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Neighborhood Profile: Mill Creek
March 8, 2016 /Imagine living in a planned community clustered around a golf course, interspersed with countless miles of hiking trails, and supported by a thriving commercial center. In Mill Creek, all of these characteristics come together to create a truly cozy community. Part of Snohomish County, Mill Creek is located east of Lynnwood, north of Bothell, and just 20 miles away from downtown Seattle. Originally a planned community built around the Mill Creek Country Club and Golf Course, Mill Creek has grown into a tidy and prosperous community stocked to the brim with handsome real estate. Mill Creek’s neighborhood plans make it particularly attractive to residents. Blessed with larger than average lot sizes, and plenty of green space and parks (including sports courts, ball fields, and nearly 25 miles of walking trails), Mill Creek’s neighborhoods are not just places to crash after a long day at work; instead, they’re carefully planned to be enjoyable living spaces that enrich the lives of both children and adults. Some of Mill Creek’s most popular parks include Cougar Park, Heron Park, Highlands Park, Mill Creek Sports Park, and Nickel Creek Park. Last but not least, there is, of course, the original golf course the community was…Read more
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Let Me Tell You About the Time I Didn’t Have a House- Part 2
February 19, 2016 /“I think I can see our house from here,” I said. “Where?” Ellie said. “There.” “That’s a medieval tower. Also: we don’t have a house.” “Oh,” I said, squinting. “Yes. I suppose you’re right.” Oliver, Ellie, and I were sitting up in the hills above Glendalough, looking down at the ruins of the medieval monastery in the valley below. Crowds of tourists wandered among the buildings, clustering together like ants, pausing every now and again to take selfies in front of the stone buildings. “I mean, I guess we could live in a medieval tower,” I said. “I don’t think there are any rules against it. Medieval towers were good enough for folks once upon a time, and it’s not like we have too many options at this point.” “There are definitely rules against it,” Ellie said. “Are you sure?” “Pretty sure.” Our decision to bus to Glendalough was a result of our mounting frustration with our housing search. We’d grown tired of our routine, tired of filling out applications and receiving no response, tired of sharing a hostel with strangers. In particular, I’d developed a supreme distaste for watching our eccentric, suit-wearing, Tesco-loving friend gurgle his way through breakfast…Read more
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Neighborhood Profile: Juanita
February 5, 2016 /How would you like to live in one of the top five neighborhoods in the country? Like most people, your answer is probably a resounding “Yes!” (give or take a few enthusiastic exclamation points). In 2014, Money Magazine named Kirkland the fifth best place to live, calling it a bustling “hotspot” full of good jobs, schools, and neighbors. Rest assured that nothing has changed since 2014. As such, Kirkland’s many neighborhoods are prime real estate, and you deserve to know all the wonderful facts about living in each and every one of them. That’s where the neighborhood of Juanita comes in. The neighborhood of Juanita is situated in northern Kirkland. Bordered by Lake Washington, I-405, Finn Hill, Bothell, and Forbes Creek, Juanita serves as a bedroom community for Seattle and other cities on the eastern shore of the Puget Sound, such as Bellevue and Redmond. Juanita is a small neighborhood with a population of about 13,000 people, most of whom enjoy a commute time of about 25 minutes each way. While most commuters drive their own vehicles on I-405, many others take advantage of the area’s ride-sharing culture by utilizing its many park-n-rides. Juanita’s prime location and amenities make it…Read more
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Profile of Katie Silver, Lead Buyer’s Agent
January 29, 2016 /When asked why Pickett Street is such a phenomenal company to work for, employees often don’t mention Pickett Street’s financial success and business savvy, though both qualities are well-documented characteristics of the company. Instead, most folks immediately talk about the team, the network of individuals that glues Pickett Street together. As such, it’s worth taking the time to get to know this team a little better. This week, we’ve chosen to highlight Katie Silver, Pickett Street’s Lead Buyer’s Agent and seasoned veteran of the real estate world. Beginnings Katie Silver has been thinking about real estate for a long time. Living on her own since the age of 17, Katie quickly developed a keen and discerning business sense. While she had been born and raised in Bellingham, and even though she worked in Bellingham at the time, Katie wanted to avoid paying the higher rent that came with living in a college town, and so she moved out to Ferndale to secure a cheap, $400 per month apartment. Despite the low cost of living, however, Katie quickly realized that paying rent each month was akin to throwing money away, as she was using her hard-earned funds to pay for something…Read more
