Date Archives: February 2021

Are you one of the more than 100 million people in the United States who own either a dog or a cat? More and more, pet owners are thinking about their furry friends when planning home renovations, and it's easier than ever to incorporate pet-friendly features as part of larger renovation projects in your home. And it's not just your pets who benefit! Many of the most popular pet-friendly renovations can also save floor space, help keep your home cleaner, and enhance the look of some of the most frequently used rooms in your home. Our brokers have the details on some popular pet-friendly features that you can incorporate into your next home renovation project.

1. Add Feeding Stations and Storage for Pet Items When Updating Your Kitchen
   Thinking of updating your kitchen cabinets or adding an island for increased counter and storage space? Consider incorporating a pet feeding station into your design plan. A feeding station makes it easier to keep your kitchen clean and keeps you from accidentally kicking pet bowls when walking through the kitchen. Make sure to incorporate some extra storage space near the feeding station to store food and other items for your pet. In addition to keeping things clean, built-in feeding stations will also save floor space in your kitchen.

2. Pet Bathing Stations Make Bath Time a Breeze
   Bathing pets can be a real challenge, especially if you have a large dog or an older pet. Many homeowners are now incorporating pet bathing stations, with bathrooms and mudrooms the most popular places to put them. You can create a smaller bathing station specifically for your pet, with a spray nozzle and plenty of room for bathing supplies. If you don't want to add a dedicated bathing station while renovating your bathroom, consider a walk-in shower with a handheld showerhead to make it easier to keep your pet clean.

3. A Mudroom Is a Great Choice for Pets and Kids Alike
   When shopping available homes for sale, you may have noticed an extra room in some homes near the foyer or the door that opens to the home's backyard. Commonly known as mudrooms, these rooms are ideal for cleaning off muddy paws and shoes without tracking dirt through the rest of the home. A mudroom is also a great place to keep the supplies that you'll need to take your pet for a walk and the toys that your pet loves to play with when they are in the yard. A mudroom can be as small or large as you like. The key is simply to build your mudroom near the door that pets (and kids) will use most when coming into the house from outside.

4. Cat Highways Are a Perfect Addition for Your Feline Friend
   Cats love to climb, so adding a "cat highway" is a great way to encourage your feline friends to play and get some extra exercise. You can buy a cat highway that's ready to install from your favorite pet supply store or create something new yourself. The key is simply to give your cat safe, sturdy spaces to climb around the house. By keeping the bulk of your cat highway above eye level, you also save floor and wall space that can be used for other needs.

5. Add Ramps on Outdoor Stairs to Help Older Pets
   Many older dogs, especially if they are larger breeds, can have trouble getting up and down the stairs that lead into your home. Even for younger dogs and smaller breeds, limiting how much they use stairs can help save wear and tear on joints. Adding a ramp to outdoor stairs is a simple solution that can help with the health of your dogs, and it's easy to incorporate a ramp when you're updating your deck or patio. Even if you're not undertaking a larger renovation project, it shouldn't be too difficult to add a ramp to your existing stairs.

6. Create Dedicated Sleeping Spaces for Pets
   Every pet should have its own space for sleeping, but pet beds and crates take up valuable floor space. They're also not always the most pleasant thing to look at aesthetically. Just like with feeding stations, you can incorporate built-in pet beds into a wide variety of home renovation projects. You can even put them in multiple rooms! Create a stylish, cozy place for your pet to sleep, and save some space in the process.

Still searching for a home that both you and your pets will love to call your own? Our team is here to help. Contact us to buy and sell homes throughout the area.

With so much going on these days, even the most organized people can become overwhelmed when it comes to maintaining a home and family. Luckily, today's technology can help make it a little bit easier. With so many productivity apps on the market, you can really leverage your smartphone to help you make it through the day. We were talking home organization tips with some of the owners of these homes for sale and we heard so many great recommendations for innovative home organization apps. 

1. Evernote
   This award-winning app is essentially a cloud-based notebook. Use Evernote to take notes, make to-do lists, or save drawings, photographs, or other media. Best of all, you can access your content from any device or location. The app offers a free version that sets data capacity limits, or you can purchase a paid plan for more storage.
   
   
2. Sweepy
   Staying on top of chores is one of the most tedious aspects of homeownership, but with apps like Sweepy, it's really not so bad. Sweepy allows you to enter chores into the app, prioritize them, assign them to family members, and maintain a calendar of activities. With Sweepy, every one can simply open up the app and quickly see what chores need to be done. 
   
   
3. Todoist
   When it comes to to-do lists, few apps can compete with Todoist. This organization app helps you maintain complete control over your projects and goals. With an emphasis on mental well-being, the app was created to help you transfer your tasks from your head to your mobile phone and is great for any busy family.
   
