Hi there!
My friends at the West Seattle Nooners shared my story on our website. If you would like see the blog entry click here!
Happy New Year everyone!
As always I like to bring you updates on important issues. Usually real estate related but I think we can all agree that this is timely and critical to us all.
Thank you for your continued support in life and business. I wish you pleasant holidays and a very Happy New Year!
Domenica
I would like to personally invite you to Santa Paws 2011 at Windermere West Seattle.
Please join me for some refreshments and a whole lot of fun.
Get your photo with Santa for everyone in the family,
4 legged pals and little munchkins alike!
The Windermere West Seattle office is located at 4526 California Ave SW.
Free 3 hour parking in the lot behind our office (enter the lot off 42nd Ave SW).
I look forward to seeing you there! Should you have any questions,
please give me a call at 206-730-3812.
Please RSVP [email protected]
Happy Holidays!
Domenica
I am so pleased to share my Q3:2011 Seattle Real Estate Quarterly Report.
I made some adjustments to the design this quarter and would love to hear what you think. The real estate market has been very much like we expected this quarter and the numbers in the report reflect that. I decided to switch the content up a bit to help spread the word about my involvement in creating affordable housing and the Referral Contest.
I would be so grateful if you would use the buttons at the bottom of the email and send to friends or share on Facebook. The more people who know about what I’m trying to do the better!
Thanks so much for your continued support in my life and business.
Cheers!
Domenica
Click here to download a pdf of the report.
(Don’t worry, there’s something in it for you too. Read on…)
I recently had the opportunity to spend a day volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and it was a pivotal day for me. Many of you know that in 2006 I spent 8 days building 4 homes in Baton Rouge with Habitat. Last week I was reminded of what a life changing experience that week in 2006 was for me, and for the people working by my side who would ultimately move into those homes.
Okay Domenica, what on earth does this have to do with your “mission”?
A mission is something that drives you every day regardless of what you do for a living. And it comes into play in everything you do. Even if you don’t know it.
Low and behold it is a driving force behind what I do for a living and (not so coincidentally) the reason that my heart soars when I pick up a hammer and help someone build a home for a family in need.
My mission?
My mission is to help individuals gain self respect and independence in their lives.
It may sound dorky at first glance but when I look at what makes me tick, and connect the dots, I realize there is a huge correlation between self respect & independence and homeownership. Whether you are buying your “dream home” because you’ve worked all your life for it or moving your children out of a homeless shelter into their first home with a yard. Arguably both are dream homes.
Okay. What’s the point?
Let’s face it, the economy has hit us all and my business has been affected too. I’ve decided I really need to spend more time volunteering but the reality is that I need your help to do it. Plain and simple, I need more business.
So what’s the plan?
A referral contest!!!!!
Prizes!!!!!
Yay!!!!
October 1st, through December 31st, 2011
I will work 1 full day at Habitat for Humanity King County for every referral I receive (self referrals included).
I will work ANOTHER full day at Habitat for every one of those referrals that ends in closed business between now and March 31st, 2012.
On December 31st, 2012 I will award a $100 Lowes gift card to the person who sent me the most referrals.
What??? You are giving away your time AND $100 bucks??? Just for the opportunity to take great care of my friends?
I can buy a small appliance for that! Paint my bedroom purple! Fill my house with luscious plants! Buy gift cards to give away next Christmas! Trade for other stuff with my friends!
Here’s the deal folks. We all need to support each other and this time I’m asking for your support. I want to do more good in the world and the bottom line is that I need to increase my business in order to do what feeds my soul.
Will you help?
Domenica
But this West Seattle playground was!
I seldom plug Windermere, or my office, but I am so proud of my colleagues for their hard work last week. This park was beautifully landscaped and play equipment installed in one day by Windermere Agents and High Point neighbors, along with KaBOOM! and the Windermere Foundation. Now High Point families can enjoy it for many years to come.
See photos of the transformation on the King5 site and the West Seattle Blog. And if you have a worthy project you would like some help with let me know. I happen to know a great group of handy helpers who just might be able to pitch in.
Domenica
One of my favorite websites these days is Re-Nest. This site has everything from DIY home projects, ideas for living in small spaces and stay organized, ways to be green at home and TONS of great design ideas.
Recently I ran across the article focusing on the Slow Home . “Like the Slow Food movement, which exists in opposition to “fast food” in its celebration of local food traditions and culture, the Slow Home is one that takes a calm, carefully considered, and intuitive approach to home design and living.”
I always appreciate getting more perspective on how to live lighter, healthier and happier. So it’s wonderful to discover new ways that can be welcomed into our dwellings. I think home owners and renters alike will find this insightful and thought provoking.
Enjoy!
Domenica
This week my Quarterly Report came back from the printer just in time for all kinds of important economic events! Debt ceiling decisions, credit downgrades and unemployment rate reports all came in after we went to print so I thought I’d share a couple of things in conjunction with my report to round out the information.
Today the Huffington Post reported the US economy added 117,000 jobs in July which is great news that goes right in line with my observations of Q2-2011.
The big news as most of you know is the debt ceiling battle and subsequent credit downgrade. I don’t know about most of you but my head sometimes starts to spin with all this news. Wells Fargo released this fantastic explanation about the issue which helps to explain it in mostly plain English.
All this supports my assertion that long term thinking in all that we do is key. There won’t be any quick resolutions to the problems at hand. Baby steps, perspective and long term thinking is my mantra!
Best Regards,
Domenica
I recently came across a great blog all about credit. After geeking out for an hour or so on her site I decided to share it with you!
Linda Ferarri is a savvy and clear communicator about all things credit. There are blog posts, videos and audio available on her site. Advice about credit myths, credit repair, a myriad of credit related articles and she even wrote a book!
The post that caught my attention was “Credit myths that put your score at risk”. Important information for anyone these days.
Hope you find this information useful. Enjoy your week!
Domenica
Well, according to Aubrey Cohen of the Seattle PI Real Estate Blog, a new report from CoreLogic shows the numbers we hear about real estate prices are dramatically skewed by “distressed” home sales (foreclosures and short sales). Mr. Cohen quotes that prices declined in Seattle 5.8% from May ‘10 – May ‘11 but if you remove the “distressed” home closings from that number it changes to a much less daunting 1.75%!
The reality is that short sales and foreclosure properties sell for less money than other homes. These days many buyers are getting tired of wasting months and months on a short sale. If a seller is in a good equity position they stand out well in the marketplace, often being able to negotiate more strongly on price as well as terms. It’s an interesting dynamic in what most people would consider a “buyers market”.
So “distressed homes” are dragging public perception down for sure. But they don’t have to drag sales prices down overall unless sellers fail to recognize when they are in a strong position. Just another reason to make sure you are working with a great agent who not only knows the market, but also has proven strategies for getting top dollar.
If you are curious about your home’s value don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’m happy to prepare a market analysis to help you understand your current equity position anytime. I always appreciate the opportunity to help, and to catch up with my peeps!
Best Regards,
Domenica
