Brandon Nelson
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Bellingham Weather
1st Bellingham Bay SUP Race Goes OFF!
Check out the photo album below!!!
Tonight, we hosted the first of three Stand-Up Paddleboard races in the Pre-Paddle Grand Prix point series. We didn’t know what kind of turn-out to expect, having just starting spreading word about the race and helping to host SUP demo nights at Padden a little over a month ago.
We were STOKED to have 17 racers out on the water!!! We all met at Cornwall Beach, and from there paddled up to Taylor Street Dock, under the catwalk, and back to Cornwall.
Despite the headwind and a hard go on the first leg, every paddler stroked it out and we had some great finishes on the Cornwall Beach.
This informal race was the first of three races in a point series, all leading up to the main event on September 5th, the Paddle Grand Prix. If you’re interested in trying Stand Up Paddling — undeniably the fastest growing watersport in the world — and think you might want to race, head to Lake Padden on any Tuesday this summer for free demos.
We also do a race at the start of the demo night, one lap around the lake (just under 2 miles) and it’s a great, warm, friendly place to see how you like it.
See you there!!!
Remodel or Tear Down?
I learned something new last Friday regarding the debate between conserving an old house by restoring it, versus tearing it down completely and starting new.
This took place at a property I have listed for sale, and with me were the Buyer, a builder, and an engineer. We were there to discuss the feasibility of what could or could not be done with the structure, as affected by the topography, height restrictions, existing layout of the home, and of course, how much it might cost.
The builder, Rick Dubrow of A1 Builders and Adaptations Design here in Bellingham, is one of the best and most experienced building consultants I’ve ever worked with. A1’s work is top notch, but long before they ever place the first ounce of concrete or pound the first nail, Rick’s style of talking — and listening — to a client and educating them about possibilities and processes of building… that’s why I refer him again and again. He’s a professional communicator, hands down.
Anyway, there we were, a half hour into the consult, standing below an un-maintained, 50-year-old house, when Rick spoke the words that were completely new and profound to me:
“I’m all about conservation, and I’d love nothing more than to see this house preserved and re-used in every way possible,” he started.
“But in the energy life-cycle of a house,” he said, “including all associated energy consumption of materials production, transport, construction, and then what is consumed during actual use of the house over its life-cycle, six sevenths of the energy is consumed after construction is complete.”
I stood there, trying to wrap my head around exactly what he had just said, when he continued…
“So it’s almost certain,” he said, “that the most efficient thing to do with this near 2900-square-foot house, in the context of what you [the buyer] intend to create here, is to tear it down.”
This was, to me, some serious outside-the-box thinking. In this day in age, as we’re peppered with constant messages of “Reduce, Re-use, Recycle!” the default philosophy is to conserve and build to what’s there. That’s the most “responsible” thing, or so I unquestioningly had thought.
But what I picked up during this meeting from Rick, is that the most responible thing is to continually keep learning, keep asking questions, keep studying, and adapt when new understandings come to light.
There are many hours of design and contemplation ahead before the final call is made to remodel or tear down, but Rick’s insight added a valuable twist to the decision making process on this project.
Comments: Please leave a comment.Why I use HDR Photo Editing to Help Sell Properties
Real estate marketing is a visual arts business. Think about it: Buyers are scouring the web, looking for hours at a time at sites like REMAX.com, Realtor.com, Zillow.com, Redfin.com… and a bunch of others, hoping to be moved by photos and text about a home.
Sure, they’re shopping for homes in a certain location, a certain price range and number of bedrooms, usually.
But when there are 15 homes that fit their criteria, the photos of the particular homes are one of the first — and most important — differentiators. The photos — more than anything else – either succeed or fail in getting that buyer to take the next step and make an appointment to see the home.
That’s why I use HDR editing for all my real estate marketing photos. HDR is exclusive to digital, bracketed photography. It stands for High Dynamic Range, and the way it works is this:
- First, I compose the shot with my Canon Eos T2i mounted on a Manfrotto tripod.
- I then manually set the camera to take 3 bracketed exposures of the same shot. The first photo is properly exposed for the general light conditions in the space I’m shooting. This is where most would stop and move onto the next shot, but I have two more photos to take first…
- The second photo is of exactly the same subject, but this one is purposely under-exposed. By itself, it ends up quite dark, but is actually harvesting a few elements of the overall composition that we’ll want to use later.
