Norman and Dot

This is Norman. He belongs to my clients, Jill and Kevin. Sitting in this chair he looks like he could be a talk show host. Intelligent, engaging, articulate, a dry sense of humor, that’s Norman. Well, he’s not a talk show host. Still, he’s a pretty amazing dog. He is a Corgi; they are said to be loyal, protective, and in the top ten of most trainable dogs. I have read that they don’t like to do repetitive tasks but that they are very agile, and again, very trainable.

What comes to mind when you think of a nice, trainable dog? How about things like being able to teach your dog to not chew on things like furniture? Not biting, not growling, not crying or whining all make the list. Not barking at anything that moves, at the neighbors, at visitors, at the sun and the moon make a dog more pleasant for everyone. A well trained dog doesn’t jump up on you or anyone for that matter. A well trained dog responds well to commands, can be taken for a walk, and doesn’t pull on the leash. And certainly high on the list is that a well trained dog is house broken.

How about a “nice” dog or a “good” dog? Is there a difference between that and being well trained? Each animal has its own personality and temperament that can’t all be trained. Some dogs are better with kids. Some dogs like to play. Some dogs want you to entertain them. Some dogs make good service animals. Some dogs want you to pet them and to be the center of attention.

Why are some people easier to get along with than others? Most of us know someone who is difficult to get along with. And many of us know someone that we seem to connect with but who doesn’t get along well with others. Why don’t all of the people with whom we get along, get along with each other? Who teaches us how to get along with other people; how do we learn it?

Why are some animals easier to get along with than others? Why can we connect more easily with some animals than others? How do dogs learn to get along with each other? How do cats learn to get along with other cats? What about dogs and cats who live in the same home? How do they learn to get along with each other? So the people in the home teach them to get along? Do dogs teach each other? Do cats teach each other? Can a dog teach a cat? Can a cat teach a dog?




This is Dot. She is a cat. She is not a talk show host. Of course neither was Norman, but Dot doesn’t look like a talk show host. Dot just looks like a cat. Kind of a regular cat at that.



When Dot was alive she and Norman lived together in this home. The owners, Jill and Kevin had three Corgis and two cats at the time.



Jill also has two horses.

At certain times of year, Dot would get some skin irritations. Jill and Kevin are careful, responsible, pet owners who love their animals. When Dot’s skin would break out Jill would take her to the vet and get some cream that would provide Dot some relief.

Again, how do animals learn? How do they communicate to each other what they want and what they don’t want? Particularly animals of different species; how do they communicate with each other? Somewhere along the way Dot learned that if Norman licked her it gave her some respite from the rash. How on earth did either of them figure that out? When Norman was sitting on the floor, Dot would come and lay down right in front of him. Norman would try to push her out of the way and Dot would persist until Norman licked the rash.

On the list of top ten most trainable dogs, Corgis rank #10. That makes him more trainable than most dogs but not as trainable as the top 4 or 5. But that list is for people training dogs, not cats training dogs. How the heck did Dot teach Norman what she needed? How on earth did she keep getting him to do it? I’m thinking Norman is not a talk show host but he’s a pretty smart dog. And for that matter, Dot was a pretty smart cat. Smart? One or both of them may just be geniuses.

When Jill and Kevin told me this story I was just amazed. Generalizations can be made about different species and various breeds. Still, individual animals have their own personalities; Norman has his own distinct personality and Dot sure did also. What a great story for animal lovers.



The home where Norman lives is for sale; it is a beautiful, custom rambler on 5 acres. It is in a quiet, gated community. The property has over 3,000 feet of vinyl fence so it’s perfect for horse owners. Give me a call if you would like to see this great home and meet Norman. 425-327-8224.

On The Nightstand

Toni Morrison’s latest novel, A Mercy, is stunningly brief when compared to her powerful Beloved and her more esoteric Paradise (couldn’t get through that one myself….) Focusing once again on slavery and its far-reaching effects, this story follows the lives of several women, all under the ‘protection’ of one man – a good man but frail. It raises questions about friendship, love, family, loyalty, and humanity. Not an easy story but Morrison’s writing is beautiful, heart-wrenching, and so carefully crafted.

These book reviews are provided to me by amazing and beautiful wife, Katy.

