Blog
Edith Macefield: Legend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1NLzBGJavc Remember that scene from the Disney/Pixar movie Up? The beloved old man, pressured by developers to sell his home and move? He thwarts their plans with a few thousand helium balloons, and the story turns out happy. Edith Macefield inspired that story. Edith Macefield of our very own Ballard, Washington. She had lived in…
Gals in the Neighborhood: Quiet Reforms
The Good Shepherd Center doesn’t appear on the five o’clock news, and it’s not a tourist destination. If you tell your friends about it, only a few will know the name. The Good Shepherd Center is quiet. It’s quiet in the same way Ella Baker was quiet, and Harry Hay was quiet, and David Brower…
A Day With the Gals: Sell Condo, Buy House
Brian and Kim played it close. But when you’re starting out, sometimes you don’t have a nice cushion in your bank account. Sometimes you need to play it close. Sometimes you need to take risks. But when those risks don’t pay off… that’s when you can find yourself in a rough spot. As with most of…
Gals in the Neighborhood: Everyone Wants Discovery
Everyone wants into Discovery Park. It’s the largest green space in Seattle, with more than 500 acres(!) and 2 miles of beautiful beaches. It hides out in Magnolia, a neighborhood that already hides from the rest of Seattle, but the drive is worth it. The park’s guest list is proof. That list includes: Military (Fort…
A Day with the Gals: Roots
Kevin and Hannah spent 2007 in Nicaragua. They did development work there, something they had wanted to do since college. They worked closely with communities there, and in those communities, they observed roots. Families who had lived in the same town for generations, and homes that held grandparents and parents and children. Seeing those roots…
Kevin H., Buyer, 2014
The Real Estate Gals team works very, very hard to exceed all of your expectations when it comes to navigating Seattle’s spicy real estate market. We were introduced to Johnine by friends in 2012; she helped them rise above multiple offers and buy their dream house in a high-demand neighborhood, which we saw as a…
The Sculptures of Fremont
You’ve probably seen them. Or if you haven’t, you’ve heard of them. The Troll, Lenin, Waiting for the Interurban. Fremont has some of the best-known sculptures in Seattle. But did you know THIS about them? The Fremont Troll Before the Fremont Troll moved in, the space beneath the Aurora Bridge was a dump site. Trash,…
Kathy H., Buyer, 2014
I bought my first home with Johnine in 2001. I was just starting out, and it was my first time buying a house. Johnine was a steady head and a steady hand throughout the whole process. I bought a second house with Johnine in 2007, and my third one this year. This last round took eighteen months,…
A Day With the Gals: A Steady Head and a Steady Hand
The Seattle real estate market was not a friendly place before the dotcom crash. It was competitive—even more competitive than now—and houses sold quick and they sold high. A perfect seller’s market. A terrible buyer’s market. Katie tried to find her first house in the middle of that market. A young, single woman looking for…
Gals in the Neighborhood: SLUT
Real Seattleites ride the SLUT. Or at least real Seattleites who work for Amazon and live near Westlake ride the SLUT. All 2.6 miles of her. SLUT, according to local knowledge, internationally famous T-shirts, and major news sources (including Ellen!), stands for South Lake Union Trolley. Poorly named? Maybe, but it’s the best advertising you…
A Day with the Gals: Friends
Lauren and her husband made a list. Portland, Boston, Seattle. A few other cities, too. The couple had good jobs, they did not have kids, and the dot-com bubble had yet to burst. They could move anywhere. Away from Texas and to the East Coast, or the West Coast—anywhere they wanted. It was a luxury, and…
Gals in the Neighborhood: The Trick Behind Green Lake
Say what you will about Green Lake’s algae and water quality—the place is a people magnet. It’s the busiest park in all of Washington, with more than a million visitors annually, and it’s attracted more than its share of celebrities. • Sean Penn jogged the 2.8-mile track around the lake • “The World’s Greatest Athlete”…