From the views of Mt. Rainier and Puget Sound, to the majestic state capitol building, Olympia, WA has quite a bit to offer! Aside from the convenient location between Seattle and Portland, Olympia itself is brimming with opportunity. A healthy local economy driven by state government and local business has helped Olympia remain one of the best places in the country to call home.I think this video is an excellent testament to the many wonderful things Olympia, WA has to offer. You can view the article from Kiplinger.com,  which ranks Olympia #6 on its Best Cities 2009 list, click here . The following tour of Olympia is provided courtesy of Kiplinger.com . ENJOY! 06/26/2009

With a city as pretty as Olympia and with such stunning views, why are utility poles still tolerated?     No modern city has above ground power lines any more, and you won't see them in new subdivisions. Why then does the Capitol City of the State of Washington still look like a throw-back to the fifties, or like a third world country town when it comes to the utility poles? I understand that placing these lines underground is a costly affair, but what's the alternative? Are we waiting until every home and business runs on alternative energy? Not only would underground utility lines improve the look of Olympia's street scape and help give  us unobstructed views, they would require less maintenance and fewer power outages in inclement weather. Olympia is growing up and developing and sh... 06/23/2009

Seeing the slight upward trend of interest rates, I would be in a big hurry to find an investment property or home before rates get much higher. Now is the time to act, prices are down, interest rates creeping up, but still historically low. DO NOT MISS YOUR OPPORTUNITY!! I don't want to say I told you so! 06/19/2009

06/17/2009

If Dixieland jazz music gets your toes tapping and makes you want to get up and dance - there is quite a treat in store for you soon!  The 19th annual America's Dixieland Jazz Festival is right around the corner!  Amazing music from jazz bands from around the country will be happening June 25-June 28th at St Martin's University in Lacey. You can check out www.olyjazz.com for complete schedules, list of participating bands, ticket info, driving directions and more. Come celebrate summer with some great music - an entertaining time for all ages!!  06/17/2009

06/10/2009

The location of the Briggs Village master planned community is a prime spot close to all the conveniences. Residents can walk or bike to Pioneer Park and enjoy inner tubing on the Deschutes river, or walk their dog at Watershed Park. Children can walk to the various schools' sports fields and playgrounds or take a swim in Ward Lake across the street. The Briggs YMCA, attached to the community, offers two swimming pools, a weight room and youth activity center. As if two supermarkets just a few miles down either side of Yelm Highway weren't enough, Briggs Village will have its own new Thriftway supermarket built soon.                          Located on over 130 acres, Briggs Village will consist of single family homes, condominiums, town homes, duplexes and a residence for seniors. The... 06/09/2009

Too many people call on ads and are in a limbo land of non commitment to an agent. They call this one then that one and use peoples services without any intent to purchase through the agent who just drove across town to open a home for them. This is not only a complete lack of integrity but also very detrimental to the buyer who needs help from one consistent professional. Take good advise choose one agent and be faithful and let that person alone show you homes and write your offer. 05/30/2009

Burfoot Park is a county park in Olympia that is a wonderful place for family fun, with a big grassy area to picnic or play in the grass, playground equipment for the kids, and then you can go exploring down the wooded trails that lead to the saltwater beach.  We were lucky enough to go check it out recently while there was an extremely low tide and so there was LOTS of beach to walk and amazing sea creatures to encounter! Very educational encounters with crabs, seaweed, pretty shells, & the gorgeous backdrop of gentle waves rolling in and sailboats gliding by. Only problem is that county budget woes have this park on the chopping block, so go visit soon - like before the end of September or it may be closed to the public! 05/26/2009

I have lived in Olympia for over 26 years. Olympia has developed into a beautiful town with all the amenities of a water front city but without the congestion. The air here is clean, there is nature and beauty all around. Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, skiing, its all here. When choosing a place to live especially if you are moving to Fort Lewis, call me and I will show you why so many soldiers commute from Olympia. 05/24/2009

Signs are finally showing that Trader Joe's is actually coming to Olympia. No, I have not heard a ship's bell ringing yet, or seen a bunch of hip people in Hawaiian shirts, but I did recently notice the construction work under way. The old "The Good Guys" store is being remodeled to make room for Olympia's Trader Joe's store on Black Lake Boulevard. It should open for business sometime in the third quarter of 2009. The Trader Joe's website has the Olympia store already listed:   With the boating supply store in the same building going out of business, it's good to see new businesses filling the empty spaces. My suggestion for filling the boating store space is a Panera bakery. In my opinion, Panera Bread and Trader Joe's go perfectly together.   Sandy NelsonOlympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, ... 05/17/2009

