Sally Thompson Re/Max Northwest

I am so angry now at the reaction by trump to the death of the Reiners. At this point how can his approval ratings be above 1 percent? Who embraces this monster? Who excuses his behavior? I point the finger at his supporters and say, this is your fault. You are responsible for the horrible mess our country is in now, and I’m not sure I can forgive you.

Trump’s empathy gap: A defining feature of his leadership The president’s response to the Reiner killings crystallizes a pattern: Trump withholds empathy from Americans he views as adversaries, abandoning a traditional duty of the office.

Can this be true??!! People traveling to the US will have to disclose FIVE YEARS of social media information, including names, phone numbers and family information??!! Do you suppose Elon had anything to do with this new rule? I hope the countries involved push back with a resounding “No way!!!!!”

Switzerland And Italy Joins France, Poland, Germany, UK, Denmark And More Countries In Responding To US New Visa Regulations On Social Media History : What You Must Be Aware Of - Travel And Tour World Switzerland and Italy joins France, Poland, Germany, the UK, Denmark, and more countries in responding to the US’s new visa regulations requiring travelers to disclose five years of social media history.

Great story!!!

Her name was Betty Robinson. And she is the Olympic champion who rose from the dead.
In 1928, a science teacher named Charles Price was waiting for his train after school when he noticed a 16-year-old girl sprinting down the platform. She was fast—but he thought, not fast enough to catch the train.
When the doors closed and he sat down, he was startled to find her sitting right next to him.
Price timed her running 50 yards in a school hallway the next day. Then he told her to enter a track meet.
Betty Robinson had never competed in her life. She didn't even know women were allowed to run.
Four months later—in only her fourth race ever—she won gold in the 100 meters at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, the first year women were permitted to compete in track and field.
At 16 years old, she became the youngest woman ever to win the Olympic 100 meters. She still holds that record.
Back in Chicago, she was given a 13-mile parade. Twenty thousand people cheered. Her hometown bought her a diamond ring.
She set her sights on 1932. Gold again. Then maybe coaching in 1936. Her future was mapped out perfectly.
On June 28, 1931, it all crashed to the ground.
On a hot summer afternoon, Betty went flying with her cousin Wil to cool off. Shortly after takeoff, the engine stalled. The plane plunged into a marshy field outside Chicago.
When rescuers arrived, Betty's cousin was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital. He survived but lost a leg.
Betty wasn't so lucky—or so they thought.
The man who found her believed she was dead. Her leg was twisted, broken in three places. Her arm was shattered. An eight-inch gash ran across her forehead.
He put her body in the trunk of his car and drove her to a mortician.
It was the undertaker who noticed she was still breathing.
Betty was rushed to Oak Forest Infirmary, where she remained unconscious for seven weeks. When she finally woke up, doctors delivered the news: she would never race again. She might never walk properly again. Surgeons had inserted a metal pin to hold her leg together. It was now half an inch shorter than her other leg.
She spent six months in a wheelchair. Two years learning to walk again. She missed the 1932 Olympics entirely.
Most people would have accepted that their athletic career was over.
Betty Robinson was not most people.
She started training again. At first she could barely move. Then she could walk. Then she could jog. Then she could run.
She couldn't crouch into a sprinter's starting position anymore—her knee wouldn't bend enough. But she could still run a relay leg, which starts standing up.
By 1936, despite everything, she earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for Berlin.
But getting there nearly broke her.
The U.S. Olympic Committee funded the men's team. The women had to find their own travel money. Betty's family had been devastated by her medical bills and the Great Depression. Her father had lost his job.
She sold nearly everything she owned—the ribbons, the pins, the memorabilia from 1928. She kept only her gold medal. She worked as a secretary and saved what she could.
It was enough. She made it to Berlin.
The New York Times called her "Smiling Betty."
In the 4x100 relay final, the German team was heavily favored. They had set a world record in the heats. By the time Betty took the baton for the third leg, Germany was in the lead.
Then the unthinkable happened.
Germany's anchor runner, Ilse Dörffeldt, tried to shift the baton from one hand to the other.
She dropped it.
Helen Stephens raced past her. The American team won gold.
Betty Robinson, five years after being left for dead at a mortician's, had won her second Olympic gold medal.
Her daughter, Jaine Hamilton, later said: "The first medal was not as important to her as her '36 medal. The first was easier; the second she had to work her tail off to get back from injury."
Betty retired at 24. She kept her medals in a candy box in her closet for decades—never displayed, rarely discussed.
In 1977, she was inducted into the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.
In 1996, at 84 years old, she carried the Olympic torch for the Atlanta Games. Frail but determined, she refused to let anyone help her.
She died in 1999.
Betty Robinson didn't just survive. She didn't just recover. She came back and won.
That's not a comeback story.
That's a resurrection.

Hurray!!!!

NY Attorney General Letitia James, A Thorn In Trump's Side, Wins 2nd Term James defeated Republican Michael Henry, a Queens lawyer who was endorsed by various police unions but faced long odds.

I’m trying to dry out my Halloween decorations before I pack them away, but the resulting “lurking demons” in common places throughout my home is a little unsettling, don’t you agree?

