Acting As Your Own General Contract - Are You Qualified?

If you're looking to remodel but on a strict budget, determining if you're a good candidate to be your own sub-contractor is imperative. Acting as the 'general' on your job will certainly save you the most amount of money but without the proper background and knowledge, the money saved might not be worth the final product.

Planning, researching materials, scheduling sub-contractors, daily on-site inspections, etc. Being your own general contractor should not be undertaken unless you have a good understanding of the construction process and the time to invest. But if you have experience and are willing to invest the time that will be needed then being your own general contractor should be a serious consideration.

As an industry professional in the Olympia area, I have a list of reputable contractors which I'm always happy to share.  These qualified tradesmen and tradeswoman are skilled in their area of expertise.  Just call, text or email me for the list.

Bad News on the Horizon for FHA

Effective 10/01/2011, FHA will reduce the maximum loan limit in Thurston County from $361,250 to $293,250.

Tansy Ragwort: Know Your Toxic Weeds

Have you noticed a thin yellow flowering plant in your field or pasture? It's important to know about Tansy Ragwort. Ten years ago, I received an informational postcard from the Thurston County Health Department about this plant. Since that time, I've only encountered Tansy Ragwort in my field just a handful of times. It seems this year's uncommon weather of more rain, less sun has encouraged this weed to sprout up everywhere.

You might say, well who cares - its just another weed? What you don't realize is the yellow flowering plant can be lethal to cattle and horses. Once the plant has gone to seed, it has the ability to spread everywhere. So I plead for you to do your part: pull the weeds by removing the plant and it's roots. Don't mow it or cut it.

Let's say goodbye to what might just be scotch broom's cousin - yet another terrible yellow flowering plant in our fields and pastures.

For more information: read here

Real Estate Leaders Roll Out New Logo

This past week in Los Angeles, founder of RE/MAX International Dave Liniger told nearly 1,000 RE/MAX Brokers, Owners and Managers that he is through being polite or humble about the unmatched competitive advantages of RE/MAX affiliation. We have the best, most productive, most experienced Sales Associates in the business, and there's no reason to be shy about what that means. RE/MAX Sales Associates are…

• #1 in Market Share
• #1 in Sales Associate Productivity
• #1 in Brand Name Awareness
• #1 in Advertising
• #1 in Lead Generation
• #1 in Professional Education

Most importantly, we are #1 in the minds of buyers and sellers, and #1 in the eyes of most of our national competitors, who understand that RE/MAX continues to be the home of top producers who outperform them year after year.

The simple fact is…real estate professionals who want to be on the #1 team should be with RE/MAX. We are the #1 brand in real estate, and we will be saying so; loudly, and very clearly.

Nature Nurtures Childcare - Now Enrolling

A client of mine is opening a new nature-based childcare program on a farm. If you're looking for childcare in Olympia complete with chickens and rabbits and ponies - check this out

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What Goes Up Must Come Down

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported the median sale price for existing single-family homes fell 2.8% in Q2 compared to a year ago. Yet 41 metro areas saw price gains, up from 34 in Q1. The NAR's chief economist said, "Median home prices have been moving up and down in a relatively narrow range in many markets, which shows a stabilization trend." Another survey showed two-thirds of the markets reported bigger price gains in Q2 versus Q1.