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Home Seller Tips: Better is Better
National Walking Day, April 3: Take a step toward fighting heart disease
by MARYETTA WILLIAMS / Guest Blogger
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 3:27 PM
Updated Tuesday, Mar 26 at 2:22 PM
Gallery
The American Heart Association and Union Bank are hosting a group walk beginning at the bank’s Fifth and University Branch in Downtown Seattle at noon on April 3. KING 5’s Rich Marriott will emcee the rally shortly before the walk. For more information about group walks in Seattle and Tacoma, visitPugetSoundHeartWalk.org.
I want to share with you why the American Heart Association and the work they do is so important to me, my family and Union Bank.
I lost my dad to a massive heart attack. He had cardiovascular disease that went undetected.
Even though that was more than two years ago, it still seems like yesterday. The loss is still painful today. But within my sadness came new strength and an awareness of how precious life is and how heart health should be a number one passion for everyone.
Losing my dad showed me that you never know when a heart condition can strike someone you love. When I lost my dad, I felt helpless and didn’t know where to turn. The AHA was there for me. I knew that through my loss I wanted to help educate others about heart disease, and to play my small part in the battle against heart disease.
I tell this story because the AHA has designated Wednesday, April 3 as National Walking Day. The idea is simple: get up and get walking. Walking is the simplest and single most effective form of exercise to achieve heart health, and walking for as little as 30 minutes a day has been proven to help reduce the risk of heart disease.
I ask you to think about a family member, friend or colleague who was touched by heart disease.
As the local sponsor for National Walking Day, we are committed to raising awareness of the importance and health benefits of physical activity through walking.I hope you can join me and Union Bank in supporting this great cause.
I know that I will never take a simple walk like we all plan to do April 3 for granted ever again.
So, in honor of my dad, thank you for joining us in this national campaign.
Maryetta Williams
Maryetta Williams is a Region Manager in the Pacific Northwest for Union Bank, and a supporter of the American Heart Association.
Work smarter, not harder, on DIY projects
6 common-sense tips to save time, avoid mistakes
BY PAUL BIANCHINA, FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013.
Do-it-yourself projects can be extremely satisfying, and the savings can add some much-needed cash to your wallet. But they can also be a lot of work, and they take time away from family and leisure activities. So why make them any harder than they need to be?
With that simple philosophy in mind, here’s a list of suggestions to help you get your projects done more quickly and with less stress.
1. Set up some work tables: Having a place that’s off the floor to gather all your tools and materials is one of the quickest and most helpful things you can do. It keeps everything in one place, makes assembly much easier, and puts tools like miter saws at a safe, comfortable working height.
One of the best ways to do this is with an inexpensive pair of folding sawhorses, topped with a couple of two-by-fours and a sheet or a half-sheet of particleboard or plywood. A couple of screws through the particleboard into the two-by-fours will keep things from tipping. These are easy and cheap enough to make and move that you can consider having a couple of them set up in different areas as needed. But remember: These are not for standing on!
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2. Plastic is your friend: Pick up a roll or two of thin plastic sheeting, also called painter’s plastic. Use it to cover your work tables, to hang over doorways, to cover furniture, and to protect anything else you don’t want covered with dust, paint and drywall mud. It sounds like such a common-sense thing, but a lot of people don’t do it, and the end result is hours wasted at the end of the job in unnecessary cleanup, not to mention the possibility of a ruined piece of furniture.
3. Gather what you need: One of the best things you can do to speed up the job and avoid frustration is to gather up everything you need before you start. Make a list of all the tools you can think of, and get them set out on your work table. That helps you avoid being right in the middle of something, and having to run out to the garage or down to the basement in search of the right wrench.
Also, try to figure out all your materials. Few things are more irritating than being partway through a project and finding out that some crucial piece is missing — especially when the power’s off or you’re without water — and you have to make a run to the home center at the last minute.
4. Buy some clamps: Bar clamps, especially the quick-grip type that can be operated with a squeeze of one hand, are surprisingly valuable to have around. They act like a second set of hands for temporarily aligning things while you fasten them, such as two boards or a couple of cabinet faces; they hold things in place temporarily, like your work table top to your sawhorses; they can pull stubborn boards together, or push them apart; and many other things.
Buy at least one pair in a couple of different lengths, along with some spring clamps, which are available inexpensively in a package of assorted sizes.
