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Beautifully Maintained Townhouse
October 1, 2018 /This beautifully maintained 2-bedroom townhouse is located in the desirable Cambridge community. Enter the home and go up to the main level to find an open concept living space. The living room is anchored by a gas fireplace and a slider out to your own private balcony. The living room flows through the dining area and spills you into the kitchen. All appliances stay, as well as the large wooden butcher block island. The upper level hosts 2 bedrooms and the washer/dryer. The master bedroom features a walk-in with a closet system. All of this and a tandem garage with extra storage, a community gym, tons of guest parking and near the Metro Park and Ride. Just a few minutes away from the fantastic amenities that the Eastside has to offer. Call Jesse Moore at 425.502.5397 for more information. To download the property flyer as a PDF, click on the link: Beautifully Maintained TownhouseRead more
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Live Laugh Love Farm: On Big Dreams and Pickett Street’s Latest Listing
July 30, 2018 /I recently listened to a podcast about rulebreakers. According to social scientist Francesca Gino, "Rebels are people who break rules that should be broken. They break rules that hold them and others back, and their way of rule breaking is constructive rather than destructive. It creates positive change." I first started believing in constructive rule breaking and out-of-the-box thinking several years ago when one of my dear friends started her own small flower and veggie farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Starting a farm was my friend’s longtime dream. She worked hard and saved money for this goal, and then one day she found the right property and just went for it. During a period when many of our friends were going to graduate school, getting married, or working in more traditional jobs, she was, in a sense, a bit of a rule breaker. I say all of this to explain why Pickett Street’s latest listing is so exciting to me. The property is a blueberry farm north of Seattle. Below is more information about why it’s such a perfect spot for fulfilling big, perhaps slightly off-the-beaten path dreams. If you’re ready to find out more, reach out to Pickett Street…Read more
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The Highlights: A Local Business or Community Member
June 25, 2018 /Pickett Street Properties is dedicated to serving the community and would like to highlight businesses and community members that are dedicated to doing the same. Our first highlight is very special as he is the husband of our Lead Buyers Agent, Jillian Farrar. Mark Farrar became a firefighter/EMT about 3 years ago with the Everett Fire Department. He is one of the kindest, most genuine people we know. Read on below for Mark's story on how he decided to become a firefighter: "My name is Mark Farrar and I have been a firefighter/EMT with the Everett Fire Department for about 3 years. My journey to this line of work started about 15 years ago after my father and I were involved in a high speed roll over on the I-90 in rural Montana. Both of us received only minor injuries but this was the first time I was put in a situation to help someone else in a real crisis moment. I have always had an interest in helping people but in that moment, I knew I had a higher calling. With strong encouragement from a friend I joined a local volunteer fire department, became certified as an EMT-Basic and starting…Read more
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Why Buying a Home Is Easier Than You Think: A Conversation with Margaret Smith
June 21, 2018 /You may have heard of Margaret Smith. She’s the Director of Operations for Pickett Street and social-media-extraordinaire. She’s also an incredibly inspiring woman who knows how to focus and go after what she wants. This week I was able to chat with Margaret about her experiences buying and renovating her duplexes and about her home-buying hacks. Margaret says that you shouldn’t hesitate to reach out to her with questions at margaret@pickettstreet.com. To get in touch with the Pickett Street team, contact them at info@pickettstreet.com or (425) 502-5397. In the meantime, here’s what Margaret had to say. On her secret to making money and paying off her mortgage: I got this idea from Cody Touchette with Caliber Home Loans. I started with Pickett Street in November 2012. I walked into a rambler Pickett Street was selling that Winter, and I started to cry. I realized that I might not ever buy a home with a partner (hardly anything to cry about, and yet I did!). I cried because I wanted to own a home, and I literally had no idea how to make it happen on my own salary. So one day before a class we were holding, Cody told me if he could…Read more
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Seattle Summer Real Estate Update
