Did you help the Cub Scouts raise food for Hopelink’s food drive? I stopped by about 12:30 and there was a car brimming with packages of food. A half dozen scouts and their parents were energetically flagging down neighbors and collecting food. Thanks to Cub Scout troop 550 all for your efforts!
Archive for November, 2008|Monthly archive page
The Cub Scouts’ Kirkland Highlands Food Drive Was a Success
In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 23, 2008 at 12:01 pmFor Some Kirkland, Washington People, These are Desperate Times
In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 21, 2008 at 6:29 pmToday I was doing an errand at one of our local Kirkland stores and noticed a Kirkland policeman searching a man by the front door of the store. I assumed the man had been caught shoplifting. He was taken away in the patrol car. When I paid for my purchases, I mentioned something to the cashier about what I had witnessed. The cashier told me the man had been found rifling through the refrigerator in the break room looking for food. I was shocked and saddened that someone would have to resort to doing such a thing to find food. It’s that desperate out there for some people, right in Kirkland’s backyard.
Throughout this month, we all can help people who are in dire straits by giving to Hopelink in the form of cash or with food donations. Tomorrow in The Highlands the Cub Scouts will be collecting money or food at the kiosk by the 116th Avenue entrance to The Highlands from 10 AM to 1 PM for this month’s contest to see which neighborhood can collect the most for Hopelink. The contest is a great, fun idea, but should only remind us that there are desperate people who will always need our help. Please plan to give during the food drive and during the whole year. The fun part would be if we win as a neighborhood, but the truly great part is we would be helping some people who are stuck right now.
How many times have you been asked for spare change? How many times have you seen people by the side of the road with signs asking for food or money? I know many people look away, even those of us who donate to causes such as Second Harvest and the Union Gospel Mission. We’ve been told by “the experts”if we give money to people out on the street, the money will be spent at the nearest bar.
Here’s a great book to read: 54 Ways You Can Help the Homeless, by Rabbi Charles A. Kroloff. Former President Jimmy Carter said of Rabbi Charles A. Kroloff’s book, “his book will inspire us to help eliminate homelessness.”
Here are some suggestions for things you can do to help from Rabbi Kroloff’s list:
Volunteer your professional talents.
Carry fast food certificates.
Publish shelter information.
Employ the homeless.
Imagine if we all did something simple and carried $5.00 or $10.00 fast food certificates in our pockets and gave them out to people who needed them. Even if you gave one certificate a month, this could be a big help to someone and it’s a good way to ensure your generosity is well spent. There are many disenfranchised people in this country and those of us who can help, should do so.
Volunteers Needed to Help Hopelink Give Hope to Kirkland People in Need
In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 21, 2008 at 2:18 pmFrom my inbox, a message from :
Denise Stephens, Public Relations Specialist
Office: 425.869.2440; Cell: 206.605.6843
Email: denises@hope-link.org
Volunteers Needed to Help Hopelink Give Hope to Kirkland People in Need
Prospective volunteers comfortable communicating in English
are invited to attend orientation December 3, 2008.
Kirkland, Wash. – Hopelink relies upon volunteers to assist in fulfilling its mission of helping people in need to make lasting changes in their lives. Hopelink needs volunteer tutors with its many Adult Education programs as well as volunteers to help in its food banks and, around the holidays, in its gift rooms. The need is always more acute around the holidays, and considering the condition of our nation’s economy, Hopelink expects even more requests for assistance with food and holiday gifts this year. The gift rooms are stocked with new donated clothing, toys and other items that parents and grandparents can select as holiday gifts for the children (infant through high school age) in their lives.
Hopelink’s Kirkland center at 13013 NE 65th Street needs volunteers to help with these gift room and food bank tasks:
· Receive and sort gift room donations between Dec. 8 and Dec. 23
· Re-stock shelves in the gift room (hours vary)
· Provide “personal shopper” assistance to clients selecting holiday gifts for their children or grandchildren (hours vary)
· Act as an interpreter for clients selecting holiday gifts (English/Russian and English/Spanish volunteer interpreters are particularly needed)
· Receive and sort food bank donations (hours vary)
· Drive to deliver food to home-bound clients
Additionally, Hopelink’s Adult Education department needs volunteers to:
· help adults learn basic reading, writing or math skills or earn a General Education Development (GED) diploma
· assist non-native English speakers to improve their English skills
· teach healthy living on a budget, money management and computer skills including job searching online and resume-writing
· oversee the children of parents who are enrolled in various Hopelink classes
Training for all volunteer positions is provided. Volunteers must be comfortable communicating in English; proficiency in a second language (Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic) is particularly helpful.