5. Read the instructions: Believe it or not, the instructions packaged with most items are there for a reason, and it pays to read them. The instructions give you a list of what parts should be included, so you can check to see that everything’s there before you start. They also give you the proper assembly sequence, to avoid missed steps. Many of them also give you a list of necessary tools.
I recommend taping the instructions to a wall near where you’re working, or attaching them to a scrap of plywood with some binder clips so they stay open and handy. When you’re done with the assembly, label the instructions with the date of installation, the model and serial number of the item, and where you bought it, then file it for future reference. And don’t forget to register the warranty.
6. Ask for help: If you don’t understand how to do something, ask for an explanation where you buy your products or tools. Most home centers, hardware stores, paint stores, lumberyards and other retailers that cater to do-it-yourselfers have very knowledgeable sales staffs that can assist you with your questions. They can also help you gather up additional materials and tools that you might need to see the project through to completion.
On a related note, if a project calls for a second set of hands, ask for help with that as well. Exceeding your personal limitations for lifting and maneuvering something into place can not only result in a sloppy job, but it’s also downright dangerous.
Remodeling and repair questions? Email Paul at paulbianchina@inman.com.All product reviews are based on the author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by the manufacturers.
Home Buyer Tips: Get What You Want
Boeing announces $15.6 billion deal with Europe’s Ryanair
MARCH 19, 2013 · UPDATED 2:10 PM
Boeing on Tuesday announced that Ryanair has committed to order 175 Next-Generation 737-800s for the airline’s fleet expansion.
When finalized, the agreement will be worth $15.6 billion at list prices and will be posted to the Boeing Orders & Deliveries website as a firm order.
“This agreement is an amazing testament to the value that the Next-Generation 737 brings to Ryanair,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President & CEO Ray Conner. “We are pleased that the Next-Generation 737, as the most efficient, most reliable large single-aisle airplane flying today, has been and will continue to be the cornerstone of the Ryanair fleet. Our partnership with this great European low-cost carrier is of the utmost importance to everyone at The Boeing Company and I could not be more proud to see it extended for years to come.”
Ryanair is Europe’s leading low-cost airline and is based.
Read more at: http://www.rentonreporter.com/business/199026321.htmln Ireland.
Real estate needs more women in leadership roles
Broker’s Notebook
BY TERESA BOARDMAN, THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013.
One of the reasons I was attracted to being a real estate agent is because there is no glass ceiling for agents. Women are paid the same amount — and the same way — men are paid.
There are more women working as real estate agents than men, and we sell more real estate than men sell. There are all kinds of theories as to why we are good at it, but we are.
Working with buyers and sellers isn’t at all like working in a putty-colored cubicle at a large company and taking orders from the man in the corner office. I have never felt any kind discrimination meeting with home buyers or sellers.
It’s alright for a woman to be a real estate agent, and it’s alright to be over 40. My clients are totally convinced I can do a great job for them, and they are the only people I have to convince. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am competing on a level playing field and I can succeed.
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Throughout my career in corporate America I was always a trail blazer and a leader. Being the token woman leader in my department or division was not what I had in mind when I graduated from college. What was I thinking? I should have been focused on doing something meaningful with my work life.
It took me decades to understand that I could never really reach my full potential because of the enormous amount of energy I expended trying to fight a system that has limited womens’ income and career opportunities for decades. I want women everywhere to start businesses.
I love the freedom that I have as a real estate agent to be myself. It is amazing and liberating. I can be creative, smart, empathetic, nurturing and authoritative without penalty. I can swear when appropriate and wear two pairs of glasses when I want to.
I may be a woman and maybe I am not young anymore, but I sell real estate. No one can stop me, and life is good.
It is my hope that more women learn how to empower themselves and build on their own strengths, instead of always focusing on their weaknesses. Women should lead their own businesses, or build companies, instead of struggling to succeed in institutions where men thrive while women barely survive.
The world of real estate management and leadership is male dominated but that does not impact my business. Real estate sales is not about corporations, brands, or technology. It is about people and their homes.
There is a lot of room right inside the real estate industry to invent and create things that real estate practitioners can actually use.
As I watched a video of the “New Kids on the Block” at the Real Estate Connect conference, I was not surprised that everyone on stage was male. There are more men working in all levels in the technology industry than there are women. I don’t think Inman News went out of their way to keep women off the stage. I don’t think there were many women who could take the stage in that arena.
