Brand Loyalty We didn't have new cars in our family growing up. Dad bought used cars through his network of friends. The very first car I can remember was a black late model 1940's Ford Coupe. I was 3 or 4 years old and we were on our way home from Grandma and Grandpa's one day when I lost my Teddy Bear out the window on Logan Avenue in Renton. Dad was not happy, but he stopped to pick it up. Around 1958/59 we had a red 1949 Ford 2 door coupe. Mom learned to drive in this one. It was a 3 speed on the column and I still remember the sound of grinding gears and watching her leap frog it up and down the alley behind the high school as she practiced for her license. Mom was just 5 feet tall, so the front seat was pushed forward as far as it would go and there were a couple of big pillows at... 06/01/2012

Three Womannequins I was downtown Renton Friday morning to meet with my friend Gary for coffee. Afterwards I strolled along S 3rd St, the main drag in old downtown with my trusty iPhone 4s and heavily armed with my new Olloclip (add on) lense looking for subjects. Along this block there are several antique stores and I was overcome with delight when I discovered this new window treatment at the Antique Mall and was instantly engrossed with a vision. "Oh my, mind's eye has it. There's work to do!" I love digital painting. I start with a photo then through many elaborate processes I experiment for hours and hours to turn it into something finished. I was taken by the subject. The three mannequins were staring through a window with attitude and indifference and it rang a bell in me. It res... 05/20/2012

Met my friend Gary for coffee this morning at the Liberty Cafe. I confess, I’ve driven by a thousand times but haven’t stopped. Meant to, but haven’t. Well... this morning I’m glad we did. It’s just a tiny little indie place in old downtown Renton. I left so happy just knowing a place like this still exists. We were having a great conversation and since it is a small and intimate space, the whole local clientele ended up in our conversation which totally added to the morning’s fun. I love the ambience. It’s very reminiscent of little cafes and coffee shops I frequented in the late 60’s and early 70’s. In fact, my generation (the boomers) are here and so are the gen X and Y all having a great time hanging out together. That’s not easy to pull off and I commend the Liberty Cafe for making... 05/18/2012

Happy Mothers Day, Mom... When mom passed back in 1999 I was asked to give the eulogy. I was honored to accept but it threw me into a total panic; “What am I going to say?” After a few days of sheer fright obsessing over scribbled notes a phrase appeared and I clung to it. “Mom was the keeper of culture in our family.” Mary Lee Larson was the youngest daughter of three. The 3 M’s as she’d refer to it, Mildred, Marjorie, and Mary Lee. Their father Arvid (Harvey) Larson was born in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1874 and mother Edna Doyen was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in 1880. She was as we say these days, an oops baby. Harvey and Edna were married 23 years when mom arrived one January 29th of 1924. The Larson's, Spokane 1940. She grew up in Spokane in Hillyard and I enjoyed her stories ab... 05/13/2012

  Come home to a gentle cul-de-sac in this tranquil, tree-rich neighborhood! This gorgeous 6 bedroom homes for sale in Renton WA nestles majestically between the Fairwood Golf and Country Club and the forest-lined SE Renton Maple Valley Road. In Renton, you couldn’t find a more secluded, more lovely location. This single family 6 bedroom homes for sale sports three bathrooms, a kitchen full of upgrades, a separate dining room and a living room with a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, just for starters. Another wood-burning fireplace and lots of wall-to-wall carpeting await you in this 6 bedroom homes for sale in Renton, WA, and oversized windows everywhere let in the light and the emerald views from outside. In the upstairs of this 6 bedroom homes for sale in Renton, you’ll find brand-new woo... 05/12/2012

I've always had a special place in my heart for the Volkswagen Beetle... I owned a blue 1966 Bug back in the early 70's, in fact it was the very first car I actually owned. Not many perks but it got great gas mileage and was fun to drive. I ran into this red 1970 VW at Fry's in Renton, WA. I was attending Green River Community College then and drove to Auburn from Renton. Then after classes to Enumclaw to teach guitar lessons at the Stan Boreson Music Store. Those were long days and finally around 7:00 or 7:30 pm back home to Renton via Maple Valley. That was a little over a 65 mile round trip everyday, yet a tank of gas lasted all week. Very straight and cute 1970 Volkswagen Beetle in Fry's parking lot, Renton WA. I loved the Beetle's simplicity. It was reliable, low maintenance, and w... 04/28/2012