Learn more about volunteering at one of two Hopelink volunteer orientation meetings on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. Orientations are presented in English. They will be held at Hopelink’s Adult Education Department office, 15015 Main Street, Suite 206 in Kelsey Creek Plaza (across from the main Hopelink center) in Bellevue, starting promptly at 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and repeated starting promptly at 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Hopelink’s volunteer coordinator, Sheila Sloan-Evans, at 425.869.6066 or volunteer@hope-link.org.
###
Since 1971, Hopelink has helped homeless and low income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities make lasting change in their lives. Hopelink promotes self-sufficiency by helping people meet their needs for food, shelter, homelessness prevention, family development, transportation and adult literacy. Through Hopelink’s Adult Education classes and services, the agency provides a crucial element in self-sufficiency, helping adults improve their family’s safety, stability and security. For more information on Hopelink and its services, call 425.869.6000 or visit www.hope-link.org.
Weekly Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands Through November 20th, 2008
In buyers, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, Real estate, sellers, Weekly market update on November 21, 2008 at 6:03 am
(Numbers in parentheses are for last week’s data. This week’s data is reported through Thursday each week.)
Active Listings: 31 (30)
New listings: 1 (0)
Re-listed properties: 0 (0)
Pending inspection: 0 (0)
Pending: 0 (0)
Closed Sales: 1 (0)
Contingent sale: 0 (0)
Number of Price Reductions: 0 (0)
Cancelled listings 0 (0)
Expired Listings: 0 (0)
Temporarily Off Market: 0 (0)
Price increase: 0(0)
Back on market: 0 (0)
Rented: 0 (0)
Sale Fail: 1 (0)
———————————–
0-$349,999: 1 (1)
$350,000-$499,999: 7 (6)
$500,000-$749,999: 10 (10)
$750,000-$999,999: 10 (10)
$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 2 (2)
$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 1 (1)
———————————–
Average Price: $712,772 ($720,032)
Median Price: $669,000 ($684,000)
Average Days on Market: 129 (126)
Highest Priced Listing: $1,599,000 ($1,599,000)
Lowest Priced Listing: $325,000 ($325,000)
Here’s what happened this past week in Kirkland Highlands real estate. One new listing popped up. It’s a rambler with a remodeled kitchen and is priced at $495,000. The sale for one of the new construction homes in the neighborhood “failed” as we say in real estate lingo. Usually a sale fails over the financing. Since this home is new construction, I anticipate it coming back on the market.
The closed sale this week is for a home that was only a few years old. The original asking price was $1,200,000, the last asking price was $850,000 and the final sales price was $850,000. The home was on the market for slightly over 200 days. The seller had to get really aggressive to beat all the other competition in this price range in Kirkland, not just the Highlands, with a fabulous price. This home is a great one and showed beautifully, but experienced what I reported going on in Kirkland’s real estate in my last weekly real estate buzz:
” Kirkland homes, in general, are taking a longer time to sell than some other eastside areas. This may be because we have a lot of homes priced in the million dollar range that have been built over the last decade and are now for sale. Right now, out of approximately 500 homes for sale south of NE 116th in Kirkland, 200 are priced over $1million with the majority of these between $1-2million. This is not to say all homes for sale are over a million dollars, just that there are a high number of such homes on the market in Kirkland.”
Townhomes/condos
1 Active town home listed
—————————————-
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I will take a holiday from reporting the weekly statistics next week. Have a great Thanksgiving!
What Were The Chances of Selling Your Kirkland Home in October, 2008?
In buyers, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers on November 20, 2008 at 10:40 pmI was at the Kirkland Highland’s neighborhood this meeting and was asked the usual real estate question: “How’s the market doing?” Here are the facts for Kirkland real estate from last month’s NWMLS:statistics.
Sellers had a 5% chance of selling a home in Kirkland in October, 2008.
(Click on the link above to see a chart with Kirkland’s real estate trends for the last few years. The chart shows trends for Kirkland, south of NE 116th St.)
October 2008 495 homes for sale, 28 sales, 5% chance of selling.
September, 2008 509 homes for sale, 47 sales, 9% chance of selling.
October 2007 424 homes for sale, 48 sales, 11% chance of selling.
