It is only through your continuing business, referrals and goodwill that we have been able to build our successful team. We truly appreciate your continued support! T HANK Y OU F OR A LLOWING U S T O SERVE YOU ! INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Upcoming Events July 19 Tour de Peaks Bike Ride Snoqualmie tourdepeaks.com July 25 Wine at the Zoo Seattle zoo.org/wine#.U78pMrGmTd4 July 25-27 BAM Arts Fair Bellevue bellevuearts.org/fair/index.html July 30-Aug 3 Seattle seafair.com Aug 8-10 Kirkland Summer Fest Kirkland kirklandsummerfest.com August 16th Taste of Main Bellevue detlef.com/index.php/events/ Sean Goddard 425-698-3254 [email protected]SeanGoddardRealty.com Recipe: Rustic Tart ......................... 2 6 Reasons for .................................. 3 Baby Boomers to Downsize Plight of First Time Buyers ........... 4 Safest City: Sammamish ................ 4 Current Market Stats....................... 5 Best Outdoor Dining...................... 6 Upgrading Your Backyard ............. 6 A Lesson in Beer ............................. 7 Feng Shui for Cats? ......................... 7 Eastside Light Rail Route............... 8
Transcript
It is only through your continuing business, referrals and goodwill
that we have been able to build our successful team.
We truly appreciate
your continued support!
TH A N K YO U FO R AL L OW I N G US TO S E RV E YO U!
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Upcoming Events
July 19 Tour de Peaks Bike Ride Snoqualmie tourdepeaks.com
July 25 Wine at the Zoo Seattle zoo.org/wine#.U78pMrGmTd4
July 25-27 BAM Arts Fair Bellevue bellevuearts.org/fair/index.html
July 30-Aug 3
Seattle seafair.com
Aug 8-10 Kirkland Summer Fest Kirkland kirklandsummerfest.com
August 16th Taste of Main Bellevue detlef.com/index.php/events/
6 Reasons for .................................. 3 Baby Boomers to Downsize
Plight of First Time Buyers ........... 4
Safest City: Sammamish ................ 4
Current Market Stats ....................... 5
Best Outdoor Dining ...................... 6
Upgrading Your Backyard ............. 6
A Lesson in Beer ............................. 7
Feng Shui for Cats? ......................... 7
Eastside Light Rail Route ............... 8
Page 2
Do You Know …
The Difference Between
Ales & Lagers? Most beers are either ales or lagers. What’s the difference?
Ales, which originated in England, are made by brewing top-fermenting yeast, which grows at the top of the fermentation vessel, at room temperature. They
have lots of hops and malts, which gives them a more characteristically bitter taste and a darker color.
Lagers, which originated in Central Europe, are created when bottom-fermenting yeast is cold-brewed at low temperatures (between 45°F and 57°F) for long periods of time. They tend to be lighter in color and mildly flavored.
Source: Puget Sound Business Journal, May 30, 2014
RECIPE: RUSTIC BERRY TART
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Terrific Trivia: Which country comes in first as the world's biggest per capita consumer of ice cream?
A. USA B. Canada
C. New Zealand D. Italy
Crust 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 T sugar, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 T cold butter, cut into small pieces 1 T canola oil 1/4 cup ice water, plus more as needed 1 large egg, separated 1 tsp lemon juice, or white vinegar
Filling & glaze 1/4 cup slivered almonds, 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar 4 cups mixed berries, such as blackberries, raspberries and blueberries 2 tsp lemon juice 1 T water 2 T raspberry, blueberry or blackberry jam
To prepare crust: Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 2 T sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oil & stir with a fork to blend. Mix 1/4 cup water, egg yolk & 1 tsp lemon juice (or vinegar) in a measuring cup. Add just enough of the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring with a fork, until the dough clumps together. (Add a little water if the dough seems too dry.) Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface & knead several times. Form
the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and coat with cooking spray.
To prepare filling & assemble tart: Spread almonds in a small baking pan. Bake until light golden about 5 min. Let cool. Combine whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup sugar & toasted almonds in a food processor or blender; process until almonds are ground. Roll the dough into a 13-14-in. circle on lightly floured surface, about 1/4 in. thick. Brush off excess flour & transfer to prepared baking sheet. Spread almond mixture over pastry, leaving a 2 in. border. Toss berries with the remaining 3 T sugar & 2 tsp lemon juice in large bowl; spoon over almond mixture. Fold the border up & over the filling, pleating as necessary. Blend reserved egg white & 1 T water with a fork; brush lightly over tart rim. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp sugar. Bake tart for 15 min. Reduce temp to 350°F & bake until crust is golden & the juices are bubbling, 30-40 min. Leaving tart on the parchment slide it onto a wire rack. Let cool. Shortly before serving, melt jam in a small saucepan over low heat; brush over the berries. Cut the tart into wedges.
