A billion dollar skyscraper home (570 feet tall, 27 stories) is getting built for Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man and will be located in Mumbai, India.   In an article written by Karen Russo, reported on ABC.com, the amenities will include, “a swimming pool, multiple "safe" rooms and 600 servants. Along with a health club, the abode will reportedly have a home theater and a helipad, and the tower will include six floors for 168 car parking spaces.”

The home is supposed to be ready for the family to move into next year.   Go to the website and see pictures.   I wonder how long they plan to live there or if they may be interested in enjoying a home in a cooler temperature for a few months of the year—like in the Seattle area for instance.  I would love to help!

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

I was awake very early this morning and turned on PBS (Channel 9).  I watched "Think Tank" a program I had never seen before.  Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg is a half-hour weekly discussion show focusing on deeper trends, conditions, and ideas behind the week's headlines. Each week, host Ben Wattenberg is joined by panelists uniquely qualified to discuss topics such as public policy, politics, arts and entertainment, culture, science and technology, and medicine.

This week, Wattenberg was interviewing James Q. Wilson.  In 1982 Wilson published the influential "broken windows" theory of crime.  If police and the community ignore public disorder (symbolized by broken windows), then law-abiding people will be intimidated and criminals will get the message that "anything goes." 

Many police departments (including Guiliani) adopted this theory as part of "community policing." Without good statistics on crime rates, nobody would know what worked in fighting crime.

Wilson is one person featured in the "First Measured Century" series (produced by the same people as Think Tank).  In today's interview he also mentioned what he sees as still a significant problem "the single mother families."  He was raised by a single mother and is and it is an important issue for him.

You can read some of his thoughts here:  FMC (First Measured Society) Program Segments 1960-2000, Crime, Broken Windows, and James Q. Wilson

I found it interesting that if you read the next segment, you will see how they were measuring this same issue since 1960 in a famous and controversial "Moynihan Report, When Politics and Sociology Collide," the last comments I thought were the most important:

BEN WATTENBERG: And we can measure that disruption. Here's just a sample. The nature of the family was changing. In the 1960s, divorce rates spiked. Once it was rare and called "living in sin." The number of men and women living together without the benefit of marriage went up six-fold between 1960 and 1970, and then another six-fold between 1970 and 1998. Today, about half of all those getting married have lived in a cohabiting relationship. 

A third disruption concerned drugs. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the use of marijuana increased by over 400 percent; mind-altering hallucinogens by over 800 percent; cocaine, 2300 percent. 

The worst part of the great disruption was crime. Pat Moynihan warned that if more children grew up without the presence of fathers, the result would be social chaos, including crime. Crime rates soared, and crime and punishment became one of the most important issues in American life. 

Why does this have significance for me?  Because a friend of mine said that her 14 year old daughter told her that when she becomes 16, she is quitting school and leaving home.  What does the future look like for this girl?  If she follows her plan what is the likelihood that she will, someday, be a single mom-- what life skills will she be able to teach her children.   Also, there are the economic consequences that will follow her.  These are not my inferences--they are statistics.  This is a whole other issue.  How to make it an unpopular choice to have children at very young ages.

Back to the beginning, there is a great deal of interesting information that can be found on both of these websites and I feel Think Tank is worth while watching (but maybe not often at 5:00 in the morning).

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

In my email this morning was the weekly "Update from Congress.org."  I really like receiving this because you can click on one of the issues, read about it and then write a comment that gets sent to your Congressional Representatives.  For instance, today their topics were:

State of The Union Address Monday Night

• Obama Gets Big Win in South Carolina
• Stimulus Package Announced
• Harry Reid Names Senate Priorities

I clicked in further and found this issue:

Senate Takes Up Intelligence Bill

With a February 1 expiration date looming over the current law, the Senate is taking up debate on changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The most controversial provision of the bill concerns granting telecommunications companies retroactive immunity from lawsuits for their role in helping the government spy on American citizens without a warrant. Many Senators and privacy groups oppose this provision.
Support Immunity
Oppose Immunity

Senator Arlen Specter has supported an amendment that would allow lawsuits, but with the government as the defendant, rather than telecom companies. Senator Dianne Feinstein supports an amendment that would name the FISA bill as the sole provider of the President's spying authority.

I have an opinion about this topic so I wrote a comment and had it sent off.   These "Updates" allow you to keep up-to-date on issues you feel are important and investigate into others.  It is my opinion that it is extremely important to let your voice be heard and this is a very convenient way to do so.

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

I held a house open yesterday afternoon and no one came.  The owner had left at 4:30 in the morning and the young adult children had not done the dishes.  Their dishwasher broke last week--so maybe they don't know how.