June 18, 2018 /What are you up to this summer? I sincerely hope that, whatever your plans are, they involve eating good fresh food, getting out on the water, slowing down, and doing a whole lot of nothing with your favorite people. Perhaps your summer plans also involving buying a home, selling a home, or engaging in some other part of the real estate world. So, while you’re enjoying a cool beverage, here is a Seattle area real estate update. Also keep in mind that the first thing you should do is contact Pickett Street at info@pickettstreet.com or (425) 502-5397. They have the know-how and the skills to help you navigate real estate with as little stress and as much enjoyment as possible. 1. Mortgage rates increased. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage recently rose to 4.62%. (One year ago, this rate was 3.92%.) The 15-year fixed rate mortgage rose to 4.07%. (One year ago this rate was 3.18%.) The plus side of this is that mortgage application activity has also declined, which may mean less competition if you are looking to buy a home this summer. However, according to economist Joel Kan, “government applications increased, driven largely by increases…Read more
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Escape City Life with This Modern Country Dream Home
June 8, 2018 /When I checked out Pickett Street’s latest listing–a custom-built home located in Arlington–I actually gasped out loud. I beckoned my partner over to take a look. This is it, I thought. This is the country dream home. The property sits on a lush, canopied ten acres. I love the home’s rustic beauty, with those wooden beams and the enormous stone fireplace that speak of cozy mountain lodges and quiet country homes. I also love that the architecture pairs this rustic beauty with modern sleekness–luxurious bathrooms, immaculate appliances, and other shiny details. Below is more information about this listing, as well as the surrounding area. To take a look at the property, or for other real estate information, get in touch with Pickett Street at info@pickettstreet.com or (425) 502-5397. 1. The listing: This home has three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms–each bedroom has an en-suite bath. The master bathroom has two sinks and a gorgeous jetted tub. The first floor has hardwood floors, cathedral ceilings, and floor-to-ceiling windows. My favorite detail is the large gas fireplace framed by windows looking out onto the lawn. I’m imagining a snowy winter evening spent cooking and reading curled up around this fireplace.…Read more
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Attention All Foodies: It’s Farmers Market Season!
June 1, 2018 /Occasionally my partner sweetly suggests that we buy salmon to cook for dinner, and every time he does so my inner Pacific Northwest food snob kicks in. Because I spent most of my life in the Seattle area, and because I now live in Colorado, which–just to be clear–could not be more landlocked, I always turn up my nose at eating seafood. “Are you kidding me?” I always scoff at him, sounding like a real brat. “I’m from Seattle.” With the exception of river trout, eating fish in Colorado simply cannot compare to eating fish in Washington State. Eating good salmon or oysters in the Pacific Northwest is like eating mermaid ambrosia pulled straight from the sea and plopped directly onto your plate--so fresh, briny, and rich. My summers growing up in Washington revolved around food. My parents' yard overflowed with wild raspberries and blackberries. We spent many days on the Puget Sound digging for razor clams to fry or bake or add to linguine or chowder. On more ambitious days, we lay on our bellies during low tide and shove our hands deep into the mud to catch geoducks. One summer, I remember going to the Ballard farmers market…Read more
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Four Smart Ways to Prepare for a Home Inspection
May 30, 2018 /A good home inspection should provide you with information about a home's current condition. The inspector's job is to do a general analysis of the entire home, not go over the home with a fine tooth comb. If something looks like it needs further investigation, the inspector will recommend hiring a specialist, or contractor. The inspector will also provide a general timeline of the lifespan left on the home's major systems, providing you with information about future upkeep for the home. To connect with a quality agent, get in touch with Pickett Street today (info@pickettstreet.com or (425) 502-5397). Additionally, to help you make sure you get the most out of your home inspections, here are a few tips. For Buyers: 1. Research your home inspector. As a millennial, I can’t buy anything these days without obsessively reading reviews online. For example, I just spent 30 minutes researching backyard doggie pools on Amazon. While I might be taking consumer research to the extreme in this particular instance, finding a good home inspector definitely requires careful research. Here are a few questions to keep in mind when researching your home inspector: How long have they been inspecting homes? How many inspections have they performed?…Read more
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The First Three Steps to Buying a Home
