Redesigned & Revamped: Windermere.com is ready for 2012!

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Lisa Lewis

Right before the holidays, Windermere launched their newly updated Windermere.com. The website redesign includes more than just aesthetics. The newly revamped website contains more search options, including Windermere’s Modern Properties program. Premier Properties are prominently showcased on the home page of the website. Windermere’s Blog, Neighborly News, is linked on the home page. Visitors to Windermere.com can click on the photo link to open the blog in a new window for easy browsing. If you’d like to share information from Windermere.com with your social media network, or via email, user friendly buttons are available throughout the website. The revamped Windermere.com also contains information on Windermere’s Building Communities outreach, including Windermere Foundation, Community Service Day and annual Community Events.

The cool, new “Discover Your Neighborhood” feature on Windermere.com enables searchers to look at community details either through a specific address search or basic search. With the basic search, the state must be identified along with one “radio button” — the button choices are city, zip code, county, school, district or neighborhood. The community information includes demographics, local school information (both public & private) with ratings, nearby businesses and recent home sales data. Searchers can also generate a comparative community overview by picking that tab, located in the second row of tabs along the top of the “Discover Your Neighborhood” search results. The comparative community overview generates a side-by-side comparison of the demographics of both neighborhoods.

In addition to the new features listed above, registered users of Windermere.com can save listings and searches. Plus, the listing result detail pages contain more mls data fields and are integrated with Bing maps. The Buyer and Seller sections on Windermere.com have been expanded, and the agent / office search has been upgraded. The nice write-up about the updated Windermere.com in InmanNews outlines these new features and upgrades.

The redesign of the company website is part of a company-wide technology upgrade spearheaded by Windermere Solutions, a technology company spun from the real estate branch of Windermere. In November, new agent websites were launched. In January 2012, upgraded office websites will launch. Both of these products have been designed to smoothly integrate with Windermere.com.

Mercer Island Christmas Tree Recyling: Dec. 26th, 2011 – Jan. 9th, 2012

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Lisa Lewis

Now that the Christmas holiday has passed, the city of Mercer Island is offering Christmas tree recycling Dec. 26th, 2011 to Jan. 9th, 2012. Island residents can bring their undecorated, unflocked holiday trees to Mercer Island’s Maintenance Shop during daylight hours. The Maintenance Shop is located at 9601 SE 36th Street. The city will use the chipped trees to mulch the island’s parks, trails and open spaces.

If you are a Mercer Island resident with yard waste service provided by Allied Waste, your holiday trees can be recycled in your yard waste bin. The undecorated, unflocked tree needs to cut into 4-foot long pieces and tied into bundles less than 2 feet by 3 feet wide. Biodegradable string or twine needs to be used to tie up the bundles.

Has your holiday tree been sprayed with flocking material? Your only disposal option is to cut up the tree and place it in your garbage can.

EDIT: The Mercer Island Lacrosse Team is also recycling trees for their annual fund raiser. If you are an island resident interested in recycling your tree through the team, they will start taking reservations on Friday, Dec. 30th. To place your reservation with the team please call (206) 659-5529. The undecorated, unflocked trees will be collected curb-side on Jan. 7th and 8th.

Tolling on the 520 Bridge Begins Tomorrow, Dec. 29th, 2011

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Lisa Lewis

When the news broke a few weeks ago about the 520 toll finally kicking in , the internet was buzzing with dialogue about it. Now that the toll sets in at 5 am tomorrow, Dec. 29th, you may have questions about using the 520 bridge and paying the toll. Here’s a top 10 list of 520 toll questions, courtesy of the WSDOT and King5 News, that addresses some of those questions.

The #1 question on the list is about the WSDOT Good To Go pass– are you set if you purchased the pass? It’s not enough to just purchase the sticker pass at a retail location. You also need to establish a pre-paid Good to Go account and activate your pass. Once you’ve activated your pass, the sticker needs to be placed on your car, using the included instruction that come with the pass.