   
4. Cozi Family Organizer
   This useful organizer app has an incredibly simple interface and is made specifically for "crazy busy families". With Cozi, you can see the calendar for each family member, share grocery lists, and even post notes. It also has a built-in recipe planner to make dinner a breeze. Best of all, this app is completely free!
   
   
5. 24me
   This award-winning app is more like a personal assistant that can really help make your day more productive. One of the best parts about 24me is it's incredibly easy to use. The app features a calendar, to-do list, and a notepad, so you can keep track of all your home cleaning and maintenance chores in one place. The app also automatically organizes your schedule and sends personal reminders to keep you on track.
   
   
6. Time Timer
   If you're struggling with time management, then it might be worth checking out Time Timer. This super simple app features a visual, colorful timer that can be set with a swipe of a finger. The app allows you to set multiple timers for the various tasks throughout your day. The end result: complete transparency about how you're spending your time.
   
   
7. Jour 
   One of the most important aspects of home organization is maintaining mental well-being. Jour is less of a notebook and more of a journal that promotes mental health. Jour helps you track your feelings on a day-to-day basis and offers therapeutic techniques to help improve your mood. With so much going on in our day to day lives, it's important to monitor your mental health.
   
   
8. S'moresUp
   Looking for an app to help make parenting a little easier? Give S'moresUp a try. This app lets you track your kid's chore progress, assign rewards, track savings, and even schedule play dates. S'moresUp actually makes chores more fun, and really can help you to stay on top of your kid's activities.
   
   
9. Happy Plant
   Do you frequently forget to water your plants? You won't any longer if you download the Happy Plant app. This app combines plant care with gamification in a way that will help you remember to give your plants the love they need. The app also lets you upload pictures of your plants and create cool time-lapse videos that show them grow over time.
   
   
10. YNAB
    If your organizational struggles are related to finance, then a good budgeting app might be just what you need. We recommend YNAB (You Need A Budget). With a personal finance smartphone app, your budget will travel right along with you. This budget app will not only help you reach your financial goals, it even integrates with Amazon's Alexa, so you can get real-time verbal updates on your progress.
    
    
11. Productive
    Keeping your home organized starts with building good habits, which is why we recommend Productive. This app is focused on helping you build life-changing routines through reminders and schedule planning. Not only does Productive let you enter goals, it allows you to measure your progress on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. 

Our real estate agents are experts at home organization, and they love using smartphone apps to help plan their day. Contact us today for more recommendations on how to keep your home organized!

There's nothing like a good page-turner to help get you through the cold winter months. Luckily, here in Portland, we're blessed to have some of America's best bookstores nearby. 

When you're looking for a new and exciting book to lose yourself in, be sure to check out some of our real estate agents' favorite Portland bookstores!

1. Broadway Books - 1714 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232
   One of Portland's great independent, locally owned book stores, Broadway Books has been supplying the local community with page-turning books since 1992. Located a stone's throw from many Portland homes for sale, Broadway Books offers an ever-changing selection of both new and used books and is known for supporting local authors by giving them ample shelf space. They have a reputation as one of the best bookstores in town thanks to their service and selection. 
   
   
2. Powell's City of Books - 1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209
   America's largest independent new and used book store, Powell's City of Books is a Portland icon that continues to offer a staggering selection of reading material, just as it has been since the 1970s. Whatever you like to read—from science fiction to romance, literary fiction to graphic novels, autobiographies to cookbooks—you'll find it here. In addition to its original vast space on Burnside, Powell's also has two additional locations at Cedar Hills Crossing and on Hawthorne.
   
   
3. Mother Foucault's Bookshop - 523 SE Morrison St, Portland, OR 97214
   To call Mother Foucault's Bookshop old school would be an understatement. The shop prides itself on having "no computers, no email, no voicemail, just magnificent books." Well, they certainly do have magnificent books. With a focus on vintage, early-edition, and rare books, this cozy shop overlooking Portland's inner southeast industrial district has one of the city's most unique and well-curated literary collections. 
   
   
4. Books with Pictures - 1401 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
   Hey, comic books are books too! At Books with Pictures, you'll find one of Portland's best selections of them, ranging from mainstream superhero comics to graphic novels and unique indie and small-press comics. They also offer a vast inventory of back issues and vintage comics, with a friendly and knowledgeable staff to help you find anything you're looking for. 
   
   
5. Backstory Books & Yarn - 3129 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
   A quirky independent bookstore on Portland's historic Hawthorne Boulevard, Backstory Books & Yarn always offers something unexpected. With a focus on crafting, nautical books, illustration, and African-American literature, it's a unique spot to find unexpected stories and new projects (yep, they also sell yarn). The owners are always happy to buy, sell, and trade, so this is also a great place to pass your own gently-used volumes on to the next generation. 
   