All of the speakers or facilitators for the RETSO (Real Estate Technology South) conference, which is aimed at real estate professionals, are male, and there are seven of them. I am not picking on RETSO — it is an excellent event, and even though it was founded by men and run by men, they let me be up on the main stage a couple of times.
There could be more women on stage if more wanted to be there and asked. Men ask, while women wait for an invitation that will never come.
Only 26 percent of the “100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders” identified by Inman News are women. The National Association of Realtors has one woman and one man working in “digital engagement.” I could not help but notice that the man made the Inman News “Most Influential” list, and the woman did not.
NAR is a membership organization with more women members than men. The current NAR “leadership team” is all male, and NAR is focused on attracting younger members by hosting social events.
In the 1980s, I never would have imagined that in 2013 I would be writing something like this.
Women have been in the workforce for decades and have made very little progress. We still make an average of 77 cents for every dollar men make.
Why aren’t there more women in leadership roles in the real estate industry when we have so many women in the industry at all levels? Should we care?
Women need to speak up, and we need to set goals for ourselves and decide what success is and plot our own course.
Teresa Boardman is a broker in St. Paul, Minn., and founder of the St. Paul Real Estate blog.
Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen to become official Rock Gods
MATT PHELPS, BOTHELL REPORTER
Roger Fisher, left, and Steve Fossen will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18 as a part of the band Heart. Both Fisher and Fossen grew up in Kenmore and attended Inglemoor High School.
By MATT PHELPS
Bothell Reporter Regional Assistant Editor
MARCH 19, 2013 · UPDATED 2:39 PM
Roger Fisher and Steve Fossen have been friends for nearly 50 years. They were part of the first sophomore class at Inglemoor High School, shared the same homeroom and played their first gigs around the Kenmore and Bothell area. In (April for web) two weeks they will do one more big thing together – officially become “Rock Gods.”
Both are founding members of the band Heart, which will be inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on April 18.
“It is an odd feeling to be in the same club as Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen,” said Fossen, who played bass for Heart for nearly 15 years.
Many of the bands in the Hall of Fame inspired the two friends.
“The Beatles changed everything,” said Fisher, who played guitar in Heart for more than a decade. “We were really into music (when they met) but we didn’t have instruments.”
“I would tape my transistor radio to my bike and the first time I heard ‘From Me to You’ I was blown away so much I forgot I was riding my bike,” said Fossen.
The two friends said that they were similar in many ways when they met in 8th grade at IHS.
“Our first conversation was about people passing gas and how if it was colored, people wouldn’t do it so much,” said Fisher.
Both said their parents rented them their first instruments to keep them out of trouble. Fisher began burglarizing houses in high school and was “humiliated” having to stand in front of the judge with his mother. All Fisher stole was an eight ball from a pool table and the judge let him off easy.
“Getting busted made me concentrate on guitar,” said Fisher.
Fossen’s parents rented him his first bass guitar and amp to keep him out of trouble, too. But he had to get a job at the downtown Kenmore IGA grocery store to pay for it.
“I got paid $14 a week or something,” said Fossen. “I eventually quit because I could make 10 times that or more on the weekends (playing shows).”
The two gave praise to their manager Mike Fisher, Roger’s older brother, for getting the band a lot of shows and making them money.
“We were successful from the get-go,” said Roger Fisher.
They first found local success under the band name The Army. The two friends formed the band in Fossin’s parents’ office with a hand shake in 1967. The band played a show in the parking lot next to Oestroms in downtown Kenmore. They went on to play shows all around the Puget Sound and their first road trip was to Missoula, Mont. to a place called “The Cave.”
But when the band needed a new singer they placed an ad in a local paper.
“We placed an ad in the Bellevue American and Ann (Wilson) answered it,” said Fisher. “We originally had two lead singers.”
Fisher fell in love with Ann’s sister Nancy Wilson the first time he saw her.
“We went to Ann’s house and I saw a photo of Nancy and it altered my world,” said Fisher.
Fisher and Nancy Wilson began a long personal relationship, while his brother Mike began a relationship with Ann Wilson.
But the band played bars with Ann WIlson for three years before Nancy Wilson joined the group.
