Memoriam - David Rockwell

David Rockwell of Rockwell Institute, passed away on Friday, June 12, 2009.

David Rockwell started the Rockwell Institute as a small real estate school in 1974. Over the next several years, it became the leading real estate school in the Pacific Northwest, a position they’ve held ever since.

He moved his wife and two little girls to Seattle in the early 1970s and the adventure began! In 1974, he started the Rockwell Institute, using a one-bedroom apartment as an office and a hotel suite as a classroom. In the last 35 years, both his business and his family grew. He leaves behind his beloved wife Jane, his two daughters Jill and Tracy, and two grandchildren, Savi and Jack. And the extended family he leaves behind is boundless. With each friend he made, each employee he hired, and each student he taught, his family grew. His devotion to quality, his insistence on ethical behavior, his sense of humor, and his love of large, sweeping gestures turned everyone who knew him into a friend. He remained a teacher long after he left the classroom—from making sure his online courses used the best educational methods available, to teaching new employees how to become business-savvy, to teaching his grandson how to hit a baseball. He will be missed terribly and remembered with love.

A public celebration of David’s life will be held next Saturday, June 20th from 1PM to 3PM at The Rockwell Institute. This casual gathering is for all those who knew Dave and would like to honor and celebrate his life.

Due to budget cuts at the County levels. Most Counties are having furlough days where county services are closed to save money. This means county courthouses will be closed which means no loans can be funded or recorded. Be sure you don’t set a closing date for one of the days that the county is closed! Feel free to forward this on.

King

Furlough - 05/22, 06/19, 07/06, 09/04, 10/12, 11/25

Holiday – 05/25, 07/03, 09/07, 11/26, 11/27

Snohomish

Furlough - 05/22, 06/19, 07/02, 08/14, 09/04, 12/24, 12/25

Holiday – 05/25, 07/03, 09/07, 11/26, 11/27

Pierce

No furlough days at this time


Information provided by Craig D. Walker



Craig D. Walker CMPS | Mortgage Planner

Cascade Mortgage Corporation, div TMBG, inc

E-mail: craig@cascademc.com | approvedbycraig@gmail.com

Lic# 510-LO-51170

C: 206.999.5600 | F: 206.260.4294

500 Aloha Street Suite C2

Seattle, WA 98109

$8,000 tax credit as a downpayment.

From www.REALTOR.org

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2009
Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said that the
Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow homeowners to use the $8,000 tax credit as a downpayment.
Donovan’s remarks came in an address to several thousand Realtors® gathered this morning at The Real Estate Summit: Advancing the U.S. Economy, a special daylong session at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.
Secretary Donovan said that important changes, which the National Association of Realtors® has been calling for, will help consumers purchase a home. “We all want to enable FHA consumers to access the home buyer tax credit funds when they close on their home loans so that the cash can be used as a downpayment,” Donovan said. According to Donovan, the FHA’s approved lenders will be permitted to “monetize” the tax credit through short-term bridge loans. This will allow eligible home buyers to access the funds immediately at the closing table.

Coffee at the Heights Grand Opening

Join Coffee at the Heights for 30 days of Grand Opening Specials and give a ways! We will have a festive first month of operation at our new location, 7349 35th Avenue SW, West Seattle, WA 98126. Listed below is an outline of our fun events and give a ways!

Day 1, FREE DAY! We will be serving up our great 12 ounce coffee beverages FREE ALL DAY!
Day 2, $1.00 Day. All drinks will be $1.00 all day long.
Day 3, Pull your price day. When you order your drink, you will reach into a jar full of various pricing, (all less than published pricing) and that will be the cost of your drink! (Yep some will be free)
Day 4, Bring in your mug day. Bring in a competitors mug and your drink is just a buck.
Day 5, Your milk is free day.
Day 6, Flower Day. We will treat you to a fresh flower with your coffee drink.
Day 7, Pull your price day. When you order your drink, you will reach into a jar full of various pricing, (all less than published pricing) and that will be the cost of your drink! (Yep some are free)
Day 8, West Seattle Garage Sale Day, come in for garage sale pricing on all our drinks.
Day 9, Dollar Day. Coffee drinks for a Dollar!
Day 10, Buy a prepaid 10 beverage coffee card and get 3 extra drinks for free!
Day 11, Cookie Day. Get a free cookie today, to the first 200 people.
Day 12, Flower Day. We will treat you to a fresh flower with your coffee drink.
Day 13, Shirt Day. The first 300 people will get a tee shirt!
Day 14, Button Day. A free button to the first 200 people. Show your button after the grand opening for a discount on your drink!
Day 15, Hat Day. A free hat to the first 300 people in the shop. And wear your hat after the grand opening for a discount on your drink!
Day 30, Give away day! Today is the day we will give away all of the prizes we have stored up! Make sure you have registered…..
Give away day is Sunday May 31st.
Make sure you register for all of our grand opening prizes. One lucky winner will win coffee a day for a year! Yes, you could be the lucky recipient of a coffee drink of your choice every day for an entire year!
Other items:
Pounds of Coffee, Mugs, Shirts, Sweatshirts, Hats, Gift Cards, and much, much more!
A registration slip is attached for you to stop in and register. No limit to how many times you register either!

