Seattle Real Estate & Homes For Sale | Seattle, Washington » fairhaven waterfront condos http://www.seattlepowersearch.com Seattle Real Estate Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:45:24 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Seattle Japanese Gardens 50th Anniversary http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/seattle-japanese-gardens-50th-anniversary/ http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/seattle-japanese-gardens-50th-anniversary/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:06:08 +0000 Rob LeRoy http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/?p=2574

The Japanese Garden in the Arboretum is about to end its winter hiatus, reopening on Sunday, February 14, for its 50th Anniversary season. Rated by a garden journal as one of the ten favorite Japanese gardens in the country, Seattle’s Japanese Garden was inaugurated in July 1960, after only four months of construction. It’s now ready to celebrate a half century of giving pleasure to visitors seeking sanctuary and a connection to nature.

The concept of adding a Japanese Garden to the Arboretum goes back to 1937, but it took another twenty years for the idea to gain enough popular support to enable fundraising to begin for the project (a war against Japan had intervened). In 1959, with funds in hand and the design completed, Juki Iida and Nobumasa Kitamura were hired to build the garden, which originally was scheduled to take up to three years to complete. Using heavy construction equipment, a somewhat scaled-back design, and a capable crew of mostly Japanese-American gardeners, the builders transformed an Arboretum ravine into a colorful and tranquil garden, offset by boulders, water features and formal elements. And they did it all in record time. (That’s Juki Iida in the photo below, standing on the site during the construction). Click here to read more.

Thanks to Bryan Tagas at Madison Park Blogger for letting me re-post this great article!

Rob LeRoy is a Seattle real estate agent and social media marketing coach with eXp Realty.

Thanks to Bryan Tagas at Madison Park Blogger for providing this great article!
]]> http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/seattle-japanese-gardens-50th-anniversary/feed/ 3 What is the $8000 Tax Credit? http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/what-is-the-8000-tax-credit/ http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/what-is-the-8000-tax-credit/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:20:47 +0000 Rob LeRoy http://www.seattlepowersearch.com/?p=2218 The $8000 first time buyer tax credit has gotten a lot of attention in recent months. If you’re reading this, you probably already know that, I guess. You are obviously capable of operating a computer and navigating the internets… So, if you are curious about the $8000 tax credit, and like stick figures, have a look at this video. I didn’t make it, but I like the style. It’s a little cheesy, but it explains the meat and potatoes of the tax credit in a way that even your dog can understand. Trust me, I tested it with mine. It took him a few tries, but he got it…He’s not much of a reader, but he’s pretty good listener.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIVb2ordwNQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
So basically, if you buy a house, you get to save $8000 on your taxes next year. It’s not a down-payment bonus, but it works out to saving you up to about $667/month for the first year. That’s probably pretty close to making up the difference between paying rent and paying a mortgage.  Actually, given other ownership-related deductions for property taxes and interest, you’d probably come out ahead…unless you currently rent a penthouse suite and decide to buy a trailer.
Several lobbying groups, including the National Association of Realtors,  are strongly advocating the extension of the tax credit well into 2010. However, at the moment there is no guarantee.  My guess is that Congress will probably extend the credit, though they are going to sit on it until the last minute for dramatic effect. Sounds like pretty standard practice. The headlines will be bigger if there’s a serious deadline involved.

My two cents:

The tax credit has it’s pros, cons, and far-reaching economic consequences that are unknown and hotly contested. However, there is little doubt that it is of great benefit to the individual buyers to whom it is offered.  My #1 job as a Realtor is representing prospective buyers and getting them into homes they will be happy with. I don’t get involved in their finances, except to the extent that I need to in order to help them through the transaction. However, it is tremendously important to me to make sure that buyers are as educated as possible before they begin the process.

Thanks for reading… Questions? Call me at 206.883.6668.

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