Is it possible to be too fruity? Local program helps share the fruit tree wealth in Seattle.

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Reba Haas

Today we have a guest post from Julie Kadingo, a member on the Georgetown Yahoo Groups site. This program is pretty darn cool and a great idea for sharing the wealth of all the fruit trees in Seattle that go underutilized each year. It was fantastic that this program reminder came out as I’ve been considering putting together a fruit tree and garden goodies exchange in my own residential area so that lots of neighbors can benefit from a wider variety of plantings and any excess can make it to local food banks instead of in the compost pile or rotting in the garden plot.

Hi Everyone,Last year, I worked with Solid Ground’s Community Fruit Harvest. Many homes in the Greater Seattle area have apple, plum, or pear trees that can produce hundreds of pound of fruit. Owners may turn a pound or two in pies or jars of applesauce; however, since a tree drops its entire yield in a matter of days/weeks, most fruit turns to waste, either as “car bombs” or “lawn carpets.”

In 2008 volunteers from the Fruit Harvest Program collected 18,000+ pounds from seven neighborhoods. The fruit was donated to food banks, meals programs, shelters, residential facilities, programs for children and youth, and senior programs.

If you are interested in helping this year:

**as a tree owner who’d like your tree to be on this years map for donating all or some of the fruit.

**as a tree owner who’d like to attend workshops on caring for trees (pruning, planting, managing pests.

**anyone who’d like to learn how to can, make jam, dry fruit, participate in community kitchens where everyone brings what they have and makes meals that can be frozen for your family or donated.

**anyone who’d like to volunteer to pick fruit in the Georgetown area, store fruit, donate a ladder for other volunteers who are picking fruit…

**anyone who is curious

For more information:
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle

http://www.gleanit.org/Solid Ground Community Fruit Tree Harvest
http://www.solid-ground.org/Programs/Nutrition/Lettuce/Pages/TheCommunityFruitTreeHarvest2007.aspx

Thanks.
Julie

And, thanks to you too, Julie, for sharing such a great program!

Share this:

Need a copy of an oil tank decommissioning report?

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Reba Haas

Since there is an abundance of older housing stock in the City of Seattle, it’s not uncommon to have the question of whether or not an oil tank is on a property. To determine if a tank has been decommissioned it is possible to contact the local Fire Department and have them look up the address to the property and see if one has been filed. In this case I called the Fire Marshall’s office for the City of Seattle.

The Seattle Fire Marshal’s Office is located at:

220 3rd Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104-2608

Phone: 206-386-1450
fax: 206-386-1348

Business hours are:

Monday through Friday
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Most decommissioning reports have only been in place for roughly the past 10 years so if it was done earlier you may not have a record available to you. I’ve found that most municipalities are similar in process to this method of investigation so depending on where you live, you’ll want to contact the fire department responsible for your area whether in city limits or in an unincorporated area.

Most reports are faxed and not emailed, so be sure you can provide a fax number to whomever you speak to. Some lenders require a copy of decommissioning reports so be prepared to give a copy to your mortgage company/broker/lender, escrow and other parties as necessary.

Share this:

Burn ban expanded to King, Snohomish, and Kitsap Counties

Posted on January 18, 2009 by Reba Haas

Message from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

Stage 1 burn ban called for King, Kitsap, and Snohomish counties; remains in effect for Pierce County

January 18, 2009 – Due to stagnant weather conditions and increasing air pollution levels, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is expanding a Stage 1 burn ban to include King, Kitsap and Snohomish counties effective 12:00 PM, January 18, 2009. The ban in Pierce County issued Friday remains in effect.

Stagnant weather conditions are entrenched over the Puget Sound area and expected to persist through Wednesday night. These conditions greatly increase the potential for air pollution to reach levels considered unhealthy for sensitive population groups. The Clean Air Agency is closely monitoring these conditions and will take additional actions as necessary if conditions degrade to unacceptable levels.

During a Stage 1 burn ban:

*No burning is allowed in fireplaces or uncertified wood stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled.

*Natural gas, propane and pellet stoves or inserts ARE allowed.

No visible smoke is allowed from any wood stove or fireplace, certified or not, beyond a 20- minute start-up period.

*All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas. Burning of storm and flood damage debris is also prohibited.

*Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.

(Note: The Seattle Parks Department prohibits beach fires at Alki and Golden Gardens during the burn ban.)

This ban is in effect until further notice.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency staff will continue to monitor the situation to determine when the burn ban can be lifted. You can check conditions and forecasts at http://m1e.net/c?89487606-2LuFIG7kBpWNo%403906342-qhoH/zvQHCPCE

The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to children, people with heart and lung problems, and adults over age 65.

This is the first burn ban of the season and the first since a new state law went into effect lowering the air-quality trigger for calling a burn ban. The trigger level was lowered to align with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) health standard for fine particle pollution, which was tightened in 2006 to better protect public health.

For additional information visit pscleanair.org.

# # #

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is an air quality management agency serving King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Created as a result of the 1967 Washington Clean Air Act, the agency protects public health and improves air quality by adopting and enforcing air quality regulations, educating individuals and businesses about clean-air choices and sponsoring voluntary initiatives to improve air quality.