Now here's an interesting and timely article for people who live in the Seattle area, and who love wildlife sightings.....

Woodland Park Zoo wants help tracking the carnivores in your backyard The Spotter invites anyone in the Seattle area to submit their carnivore sightings — complete with time, place and behavioral observations — to create a map of interactions across the region. The Spotter is an effort of the Seattle Urban...

Thought you might be interested in (excerpts from) this Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) news release that came out yesterday, February 7th, painting a much more optimistic picture of the Seattle area housing market:

Homebuyers Resuming Search Amid Improving Inventory, Attractive Terms

KIRKLAND, Washington (February 7, 2019) - Homebuyers around Washington state are making their way back to the market, hoping to take advantage of improving inventory, attractive interest rates, and more approachable sellers, according to officials with Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Northwest MLS statistics for January show year-over-year improvement in the volume of new listings and total inventory, along with moderating selling prices. Although fewer pending sales (mutually accepted offers) were reported than a year ago (down about 3.3 percent), January was the smallest year-over-year decline since May 2018 when the drop was about 2.7 percent.
Commenting on the MLS statistics summarizing last month's activity, broker Gary O'Leyar said January's post-holiday real estate activity doesn't normally pick up until later in the month, but this year the uptick began early. "January started as a bit of a surprise. Open house activity was very robust, and we saw multiple offers in numerous instances again," reported O'Leyar.

Seven counties had increases in pending sales of single family homes and condos compared with 12 months ago, including King (up nearly 7.5 percent) and Snohomish (up 3.8 percent).

Prospective buyers who sat out the second half of 2018 or were pushed to the sidelines during last year's heated market are finding better buying conditions.
Sixteen counties, including all four in the Puget Sound region, reported more inventory than a year ago. Even with sizable gains, supply is still tight at 2.4 months system-wide. (In general, four to six months typically indicates a balanced market.)

Mike Grady, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Bain, expects activity to pick up heading into spring, as is customary. "I have absolutely no concerns about 2019 being a strong year, with prices rising 4-to-6 percent and units up 10-to-12 percent. There is no reason for sellers not to move on with their lives and list their homes," he remarked.

Northwest MLS figures show an area-wide price gain of just over 5 percent on January's 4,865 closed sales of single family homes and condos. Only six of the 23 counties in the report had year-over-year price drops. Among them was King County where prices slipped about one percentage point, from $571,250 to $565,000.
Prices on single family homes (excluding condos) rose 5.4 percent from the same month a year ago. In the four-county Puget Sound region, prices increased in Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties, but decreased about 2.9 percent in King County, dropping from $628,388 to $610,000. Prices for single family homes in Kitsap County, where there is only about 1.7 months of supply, surged nearly 14.7 percent when compared to a year ago.

Median prices on closed sales continue to remain stable in January with continued strong upward growth in outlying counties. Pierce, Kitsap, and Thurston counties outpaced King and Snohomish counties in price growth, consistent with the past few months. This trend indicates that many first-time buyers and middle-income families are continuing to look to the outer regions of the area for value. Strong price growth in Lewis and Whatcom counties also support this general trend of outward migration along the I-5 corridor.

Did you know that such a gorgeous two-bedroom, 1,140-square-foot condominium in Greenwood was on the market for UNDER $500,000? Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, beautiful open and light-filled kitchen/dining/living room with gas fireplace. New kitchen, in-unit laundry room with washer and dryer. Deeded parking space in common garage. Low homeowner dues of $358/month. Healthy HOA. Close to everything -- shopping, dining, buses, highways -- but tucked away in quiet corner! 8750 Greenwood Avenue N., #201, Seattle. Call me for a showing!

This is not good news for home buyers & sellers because increasing mortgage interest rates affect purchasing ability as well as pricing of homes. Common wisdom says each half percent increase in the interest rate reduces purchasing power by $30,000-$40,000.

Federal Reserve approves its third rate hike of the year The Federal Reserve is hoping to get to a point where it is no longer in the driving seat, following the 2008 financial crisis.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/bbemail/PROD/ulib/65zeup/docs/e3af3235-124a-beea-1068-558cca850512/FallBuying2018.pdf
https://s3.amazonaws.com/bbemail/PROD/ulib/65zeup/docs/ce7bcf4e-e80f-00b1-df34-13c990f2ef1f/FallSelling2018.pdf

Here are two EXCELLENT guides -- one for buyers, one for sellers -- sent to me by DayTeamLending.com. Whether you're thinking about selling or buying, these guides are thorough, up-to-date with today's market, and very read-able! Feel free to print one or both out and enjoy getting more and better information about the process. And call me if you are inspired to get moving, or if you have any questions.

s3.amazonaws.com

Hmmmm.... Food for thought:

Zillow analysis finds Seattle among top cities in U.S. where it pays to move away from urban core Big tech companies such as Amazon, Google and Facebook have made setting up shop in the heart of Seattle all the rage, giving their employees easy access to a variety of in-city amenities. But finding a place to buy or rent that’s considered affordable by today’s standards means moving at least ...