Barnett Associates Real Estate, LLC » Snohomish County News, Events and Activities

When Will the Real Estate Market Stabilize?

Toby Barnett — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:41:43 +0000

A friend of mine proposed a question to me about the real estate market: When will the real estate market turn around? Not satisfied with the short answer, in a few years, my friend asked for a little more detail.

Snohomish County, and the greater Seattle real estate market, has been one of the last metropolitan areas to feel the affects of the collapse. In very loose terms, the collapse started at the east coast and traveled west. While many market areas are showing signs of recovery, price stability and minor gains, Snohomish County is inundated with further pricing declines, short sales, and bank owned properties. Not a bad thing from a purchasing perspective but from the recovery standpoint it hampers the return to normal market.

Market recovery in Snohomish County is going to be driven locally and not by nationwide incentives likes the first time homebuyer tax credit – which expires at the end of the month with no forecast of renewal.

- Increase in local jobs and unemployment rate reduction
- Moving through the short sale and bank owned inventory
- Consumer confidence in home price stability

There are days when I feel I am beating a dead horse with ‘jobs’ being a solution but it’s a topic worth beating some more. If people are not employed the repercussions can be felt through the entire economy – don’t have to be a PHD in economics to understand that.

Here is where the Washington State government needs to ramp up its efforts. Elected officials need to make Washington State more attractive to business owners so they relocate their facilities here and hire locally – hint hint. By doing so, Washington State would see an influx of new employment opportunities that may not be centered on the aerospace industry or the technology sector (the State’s two leading industries). The County’s unemployment is still rising and as of January 2010 the rate is at 10.5%.

The next step, moving through the short sales and bank owned properties, is unfortunately just going to take time. How much time is dependent on how quickly people can obtain employment and then have the ability to purchase these homes. On average, there are 31 Notices of Trustee Sale filed per day since the first of the year and there is no definite answer on how many properties will be foreclosed on over the next 2 years. If the banks are unable to liquidate their assets due to slow economic recovery then the economic uncertainty will persist.

Finally, consumer confidence has to return to the real estate market. The DOW recently hit 11,000 but I feel it is going to be short lived – though the DOW is steadily proving me wrong – and not translate into local recovery though it may help. Experiencing a depression as we have, my educated guess leads me to believe consumers are, and will continue, basing real estate purchasing decisions on their family’s life cycle and financial situation more so than speculation.

Recovery is process and not a result of a single action. The multitude of factors going into the recovery are going to take diligence, hard work, and pulling ourselves up by the boot straps. Gone are the days of rapid decisions based on escalating housing prices and here are the days of planned and thought out financial decisions.

Name Washington’s New 64 Car Passenger Ferry

Toby Barnett — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:01:31 +0000

Many things can come from social networking and this gem comes from WSDOT’s Twitter status update. After reading the Tweet, my mind began to noodle over what would make a good name for Washington’s latest ferry. So far the brain hasn’t come up with anything worth mentioning and good thing the submission continues through April 30, 2010 to give us non creative minds a fair chance.

Factoid: “Of the 23 vessels currently operating in Puget Sound, 21 have names reflecting the state’s tribal heritage. The other two are named the Rhododendron and the Evergreen State”.

Naming Guidelines According to WSDOT

1. Names for ferries should carry statewide significance and represent our state’s image and culture.
2. Specifically, names should represent such things as: state adopted symbols, tribal names, names of bodies of water, geographic locations, cities, counties, or relate to nautical heritage, etc.
3. Consideration will be given to the consistency with existing WSF fleet names.
4. Names should have broad familiarity, be easy to pronounce, are non-offensive and meet ethical standards.
5. Names with commercial overtones or names honoring or commemorating individuals should be avoided, but will be considered upon very careful review. In these cases, the following guidelines will apply:
a. The individual must be deceased for at least 20 years.
b. They must have enduring fame and have played a significant historical role in the region and/or state.