Pat, Carl, and Rhonda

I write three blogs, this one, an inspirational blog, and a fishing blog. Each of them is a part of my life. Those parts are easy to separate or categorize most times, but not always. I suppose I could just write one blog and put it all together but for now I'm not. This post is about something that I had been thinking about and that happened while I was on my way back to the office from meeting with some clients and previewing their home so that is why it is here.

There are so many things in life I cannot make sense of. So many things. When I see something that “isn’t right” I want to fix it. I have energy, I can visualize, communicate, motivate, organize, and implement. I can bring people together. I can help a group set and achieve goals. Still, I can’t come close to fixing everything. I can’t even understand and process everything that happens in the world let alone fix what isn’t right.

I am horrified at the shootings of the four Lakewood police officers. Horrified. I have way more questions than I have answers? What is wrong with the world? What was wrong with the killer? His actions are beyond my comprehension. I don’t want to discuss the extradition issues with the state of Arkansas or the pardoning of the shooter. More importantly, what about the spouses and the nine children of the victims? What about them?! Are they now condemned to a lifetime of grief and seething rage? How could a person feel anything but that? What about the extended families of the victims? What about the baristas in the coffee shop where the shootings took place? How do all these people cope? What about the other officers in the Lakewood Police department? What about law enforcement officers in our state and across the country? How do they feel? What effect do the murders have on their lives? How could any of this happen? How the HELL could any of this happen and what can anyone do about it?! I don’t know; I just don’t know.

The part of me that wants to help, the part of me that wants to fix things that aren’t right, asks myself what I can do about this tragedy. When I was in the classroom I would ask 150 kids what we could do together. We would brainstorm, discuss, argue, and get frustrated, but finally, oh yes; we would wrap our minds and hearts around something and make it happen. No longer do I have 150 kids to plan with. Where do I direct my energy? I’m open. I’m open to lots of possibilities. What does one single person do? How do I make a difference? Do I go to the memorial service to show respect? Should I send the survivors a card? Should I call them? Should I make brownies for the local sheriff’s department? Should I send them a Christmas card? What do I do? What difference would any of these things possibly make? I don’t know the officer’s families and they don’t know me.

I have done some reading and research these past few days. The Washington State Attorney General reports that since 1854 more than 280 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty. That’s almost one every 6 months for 155 years! How could this be happening? Clint Van Zant of Newsvine reports that so far in 2009, 111 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty across the United States. In 2008, 138 were killed in the line of duty. That is a killing of an officer every three or four days! How can this be happening? What is wrong with the world? I don’t get it. I don’t understand. It disrupts my view of the world or at least the way I want to view the world. I just don’t understand.

I have so many more questions than I have answers. What does it feel like to be the surviving partner of a dead officer? If your spouse is an officer what does it feel like to send him or her to work every day? What toll does the worry take on your family? What does it feel like to have your son or daughter, your mother or father, risk their life every day? What is that like? What can I do about any of this? What can I do? I feel compelled to do something and I don’t know what to do. Like so many things, I don’t know; I just don’t know.

I look back over the decades as a teacher and recall things we did where I feel we made a difference. I ask myself what it takes to make a difference and why some things that we did worked so well. Organization, substance, involvement—these things and others were key elements to the success of various projects. Finally, I think it was more than that. When something was personal it had a much higher likelihood of being effective and memorable. We did a Leadership Retreat for 21 years. The agenda was strong, there was lots of buy in, but in the end it worked so well because it was personal. Our “Think About It…” campaign, designed to get kids to make safe and healthy choices, was extremely effective. The agenda was compelling, we were well organized, and we practiced extensively. All of that was important. It worked because it was personal. When we dedicated our Veteran’s Memorial it was inspiring because it was personal. The Memorial itself is moving because it too is personal for people. The classroom worked best when it was personal. Real estate sales work best when it is personal. There are so many things in life that work best when it is personal.

So what can I do to show law enforcement officers support that at least in some small way is personal?

I thought I would order magnet ribbons that say, “I support Law Enforcement Officers”. At first I thought I would sell them for cost to people and then I thought I would just give them away at no charge. Here’s an example. http://www.supportourribbons.com/custom-ribbon-magnet/289707/I-Support-Law-Enforcment-Officers I had 100 of them in my online cart. I wasn’t sure how to make it personal so I decided against ordering them. I knew that whatever I did had to be face to face; it had to be personal.