Their first gig was in Richland, Wash. and the friends made enough money to pay off all of their debt.
The band changed names a few times before settling on Heart. Heart signed to a Canadian label called Mushroom Records.
But their relationship with Mushroom Records was short-lived despite the success of the music. The band’s first album “Dreamboat Annie” went gold.
“The record company was holding our funds back,” said Fossen. “They were trying to bribe us to keep going.”
The record then went platinum.
“We were opening for the Doobie Brothers and the Beach Boys,” said Fossen. “(The album) went double platinum and we were still at $200 a week (each).”
The band finally moved on to sign with CBS Records and things changed.
“They passed out the checkbooks and we each got $250,000,” said Fossen. “We all went out and bought cars and guitars and houses.”
“We all got dental work, too,” said Fisher.
The band had great success, fueled by classic songs such as “Barracuda,” “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man” and “Kick it out.”
“For a song to last a long time it has to have significant inspiration and intelligence,” said Fisher.
Their partying was almost as legendary as the songs.
“We weren’t teetotalers but we knew we had to maintain our physical acuity,” said Fisher.
Both agreed the band was focused on putting on the best shows possible – but that they had their fun.
“Each member wanted it to be successful,” said Fisher.
In all, Fisher and Fossen would work on five Heart albums, including Dreamboat Annie, Magazine, Little Queen, and Dog and Butterfly. Fossen would stay on with the band through the release of Bebe le Strange and Private Audition.
The band has had about 20 members in and out of its ranks with the Wilson sisters the only mainstays. Both Fossen and Fisher look back on their time with fond memories.
“Heart could not have been what it was without any one of us,” said Fisher, who now lives in Monroe.
Both found it difficult to move on after leaving the band.
“I couldn’t imagine going out and playing in a bar,” said Fisher. “When you are in a band like that people treat you like royalty. It took me a year to realize that I was in the wrong state of mind.”
Fossen said that in the music business you’re either on top or the bottom and there isn’t much in between.
Both were excited when they heard in 2011 that Heart was nominated for the Hall of Fame.
“I saw the most amazing rainbow when we did the final mix of Dreamboat Annie,” said Fossen. “Then I saw one just like it after I heard we were nominated (in 2011).”
The band was voted in on its second ballot in 2012.
Both have stayed in contact with the Wilson sisters, mainly by sharing email correspondence.
Fisher is launching a solo project and album called One Vision. He plays in a band called Roger Fisher and Friends and is working on an autobiography.
Fisher and Fossen graduated from Inglemoor High School in 1968 and their class helped to choose the high school’s colors – yellow and black – and the Viking mascot.
“We really have a vested interest in this school,” said Fossen.
Both said that their parents were a big part of their lives and success.
Fossen is glad his father, who always told him “to get a real job,” was able to see his success.
“My dad was super proud,” said Fossen. “He had a scrapbook for me and always bragged it up with friends.”
Fossen still lives in Kenmore and was recently added to Woodinville-based Ampeg amps’ artist roster. Fossen plays in a band called Heart by Heart with former Heart drummer Michael Derosier. The band plays Heart songs and Fisher sometimes sits in with his old friends.
Fisher was inducted into the Northshore School District’s Wall of Honor in 2010. He said he hopes his longtime friend will be added soon.
The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be aired on HBO on May 18.
Former Heart bassist Steve Fossen, left, and Roger Fisher went to school at Inglemoor High School and graduated in 1968.
Contact Bothell Reporter Regional Assistant Editor Matt Phelps at editor@bothell-reporter.com or 1-425-483-3732 (ext 5050).
Real Estate Funny of the Day
Seattle deciding who’ll see the Space Needle
The City Council is debating what views of the famous structure should be protected — and at what cost.
By Bob Young
Seattle Times staff reporter
SPACE NEEDLE CORP.
The Space Needle can be seen in this view from Lake Union Park at the south end of Lake Union.
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Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) has a new home at the water’s edge in South Lake Union.
But when museum-goers stroll outside in the adjacent city park in the future, they may not be able to see Seattle’s most famous structure, the Space Needle. Their views could be obstructed, if not obliterated, by new taller buildings, some of which would be allowed by zoning changes the City Council is debating.
Jeffrey Wright, chairman of the Space Needle Corp., argues that views of the iconic tower should be preserved from public places such as Lake Union Park and even the Interstate 5 offramp to Mercer Street.