According to the WSDOT Ferry Naming page there are current two submissions — the Salish and Squi Qui. Though the majority of the ferry fleet is named after Washington’s rich tribal history, the naming is open to include anything related to Washington.

Current Ferry Names

Cathlamet	Chelan	Elwha	Evergreen State	Hiyu
Hyak	Issaquah	Kalama	Kaleetan	Kitsap
Kittitas	Klahowya	Puyallup	Rhododendron	Sealth
Skagit	Spokane	Steilacoom II	Tacoma	Tillikum
Walla Walla	Wenatchee	Yakima

How to Sumbit

Submissions can be emailed to transc@wsdot.wa.gov and will go in front of the three Commissioners: Bob Distler, Richard Ford, and Dan O’Neal. More information regarding vessel naming submission can be found on the WSDOT’s Naming Policy and Frequently Asked Questions pdfs.

Get your sports team connected and communicating

Toby Barnett — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:41:58 +0000

With summer near the end, parents are getting ready to send their children back to school. School sports are a big part of the upcoming school year with all the games, rallies, practices. I remember going to the high school football and basketball games to watch friends play.

Things have changed since I was in high school. Kids have internet capable cell phones, they use websites like Facebook and it’s common to share experiences, thoughts, plan events, pictures and videos on social networking sites. But not till recently has a social networking site come along that is made for sports enthusiasts, players, coaches, and organizers that incorporates the social aspect with the communication management tools. The website is Timu.com and it aims to solve the many communication problems inherent to sport teams.

Existing social networks provide disjointed solutions that do not handle sports specific needs, such as player rosters, game results, and statistics. At the same time existing sports offerings provide almost none of the interactivity and engagement expected in today’s social media environment. Timu brings together the best of both worlds into one single platform – Matt

School and amateur sports teams have the most to gain from Timu because sign up is free, creating teams is easy and using the system is a painless.

The Dreadsoxs are an excellent example of the capabilities of Timu. Within the Dreadsox’s team site, team sites are free to set up, individual games can logged in the statistics feature making it easy to view and track.

I personally use Timu for sharing pictures of ski destinations and my love for football, Go Hawks!. As a season ticket holder since the Hawks when to Superbowl XL, I get the pleasure of seeing the team every home game and I have posted some items to the Seahawks on Timu.com page. My personal archives are full of pictures from the Holmgren era and now its time for the Mora era.

So if you’re interested in sports check out Timum, set your team and start making team communication a breeze.

Jim Mora and NFL Commissioner set to hike Mt. Rainier

Toby Barnett — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:11:54 +0000

In 3 days, on July 5, 2009, the Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell are set to hike Mt. Rainier for the United Way’s “Climb for the Community”. Led by mountaineering expert Ed Viesturs and a group that includes:

– Tod Leiweke: Seahawks CEO 2008-2009 Campaign Chair
– Jon Fine: CEO United Way of King County
– Peter Whittake: Climbing Guide
– Molly Nordstrom: United Way’s Board Chair
– John Thelan: Costco Wholesale’s Senior VP of Depot Operations
– Fred Kiga: VP of State and Local Government Relations and Global Corporate Citizenship for The Boeing Company
– Greg Bronstein: Regional Managing Director for Wells Fargo

If you are familiar with the area then you know the prominent figure that presides over western Washington. Mt. Rainier, located in Peirce County in the Cascade Mountain Range, is Washington’s highest peak at 14,411 ft and is a challenge for any skill level. Here are some videos I found on YouTube about the climb.

Related Post: Snohomish County Hiking

Jon Fine discusses workout for Climb for the Community

Molly Nordstrom on United Way of King County’s Climb for the Community

King 5’s segment on the Climb for “Community”

As the day approaches there will be a lot of buzz around the internet and some excellent sources to follow are Twitter, United Way King County blog, and the Climb for Community homepage.

