Falling Off a Cliff is EasyFalling Off a Cliff is EasyMy five year old grand daughter jumped off a cliff. All by herself.There was a lot of fear. A lot of hesitation. Her brother was willing to push her over. NOT what she wanted.Finally, when she was ready, she jumped. (The cliff is a rockery in our back yard, but to a five year old it was a cliff)Such jubilation! Such excitement! She was jumping and jumping for joy.In this video, she attains mastery.Having done it once with her hands in mine, and once all by herself, she is now not afraid of the cliff, and jumps over again and again.What is in your life that is scaring you to death?Once you have gone over the cliff by yourself - falling off a cliff is easy!!! 02/03/2012

This Blog is About JoyThis Blog is About JoyMy youngest grand children were over a few days ago.I took a video, and named it “Hippin’ and Hoppin’ As We Go Along”But I could just as well have called it - Pure Joy. Why are they so happy? There are no toys, no expensive electronic gadgets. Just a yard with some stepping stones to hop on, and a grandpa who loves and adores them.Here they are running, hopping and expressing the exuberant joy that children have so abundantly, and we adults can miss so easily.I especially like my grand daughter’s spin of celebration, then a saucy little “Tricked ya!” at the end. 01/31/2012

Over The Cliff Over The Cliff The first time we do something hard, it seems so scary, so difficult, so daunting. My granddaughter was playing in our yard. I helped her down from this rock wall. She trusts me completely, so that was not hard at all. However, when she came down, I tricked her. Instead of catching her, holding her and placing her on the grass, I let her fall with her own weight, only using my two hands in hers as a guide. She then knew she could do it all by herself. She had basically already done it by herself with me guiding her. But could she? Would she? Here is the video called “Over the Cliff” What is the cliff you are facing? 01/30/2012

Mastery of the HillMastery of the HillAfter some training and some practice comes mastery.Keller Williams has many courses to take to learn our craft better. One of them is called Buyer Mastery, and another is called Seller Mastery.My grand kids wanted to play on the little hill behind our house. At first going up was difficult. Going down was scary.Then I taught them how. RUN down! Keep your feet moving. Let yourself FALL over the edge and run. It is exhilarating! They learned. They practiced. In this video they have mastery.Notice the joy of accomplishment. The thrill of overcoming danger. The excitement of meeting a challenge and beating it!Here is: The Mastery of the Hill! 01/29/2012

Conquering The HillConquering The HillThe grand kids were over the other day.Soon we were outside in our back yard. We have a small hill back there. There is a retaining wall composed of big boulders. Then steps to get up, carved out of the dirt. There is a small ramp to get up, and a steeper, slipperyer area to run up or slide down. Both the kids were tentative at first, coming down slowly - a step at a time. I taught them that if they just ran down, making sure their feet were moving faster than they were, they could get down faster and easier. Soon they were running! Notice the excitement and joy!It was a metaphor for life. So many things in our life seem difficult. Even impossible! We tackle them and we are slow, and clumsy and awkward. But if we keep at it, if we are not afraid, i... 01/29/2012

The Delight of the Delicious BlueberryThe Delight of the Delicious BlueberryWe had our two youngest grandkids over Friday afternoon.After some vigorous play, it was time for a snack.My granddaughter made such a face of delight over these blueberries, I pulled my camera out.This is recording the delight of the delicious blueberry! 01/28/2012

Waterfront home sales in King County and most of the Eastside have been rising steadily for the past couple of years.  Kirkland's waterfront real estate sales, in particular, have gotten a big boost. After 38 Kirkland waterfront homes were sold in 2010, that number jumped to 48 during 2011.  The increase of 26% was one of the biggest in the greater Seattle region.  Not only did the total number of sales increase, but the highest-end home sales were also up significantly. Many cities saw a drop in their million-dollar and multi-million-dollar home sales recently due to the lack of luxury home buyers.  Kirkland's sales of waterfront homes over $1 million in 2011 almost doubled, from 12 sales to 20 sales.  Multi-million dollar waterfront home sales rose from 5 closings in 2010 to 7 in 201... 01/28/2012

