Zoo Tunes tickets go on sale!

Tickets for this year's ZooTunes concert series at Woodland Park Zoo go on sale at 8 a.m. Friday, April 24. Here’s the lineup for this year:

• June 19 – The Doobie Brothers with special guest Pat Simmons Jr.
• June 28 – The B-52s
• July 12 – Indigo Girls
• July 21 – Melissa Etheridge & Blondie
• July 22 – Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers
• July 26 – “Sweet Harmony Soul” featuring Mavis Staples, Patty Griffin & Amy Helm
• July 29 – Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
• August 9 – Ziggy Marley
• August 16 – Trampled By Turtles & The Devil Makes Three
• August 19 – Kenny Loggins

Tickets are available through Ticketfly or in person at the zoo during regular hours.

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A Sense of Urgency in the Seattle Home Market

It seems today's home buyers are feeling a very strong sense of urgency in the greater Seattle area.  With the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage expected to rise to above 4 percent some time this year, and home prices rising, Buyers are wanting to get into something now to take advantage of the lower rates and prices.  The only problem with this plan is that with our extremely limited inventory it is causing quite the frenzy and crazy bidding wars!  Buyers are feeling the stress of potentially getting priced out of the market as it seems home prices are rising weekly right now!

I'm experiencing this first-hand in the entire Seattle metro area in pretty much all but the highest price points.  Some agents are recommending very large earnest money deposits ($50,000+) and waiving all contingencies, including financing.  I can't in good faith support this practice, especially if the buyer is indeed planning to finance the purchase.  It is just too risky, and with how rapidly our prices seem to be increasing there is a high likelihood that the appraisal on the home (selling for substantially over the asking price) will not come back high enough to justify this price. This would mean the Buyer may need to bring in cash to make up the difference, or risk losing both the home and their earnest money since their loan will not be approved with the low appraisal.  There are other ways to make your offer strong and to give a Seller good reason to accept your offer that includes a financing contingency.  If you are needing to obtain a loan to purchase a home, you should really never waive the financing contingency.  There is no reason to if your agent is familiar with how the standard NWMLS financing contingency works and can explain to a Seller how it can benefit them as well.

Every transaction and offer I have been involved with this year has been a multiple offer situation, even when you're the very first buyer (submitting an offer within 30 min. of the home being listed in the MLS), it seems you will likely still be dealing with competition.  Please make sure you've got an agent that knows all the ins and outs of how to best structure your offer to make it as strong as possible but still keep you protected.  And if you're a home seller, please make sure your agent knows exactly what is happening in your local market week-to-week and is experienced in dealing with these multiple offer situations.  It's really not the kind of market you want to hire a rookie or part-time agent in, regardless of whether you're buying or selling.

To all the people in the greater Seattle area trying to purchase a home right now....Hang in there!  It is a tough market and it's easy to feel discouraged or beaten up, but the right home is out there for you!  It might just take a little longer than you originally expected! 
And to all the homeowners who have been considering selling - We have not seen a better time to sell since prices began to fall in 2007, and we have never seen such a discrepancy in supply and demand!  You may be very surprised at how much your home may sell for in today's market in just a few days!  I'm happy to provide a free, no-obligation market analysis to anyone who's curious. 

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A Greenwood fixture prepares to say goodbye!

The eclectic eye-catching antique shop at the corner of Greenwood Ave. and 85th St. will soon be closing its doors.  "Antiqua" has been a community fixture since 1996 so it will be sad to see it go!  The owners, Meridee and Fevzi, say it is simply time for them to retire.
Everything is 40% off so get in there and wish them the best with the next chapter in their lives and take home some great finds!  We will miss you Antiqua, but thank you for the many years as a great Greenwood community business!

I wonder what will take its place?  Any businesses out there looking for a very cool space in a prime location?

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New Greenwood Fred Meyer opens - what do you think?