October was the toughest month to sell in Kirkland, and on the eastside, so far this year. This is no big surprise, given the pre-election jitters, the general economic news, and the huge fluctuations experienced in the stock market in October.
In Kirkland, the number of homes for sale dropped by only 14, but the number of sales was almost half as many as the month of September. True to the irony we often see in Seattle area real estate, even though the sales numbers dropped, the median price in Kirkland rose by 8%.
Are prices holding more steady here? Only time will tell. Of the 10 months that statistics are available so far this year, 3 of the months showed an increase in median pricing in Kirkland, while the other 7 months showed a drop in price. What I did not mention at the meeting tonight is that one should look at the statistics over a few months period to see any trends. One month’s worth of statistics only reflects the real estate sales activity for that particular month and not anything more significant.
Things were slow on the eastside in general. The most active area, East Bellevue and the Redmond area around Microsoft, had an 11% chance of selling. Every other area was in the single digits.
For a complete update on Eastside real estate, check out my eastside blog post.
Am I worried about Kirkland real estate and eastside real estate in general? No, I’m not. Forbes magazine came out with an article that pinpoints our area as the number one city to rebound because of our local economy, which is stronger than most.
If you are thinking of making a move now, then be prepared to be extremely competitive, in top-notch condition, and the best priced home in its “class.” Homes are selling, but only those which stand out head and shoulders above the competition. If you don’t need to move or this scenario is not comfortable for you, then wait until the market changes, and it will. However, if you’re going to sell because you want to downsize or look for a larger home, then it may make sense to consider a move. I have clients right now who are doing this very thing. They are being incredibly “accommodating” in the sales price of their home, but plan to make up for it on the home they are buying by getting that home at a killer price.
Google Goes Smaller In Kirkland, Washington
In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 14, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Kirkland
The Googleplex is still rising in Kirkland, Washington, however, one of the buildings is now up for lease. Google only plans to use 2 of the 3 buildings on the Kirkland campus. Downsizing and setting new goals seems to be hitting everyone right now.
(Photo is of campus a few months ago)
Weekly Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands Through November 13th, 2008
In buyers, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers, Weekly market update on November 14, 2008 at 11:56 am
(Numbers in parentheses are for last week’s data. This week’s data is reported through Thursday each week.)
Active Listings: 30 (29)
New listings: 1 (0)
Re-listed properties: 0 (0)
Pending inspection: 0 (0)
Pending: 0 (0)
Closed Sales: 0 (0)
Contingent sale: 0 (0)
Number of Price Reductions: 1 (0)
Cancelled listings 0 (0)
Expired Listings: 0 (0)
Temporarily Off Market: 0 (0)
Price increase: 0(0)
Back on market: 0 (1)
Rented: 0 (0)
———————————–
0-$349,999: 1 (1)
$350,000-$499,999: 6 (6)
$500,000-$749,999: 10 (10)
$750,000-$999,999: 10 (10)
$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 2 (2)
$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 1 (1)
———————————–
Average Price: $720,032 ($702,136)
Median Price: $684,000 ($699,000)
Average Days on Market: 126 (123)
Highest Priced Listing: $1,599,000 ($1,599,000)
Lowest Priced Listing: $325,000 ($345,000)
The eastside inventory continues to decline and the number of sales are also slowing down. However, the Highlands has been even quieter than most eastside areas. Kirkland homes, in general, are taking a longer time to sell than some other eastside areas. This may be because we have a lot of homes priced in the million dollar range that have been built over the last decade and are now for sale. This week’s new listing in the Highlands falls in that price range. The large number of these homes for sale is affecting the sales numbers each month in Kirkland. Right now, out of approximately 500 homes for sale south of NE 116th in Kirkland, 200 are priced over $1million with the majority of these between $1-2million. This is not to say all homes for sale are over a million dollars, just that there are a high number of such homes on the market in Kirkland. North of NE 116th, a different MLS area, there are many more homes in the more affordable price ranges.
If you are willing to beat, not meet, the competition in the market place, then keep your home on the market. If you’re not willing to be priced better than everyone else, stay out of the market for now. My words are similar to last week, but much stronger. This is not the time to mince words and only those who need to make a move and sell, and who are ahead of all the other homes in terms of pricing should consider being on the market.
Townhomes/condos
1 Active town home listed
A New Website For Kirkland, Washington Restaurants
In Dining in Kirkland, Exploring Kirkland, Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 11, 2008 at 9:51 pmKirkland, Washington and food seem to be on my mind these days. Most of my last posts on this blog have focused on Kirkland’s efforts to help Hopelink and the Kirkland Food Bank raise money and collect food to help those in need.
