Eastside Value Buyer’s List

Today I launched a weekly series of MLS searches to discover the best prospects on the Eastside for investors and handy owner occupiers to buy houses at a discount.  This is an amalgamated list of bank owned homes that already appear to be fairly priced, estate sales, out of state owners, listings with data entry errors, houses sitting unsold for an excessively long time – a whole variety of searches I use to find situations with distressed owners.

Learn more here:

Eastside Value Buyer's List

This Stunning 180-degree Puget Sound/Olympic Mountain/Whidbey Island View from beautiful 3,901sf Talbot Park home. Serene 1/2 acre perched high above cul-de-sac. Gourmet Kitchen, Master Suite w/fireplace/walk in closet & french doors open to fabulous Wrap Around Deck! Views from virtually every room including basement level which boasts potential mother in-law w/private entrance & very cool 1950′s diner style kitchen. Hot tub, huge laundry/project room, study/den, RV parking, prof landscaped & lots more. Priced to sell @ $685,000 for a private showing contact ^the Cobbin Group of exprealty

These studies, judged on students graduated, grades, honors classes taken,  general academic record and other critera.  Ranked in the top 100 were Bellevue’s  International School as number 11 nationwide , followed by Inglewood at 18, Newport Hills at 35, Sammamish at 48,  and Bellevue at 79.  Following those Eastside schools were Edmonds-Woodway High,  Garfield and Ingraham in Seattle, Redmond, Mercer Island, Issaquah, and Inglemoor in Kenmore. 

So what does this mean?  Seattle and the surrounding schools, especially Bellevue, Kenmore and Northshore schools consistently rank as the top schools in the nation.  For most of us that cannot afford to enroll our kids in privately schools, this is of great comfort knowing that our students will be getting a good education from our local school districts.  Sports and music, which also carry weight, are well recognized with Roosevelt, Nathan Hale and Garfield High Schools in Seattle winning nationwide awards for both their Jazz Ensembles and Athletic Achievements in Varsity Football, Basketball, and Soccer. 

Congratulations to our educators and students for their outstanding efforts in making national recognition for excellence in public high schools!   Truly an honor well deserved.

Hooray for the Survivors!!! Relay For Life 2009

Relay For Life, Relay For FUN

Hi there-  I just spent the last 24 hours walkking with my teammates around a track at Skyview Junior High School in the Northshore School District.  Why did my friends and I do that, you may ask?  We were participating in an annual event called The American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.  Relay For Life was started by an oncologist in Tacoma in 1985…  since it’s inception this fundraiser has brought in more than 3.5 Billion dollars for cancer research and support of patients.  Not only is this my fourth year participating in this important community event, it is my third year of being team captain of Friend’s For The Fight (against cancer).

The object of the event itself is to pay tribute to those that have been taken from us by cancer, and to honor those that have survived and/or continue to fight cancer still.  The event begins with a lap just for Survivors, as the other 600 or so participating members of the community line the track cheering them on in their success.  As a survivor myself I can attest to the powerful transfer of positive energy that this walk of fame gives to the Survivors…  After the initial kickoff lap of Survivors, then all the participants take to the track and continue 3through the night having at least one member of the team on the track at all times.  The symbolism being that cancer never sleeps, and neither do we in our fight/vigilance through even the darkest hours.

Luminaria

One of the most touching parts of the entire event is the Luminaria ceremony.   Around 10 pm, the track is lined with lit Luminaria that have been decorated by participants and members of the community in honor of those who fight and memory of  the people that have gone before.  A lap of silent candlelit reflection follows a short ceremony of acknowledgement, accompanied by bagpipes playing Amazing Grace…  It is hard to convey in words the strength and solidarity this ceremony imparts on the participants.  Join us for it next year!

I would suggest that anybody who has been touched by cancer, whether personally or through a loved one, seek out a community relay event to participate in.  The entire community aspect is so uplifting it benefits all who participate.  I originally became involved in support of some of my clents and their families.  Now I Relay to spread the good word and works of The American Cancer Society, in the hope that a cure is not far away.

The Luminaria Ceremony

A huge THANKYOU goes out to all of my friends that supported me in the fundraising for this worthy cause.  Our team raised more than 4,500 dollars, the relay in total collected 116,000 from 60 total teams.  This money benefits our communities directly through outreach programs for cancer patients, and indirectly through the funding of Bio-Tech research in the fight against cancer.

