With a city as pretty as Olympia and with such stunning views, why are utility poles still tolerated?
No modern city has above ground power lines any more, and you won't see them in new subdivisions. Why then does the Capitol City of the State of Washington still look like a throw-back to the fifties, or like a third world country town when it comes to the utility poles?
I understand that placing these lines underground is a costly affair, but what's the alternative? Are we waiting until every home and business runs on alternative energy?
Not only would underground utility lines improve the look of Olympia's street scape and help give us unobstructed views, they would require less maintenance and fewer power outages in inclement weather.
Olympia is growing up and developing and should have the infrastructure to go with it.
How much nicer would this view be, if there were no utility lines ?
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
Looking for a quality home just a short commute to Tacoma, Fort Lewis, or McChord Air Force Base?
Look no further than this exquisite listing located in the quiet gated community of Crosswater.
10512 82nd. Ave. Ct. SW Lakewood, WA 98498
This 2725 sq. ft. home has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths and a den. The master suite is conveniently located on the main floor. The many amenities include hardwood floors, granite counters, skylights, cathedral ceilings, custom tile work, ceiling fans, Feng-Shui design elements, French doors, greenbelt and much more.
For additional information and viewing the virtual tour visit here.
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
Have you come across the term "New Urbanism"? Not sure what it means? It refers to the new concept that is actually an old concept, of living in close proximity to the city. Communities used to naturally develop around a city core, but then extended into suburban sprawl. With land getting sparser, traffic getting denser and the cost of gas going higher, the idea of living in the city is gaining popularity again. The city offers amenities that are easily reached by public transportation or by foot, smaller yards with low maintenance, and close proximity to neighbors. Since lots in the city are small and priced at top dollar, "urbanism" almost always means smaller homes and multi level building. The advantages of this are lower energy costs and less home maintenance. Other positive side effects are re-energized town centers with a vibrant economy, because going to town for dinner is only a short trip by bus, versus a 20 minute drive from the suburbs, and it means not having to worry about parking. New urban housing doesn't just have to mean town homes, condos and apartments.
These homes in Tumwater show what urban living can look like. The "Overlook" homes come in several floor plan styles and are around 2000 sq. ft. They offer 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths and a 2-car garage. The yard requires next to no maintenance and is landscaped with drought resistant plants. The intelligent lay-out takes advantage of every nook and cranny and makes these homes seem much larger than they are. The ecological design includes a high degree of insulation, bamboo and linoleum flooring, locally produced cabinets, no VOC paint, high energy efficient appliances and much more. The best aspect of these homes is the rooftop deck that takes advantage of the fantastic views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains and the capitol dome.
These views are unmatched anywhere in Thurston County. Shopping and dining are just a 5 minute car, or 10 minute bus ride away. South Puget Sound Community College is within walking distance, and access to I-5 and Hwy 101 is less than 5 minutes.
Tumwater is currently the only place where this type of housing exists in Thurston County. I would welcome seeing more innovative and urban design options for housing being developed in Olympia, where a multi faceted city center is just waiting for more inhabitants.
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
Few people know that there are thousands of dollars available in rebates from Puget Sound Energy, as well as federal tax incentives for installing energy star qualified heaters, water heaters and windows. The rebates from PSE are only for PSE customers, and the rebates listed below are for single family dwellings.
In addition to the PSE rebates and federal tax incentives, in many cases the manufacturers offer additional rebates.
Houses don't always have to look the same. Everybody knows a house or two in their neighborhood that doesn't quite conform to the traditional, but these houses are something else. Can you say extreme home makeover? These photos prove that a little imagination goes a long way.
Redneck Villa
Toilet Building
Bowl House
Mountain Lodge
Upside Down House
Railroad House
Flat Iron Building
My favorite is the Redneck Villa. I wonder how appraisers deal with these types of odd balls. Good luck finding comps.
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
Olympia is a quirky town. You'll encounter cars with expressive bumper stickers, unique houses and interesting public art.
In Olympia it's okay to be expressive, unique and to stick out. Diversity is welcome and is encountered everywhere. That's what makes Olympia so welcoming and interesting. One example is this car that I keep seeing in different places across town. I can't help but smile whenever I come across it in a parking lot, or see it pass me on the street.
It literally screams "happy" and "fun". I just wonder how it holds up in a car wash.
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
The location of the Briggs Village master planned community is a prime spot close to all the conveniences. Residents can walk or bike to Pioneer Park and enjoy inner tubing on the Deschutes river, or walk their dog at Watershed Park. Children can walk to the various schools' sports fields and playgrounds or take a swim in Ward Lake across the street. The Briggs YMCA, attached to the community, offers two swimming pools, a weight room and youth activity center. As if two supermarkets just a few miles down either side of Yelm Highway weren't enough, Briggs Village will have its own new Thriftway supermarket built soon.
Located on over 130 acres, Briggs Village will consist of single family homes, condominiums, town homes, duplexes and a residence for seniors. The village will have a town square and a commercial and retail district, complete with shops and cafes. It will offer plenty of open spaces, walking trails and an arboretum. Upon completion, the community will be comprised of single family homes, town homes, condominiums, lofts, duplexes and senior living.
Several of the single family residences have been built and most of the streets have been put in. Due to a recent foreclosure of one of the local builders, the bank is now selling these fully developed building lots to individual buyers at prices starting around $69,000.
Olympia does not have an abundance of developed vacant land lots, so these parcels are a great opportunity to live close to town, good schools and all the amenities.
I'm excited about the Urban Village concept and look forward to watching it develop.
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
Signs are finally showing that Trader Joe's is actually coming to Olympia. No, I have not heard a ship's bell ringing yet, or seen a bunch of hip people in Hawaiian shirts, but I did recently notice the construction work under way.
The old "The Good Guys" store is being remodeled to make room for Olympia's Trader Joe's store on Black Lake Boulevard. It should open for business sometime in the third quarter of 2009.
The Trader Joe's website has the Olympia store already listed:
With the boating supply store in the same building going out of business, it's good to see new businesses filling the empty spaces. My suggestion for filling the boating store space is a Panera bakery. In my opinion, Panera Bread and Trader Joe's go perfectly together.
All the real estate information on the Internet can not compare to the real time, on-the-ground expertise of a local, skilled Realtor ®. Among all the South Sound real estate resources available, the most powerful tool is my phone number. Planning a home purchase or the sale of your home will be much more enjoyable when you work with a friendly and knowledgeable professional. I'm dedicated to helping you make informed decisions and providing you with exceptional skill and service.
I make it a priority to get away for a vacation at least once a year. Hard work needs to be balanced with play time and relax time. I'm currently on my vacation in Italy and can't describe how nice it is to not have to answer the phone, or a constant stream of emails. I haven't seen a transaction folder in close to two weeks and instead spend my time studying restaurant menus in a quest to discover the perfect pasta al dente. Finding the time to get away is often difficult, because when we're busy we don't want to miss out on transactions, and when things are slow there is so much to catch up on. I'm here to tell you, transaction and business can wait. The sunrise over the mountain won't wait for nobody and the steaming hot bowl of Gnocci won't wait either.
Enjoy the views
Indulge
Stop and smell the roses.
Sandy Nelson Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green 360-789-7505 www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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