Kirkland home for sale coming soon on the market in Finn Hill - investor remodel and it will have all the amazing details a home Buyer is looking for. The home is under construction and is just weeks away from being completed. Just waiting for a nice sunny day to paint exterior, lay carpets, install appliances and finish up the landscaping, then it will be ready to be listed for sale. Here is what it looks like outside right now. Are you searching for short sales or forclosures in the Finn Hill / Kenmore area? View all homes for sale and if you would like a private tour, just let us know. 01/26/2012

Traditional real estate sales in Kirkland- Finn Hill outperformed short sales and foreclosures in home values plus two other categories. Traditional sales in Finn Hill were much better received by home Buyers in comparison to short sales and foreclosures. Here are three examples as to how traditional sales outperformed in Finn Hill; 1. Sales Price Values = 29% more 2. Days on Market = 31 days less 3. $/SQFT (Price per SQFT) = 11% more Finn Hill is a community that offers lots of options to future homeowners wanting to relocate to this area. Here are jsut a few that are known to this community; a) Great schools & parks (Northshore School & Lake Washington School District) b) Easy access to major roads and higways c) Quiet streets and friendly neighbors As I hold open houses in Finn Hill ... 01/25/2012

Finn Hill home values- comparing short sales, foreclosures and traditional sales for 2011 Curious as to what real estate values are in the Finn Hill area? Here are two graphs that show a picture of what’s going on in your community with a side-by-side comparison between short sales, foreclosure, and traditional sales (“non-distressed”) home values. Traditional sales (non-distressed) over short sale values fetched 24.66% higher values, and 33.57% compared to foreclosures. Short sales out performed foreclosure when it comes to retaining a higher sale price by an average of 13.4%. Looks like Banks are leaving money at the table. It’s in the Banks best interest to approve a short sale and avoid foreclosure just by seeing and knowing these numbers. On the other hand, foreclosures don’t have ... 01/22/2012

Holmes Point Real Estate, Kirkland WA When looking for homes for sale in Kirkland, consider Holmes Point.  The Holmes Point neighborhood is located in the northwest section of Kirkland nestled in between Lake Washington and Finn Hill.  Many of the homes located in this highly sought after neighborhood offer waterfront access and/or a view of the lake.  Holmes Point has it's own boat launch open to the public, however there are many restrictions on where you can park.  Consider this a local boat launch for the residences not located directly on the water, as you can then park at your own property. Another highlight of the Holmes Point neighborhood would be O.O. Denny Park.  This is a great place to take the kids, run the dog, or bbq during those beautiful summer days that we occasionally... 01/20/2012

2011 Condo Market Report for Kirkland, Washington2011 Condo Market Report for Kirkland, WashingtonA lot of people were wondering what was going on with the condo market in Kirkland this last year. Now that the year is over we can report activity, averages and trends in this 2011 Condo Market Report for Kirkland, Washington.I would characterize the overall Kirkland real estate activity as brisk and picking up based on the experience of the Phil Leng Team. We sold 68 homes this past year, with an average market time of 49 days!However the condo statistics for Kirkland are sobering. Look at this graph. The red bar is the number of houses for sale in any given month. The Green bar is the number of houses sold in any given month. Which of these two categories would you want to be in? The red... 01/18/2012

Searching for waterfront homes on Lake Washington? Start your online search here or contact one of our agents that are proficient in waterfront homes on Lake Washington. Whether you are buying a home in Kirkland, Bellevue, Juanita or as far north as Kenmore and Lake Forest Park our experienced agents and brokers know all the details to finding you the perfect waterfront home. Buying a waterfront home is such a special venture and there are so many unique spots along Lake Washington to choose from. Kenmore and Lake Forest Park - There are many homes directly overlooking the water up to the north end of Lake Washington. These homes can range from the mid $200's up to over $1 million. If it's the view, the majestic float planes that land on the north part of the lake or just the peacefulne... 01/18/2012