I called one of the children and asked if the dishwasher was still broken and if the garbage disposal worked.  They said yes to both questions, so I got rid of the food waste and washed the dishes.  I also washed of the kitchen table and all the kitchen counters.  If there had been some windex around, I would have taken the "dog nose prints" off of the sliding glass door.  The good thing was that their bedrooms were in pretty good order.

Sometimes, it is difficult to get "buy-in" from all of the family members.   I am going to have a discussion as to why it is important to have a home that is as "spotless" as possible.

If you like taking classes and you are a Washington state resident, aged 60 and older, you can audit University of Washington courses for $5   The students participating in this program are called "Access students" and may enroll for a maximum of two courses per quarter.   Students attend classes on an audit basis and cannot participate in class discussions, take tests or submit papers.  There are restrictions and there must be space-available in the course to attend. 

I have known about this for a long time and can hardly wait until I get old enough to participate.  To start with, I want to take an Astronomy class.

The Access Students program is also available at the University of Washington Tacoma.

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

I have made the commitment to help pay for my grandchildren's college education and anything about colleges interests me.  This morning, I saw an ad in "The Seattle Times" for Summer@Andover that, I thought, sounds very intriguing.  They call it an "age-appropriate" residential program pre-college experience."  The dates are July 1 to August 6, 2008.

The "Phillips Academy Summer Session is an academic, coeducational enrichment program for boarding and day students who are entering grades 8 through 12."  The program is not for students that are not focused.  The student has to be accepted by the Admissions Committee, which "looks for evidence that the applicant has the intellectual ability, the industry and the character to make the most of the Summer Session opportunity. The committee expects the applicant to have a strong school record and a serious desire to spend the summer in challenging, disciplined study."

Each weekend there is a field trip, i.e. may include a trip to Historic Boston or Salem, Massachusetts; and on Wednesdays there are trips to take a look at different New England Colleges.

Financial Aid is available.  The school wants to attract students from a wide range of backgrounds and financial awards are granted "according to financial need that is determined by computation based upon parental income and not academic performance."

For you that do not know, Phillips Academy Andover is in Andover, Massachusetts.  It is a very expensive school.  I am not saying that I am going to pay for my grandchildren to go there, (a scholarship would be nice).  But this is a long ways off since the kids are only nearly 2 years old and almost 6 weeks old!

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

I received an email (MemberConnect Update) this morning from the Council of Residential Specialists (CRS).   This week, under their "Tools and Resources" tab was a link to "A Free Tool for Building and Sharing Presentations Online." 

They mention "Thumbstacks.com, where you can make presentations - like slideshows, or outlines - right in your web browser. When you're done, you can share your presentations with anyone, anywhere, just by sending them a link."

Here is their example? Here's a presentation about us.   I thought it looked helpful.

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

I was out in Kent, Black Diamond and Covington this afternoon, handing out calendars to friends, former neighbors and clients and it was too late to drive back into Seattle without hitting rush hour traffic.  So I pulled over into Rooter's Barbeque and Deli, 29030  216th Ave. SE, Black Diamond, WA  98010.  I hadn't been into the restaurant since they had remodeled after a very large fire they had had.

I was very impressed with what they have done with the place.   It has a very warm, cosy and a bit rustic decor.   (If you don't like stuffed animal heads on the wall--it is not the place for you.)   Since it was a little above freezing when I went, it felt very good to have a table right next to the fireplace.

I had a pork sandwich, with coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad (I brought half of it home).  It really was good!

Back to the animal heads--I left a note for the owner that if he needs a cariboo head, I have one he can have.

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings. 

This afternoon, while I was driving out to see a client, I was watching the semi in front of me and it seemed like the tires were wobbling.   I hope it was an optical illusion, but the more I watched--they just didn't look right.  I called 911 and reported what I saw, the license number and where the semi was.  We were on a freeway and there was really no way to flag him down.

There have been two cases in the last year where tires came off of a semi and I think one person died because of it.   I've called 911 several times over the years, while driving. 

One time my late husband (Rich) and I watched a guy driving erratically on a surface street in Renton, and when he got to the stop light he stopped and just sat there looking kind of glazed over.  I was driving and told my husband I am going back there to stop him.  Well, my husband wouldn't let me do that--when we turned around and stopped our car behind him, Rich jumped out and reached in through the rolled down window and took the keys out of the car.  Rich came back to the car, I called 911 and we waited for the police.  When, Rich went back up to the car to check on the guy, the guy says to Rich "Did you see that guy?"  He was so out of it, he didn't even know that it was Rich the whole time.

Here in Washington State, it is going to be illegal to drive with a cell phone in our hands sometime this summer--except to call 911 or in an emergency. 

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings. 

I have been working on getting a listing signed that is by sellers that are astranged.  It is difficult when the parties do not trust each other and racks up the dollars every time a call is made to an attorney.  This is only the beginning and I can see that both parties need to understand that, in this market, when a buyer comes along they need to be prepared to act quickly and negotiate fairly with each other not only with the buyer.