A new Facebook friend, Rhonda, one of my alumnae from the MPHS class of 1987, is a Sherriff’s Deputy here in Washington. She wrote in a message to me just this week, “My friend and partner, Anne Jackson, was murdered on Sept 2nd, 2008. It was devastating to me personally and to my department. I worked with Tim Brenton when he was in La Conner and am friends with Tim's step mom, so his murder three weeks ago really hit home. The recent murder of the four Lakewood Officers was unbelievable. We work so hard to keep good people safe, so it's unthinkable that a random, angry man would take the lives of 4 good people just trying to do something right.”

Twenty years ago, this Deputy, then a high school student, babysat my kids. It makes this all more personal to me. How does Rhonda deal with all of this? How does she cope from month to month, from day to day, from hour to hour? How does she deal with this? I don’t know. I just don’t know. You are in my thoughts and prayers Rhonda.

I was beginning to think that I needed to “stop an officer” or “pull over a cop”. I needed to calmly but directly introduce myself and thank him or her for the work they do. I needed to make it personal. It would mean more to that officer than a pan of brownies at the station, or me making a donation to some account. The trouble was that I didn’t have the slightest idea how I would actually stop an officer without causing him/her undue concern or interfere with their job performance, not to mention get myself in trouble.

On Monday of this week I was on my way back to my real estate office after meeting with some new clients and previewing their home. I was thinking about the value of the home, what it is going to take to get it ready to sell at the highest price and what some of the distinctive features are. Mixed in with those thoughts was my idea of “stopping an officer.” As I was thinking about it I passed two Brier Police Officers stopped on a side street. I drove past and thought, okay, I don’t even need to stop them, they are already stopped. I was nervous to do it but I turned my car around, went up the side street, parked and approached the patrol cars. I asked if I could talk to them and they said it depended on what I wanted. I introduced myself, told them a bit about myself and thanked them for the job they do. I shook both their hands. If middle age memory serves me correctly their names were Pat and Carl. They seemed genuinely appreciative. It was personal.

I still don’t have answers to all of my questions. The older I get the more I am reminded I never will have the answers. The number of questions is increasing more quickly than the answers.

Nothing I said or did that day fixes any of the tragedy of this past week.

At this moment the only thing I know is that for me to make even the smallest difference in the world around me, I need to make it personal. This story is not about me; it is about showing gratitude and respect in a simple but personal way. I am going to do it again; actually more than once.

Could I ask you to do it also please? Certainly thank someone you know who is in law enforcement but also thank someone you don’t know who is in law enforcement. Make it personal.

Thanks Pat. Thanks Carl. Thanks Rhonda.

Sales are Improving

Sales of existing homes in the U. S. took a big leap in October increasing far more than had been predicted. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales increased by 10.1% to an annual rate of 6.1 million up from 5.54 million in September. Some economists had predicted only a 2.3% increase. This is in contrast to the recent report showing new construction figures were at a low point for the past six months.

The Wall Street Journal reported that of those sales, “30% were distressed, which includes foreclosures. That compares to a range of 45% to 50% in months during late 2008 and early 2009.”

The Multiple Listing Service reports that in October 2008 there were 1,327 pending residential sales and in October 2009 there were 2,295. In Snohomish County there were 503 pending residential sales in October 2008 compared to 975 in October 2009. These are sizeable increases to be sure. The tax credit is helping to spur these sales across the country and in our area. Sales are also being helped by lower prices and very attractive mortgage rates.

Check out my inspirational blog at http://mrpdoesafewwords.blogspot.com/
And my fishing blog at http://themrpblog.blogspot.com/

For all kinds of useful tools and information go to my webpage at HomeProResults.com

The Local Real Estate Market

The Northwest Multiple Listing Service reports that there was whopping 63% increase in pending sales during October 2009 compared to October 2008. Many people would attribute this to the tax credit though there are certainly other important factors weighing in here. (See the previous post about interest rates.)

The NWMLS reports that in October there were 9,344 new listings of single family homes and condominiums added to inventory. That is the fewest number added since December 2008. Remember that in December 2008 we were buried in snow.

At the end of October there were 38,159 active listings in the NWMLS database; that is a drop of 17.4 percent from the same month a year ago.

For the four-county Puget Sound area (King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap) inventory has shrunk 20%. Excluding condos the inventory of single family homes has dropped 22% in the four-county area. The lowest median sales price, $136,000, for single family homes and condos combined, was in Grays Harbor County. The highest was in San Juan County with a median sales price of $454,250.

