You've lived in your home now for one year or maybe thirty years. You know quite a bit about it, but probably not everything. If you are planning to sell this home you can hardly start soon enough to have it market ready when the time comes.

One good option, and it is required in some states, is to hire a licensed home inspector and let him go over the property to let you know what is wrong that might be called out in an inspection that the buyer will do later. This will probably cost you $400-500 and, if you are careful enough in what I've outlined below, you might be better off spending the money on repairs that are obviously needed.

Keep in mind that most home buyers become emotionally involved with the property because of how it is presented, not because the structure and mechanics are in top condition.

Taking an orderly approach to the task at hand will make your work proceed much faster than if you wait until the last minute, and then try to do everything at once.

Make your home look its best for that first day on the market. Get yourself a clipboard and some paper and let's get started.

1. Go across the street and look at the front of your property. Note the landscaping in general. Some yards are simply lawn and some have been extensively landscaped.
   • Check to see that trees and shrubs are not overgrown. If you don't know how to prune them, hire a professional.
   • Note where the sidewalk meets the dirt. Is there a crisp, clean edge there? If not, write it down.
   • Would the sidewalk look better if it were pressure washed? (Pressure wash cement. Never pressure wash wood surfaces.)
   • Check the planting beds. They should be weed free, and composted or barked (with the smallest bark chips you can find).
   • Does the front door need paint or need to be replaced? How about the hardware? Does the lock work smoothly?
   • Check the door and window trim, and the siding. If you can improve it, note it.
2. Check the sides of the house next. Besides the windows, siding, and trim, make sure that gutters and down spouts are attached and functioning. Water should be diverted away from the house if the downspouts are not attached to a drainage system.
3. The backyard will require some imagination. Decks and patios should be neat and clean. The yard should look like a fun place to be. You want it to be clutter free. Anything that might be "stored" there, behind or beside the garage, or under the deck needs to be removed. If you are not taking it to you next location, sell it, recycle it, or trash it.
4. Check the planting beds as in front.
5. Check the doors, windows, trim and siding.
6. If you know how old the roof is, and it's less than 15 years old, you are probably in good shape. If you can see moss growing on it, if you see plants growing in the gutters, if you can't remember when the roof was last replaced, call a roofing contractor and get an estimate for any work that may need to be done. The roofer's opinion will be good to have should the buyer's inspector call it out.

Take a look at what you've written. Write "To Do" at the top of the page. We'll take a look inside on another day.

Are you planning to buy a home in Seattle. When you are ready to work with a broker, what will that meeting be like? I can't answer that question for anyone but myself, but if you call me, here's how it will go.

When we first meet before you buy a home we will need to have a discussion about how we will best work together. I like to look at this as a job interview, a time when we can decide how I can best help you to accomplish your real estate goals.

The concept that a buyer can call real estate office, talk to a broker and the two meet at a specific home rarely results in in the accomplishment of either person's goals. If you are serious about finding a property to purchase you should interview brokers until you find one who has the time and the knowledge to help you locate the right place. If you are not serious about purchasing a property, then you should confine your interest to open houses and online searches.

A broker who has been in the real estate business for any length of time knows that on demand showings are nonproductive for both parties. In order to make the use of your time and mine more productively, I suggest, even insist, on an in-office meeting to conduct mutual interviews in which I will have an opportunity to assess your needs, wants and abilities, while you assess my knowledge of the market, interest in your quest, and competence to carry you through to a successful closing.

The State of Washington defines a Buyer's Broker as "a broker who has entered into a relationship with only the buyer in a real estate transaction." The agency relationship is the relationship created by written agreement between the broker and the buyer relating to real estate brokerage services by the broker. Nowhere in the agreement does it say that the broker is a salesman and the buyer is a customer.

As your broker I feel that it is my duty to consider all aspects of our real estate adventure in a light that is most beneficial to you above and beyond the wants or needs of any seller, broker, company, my company, or myself. I'm not a salesman. I'll apply no pressure on you to buy. The speed with which we find a property that suits your needs is entirely up to you.