Snohomish County Sale Tax increases to 9.5% in 2009

Toby Barnett — Thu, 07 May 2009 17:18:22 +0000

At the first of the year and at the beginning of April 2009, Snohomish County residents may have or may not have noticed the local sales increase, depending on the city, from 8.6% to 9.5%. The sales tax increase is aimed at improving local services; transportation, chemical dependency and mental health.

After reviewing the affected areas it looks that the cities with higher population and/or greater demand for services received the tax increase, Bothell/Snohomish, Everett, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace and Woodway. But with the lack of information on Washington State’s website I am unable to determine how these services will be impacted.

I have email the Department of Revenue and received the following response: “The .005 sales tax increase for King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties was from the RTA going from .004 to .009. This was voted on by the public in last November’s general election”. Not much of an explanation. In the mean time the chart below has the break down for the Snohomish County sales tax.

City/Location	City Code #	Local Sales Tax Rate	State Sales Tax Rate	Total Sale Tax
Unicorp Areas	3100	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Unicorp Areas Non-RTA	4200	1.2%	6.5%	7.7%
Unicorp. P.T.B.A.	3131	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Unicorp. P.T.B.A Non-RTA	4231	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Arlington	3101	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Bothell/Snohomish	3120	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Brier	3102	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Darrington	3103	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Edmonds	3104	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Everett	3105	2.7%	6.5%	9.2%
Everett Non-RTA	4205	1.8%	6.5%	8.3%
Everett RDA	3165	2.7%	6.5%	9.2%
Gold Bar	3106	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Index	3108	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Lake Stevens	3109	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Lynnwood	3110	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Marysville	3111	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Mill Creek	3119	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Monroe	3112	2.1%	6.5%	9.5%
Mountlake Terrace	3113	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Mukilteo	3114	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%
Snohomish (City)	3115	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Stanwood	3116	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Sultan	3117	2.1%	6.5%	8.6%
Woodway	3118	3.0%	6.5%	9.5%

16 Snohomish County & Washington Holiday Activities

Toby Barnett — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:44:16 +0000

The holiday day season is upon us and on Black Friday what are you up to? As you can see I am happily working away avoiding the massive rush of the shopping crowd; will go when it calms down out there.

Though we all don’t celebrate the holidays in the same fashion we can all at least find something to do when the weather is chilly and maybe enjoy a holiday party or two. Here is a list of events and activities that are taking place around the county as well as the state.

Snohomish County Christmas Activities

Bothell Washington
Event: Winter Fest
w: http://www.ci.bothell.wa.us/…

Everett Yacht Club
2008 Light Boat Parade
w: http://www.everettyachtclub.com/…

Everett Washington
Event: Everett Charole
w: http://www.everettchorale.org/
Event: Santa Paws Pet Photos
w: http://www.everettwa.org/…

Lynnwood Washington
Event: Lynnwood Civic Lights Winter Celebration
w: http://www.lynnwoodtourism.com/…

Marysville Washington
Event: 20th Anniversary Merrysville for the Holidays Winter Celebration
w: http://ci.marysville.wa.us/…

Snohomish Washington
Event: Home for the Holidays
w: http://shopsnohomish.com/…

Warm Beach Christian Camp (Featuring over 1 Million Christmas Lights)
Event: The 2008 Lights of Christmas
w: http://www.warmbeach.com/…

Washington State Christmas Activities

Bellevue Washington
Event: Snow Flake Lane
w: http://bellevuecollection.com/…

Bellingham Washington
Event: The Velveteen Rabbit
w: http://www.bellinghamtheatreguild.com/
Event: Allied Arts Festival
w: http://alliedartsholidayfestival.com/

Kirkland Washington
Event: 12k’s of Christmas Holiday Run
w: http://www.12ksofchristmas.com/

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker
w: http://www.pnb.org/…

Seattle Center – Seattle Washington
Event: Winter Fest
w: http://www.seattlecenter.com/…

