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Pickett Street Properties Gives Gratitude for 2017
November 21, 2017 /My favorite part about Thanksgiving is the chaos: family members bickering while on hour three of Settlers of Catan, something burning in the oven, the dog stealing turkey off the counter, a holiday song sung terribly out-of-tune. These sweet, funny moments of imperfection are, I believe, life in its purest form. They remind me of all the people, relationships, and tiny moments for which I feel grateful. So, in the spirit of the season, let’s talk about gratitude. Multiple scientific studies have shown that gratitude improves sleep, psychological health, and physical health. Basically, gratitude is one of the keys to a happy life. I recently interviewed the Pickett Street team to find out what they’re grateful for this year. I’ll start. I’m grateful for my partner, who makes me coffee and brings it to me every single morning (seriously, what a hero!), for my healthy body that lets me do yoga and climb mountains, for my undergraduate students, who are funny and inspiring and give me hope in the world, for the great companies with which I work (such as Pickett Street!), and for my sweet dopey pitbull puppy. Here’s what the team at Pickett Street had to say. Christi Samaniego, Listing Coordinator…Read more
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Green Lake: Neighborhood Profile
November 16, 2017 /The Green Lake neighborhood is nestled in the heart of north Seattle, surrounded by the Fremont, Ballard, Wallingford, Ravenna, and Greenwood neighborhoods. I have fond memories of spending long afternoons at Green Lake as a child, feeding the ducks and playing in the mud with my brothers (i.e. throwing mud at my brothers). Afterward, we would always pop into one of the many nearby coffee shops where my parents would buy us flavored steamed milk so my brothers and I could pretend that we, too--even at the tender ages of ten, eight, and four--were sophisticated, coffee-guzzling Seattle-ites. That was back in the nineties, and today, Green Lake is more bustling and hip than ever before. Here are the details on one of Seattle’s most beloved neighborhoods. Real Estate Stats According to Niche, the median home value in Green Lake is $581,057, and the median rent is $1,418. This neighborhood is great for single individuals, couples, and families. Many homes in Green Lake fall under the architectural category of the classic Seattle Box or Four Square home, which features two stories, an inset front porch, and a simple yet chic geometric form. If you’re interested in buying or selling a home…Read more
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Millennials and Technology: How the Housing Market is Changing
November 16, 2017 /The other day I caught myself doing a very millennial thing: I needed new winter boots, and, not surprisingly, I quickly spiraled down an obsessive rabbit hole of internet research. Before I knew it, I had roughly fifty tabs open, two hours had passed, and I still hadn’t purchased any boots. True to my millennial nature, I am extremely careful with my money, and I don’t like to own a lot of stuff. Consequently, it’s important to me that my purchases last a long time. This millennial attitude, along with Americans’ contemporary reliance on technology, is changing many things, including the housing industry. Here’s more information about recent trends in buying homes. 1. Millennials have started to buy homes. You might have noticed a pattern in headlines over the past few years: “Why Millennials Aren’t Buying Diamonds,” “Why Millennials Aren’t Buying Homes,” or, my personal favorite, “Why Millennials Are Addicted to Avocado Toast” (spoiler: because it’s delicious!). One of the main reasons millennials have been slower to buy homes than previous generations is that life is more expensive than it used to be. College tuition costs are rising more quickly than financial aid, and 83% of millennials say that student…Read more
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An Interview with Margaret Smith on Confidence and the World of Real Estate
November 9, 2017 /This week marks the fifth anniversary of Pickett Street’s Margaret Smith. Though I’ve only been working with her for about six months, I’ve already come to know Margaret as a positive and hardworking force of nature. Margaret is the Director of Operations for Pickett Street Properties; she recruits, screens, and interviews candidates and manages social media, client events, system evaluation, branding/marketing, and overall growth and planning for Pickett Street. I was recently lucky to be able to chat with her about her experiences in the world of real estate. Hi Margaret! Congrats on five years of working with Pickett Street. Can you talk to us about how you started working for Pickett Street? Before Pickett Street I was the Docent Program Coordinator for the Seattle Art Museum. I NEVER thought I would work in sales or for a sales company--and now I can't imagine anything else in my future. This career gives me an opportunity to help and inspire people in a much bigger way and through a bigger platform than I ever imagined. I was ready to leave the museum because I wanted a career where I could support myself financially, and that's hard to do in the nonprofit…Read more
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Top 5 Things I’ve Learned From Margaret Smith in 5 Years
November 7, 2017 /I think that working anywhere for five years is admirable. Before I went to work for myself, I never worked anywhere for that length of time. The life span of most assistants to a driven, easily-distracted and highly impatient business owner is probably less than two years. So when someone like Margaret Smith works for someone like me for five years, it should be reflected on, heralded, and written down to share with others. Here are the top 5 things I’ve learned from Margaret in 5 years: Power of Positivity. Most people, when asked, probably think that they are positive people. I know a lot of negative people in a battle for their mind, so they find positive things others say and post them like temporary tattoos on their social media accounts. Raised by a wonderfully positive woman, Margaret has been steeped in the power of positivity, and it’s something that she lives and breathes daily. When I hired Margaret, I prepared her that she would be the energy battery of our team - the light and the sunshine - and that she would need to except this as her role from the start. The worlds of real estate is…Read more
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Buy now, my pretties!
November 3, 2017 /While Halloween and its festivities can be super fun, this holiday may have put you in a spooked mood. Am I the only one out there who regrets spending Halloween huddled on the couch, mindlessly eating Reese’s peanut butter cups and watching The Shining? While Jack Nicholson wielding an axe is certainly terrifying, most adults experience more anxiety over certain aspects of everyday life, including financial commitments like career decisions and buying a home. (Quick side note, another common fear is robots taking over the world.) If anxiety over buying a home sounds familiar, not to worry--this decision is not as scary as it seems. To soothe your fears and ease the process, get in touch with Pickett Street (425) 502-5397 or info@pickettstreet.com. In the meantime, settle in with that leftover Halloween candy (unless you ate it all like me), and relax by reading about common home-buying fears and why they’re not actually that scary. 1. Buying a home costs too much money, and I can’t afford it. Finding enough cash to make a down payment on a home is one of home buyers’ biggest anxieties. The median home price in Seattle is $725,000, which means that a 20% down…Read more