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On Moving. A blog post from our very own blog writer :)
January 15, 2016 /I walked into my room the other day and was surprised to find some suitcases stacked in the corner. After a few moments’ reflection, I remembered that I’ll be moving in a week. It was a strange feeling, standing there and thinking about how easy it was to pack my life into three compact bags. I’m no stranger to moving. When I was four, my family traveled from New Jersey to Washington State by train. We spent the next few years moving around the Puget sound, shuttling our possessions to Burien, then Federal Way, and then Olalla, before finally settling in a house in the Crescent Valley neighborhood of Gig Harbor. Something about these trips must have given me the travel bug. In the last three years of my life, for instance, I’ve lived in Portland, Dublin, Portland again, and Austin. And now, a mere six months later, I find myself preparing to leave once again. Writing for Pickett Street has given me a different perspective on the concept of moving. Suddenly, after years of living out of a backpack (occasionally two backpacks, when I find myself acquiring more possessions than I ought to), I’m contemplating mortgages, property values, the…Read more
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Jesse, John & Pickett Street on National Public Radio (NPR)
October 19, 2010 /Last week I was contacted by a reporter from KPLU, the Seattle affiliate for National Public Radio, wondering if I would sit down with her and talk about how many banks have elected to temporarily suspend their foreclosure process. So last Thursday she showed up at our offices, microphone in hand, and we spent the next 90 minutes discussing this brave new world of real estate. 90 minutes of conversation with three different agents (Dennis Pearce, John McCants and myself) was edited down to 4 minutes, and a good share of that was split with Jillayne Schlicke - real estate and mortgage educator extraordinaire, and Richard Hagar - a Seattle real estate appraiser. The piece aired nationally on the "Weekend Edition" on NPR this past Sunday. I think that the initial pitch for the story was an investigative report as to how the suspension of foreclosures from big banks like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, and GMAC was effecting the day-to-day operation of real estate businesses like ours. As a real estate team that services short sale, bank-owned, resale, new construction, and auction properties, the suspensions most greatly affected our auction business. John is quoted in the report discussing…Read more
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Keller Williams & Pickett Street give back: RED Day 2010
June 10, 2010 /Pickett Street Properties Team joined Keller Williams associates across America on May 13th - and took the day off! But it was hardly a day of rest. Over 25,000 associates across the US and Canada spent their day giving back, as part of the company’s community service initiative called RED Day. Short for “Renew, Energize, and Donate,” RED Day was created to unite Keller Williams Realty office and associates in an international day of service. Andy and our team coordinated the activities for our Keller Williams Realty Bothell – and it was an incredible and very rewarding experience. We ended up with 60+ associates and several vendor/partners volunteering, serving in several projects throughout the greater Bothell area: Home Renovation: We scoured our community for a home that needed some work, and approached several owners to see if they’d be interested in our help. It took a while to find someone who would accept our “no strings attached” offer. Once we started working – they were thrilled. The family home we served had not been touched in over 30 years. Our team of volunteers gave it an entire “exterior makeover”, including: complete house scraping, sanding, cleaning, and painting (with colors chosen…Read more
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day – from the Irishman of the Pickett Street Team!