Snapdoodle Toys in Kenmore provides brilliant fun!

festivities, my seven year old and I could not resist visiting on the big day. A toy store in Kemore, on the north end of Lake Washington, Snapdoole shows oodles of both heart and soul as it provides the high end of what’s available in the toy world for learning and fun. This is a shopping destination for anyone with kids in their life.

There are some very wonderful toy stores in the Seattle Metro area.  How could it be otherwise with our highly educated

Welcome to Snapdoodle!

highly motivated kid population?  After all, Seattle is not the “best educated city in the U.S.” for nothing.  Still, with all the choice and variety, I would find it hard to choose any of them over Snapdoodle, our new favorite place to play and dream.  There is a Doodle Zone art corner where classes and events are held during the summer, (why not go to the Snapdoodle Website for information on their art classes starting in May and their summer programs?) and other projects and festivities take place (including birthday parties complete with an art leader and a fun project and clean up provided).

According to their website, during their first year, Snapdoodle “served over 3,300 free lattes,” sent over 600 birthday cards, donated over $5,000 to local schools and organizations, and (wow!) won Evening Magazine’s Best Children’s Store of Western Washington award for 2008! 

Coming into the store you might think you’re entering an alpine chalet.  That’s because this large two story building reminiscent of a Bavarian Village once housed a well-known German restaurant.  Now home to a fairytale-like toy store with everything Santa ever created for the very best behaved little boys and girls, the building is a landmark along NE Bothell Way which circles the “top” or north end of Lake Washington.

Snapdoodle has so many sections and cubbys and shelves full of facinating games and toys and books that wherever

T Rex Wood Puzzle is taller than the kids

you look, you go.  There is no way to methodically go through this shop, and I must confess I didn’t even try to find out everything that is there.  I know when you enter you are in the first of four main rooms.  Off to the left is a maze of shelves filled with goodies, but I don’t know what as I wandered straight ahead to the toy stuffed dragons.  Off to the

The Train Corner

right an area of books and exquisite crafts.  Entering the second room a bank of bins offers little thises and thats (dice, toy turtules, marbles) before opening out into an area with tables where kids can try out a selected craft or fiddle with some of the manipulatives or puzzles.  There is an inviting island staffed with friendly folk and a cash register or two, with trees growing out of it.  Behind that is a whole section devoted to trains and bouncy things. 

Snapdoodle’s First Birthday Party was a rousing success, when we arrived the store was filled with parents and young children.  When we came in the door we were offered a raffle ticket for a selection of toy boxes that were prepared in the Doodle Zone art

Happy Birthday Snapdoodle!

room.  Each child is asked to drop his ticket into the bag attached to the box that he would like to win.  There was face painting, coffee and cupcakes, birthday cake, and all kinds of craft and play activities to join into.  My son joined a group that was doing ink

Go to the Register Island to check out

painting, and created a fish in a rainbow of warm colors.  The lady conducting the activity was an artist that sometimes runs crafts for the store, and she explained to me that most kids don’t connect to making art because they are given poor materials to work with.  Some of the crayons and so forth on the supermarket shelves these days just are not very inspiring, she explained.  Part of making art for kids is the interaction between playing with the media and with the ideas that come to you as you explore what you can do with it.  That doesn’t happen when you have  a box of waxy crayons that don’t produce much color and snap too easily.  I saw her point, and I think my next selection for a birthday present is going to involve some high quality art materials (they wrap!).

My son loves the little knights and horses figures which he started collection a couple years ago (perfect size for stocking stuffers if you don’t mind spending about a thousand dollars filling up a stocking) and found a rinocerous-headed warrior to add to his collection.  But he had to choose between that and a box full of assorted card games, a bouncing horse ball (too young for him but enormous fun for the first 15 minutes) and several other beguiling choices.

birthday cupcakes

Thank you, Snapdoodle, for a fun party, yummy cupcakes, great company and conversation, and for the day-long 20% discount on a toy, which you offered to all who attended your celebration.  We’ll be back way before you turn two!

Edy Kizaki
Realtor, Team Leader
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
206-402-9155