New Pastoral Center - Open House

Neighbors,

Open House for the new Pastoral Center at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Sunday, May 17, 2009 from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Kirkland Living

Seattle's Street Festivals

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced this summer's schedule of street festivals. Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets will open up streets to pedestrians and bicyclists, offering people a way to have fun, celebrate the spirit and personality of their neighborhood, and support local businesses. Each event is organized by a local group.

"The community is leading the way, putting together events that bring us all together," said Nickels. "Biking, walking, drawing chalk pictures, taking in the sights or shopping and eating at local establishments, Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is a great way to spend time with family and friends."

Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is modeled after similar successful events held in New York; San Francisco; Portland, Ore.; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Bogota, Colombia. Neighborhoods across Seattle have requested to open streets for community festivals.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase Alki Beach in a way the locals and visitors don't get a chance to see on a daily basis," said Joe Fraser, general manager of Duke's Chowder House. "People can walk along the boardwalk and see what the buzz is about. From boutique retail shops to restaurants, Alki is the place to be."

"We're excited by the opportunity to work closely with the city of Seattle on this great initiative to highlight the neighborhoods that make up our great city, particularly the Greenwood-Phinney neighborhood," said Steve Giliberto, president of the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce. "Especially pleasing is the fact that our new, successful Art Up/Open Up Artwalk program will be the centerpiece activity for our event where businesses marry creativity, art, performance and fun on a monthly basis for all across the city to come and enjoy."

Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets partners include: Cascade Bicycle Club, Feet First, Greater Seattle Climate Dialogues, Greenwood/Phinney Chamber, King County Public Health, Orswell Events, LLC, Pike Place Market, Rainier Valley Chamber, Seattle Great City Initiative, Seattle Public Schools, University District Chamber and West Seattle High School PTSA.

Additional information about Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets is available at http://seattlecan.org/summerstreets

The following events are being held this year:

Event: The Greenwood/Phinney Chamber's Art Up/Open Up Summer Streets Party
Date: Friday, April 10, 6 to 9 p.m.
Location: Phinney/Greenwood Avenue North from North 65th to North 87th streets

Event: Cascade Bicycle Club's Bike to Work Day and Summer Streets Party
Date: Friday, May 15, 4 to 7 p.m.
Location: Bergen Place Park and 22nd Avenue Northwest between Market Street and Ballard Avenue

Event: West Seattle High School PTSA's 5K Run/Alki and Seattle Summer Streets Party
Date: Sunday, May 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Alki Avenue Southwest from California Way Southwest to 63rd Avenue Southwest

Event: Seattle Parks Summer Streets Party
Date: Sunday, June 7, 14, 21 and 28
Location: Discovery Park (7th), Interlaken Park (14th), Seward Park (21st), Magnuson Park (28th)

Event: U-District Chamber's Summer Streets Party
Date: Saturday, July 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: University Way Northeast between Northeast 50th and Northeast 45th streets.

Event: Pike Place Market's Fresh Fruit Festival and Summer Streets Party
Date: Sunday, July 26, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Pike Street/First Avenue to Virginia

Event: Rainier Valley Chamber's Heritage Parade and Summer Streets Party
Date: Saturday, Aug. 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Rainier Avenue South from South Orcas to South Alaska streets

Event: Cascade Bicycle Club's Restore Our Waters Cascade Spawning Cycling Tour
Date: Sunday, Sept. 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: Starts and ends at Myrtle Edwards Park, goes through Seattle Parks non-motorized areas of Seward, Interlaken, Gasworks, Commodore and Discovery Parks.