You've likely overheard conversations (or maybe participated in them) recently about the state of the real estate market, particularly what caused the crisis and when we will "hit bottom". Everyone seems to have an opinion of who is to blame and how to get things back on track. But rarely do you hear real numbers that apply to your own community. Even the numbers used in local publications generally look at county-wide sales data to formulate their statistics. If you are a Thurston County resident then you are aware that areas like Yelm, Tenino, and Rochester follow much different trends than the Olympia market. So, for all my fellow Olympians, here are some statistics that actually look at YOUR neighborhood. While my statistics cover only my local market of Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater... 05/13/2009

04/29/2009

The cloudy skies let a little sunshine break thru just in time for the Procession of the Species to begin yesterday.  Children (and adults) had been amusing themselves by coloring in the streets with lots of chalk provided for that purpose, an impromptu chorus of "Do a Deer..." from Sound of Music got much of the crowd at one corner singing along, bubbles floated thru the air - and the Procession began!   From the vantage point of my little granddaughter  (on daddy's shoulders) it was an amazing display - we saw lions and tigers and bears - oh my!  We saw fish galore - she was very excited at that, and kept saying "Nemo, Nemo" amid her giggles.  There were animals and trees walking down the street on stilts, beautiful batik wind socks floating along in the breeze, a multitude of sea cre... 04/26/2009

Too many homeowners wanting the most for their property price it too high, above the suggestion of their agent. Then if it becomes a declining market as it is now, the home looks priced too high to the current buyers and remains unsold as the total market dives. The property sits and before you know it the value is less than if they had originally followed their agents advice.  To avoid this happening,get 2 Market Analysis to see what the professionals are telling you. Remember a few agents will price it too high just to get the listing and then the pressure begins. So the best strategy is price it to sell quickly. Take your money and run!    04/20/2009

Next weekend is Olympia's annual Procession of the Species www.procession.org  (April 25th at 4:30 PM) in downtown Olympia - and you really just have to see it - words or even pictures can't adequately capture this tribute to the natural world.  You will see adults, children, groups of people all decked out in elaborate or simple costumes representing everything from the wind to a butterfly and from a tree to a herd of deer prancing down the city streets.  Some participants spend much of the winter creating their costumes or masks to join in this celebration of spring & life and creativity.  You will hear drums, samba music (complete with samba dancers) & you'll marvel at the beautiful and crazy costumes - this is just NOT your run of the mill ordinary parade!  The Procession on Saturda... 04/18/2009

          This spring's chilly weather still has Farmer's Market produce coming in a little behind the schedule of some years, but coming in it is!  And of course, all of the other goodies from baked goods to eggs to fancy chocolates or Chehalis Mints to sausage and other meats to locally organically raised chickens to oysters are all there ready for hungry shoppers. The stands of plants are doing well with so many of us just itching to get out in our gardens and start planting some colorful flowers or some veggies.  The tomato plants are at a couple of stands, but I am holding myself back - and our garden still needs a little more prep work anyway.   Washington grown asparagus looked too good to pass up so I bought some of that for our dinner tonight - yum!!  And all the makin's for a ... 04/17/2009

Can unintentionally insult the seller. I recently noticed that in this "buyers market"some missguided buyers are writing offers for hundreds of thousands of dollars below the listed price of a home they are pursuing. I understand the desire for a good deal, however most reasonable people are upset by an extreemly low offer. The question you really need to ask yourself is how much do I want this property? An experienced agent will help navigate you and suggest what might be an acceptable offer. Hiring a real estate professional and listening to their advice can be more than worth your time and money. On the buying side ask for advice on what might be too low and follow your agents advice. Sellers lean on your agent for recommendations about what is reasonable for this market. Working tog... 04/11/2009

04/08/2009

  It was so nice to get back down to the Olympia Farmer's Market this past weekend - in the sunshine no less!  It was opening weekend, so lots of people showed up eager to see what was ready at the various booths. The spring weather has not exactly cooperated well to give farmers an early start, but there was some yummy fruit to choose from at a couple of booths.  Also potatoes, salad makings, and then meat, seafood, cheese to choose from too.   Also lots of plants, both flower and veggie variety, for those of us itching to get out in our yards and gardens and get planting! The bakery booths were, as always, temptingly full of delectable breads, muffins, cookies, scones, etc etc.  We sampled a cinnamony crisp and a mixed berry scone that made sensational walking breakfast treats! And th... 04/06/2009