The newly remodeled Greenwood Fred Meyer re-opened on Feb. 1st to quite the crowd of shoppers and neighbors!
I can't deny that I was very sad to see my beloved Greenwood Market (a Town & Country Market) close its doors last spring, but I tried to keep an open mind about the improved Fred Meyer that was to take its place. My dogs and I used to walk to Greenwood Market literally daily...sometimes more than once per day since it was so close to both my house and office and had such a great selection of local and organic products.  Plus the staff were so friendly.  I knew them all by name and we frequently chatted and exchanged recipes.  I've been a bit lost for the past year with no local grocery store within 2 blocks of my house.  I know, I was spoiled having such a great store so close! :)

While I haven't explored the new Fred Meyer in its entirety yet, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised by a few things in the grocery department.  There is an awesome independent cheese shop inside the store.  I'm a cheese-a-holic so this is a very good thing and also very dangerous for me!  ha!  They also seem to have a much better selection of organic produce than the other Fred Meyer stores around town.  It seems they are making an effort for more local products as well, but I'd like to see them increase this even more.  Kudos though for the marked improvements over the other stores and a step in the right direction!

I'm curious what the rest of the neighborhood thinks about the new store?  There were some heated debates and mixed emotions about the closing of Greenwood Market when Fred Meyer decided not to renew their lease, even some people claiming they would boycott FM because of this.  I'm curious if anyone's views have changed now that the new store is here and it seems they are making an effort to be a very positive addition to the community.  A great move on their part was for their grand opening they donated $5000 each to local non-profits:  the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Food Bank, Greenwood Library, the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club, and PAWS.  Way to go Freddies!  Let's keep up the community involvement!

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"17 Hours" Art Show by Yours Truly!!! :)

I'm excited to announce my first ever solo photography show!  Photography is still a fairly "new" hobby for me so this is definitely a step out of my comfort zone but I decided to just go for it and put it out there!  :)  Yay for trying new things and being vulnerable!

This Friday, October 12th will be the show's opening at Rockwell Realty (of course!) as part of the monthly "Art Up Phinneywood" art walk.  I'm calling the show "17 Hours".  Basically I took 1 summer Seattle day and tried to find a wide variety of things to shoot.  I still had to deal with some daily commitments and other priorities, but all of the photos were from that one day.  I had no plan or direction in mind and didn't want to specifically try to depict "Seattle" in my photos, but simply one random day and whatever that day threw at me.  It was an awesome challenge and I was exhausted by the end of the day but what a blast and a great learning experience!

If you're in the area this Friday please consider stopping by to check it out and say hello!  I'll be there from 6-9pm and we'll have wine and cheese too!  :)  I'm not posting any photos of the show since I don't want to spoil it - you just have to come see for yourself!  And yes I'm working on a photography website:  www.stephaniemoe.com, but have a long ways to go before it's "live".  Stay tuned!

Cheers!

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The BIG Annual Art Walk at Rockwell Realty!

This weekend we get to once again play host to a very fun event.  The 17th Annual Art Walk in the Greenwood/Phinney neighborhood.  More than 150 artists will be showcasing their works in 75 businesses from 59th to 87th St on Greenwood Ave.

The event is from 6-9pm on Friday, May 11th and again on Saturday May 12th from 12-5pm.  In years past this hugely popular event typically turns into a massive neighborhood party with musicians, street performances, kid's activities and more. It's always a great time! 

This year we are excited to be featuring some unique works from a very talented local artist and personal friend, Michael Lyons.  His website can be found here.

We'll be offering up some snacks and drinks along with music, art, and great conversations with our community! We'll be continuing our fundraising efforts for local non-profit The Rose International Fund for Children, and maybe just maybe we'll have some surprise live music again this year!  ;)

I will be hosting on Friday night so do come by and say hello!  Rockwell Realty - 8315 Greenwood Ave N.

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Multiple Offers, Bidding Wars, Pre-Inspections - It's NUTS out there!

Seemingly overnight we are back in a very competitive market for Buyers in certain popular neighborhoods throughout the Seattle area.  I saw glimpses of this starting back in very early February, but just within the last 6-8 weeks it has gotten absolutely nuts!  I've been involved in 4 different multiple offer situations within the last 2 weeks, and more than 6 within the last month.  I'm seeing certain homes sell for potentially up to 15-20% over the asking price with 8-16 or more offers and the majority of Buyers are completing pre-inspections to make their offers stronger.  Our listing prices on move-in ready homes in desirable areas are obviously going to start rising as a result of this madness.

It is GREAT for Sellers but exhausting and heartbreaking for Buyers that are struggling to get into a home in our popular close-in neighborhoods.

Hopefully our inventory levels will start to pick up as more and more Sellers realize it IS a good time to sell.  We could use a little more balance right now in our Seattle real estate market that's for sure!