   
6. Booktique - 4 Monroe Pkwy Suite D, Lake Oswego, OR 97035
   Nestled in the small city of Lake Oswego, Booktique is a cozy used bookstore that offers an eclectic selection of paperbacks, records, DVDs, and other media. All sales go toward supporting the Lake Oswego Public Library. This is a great place to find something unexpected or to donate your own gently-used books to a good cause. Booktique is located less than 15 minutes from Portland and a stone's throw from these Lake Oswego homes for sale.
   
   
7. A Children's Place - 1423 NE Fremont St, Portland, OR 97212
   A Children's Place has been encouraging kids to get more into reading for more than 40 years. They're Portland's oldest independent children's book store, offering an incredible selection of books for children and young adults, along with games, cards, and toys. They also have a friendly and knowledgeable staff who can help you find the perfect book for your youngsters. 

Contact us today to learn more about all the opportunities Portland has to offer, and be sure to talk to our agents about how we can help you find your dream home in Portland and the surrounding areas!

You might think it's impossible to celebrate Valentine's Day when you can't go out on the town. But who says you have to leave the house to have a romantic evening?

Light some candles! Open a bottle of wine! And order takeout from one of our real estate agents' favorite restaurants in the Seattle area. 

1. Spinasse - 1531 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
   Few places in Seattle do high-end Northern Italian food quite like Spinasse. Their hand-made pasta alone earns them a place among Seattle's finest eateries. Spinasse is just minutes from many Seattle homes for sale and is currently offering curbside pickup and delivery. 
   
   
2. Jak's Grill - 14 Front St N, Issaquah, WA 98027
   A no-frills, no-nonsense steakhouse known for its Nebraska beef, Jak's Grill is Seattle's carnivore heaven. Jak's Grill is located in Issaquah, about 20 minutes from the heart of Seattle and within walking distance of many Issaquah homes for sale. A second location is open in West Seattle, and both locations offer delivery and curbside pickup. They also offer freezer packs, so you can cook your own date-night dinner at home and show off your champion grilling skills. 
   
   
3. Archipelago - 5607 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118
   The fresh, vibrant Filipino-American flavors at Archipelago are truly one of a kind and perfect for a romantic Valentine's Day. Using ingredients sourced from local Seattle markets and regional Filipino and Filipino-American farmers, Archipelago offers an ever-changing menu that relies on the ingredients that are seasonally available. Archipelago's take-home menu changes weekly, with each week's offerings announced on Tuesdays. 
   
   
4. Shiro's Sushi - 2401 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
   There may be no better meal for a romantic dinner than sushi. And you'd have a hard time finding a better place to get it than Shiro's Sushi, a fixture of the Belltown food scene. Shiro's makes sushi prepared the traditional Tokyo way but using seafood sourced from right here in the Pacific Northwest. One of Seattle's most respected sushi restaurants, Shiro's offers takeout and local delivery through various delivery services.  
   
   
5. Mamnoon - 1508 Melrose Ave, Seattle, WA 98122
   At Mamnoo, you can expect to get authentic, traditional Middle Eastern cuisine... with a modern twist. Call ahead for curbside pickup or delivery, and be sure to check their website for their regularly updated menu. To-go options and specials change almost daily, but there's always a meat entree as well as a vegetarian alternative. Mamnoo also offers what they call "Mama Family Meal," rotating to-go feasts inspired by the most-loved dishes that the chefs prepare for the staff before their shifts. You can even order beer, wine, or cocktail kits to go with it!
   
   
6. Monsoon Seattle - 615 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
   The elevated Vietnamese cuisine at Monsoon Seattle is truly extraordinary, packing a dizzying array of flavors. Monsoon's two locations in Seattle and Bellevue each offer takeout, along with the option of curbside pickup. Delivery is available through third-party delivery services. Monsoon's menu features all of the restaurant's classic flavors (including their signature clay-pot catfish), along with a few surprises (like cocktails to go). 
   
   
7. RockCreek Seafood & Spirits - 4300 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
   A relatively new addition to Seattle's ever-vibrant seafood scene, RockCreek Seafood & Spirits has quickly become a hot destination in the Fremont neighborhood. Their seafood is brilliantly fresh, expertly prepared, and globally sourced. Expect a menu packed with specialties like kona kampachi from Hawaii, striped bass from the East Coast, and crabs and mussels from right here in Washington. RockCreek is currently open for delivery Tuesday through Saturday. 
   
   
8. Assaggio Restaurant - 2010 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121
   Assaggio has been under the same ownership for more than 25 years, and it shows. They have the kind of time-honored recipes that feel as though they've existed for generations. This is authentic Italian food at its finest, with a simple yet rich menu packed with staples like lasagna with house-made noodles and penne vodka with imported pancetta. Call ahead to place an order for takeout. 

Seattle is a unique place to call home, and it's a city that still offers a wealth of opportunities. Contact us to learn more about life in Seattle, and talk to our team about finding your dream home in Washington today.