SEATTLE AVENUE

Michelle Kaufmann is an eco-minded architect living in Oakland who is designing beautiful upscale prefab homes.
Smart design, eco materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, healthy environment are the 5 ecoprinciples Michelle developed and follows in the design and construction of her homes.
Michelle currently has five prefab home designs, Glidehouse, mkLoft, mkLotus (shown above), mkSolaire, Sidebreeze, and Sunset [...]

Posted in Small House & Modular Comments(0)

Every once in a while I am successful in negotiating with my family to have for dinner what I affectionately refer to as “LOs.”
By LOs I don’t mean Loan Originators, which is what/who the US Senate may be serving up with the current proposed bill S. 2452, Home Ownership Preservation and Protection Act of 2007. [...]

Posted in Mortgage Corner Comments(0)

Accounting fees for tax preparation services and IRS audits
Amortization of premium on taxable bonds
Appraisal fees for charitable donations or casualty losses
Appreciation on property donated to a charity
Cellular telephones
Cleaning and laundering services when traveling
Commissions and closing costs on sale of property
Contact lenses, eye glasses and hearing devices
Depreciation of home computers
Employee’s moving expenses
Federal estate tax on income [...]

Posted in Tips Comments(0)

Ratcheting Hex Wrench

A breakthrough in in hex wrenches. This complete set folds to pocket size. A pivot built into the hinge provides one-way torque to make tightening or loosening bolts easy squeezy. Great for bikes and car engines. Metric and standard available. The promo price is only $16.99 so grab one for yourself and one for [...]

Posted in Products Comments(0)

My husband won a 20 lb turkey in a drawing. Turkey isn’t traditional in Sweden and I’d never cooked my own. Thanksgiving Day dinner featured gumbo at my brother’s house so two days later we cooked a turkey dinner for friends. As we were shown how to cut the bird, rave reviews flowed between sips of 2003 [...]

Posted in Market Comments Comments(0)

Featured non-profit for November|December: Best Little Rabbit, Rodent & Ferret House
Sandi Ackerman founded the Best Little Rabbit, Rodent and Ferret House in 1996. She had been doing rabbit rescue/adoptions out of her home since 1987 and after being laid off of a job she’d been at for 10 years, she decided to find another job where [...]

Posted in Community Partnership Comments(0)

I learned about this book from my friend Judy. Judy’s best friend Hester Rumberg is the author of this remarkable true story. You won’t be able to put it down. Buy a copy for yourself and extras for special gifts.
Order from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Powells.com, Amazon.ca.
Twelve years ago on Thanksgiving weekend, something happened to a family that [...]

Posted in Local News Comments(0)

The Christmas Ship festival has been a Northwest tradition for 58 years. Its main purpose is to bring communities together to celebrate the holiday season. From our flotilla of ships to the crowds of people who gather onshore, this celebration is one of the gems of the holiday season.Each night, from December 1st through 23rd, [...]

Posted in Local News Comments(0)

At DNA 11 your body, your life, becomes your art. Visit their site to find out about DNA portraits (create artwork based on your genetic code); Fingerprint portraits (no two people have the same fingerprint, your unique touch is your art); Kiss portraits (your lips become fine art - you can even combine lips for [...]

Posted in Products Comments(0)

While many recover from tryptophan-induced food comas over the next few weeks, the looming question is bound to return:
What’s going on with the mortgage market?
Realistically we may see a few more after-shocks but most analysts agree that the major changes to the home loan industry have likely run their course. For homeowners and buyers in [...]

Posted in Buyers, Mortgage Corner Comments(0)