Leavenworth Washington
Events: Daily Events Through December
w: http://www.leavenworth.org/…

Winthrop Washington
Events: Christmas Bazzars & Free Christmas Dinner
w: http://www.methowdata.net/…

Snohomish County Legend Passes Away on Sunday

Toby Barnett — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:58:52 +0000

On Sunday the 1st Shirley Bartholomew pasted away in her sleep at Cascade Valley Senior Living at the age of 84. Shirley was very influential person in Snohomish County, from her time as a report for KRKO up and till her service on the Marysville city council from 1994 through 2001. Shirley was recently a client when her niece enlisted Mickie’s services to sell her Marysville home. All of us at Barnett Associates Real Estate, LLC wish Shirely’s family the best as they go through this tough time.

Some of Shirley’s Accomplishments
– News director at KRKO radio in Everett from 1943-1980
– Earned 5 Associated Press National Awards and a tow-time winner of the AP Managing Editors Citation
– Received the Outstanding Contribution Award from Washington State Press Women in 1968 and 1980
– First female broadcaster named to the Edward R. Murrow-Washington Hall of Fame, 1980
– Snohomish County councilwomen from 1987 to 1988, council chairwoman from 1987 to 1988
– Marysville City Council member from 1994 to 2001

Articles about Shirley Bartholomew
– KRKO Website
– Herald Article
– Seattle PI Article

Happy Independence Day July 4, 2008

Toby Barnett — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 22:21:13 +0000

This post is a day late but it was a planned late. No joking. Yesterday was the day in which all the citizens of the United States celebrate the Declaration of Independence. Independence is something really cherished here and gives us the freedom to celebrate with fireworks and remembrance.

Celebrations have been held all over the country, by the President, the Navy and even MLB. My observance of this special day was spent watching a good friend solidify his love with family and friends.

It was a gorgeous day in Sultan, a few miles east of Monroe and the fireworks display was one of the best I have ever seen. Spending time with friends is one of the best things to do on a holiday especially when the food is good and the drinks are cold.

Blog Posts From Around the Web
– The Man’s Ultimate Guide to Fireworks
– Happy Independence Day America July 4, 2008

Independence Day Websites
– Charters of Freedom
– The White House

*Pictures taken by Toby.

Summer Activities around Snohomish County

Toby Barnett — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:25:45 +0000

Despite the current cloudy weather and spring showers, the various cities around Snohomish County are busy putting together their spring and summer event schedules. From Fireworks and concerts to markets and car shows, I have compiled a short list of the many activities that are going on so get out and enjoy the days with some of these fun city events.

Bothell

Bothell is celebrating the Fourth of the July with a “Red, White and Blue” theme Independence Day Parade that begins at 12pm on July 4th on Main St. at 104th Ave. NE, continues on Main Street to SR 527 and heads north to NE 188th. The parade is a community event and the city encourages everyone to participate so download your application have some fun, also great for local businesses.

Then, starting July 11th the City of Bothell is also hosting Music in the Park Concert Series. The seven concert series will be held every Friday night and is free for the whole family. Opened by Crème Tangerine, a Beatles tribute band, complete schedule, the concerts will be fun for the whole family so come out to the Park at Bothell Landing Amphitheater for some good fun, directions.

Everett

Everett has activites running all through the summer that begin on June 19th and end in late August. Andy Weth opens the Waterfront Concert series that runs all summer long, complete schedule, starting on June 26th at Port Gardner Landing, directions.

Everett is also hosting many Fourth of July events that include a pancake breakfast, Yankee Doodle dash, ice skating, a Colors of Freedom parade and so much more, complete schedule.