“This is a huge issue for the image of our city,” Wright said. “Most people when they see the Space Needle or Pike Place Market say, ‘That is Seattle.’ I’m very concerned that is not a priority for the council or planners.”
When it comes to public views of the Space Needle, a South Lake Union zoning proposal by Mayor Mike McGinn follows a 2001 city rule that preserves views from 10 city parks. But that list does not include Lake Union Park.
Because taxpayers and private donors, led by Paul Allen, spent $30 million to renovate the park, and MOHAI opened there in December, city Planning Director Marshall Foster said preserving the park’s views of the Space Needle is a “very valid policy question.”
But protecting those views and others would likely lead to diminishing the development potential of some private properties. That leaves city officials with a balancing act between public views and private interests whose buildings would add jobs and housing, which also can benefit the public.
For some, that’s an easy call.
“Take my view, please,” wrote Roger Valdez, an advocate for compact, vertical communities, in his land-use blog.
Valdez argues that the public benefits of taller buildings — tax revenues, shorter commutes, less pollution — outweigh the protection of some Space Needle views. That’s especially so, Valdez says, when the 605-foot tower will still be visible from all over the city.
“It’s kind of the price of growing up,” he said.
Jeffrey Karl Ochsner, a University of Washington architecture professor, disagrees.
Public views of the Space Needle have their own economic value, particularly for tourism, Ochsner said. Seattle also has a history of valuing public views because much of the populace can’t afford sweet private views, he said.
City officials hope to attract several thousand new residents to South Lake Union with taller buildings. But Ochsner asks who will live in high-rise towers in a chic neighborhood. “You’re talking about the 1 percent,” he said.
2001 list
To be clear, the debate involves only public views of the Space Needle.
The city’s policy is that it can’t be concerned with legislating private views. In the 2001 legislation, city officials acknowledged the profound value of being able to see the Space Needle from certain high-activity public places.
Planners scored those places through a matrix of criteria and came up with 10 city parks from which views of the Space Needle should be preserved. Those sites include Kerry Park on Queen Anne and Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill.
For a good view, planners said, 75 percent of the tower and all of its crowning saucer should be visible.
Lake Union Park didn’t score high enough to make the list in 2001, according to planners, because it was not restful enough, it didn’t draw enough tourists, and protecting views from there would significantly diminish private-property values nearby.
“There’s no question it would score higher” today, Foster said of the park, “given the city investment and the attraction we’ve created in MOHAI.”
Even then, there may be dispute over just how severely park views of the Space Needle would be blocked in the future.
The Space Needle Corp. has a model showing complete blockage from the pond in roughly the center of the park. Planners have shown council members a view which assumed less development, and in which some of the Space Needle was visible. Foster said he hasn’t had time to analyze the Space Needle’s model.
Views from other public locations may be more problematic, Foster said.
Wright contends views would also be blocked from many streets and sidewalks in South Lake Union, as well as the I-5 Mercer ramp. Views from the ramp serve as a wayfinder, Ochsner said, for people trying to get to Seattle Center and other locations.
Foster counters that many such views would be blocked under existing zoning as build-out occurs in the neighborhood.
View from Capitol Hill
As for Capitol Hill, the city’s most densely populated neighborhood, Foster said the public view from Volunteer Park will still allow people to see the Space Needle.
But views from some Capitol Hill sidewalks and streets will be blocked by new towers in South Lake Union. It all depends on where you might be. “The view changes, but there’s not sweeping blockage of the Space Needle,” Foster said.
Ron Sevart, CEO of the Space Needle, said he would be satisfied if public views from Lake Union Park, Mercer Street near the ramp and Thomas Street were preserved.
Richard Conlin, chairman of the City Council’s South Lake Union Committee, said the council is likely to satisfy some of the Space Needle’s concerns. He expects it to require buildings to be set back on Thomas Street to preserve views.
He also expects the council to look closely at park views, with the key question being how much to protect: all of the Space Needle, or some portion of it?
Views from the I-5 ramp “are probably not very significant,” he said.
And he noted a certain irony in the debate. “If you go back 50 years you’d find people protesting the building of the Space Needle because it would block some views. So the city changes over time,” he said. “Again, it is that balancing act.”
Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com
Ranch Real Estate Group 