March 17, 2010 /St. Patrick’s Day is always a special celebration for me - even though I’m a few generations removed from actually being very Irish. But I do know that my O’Shea family originally came from County Cork and County Kerry in Ireland. I also know that I’ve been saving money so that my wife and I can go tour castles in Ireland on our 20th wedding anniversary! If you decide to experience some authentic Irish celebrations – here are a few local Irish Restaurants and PUBs: Seattle area: Kell’s Irish Restaurant and Pub – Pike Place Market, 1916 Post Alley, 206-728-1916 (come early!) The Dubliner – Fremont, 3405 Fremont Ave N, 206-634-3161 Fado Irish Pub – Downtown, 801 First Ave, 206-264-2700 Paddy Coyne’s – Lake Union Northend: Mick Finster’s Pub & Grill – Edmonds, 24001 Hwy 99, 425-775-2121 Shawn O’Donnell’s Rest. & Pub – South Everett, 122 128th St SE, 425-338-5700 The Irishman – Downtown Everett, 2923 Colby Ave, 425-374-5783 Eastside: JJ Mahoney’s – Redmond, 8932 161st Ave NE, 425-558-1866 Wilde Rover Irish Pub – Kirkland, 111 Central Way, 425-822-8940 Celtic Bayou – Redmond, 7281 Sammamish Pkwy NE, 425-881-0704 (shuttle bus from Marymoor Park every 15 mins from 4pm to 2am)…Read more
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Pickett Street goes to New Orleans
February 26, 2010 /We recently returned from a business trip to New Orleans (and before everyone asks - no, it wasn't during Mardi Gras!), which was host to the international convention for Keller Williams Realty International. The trip yielded many new ideas and philosophies for our business, but I won't bore you with that right now. Instead, we want to share with you our five favorite things about The Big Easy. 5) Everything but Bourbon Street - We got to our hotel at about 1:00am on Friday night, and while our initial intention was to find a blues club and a glass of wine, I thought our late arrival would surely shelve these plans. One of our friends had arrived earlier, and in waiting for us, had brewed himself a pot of coffee, and there wasn't any way he was going to let us go to bed without a quick walk down Bourbon Street. Our hotel was two blocks from Bourbon Street, so within a couple of minutes we were introduced to New Orlean's most renowned destination. I won't get into everything we saw, smelled, or stepped on, but we all left a little wide-eyed. The street is woven in debauchery, and the…Read more
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Jesse goes on vacation
September 10, 2009 /[caption id="attachment_633" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Welcome to Yellowstone National Park![/caption] [caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Always a lot of elk at Mammoth Hot Springs.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Bison on the way to the cabin.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="451"] My family's cabin - 1 mile north of Yellowstone Park.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_629" align="aligncenter" width="451"] View from the patio of one of our cabins.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_624" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Selah with my grandfather's 75-year-old wagon[/caption] [caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Kami and David.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_627" align="aligncenter" width="451"] Selah turned 3 while we were gone.[/caption]Read more
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When is a Stylish Buchan Craftsman Home like Succulent Panko Encrusted St Peter’s Fish?
March 26, 2009 /After an intense (and fun) Pickett Street Properties retreat, I needed a bit of mind-numbing TV. In my search for something to watch, I came across the Food Network show called “Food Detectives.” It’s a show that does experiments with food—sort of an Alton Brown meets MythBusters. On the night of my respite, they did an experiment on food and how it tastes based on presentation and flowery descriptions. Two groups of diners were told they were going to be reviewing a new restaurant and after their meal they were given a survey to fill out. The first set of diners’ menus said they would be having “Green Salad, Fish, Green Beans, Potatoes and Chocolate Cake.” They were sat at tables with plastic table cloths, served New Jersey red wine in plastic cups, and their meals were presented on rather dated plates. The second set had “Crisp Mescluin Seasonal Greens, Succulent Panko encrusted St Peter's Fish, Hericot Vert, Potatoes au Gratin and Belgium Double Chocolate Cake.” They were sat at tables lit by candelight and adorned with linen table cloths. They were served a red wine from Nappa valley and the meal was presented on a classic plate. Did I…Read more
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Life is funny; chocolate fixes everything
March 19, 2009 /Sometimes it's necessary to just purge. Collecting stuff can be such a burden, and the mental space required to keep everything 'sacred' weighs so heavily that eventually the only sane option is starting over. And yes, this can be a metaphor for many stages of life. I just went through it in a minor way this weekend, as I was forced to deal with the assorted detritus of several years worth of projects. The last one, a bunk bed for my daughter, resulted in a fine coating of wood dust on every surface of the garage, and enough wood scraps to build a small barn. My parents have been in town for several weeks now and Grandpa, being retired and a restless woodworker, was 'inspired' by his granddaughter (my 7-year old) to ply his skills in her employ. They both got what they wanted; I got another project. Namely, the disassembly of the old bed, reassembly of the new one ( 2 flights of stairs, 2x6's, and MDF panels, anyone?), and the subsequent cleanup and disposal of said debris. Both cars are now back in the garage (a result of the persistent voice in my head that sounds remarkably…Read more
