Guest Post • Interior Design • August 12, 2019

GUEST BLOG: The only design guideline you need

by Don Koonce

Dear friends: Please enjoy this guest blog post from South Seattle-based interior designer Michele Bayle, who owns Bayle & Co. and is one of the many local contractors that can help make your house a home. Find her at michele@bayleandco.com or www.bayledesignstudio.com. Enjoy!

by Michele Bayle

You’ve got a million ideas. Your head is already spinning and a new Pinterest board entices you to keep looking, pinning and planning. With so many choices, beautiful options and creative ideas for redecorating or designing your home, it’s easy to overlook the question that supersedes any design element.

The most important question is, how do you want to feel when you enter your space for the first time?

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Real Estate News & Information • August 5, 2019

Western Washington Real Estate Market Update

by Don Koonce

The following analysis of the Western Washington real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. I hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

by Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Washington State employment jumped back up to an annual growth rate of 2.4% following a disappointing slowdown earlier in the spring. As stated in the first quarter Gardner Report, the dismal numbers earlier this year were a function of the state re-benchmarking its data (which they do annually).

The state unemployment rate was 4.7%, marginally up from 4.5% a year ago. My current economic forecast suggests that statewide job growth in 2019 will rise by 2.6%, with a total of 87,500 new jobs created.

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Community News & Information • From Don • Restaurant Reviews • July 29, 2019

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Renton’s Sansonina Ristorante Italiano

by Don Koonce

Alan & me at Sansonina with our friends Scott, Mark, & Laura, who was visiting from California.

Dear friends: One of my favorite pastimes is trying out new restaurants with my husband Alan and other friends. This review is my way of sharing that with you as well. Enjoy!

Sansonina Ristorante Italiano is a relatively new restaurant that was started by one of our favorite servers from another south end Italian restaurant. Fernando, who always makes you feel like family.

I always cut new restaurants some slack until they get into their groove with the service and the food, but this wasn’t needed at Sansonina because the food and service were top notch from the very beginning.

“This is a new place that has the right balance of service, selection and mouth watering cuisine to make it well worth coming back! Intimate with nice tables and comfortable seating,” said one guest, Damien L. “Prawns are a nice start to the meal. You can tell they take pride in what they do.”

From our first visit on their second night open, and every subsequent visit–there’s been many–the service has been excellent, and the food amazing with fresh ingredients superbly combined for exceptional Italian food.

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Case Studies • July 26, 2019

SELLER SUCCESS STORY: Making a Silk Purse Out of a Sow’s Ear

by Don Koonce

Michael Jarus found me through sales records on a popular real estate search site. He contacted me because I sold the property next door last year, so he knew that I was familiar with the area.

Michael lives in Pennsylvania, and had inherited a property in Des Moines from his uncle who recently passed away.

He called while I was on vacation, but given his position, I felt that I should help him take the right steps to promptly get clear title to the property. I walked him through the most immediate and important steps to get the process started, and a few weeks later, he came to Seattle to finish it.

I met him at the property, which was in very rough condition, with non-permitted additions and a lot of deferred maintenance, including a leaking roof. It was in fact a borderline tear down, but it was on a nice corner lot, which could have views of the mountains and Puget Sound with a second-floor addition.

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From Don • Real Estate News & Information • July 19, 2019

REAL ESTATE INFO COLUMN: Is it better to rent or buy?

by Don Koonce

Welcome to my Real Estate advice column, “Dear Don,” where I answer all your burning Real Estate questions. Send yours to me at donkoonce@windermere.com, and I’ll try to answer them in future columns.

Dear Don:

Is it better to rent or buy?

Questioning Carla

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Community News & Information • Events • Local Giving Opportunities • July 12, 2019

ProjectCool School Supply Drive

by Don Koonce

The simple beauty of Project Cool:

Every homeless student who receives a new backpack can walk into class with the same new tools and good supplies as their classmates, and not feel unprepared or embarrassed.

Project Cool helps hundreds of homeless schoolchildren each year. We give each child a sturdy new backpack filled with quality school supplies, books, toothbrushes, and more. We train school staff and social workers about supporting homeless students.

Get involved!

Project Cool for Back-to-School happens each year thanks to people like you. We welcome your help!

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Real Estate News & Information • July 5, 2019

To Buy New or Old, That is the Question

by Don Koonce

Windermere Blog:

We are often asked, “Which is the better buy, a newer or older home?” Our answer: It all depends on your needs and personal preferences. We decided to put together a list of the six biggest differences between newer and older homes:

The neighborhood

Surprisingly, one of the biggest factors in choosing a new home isn’t the property itself, but rather the surrounding neighborhood. While new homes occasionally spring up in established communities, most are built in new developments. The settings are quite different, each with their own unique benefits.

Older neighborhoods often feature tree-lined streets; larger property lots; a wide array of architectural styles; easy walking access to mass transportation, restaurants and local shops; and more established relationships among neighbors.

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Real Estate News & Information • June 28, 2019

Ten Qualities to Look For in Your Real Estate Agent

by Don Koonce

Windermere Blog:

Buying a home is one of the most significant financial and emotional purchases of a person’s life. That’s why it is so important to find an agent that can not only help you navigate the home search process but one who can also answer your questions and represent your needs from start to finish. Most importantly, your agent should care about your happiness and ensuring that you find the home that best fits your needs.

Here are some qualities to consider when selecting a real estate agent:

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Case Studies • CoBuy • June 21, 2019

COBUY SUCCESS STORY: Mom & Daughter Find Perfect Home to Live Together but Not Too Together

by Don Koonce

Sally and Kate are a mother and daughter looking to buy a place together, who were referred to me through CoBuy–an exciting new company with an online platform that makes it easier to buy a home with one or more other people–be it friends, family members, or both.

We met for our initial meeting and I learned their criteria.

Sally was looking to downsize from her large home and Kate was looking to purchase her first home. They each wanted to have their own space, and neither wanted to be in a basement space. They were also open to doing renovations if necessary, to make the space work for them.

I set up two searches, one for multifamily (duplex, etc) and one for single family.

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