Schedule a Showing/Request Info Search All Homes For Sale FREE List of Home Available with NO Money Down Renton, WA Homes for Sale Karim Khoury REMAX Town Center RTC Team 425-406-6216 Questions?Schedule a Showing! Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property. 19021 SE 175th StRenton, WAScan with your smartphone & take me with you. Description Photos Maps & Local Schools Virtual Tour Move in Ready 5 Bdrm Zero Down Financing $ Click for current price5 BEDROOMS3 BATHROOMS (3 full) 3270 Square Feet This Renton home qualifies for zero down financing. Fannie Mae Estate style home on shy acre. Priced to sell $94,000 under Assessed Value. Unique opportunity in desirable Shadow Ridge, a small community of est... 04/18/2012

Schedule a Showing/Request Info FREE List of Home Available with NO Money Down Renton, WA Homes for Sale Karim Khoury REMAX Town Center RTC Team 425-406-6216 Questions?Schedule a Showing! Information valid for the date of this posting only. Please contact us for the most current information and status of this property. 663 Shelton Ave NERenton, WAScan with your smartphone & take me with you. Description Photos Maps & Local Schools Virtual Tour Move in Ready 4 Bdrm Zero Down Financing $ Click for current price4 BEDROOMS2 BATHROOMS (2 full) 1570 Square Feet This Renton home qualifies for zero down financing. Investor or Talented Handiman Alert! Offered for sale by Fannie Mae at 62% less than 2007 Sale. This home is sold strictly AS IS. Seller will make no repairs. Great rehab opportunity... 04/18/2012

This 4 bedroom home for sale in Renton is situated in the City of Renton in King County on the southeast shore of Lake Washington. This spacious and comfortable 4 bedroom home for sale in Renton is not far from Hazen High School, Lindbergh High School and Renton High School. This 4 bedroom home for sale in Renton is also near three Middle Schools and thirteen Elementary Schools.The 4 bedroom home for sale is nearby parks, such as Black River Riparian Forest and Wetland, Burnett Linear Park, Cascade Park, Cedar River Dog Park, Earlington Park, Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, Glencoe Park and Heritage Park. The 4 bedroom home for sale is near the Highlands Library. The Maplewood Golf Course is minutes away from the 4 bedroom home for sale in Renton. There are many restaurants in the are... 04/17/2012

  I am excited to announce RE/MAX Select will be opening a branch office at The Landing in Renton, this Spring. Our customized neighborhood real estate center at The Landing will focus directly on serving the local community as a comprehensive residential resource. Visitors and Clients will be encouraged to stop in, whether to talk shop/market news, view listing inventory, get community and school information, or find out about property management and other brokerage services.   Our non-traditional real estate office concept has been designed around the needs of the consumer as well as the tech-savvy broker. The RE/MAX Select space at The Landing will have a casual, open layout, where agents can meet with clients or collaborate with other brokers while conducting business from a virtual... 04/16/2012

I remember Mom telling the story about the day I was born. It was the first nice day after a long blizzard that dumped well over a foot of snow in the area. We lived in the Renton Highlands in an area known as the projects.  These little homes were built in the early 1940’s to house the workers and families that came here to make airplanes at The Boeing Company for the war effort. After the war you could buy them and Dad paid something like $2000 cash for it in 1950 with money he’d saved from the Army.  I’m sure this was a major white knuckle event with Mom going into labor and a 15 mile drive in the ice and snow to get to Seattle. Dad had to chain up to get off the hill then several times that morning they'd stop to take them off and on as they made their way up Rainier Avenue to Doct... 03/12/2012

It's time to crack open a Guinness I think, St. Patrick's Day is upon us! This is a wee bit of a random post, but I was thinking this week about holidays like "good ole’ St. Paddy’s Day" and the memories I’ve collected along my travels over the years around this Gaelic holiday and the Irish.Some have faded, others stick around, new and old, I find I’ve acquired quite a kaleidoscope. These aren’t about the meaning of the holiday in as much as what I think about when St. Patrick’s Day shows up. I'm sure this dates me, but oh well, I have a lot of dates...In no particular order...The Quiet Man. Starring John Wayne as a retired boxer who moves back to his village in Ireland. The first time I saw this movie was at a drive in with my cousins around 1960. I was bored to tears. I rediscovered t... 03/10/2012

Clay Shirky gave the keynote address at the 2011 Penn State TLT Symposium (the symposium for teaching and learning with technology). I appreciate Clay for his keen insight and his ability to articulate how socially adopted advancements in technology change the social and economic landscape. Simply put, when we change the way we communicate we change the way we behave. It's a great conversation, I highly recommend it. In the last few moments Clay sums it up with... It’s not just about adding some new tools to an existing ecosystem. It’s about building a new ecosystem. And that’s exactly our challenge isn’t it? Many see the broken and wonder who's going to fix it while others are relieved it's finally broken and engage the possibility of a new opportunity and future. What is that? I’m not... 03/05/2012