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Local Happenings - Phinney Wine Tasting

Just thought I'd post a fun local neighborhood happning - The Phinney Neighborhood Association’s annual Wine Taste is from 7:30-10 p.m. on Saturday, February 25th. Cost is $25 for PNA members, $30 for non-members. 

This is always a fun event and your ticket includes 10 tastes of wine, hors d'oeuvres, and live music.  Participating wineries are listed here.

Purchase your tickets online, or at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

Enjoy!

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"Gimme Shelter" Group Art Show at Rockwell Realty

Rockwell Realty is excited to be hosting a group art show this month entitled "Gimme Shelter". Seven talented local artists, drawing on the real estate business, have riffed on the theme of shelter to present 30+ new works for this show.

“GIMME SHELTER” Greenwood/Phinney Art Walk, Feb. 10th, 6-9 pm
Rockwell Realty, 8315 Greenwood Ave N.

Participating artists:

Marty Gordon’s paper collage has depth beyond the clever wordplay and comic imagery

Heather Hudson’s oil paintings reflect her recent home improvement project

Doug Keith captures a story in his mixed media assemblages in old wooden drawers

Cheri Kopp assembles trash and other cast off items to create mixed media pieces

Tim Manthey creates surreal paper collage from printed images and ephemera

James McFarlane’s watercolors are inspired by the northwest landscape and urban life

Craig van den Bosch shows mixed media collage on baltic birch plywood
 

We'll  have the usual wine and other goodies so please come by and say hello!
We hope to see you this Friday!

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Greenwood-Phinney April Art Walk

It's the 2nd Friday of the month again already! Sheesh does time ever fly!?! I love hosting the monthly neighborhood art walk at the office. I've met a ton of fabulous neighbors and business owners and am absolutely excited about being a part of the Greenwood-Phinney community!

This month we are featuring a very talented good friend of mine. He has some extremely unique pieces including a full wall tape mural and this piece that has real ladybugs! (Don't worry, they were dead before he got them...no ladybugs were harmed in the creation of this art!)

We'll be having the usual wine, cheese, a few beers, music and good conversation. Please stop by and say hello and check out Michael's lovely art!

Friday, April 12th from 6-9pm
Rockwell Realty
8315 Greenwood Ave N

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Re-Branding Rockwell Realty!

For the past 9 months or so we have been hard at work on a very special company re-brand for Rockwell Realty. With the help of Horsepower Design, we are very excited to be nearing the launch! This is our new for sale sign! Isn't it pretty? :) The cityscape mosaic represents our goal of having offices in "urban villages" throughout the city as well as abstractly showing our "Connected to Community" theme with the connecting lines. At Rockwell we are highly committed to being an active part in our communities through both monetary donations and personal involvement. About 4 years ago I moved over to the Greenwood/Phinney neighborhood in Seattle and absolutely love it! Both living and working in this neighborhood have allowed me to really feel like I am part of a community. I love it and just keep getting more involved and meeting more of my home & business neighbors everyday! Have I mentioned that I love it?! ;)

You may still see some remnants of the old Rockwell logo floating around with for sale signs, business cards, etc. but these are all being phased out asap. We are very excited about the direction and focus of the company and being "Connected to the Community".

Please feel free to stop in and visit us for an upcoming monthly art walk! The 2nd Friday of every month is the Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk from 6-9pm. Each month we showcase a new up and coming local artist and kick back and relax with some wine, cheese, and sometimes even live music! For a real estate office, how cool is that?!! Our Greenwood office is located at 8315 Greenwood Ave N, oh-so dangerously close to the chocolate shop! :)

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March Art Up Greenwood-Phinney

It's that time of the month again! When we all love to wander the neighborhood looking at beautiful works of art in all different types of media and style.
This month we are proud to be featuring a very talented artist by the name of Jenny Gini.

"Expressions" by Jenny Gini -- Paintings focus mostly on women's faces or figures in both realistic and surrealistic depiction. In her large graphic portraits, the intrigue lies in the moody and mysterious expressions she captures: snapshot scenes intrigued the viewer with not only what they see but what is not seen. Her figurative work is often an optical illusion that morphs into the form of a flower or a surreal landscape creating two images in one.

Please stop by and say "hello" and enjoy a glass of wine or sparkling cider with us!
Friday, March 12th from 6-9pm

8315 Greenwood Ave N.

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