- The third and final photo is over-exposed, and it looks really bright by itself. Again, though, there are elements of that shot, colors and such, that we will pull from later.
With those 3 shots of that one subject, I then upload them to a software program that combines, essentially, the “best” of each one into one super dynamic photograph. I’ll spend some time editing it further, tweaking any number of a few dozen different variables, until the light, shadow, color saturation and overall quality are just right.
One of the amazing benefits of this type of photography is that I can properly expose for a room’s interior, AND for the view out through a window. With just one image taken for the room’s light level, the view outside often looks like a nuclear explosion. That’s not how the eye would see it, and it leaves you wondering what’s outside.
Click on a few of the HDR photo thumbnails below, and tell me if you think HDR would help get your house more noticed by potential buyers.
PS… I first learned about HDR photography from reading Teresa Boardman’s blog on St. Paul Real Estate. Comments: Please leave a comment.
NW Words of Life
“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs!”
Comments: Please leave a comment.Victory or Failure?
I watched a negotiation today end in failure. In that same negotiation, the Buyer got exactly what he wanted, and at the discounted price he wanted to pay.
Does that sound like victory to you? Then why am I calling it a failure?
Here’s what happened:
This was not a real estate sale. It was something I witnessed in a retail store, a local Bellingham outlet of used building supplies called the ReStore.
The ReStore collects used but use-able building materials, organizes them by type, then sells them for a maximum of 50% of new if it’s mint. Less if it’s not.
The Buyer in my story was shopping for a set of bi-fold doors, and there were perhaps 60 to 80 sets to look through. I was nearby, so I watched him browse for a good matching set, then eventually score some nice ones.
When he brought them to the counter to pay, he pointed out that one was marked $14, and the other — totally identical and obviously part of the same set — was marked only $5. I haven’t priced new bifold doors like these ones anytime recently, but I’d guess this was 1/3 to 1/4 what he would’ve payed for new ones. They were essentially perfect, so it was what I’d call a “very good deal.”
The Buyer pointed out the price difference to the clerk, and said that he wanted both doors for $5 each.
Now, having looked through the bi-folds myself and with a very good sense of how they were pricing them, the $5 price tag was clearly an error. Every other door of comparable (mostly lesser) quality in the rack was at $14. Just getting the one for $5 would’ve been a good discount, and a “very, very good deal” for the set.
The clerk countered his $5-for-both statement with, “I’ll give you both for $14 total.”
This was a gracious gesture, in my eyes. Buy one, get one free.
The Buyer wouldn’t have it. He put up a fuss. And here, where he just opened up a can of bad-ass on the clerk, is where I saw failure creeping in.
Negotiation isn’t about beating the other person so you’re the winner. Unless you’re a cop and all you want is a name, or a confession.
Negotiation, in its highest form, is about two people reaching “fair.”
The bi-fold door buyer beat down the clerk to eek out a few more bucks’ worth of savings not because he couldn’t afford the whopping $14 total for a $60-or-more doorset. He did it because in his mind he “deserves to win” and damn any sellers who stumble into his path on his way to continual victory.
Here’s the small kicker: How’s it going to play out on his future trips to the ReStore, now that he’s pegged a “chiseler” – the guy who chisels his way to a below-what’s-even-fair price point?
Here’s the big kicker: Anyone who goes through life chiseling away at every seller with a “Must WIN!” attitude instead of a “Yeah, that’s a fair deal for both of us!” attitude, is going to feel like they’re always broke, never have enough, are always getting taken advantage of, and that everything’s in limited supply so better grab mine before it’s gone, and screw you.
That kind of sounds like hell, huh?
That guy may’ve gotten the price he wanted, but seeing as how he’s not a cop, and the ReStore isn’t a bad guy holding out information, that was a failed negotiation as far as I’m concerned.
Comments: 1 Comment »You’re Un-Sellable
When I meet with someone about listing their home, we almost always talk about a pre-listing action plan.
This is the list recommendtions I deliver to the seller of what they should do to best get their house ready for the market.
It’s different every time, and not just because every house has a different set of “issues” or maintenance areas that could use attention.
It also differs because the seller’s story and goals and motivation are different in what they want to — and sometimes what they ‘can’ — achieve prior to listing.
It’s standard that I’ll recommend a universal de-cluttering of the house. “Get rid of 3/4 of your stuff!” It’s practically boiler-plate at the top of my action plans.
