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Thursday, April 29, 2004

Washington State's Whatcom County Homes Selling To Mostly Out-Of-Area Buyers

by Blanche Evans

Builders' lots are selling in days to buyers who are mostly out of the area, observe Whatcom County, Washington Realtors.

Birch Bay

"Birch Bay has become Whatcom county's hottest market for developers," says Realtor Jeff Jordan. "The housing market remains hot, as does the rest of the county."

Birch Bay Village

"Birch Bay Village is a beautiful gated community with saltwater marina, golf, tennis and sunshine," says Realtor Mike Kent. "Building lots now sell within days, if not hours, with only a handful currently available. Home prices are going up steadily as well with waterfront and waterview properties in strong demand. Out-of-area buyers tend to buy here and then convince friends and family to join them in calling Birch Bay Village home. No other development offers the combination of recreational opportunities at prices so affordable. However expect prices to rise sharply here if interest rates remain low as the Internet brings the "Village" to more and more buyers throughout North America and beyond.

Bellingham

Says Jordan, "Bellingham is consistently rated as one of the best mid-size cities to live in the country. The local market considers to sizzle for sellers as interest rates remain low and inventory levels are not close to satisfactory for buyers."

Adds Kent, "There are countless publications and media stories that have placed Bellingham near the top for best places to retire, to start a business, or to even re-invent your life. Coupled with broad Internet coverage, Bellingham is flourishing with many new beautiful developments being filled by a steady stream of outsiders.

"One out of every four buyers are now from out of the area (especially from Seattle and California)," he advises. "These buyers are seeking fresh air, little traffic and an active outdoor lifestyle with immediate access to both the sea and mountains. Prices have been rising for the past several years with homes increasing in value by as much as two percent per month. The land rush is on and there are fewer and fewer places to stake your claim. Buyers here are advised to move quickly and be prepared for competing offers especially in the properties priced under $250,000.00."

Published: April 29, 2004

Related Articles:

Market Conditions City Reports

Blanche Evans is the publisher of Agent News and the associate editor of Realty Times, the Internet's largest independent real estate news service. She is the author of two best-selling real estate books: The Hottest e-Careers In Real Estate, Real Estate Education Company, an Internet marketing primer for real estate professionals, and homesurfing.net: The Insider's Guide To Buying And Selling Your Home Using The Internet, Dearborn, a consumer homebuying and selling guide. In 2000, she was recognized by the editors of REALTOR(r) Magazines as one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate," and in 2003 when the "Most Influential" list was updated, she was recognized as one of nine "Notables." She is also a frequent contributor to "Your Money" on CNN fn.
E-mail Blanche at: blanche@realtytimes.com

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Copyright © 2004 Realty Times. All Rights Reserved.

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Everyone Needs An Indoor Air Purifier

by Stuart Lieberman

The Environmental Protection Agency's most recent report about air quality is enough to make each of us want to stop breathing. The EPA announced this past April that 170 million Americans live in areas that are too smoggy for our health.

But this is not really new news. People with chronic breathing problems have always known that the air in much of America is not that good. And if you have been reading about the current Administration's complete failure to do anything at all about protecting our environment, it should not come as a surprise that our air just is not all that breathable in much of this country.

You cannot buy air cleaners to clean the outside. But you can buy air cleaners or air purifiers to clean the inside of your home. And it is abundantly clear that you really should take this issue seriously and should buy as good of an air cleaner as you can.

There are a lot of air cleaners on the market and it is hard to know which air cleaner make the most sense for you. Different air cleaners work on different technologies and the kind of air cleaner that might make sense for an individual with one kind of problem might not be the same kind of air cleaner that you should buy if you have another problem.

For example, if you have a lot of cigarette smoke in your house you might prefer one kind of technology. If pet dander is your problem then another might work for you. And if dust and pollen is what causes a problem for you, yet another kind of air cleaner might make sense.

Where do you go to find out which air cleaners work best for you? Consumer Reports is an old but reliable source of information. In the February 2002 report it studied 16 different units and gave their ratings. They are not partial and they are a reliable source. That report can be purchased from Consumers Report by going online at consumerreports.org.

Air cleaners that rely on high efficiency particulate air removal technology, which is also referred to as HEPA, will remove air pollutants which are .3 microns or larger. This includes tobacco smoke, dust and pollen. And from my vantage this seems to be the kind of filter device that is most widely recommended. If 99.97 percent does not do it, then there are ULPA filters that achieve almost 100 percent removal, using what is essentially refined HEPA technology.

Many homes have electrostatic precipitators built into the air conditioning or heating systems. In those cases, there are large filters that have to be removed on a regular basis and cleaned. The system that I have requires placing these filters in the dishwasher for periodic cleaning.

The two other technologies include ozone air cleaners which introduce ozone into the air to reduce airborne pollutants and ionization filters which actually emit an electric charge into the air stream which affixes the particulates onto filters or other media.