Share this:

Your opportunity to help shape the City of Seattle Council’s 2009 agenda

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Reba Haas

City Council Presents its
2009 Priorities and 2008 Progress Report
for the City of Seattle

	When:	Monday, January 12, 2009 2:00 p.m.
	Where:	Seattle City Hall 600 Fourth Avenue Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
	Why:	The Council is announcing its priorities early to give citizens an opportunity to hear and provide comment on the Council’s legislative direction
	Contact:	Kimberly Reason, Council Communications (206) 684-8159 or kimberly.reason@seattle.gov

Share this:

RHA offers another great class for landlords in Seattle

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Reba Haas

Seattle Landlord Tenant Law: Thursday. Jan. 8th, 3 – 6 PM Speaker: Chris Benis, Real Estate Attorney and RHA Legal Counsel
Time: 3:00pm-6:00pm
Location: RHA Conference Room, 529 Warren Ave N, Seattle WA 98109
Cost: $45 for members without clock hours
$60 for members with clock hours
-SPACE IS LIMITED PLEASE REGISTER EARLY-
Please RSVP before January 7, 2009. The landlord tenant laws of Seattle are unique and not always intuitive. In this class, we focus on everything that a Seattle landlord must know to comply with the City’s laws. Special attention is paid to the Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, Landlord Prohibited Acts Ordinance, Rental Agreement Regulation Ordinance, and Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance.

Click Here to Register for this class online Other Events:
South Sound Members Meet-up, Tacoma: Tuesday Jan. 13, 5:30 PM
King County Members Meet-up, Seattle: Friday Jan. 9, 8:30 AM
RHA’s Investment Club, Seattle: Jan. 20, 7 PM

Legislative Day, Olympia, Thurs. Jan. 29, All Day, + Evening reception

Reba commentary – if you own a property in the Seattle area this class will be important for you to attend to learn more about the very restrictive and required laws that you must follow as a landlord. These impact condos, townhomes and single family homes just as much as multifamily properties. There are no exemptions. Chris Benis is a well known and respected attorney who has been speaking and writing on these issues for many years and he’s got the practical background for the topics that will be covered in this class. I highly recommend it – especially if you’re self-managing property. Non-RHA members are welcome, but this class will help show you the value of being involved in an organization like this one. You can learn more about RHA at this link.

Share this:

How do you make a winning team even more effective? Just add Robin!

Posted on December 18, 2008 by Reba Haas

At Team Reba, we’re always looking for ways we can better serve our clients with their real estate needs. And for a few years, it’s been our goal to grow and bring on another agent to round out the team’s experience. It’s been a long and difficult search, trying to find the one agent who would make the perfect fit.

We’re thrilled to announce our search is over, and we’d like to introduce Robin Tomazic.

Robin is a smart, savvy and experienced RE/MAX agent with a thriving business and active clientele. Since 1997, she has helped hundreds of homebuyers, sellers and investors reach their real estate goals. As we work together, we’ll be relying on Robin’s residential expertise to help clients with their buying and selling needs.

By growing our team, it means you can count on the same great service you’ve come to expect from Team Reba—but now you can count on it even more. Working with Robin means we can offer you:

Greater coverage. With a larger team in place, we have more people available for you more often. If you have an urgent need that your designated agent cannot accommodate, we have availability to back each other up.

More expertise in more places.We continue to broaden our geographic territory, and like us, Robin covers the tri-county area, from northern Pierce County up to south Snohomish. Yet her regional specialty is the south Seattle area, and she has developed a following as the agent to tap for transactions in West Seattle, Burien, Georgetown and Beacon Hill.

Consistent service.What really sold us on Robin is that she thinks like we do when it comes to doing business. She is driven by the same sense of integrity, professionalism, and open communication that is the hallmark of working with Team Reba.

As you get to know Robin, we think you’ll come to appreciate her experience and expertise as much as we do.

Share this:

Who says ActiveRain is a waste of time?

Posted on August 21, 2008 by Reba Haas

Ok, I’ll admit that when I first learned about ActiveRain I had some healthy skepticism for it. With so many programs within the REALTOR(R) Association where a designation gave you access to a pool of agents nationally, or a broker affiliation might provide it, or some kind of combination thereof – I thought, “what does this site have to offer me?” Or, as it used to be put when I was in corporate work – the WIIFM factor – “what’s in it for me?”

So, I finally decided after having a relatively bare agent profile on the site for several months to go ahead and start networking on it. I’ll say right now that so far I am relatively pleased with the results. It seems a lot of people do read the stuff that gets written on there and now I must say my competitive side of me is kicking in and I want to be number one in the Seattle spot. I’m pretty sure if I converted my location to Renton (where my home office is) I’d be number one at this point based on the scoring system they use.

Anyhow, another *sort of* benefit is that a new business opportunity listing we’re co-brokering with another agent in our office (Robin Tomazic) got picked up by a local blogger for the area where it is located – Georgetown. You can see the blog post here. Hey, buddy, thanks for helping us advertise! We’d like to find a wonderful new owner for the restaurant and bar who will be as supportive of the community as you are.

Share this:

Team Reba Real Estate

Seattle real estate and related wealth management topics

Category Archives: Georgetown

Is it possible to be too fruity? Local program helps share the fruit tree wealth in Seattle.

Need a copy of an oil tank decommissioning report?

Burn ban expanded to King, Snohomish, and Kitsap Counties

Your opportunity to help shape the City of Seattle Council’s 2009 agenda

RHA offers another great class for landlords in Seattle

How do you make a winning team even more effective? Just add Robin!

Who says ActiveRain is a waste of time?