Granite Falls

On June 28th the City of Granite Falls is hosting the Mountain Loop Experience Celebration. Take the better part of the afternoon to drive through the Mountain Loop Highway and enjoy hiking, picnicking and through the lower Cascade Mountains or to the Ice Caves on this historic and scenic highway that re-opens with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

Lake Stevens

Lake Stevens opened the summer season with its Farmers Market and continues with a fishing derby, the Music on the Lake series and their annual Auquafest celebration, complete schedule. Auquafest’s entertainment is some of the funnest around and features talents such as Black Velvet4, comedy jugglers Brothers of Different Mothers and the magic of Sterling Dietz, World Teen Champion of Magic.

The very last event of the year takes place on October 4th with the Bulltrout Regatta. The 6000m race will be a fun race and is one of many that the Lake Stevens Rowing club is hosting for Washington Games.

Marysville

Marysville is kicking off summer with its annual Strawberry Festival and the carnival currently being setup in the Marysville Middle School’s field. One of the Strawberry Festival’s Twilight Grand Parade features Marysville’s own Queen Danielle Wilcoxson, Princess Chelynne (Che’) Renouard and Princess Lila Hart.

Also registration for softball beings June 2-July 3, summer camp programs begins June 23, Concerts in the Park (Comeford Park – Thurs. @ noon) July 10-Aug. 14, directions, and Concerts in the Park (Jennings Park – Fri. @ 7pm) July 11-Aug. 15, directions and the 3rd Annual Poochapalooza beings on July 12th from 10-am-3pm at Totem Middle School’s Asbery Field, directions, for you dog lovers.

Mill Creek

On July 12th & 13th, The Mill Creek Festival is happening and is presented by the Mill Creek Business Association. There will be booths, a car show a community stage and evening entertainment for all types of music lovers.

Monroe

The city of Monroe has kicked off it Farmers Market that is sponsored by Monroe’s Historical Society, the market runs through the month of September.

Mukilteo

Mukilteo is hosting its annual Farmers Market at the grassy ballfield just east of Rosehill Community Center at 304 Lincoln Street, Mukilteo, WA 98275, directions.

On September 5th, 6th and 7th, 2008 Mukilteo celebrates its 43rd Annual Lighthouse Festival. Complete with food, entertainment and evening fireworks starting at dusk, complete schedule. The festival will be held at the Rosehill Community Center and will be fun for the whole family.

Snohomish

Snohomish is having events all through the summer; Kla Ha Ya Days, Busy Bee Quilt Show, farmers market and a Outdoor Cinema at the Park, complete schedule (could not link to individual events).

Stanwood

Starting at 9am on June 29th the Twin City Idlers are hosting its 6th Annual Classic, Antiques, Custom Car and Truck at Heritage Park in downtown Stanwood, directions. The city is also hosting its annual July 4th celebration with a fireworks display at Heritage Park so bring your blankets and snacks and enjoy the show.

So if you are finding it difficult on planning fun family activities just venture to one of Snohomish County’s cities and enjoy their celebrations, culture and fun.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend

Toby Barnett — Fri, 23 May 2008 22:56:31 +0000

I am sitting at my desk on this beautiful Friday afternoon and thinking about the up coming Memorial Day weekend. Most Americans are probably busy trying to get out of town for a weekend get away but this holiday mentality has led to a “nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.” It is a shame that the true meaning has been faded by three day weekends and barbecues.

Memorial Day is a day which we commemorate those who have died serving our country. How ever you may feel about the war it can not be overlooked that many men and women have lost their lives and many others will not come home for a while. Service members need to be honored and most of all “thanked” for their patriotism.

I hope everyone has a safe holiday and thank you to all the men and women serving in the armed services, we appreciate it. Here are some items from the around the web I found today on or about Memorial Day.

Snohomish County Celebrations: The Herald’s Memorial Day List

Blog Posts from around the Web
– What Happened to Wartime Sacrifice?
– How To Fly Old Glory With Respect

Memorial Day Websites
– USMemorialDay.org
– Patriotism.org
– PerfectMemorials.com

Picture by Daniel J. Wood