When you look to purchase an indoor air filter, you need to look for one that is appropriately sized as well as one with a proven technology. In terms of room size, if you do not size the system properly, it is not going to work efficiently. Some experts propose buying a system that is oversized for the room so that it can be operated at lower, generally more quiet speeds.

According to the EPA, indoor air quality levels may be two-to-five times less healthy than outdoor air quality levels. This fact, coupled with the fact that Americans spend most of their time indoors (almost 90 percent), suggests that you should consider buying a suitable air cleaner for you home, and perhaps for your office. If you work outdoors, good luck to you.

Published: April 29, 2004

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Can We Trust The EPA?

What To Do If Your Home Has Indoor Air Quality Problems

How To Take The Odor Out Of New Carpeting

Sick Building Syndrome Takes On New Seriousness

Environmental Issues & Your Home

Stuart Lieberman, Esq. writes about environmental issues. He was a New Jersey Deputy Attorney General assigned to the State Department of Environmental Protection from 1986 - 1990. Currently he is a shareholder in the environment law firm of Lieberman & Blecher, P.C., located in Princeton, New Jersey. He can be reached at slieberman@liebermanblecher.com.

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Can You Schmooze? It's One Way To Succeed In Real Estate

by Al Heavens

Can we talk?

That question has long been associated with comedian Joan Rivers, and as anyone who has watched her in action knows, she certainly can talk.

Sometimes she says more than we want to hear.

Being able to express oneself articulately is a goal to which everyone should strive. Especially real estate agents.

However, as with Rivers, enough is often too much. For example, a reader buying her first house shared with me her experience with an agent who only opened her mouth to change feet:

"My agent first tried to tell me that home inspectors who are members of the National Association of Home Inspectors weren't allowed to inspect in our area (which isn't true). Then she followed the inspector around the house with us and told him that everything he said was wrong."

"When he saw evidence of what might be a roof leak in a ceiling, she called her husband, a roofing contractor, who came over immediately and told the inspector that the stains were 'footprints.'"

"The inspector left after my agent brought in the listing agent and the owners, and they began to argue with him," the reader continued. "The owner's son threatened the inspector with bodily harm."

Of course, there is a much better way of dealing with people than this, but it requires mastery of the art of polite conversation.

That's where Susan RoAne comes in. She's the author of What Do I Say Next: Talking Your Way to Business or Social Success (Warner Books, $14).

The crux of her advice:

Conversation is an art, not a science.

If you like people, you've won half the battle for more conversational prowess.

The ability to schmooze contributes to personal and professional success.

Small talk is the most important talk we can do.

All business starts with conversation, she said.

"Conversation isn't part of a sale, but the heart of sale," RoAne said. "It is how you make people feel comfortable and make them feel connected. It establishes trust and rapport."

What do you say first? It's the same whether you walk into a room with two people or 200 people, but "you should plan and practice your own self-introduction" beforehand, she said.

Don't expect to be introduced by someone else, even if the gathering has a host.

"Everywhere we go, we are on our own," RoAne said. And that gives us the freedom to do what's best for us.

Rather than simply rattling off a meaningless title, spend those seven to nine seconds giving people the benefit of what you do.

"I don't say, 'I'm Susan RoAne, best-selling author and fantastic speaker,' even though I am," she said. Instead, "I say, 'I'm Susan RoAne, and I turn people into mingling mavens.'

"They always ask me, 'What does that mean?'" she said. "That helps people break the ice and communicate.

"Then I say, 'What about you?'"

Which is, of course, what you say next.

"When we give people a benefit, we give them something to build the conversation on," RoAne said. "They're more comfortable with you because they've actually started the ball rolling.

"You give them the gift of gab," she said. "And what you do to make people more comfortable can make us more memorable."

Part of conversation is bringing who we are to what we do, because people relate to who we are, she said. What we do, then, is often secondary.

For example, "How many of you ever had a bad haircut?" she asked her audience, who either acknowledged the question with murmurs of approval or affirmative head shakes.

"Then why does it take us longer to get rid of our hairdressers than our spouses?" RoAne asked.

Bad-haircut experiences help us relate to other people, she said.

"In an emotional, stressful business like real estate, making buyers and sellers more comfortable by bringing who you are to what you do helps them make conversation with you," she said.

Developing a network of people starts with conversation face to face, followed by e-mail, followed up by picking up the phone and hearing the person's voice and maybe having a cup of coffee someplace, she said.

Key the introduction to the event you are attending, because it helps people feel comfortable talking to you. A holiday party, a wedding, or other special event needs to have tailor-made introductions.

Such as the wedding RoAne recently attended.

"Hi, I'm Susan RoAne, and I'm the first girlfriend of the father of the groom," she said in introducing herself.

Published: April 29, 2004

Al Heavens is a syndicated columnist who writes about real estate and home improvement. He appears regularly as the "Gadgeteer" on the Discovery Channel's twice-daily Home Matters Program.

Copyright © 2004 Realty Times. All Rights Reserved.

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