Colleen's (and occasionally, Joe's) Blog

Headlines on this date four years ago:

"Republicans spending $42 million on inauguration while troops die in unarmored Humvees"
"Bush extravagance exceeds any reason during tough economic times"
"Fat cats get their $42 million inauguration party, ordinary Americans get the shaft"

Headlines Today:

"Historic Obama inauguration will cost only $120 million"
"Obama spends $120 million on inauguration; America needs A Big Party"
"Everyman Obama shows America how to celebrate"
"Citibank executives contribute $8 million to Obama inauguration"

Sometimes I wonder if the media is in fact biased. If the media were biased, I wonder who our president would have been today.

Looking for a home and close-by shopping? Consider this competitively priced comfortable home in Kennewick Washington. 4 bedrooms, plus den, bright cheery kitchen, reverse osmosis system, downstairs is ready for wood stove. This particularly lovely home is also close to schools, and easy freeway access...

Search the Kennewick MLS for Kennewick Washington properties. Colleen Lane is a licensed Washington State Realtor®

I was besides myself when the agent representing the seller wanted my buyer to accept negligence in the seller's property disclosure statement (again). You see, in Washington state there is actually a spot in the contract where the buyer can accept (and assume all the liability) all the negligence of the seller in their property disclosure statement. Hmm, this is the quote from the seller's agent:

"Thank you i received the counter. I forgot that you and I had this discussion before. What would you tell your sellers to sign this the way you have countered? If your buyers do their due diligence then why would they be looking to come after the seller indefinitly . Let me know and i will present this to the seller." 

And this is my reply, and again I quote:

"Actually, I'll always recommend my clients not take responsibility for another party's negligence in any shape or form. In principle, I personally would never assume another's negligence. Would I find it acceptable to accept the items listed in a disclosure statement? Yes. Would I find it acceptable to accept negligence in the disclosure statement? No. However, I only represent my buyers, my buyers will make the final call.

For what it is worth, "due diligence" is only limited to what can be seen! -Colleen :-)"

My husband, the former building building contractor, thought a number of reasons not to accept the seller's negligence on a seller's disclosure statement. Let me take one he provided me.

Let's say the seller discloses a room added onto the home, but without the proper permits being drawn from the building department. Ok, I'm good with that. However, what if the seller chose not to use rebar in his concrete, or plastic under the foundation to prevent moisture, etc., both issues next to impossible to inspect or be seen. At least not until the foundation fails. My buyer has some recourse, as I'll always recommend my buyers not accept the negligence of the seller for any reason.

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Oh, our Pasco Wa Riverfront Home is for sale!

Our daughter, ever the cook will love this. A Smithsonian Institution traveling cooking exhibit is in Tri Cities, Washington at the CREHST Museum and will remain until March 1, 2009. The Key Ingredients – America by Food exhibit will be held at the Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science & Technology (CREHST). This exhibit will explain the little known, the everyday, and the obvious about our assorted cooking and eating traditions through an enjoyable and educational overview. The exhibit can be viewed Monday – Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM and Sundays, 12 PM to 5 PM. A teacher’s guide and more information are available at: www.keyingredients.org

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Oh, our Tri Cities Wa Riverfront Home is for sale!

I did a double take when I saw Newsweek's feature on Facebook and Facebook's impact on real estate. The article portray's Facebook as the potential salvation of the real estate industry. Perhaps a bit exaggerated, however, here's a quote from the Newsweek article:

"...And Tracy Wortmann, a high-school classmate with whom I reconnected last fall, had a different piece of news to share: "Tracy has 5 new listings, let me know if anyone is looking … Now is the time to buy!!!" Wortmann, as you may have guessed, is a Realtor. And even in the worst real-estate market in decades, she's recently learned how to drum up business using Facebook..."

Those of us on Facebook will agree on it's power to network our business with our community. I thought the article an excellent find so I thought to pass it on!

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Oh, our Pasco Wa Riverfront Home is for sale!

Colleen and I moved to the Tri Cites Wa area 5 years ago from Southern California. In California we had season passes for 3 resorts within 6 hours of our home. Naturally, I had concerns about the availability of skiing locations when we relocated to the Tri Cities of Washington state. To my delight, Tri Cities Washington is a skier's dream, as close by are White Pass Ski Resort (2 hours), Bluewood Ski Resort (1.5 hours), and Mt Hood Ski Resort (3 hours, skiing almost year round). And more!