  Phil Leng Team | Keller Williams Kirkland | (206) 409-6600 18027 SE 128th St, Renton, WA One story home on a large 15000+ sf lot! 3BR/2BA Single Family House   offered at $159,900   SOLD! Year Built 1958 Sq Footage 1,550 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors Unspecified Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 15,040 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION One story home on a large 15000+ sf lot. 4 bed/2 bath home with 1550 sf. Kitchen has cabinets. Dining area next to large living room overlooking large fenced front yard. Original house had 3 small bedrooms and a bath. A master bedroom was added on with a full walk in closet and a private bath. Room to roam on this oversized lot. Large 2 car garage with shop area, with a shed for a boat on one side, and a shed for an RV on the other si... 02/29/2012

Phil and Patti Leng Team | Keller Williams Kirkland | (206) 409-6600 18027 SE 128th St, Renton, WA One story home on a large 15000+ sf lot! 3BR/2BA Single Family House offered at $159,900 Year Built 1958 Sq Footage 1,550 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors Unspecified Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 15,040 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION One story home on a large 15000+ sf lot. 4 bed/2 bath home with 1550 sf. Kitchen has cabinets. Dining area next to large living room overlooking large fenced front yard. Original house had 3 small bedrooms and a bath. A master bedroom was added on with a full walk in closet and a private bath. Room to roam on this oversized lot. Large 2 car garage with shop area, with a shed for a boat on one side, and a shed for an RV on the other side... 02/23/2012

The Power of Profiles... I started a conversation on 2/4/2012 titled: What is a search engine’s job? With a simple nontechnical understanding of search engine purpose and motivation an opportunity is created to develop a relationship that’s mutually beneficial. If the search engine considers us a purveyor of relevant content it will be more likely to offer up our conversation as a 'search result' and thus we create a better web presence and more opportunity. Today we continue with The Power of Profiles.We want to build a strong foundation to get more of that “search engine love”... The Google spider(s) crawl public content on the web and the two we hear about most in marketing are Deep Crawl and Fresh Crawl. Our objective is to get indexed as quickly and precisely as possible and the d... 02/21/2012

What hardware or software have you recently purchased? Is it changing the way you work? Two years ago I asked the opposite question: What was the very first piece of personal technology you owned? That post was a fun project. I traced my personal technology all the way back to 1958 when I received the HearEver Germanium Crystal Rocket Radio for a Christmas present. I was just 8 years old then and to me it was an amazing mysterious piece of technology. How did it work with no batteries? To surf the radio-sphere you’d push and pull the antenna. It wasn’t stereo, there was just one small earphone. I spent many a night lying in bed listening to that little radio. My imagination soared and the world became a bigger place. Fast forward to late 2011 and I’m at a conjuncture point where every ... 02/19/2012

On the verge of an epic win. I rediscovered a conversation Jane McGonigal gave on the TED channel back in February of 2010. McGonigal is the director of Game Research & Development at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, California. An epic win, if you’re unaware of gamers parlance, is an outcome so extraordinarily positive you had no idea it was possible. You’re shocked to discover you were even capable until you achieved it. As it is, I’m no gamer. I haven’t played video or online games for years, since my kids were small. So this conversation was a real eye opener. McGonigal is dedicated to solving huge global problems like hunger, poverty, climate change, and global conflict by harnessing the amazing knowledge pool and collective resources of online gamers. I think she’s trul... 02/18/2012

Here is the Real Estate Market Sales Report for Ashburn Condominiums 2011. Most of the sales Ashburn Condominiums were traditional sales, and a few foreclosures (REO's). If we compare original list price to sales price, you see a loss of 7% and a median days on the market of 61days. Ashburn Condominiums Renton, WA 98055 The BLACK arrows represent Foreclosures (REO's), the YELLOW arrow represents an Estate Sale, and the other bars are non-distressed sales (Traditional Sales)     Ashburn Condominiums had ZERO short sales in 2011, with most of the sales being taditional sales.   Comparing the two values of 2011, we can see that there is a price drop of 7%, but when we compare the average sold price of 2011 of $186,714 to what has sold in 2012, we see a loss of 9% in value. There has only b... 02/13/2012

Ashburn Condominiums in Renton just had its first successful short sale in 14 months. Ashburn Condominiums has seen prices drop for townhomes and condos drastically last year compared to the year before (2010). Majority of the sales in 2011 were traditional, but when foreclosures hit the market it really took a hard hit. More and more distressed property is being listed for sale and that is putting a downward pressure on condo / townhome values in Ashburn Condominiums. See the graphs below, they show values dropping from their original list price to their sold price by 7%, and a median time on the market of 61days. Two of the sales in 2011 were REO (Foreclosures) one was and Estate Sale, and four were Traditional Sales, with ZERO being Short Sales. Being the only one to have closed a su... 02/13/2012