It’s also standard that I’ll suggest they fix any damage areas, from major rot down to minor sheetrock flaws and nail-pops. Buyers put an unreasonably high price tag on repairs, and it dings their comfort level. We want to keep them pleased throughout their tour.
Oh, and wash the windows….
And clean the carpets….
And organize the garage….
But as with everything, there’s a line that we don’t want to cross. And here’s the #1 criteria on how we set that line, especially in this market: We don’t want to get into raising the listing price because we’ve made radical improvements to the property.
Let’s say you’ve got a visible, ugly cut in the vinyl flooring in the bathroom. It REALLY needs to be replaced.
“Great!” the seller might say. “I’ve been wanting to do Italian marble in there, with radiant heating, and we may as well put in a steam-room shower while we’re at it, don’t you think?!
“NO!” I’ll always answer. “We want it to be new, sure. Clean, of course. Without the need for repair, obviously. But if you throw ten grand at it and then expect to pull ten grand back out because of it… forget it!!!”
We don’t want to push our price point higher right now, not in this market. We want to be the cleanest house on the block, of course. But we want to keep our price as competitive as possible, and that means holding off on the aesthetic capital improvements. They’ll cost you money now, you’ll expect to price the house for more, that will reduce its chances of selling, and you’ll ultimately lose out.
Don’t become un-sellable. Here’s the formula: clean, un-damaged, without the need for repair or maintenance, and affordable. Work with what you’ve got, and hold off on the upgrades for now, OKAY?
Comments: Please leave a comment.Bellingham’s BMX Dirt Jump Park near Civic Field
Bellingham is so freekin’ full of cool, FREE things to check out.
And I’m not just talking about events — I’m talking about day-to-day expression sessions in, on, and around B’ham where stoked-on-life people are livin’ large. And you can step in there and take part in it, or you can get every bit as stoked sometimes just WATCHING.
That’s what we did tonight, right after we finished watching Hayden tear it up at the All-Comer’s Track Meet at Civic Field.
We walked over to the BMX Dirt Jump Park on the other side of Puget St. and found 8-or-so riders, young and old, taking turns launching big air off the series of dirt jumps.
There was a mom-n-dad-n-son trio learning and getting progressively more aggressive on the smaller jumps. There were two female shredders throwing down every bit as hard as the guys. And there were two riders, Corey Schmidt and Brandon Strong, taking turns launching monster airs and looking as comfortable doing it as you might be playing Frisbee in the front lawn.
I shot a few telephotos from the edge of the track, then worked my way under the apex of the biggest jump and switched to a wide-angle lens.
There it is, yet another bonus of Bellingham livin’: Any Joe off the street can grab a camera, stumble across some action, and pretend you’re on assignment for National Geographic Adventure.
Whether you’re into jumping your bike, action photography, people watching, or just being outdoors in the beautiful Bellingham summer… it’s all here for you. Get out and gitcha’ some!!!
Comments: Please leave a comment.
Boulevard Park Evening Concert Series
A few weeks ago we set up a picnic date with some friends at Boulevard Park on Bellingham’s waterfront.
When we got there we were a bit surprised to find no empty parking spaces anywhere near the park.
Eventually, we snuck into a spot up on the Boulevard and took the Overpass down to the park. What we found taking place in the park has pretty much doubled our already-deep love of Bellingham summers!
The Evening Concert Series
It turns out we had stumbled upon concert #1 of the highly regarded Evening Concert Series organized by Bellingham Parks and Rec.
From up on The Porch — the timberframe pavilion featured in the Structures I Love photo gallery — we
were ROCKED OUT by Geoffrey Castle on his electric violin. Castle bills himself as playing “Celtic Soul” but on top of that he threw down some Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn and I tell you if those boys were there, they would’ve put a fist in the air and said “Hell YEAH!!!” He was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
And so was the night: The setting, the crowd of many hundreds, the games for kids, the sunset, the windsurfers and sailboats gliding across the bay, the cheers, the dancing, the music, the energy!!! It was just an epic, iconic Bellingham night. A one-of-a-kind experience.
But that’s just it: It’s not a one-time thing!
It turns out it’s a regular event during Bellingham summers. We were back tonight to hear another band, The Walrus, laying down classic rock tunes with just a PACKED dance lawn in front of The Porch!