White Pass Ski Resort
I'm on the National Ski Patrol and patrol at White Pass. In fact, I'm the treasurer of the White Pass Ski Patrol. White Pass is my choice of ski resorts as powder and tree skiing are the 'order-of-the-day.' White Pass regularly is inundated with fresh snow. As a member of the ski patrol we are responsible in assisting the resort's safety needs. We patrol the area prior to the general public's attendance to add barriers and other safety precautions. There is nothing sweeter to a skier than fresh powder on a powder day. Imagine the experience atop a ski resort before the general public's entrance on a fresh powder day:

White Pass Ski Patrol Try Outs
Have you ever considered joining a ski patrol? We are having try outs January 17, 2009 at White Pass. Your ability must be acceptable, however, not perfect. The patrol will take a high intermediate skier and work with them, and with a year of training a person will have the skills necessary to take a loaded toboggan down any slope on the mountain. Also, the medical training attained is similar to an EMT. Last but not least, the relationships within the ski patrol are great, and helping those that need assistance on the mountain is very rewarding. Go ahead, give it a shot.

The Columbia Generating Station is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first fuel loading into the reactor this winter season. On Christmas morning 25 years ago, the company took its first steps into opening, loading the first bundle of nuclear fuel, during the 19 days following the initial load, 764 fuel assemblies were loaded. After all the fuel was loaded and the over vital components put together the vessel was then sealed on January 19, 1984. Beginning this day many tests were done and many people were trained to ensure the safety, quality, and reliability of the reactor until on December 13, 1984 the Commercial Operations were confirmed.

The reactor is taken care of like clockwork, every 2 years one-third of the fuel is replaced and placed in a used fuel pool to cool and then into a concrete and steel cask before it is taken for offsite fuel recycling; 95% of the fuel taken from the reactor can be recycled into new fuel.

Currently Columbia Generating Station is the only nuclear power plant in the northwest, powering over a million homes. The station has produced over 170 million megawatt hours of power as of this past Christmas with no greenhouse gas secretions.

Yet another opportunity for steady Tri Cities employment opportunities, as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has chosen Lockheed Martin, among 15 other companies, to compete for tasks to find methods to reduce energy costs. The DOE will give various indefinite-delivery-indefinite-quantity tasks to any one of the 16 companies, such as Lockheed Martin, who will compete to reduce energy costs as well as the environmental impact. These various tasks will have a overall ceiling value of $80 billion during this 11-year project.

This position places Lockheed Martin as one of the 16 companies in control of a specific task where they will carry out an energy audit in order to find ways that will save energy in a given facility. Once the audit was complete Lockheed Martin would then organize a project for the facility and put together a means for the financing. All projects must produce a positive annual cash flow into government finances.

One of the top news articles in the Tri-Cities, Washington this year was in May when the Tri-Cities grabbed the attention of the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS). The BLS ranked the Tri Cities 5th in the nation for having a high job growth of about 4.3% annually. This increase is said to be the result of the jobs brought in by the Agricultural Industry, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Hanford Cleanup which substantially helps the job market. Over the past 10 years non-farming jobs in the Tri Cities such as PNNL and the Hanford Cleanup have increased from 82,000 in 1997 to 102,000 in 2007.

Tri Cities Washington remains a destinations location for real estate investors, as well as folks looking for a great place to live.

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Oh, our Columbia River Riverfront Home is for sale!

LeAnn Rimes is coming to Pasco Washington's TRAC facility with Gloriana one of country’s hottest bands. LeAnn has been awarded an American Music Award, two Grammy Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards, and twelve Billboard Music Awards. She has sold over 37 million albums by the age of 24 she is also the youngest person to win a Grammy; the first country artist to win the Grammy for Best New Artist; and her version of How Do I Live is the longest charting song on the U.S. Hot 100 at 69 weeks. Now LeAnn has been nominated for best female vocal country performance 2009.
Where: TRAC Center 6600 Burden Blvd. Pasco WA 99301
When: January 31, 2009 Time: Doors open 6:00pm Gloriana 7:30pm LeAnn 8:45pm
Ticket Information: Tickets go on sale January 7th and Thursdays January 8th ON-LINE ONLY at www.traconline.com Friday, January 9 at 10:00am at TRAC Center box office & Kennewick Ranch & Home
Admission: Gold floor seating $65.00 (First of 11 rows center stage) Silver floor seating - $ 40.00 Premium Bleacher - $ 40.00 General Admission - $25.00

•:*¨¨*:• Colleen Lane •:*¨¨*:•
My ActiveRain Blog / My Localism Blog | ColleenLane.com

I am the Realtor® that makes things move in The Lane Real Estate Team, while my husband Joe is the dude that provides the marketing that gives me the great clients I have. My sole purpose in life is to serve God, family, and clients. Joe's sole purpose in life is to serve God, me, and family (and ski). We have five children, all at home, all ours. We've been happily married for 23 years, and Joe has forgotten the anniversary almost all of those years! We service the Tri Cities Washington real estate market to include Kennewick, Richland, and Pasco, Washington. Oh, our Columbia River Riverfront Home is for sale!