May 18, 2018 /You know those things in life that feel sort of insurmountable and impossible to begin? For my partner, it’s putting his socks away. For me, it’s doing my taxes, or going for runs when it’s anywhere above 60 degrees (this Washington State girl needs her cool, mild climates!). And there are larger tasks that can feel difficult as well--finally tackling that home improvement project, perhaps, or selling or buying a home. Fortunately, when it comes to buying a home, Pickett Street has already done all the work to help you get organized and get started. This week, Pickett Street held another class for home buyers. If you missed it, not to worry–Pickett Street holds this class regularly, and the next one will be June 12. Also, for more information about this class or about buying or selling a home, get in touch with the team at info@pickettstreet.com or (425) 502-5397. To further help you, here are the eight steps to buying a home. 1. Decide to buy. Would buying a home would be a smart, positive step in your life right now? Here are a few bits of data to help you make this decision: It is now more expensive…Read more
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How Keller Williams’ 10th Annual RED Day Gives Back
May 3, 2018 /There is a wonderful documentary on Netflix called Happy that makes me cry big messy tears every time I watch it. This film is about, as the title suggests, happiness; the filmmakers explore the meaning of this feeling within cultures and among individuals all over the world, and attempt to answer the question, "what makes people truly happy?" Featuring research from psychologists and sociologists, the film concludes that the critical elements of a happy life are physical activity, gratitude, connections to community, and compassion/service to others. (It's also a bit more nuanced and complex than this--I recommend you grab some tissues and watch the film!) Because they understand the importance of these values, Keller Williams Realty and Pickett Street Properties engage in daily efforts and host several annual events to foster meaningful connections to community and opportunities to give. One shining example: every year on the second Thursday in May, Keller Williams offices across the country celebrate RED Day (renew, energize, and donate). 2018’s 10th annual RED Day on May 10th is fast approaching. Here’s what you need to know about this day. (For more information, feel free to contact Pickett Street at (425) 502-5397 or info@pickettstreet.com.) What’s RED Day?…Read more
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Three Things to Know About the New Mayor of Everett and Its Plans for Growth
April 27, 2018 /Last fall, Everett elected its first female mayor. Cassie Franklin, who grew up in the Northwest and received her bachelor’s degree at Lewis and Clark College, beat candidate Judy Tuohy by just 198 votes. Here's some more information about this new leader in the Seattle area. 1. Franklin aims to tackle homelessness and has extensive experience with this issue. Before becoming mayor, Franklin was the CEO of Cocoon House, which is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless and at-risk youth through outreach and housing options. Under her leadership, this organization grew into a regional leader. Franklin now hopes to use her experience working with Cocoon House to improve Everett’s homeless community. Franklin promises to expand the city’s Safe Streets program, which connects homeless individuals with access to treatment for addiction and mental illness, employment opportunities, supportive housing, and other services. 2. Everett is ready to explode, and Franklin wants to help. Everett’s economic resources are obvious: one of Boeing’s major facilities is located here, and the city is also home to the Port of Everett, Naval Station Everett, Providence Regional Medical Center, successful schools, Everett Community College and, WSU Everett. As Franklin commented, “Everett is poised for prosperity.” However, the…Read more
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Three Things That Make Living in Washington State so Special
April 13, 2018 /When my family moved to the Seattle area from the East Coast back in the early 90s, Starbucks was quickly becoming the new standard for coffee, though it had yet to take over the rest of the country (and world). For us east-coasters, cappuccinos, lattes, and americanos were the most exotic beverages. Also in the 90s, Washington companies Microsoft and Amazon were just starting to boom, and grunge music was at its peak. Washington was special back then, and continues to be special today. With all of the recent buzz about its hot and competitive real estate market, I thought it might be nice to clarify what exactly makes the Puget Sound and Seattle areas so great. 1. Mountains, water, and forever-green trees Almost everyone describes the gorgeous natural scenery as one of the biggest perks of living in the Seattle area. Third-generation Washingtonian Mary Smith notes that she loves “being able to see the mountains, listening to the train as it makes its way north on the tracks by the water, and watching the ferry boats on the Puget Sound.” She adds, “I love it when it rains–the air is clear and the trees are forever green.” With the…Read more
