Spoken Gently's Blog: All Categories

Tri City Washington news reports, "Volatility may describe the nation's current economic situation, but a different adjective is more accurate for the Tri-City housing market...The Tri-City housing market continued to hold steady in 2007-08, with home prices increasing and sales tracking with 2006, according to information from the Tri-City Association of Realtors."

Colleen and I are prepared to meet the ever increasing demand for Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco properties. Consider using our property search when searching for Tri Cities real estate, and consider The Lane Real Estate Team to provide a competent, professional, real estate service for you.

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Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco Washington continues it's upward jobs increase. The Tri City Herald reports:

"Consistent growth in the local job market makes the Tri-Cities an island of prosperity amid a sea of nationwide economic gloom, says the regional labor economist. Last month, about 2,000 jobs were added to the Tri-City economy, thanks to continuing demand for construction, wholesale trade and professional services, says a report released Tuesday."

As employment continues it's consistent growth, so will the demand for real estate increase. When considering a home purchase or property investment, consider Colleen and I to service your real estate requirements.

Are you too busy to read the real estate article you just stumbled upon but want to read? Recently, I found Instapaper, a service that allows you to click "Read Later" and when convenient, read later! In a nutshell, once installed, a button appears on your internet browser toolbar. When surfing the web, simply click the button and links to articles you have noted will be available for further reading at Instapaper's website. Essentially, a "favorites" type of utility, but for articles only. I've found this service useful, as I often find non-relevant real estate related articles that I want to read, but are too busy, and/or too focused on the task at hand to read now!  Check it out: Register

We received an inquiry on a possible listing. The owner lives in the top floor and we're not sure whether to list this property as a multi-family, or what. Of course, not sure where to begin with disclosure statements either.

. Suggestions would be welcome and appreciated.

For years I've been concerned with the direction our country is headed. With the recent mortgage industry problems my concerns have increased. I read an article about The Coming Financial Collapse of America where the author outlines the future collapse of America largely as a result of the domino effect the real estate industry is creating. In the article, Mike Adams makes a prediction for 2008-2012:

"My prediction for 2008 - 2012 is a massive wave of municipal bankruptcies, state bankruptcies and escalating national debt. We are going to see cities and states go belly up, pension programs terminated (or watered down), and financial institutions teetering on the brink of disaster."

Mike Adams isn't too far off in his assessment of our economy. His…

I stumbled across an article on ranking a blog in Google in 30 days. I'm not sure about the 30 days part, but as I read the article I realized the author had some great points for us as real estate bloggers. Whether you are an experienced blogger or a wannabe blogger, this article has something for everyone. The article has 50 points to consider, so it'll keep ya busy!

Before getting started on the ranking your blog article, here's some fun. These Squidoo lenses have nothing to do with real estate (except giving you a much needed break), but they are very funny. Each lens will only take a few minutes of your time. Enjoy!

How To Hire A Woman | Dentist Negotiation | The Man Song

The ARC of Tri Cities Wa invites all children with developmental disabilities ages 1 through 12 and their siblings to an Easter Egg Hunt.

• Date: March 22, 2008
• Time: 10:30am Ages 1-3 | 10:50am Ages 4-7 | 11:10am Ages 8-12
• Where: Columbia Point Park, Richland, WA
• RSVP by March 19th, 2008, 946-5157
• No cost, compliments of The ARC

Sponsored by The ARC of Tri-Cities Wa and National Management Association Energy Northwest | Ben Franklin Transit

Other March 22 Easter Egg Hunts: Kennewick | Richland | Pasco

In light of some recent safety news with real estate agents, I wanted to post an entry on real estate agent safety. I am a former U.S. Marine whose specialty was security, plus I have several years of civilian security experience and a few college minors in Criminal Justice/Pre-Law. Safety is important to me. I geared up to do an exhaustive post on safety and early (fortunately) in my research I came across this free download for real estate agent safety. Saved me a lot of work, as this pamphlet is excellent and a must read by women and men alike.

National Association of Realtors® | Real Estate Safety Council Free Safety Pamphlet from Washington Realtor®

This brochure is not just for women, but for men as well. From the first page of the brochure:

In…