I so relate to young first time homebuyers. It’s a big step. I was there once upon a 30 years ago and a late starter to boot by many standards at 36 years old.I learned a lot then and over the years like:1. Never buy a corner lot that sits below the street.2. Always keep up with repairs because they will compound themselves.3. Pick your own real estate broker to represent you. Not one you don’t know but happens to be a friend of a friend who knows your family and the seller.4. Check your city master zoning plan and the comprehensive future vision of the city plan. Peer into the future as best you can and review the actual documentation so you can figure out where your neighborhood fits into the community grand scheme of things.5. Don’t FSBO the sale or purchase of your home. Find the ri... 06/12/2015

Dad'isms... The world according to Dad. A busy week and Friday too, but I took a few moments here and there throughout the day to think about my Dad and his upcoming birthday. He'd be 93 this coming August 18th. Then it hit me, "Geez, it's been 16 years since you passed back in 1998." How'd that happen! It seems so long ago and yet today more recent. Lost in thought I tried to articulate a few threads into something I could share in a post but the reality was I was attempting to write his story and that’s not going to happen today or in 250 or so words. Suffice it to say he was a small town kid of immigrant parents who grew up in the Great Depression. An accordionist in a blue collar town, he was off to World War II in the Army after high school. Then to England, the Normandy Invasion, ... 07/20/2014

Take Off... I love the sound of small planes taking off. It goes all the way back to the late 1950’s when we moved across town from the Renton Highlands to the Earlington neighborhood. Our bedrooms were upstairs and it got pretty hot up there in the summer so we’d have all the windows open as wide as they’d go. I remember early mornings lying in bed. It was finally cool and quiet and just before dawn the birds would start chirping to welcome the day. Then off in the distance I’d hear one of those small planes startup at Renton Airport. A few minutes later it would taxi out to the runway then (wait for it) gun it for take off. When the wind was from the south the flight path would take them right over downtown and past our place. The Doppler Effect was so cool as they climbed to altitude... 05/02/2014

As the housing market heats up, I'm reminded:   A House is a Home.   I grew up in the Earlington neighborhood of Renton, Washington. I have many memories from those days, some great, some not. I remember playing hide and go seek, kick the can, olly olly oxen free, and exploring the woods across the street with my pals. Later it was sports, high school band, cruising the loop, and playing my guitar. In those days I couldn't imagine our home as a financial investment. It was our home. We took great care of it. For us three boys, it was getting our chores done so we could do something cool. For Mom & Dad, it was creating a space that served our needs. I think the child in me assumed we’d be there forever. Homes weren't flipped and sales weren't short. Our job as a kid back then was exactly... 07/28/2013

I’m a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk... and I credit the title of this post to him. It’s a line he uses in many of his talks when he’s making points on being asked about (or confronted with) the ROI of social media. Gary’s a ‘take no prisoners’ kind of guy and I love watching his YouTube videos. I can relate to this funny turn of phrase because I’ve been asked the same question many times. “How much of this stuff do I have to do before I see a deal?” I don’t know. What and how much are you going to do? The ROI is having a relationship with your current customers and your future clients. I highly recommend watching Vaynerchuk on YouTube give the keynote address at the RE/MAX annual convention in 2011. You’ll also find him doing the keynote speech at Inc 500 Seminar 2011, Web 2.0 Expo NY, and #So... 01/29/2013

I was reminded the other day of my first truck. It was a 1951 ¾ ton white Chevy panel. I bought it from the Orting Fire Department in 1967. They retired this big old fire rescue truck with its 4 speed long throw floor shifter with compound low, 17 inch wheels, a 92 hp inline 6 cylinder engine and leaf springs front and back. What a ride! The perfect truck for a rock band! So hey, this was 1967 after all. I took a razor blade to the official emblems on the doors and scraped off Orting Fire Department - Fire Rescue and inserted a peace sign. Totally appropriate for the times I thought. Plenty of room in that 8 foot bed for guitars, amps, PA and drums. There was absolutely no where we couldn’t go. We took it across small rivers and drove old logging roads and horse trails, even when it was... 12/18/2012

One of the things I enjoy during the Holiday Season is getting out the old box of decorations to revisit those little treasures from yesteryear. Like the tree ornament my brother Terry made back in grade school out of Plaster of Paris. It weighs over a pound and would bend the branch so far you feared the tree would fall over. It was always placed very near the trunk and low to the floor. I remind him every year! I made a stained glass Madonna like card for Mom by ironing a crayon drawing between wax paper on construction paper. Did you ever do that? As I was digging through the box I came across Christmas drawings from my kids when they were small. Christmas Trees and drawings of our home with lights on it and of course Santa.  Then there’s that first photo op with Santa at the JC Penn... 12/06/2012