Just when I'd resigned myself to existing under the ActiveRain radar -WHAM! 

First, here is a link to her blog, Margaret Woda, and her latest meme post. BTW Margaret, your high-speed chase story was awesome! You have put the fear into me -my son just got his driver's permit!   

Here are seven things about me: (Clipart? no time for clipart - use your imagination!)

•1)      I have the most wonderful kids in the world. I think all kids are great - mine are no exception. I believe that I am witnessing a living miracle every time I look at them. I don't think I tell them that often enough - they think I tell them too often.

 •2)      Claims to fame: My great-great uncle was an Olympic Gold medalist (trap shooter). I met Marcel Marceau when I was 10. I stood next to Eddie Vedder at a Mariners game once. (He probably doesn't remember.)

 •3)      I can be brutally honest without realizing it and my husband says I am way too opinionated to sell real estate! Hasn't slowed me down yet...

 •4)      I know I sound like a cheeseball, but I truly love selling real estate. I love my clients, I love taking care of my sphere with all kinds of spiffs and goodies and I love putting on my waders and helping people navigate the sometimes very muddy waters of our industry. I even love all the other agents - they are either dear friends or a constant source of material!

 •5)      I am a terrible housekeeper. Oh well. Here's what I think of monthly yard maintenance: best money I ever spent!

 •6)      I can multi-task with the best of them - but I CANNOT figure out how to run all the remotes that are required to turn on our entertainment system. I guess that's what children are for.

 •7)      Tops on my playlist right now... Coldplay, Weezer (always), John Legend, Angels and Airwaves, Earth Wind and Fire, NPR radio - LOVED the credit-default-swap program. Listen to it online if you haven't already!

Below are the seven people I am tagging. If you are one of them - read below for the rules. I will apologize in advance to you all - but you really have Margaret Woda to blame for tagging me in the first place. Remember, she has a lot more clout at ActiveRain than I do and she obviously knows a lot of people in the government- so compliance is a really good idea!

Gerry Khatchikian - Prudential Red Lodge           

Silvia Dukes - Tropic Shores Realty (fellow Rotarian!)

Alysha Munoz - Keller Williams, Santa Rosa

Bridget Cella - Weichert

Kim Tomasko - C21 Hometown

Mary Lockman - Windermere Methow Valley (love it there!)

Mark A. Moore - RE/Max Alliance

Good Luck and Happy Memeing to you all! 

THE RULES: (as passed along to me...)

• Create a blog post with a link to the person who so happily tagged you for a MEME.  See above.  
• List all of these rules in your post. Feel free to cut and paste this.
• Share 7 things that others may not know about you. Do or have I HAD a life outside of real estate?
• Identify 7 other ActiveRain members to tag for a MEME, and provide links to their blogs in your own MEME post.
• Contact each of the tagged members and let them know that you were indeed fast enough to catch them and that you did indeed tag them...no matter how much they say you missed them!
• No schoolyard rules in this MEME, nope you gotta do it if you are tagged.  (I hear the MEME police are out in force, rounding up folks who ignore this "invitation")
• Post a link to your MEME in the comments of this post - the one in which you were publicly tagged!)
• Include your post in the MEME's Group.  (I actually sent you an invite to the MeMe's Group, which included your notice that you were tagged for a MEME.

www.LiveInAnacortes.com

Tomorrow (Thursday, the 15th) in the lobby in front of  Brodniak Hall from 5:30 to 6:30, the Chamber of Commerce is hosting a reception / meet and greet for Jim McNally and the Wrestlers For Life organization. Afterward, everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the wrestling match in the Williams Gym.

Jim does an amazing job raising money while helping the kids learn the value of community service. The Wrestlers For Life program sends kids into the community to help with all sorts of things in exchange for donations that go to the American Cancer Society.

Come down tomorrow night, meet Jim and the wrestlers and learn more about this very cool community outreach program. Refreshments will be served! Then, grab a hot dog from concessions and go cheer on the Seahawk Grapplers!

www.LiveInAnacortes.com

So the sun came out for about 30 seconds today and I just couldn't help myself! I started thinking about summer.... the beach.... and I suddenly found myself checking the tide tables!

Here is the link for Anacortes / Guemes Channel area tide tables - courtesy of NOAA. You may not need it today - but you'll thank me when it's time to back the boat in or pack up the family and head to Washington Park!

Tide Tables

Go Summer!

www.LiveInAnacortes.com

It seems the rain will never end! I have to keep reminding myself that when it's all over, this is the stuff that makes the Pacific Northwest so beautiful and green the rest of the year. And I take a bit of comfort in the fact that however bad it might be here, we still only get about half the rainfall of Seattle. Sorry Seattlites!

It was a truly miserable day today in Anacortes, weather-wise, that is. The rain was not only constant, it was cold and heavy. Despite the rain, though, there were some very bright spots in our real estate market...  I was out showing property this morning in the pouring rain and I saw our floor agent get two very promising floor calls - one walk-in and one via phone -  and help another agent's client who just wanted to drive-by some listings.

If buyers are out looking in this weather - imagine what it might be like when it stops raining! Keep the umbrellas open and your spirits up - spring is on the way!

Would you like to see a once-in-a-lifetime Olympic moment? Were you in the Watercube watching Michael Phelps stand on the podium with the National Anthem playing? I wasn't - but that would have been pretty cool! What if you could be there when someone smashes a speed skating record or on the sidelines to watch the legendary Eddie the Eagle and his spectacle of a performance? The emotional power of the Olympics comes through loud and clear on the TV - you could be there - feeling the pulse of the crowd when an athlete accomplishes something no one ever though possible or displays a level of sportsmanship or sacrifice that goes beyond human boundaries.

