The Renton Wa Realtor Blog !: June 2008

Renton and Kent homeowners are hugely multi cultural. The people who live in south Puget Sound come from all over the world. My friend and great client Sam Susan (from Romania originally) teaches ESL in Kent and there are over 80 languages native to the school district. And Renton Schools are just as diverse.

Do you remember the guy who traveled around doing the silly dance and then put it on youtube. Well Matt just spent 14 month all over the world. View his latest production and see if you know someone who has bought a Renton home that came one of the places that Matt danced with the folks. I enjoy living in a community where I have friends who have lived all over the world. I learn great new things about other cultures every day. Every day, I get hits on my website www.RentonHomeFinder.com from all over the world. That means someone in India, or Romania, or China, or Vietnam, or Canada, or Africa is looking at properties for sale in Renton, Washington, USA. Smaller world every day, one of my neighbors, emails one our homes for sale to a relative somewhere around the world and we end up talking electronically about the home. The Gary McNinch Team your Renton Realtors selling and buying Real estate and working with wonderful new clients from all over the world.

Renton Police responded to a collision that Julianna Hind and I from the Renton Keller Williams office witnessed on Sunset.  And the cops are great!!

Julianna and I were going to a home inspection when a guy in a big Ford pickup turned left and smashed into the front of a one ton Ford truck! KABOOM!!! Headon collision, big crash, steam, dirt, debris. Both trucks totaled.  Right in front of us.  So my 30 years of police training and experience kicks in and I'm on the phone to 911 and heading up to the "vehicles". 

When I get up to the guy in the pickup that caused the wreck, there is the cut and bump on his head from hitting the windshield and then I see the steering wheel is bent. Can you say, "no seatbelt worn".  

I tell him that I'm calling 911 just sit still and relax.  He says, "don't call them I will be ok".  I said to relax that I was calling and he said, "we don't need them."  Now think about this,  two trucks are totalled in the middle of the street, blocking inside lanes both directions and the left turn lane on Sunset (State Route 900) the main highway through the Renton Highlands at 3:00 in the afternoon.  HMMMM...... must be a clue .... HE DOESN'T WANT THE COPS HERE!!!  Is he drunk or high, Suspended License, Warrant for Arrest, No Insurance, Possessing Drugs, Stolen pickup????  Must be a reason he wants to get away.

So I check the other driver and his passenger.  They are rattled, but seem ok and of course agree to wait for the cops.  I look back and the "causing driver" is now out of the pickup and standing on the sidewalk.  I see him looking around trying to figure out where to get away.  

Ok now the cavalry is coming.  I hear the first siren (it's been less than 1 minute since I called), and it is one of the Renton Police motorcycle officers.  He pulls up behind Julianna"s car.  By now the pickup driver is over by Sunset Bowling alley and trying to slink away.  I point him out to the motor officer and in a short time, the bad guy is being "hooked up" (old cops term for being handcuffed) and reluctantly being led back to the scene.

Second officer gets there and I tell him that I witnessed the collision and what had happened.  He asks if I will write out a witness statement and I say sure that I'm a retired State Patrol Sergeant.  His response was, "Sweeeeeet!"   So we stand there together doing paperwork and visiting.  So witness statement done.  

Of course now "bad guy" realizes he is going to jail and has played this game before, so he ALL OF A SUDDEN BECOMES INJURED and wants medical treatment.  Handcuffs come off, neck brace goes on and he gets tied to the backboard for a ride in the ambulance. 

Somewhere in the middle, my great inspector Bill Moore has called from the new house.  He can hear all the sirens, etc.  He just gets started on the outside of the home with the clients.

Top Notch Renton Police Officers clean up the mess, Julianna is already blogging about this, (you have to read it now, it's hilarious) ORDER IS RESTORED, and we go have a great inspection.   Just another wonderful day as a Renton Realtor for the Gary McNinch Team.

 

UPDATE ....   I talked with Marty Leviton, the Renton Police Motorcyle Officer and here is the rest of the story......  The causing driver that tried to slink away, was drunk in the middle of the afternoon and this will be his 5th DUI conviction.    A Felony under the new state law.     Nice to get one for the good guys.

 

 

I’d like to welcome Julianna Hind to the Keller Williams Renton Team. Julianna comes to our team with over 5 years of experience in the Real Estate industry as a Professional Stager. She is ready to take her career to the next level – and is a natural fit for our company. Julianna’s strong business skill set and marketing expertise adds value as a seasoned and experienced business professional to our Market Center. Julianna resides with her husband and kids in Maple Valley, Washington, and is an expert in her home town as a former Tahoma School District staff member, and long-time Maple Valley resident.

Mentoring new members into the Keller Williams environment is always so rewarding for me, as they bring their own insights and unique personality into the company -- and that individual spirit is what makes Keller Williams such a great place to be as a Real Estate Professional!  Plus she is an Active Rain Veteran Blogger.

And talk about individual spirit, Juliana, has a great smile, warm and outstanding laugh and is tremendously creative. So welcome, Julianna! Best wishes from me and the rest of the Gary McNinch Team and KW agents at Keller Williams Southeast Sound in Renton!     And watch for her first Maple Valley listing coming in a couple of weeks.

 

The process of buying a Renton home is very different from the process of selling a Renton home, but they both happily end the same way -- with Moving Day.

I remember the time one of my best clients called in the middle of the night (after 10:00 pm) and had blown his ankle while making the last load into the rental truck. So off I go, we finish loading at the old house (him hobbling and me trying to keep a straight face), drive to the new home in Enumclaw and get there where the sidewalks are rolled up at 2:30 am. Park the truck, hop in the car and head home. This is the easy way to move, except for the ankle of course. Looking back it was a hilarious situation, just not then.

Choosing a moving company is the often-hurried "last step" that buyers and seller view as a hassle. Because it's difficult to differentiate between the professional moving companies, they look for the lowest-cost provider or a "guy" who can do the job.

If it was that simple, sites like MovingScam.com wouldn't exist and the New York Times wouldn't run headlines with the phrase "Furniture Ransom". There are a lot of reputable moving companies but there are a lot of con artists, too, and it's sometimes hard to tell them apart.

This is one reason to ask your real estate agent for a direct referral to a mover; many brokerages have relationships with larger, national companies that can service your in-state and out-of-state moving needs. At Keller Williams Realty we have business arrangements with several professional companies. Plus we can help you get a slight discount on their services. These movers will come to your home, give an accurate quote, and then stand behind their estimates.

Now, versus the smaller players, the estimates may look a little bit high, but know that they're legitimate. Don't think of the higher costs as dollar's wasted -- think of them as piece of mind while your life's treasures are in transit. We help you sell your Renton, Fairwood or Kent home, or relocate to Renton WA and find a new one. The Gary McNinch Team can help you get your treasures moved too.