Page 3 W i n d e r m e r e B e l l e v u e C o m m o n s
6 REASONS BABY BOOMERS SHOULD CONSIDER DOWNSIZING
According to AARP, for the next 18 years, baby boomers will be turning 65 at a rate of about 8,000 a day. That’s a lot of American homeowners who are reaching retirement age and are starting thinking about their next phase in live. Part of that next phase may include unloading their large family homes in favor of spending their ‘empty nest’ years enjoying their newfound freedom.
When you think about the combination of approaching re-tirement and the children off on their own, what are the real advantages to downsizing?
Here are six enticing advantages to living the “Less is More” lifestyle.
Smaller House = Smaller Mortgage
Generally a smaller home can translate into a smaller monthly mortgage payment. In many cases, if you have
lived in your family home for many years, and built up a siza-ble home equity, you may be able to cash out and purchase a new smaller, less-expensive home – even possibly eliminating a mortgage payment completely.
Monthly Expenses
Downsizing your home also downsizes your monthly expenditures, too. Utilities may be smaller, taxes and insurance may be reduced and general upkeep and maintenance on a smaller home is going to be more affordable.
Climate Change
Downsizing also provides a fantastic opportunity to give up the snow shovel and slap on some sunscreen. Raising your family in the cold winters of the mid west and northeast could become a distant frozen memory if you take the opportunity to move south or west to follow the year-round sunshine.
More Affordable Town
Downsizing is a great opportunity to move to a less expensive metro area. Finding a city that gives you more ‘bang for your buck’ is a big boom to retirees and empty nesters that will soon be adjusting to living on a fixed in-come. In a hot retirement market like West Palm Beach, Florida, the average sale price on a home is $127,000 and the cost of living in the area is affordable. Compare that to a family and industry-friendly metro like the Chicago suburb of Naperville, IL, where the median sales price is $335,000 and cost-of-living expenses are generally higher, and you’ll see that costs can shrink in towns where affordability is in alignment with real estate prices.
Lifestyle Upgrade
Empty nesters have a bit more time for themselves. So, in the process of downsizing, you have the opportunity to relocate closer to all the new lifestyle amenities you will want to enjoy with all that newfound spare time. Is it golf, tennis, biking and other outdoor activities? Or do you prefer life in the city, with restaurants, theater, shopping and cultural activities all
within walking distance? Downsizing allows you to live closer to lifestyle you want – and hopefully, you have a bit of monthly cash left over to pay all those golf tee fees!
Less Stuff = More Life
There is also some-thing intangible about downsizing and getting rid of all that ‘stuff.’ Here is the wonderful added benefit to this clearing-out process: when you organize your home, you organize your life. When you create space in your home, you also create space in your life! Remember, your home is a mirror of you and how your life works, so as you simplify your home, you simplify your life. By investing the time needed to clean out and edit your possessions, you are on the road to creating a new lifestyle that not only functions better, but is easier to maintain. Talk about a win-win!
First-time buyers are a shrinking share of the market, but there are a few things that can be done to help reverse this trend.
It’s not a $64,000 question, but rather a $41,000 one. “Where are the first-time buyers?” It’s important because $41,000 is the amount renters have missed out on by not buying three years ago when prices were at a low point. The annual median home price was $166,100 in 2011 and $197,100 in 2013. The median national home price this year is expected to hit $207,000. Money left on the table.
Unfortunately, our most recent data show first-time buy-ers are a shrinking share of the market, only about 27 percent of buyers, compared to 40 percent in a more normal market. It’s not that young households don’t want to buy. It’s that desire is not match-ing up with their ability. Many young households are saddled with student loan debt while job creation and wages have been heading up only slowly. And the qualified
mortgage rule that took effect this year to ensure lenders don’t make bad loans won’t help, since it tightens how much student loan and other debt loan applicants can carry.
This situation is worrisome, because all of the recent growth in household formation has been among renters. Unless a healthy portion of today’s 40 million renter households become home owners, the housing market cannot grow much.
There are two fronts to be tackled if first-time buyers are to get back to more normal levels. First, we must monitor the impact of the QM rule on otherwise qualified buyers to see if lenders are being too risk averse. There’s reason to think they are, because mortgage default rates have been at historic lows in the last few years. That suggests lenders have restricted underwriting too much in anticipation of QM. Second, builders need to step up home building, bringing construction levels closer to historical norms. More inventory helps tame price growth, and it gives buyers something they don’t have much of now: selection.
The bottom line: Housing is underperforming. In 2000, when the market was boring, with no bubble and no crash, there were 5.2 million existing-home sales and 1.6 million housing
starts. Today, home sales are struggling to reach 5 million annually and new starts total only about 1 million, yet the country has 34 million more people and mortgage rates remain historically low. Those on the sidelines are missing out.
Sammamish has been named the safest city in Washington state by MOVOTO, an online real estate blog. The service noted that the city had no murders and a total of 762 crimes per 100,000 in 2012. Of these, 728 were property crimes.
MOVOTO started with a list of places in
the state with populations of more than 10,000 based on the 2010 U.S. Census data. It then gathered crime data on each city from the FBI's 2012 Uniform Crime Report, omitting any that do not report crime data to the bureau. This left MOVOTO with 74 cities. The company then looked at the number of murders,
rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts.
The other nine cities included Snoqualmie, Bainbridge Island, Mercer Island, Pullman, West
Richland, Kenmore, Camas, Mukilteo and Maple Valley.
W i n d e r m e r e B e l l e v u e C o m m o n s Page 5
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE MARKET?
C. New Zealand
Number of Homes
Median Sales Price
Average Market Time
Number of Homes
Median Sales Price
Average Market Time
East of Lake Samm./Snoqualmie
1,112 $530,440 50 days 964 $580,000 46 days Up 8.5%
West Bellevue 169 $1,165,000 50 days 177 $1,435,000 43 days Up 18.8%
East Bellevue 349 $525,000 29 days 327 $577,000 24 days Up 9.0%
South Bellevue/Newcastle/Issaquah
527 $575,000 49 days 460 $620,000 38 days Up 7.3%
Kirkland/Rose Hill 355 $635,000 42 days 307 $691,000 35 days Up 8.1%
Redmond 364 $564,651 48 days 336 $606,250 42 days Up 6.9%
Mercer Island 184 $930,000 56 days 177 $1,130,000 51 days Up 17.7%
Woodinville/Juanita/Bothell/Duvall
780 $445,500 51 days 762 $504,000 40 days Up 11.7%
Renton 414 $361,500 47 days 436 $400,000 52 days Up 9.6%
Kent 597 $259,900 63 days 503 $270,000 56 days Up 3.7%
Ballard 933 $454,000 20 days 908 $491,000 23 days Up 7.5%
Madrona 439 $625,000 33 days 394 $654,500 35 days Up 4.5%
West Seattle 651 $365,372 35 days 757 $389,250 36 days Up 6.1%
NE Seattle 558 $457,000 24 days 565 $499,000 25 days Up 8.4%
Queen Anne/Magnolia
312 $652,500 32 days 317 $715,000 33 days Up 8.7%
Central Seattle 331 $332,000 53 days 316 $393,500 39 days Up 15.6%
N. Bothell/Maltby 752 $387,500 47 days 719 $450,000 46 days Up 13.9%
Lynnwood/Mt. Lake Terrace
864 $325,000 43 days 801 $360,000 47 days Up 9.7%
Mill Creek/Everett 1,193 $290,000 48 days 1,045 $325,000 49 days Up 10.8%
Monroe/Snohomish 451 $245,000 65 days 478 $284,000 64 days Up 13.7% *All data compiled from information supplied by Northwest Multiple Listing Association on 7/4/2014. Accuracy of information herein is not guaranteed. This information was only taken of single-family homes, and does not include condominiums or vacant land.
LOCATION Year-to-date 2013 Closed Sales thru June
Year-to-date 2014 Closed Sales thru June
PRICE CHANGE %
The backyard has become an extension of a home's living space. Upgrading a backyard can bring years of enjoyment or highlight your home for potential buyers.
From the traditional grill and picnic table to lavishly landscaped patios and decks with lounge areas, buyers' love affair with the backyard continues to hold true.
Here are five ideas from PLANET, a professional landscape network and trade association for the landscape industry, for helping you transform yard into the ultimate retreat or entertaining space this summer.
Create a wildflower or herb garden. Wildflowers or herbs make great container gardens or ground cover. They are beautiful and smell great. Many home chefs grow their own herbs and many landscape companies now create edible gardens for clients. These gardens are also a benefit for the environ-ment and for wildlife, providing food and safe cover for small animals.
Add outdoor lighting. Outdoor lighting highlights a home's landscape, special trees, as well as walkways and porches, providing both curb appeal and safety. "Nightscaping" makes gathering spaces usable and enjoyable for entertaining after dark. Landscape
professionals can design lighting to complement or highlight important areas of the yard, or there are a variety of basic do-it-yourself options, such as adding a set of solar walkway lights.
