (cause of sudden infant death syndrome..."Man of the Ear"), UW physicist John Cramer (physics/time travel "Back to the Photon Future), The Liftport Group, Bremerton (aerospace/space elevator..."the 27,280,000th floor"), Microsoft product team manager Brad Wright (aerospace ... "backyard rocketeer"), CellarTracker's Eric LeVine(data storage..."Cyber Tipplers"), Allen Institute for Brain Science (biomed..."Mind Over Gray Matter"), Belltown-based Cranium, Pioneer Square's Sceneit, Renton's Wizards of the Coast (entertainment...brainy board games), Western Washington U's Eric Leonhardt & students (energy..."Cow Pie Power"), and eight or nine others. Wow, I'm stunned. I knew I kept meeting really smart people, but...better get geeking! And by the way, if you are my client reading this, I'd be happy to send you a copy of this month's magazine if you don't have it!

Edy Kizaki, Realtor

SeattleCentric, First Stop Duvall

noreply@blogger.com (Edy Kizaki) — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 08:03:00 +0000

This is going to be fun! I've been needing a place to record the events of my explorations and daily ups and downs in this green and enchanting city. Now that we're going into fall, it feels like the perfect time to get going on my blog, as the kids are back in school and I have time to explore. Wandering is a time honored way of experiencing a place to the full, and the "secret life" of a real estate agent seems to me to be very much about the moments and places one finds oneself while helping people find their ideal homes.

In fact a couple days ago I went out to Duvall to look at a home for someone and I stopped for a few minutes and did a few photos of Main Street. It has been a while since I was last there, and I have always wanted to stop in the Antique Store down on the next block from the bookstore, so I will have to get back there soon... maybe I can get my friend Caroline to meet me there and have lunch. There were about 5 restaurants that looked really good! I'm pasting the address of my little virtual tour of Duvall in. You have to know that this is JUST THE BEGINNING of Duvall, just a quick brush over the surface! Meanwhile, I also found some great websites on Duvall, and a little history which I'll include below.

First, a quick tour of Main Street in Duvall, which I took when I was there.

Next, the City of Duvall official website.

And also, a link to Experience Duvall and a Duvall Calendar of Events.

Here is some Duvall News.

This one explores some History of Duvall.

Lastly, (but not leastly!) Duvall Foundation for the Arts.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor