Archive for July 2009

Simple solution to common problems

First Common Problem - Doorbells
Don't be afraid to try to repair the doorbell. All of its parts are low voltage-12 to 24 volts-and can't really hurt you. However, you should not attempt to repair or replace the transformer for the unit, which will be located in the basement or near the main power panel. It converts a 110-volt supply to 12 or 24 volts. Most often, the chime unit consists of an electromagnetic plunger that strikes a chime when activated-one sliding movement (and one chime) for the rear door and two movements for the front door's double chime. Some door chimes consist of a low- voltage buzzer or a vibrating hammer on a bell. Others have huge chimes and complicated parts best left to a service company. If the doorbell thumps or hums when you press the button, you need to clean the chime and plunger. If pressing the button doesn't trigger any sound, the button itself is probably at fault. The doorbell button is the most common source of problems because of its exposure to weather. For a button that's flush with the wood trim, slip a screwdriver or putty knife under the edge to pry the button out of its hole. If the button is screwed to the frame, remove the screws. Now you can see the low- voltage wires. If they are loose or broken, this could be why the doorbell isn't working. If the wires look okay, disconnect their ends and touch them together to complete the circuit. If the doorbell rings now, you have found the problem, a bad button. You can easily replace the button with a matching button from the hardware store. If the doorbell does not ring when you manually complete the circuit, the problem is in the chime or transformer. Check the chime: remove the cover, and take a peek at the chime. Make sure it is level. Vacuum away any dust. You will see a round plunger that needs to move freely in the magnet surrounding it. Look for broken parts or damaged brackets. After you have checked these items, the next step would be to use a voltmeter to analyze the transformer and wiring. This is a task you may wish to leave to a professional because it involves working with 110-volt power. Or, for about $20, you can buy a new battery-operated chime/button set that needs no wires. The button is mounted anywhere within 100 feet of the chime. This is a great option when wires are damaged.

Second Common Problem - Wobbling Ceiling Fan
When properly installed and balanced, a ceiling fan should not wobble excessively. Make sure your fan has been mounted properly; there should be an electric box or special bracing to support the fan's weight and movement. You may be able to stop the wobble by switching blade positions and balancing the fan. Contact the manufacturer of your fan for specific instructions, and ask if a balancing kit is available. Typical balancing instructions:

1. Check that the fan is properly installed and that the blades are securely attached.
2. Run the fan on high speed (set to downdraft) and observe the wobble. Stop the fan; switch positions of two adjacent blades. If this improves the balance of the fan, leave it as is and use balancing weights.
3. With the fan stationary, attach the manufacturer's balancing clip on the leading edge of one blade, halfway between the outer tip of the blade and the attachment bracket. (A balancing clip, available from most fan manufacturers, is a small plastic weight that firmly clips to the blade.)
4. Run the fan on high speed, set to downdraft, and observe the wobble. Stop the fan; move the clip to the next blade. Again run the fan and observe the wobble. Repeat this for all fan blades.
5. Move the clip back to the blade where you noticed the least wobble. This time, attach the clip to the leading edge of the blade near the blade bracket. Run the fan and observe the wobble. Stop the fan and move the clip outward toward the end of the blade in small increments until you find the position where the fan runs best.
6. Attach a permanent balancing weight on the blade next to the clip. (Weights are often self-stick lead strips provided by the fan manufacturer.)
7. Remove the clip and run the fan. If the wobble was not completely corrected, you may be able to further improve the balance by repeating the above steps and removing the fan.

I hope that you find this information helpful.
If you know of anyone thinking about buying a home please let me know so I can help them.
Thank you.
Lonnie Snyder
REALTOR®
Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound
Phone: 206-406-2710
Email:
snyder@kw.com
Website: http://www.callsnyder.com/
Blogsite: http://renton-real-estate.blogspot.com/
Lonnie Snyder is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington’s Kent, Renton, Newcastle and South Bellevue.
Oh, By The Way. . . . . I AM NEVER TOO BUSY FOR REFERRALS.

Great experiences in Seattle WA

Experience the thrill of seeing orca whales, harbor seals, California & Steller sea lions, Dall's & harbor porpoise, gray & minke whales, bald eagles, cormorants, great blue herons and so much more on one of our whale watching trips!

San Juan Excursions specializes in safety and environmentally oriented owner operated whale watching tours and wildlife cruises departing from picturesque Friday Harbor, Washington (only 90 miles north of Seattle on sunny San Juan Island). Our classic 65 foot, twin-engine vessel, “Odyssey”, has the perfect combination of comfort and space. Additionally our fun/informative crew and perfect departure location make for an ideal whale watching tour and wildlife excursion. We use biodiesel to protect the environment and are USCG licensed for up to 97 passengers giving us the most flexibility of any vessel based in the San Juan Islands. Note: We limit our tours to 80 people maximum to ensure the comfort of our guests.

Washington's San Juan Islands are a hidden gem nestled between the snowcapped Cascade and Olympic Mountains. With dramatic rocky coastlines, pebble stoned beaches, and tranquil evergreen islands dotting the horizon, your San Juan Island whale watching tour and wildlife cruise with San Juan Excursions will surely be the highlight of your vacation.

2009 IKEA Renton River Days

Wow, it is time for Renton River Days again. Here is some information on what is going to be happing.

Events in Liberty Park: July 22 and July 24 – 26, 2009
Renton’s Community Family Festival and Celebration
Renton: “Explore the Heart of Renton” is more than a theme for 2009 IKEA Renton River Days. It’s an invitation to explore the diverse offerings that highlight Renton’s passion for music, art, food and an active lifestyle. With various events and activities for all generations, the festival brings the community together for a mid-summer showcase of family fun and entertainment. Originating in 1986, this celebration unites families, residents, businesses, organizations, and Puget Sound region tourists for a wonderful variety of events, stage entertainment, food, arts and crafts, recreation, special features for kids, plus much more. Come “explore” for yourself!
Weekend festival highlights include the Parade on Saturday, July 24 at 10:00 a.m. and the Rubber Ducky Derby on Sunday, July 25 at 4:30 p.m.
Other festival favorites include Kids’ Day, Senior Day Picnic, stage entertainment, Nibble of Renton, Art Market, Renton Annual Art Show, Quilt Show, Chalk Art Contest, Petting Zoo, and the Pancake Breakfast. For the active, don’t miss the Golf Tournament, Volkssport Fun Walks, Canoe and Kayak Regatta, Tennis Tournaments, and the youth Six-A-Side Soccer Tournament.
Many events and activities are featured especially for kids of all ages: Wenatchee Youth Circus performances, Pacific Science Center Exhibit, photo ID cards, LEGO Playzone, inflatables, Junk Chimes, Ms. B Hooping Allure, Dizzy’s Tumble Bus, Toymaker’s Workshop, Sound of Culture booth, Coloring Contest, face-painting, and craft and activity booths.
For the complete list schedule of festival events with dates, times, and locations call 425-430-6528 or visit
www.RentonRiverDays.org.

Street Closures and Shuttle for IKEA Renton River Days
2009 Festival Street Closures Begin Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Houser Way between Mill Avenue and Bronson Way will be closed at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, and will reopen on Monday, July 27 at approximately 1:00 p.m.
The River Days Parade will proceed down South 3rd Street from Shattuck Avenue to Liberty Park beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 25. In order to form the Parade, South 3rd Street between Rainier and Bronson will be closed to all traffic and parking from 7:00 a.m. until completion of the parade at approximately 1:00 p.m. All side streets adjacent to or leading to South 3rd Street will be restricted to local access only during the same time period.
2009 Festival Shuttle Service Information:
Free, continuous shuttle service will be available Saturday, July 25, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday, July 26, noon to 7:00 p.m., as follows:
Renton Memorial Stadium, next to the Cedar River (Parking)Liberty Park on Bronson Way N., near the tennis courts(Stage entertainment, food, arts and craft booths)
Look for the sandwich signs that read, "River Days Shuttle Stop."

Have a fun time and Send me your photos to post here.

Buying Home Appliances With Wisdom

This article should help you determine how to spend money wisely on home appliances. We hope this service is valuable to you!
Buying Appliances Wisely
When you add up all the money that you can spend on home appliances and fixtures it becomes obvious that you need to spend wisely and carefully to keep costs under control. These items tend to be some of the larger ticket purchases around the home and lots of money can be wasted if buying isn't done properly.
One of the most important suggestions for buying appliances and fixtures the smart way is to decide before you begin shopping exactly how much money you wish to spend, or what will fit in your budget. Surprisingly, this is often not done until the customer is already in the store. Unfortunately, the heart often takes over when looking over the latest high-tech gadgets and features on the item being considered and results in the purchase of a much more expensive item than is truly needed. So take some time to decide exactly what your spending limit is before you even begin to shop and then stick to your guns on that decision all the way through the buying process.
Helpful Hints To Help You Buy
It's also a good idea to research your buy before you start looking at actual products themselves. These days there are many consumer publications that help you make a wise choice on a broad range of consumer items, including home appliances and fixtures. They extensively test the major brands and give their unbiased opinions on a wide variety of features and issues related to each product. This is valuable information that can't be had almost anywhere else, so take good advantage of it. You can find most of these publications available for free at your local library. This kind of research will also help you decide in advance exactly which features are most important to you and which should be avoided as unnecessary expenses, in other words, invest your hard-earned money into essentials not features. Always opt for better quality over more features too.
Don't just assume that buying locally is the smartest move either. Sometimes, the same item can be found online at a much lower price than is possible locally and you can often even avoid sales tax on an online purchase too. Be careful though and determine how much installation is needed for any item you make and factor installation costs in with any purchase that doesn't include those costs in the purchase price.
Measuring Is Important
It may seem like a simple thing, but be sure to measure very carefully to determine that the item you want to buy will fit in the space that you have designated for it in your home. Surprisingly, this is something that is often overlooked until the delivery of the product and can result in plenty of unnecessary aggravation. Just get the measuring tape out in advance and know the space required to save this headache from happening to you.
Finally, consider the warranty on the items you want to buy. Be sure to ask questions in advance so that you know what the warranty will cover and how long it will last. Also, will you have to send the appliance out to be repaired under warranty or is home repair covered under the warranty contract? If you follow these simple, effective guidelines, buying home appliances and fixtures will be a breeze and you will make smart purchases that will last and give you good service for many years.

I Pull Out All The Stops To Sell Your Home
Lonnie Snyder
REALTOR®
Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound
Phone: 206-406-2710
Email:
snyder@kw.com
Website: http://www.callsnyder.com/
Blogsite: http://renton-real-estate.blogspot.com/
Lonnie Snyder is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington’s Kent, Renton, Newcastle and South Bellevue.
Oh, By The Way. . . . . I AM NEVER TOO BUSY FOR REFERRALS.

Renter Revolution video contest.

Quadrant's newest promotion is all about the renter. LoseTheRent.com is homebase for the Renter Revolution - which you'll see invading some summer events this year including a major sponsorship with Bite of Seattle 2009. We'll be there all weekend (July 17-19) with a huge booth by the KISS 106.1 / Quadrant Homes Main Stage. Look for our street team handing out flyers directing traffic over to the booth. We're giving away lots of prizes and videotaping bad renter stories on-site!
This promotion is much more than a new angle on getting renters to own, it's a Quadrant cannonball into the waters of social networking and sets us up for one-to-one interaction with prospective buyers online.


Generating buzz and getting into the channels popular with users that rent is very important, and that means social networking. You can now find Quadrant on
Twitter and Facebook - we encourage you to add us as a friend and/or follow us if you're already utilizing these sites.
Another integral part of this campaign is the
Renter Revolution video contest. Designed to collect as many horrible and hilarious renting stories as we can, we're also rewarding the best one with $1,000!
Owning is much more than a financial decision, it's one of freedom and an important step in life. In some cases, we just can't compete financially against renting. This is why our message hits on an emotional level. LoseTheRent.com is meant as an informative site to "soft sell" our product and to collect leads for Homebuyer Solutions.
With that, we hope you'll take a look at
LoseTheRent.com and the Renter Revolution video contest and adopt the promotion as part of your interactions with clients.
Spreading the word begins with you!

Love the kids

Foreclosure Prevention Program

State Foreclosure Prevention Resources
For legal help in Seattle and King County, see this
list of organizations providing fee legal counsel to low-income people. The Northwest Justice Project and Columbia Legal Services have attorneys working exclusively on foreclosure prevention cases.
Washington State Department of Financial Institutions provides a vast amount on information on avoiding foreclosure rescue scams, mortgage counseling and navigating the foreclosure process.
Federal Programs
The Obama Administration announced the Making Home Affordable program in February 2009. This program provides resources to homeowners who are making good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments. An
overview of this program is available on the federal Road to Stability site. Detailed information and self-assessment tools are available at Making Home Affordable.

Find out if you qualify.
To qualify for the program, household income must be below 80 percent of the area median income (see current
eligibility limits). Homeowners must also prove the capacity to afford the mortgage for the long-term.
Homeowners in need of assistance should contact Solid Ground or the Urban League directly to see if they qualify:
Urban League (800) 368-1455
Solid Ground Mortgage Hotline: (206) 694-6766
Open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
All screenings and appointments must go through the hotline.
Counselors are not able to take walk-in appointments.

Party for the Seattle Housing


Kickoff Party for the Seattle Housing Levy Campaign!
Celebrate Successes and Get Ready to Vote

On June 15, the City Council took formal action to renew the current Seattle Housing Levy, a $145 million, 7 year package that will provide a critical housing safety net for thousands of Seattle residents. It's now up to us to help make sure voters pass the levy this November. Join us at our kickoff event to learn more about the levy and find out how you can help. The kickoff will feature remarks from Mayor Greg Nickels and City of Seattle Councilmember Richard McIver.

Event Details :
Wednesday, July 15 from 5-7PM
Swedish Cultural Center*1920 Dexter Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98109

The event is free, but a suggested donation of $25 will go a long way to help protect affordable housing for seniors, people with disabilities, homeless and low income working families.
*The Cultural Center offers free parking in three parking lots that are located adjacent to the building (one South and one East), the third is located across the street from the Center on the West side of Dexter Avenue and is available after 6:00. Click here for a map and driving directions.

Preparing a basement for remodeling.

In this article you will learn precautions when insulating and preparing a basement for remodeling.

Before adding insulation to the basement walls or the crawl space foundation, and prior to refinishing a basement room, it is essential that you repair any leaks and solve any problems with dampness. Wait until it is thoroughly dry before you install the insulation, to be sure all problems have been eliminated. If you are unsure whether or not you have such a problem, tape a square-foot piece of plastic to the basement wall or floor. Leave it in place for a week. If condensation builds up under the plastic, you have a problem that needs to be solved.
Insulation Installation

Before adding insulation to the basement walls or the crawl space foundation, and prior to refinishing a basement room, it is essential that you repair any leaks and solve any problems with dampness. Wait until it is thoroughly dry before you install the insulation, to be sure all problems have been eliminated. If you are unsure whether or not you have such a problem, tape a square-foot piece of plastic to the basement wall or floor. Leave it in place for a week. If condensation builds up under the plastic, you have a problem that needs to be solved.
Preparing The Basement

The causes of such condensation can be extensive. Some of the most common are leaks and cracks in the concrete, and seepage, condensation, or drainage problems around the foundation. That may sound like a lot of work but a systematic going over of each potential trouble spot will save you a great deal of time, trouble, and money later on. Cracks can be caulked. Seepage can be lessened by painting waterproofing sealant on the interior walls. I recommend installing closable vents for the crawl space. Open them in warm weather to air out the crawl space and close them in winter to prevent heat loss. In low-ground areas where drainage is a problem, install drain tiles or pipes around the perimeter of the foundation. In some cases you may even need a sump pump to pump out excess water. Be sure the clothes dryer is properly vented outside. For more information on caulking and sealing, see the section on Weatherization. Weatherization goes hand in hand with insulation, and many of the solutions overlap.
Different Types Of Insulation

Insulating basement and crawl space sometimes calls for a different type of insulation than does insulating attic and walls of a home. In the first place, the basement and crawl space are more susceptible to moisture seepage, which can lead to problems like wet or damp surfaces, stained finishes, mildew, and so on. Water vapor moves easily through most materials used in construction, including brick and concrete block. A basement wall that is not adequately insulated with a moisture-resistant material will conduct warm moist air from the living space through to the cooler outer wall where it is likely to condense. If you are not heating the basement or crawl space, you will want to insulate underneath the first floor. This is best done with fiberglass insulation installed between the joists with the vapor barrier up toward the heated area. You may want to use a closed-cell, rigid foam panel or the reflective layered type of insulation in these areas if you plan to heat the space below the floor. In this case, you will be insulating the basement walls, not the floor. Rigid foam panels can be used to insulate both interior and exterior walls. The closed- cell type is not as susceptible to moisture as are other types of insulation. Use only closed-cell types in below-grade application. It usually comes in 2' x 8' sheets and should be covered with a fire-resistant material, such as drywall, when exposed to the inside.
I Pull Out All The Stops To Sell Your Home
Lonnie Snyder
REALTOR®
Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound
Phone: 206-406-2710
Email:
snyder@kw.com
Website: http://www.callsnyder.com/
Blogsite: http://renton-real-estate.blogspot.com/
Lonnie Snyder is a full time real estate agent and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Realty specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Washington’s Kent, Renton, Newcastle and South Bellevue.
Oh, By The Way. . . . . I AM NEVER TOO BUSY FOR REFERRALS

Great homes under 250K in Renton

Looking for a great home. There are a lot out there right now.
Here is my top 15 pick.
Click here for the list.

There are changes and updates Daily from this list.

If you would like an up to date list please Email Me.

Thanks.