The meeting we will have before viewing properties will consist of the following elements:

1. A discussion of the buying process and approximate timeline.
2. A determination of the features you desire in a property, your price range, and your desired neighborhoods.
3. Mandated state and federal disclosures will be provided to you.
4. A brief discussion of the home inspection process; which we will go over in detail when we find a suitable property.
5. A brief discussion of the offer format and presentation alternatives.
6. A discussion of the importance of financial pre-approval by a quality local lender. I will provide you with a list of lenders if needed.
7. A discussion of our use of the Internet and the most viable means of communication between us.
8. A discussion of the exclusive agency agreement.

The exclusive agency agreement is the employment contract.
*It states that I agree to work for you and on your behalf. It states that I will get paid for successfully doing so. Some For Sale By Owners and some sellers who use full service or discount brokers offer less than what I consider a full commission, but I will still seek out, preview, and show you such properties when appropriate.
*You will commit to working with me. If you see or hear of a property you will let me know about it and I will investigate it further to see if it meets your criteria.
*We will agree on my compensation.
*While we are in contract together I will not work with another buyer with the same criteria.
*Should we discover in a day, a week or a month that this employment contract is not working, either one of us may terminate it.

Let's meet. I look forward to talking with you and finding out if you can use my skills as your buyer's broker.

Homes for sale in Ravenna, a Seattle neighborhood.

The Ravenna neighborhood is just north of the University of Washington campus but is separated from the campus and campus housing by a deep ravine. Only one bridge crosses the ravine between 15th and 25th Aves NE, and that is for bike and foot traffic only. This makes for limited north south car traffic thourgh this desireable neighborhood.

Currently there are 26 listings in the area. They range in price from $299,500 to $999,999. The median price is $559,321 and the average time on the market is 75 days. The average square footage of these homes is 2,458 and the average cost per squre foot is $249.12.

There are now 11 sales under contract. The median price of those is $480,929. That's almost $80,000 less than the median price of what's listed, an indication that, like many areas, the more affordable homes are the ones that are selling in this market. Average market time for these sales is only 41 days.

There have been 61 sales in Ravenna since January 1, 2010 with an average market time of 49 days and an median sales price of $464,146.

I live in Ravenna and watch the market here closely. A few of the homes still on the market were originally over-priced, and have been reduced but seem to be forgotten by buyers and brokers because of their long market time. For a selection of these homes please send me an email and I'll pull them out for you. There are good deals to be had by the dilligent.

Cedar Park Contemporary Now $449,000

This 1985 contemporary first came on the market for $650,000 on October 24, 2008, the day the market died here in Seattle. The sellers held out hope but the crash proved enduring. After several price reductions and open houses the property was givena rest. Recently it was put back on the market for $495,000, then reduced to $469,000.

At last, an offer. The buyer a single person with two children did a thorough inspection with sewer scope included, but walked before the seller could get bids on the work and make a decision. The seller did the work anyway and now has reduced the price to a sensational $449,000.

Agents are not showing this property. The cliche is that "there must be something wrong, if it's not sold by now." I encourage you to take a look for yourself. This home has three bedrooms, two full baths and two half baths. It is on a small lot with a nice dog run on one side of the property. Think easy care. A large two car garage has room for your kayaks. Notice the Lake Washington view and on a clear day the Cascades are gorgeous.

Give me a call and let's take a look. You won't be sorry you found this Cedar Park home.

The Seattle Police department has come out with an interesting crime mapping tool that will certainly be interesting to buyers and also to sellers, homeowners and renters. Part of crime prevention is being aware of it and then taking proactive steps to correct problems by cooperating with your local law enforcement agencies.

Here is a link to the what's called My Neighborhood Map. In conjunction with Bing Maps the Seattle Police Department has put together a wide variety of information besides crime and crime statistics on this site. One can find listings for Art and Recreation, Community Services, Education, Parks, Permits, Public Safety, Transportation and Utilities. This is a bookmark link for anyone who wants quick information for in and around Seattle.

It takes a little orientation to figure out everything that is available on the map but I can see many uses for it besides giving a buyer a link to check out crime statistics in the neighborhood where they are considering purchasing a home.

I left Rain Camp: Portland bursting with ideas about how to get my name out there. How to make sure that everyone who wants to buy or sell a home in my neck of the woods realizes that one very good option is to call me.

But my wife Marjie had other ideas. We honeymooned in Oregon in 1992 and one of the towns we spent a night in was Corvallis. Since we were so close it only made sense and we spent a pleasant night in a riverside motel. Breakfast had us on a patio overlooking the Willamette River. "I like this place. It's so private," she said. Later we had a second cup of coffee at The Beanery, a coffee shop we'd stopped at back in '92.