More shows are scheduled, including Picoso (Urban Latin) on July 17th, Five Alarm Funk or maybe Spaceband on July 31st, and raging Celtic Bluegrass rock by the Clumsy Lovers on August 14th.
Treat yourself this summer to ALL these FREE concerts at Boulevard Park — one of the most beautiful and amazing settings on the entire west coast — and yet right here in our own Bellingham front yard!
http://www.vimeo.com/13070002
Let’s Meet Today at 414 Bayside Rd.
414 Bayside Rd. in Edgemoor is a very special house. It sits in the line of Bellingham’s most exclusive row of homes, in the Edgemoor neighborhood. It’s on 1.1 acres, ON the shore of Bellingham Bay, with views out to and across the San Juans. For its 51 years of life, it’s had one owner. And it’s ready, top to bottom, for a full remodel.
The neighboring homes have fetched prices as high, recently, as $3.3 million. And for good reason: some of them are litterally like castles.
414 Bayside could easily fit right in with its 5 Bedrooms, 2 baths, 2888 total square feet, 2-car detached garage, full-length deck and patio, and tens of thousands of square feet of incredible landscaping potential.
A year or so ago, it came on the market at $1.2 million. It was too hard for buyers then to justify spending that amount of money on a house that is liveable — of course — and is built with some of the best craftsmanship an 
highest quality lumber ever put into a house — sure — but needed a $150,000 to $200,000 update, the style of updating that homes in Edgemoor require and deserve.
Yesterday, we re-listed it at $799,900. You can see more photos and read more information at www.414Bayside.com.
At $799,900 a buyer can invest the full amount of a remodel, have a luxury estate on the water’s edge in the highest end neighborhood in Bellingham, and still be into it for well under $1M.
One other feature worth mentioning is the private cove directly in front of the house, with acces to Bellingham Bay through the BNSF train trestle. The current owners have, in the past, moored a 26′ boat in the cove, and would slip easily out into Bellingham Bay and back again to their own private harbor. That’s a VERY unique feature in Edgemoor. Look again at this satellite image to see what I mean.
I’m opening the house to the public today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come by and see it. Walk the grounds. Check out the yard between the house and the shoreline that’s big enough — and level enough — for a full size tennis court WITH bleachers! Or a vineyard. Or an orchard.
Bring your agent, your builder, your designer, your friends… and bring an offer. What an opportunity this home is for a buyer looking for a project.
Comments: Please leave a comment.CRAZY-Low Mortgage Rates
NW Way of Lifer Alex Z. wrote in to suggest a blog about the historical low, low, low interest rates. Thanks for the tip, Alex. Here we go, then….
Mortgage rates last week hit the lowest level we’ve seen since the 1950’s. If you’re sitting on the fence waiting to time the market, and the house of your dreams is available right now, do yourself a favor:
Buy it!!!
It’s true: interest rates on 30-year fixed home loans dropped to an average of 4.69%. I have one client who locked in early last week at 4.3875%. I-N-S-A-N-E!!!
So what does that lower rate translate into in real world numbers for you. Well, here’s one way to look at it:
Let’s start by taking a $300,000 loan and comparing this current low rate — call it 4.7% — to what is still a VERY good rate — even historically — of 6%.
Monthly payment on $300K at 4.7% = $1555.91
Monthly payment on $300K at 6% = $1798.65
That’s a difference of $242.74 a MONTH!!!
Over a year, that’s $2912.88 saved!!!
If you did in fact get a loan at 4.7%, but you paid that extra $242.74 a month toward your mortgage anyway, as if you had a 6% mortgage, you’d pay off that 30-year loan in less than 22 years 9 months, saving you — hold onto your hat — almost $73,000!!!
Think of that: that’s NINETY-EIGHT months left on your 30-year mortgage that you would NOT send the bank ANY money, because you’d be paid off.
OR… of course… you could take that savings each month from your insanely low interest rate and:
- Work less, and…
- Start that exercise program you’ve been thinking of, and…
- Race in your first triathlon, and…
- Stand in front of the mirror relishing in how ripped you’ve become, and…
- Ask that hottie out on a date because of your new self confidence, and…
- Hit it off, marry, and start a family, all because…
- You took advantage of the lowest interest rates in history. Do it!
If you’ve been waiting patiently for the right time — the perfect time — then guess what?!
It’s TIME!
Comments: Please leave a comment.