The cost of the 520 toll is also high on the list. Here’s a handy-dandy toll rate chart. The toll cost fluctuates depending on the time of day, and if it’s a weekday or weekend day. The rate chart also shows the difference in toll costs for those who have a Good to Go pass versus those who choose to pay by mail.

A few of the questions on the list inquire about other routes around Lake Washington, like I-90 and 522, and how the toll will effect the traffic on alternate routes. While the WSDOT can’t predict traffic flow, the general consensus is these routes will experience heavier traffic once the 520 toll begins. More traffic on the already busy I-90 bridge is an important subject to Mercer Island residents, since the traffic flow on I-90 impacts their ability to commute off island.

Now if you are interested in alternatives to paying the 520 bridge toll, seven phone apps have hit the market to help local drivers navigate around the 520 toll. Five out of the seven apps are compatible with Windows phones. While that’s a large number of Windows phone apps, for a platform notorious for being app deficient, it’s not surprising when you consider the Microsoft presence on the Eastside, especially at the other end of 520. GeekWire’s article on the apps shares detailed information about each of the seven, along with GeekWire’s recommendations based on the smart phone platform.

Now it’s your turn— what are your thoughts about the 520 toll impact non-toll routes like I-90? If you are a Mercer Island resident, how do you think your off-island commuting will change based on the 520 toll?

Photo Courtesy of the WSDOT

PSE & King County E-Commerce Issue Warnings about Email Scams

Posted on December 16, 2011 by Lisa Lewis

Two local entities, Puget Sound Energy and the King County E-Commerce Property Tax System, have issued warnings regarding scam emails that look like they were emailed by them. PSE’s alert is here. King County’s alert is here.

Both fraudulent emails look very similar to ones customers would receive. Below are details about how you can identify the fraudulent emails:

PSE: 1)The fraudulent email is addressed to “Dear Customer” instead of the name the account is under. 2) The fraudulent email states, “Refer to the attached file to view more details, pay your bill and manage your account.” DO NOT open the attachment. Delete the email.

King County E-Commerce: 1) The fraudulent email is a confirmation of payment of property taxes. If you have not ever paid your property taxes through the e-commerce system the email is definitely a fraud and you should delete it.

This is a good reminder to never open attachments in an email before confirming with the sender that he/she actually emailed you an attachment. Also, practice safety habits with email. Before clicking a link within an email, hover over it. The destination web address should display somewhere on your computer screen. Don’t click on the link if it looks suspicious.

Holiday Myth Debunked: The Holidays Can Be a Great Time To Sell Your Home

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Lisa Lewis

At this time of year, buyers know that home inventory shrinks. The holidays are notorious for active listings migrating to TOMK(Temporarily Off Market). This migration, while predictable, does not necessarily mean it’s a best business practice for the sellers out there.

Buyers who are looking during the holiday season are typically serious buyers. People often have time off work during the holidays. This time off is a boon for viewing homes, especially for couples whose work schedules don’t mesh. Some home buyers even prefer looking at homes after the summer rush, when there’s more time to put together viable deals and negotiations are less stressful. Also, the predictable shrink of home inventory can definitely be an advantage to sellers who keep their homes on the market during the holiday. In fact, in a recent Realtor.com survey, 61% of the realtors polled felt the reduced competition was of great benefit to their sellers.

There are many ways to put a listing’s best face forward during the winter months, especially around the holidays. First, sellers can use the cheer of the holidays to their advantage. Staging a home to promote warm and cozy can be so much easier during December and into the New Year. Tasteful holiday decorations, a fire in the fireplace, the lingering aroma of baking spices– these details conger up sentimental thoughts. Sellers who are successful in creating such an atmosphere help buyers imagine their own families celebrating within the walls of the listed home. However, reign in clutter by focusing on just three decorated areas, for example the front door, the fireplace mantel and living room. An evergreen wreath or white lights around the front door makes the entry of the home inviting. Adding some splashes of coordinated holiday colors in the living room pulls the room together and gives off a festive glow. Greenery, or a candle display, looks really sharp on a fire place mantel.