This post focuses on information about the great restaurants in Kirkland. Dining in Kirkland can be a fun, tasty experience. The abundance of great restaurants is one of the reasons I love living in Kirkland. There are great restaurants all over town, from the much celebrated Juanita Cafe to the local teriyaki spot. Here’s a new website I found on the Eastside Life blog called Kirkland Restaurants. The site rates restaurants in Kirkland and offers some specials if you sign up.
I would love to find out more about the rating system as Cafe Juanita, a nationally recognized restaurant with a James Beard award winner, Holly Smith, as its chef only received 3 out of 5 stars. This was a bit surprising to me.
The Kirkland Neighborhood Challenge to Raise Money and Food for Hopelink Begins!
In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA on November 7, 2008 at 2:00 pmThe Kirkland neighborhood challenges are on! Check out Kirkland Viewsblog post on the food drive and neighborhood challenge. Scroll down to the remarks from Penny Sweet and Larry Springer. The two are challenging the neighborhoods to be the strongest neighborhood contingent at Hopelink’s Turkey Trot on November 16th. The Highlands, are you game? They will also offer everyone who brings a bag of food or makes a cash donation at the Grape Choicea raffle ticket for a signed Magnum of Betz Syrah. The Grape Choice is located at 7 Lakeshore Drive in downtown Kirkland.
Below is a copy of Karen Story’s email about the Highland’s plans thus far for the food drive:
The Hopelink Food Bank needs our help. Their supplies are very low and the need is very high.
The Highlands neighborhood will be joining in the city-wide “Neighborhood Food Drive Contest” November 15 to December 18. The neighborhood that collects the most pounds of food per person will win a summer party at Peter Kirk Pool, compliments of the City (250 participant limit).
The Highlands food drive will kick off November 15 when our Cub Scout pack will be collecting food at the kiosk on the corner of 116th Ave and NE 87th Street from 10am – 2pm.
We will also be collecting food at our general meeting on Nov. 20th.
In addition, I would like to organize a series of drop off locations in our neighborhood. Please let me know if you’d be willing to be a drop off spot, or to take loads of food to the food bank.
Hopelink is now located at:
13013 NE 65th Street
Kirkland, WA 98033-8613
425.889.7880
Most Needed Items:
· Cereal
· Canned vegetables
· Pasta
· Tuna
· Flour
· Sugar
· Cooking oil
· Canned fruit
· Canned meals (chili, stew)
· Please, no commercial size food donations
· Cash donations gladly accepted. 88 cents can buy a meal for
one person.
Weekly Real Estate Buzz in The Kirkland Highlands Through November 6th, 2008
In Kirkland News, Kirkland WA, Kirkland, WA Real Estate, market statistics, Real estate, sellers, Weekly market update on November 7, 2008 at 1:39 pm
(Numbers in parentheses are for last week’s data. This week’s data is reported through Thursday each week.)
Active Listings: 29 (29)
New listings: 2 (0)
Re-listed properties: 0 (0)
Pending inspection: 0 (0)
Pending: 0 (0)
Closed Sales: 0 (0)
Contingent sale: 0 (0)
Number of Price Reductions: 0 (0)
Cancelled listings 0 (0)
Expired Listings: 2 (0)
Temporarily Off Market: 0 (0)
Price increase: 0(0)
Back on market: 0 (1)
Rented: 0 (0)
———————————–
0-$349,999: 1 (1)
$350,000-$499,999: 6 (5)
$500,000-$749,999: 10 (10)
$750,000-$999,999: 10 (10)
$1,000,000- $1,499,999: 1 (2)
$1,500,000- $2,999,999: 1 (1)
———————————–
Average Price: $702,136 ($720,189)
Median Price: $699,000 ($699,000)
Average Days on Market: 123 (124)
Highest Priced Listing: $1,599,000 ($1,599,000)
Lowest Priced Listing: $345,000 ($345,000)
Two new listings and two expired listings, which means the number of homes available in the Highlands stayed the same. Overall, on the eastside inventory is declining, which is typical for this time of year. If you are willing to meet the competition in the market place, then it is best to keep your home on the market. If you’re not willing to be priced really well, it’s best to stay off the market for now.
Townhomes/condos
1 Active town homes
1Expired listing
Kirkland Highlands Real Estate Buzz