For the month of October the average price for a closed sale of a single family home in King County was $421,521 and the median price was $349,950. In Snohomish County the average price was $304,444 and the median price was $280,000. In the report King County showed 12,321 active listings and Snohomish County showed 5,171 active listings.

The National Real Estate Market

It has been said that there is no such thing as a “national real estate market”. There certainly is some truth to that if we compare sales in Forks, Washington to Manhattan, Los Angeles, Green Bay, Detroit, Portland, or Washington D.C. Of course Forks has vampires which skews the value of homes. I know there are those who would say that there are vampires in Washington D. C. too, but let’s not go there. America is a great country, through it all, we are indeed.

Even though there is no such thing as a national real estate market there are still interesting statistics out there. According to Paul Bishop, Vice President of Research for the National Association of Realtors, 47% of home buyers this past year were first time buyers. That statistic surpasses the previous high reached in 1991. He said, “These buyers are critical to housing and general recovery economic recovery (because) they absorb inventory, free existing owners to make a trade and stimulate related goods and services…”

In September the Wall Street Journal reported that “more than half of U.S. residential mortgages are being made by just three large banks…Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and J. P. Morgan Chase…Treasury-backed entities are guaranteeing about 85% of new mortgages, while the Fed buys 80%of the securities into which these taxpayer-backed mortgages are packaged.”

The article goes on to say that, “While big banks are originating lots of mortgages, they are selling nearly all of them to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…Banks have no desire to keep the most common mortgage on their books.”

The Fed has a $1.25 trillion program being used to buy Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities. Most of that money has been spent. When it is spent there is likely to be a jump in interest rates.

Rates are currently at an incredible low point; it’s a tremendous time to be a buyer! While it is still a buyer’s market, it is also a good time to be a seller. It really is. Correct pricing and a thorough, proactive, marketing plan will make all difference for today’s seller.

On the Nightstand

Here begins the weekly naming of a book that is worthy of a place on your nightstand (and, in my humble opinion, needs to be on the top……)

“The Impossible Will Take a Little While” by Paul Rogat Loeb, ed. The subtitle is ‘a citizen’s guide to hope in a time of fear’. Local writer Loeb has compiled an impressive collection of writings aimed at balancing the incredible weight of hopelessness that our media doles out on a daily basis. This is a ‘dipper’, read a bit – skip around – the ending is as good as the beginning.

These book reviews are provided to me by amazing and beautiful wife, Katy.

Tax Credit FAQ's

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions regarding the new Homebuyer Tax Credit.

Click the image and it will open in a full screen.

Tax Credit Changes

This past Wednesday the U. S. House of Representatives passed legislation concerning the Homebuyer Tax Credit. The Senate approved it on Thursday, and the President signed the bill into law on Friday. This is of course tremendous news for first time homebuyers! Its also great news for people purchasing a different home. There is now a $6,500 credit available to some purchasers. To be sure, its an exciting time to be a home buyer.

Here is a summary of the changes from the National Association of Realtors, Government Affairs Division.

Click the image and it will open up in a full screen.

Welcome

Welcome to the Jim Pankiewicz Real Estate Blog. As your agent I mean to “Make Rain”. “Making Rain” for you means that when I work for you I will take good care of you. From our first contact to closing your transaction, I want you to feel like I am your personal advocate. It is important to me that you have up to date information about the marketplace, home values, effective marketing tools for selling your home, the process of buying and selling, and financing. I want you to know that I cared about you personally.

In this blog there will be useful information about the real estate market in both King and Snohomish County. Over time there will also be information about all aspects of being both a buyer and seller of real estate.

Oh heck, that’s a good start but there needs to be more than that so there will be posts about all kinds of other things including hobbies, pets, activities, and some reflection on life. On a weekly basis there will also be short book reviews provided by The World’s Greatest Wife. My wife, Katy, is the librarian at Shorecrest High School where she publishes a book review each week for her staff. She has graciously allowed me to use her reviews here on Real Estate Rainmaker. I am looking forward also to contributions for this blog from my customers and clients.

Time will tell what else will appear here. I believe you will find the Jim Pankiewicz Real Estate Blog useful when you are ready to buy or sell a home. I believe you will find it useful on other levels as well. And I hope you will also find it engaging on a personal level.