The 6 hour drive back to Seattle can be pretty boring and I couldn't stop thinking about PRIVACY. One day last week on Active Rain Karen Fiddler wrote Active Rain Ethics? Are Comments On Blogs Now The Property Of the Blog Poster? Hmmmm, which dealt with the reposting an article by someone else with accompanying comments on a personal website. Some objections were raised, some didn't care and some liked it. So thought that if it was a "members only" post a commenter's privacy might have been compromised.

Social Media - Facebook and others, have seemingly addressed this with "privacy settings" that you supposedly you can limit who can see certain posts of yours. But, let's face it. Once you put it out there, it's out there.

In 1972, about the time The Beanery opened, I started my first business. Passing out my business card, my name and number, what I was doing where and when got to be a daily routine. Now, almost 40 years later, I'm learning more sophisticated ways than ever to get what I'm doing, how I do it, and how to reach me, to as many people as possible. I'm not a private person. I can't afford to be. I don't do anything criminal, evil, nasty or mean. I'm not a Russina spy. So why should I worry if my privacy is invaded.

This is what I know. I realize the importance of keeping bank account numbers and certain online access codes private. I lock my doors. I don't broadcast on Social Media when I'm away on vacation. That's about it for my privacy concerns. How about you?

Reports county wide and nation wide have said that there was a major decrease in the number of homes sold since the stimulus deadline arrived on April 31st. That would indicate that closings would be higher in May and then decrease in June, as most of the April sales would have closed. We've seen a slight decrease in June but the absorption rate remains low, indicating a seller's market still exists here. This, of course is not the seller's market of the 2002-2007 era when pricing ahead of the market (on the up side) was little problem. In this market smart sellers are beating the competition by pricing ahead of the market on the down side. If you want to sell you have to be priced right.

The absorption rate is the number of months it will take to sell off current inventory. Considering June's number of sales, the northend of Seattle is still in a Seller's market. Rates below 4 are considered so. Rates of 4-6 are considered normal and rates above 6 are considered a Buyer's market.

There is something reassuring about working in a stable market. Sellers have time to put their house in order before selling. Buyers have time to thoroughly check out the house, the neighborhood, their financing and all of the factors that go into a shift to homeownership. I'd be happy to spend some time with you and go over the details necessary for making a wise decision in the north Seattle real estate market.

You know who you are when you look in the mirror. Your friends and family know who you are from years of experience. But who are you to EVERYONE on Facebook? Everyone doesn't know you like your brother or your best friend. If you want to grow your business using social media, you need to discover, direct and display who you are as a REALTOR® in every comment and post.

In Soci@l, Attract Friends, Followers, and Connections to your Business, Ben Kinney and Jay Papasan have written a guide, a how to manual, a bible, if you will, on how to start, how to play and how to close the difficult process of attracting friends of friends to your Facebook persona and converting them to friends and future clients.

I've always been a bit of a wise-cracker, a smart alec and a prankster with friends, and during my first year on Facebook I played that same role. That's who I am when I'm comfortable with you and you with me. One day my daughter told me I often sounded cynical every time I opened my Facebook mouth. It was then I decided to do a gut check on my social attitude and the book Social was just what I needed.

Chapter 3, social media and your sphere, working your mets, gave me new direction in liking and commenting when in the public eye. Perhaps my snarkiness has been tempered. Kinney and Papasan's tips for working with social media are as follows :

1. Don't be all business.
2. Always be positive.
3. Highlight your success, your professionalism, and your service.
4. Spend 15 minutes each day learning about your sphere and commenting on their lives.

The chapter goes on to detail how to appropriately "ask" for the business of people in your sphere as well as the friends of your friends without being known for spamming for business. This book belongs in the library of any serious real estate agent and you can get it for free.

This blog post is a review of Soci@l: Attract Friends, Followers and Connections to Your Business. Soci@l is a free download written by Ben Kinney in conjunction with ActiveRain and Jay Papasan. In exchange for downloading the free copy of Soci@l and writing this review, I have a chance to win a free iPad and I'm getting 2000 ActiveRain points.

Download a free copy of Social here and find out how you can have a chance to win an iPad and be guaranteed 2000 ActiveRain points.