I have to admit that over the years, when it comes to referring business out I've been striking out! No matter how much research I would do one of two things would happen: either the agent who looked so good on-line and sounded so good on the phone didn't live up to their first impression, or they just weren't a good fit for my clients. 

I'm happy to say that those days are over! This month I found two exceptional agents for my out-of-area clients. The first was Elaine Stewart in Palm Springs, who found a fabulous home in record time and negotiated a jaw-dropping price. My client's thrilled and so am I. My second client is in Pennsylvania. She'll be calling the agent I vetted this week and I expect the same stellar results.

Where did I find these paragons of virtue? Activerain, of course. There is something about reading an agent's blog that gives you a level of insight miles above viewing a website.

Now I'm looking for an agent in Rochester Michigan.

If you're moving out of Seattle and need an excellent agent or a talented Stager call me at 206-781-1724 or email me at susan@susanpeters.com

I know where the great agents hide out!

On Bainbridge Island, just a 35 minute ferry ride away.

When it comes to interior design my philosophy is “fast and cheap,” with one exception: artwork! Take some of the money you’ve saved on furniture and spend it on something you’ll love for the rest of your life.

Director’s Gallery on Bainbridge Island is my new favorite resource for beautiful, evocative, original paintings. Owner and director Jack Mclaughlin not only has an incredible eye (there was not one thing in the place I didn’t like), but he is so knowledgeable and so not pushy! While his taste is exquisite, his prices are very reasonable.

When you buy artwork, but something you absolutely love!

Director’s Gallery 126 Madrone Lane Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 206.842.6000 www.TheDirectorsGallery.com

After three or four hours of power shopping, you’ll probably work up an appetite. You can’t go wrong with Café Nola! Excellent service, fresh ingredients, prepared with care and imagination. Take a look! www.cafenola.com 101 Winslow Way E Bainbridge Isle, WA 98110 (206) 842-3822. Cafe Nola is closed on Wednesdays.

Do you get overwhelmed when you go to a paint store? Then you should let a pro do the work of selecting the right color for your house. Companies like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn have spent small fortunes putting together their definitive and elegant color schemes, so when you get ready to paint, pick up one of their palettes and use it throughout your house. Every color will work with every other color. It’s almost impossible to make a mistake!

One of my favorite combinations (particularly if you think you may be selling your house in the near future) is Latte for walls, with The Right White molding, and Silver Sage for the ceiling. I can't tell you how many houses I've sold using these colors.

In the photo I used this combination with Flax above the picture rail.  Stop by the University Village store (4635 University Village Place Seattle, WA 98105 - (206) 522-2775) to pick up a samples and paint chips.

Get the skinny on bio-identical hormone replacement, natural skin rejuvenation, weight loss & flexibility at a small roundtable discussion hosted by the Kerala Ayurveda Clinic. Not only is it free, they are providing a light complimentary dinner! Space is limited to 20 participants so sign up today! Click here for more details: Kerala Event

Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic
4210 Stone Way N  Seattle, WA  98103
206.729.9999
www.ayurvedaonline.com
www.ayurvedaacademy.com

<!--st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --><!--[if gte mso 10]> <! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} ></p> <p><strong>Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic</strong><br> 4210 Stone Way N  Seattle, WA  98103<br> 206.729.9999<br> www.ayurvedaonline.com<br> <a href="http://www.ayurvedaacademy.com/" mce_href="http://www.ayurvedaacademy.com/">www.ayurvedaacademy.com</a></p> </body> < ><! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } ><! [if gte mso 10]> <! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} ></p> <p><strong>Kerala Ayurveda Academy & Clinic</strong><br> 4210 Stone Way N  Seattle, WA  98103<br> 206.729.9999<br> www.ayurvedaonline.com<br> <a href="http://www.ayurvedaacademy.com/" mce_href="http://www.ayurvedaacademy.com/">www.ayurvedaacademy.com</a></p> </body> < >< >< >< >< >< ><-->

Get Gorgeous For Less: PHASE 3

Phase 3 in Belltown is the advanced training center for the Gary Manuel Salon. All of the stylists have competed for their coveted position and they are the cream of the crop! This salon uses Aveda products and their prices average at half of what you pay for the same service in a comparable salon anywhere in Seattle. Dawn gave me one of the best haircuts I have ever had! They consistently get rave reviews and I can see why.

2127 First Avenue  ///  Seattle, WA    ///  98121
phone:  206-728-1234  ///  fax:  206-728-0161
email:  salon@garymanuel.com

When President Obama was telling us to wash our hands the other night, he should have taken it just one step further. He should have told us how to wash the inside of our nose! I know this sounds a little gross, but the practices of cleansing sinus passages with a netty pot has been around for centuries. I can personally vouch for this; Whenever I feel a cold coming on I use a netty pot for a day or two and it  knocks it right out. Even those horrid colds you catch while flying.

Although I have been exposed to tons of stuff, I haven't had the flu or a real cold in three years. My acupuncturist gave me a tip: in addition to filling the pot with salt water, add a tiny bit of organic tumeric to the solution. Tumeric is an incredible anti-microbial! So if you think you've been exposed to anybody who has anything, play it safe and use the netty pot. This great demo will walk you through the entire process.

Think again! While showing houses yesterday, I came across this little artifact. It's a toilet seat,in case you can't tell. And if that wasn't enough, take a look at the second picture of the master bath. What were they thinking?

This certainly injected some humor into a long day of touring, but it didn't do a thing to get the house sold. The moral of this story is: De-personalize, re-personalize but get rid of the joke toilet seats!

                                Any Stager with a pulse would have told you to change these out.

Local Marketing Specialist Dominic Canterbury has just launched Dibspace.com - a new service-bartering website for business owners and everyone else.

Dibspace is a virtual currency for independent businesses. It works like a barter credit system but it's a couple billion times better than anything you've ever seen.

For a business with some open space in their schedule, this is an easy and free way to fill up your time and earn credits to spend on other fantastic services. AND even if you don't have a business, there are ways for you to earn credits, so everybody can join.

When you sign up your business you'll automatically get 100 Dibits (that's the currency of the site). And there are incentives to earn more Dibits by doing things like inviting friends and posting offers, so you can get Dibit-rich pretty easily.

Check it out at: dibspace.com

If you are gluten-intolerant, you don't have to give up pasta all together. Trader Joe's has come to your rescue with a brand new product that is actually pretty delicious: Gluten Free Mac 'N' Cheese! It's great for kids, or a quick meal for adults too. Or, use the pasta without the cheese sauce and create your own gourmet gluten-free dish.

By the way, the new Trader Joe's in Ballard just opened today. Finally!!!!