Event: Visit a park with permanently open streets and Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets
Date: May through September
Location: Volunteer Park, Seward Park, Interlaken, Magnuson Lakefront Promenade, Arboretum, Discovery Park

Mayor’s State of the City Speech

SEATTLE – Mayor Greg Nickels today delivered his eighth State of the City speech, emphasizing job creation, calling for new partnerships to help those in need, and promoting a new effort to mobilize 10,000 new volunteers.

Nickels said his "Seattle Jobs Forward" package will move up the schedule for public works projects, putting 1,500 people to work in the next two years. Seattle Jobs Forward includes $315 million in projects from local levies and the city’s capital improvement program that will be prioritized, including transportation, infrastructure and community spaces projects.

In difficult economic times, the Mayor said the City and community must come together to help the growing number of people who are struggling. He also called on volunteers across the city to reach out to their neighbors.

"Despite their worries, people – especially young people – want to help. They want to be asked. They want to know what they can do for their city, their country, their planet," said Nickels. "It is up to us to capture this spirit. Neighbor by neighbor, business by business, we must lend each other a helping hand. That is how we will emerge stronger."

The city will partner with the United Way of King County to offer volunteer opportunities. Throughout the year, Nickels will highlight good works and encourage community building.

"Today there is a clear need for even more volunteerism, since surmounting our current challenges will take a deepened sense of community and a greater sharing of time and talent. We thank Mayor Nickels for sounding the call," said Jon Fine, President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way of King County.

Nickels also asked community leaders, churches, parents, teachers, business leaders and others to join in preventing youth violence. As part of the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, the Mayor announced that the city signed an agreement this morning with the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle to put outreach workers in communities and to offer young people a way out of the cycle of violence.


This neighborhood network in the Central area will be the first of three youth service networks created by the city’s $8 million initiative. Nickels called for a summit on youth violence prevention to exchange ideas and gain inspiration to do more.

Despite the economic downturn, there are signs of hope, said Nickels. Investments in urban villages and business centers such as South Lake Union continue to employ thousands of residents.

Nickels delivered the speech at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club, which received $1.2 million from the city of Seattle for its new facility. The mayor noted that Rainier Vista, a successful public housing development, was just across the street, and that the new light rail trains will cruise along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard this summer.

US consumer spending rises after half-year drop

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US consumer spending picked up in January, after six months of decline, while personal saving jumped as Americans hunkered down in a deepening recession, government data showed Monday.

The Commerce Department reported consumer spending rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent in January, beating analysts' consensus forecast of a 0.4 percent gain.

In December, consumer spending fell 1.0 percent from the prior month. Over the June-December period the spending -- which accounts for two-thirds of US economic activity -- dropped 3.5 percent.

On an annual basis, consumer spending in January was 1.6 percent lower.

Personal income rose 0.4 percent in January, double the 0.2 percent gain in December but trailing the rise in spending.

In the first month of the year, Americans found more cash in their pockets as personal disposable income -- income after taxes are paid -- vaulted 1.7 percent.

The Commerce Department noted the income gains were largely due to pay raises for the federal government's civilian and military employees. Excluding special factors, personal income increased 0.2 percent in January, after falling 0.3 percent in December.

With the economy sinking rapidly in a second year of recession, Americans further shrugged off decades of intense credit-fuelled spending to save in the face of soaring unemployment, falling home values and rising foreclosures.

Personal saving -- disposable personal income less personal spending -- vaulted 5.0 percent in January, up from a 3.9 percent in December.

Copyright © 2009 AFP. All rights reserved.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

For nearly four months, NAR has been working to deliver to you and to our nation a comprehensive plan to stabilize the housing market.

This week, we saw countless hours of hard work pay off – in a MAJOR way – when the federal government implemented NAR's recommendations to stimulate housing with the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

This bold and unprecedented move to help housing did not happen by chance. Just a few months ago, the auto industry had Congress' ear. Yet, thanks to countless meetings, letters, phone calls, and public pressure that we – the REALTORS® of America – placed on lawmakers in Washington, D.C., housing emerged as the top priority in the new Administration and in Congress. While some of the items in the Act are controversial and are currently being debated, most of our top priorities were addressed.

Thanks to all of our hard work, America’s homebuyers and homeowners will soon have:


Lower interest rates for home mortgages;

A greater ability to get financing through FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in high-cost areas;

A true tax credit incentive to buy a home NOW; and

Foreclosure mitigation and short-sale standards.

As a direct result of NAR's advocacy, we hope REALTORS® will see an increase in home sales this year. NAR also continues to make significant progress on our efforts to unclog the pipeline for foreclosures and to address administrative problems with short sales.