Clients need to think about this before the buyers come along.  This may be a listing that will make use of "all of my people skills."

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

I watch several news channels and public television, therefore, get to hear authors talk about their books fairly often.

Yesterday, my new book arrived, A Nation of Sheep, by Judge Andrew P. Napolitano.  I have been hearing about it for a while now so finally ordered it.

This morning, I was watching "Bill Moyers Journal," on PBS and he had on Harvey J. Kaye talking about Thomas Paine.  Kaye is a historian and author of THOMAS PAINE AND THE PROMISE OF AMERICA which discusses the role of whom he calls ‘the greatest radical of a radical age.’  I didn't order this book because I wanted to read Thomas Paine's own book first:  Common Sense: The Call to Independence by Thomas Paine

Moyer also had the author that wrote, "Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and StickYou with the Bill)," David Cay Johnston.

As I was listening to these authors, I was thinking that I would like to meet each one and ask more questions. There seems to be a theme here between these books--I will let you know after I read them what I think about them.  

For someone that doesn't like to shop--I really do like Amazon.com!

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

Saving and investing money is one of my favorite subjects--I was not aware that starting on January 1, 2008, there was a change in the tax law, whereby, individuals may contribute an extra $1,000 a year in traditional and Roth IRAs. Therefore, the annual limits go to $5,000 for anyone under age 50 and $6,000 for those 50 and over.  When you consider the value of money over time principal, this is very good news.

The SEP IRA contribution has also had an increase in the contribution level. “The maximum employer's contribution to a SEP -- used primarily by self-employed individuals -- is $46,000 this year, up $1,000 from last year.”

ABC News has an interesting article today entitled, “Net Gains: Retire With a Larger Nest Egg,” by David McPherson.  He also mentions that “The good news is that due to inflation indexing, the income eligibility limits also increased on Jan. 1.”

Besides reading the article, you can get more information from IRS Publication 590. “The 2007 edition contains details for 2008 contributions.”

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.   

The Macworld Conference & Expo is currently going on in San Francisco and people have been very interested to see what would be presented this year.  Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs showed a super-slim new laptop, it is less than an inch thick and turns on the moment it's opened.  It comes standard with an 80-gigabyte hard drive, with the option of a 64GB flash-based solid state drive as an upgrade.

Jobs also said Apple will be getting into the online movie rentals business, mentioning an agreement with all six major movie studios to offer films over high-speed Internet connections soon after they're released on DVD.

Jobs also presented a several new features for the iPhone, “showing how users of the combination iPod-cell phone-Internet surfing device can now pinpoint their location on Web maps, text-message multiple people at once and customize their home screens.”

ABC News had an article “Jobs Reveals Tiny New Laptop, Confirms iTunes Movie Rentals,” by May Wong and Jordan Robertson (Jan. 15, 2008)

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.  

I want to say something about BRIO Realty.  I was one of the first agents on board and have seen many changes.  It has to be said that the company is young and vibrant and full of enthusiasm.  The owners, Jonathan Washburn and his wife Sara have the values of integrity, fairness and hard work and certainly have my respect.   Whoops--I forgot to say how pleasant they are to have around.

Because the owners of BRIO Realty also own ActiveRain, The Real Estate Network, we have been encouraged to blog.  That was totally new to me a year ago--and now I am a very active blogger and have learned so much from the helpful participants and gotten more business and exposure because of it.  That is just one example of how BRIO has helped my career.

BRIO Realty provides a pool of leads that their agents can pick from.  The leads come from people that have gone to the BRIO website to search for properties.  We want to make ourselves available to people that may want help with their home search.  I tell potential clients that "I do not care if they are a long-term looker or a short-term buyer, I am happy to help them."  When I get someone that wants to take their time, I ask what their search criteria should include and then send them property listings so they can see what comes on the market.

I often select people from the pool of leads that are from out of state--I enjoy showing folks what our area of the country has to offer.

I would certainly recommend BRIO Realty as a company to work for and for those that have a need for a real estate agent--we have offices in Virginia, Maryland and Washington State.

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

Yesterday afternoon was so delightful I still have a buzz.  I went out to my old Kent neighborhood (where I have a rental property) and passed out calendars to my neighbors.  Many I knew, some I had not met.  It really was fun catching up with the ones I did know. 

Several of the people I didn't know invited me in and we had a good visit--talking about how long they have lived there and their lives and their neighbors.  It had gotten dark and it was raining and they liked talking.  

One of the ladies I know very well, recently lost her husband and I had actually made the trip out to see her.  I knocked on her door and her dogs didn't bark so I stuck the calendar through the little doggie door.  When I had gotten three miles away I get this call asking why I hadn't stopped in.  I explained what happened and she said "next time ring the door bell or knock the house down" because she is so hard of hearing.