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are about to take place in our backyard, and, believe it or not, the first phase of individual event ticket sales for US citizens is OVER! You can still get some package tours that include tickets but many of those packages, particularly those that include tickets for the opening ceremonies, are SOLD OUT already!

There is a second round of individual ticket sales coming up in the spring - you need to open an account with CoSport, the official US Olympic ticket agent to get on the notification list so you don't miss that deadline.

The next summer Olympics are in London, the next winter Olympics are in Russia. It's a lot cheaper to drive up I-5 than fly to London or Russia! Don't miss what may be your chance in a lifetime to see the Olympics! It's a whole 90 minutes from Anacortes.

Go to www.CoSport.com to find out how to sign up to reserve tour packages or notifications of individual ticket sales. While you are waiting, I suggest you get your passport if you don't have one already. You will need it!

USA! USA! USA!

The Skagit Valley Herald and the Anacortes American are reporting that Bill Evans, longtime Anacortes resident and athletic coach, has been named as the head football coach at Anacortes High School.

That is GREAT NEWS for Seahawk fans! Bill is a great guy -my own son has had him for a couple of classes and speaks very highly of him. He has a past record as a winning head football coach, and is very well-respected among the kids at the high school.

Congratulations to both Bill and the Seahawks!

Read the whole story here.

If you are house-hunting in the Anacortes / Whidbey area, don't miss this builder's custom home! this home is priced to sell at $350,000 - it is truly beautiful! Here are some details....

Live beautifully in this Dugualla Bay custom home on a large, private lot. Close to Anacortes or Whidbey NAS. Huge deck w/ hot tub and access to a large, fenced back yard. 3 bedrooms, 2 master suites, gourmet kitchen, walls of built-ins, custom moldings and quality finishes throughout. Formal entry w/ gleaming wood floors welcomes you into a flowing floor plan that is perfect for formal & informal living. Craftsman detailing, covered porch, 2 car garage and all the amenities that the Dugualla Bay Community offers.

Click here for a link to complete listing info!

The Skagit River Bald Eagle season is in full swing from now until February. If you can, take a drive up Highway 20 into the North Cascades for prime eagle viewing. The Skagit River watershed area is home to one of the largest populations of wintering eagles in the world.

January 24th and 25th is the Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival and the Skagit River Interpretive Center is open with regular hours posted on their website:  http://www.skagiteagle.org/.

Go see it! It's just one more reason why Skagit Valley is so cool!

Some Buyer Math... or Does My Calculator Deceive Me???

Buyer A is not afraid of the economy and wants to take care of business! Buyer A finances a $300K house - 20% down  - balance on a 5%, 30 year loan. Loan amount is $240K. Monthly PI payments: @$1393/mo, interest for the life of loan is over $223K.

Buyer B is afraid that the prices are going to drop more and waits another 6 months before buying. In that six months, the market has dropped another 10% (let's give Buyer B every advantage). Buyer B finances the same house right next door, but now it's $270K instead of $300K. Great! Saved $30K... BUT WAIT! Interest rates have crept up a bit - now they are at 7%. Buyer B puts 20% down and finances the balance for a loan amount of $216K. Buyer B also saved $6K on the down payment. Buyer B's monthly PI payments are $1530/mo AND the interest for the life of the loan is over $300K!

So lets review...

Buyer A paid $6K more for the downstroke, saves almost $150/mo. The amount borrowed was $26K more than Buyer B's loan. If Buyer A keeps the home for 5 years, they will save nearly $9000 in monthly payments over Buyer B. Immediate net gain over Buyer B after accounting for the $6000 downpayment difference is $3000K. If Buyer A and Buyer B keep the homes for 30 years, Buyer A will save $40K in interest after deducting the difference in purchase price.

If Buyer A sells in 5 years, the balance on his 5% loan will be just over $220K. If Buyer B sells after 5 years, the balance on his 7% loan will be just over $203K. A difference of $17,000, NOT the $30K that was the difference in purchase price. In just 5 short years, Buyer B just spent in interest nearly half of what he saved by waiting for the price drop!

Many agents agreed in commenting on  Michael Pinter's blog (including me)  that the lower interest rates being offered were not going to be enough to boost buyer confidence - but they SHOULD BE! Buyers that can take advantage of todays rates can save some serious MONEY over the life of a loan. We need to be proactive and educate educate educate!

Buyers - get thee to a lender - PRONTO!               

(Disclaimer - my numbers and interest rates are NOT OFFERS or ADVERTISEMENTS! They are hypothetical and for mathematical example only!!)

It's been many many months since our local comedy pros have taken the stage - and with all the snow and the bleak media reports about the economy, we could all use a little laughter right about now!

One night only, January 9, 8:00pm at Brodniak Hall with a special pre-show at 7:30. We are sponsoring this show in conjunction with Marty, Craig, Brian, Nate and the rest to benefit SABA - the Anacortes Schools sports booster association.

Tickets are available at the door - $5 - with all the proceeds going to SABA. My advice: GET THERE EARLY! It will be crowded!

If you have never seen these very talented guys perform, you are in for something truly hilarious. The show is family-friendly (no swearing or off-color material, but really little kids might not get it), and pretty much guaranteed to make you laugh until you are in pain!

So- scrape off any remaining snow on your car and get over to Anacortes High School on January 9th - you will be VERY glad you did!