Add a water feature. Water features, ranging from small fountains to ponds, streams, or water walls, create a sense of peace and calm, helping people connect with nature, and may attract wildlife.
Add a fire feature. A portable fire pit or stone fireplace into the deck or patio extends the time people can spend in their backyards, making a cozy entertaining space on summer nights or well into the fall and winter.
Add an outdoor kitchen. Outdoor kitchens have been growing in popularity for years and are often the center of family life in the summer. They can be as extensive as a complete kitchen made of stone, brick, or concrete pavers with a stove, stone or brick oven, counters, and even a sink or refrigerator, or they can be as compact as a patio with a grill and table. There are a wide variety of options for every space, purpose, and price range.
AQUA by El Gaucho Waterfront views of Mount Rainier, Space Needle and Olympic Sculpture Park. Happy Hour 4-6pm
Bottlehouse House converted to Wine bar in Madrona neighborhood
Chuck’s Central District Hop Shop 50-taps! Hottest beer hall to debut so far this year
Le Grand Bistro Américain Quaint patio on Lake WA comes with a view of the Olympics & Seattle skyline. 2220 Carillon Point, Kirkland
Little Water Cantina The best view and sounds of Lake Union. $6 Happy Hour Margaritas.
Marination Ma kai West Seattle restaurant al-lows kids in the patio during happy hour.
Mezcaleria Oaxaca Rooftop Bar in Capitol Hill Oaxaca street food menu.
Ray’s Cafe To Seattle natives, this is the best water view, especially at sunset with the amber back-drop over Shilshole Bay
Westward Bull’s eye view of the downtown skyline across the water
Zig Zag Cafe Every drink geek, hipster and tourist gravitates to the bar.
Beer Primer:
There seems to be almost as many styles of brew as there are brewers. These are among the types produced by the Washington state breweries and mi-crobreweries.
Amber Ale: Primarily a catch-all term for any beer less than a darker ale in color. A balanced beer, with toasted malt characteristics and a light fruitiness in most examples.
Barleywine: With an alcohol content like that of wine and the complexity of cognac, these beers show extraordinary richness and depth, balancing a sweet, malted flavor with a hoppy bready bitterness.
Belgian ale: Many Belgian ales are low on hops and use special types of yeast to achieve a bready, spicy flavor. Some Belgian ales have a higher alcohol content than other ales.
Bitter: English bitter is not really “bitter” to a palate used to American pale ales or PIAs. It has a higher hops content than most English-style beers, which makes the flavor less sweet and more biting.
Bock: Bocks can be darker, amber red, or pale in color. These lagers have complex malty flavors and low hop bitterness.
Extra special bitter: The combination of stronger malt and the higher hop value make the ESBs the most complex and full-flavored bitter style.
Hefeweizen: an unfiltered wheat beer. Clove and banana-like esters produced by this particular strains of
brewing yeast are signatures of this style.
India pale ale (IPA): The stars of the hop world. Color can range from very pale golden to reddish amber. These ales often have a big herbal or citric character, and bitterness is high as well.
Irish red ale: The roasted barley content creates a signature and red color and slightly sweet, tea like flavor. Typically well-rounded and balanced.
Kolsch: a light to medium bodied German-style brew, with medium hop bitterness
Pale Ale: Traditionally golden to copper in color, pale ales are one of the hoppiest of beers, with low to medium hop bitterness.
Pilsner: A light yellow lager with a bitter, hoppy flavor.
Porter: A dark, rich ale made with roasted malts; less bitter than stout
Pumpkin ale: Often released as a fall seasonal, pumpkin ales are typically mild, with little to no bitterness. These beers may be flavored with spices such as ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and allspice.
Stout: The darkest and heaviest of beers, packed with toasted flavors like chocolate, coffee, oatmeal or cream.
Saison: a seasonal beer for summer, usually amber to orange and often quite dry, with a clinic peppery quality.
Source: Puget Sound Business Journal, May 30, 2014
W i n d e r m e r e B e l l e v u e C o m m o n s Page 7
A LESSON IN BEER: YOUR BEER DICTIONARY...
Catios for Cats!
A Seattle woman who is a certified Feng Shui consultant and a cat lover is combining those two loves and is creating outdoor spac-es for felines.
Cynthia Chomos has launched Catio Spaces, a company that designs and builds outdoor enclosures for cats.
The wood frame catios are designed to complement a home and look like outdoor “rooms” rather than wire cages.
Cynthia says it’s all about creating harmonious spaces
following the rules of Feng Shui.
The outdoor enclosures can be
mounted to a home’s wood siding or window frame. There are various sizes and optional elements to accommodate your feline’s needs.