This is one of my favorite parts of real estate--building relationships. 

By the way, Kent and Covington is building up a storm--I didn't know there was a WAL-MART in Covington because I haven't been in that part of town for quite a while. 

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.  

Sarah Nopp has a post this morning entitled “Volunteering Opportunities in Olympia, WA”—after reading it I decided to see what volunteer positions are open on boards in the City of Seattle.

The following boards and commissions currently have openings in the City of Seattle:

 
Fire Code Advisory Board - Mayor Greg Nickels is inviting candidates to represent retail business to apply for appointment to the Seattle Fire Code Advisory Board. The 15-member board advises the mayor, the City Council, the Fire Chief and the Fire Marshal about fire code issues in Seattle.

City regulations require that board membership include specific business and industry representatives and two members of the public. At this time, the retail business representative is the only vacant position.

Mayor's Council on African American Elders  - the Mayor seeks candidates who are active in African American community affairs and have skills and experience in health care, fund development and public relations, and who have contacts in African American churches.

The City of Seattle link is where you can check back occasionally to see if something opens up that you maybe qualified for and find interesting.

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

This is a "big deal" at our house.  My mother has been complaining for years that other cities can make a profit from their ports and our just keeps getting more money from the tax payers.  The U.S. Justice Department has launched the criminal investigation because of what was found in a recent state audit.

State Auditor Brian Sonntag has said that "multiple federal agencies could be involved in the probe, including the U.S. Attorney's office, FBI and Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Transportation."  This was stated in the front page article of The Seattle Times today in their article, "Possible fraud at Port focus of criminal probe, millions wasted, according to audit released last month" by Jim Brunner and Bob Young. 

It is interesting that the performance audit was authorized by Initiative 900, which is the "Tim Eyman-sponsored measure approved by voters in 2005."

There is a port hearing today.  "The public can comment on the audit during today's Port of Seattle Commission hearing, which starts at 1 p.m. at Port headquarters on Seattle's Pier 69 (on Alaskan Way between Clay and Vine streets)."

MSNBC also carried the story today:  "Feds open criminal inquiry into port," by Kristen Millares Young, Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

UPDATE:  There is a follow-up article in The Seattle Times this morning, "Port gets catcalls, support at hearing on harsh audit" by Bob Young.

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont, Green Lake and Redmond, Washington  Real Estate Property Listings.  Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

Governor Christine Gregoire is proposing to have sobriety checkpoints in the State of Washington.  This is in reaction to a high number of drunken driving fatalities.  Washington State is one of ten states that do not allow sobriety checkpoints.  You can see a video here from KIRO.

The Washington State Supreme Court has found sobriety checkpoints unconstitutional so it would require a change in state law.  The United States Supreme Court has found sobriety checkpoints constitutional under strict guidelines.

An article entitled "Gregoire wants to allow sobriety checkpoints" by Jackson Holtz, Herald Writer goes into detail.

I have gotten Washington State Drunk Driving Statistics from 1982 to 2005.

UPDATE:  Here is The Seattle Times article in the paper today.  Checking sobriety urged by Diane Brooks.

Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.   Just click on the blue "homes search" button and then click on the area you wish to view.  You can also search by street address or the MLS number.

If you like to travel or be outdoors a good source of information is the on-line Seattle Times Travel and Outdoors.  Here are an examples of things that can be found there:

• Geography quiz | How well do you know your world?

• American Airlines to test anti-missile system on jets

• Best bets for the weekend

• Birders scan treetops and underbrush in an annual count that began 108 years ago

• Weekend calendar

• New Urban Eats: a dining event from NWsource

If you go to the website (you may want to bookmark it), you may find something that interests you.   The Pacific Northwest is noted for wonderful outdoor activities.  I usually recommend that you dress for the the weather.  What cracks me up is when I will see runners with very little on.

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.

One of the goals for 2008 is to get very organized.  To handle mail only once and take care of things when they present themselves.  Somethings can easily be forgotten.

My passport expires in October and I have been telling myself that I need to get it renewed.  Since I have a tendency to procrastinate on this sort of thing I just went to the website and filled out the on-line renewal form.

Right now, the only out of the country trip planned is a trip to Mexico next Christmas-but you never can tell what opportunity may come up and this is a good time to get it take care of.  Do you know when your passport is going to expire? 

• How about your driver's license?  My dad once drove on an expired license for a whole year because he wasn't paying attention.
• Have you gotten your will prepared yet?
• When was the last time you checked how much is your home insured for?
• Looked into long-term health care?
• Raised the amount that is going into your 401K or reviewed your allocations?
• Gotten your bills on an automatic bill pay system?

What have I forgotten?

Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washington Real Estate Property Listings.