Thanks to the West Seattle Blog for this informative update on what's happening with the property at the southeast corner of the Junction. A builder/developer named Charlie Conner bought the property 11 years ago, with the intent of eventually re-developing it into a mixed use property. The most recent design was for a 200 unit , two-building apartment complex. They're putting the whole thing on the block however, I'll venture to guess it's because of the economy kind of. . . well, sucking.

It also appears this project would have been something of a departure for Conner; Judging from their website, their emphasis has been primarily on single family residence projects in the suburbs (they even built a community outside of Walla Walla). Per the WS Blog, a firm called Turning Point Realty Advisers out of Kirkland will be acting as the listing brokerage for the property. The folks at Conner Homes seem like good people who actually cared about West Seattle, but frankly I'm glad this 200 unit complex isn't coming to pass, at least for now.

I hope West Seattleites will come together now and in the future, to keep California Ave. from Genessee down to Edmunds, from becoming a concrete jungle lined with 5 story buildings. It would completely destroy the character of this special little "Main Street, USA," greatly reduce the natural light and airy feel of the area, and hamper the view corridors toward the Olympics, the Sound, the Cascades, and Downtown. The taller complexes nearby such as the Mural Apartments building are an example of sound urban planning in my opinion; they provide relatively affordable housing in a densely populated area, convenient to public transportation and numerous amenities. But can't we keep it off California?

My motivations aren't even purely aesthetic. West Seattle already has a couple of Seattle's most important tourist destinations: Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, the ferry to Vashon & Southworth. Imagine the potential economic impact of a "more perfect" Junction. I'm not advocating going all Disneyworld (or Leavenworth for that matter), but let's face it: tourism is seriously low-hanging fruit on the tree of economics (I grew up in a tourist town, I know it's true). Why not continue to make the Junction a destination not just for Seattleites, but for tourists from all over the world? How about some restaurants with rooftop decks showcasing the amazing views we have from our little peninsula? After a lovely meal and a couple glasses of wine, who doesn't want to head down to the Click Designs, the Sneakeries, and the Bakery Nouveaux of the world and spend more money? I can't tell you how many house guests we've had over the years who, after one day in West Seattle, we ask "do you want to go downtown and check out all The Stuff?" and they reply "I don't care, it's really nice right here."

I'll be keeping an eye on this corner, and am interested to see what transpires. Let's all make sure that whatever it is, it's in the best interests of West Seattleites, and not a developer's spreadsheet. For now, I've worked up an appetite for some new socks and a twice-baked almond croissant. -RS

After reading a great post by Charles over at Portland Real Estate Blog,  a little could be added to our discussion about real estate negotiations. Is it always a Zero Sum Game?

One of the first principles learned when studying negotiation tactics, is to make sure to leave your opponent feeling like they got a good deal.  This can be tough especially when using terms like opponent and zero sum. Homeowners hire agents to play this game tough and get the best possible price for their home. This is zero sum, what one side wins the other loses.

But while our goal as agents is to get the best possible deal for our clients, we must remember that there are people on the other side of the transaction.  Now we're not talking about being easy on the other side. But, I have come very close to losing transactions because the agent on the other side of the deal was demanding the world, rudely. My clients felt insulted by the underlying tone that was coming across during the negotiations process. Their first reaction was to just walk away.

We had a difficult conversation about what their true goals were and how, once they owned the home they would never have to "deal" with the other agent or seller again.  Their response was to continue with the process, but fight tooth an nail for everything they could, even at risk of throwing the deal. Game On! We got what they wanted, but came close to losing the deal.

Risk vs Reward, this is a personal level that we all have to choose. I have found that by personally presenting offers or adding personalized letters; this paints a human face on the offer.  It can reduce the "cut-throat" edge on the other side. Always give the impression that the other side "got the best" of the deal.  This way they feel satisfied and are less likely to come back for more.

Moving into a town home in Seattle can be challenging. Tight corners and stairwells coupled with a three or four story layout. As the density of our city increases, the number of town homes will inevitably increase, for several reasons to be discussed later. My wife and I live in a 1200sqft town home in the Alaska Junction neighborhood in West Seattle. It is by far one of the coolest areas in Seattle. We walk to everything. Some of the cities best restaurants and cafe's are within just a couple of blocks.

However getting furniture into our home was a challenge and is for most town home owners. We bought a 9ft long sofa, it is soft and fuffy, but it wont fit through our stair well. For about a year we converted our first floor bedroom into a "TV" room and avoided moving it into our "living" room on the second floor. Recently we are expecting our first child and need to move our "office" from a third floor bedroom down to the first floor. How to get the huge sofa up stairs to make room for the office?

Being an avid rock climber and mountaineer, ropes and rigging are my thing. Check out this great system to get a couch to the middle floor in a typical West Seattle town home. A little hoist and pull using a three to one pulley system and after removing the second story balcony.

Figuratively, of course. When receiving an offer that is too low, and they all are these days, it is important to use everything you can to get an edge on your competition. Negotiation tactics are an edge that all top producing agents have. This post is the second in a series on Negotiation tactics and real estate.

When an initial offer comes in the correct reaction is to "flinch." You want the bearer of the offer to feel like they just dropped a brick on your foot. "Ouch!" Then wait. Don't say anything. Nothing. Silence, is the next move. Almost like you are waiting for an apology from the brick dropper. Wait until they talk next, no matter how long it takes. I have waited so long that people have asked if I was still on the phone, like it was a dropped call.

When I am shopping in the grocery store and I accidentally bump someone with my cart, my first reaction is to apologize. I have actually had agents, after dropping a brick on my foot, apologize for their offer. What?! Who is selling who? While agents often "feel" each other out over the phone to gauge where and how far they can push a situation, they should never apologize. Making an offer is not like bumping into someone in a grocery store. Apologizing is admitting that the offer is too low or high as it may be.

Negotiating real estate contracts are often a "quid pro quo " game. I'll give you this if you give me that. The flinch offers an opportunity to get a little for nothing. I have even heard of agents offering to increase their asking price right over the phone when faced with the flinch and a nice long pause. This is not the norm and many good agents know and understand these tactics. Does yours? Ask your agent what their response is going to be to this situation, before you hire them.

When entering into negotiations you had better know your Set Point. Without knowing your Set Point your just shooting in the dark aimlessly with no real stragety. A good agent can smell this a mile away and counter effectively. I will talk more about what and how to determine your Set Point tomorrow, stay tuned.

The market is changing, but I mean that the confidence bottom has dropped out of some real estate agents. I have always been a student of the human condition. How people react when their ego is hurt, what they do when they are in a position of power, or do they go on the defensive when threatened.

A real estate agent is supposed to be your protection from these absolutely normal reactions to situations, especially when the bottom drops out of the real estate market. Barrier to emotion, is one of the benefits to using a real estate agent to negotiate. Any agent really, whether it is a sports agent or an actors agent, is a negotiating tool. When the seller, or buyer as it may be, comes back with an outlandish response, your agent is there to respond using wise tactics.

All too often agents either just say, "Thank you for the offer I'll see what I can do" or they over react giving away their clients real position. Either way hurts their client, not good business skills. If a client is going to pay for full commission service, they should get what they pay for. A great real estate salesperson, who understands the selling process.

I am going to talk more about the negotiation process in the next few days so stay tuned for more.