One of the challenges for showing during the holidays, and the following winter months, is the decreased amount of daylight. One way to combat the lack of light is to keep all the lights on when the home is showing. Make sure to change burned out bulbs ASAP, and don’t forget the outside lights. Even if no showings are scheduled, keep the outdoor lights on for curb appeal–someone driving by might be enticed to schedule a showing because the house appearance is welcoming. Also, encourage daytime showings. Your agent can make the suggestion in the listing’s marketing remarks, and you can help out by being ready for viewings by 9 am daily.

One last item to consider: snow and wet weather can present a problem when buyers come to look at a home. In snowy areas, keep walks shoveled and take measures to de-ice the walks around the house. Rainy areas– double check downspouts and gutters to make sure they are doing their job. Seasonal outwear– both your own and buyers’– must be considered. Come up with a plan to contain your coats, hats, gloves and boots. A decorative container near the entrance your family uses can stash away hats and gloves. Keep the coats in the coat closet to a minimum. Take the time to hang your coat up in your bedroom closet to keep that clutter down. Buyers will probably keep their coats with them, but their shoes will be wet, and possibly muddy. If there is room, consider providing them a place to sit down and remove shoes. Even a pretty rug right inside the door, to wipe shoes on, will be a big help. Also, maintain a warm inside temperature, but not too warm. 65 degrees is good for winter showings, where buyers arrive bundled up due to the cold weather outside.

What if you already temporarily took your home off the market for the holidays, before considering all the benefits of listing through the end of the year? Talk to your agent. It’s not difficult to bring the listing back to active, and your agent to ready (and willing) to help you navigate the busy holiday season in conjunction to having a home listed for sale.

All of us at Windermere R.E. / Mercer Island hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season. Cheers to a Happy New Year!

Now it’s your turn– have you ever sold, or bought, a home around the holidays. What was the most helpful tips you received?

Announced Today: 520 Toll Kicks In Bright & Early On Dec. 29th, 2011

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Lisa Lewis

The much-anticipated– and much dreaded– 520 toll goes into effect at 5 am on Dec. 29th, 2011. Today’s announcement about the effective toll date is only 8 months behind schedule. Apparently the city of Bellevue spoke to state officials to encourage them to delay the tolls until the holiday shopping season was over, thus the Dec. 29th start date. I guess we can view it as a holiday gift to the Eastside from the city of Bellevue.

Twitter is abuzz about the 520 toll announcement. The Seattle Times (@seattletimes) is keeping track of all the replies and RTs of their announcement article by favoriting them. So far, most of the replies include the phrases, “Merry Christmas Seattle,” and “Happy New Year, Seattle.” Local economist Matthew Gardner (@SeattleEcon) tweets, “Tolling starts on the 520 bridge on 12/29. Get used to I-90 turning into a parking lot!”

What are the basics you need to know about the 520 toll? First, there will be no toll booths on this state route. You’ll need to purchase a Good to Go transponder and set up a Good to Go account. Transponders are available to purchase at Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC, Costco and a Good to Go customer service center located at 13107 NE 20th Street, Suites 3 & 4, in Bellevue. Second, if you don’t have a transponder and you drive on 520, a photo will be snapped of your license plate so a bill can be mailed to you. That bill will also include a $1.50 handling fee. Third, the toll rates will vary depending on the time of day. Take a look at the a toll rate chart published by the Seattle Times.

Now it’s your turn. Do you think that come the New Year that I-90 will turn into a parking lot during commuting hours? Will you change your routes to avoid 520?

November Brings a Rush of Sales Activity to Region

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Julie

November pending sales were 22.4% higher in King County than the same time last year. Average sales prices of Single Family Homes were down 8% (Condo prices were down 17%). Interest rates are currently hoovering around 4%. Could it be an early sign of a strong 2012 Spring market?market?