From Don • Restaurant Reviews • June 29, 2020

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Columbia City’s Bananas Grill

by Don Koonce

Bananans Grill is an authentic Mediterranean halal fast food restaurant that serves delicious home-style dishes. Many entrées come with a variety of halal meat options, such as gyros, shawarmas, and halal hamburgers and cheeseburgers. Specialty drinks include Somali spiced chai-tea, fruit smoothies and wide selection of soft drinks with baklava for dessert.

After hearing good things about this Columbia City restaurant, Alan and I recently had delivery from Bananas Grill for the first time.

Our food arrived timely, well packaged and hot. We ordered the Chicken Shawarma Plate and the Bananas Combination Plate. Both were delicious and we had enough food for two rounds of leftovers each. Our dinners were flavorful, perfectly spiced, and mouthwatering.

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Real Estate Listings • June 26, 2020

NEW LISTING: Stylishly Updated Cottage in White Center

by Don Koonce

10221 11th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
Listed at $450,000

Beds: 2
Baths: 2
SQFT: 1,150
MLS #: 1616388
Taxes: $4,380 (2020)
Lot Size: 8,448 SQFT
Type: Single-Family Home
Year Built: 1934
Style: 1 Story W/Bsmnt
School District: Highline
Community: White Center

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From Don • Homeownership • June 23, 2020

Virtual Tour of Alan & Don’s Upper Rainier Beach Garden

by Don Koonce

20+ year old Koi!

Don and his partner Alan have participated in the Upper Rainier Beach Garden Tour for the last 10 years. With the favored annual event cancelled this year due to the pandemic, the organizers quickly pivoted to a virtual event so you can still enjoy the beauty of neighborhood gardens throughout the community.

Enjoy this virtual stroll through Don and Alan’s home garden…

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Community News & Information • Giving • June 16, 2020

Windermere in Our Southeast Seattle Community

by Don Koonce

Don volunteering at an earlier Community Service Day.

My office, Windermere Real Estate Mount Baker is so excited to announce that we surpassed our goal of raising $10,000 for our local food banks to support our Neighbors In Need! Thank you to all those who donated to this amazing cause with us. We’re so proud to have made such an impact on our local communities through this challenge and we couldn’t have done it without you! We were able to give funds locally to:

YWCA Food Bank
El Centro de la Raza Food Bank
Columbia City Farmers Market (market vouchers provided to local families in need)
Southeast Seattle Senior Center
Rainier Valley Food Bank

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Real Estate Listings • June 13, 2020

NEW LISTING: Pin-tight Brick Mid-Century in the Heart of Upper Rainier Beach

by Don Koonce

10213 64th Ave S.
Seattle, WA 98178
Listed at $629,950

MLS #: 1613377
Beds: 2
Baths: 2
SQFT: 1,780
Taxes: $5,108 (2020)
Lot Size: 5,400 SQFT
Type: Single-Family Home
Year Built: 1951
Style: 1 Story W/Bsmnt.
Views: Territorial, Mountain, Lake
Community: Upper Rainier Beach

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Buyers • June 9, 2020

Questions to Ask During Your Virtual Home Tour

by Don Koonce

Could you zoom in?

Sometimes it can be difficult to get a true glimpse at what you want to see in a room. Asking the agent to zoom in on specific features is commonplace in virtual home tours, and they understand this is part of the viewer experience. Don’t hesitate to ask multiple times. Getting a better look at everything you want to see will help you feel like you’ve gotten the most out of your virtual tour.

How many square feet are in this room?

Virtual tours can slightly distort space, making it tough to gauge the size. The room-to-room square footage is information the agent is sure to have handy. Since you can’t be there in person, it will help you piece together the virtual visuals with the sense of physical space that we’re all accustomed to feeling in the places we live.

What color is that?

In the smartphone era, and computer era at large, we have come to understand that digital representations of color are not always true to the eye. Ask the agent to confirm specific colors so you can plan accordingly. Have a color swatch on hand or look the colors up online as you go through the tour.

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Homeownership • June 2, 2020

Saving in the Laundry Room

by Don Koonce

When it comes to household expenses, staying at home has brought about savings in some areas, while increasing expenses in others. The laundry room has likely seen an uptick in usage, with its associated costs following suit. Save your energy and money by keeping these tips in mind as we continue to adapt to being home more often.

Master your machine settings

Review the owner’s manuals for your washer and dryer. There may very well be energy-saving settings you’re not using. For example, your washer’s “high-speed” or “extended wash” cycles will remove more moisture, which can help reduce drying time. A dryer’s “cool down cycle” allows clothes to finish drying using only residual heat.

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SOLD • May 27, 2020

SOLD: Four Rainier Beach Homes Over List Price

by Don Koonce

I’m honored to have helped four families make their dreams come true this month. Congratulations, everyone!

10447 Waters Ave S.

10447 Waters Ave S.
Seattle, WA 98178
Listing Price: $649,000
Selling Price: $671,000

Well-maintained mid-century home perched on a quiet street with lovely territorial views. The open floor plan and natural light makes this home great for entertaining. The bright kitchen features new stainless appliances, quartz counters, and tile backsplash. Stunning landscaping with a deck and patio out back, plus room for a veggie garden. The lower level is ideal for family room or office and has additional potential. Across from Dead Horse Canyon. Great neighbors and local businesses nearby.

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Real Estate Listings • May 22, 2020

NEW LISTING: Sophisticated Renton Beauty

by Don Koonce

10715 SE 187th Place
Renton, WA 98055
Listed at $680,000

Beds: 5
Baths: 3
SQFT: 2,641
MLS #: 1599987
Taxes: $7,290 (2020)
Lot Size: 4810 SQFT
Type: Single-Family Home
Year Built: 2016
Style: 2 Story
Views: Territorial
School District: Renton
County: King County
Community: Renton

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Restaurant Reviews • May 19, 2020

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Georgetown’s Stellar Pizza

by Don Koonce

The history and ambiance of the Bertoldi building makes it the perfect place for an old-school pizzeria like Stellar.

If you’re game to try something different and very appetizing, I recommend checking out Stellar Pizza in Georgetown. They are currently doing take out and delivery.

Stellar Pizza, Ale, & Cocktails was established in 2001 when Stella Steadmon set out to create the kind of place she wanted to frequent in her beloved Georgetown neighborhood. After searching three-plus years for the perfect location, she discovered the Bertoldi building, which once housed Beannie’s Tavern and the original Georgetown Liquor. Today, it is still owned by the Bertoldi Family.

We’ve been going to Stellar Pizza for many years. It’s our favorite standard pizza (not thin crust, or Chicago style), and now that we can only do takeout or delivery I really miss the funky, divey, grungy, old school Seattle atmosphere.

Being the creatures of habit that we are, we normally get a half Georgetowner pizza with a house salad and Stellar margarita.

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