The First Snow Fall of the Season in Seattle Washington Jan 15, 2012The First Snow Fall of the Season in Seattle Washington Jan 15, 2012It finally came!A little on Friday night. By Saturday morning it was very thin and i thought it would be the Seattle normal - here today, gone later today!But Sunday morning it really snowed! We came back from church and it was coming down in tiny little flakes.Here is my video of the first snowfall of the season. 01/15/2012

Logic makes you think...Emotion makes you act! Logic makes you think...Emotion makes you act!   Making decisions and reacting to situations can be trying at times. The ability to maintain objectivity and keep emotion out of the decision-making process is important in business situations.   Decisions based on emotion or sentiment rather than on logic can often lead to bad results and can do lasting damage to employee, vendor or customer relationships, and we don't want that!  You must always think about how your decision will affect the short and long-term viability of your business.   This isn't to say that there is no room for emotion in the business world.  Passion leads to motivation and motivation is what makes us get things done.  But rather than letting our emotions take over, we... 01/11/2012

The Most Interesting Man in KirklandCurt Warneris most definitely one of the most interesting men, if not the most interesting man I know. He lives in Kirkland, but he’s originally from New Castle, Indiana (Yes, he was the most interesting man there, too.) New Castle boasts the “world’s largest and finest high school field house.” The high school gymnasium seats 9,325 - which is rather apropos for a small town where basketball is King. The most interesting manwent to Butler University (Go Bulldogs!), and got to attend the NCAA Finals in 2010 when Butler played Duke and lost by only a single basket. His school was really proud of their team for keeping a nationally known team like Duke sweating it out the entire game.He’s a huge fan of the Lava Lounge in Belltown, mainly because it has a... 01/09/2012

2011 Market Report for Kirkland, Washington2011 Market Report for Kirkland, WashingtonKirkland real estate was on a lot of peoples' minds this last year. Now that the year is over we can report activity, averages and trends.I would characterize Kirkland real estate activity as brisk and picking up based on the experience of the Phil Leng Team. We have sold many homes in Kirkland this past year, with an average market time of 49 days!However the overall statistics for Kirkland are sobering. Which of these two categories do you want to be in? The red category, or the green category? If you use The Phil Leng Team to sell your property this year, we will help you get into the sold category! The trend of median sold prices in Kirkland is obscure from this next graph. The median price appear... 01/09/2012

First Week of 2012 - The Phil Leng Team, Kirkland, WashingtonThe week of January 2 - 7, 2012 started off well, with two offers, each on a different listing.We presented and negotiated both offers, and by Wednesday, both were under contract and proceeding.On Tuesday we got a low offer on another listing. This one had been brewing since Friday. It took until Wednesday to get all the required parts of the offer complete. We presented it on Wednesday and were negotiating back and forth all day Wed and Thursday. Thursday night another offer came in on the same property. We asked both offers to give it their best shot. The first offer was more concerned with getting a good deal, then getting the deal at all. They were rejected, and the second offer was put into place. Another offer came in on... 01/08/2012

Trust is Learned at HomeTrust is Learned at HomeTrust is learned by most of us at an early age. Sadly, with some people, the inability to trust is also deeply ingrained at an early age.I was raised in a loving Christian family. My parents disciplined us appropriately, and loved us lavishly. I do not remember playing the age old game of my father throwing me in the air and catching me, but I know it happened hundreds of times. When my father died I was on a mission trip in Germany. I received the phone call and immediately the picture that came to me was that of a loving father playing with us kids. He was on all fours on the ground, and we were riding him like a horse with laughter and delight.When my daughters came along we raised them the same way. Consistent discipline and lavish lo... 01/07/2012

The purpose of business is to fund a perfect life. The purpose of business is to fund a perfect life.   This is one of the affirmations of the Keller Williams BOLD training that most of my team went through this Fall. Kim Beuhler, from Florida, has this to say about that affirmation: “Let's remember WHY you go to work every day...to provide for the life you choose for yourself and your family.  And would you CHOOSE  to live a life of ordinary?  Certainly not!  So work with purpose and intention! Work with the knowledge that something great and grand, as you see it, is meant for you. We all have the power to create, develop, and manifest our perfect life...and it involves more than just going through the motions to survive and "make a living."   Your mind may not acknowledge it yet, but... 12/28/2011