Spoken Gently's Blog: All Categories

The cost of living in a particular real estate area can dramatically affect a decision to purchase a home. It is clear the cost of living varies diversely across suburbs and neighborhoods, and between cities and towns. Many factors effect living costs, the main one being geographical location – such as rural, urban or metropolitan areas.  Wikipedia writes:

"A cost-of-living index measures the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living over time. Price indexes, such as the United States Consumer Price Index, use cost-of-living as their conceptual basis."

The cost-of-living index has been developed to determine the minimum costs in North America to maintain a household in terms of sustenance and their income purchasing power. To work out the likely…

Read Full Post

Hunting is an activity as old as the hills in Pasco Washington, and Southeast Wa in general. A summary of hunting season dates can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/wlm/game/seasons.htm for deer, elk, birds and other animals that are legally able to be hunted in Washington State. A hunting license can be purchased online from https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/ Information on permits, hunting reports, catch records and links to other hunting information sites are also available.

All Tri-Cities hunting activities must abide by Washington state law, and this requires all individuals born after January 1st, 1972 to have proof of undertaking basic hunting education and training to be able to purchase a license of any type. A Hunting Education class is a program that…

Read Full Post

Kennewick Schools ~ One of the first things a buyer in the real estate market might look for in a potential home is the quality of the school district it lies in. That line of thinking goes hand in hand with preparing for a family, ensuring that any children that grow up in the home are given both a great education and opportunities to explore whatever passions they might have. The Kennewick School District 17 accomplishes just that, affording children throughout the Kennewick area the opportunity to attend a world-class educational facility that has produced countless children prepared for the next step in their educational lives.

The Kennewick School District 17 contains 13 elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools and countless…

Read Full Post

The growing, vibrant, and dynamic city of Richland, Washington—part of the famous Tri Cities area of the state—is renowned as a hub of activity that peaks in summertime with its wide variety of events and festivals, attracting locals, visitors, and tourists from all over the surrounding area and beyond. These festivals cater to music lovers, car lovers, and sports lovers alike, as well as to other interests.  One of the most popular annual summer events hosted by beautiful Richland is the “Cool Desert Nights” festival.  More on Cool Desert Nights.

When visiting Richland consider The Lane Real Estate Team for all Richland Wa real estate needs, and buying and selling services. Read Full Post

The Kennewick Wa City Council acknowledges that rapid development in the area justifies the need for additional services to the region. With the increase in residency that most often is taking place in areas outside of the city boundaries, due to less restrictive zoning requirements and more economically viable housing, has created “fringe areas.” The development of these areas can, if not monitored, lead to increasingly complex administration, with the likelihood of ineffective and costly delivery of services.

However, properly applied annexation can maintain the prosperous development of urban areas as efficient parts of a larger unified whole. The Kennewick Washington Comprehensive Plan has prioritized “county islands” within the City’s boundaries.…

Read Full Post

The Area Climate

In the southeastern portion of Washington that the Tri-Cities area is in, the climate is mostly a desert climate where vegetation must survive on typically seven to eight inches of rainfall each year. However, with that lack of rain comes the 300 days of sunshine that the Tri-Cities experience each year, though significant winds can crop up. Snow does occur but is largely a seldom occurrence as temperatures range from 10 degrees to 110 degrees. Because of the significant wind activity that can crop up, the desert climate’s sand and dust environment can sometimes kick up dust storms for residents in the area. Though the climate may be desert, the presence of three key rivers, the Yakima, Washington and Snake Rivers, gives the area a…

Read Full Post

The decision to build your own new home is a big one and not one to be taken lightly. By making it, a prospective home owner is taking on the entire process of taking a new home from idea to reality, managing each of the steps along the way. Your building contractor will likely be your guide along that journey and the first thing many prospective home owners wonder about is just what a builder expects out of the buyers in a new home purchase. The level of interaction will probably depend on the builder, but there are some basic tasks asked of the buyers and some basic collaboration done to bring a dream new home to fruition.

Of course, one of the ways many home owners have reassured themselves about their involvement in the process is by involving a real…

Read Full Post

I'm in church this past week listening to the pastor of our church provide a sermon illustration using images from a home inspection website.  I start thinking, "This'll make a great blog entry!"  Why I was thinking about real estate blog entries in the middle of a church service?  I dunno! If I were to think about God while doing real estate, as much as I think about other things other then the message being brought on Sundays, I'd be a better person, but that's a thought for another day, another blog.

Anyway, if you need a break from the routine, you'll have to visit the Independent Home Inspectors of North America's website and check out the photos. Home inspectors have posted their craziest finds on this "Inspection Photo of the Month Page"  Thanks…

Read Full Post