Chamber Announces New Meeting Schedule

Beginning in January the Chamber will begin a new membership meeting schedule in hopes of including more of our members. We will be meeting on the second Wednesday of each month with alternating breakfast and lunch meetings. All meetings will be held at the Lake Stevens School District ESC, 12309 22nd Street NE, Lake Stevens WA 98258.

    • January 11 - Breakfast Meeting - 7:30 a.m.
    • February 8 - Lunch Meeting - 11:30 a.m.
    • March 14 - Breakfast Meeting - 7:30 a.m.
    • April 11 - Lunch Meeting - 11:30 a.m.
    • May 17 (Thursday) - Annual Leadership Breakfast
       - 7:30 a.m.
    • June 13 - Lunch Meeting - 11:30 a.m.
    • July 11 - Breakfast Meeting - 7:30 a.m.
    • August 8 - Lunch Meeting - 11:30 a.m.
    • September 12 - Breakfast Meeting - 7:30 a.m.
    • October 10 - Lunch Meeting - 11:30 a.m.
    • November 14 - Breakfast Meeting - 7:30 a.m.
    • December 12 - Lunch Meeting - 11:30 a.m.

Member Price $10, Non-Members $15. Click here for more info and to register and make online payment.

Business of the Month
Steve Strong, Broker
John L. Scott Real Estate • 425.308.1203
steves@johnlscott.com • www.johnlscott.com/steves
8933 Market Place Suite H, Lake Stevens WA 98258

2011 was an interesting year. There was a spike in sales over 2010, and a continuing decline in values although it seems to be making the turn somewhat. Median values for houses in the South County are consistent while North County seems to continue taking a hit on these values. The median value for homes in the county has bounced around between $230,000 and $250,000 while Lake Stevens was between $205,000 and $225,000. In April of 2011 Lake Stevens had a median value for houses at $225,000, followed by $216,598 in May, and $205,000 being the lowest point in June. Median house values for the month of November 2011 were $215,175.

Snohomish County has 181 more sales for November 2011 than a year ago. The market seems to be on fire now. The prices seem to be stabilizing in most communities, and the interest rates are the best we have seen in our lifetime. Most of my buyers are purchasing a home without a down payment whether they use the popular government backed USDA loan, or a VA loan. The USDA loan is a favorite in Lake Stevens because everything selling east of Highway 9 qualifies for a USDA loan based on the location, making Lake Stevens even a more desirable place to live.

Whether you are buying or selling, or you know someone who is, that you think may need the services of a real estate broker, I can help you. I take great pride in being the best I can be in providing people with the best service(s) available. My experience in business being a professional builder (25 years) before being a real estate broker and knowing so much about homes really helps to make the smart, educated decision either buying or selling. And after having real estate brokers work for me as a seller for so many years; I learned firsthand and at great expense, what the difference is between a good real estate broker and one that isn’t. Use that to your advantage, protect your pocketbook, and use me in your next sale or purchase. My phone is always on; call me at (425) 308-1203.

Bipartisan legislation results in lower rates for workers, employers

OLYMPIA (Dec. 1) – Today Gov. Chris Gregoire will announce that new unemployment taxes and workers’ compensation rates in Washington will be much lower than expected, thanks in large part to reforms passed earlier this year.

“This is the great news our workers, employers and those looking for jobs in our state have been waiting for,” said Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry, Republican leader on the Senate Labor, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. “Lowering payroll taxes for our struggling employers – which reduces the cost for them to hire – is a major step in getting Washingtonians back to work and breathing life back into this state’s economy.”

Workers’ compensation and unemployment-insurance taxes represent one of the greatest barriers to job creation and retention. In February the Legislature passed Senate Bill 5135 and House Bill 1091, which together provided both temporary relief and permanent restructuring of the UI system. The tax restructuring in both new laws are based upon Holmquist Newbry’s “UI smoothing” proposal from 2010. Had these reforms not been adopted, even employers who had no layoffs could have faced a rate jump of more than 40 percent.

North Davies Mini Roundabouts

Some drivers really like them and some are still getting use to them, but they are likely here to stay: the modern roundabout intersection. Currently the City has only two roundabouts on Lundeen Parkway. This will soon change as the State Department of Transportation is developing two more on SR 92 at 99th Avenue NE and 113th Avenue NE that are expected to be in construction in 2013. In addition the City is considering the construction of two more next year in the Lake Stevens Center on North Davies at Vernon Road and at the north access of Frontier Village. The North Davies roundabouts or RABs are planned to be "mini roundabouts".

So what is a "mini" RAB? It is exactly what the name implies: a smaller version of the modern RAB. It functions the same as the larger RABs and provides most of the same benefits. Where it really differs, besides being smaller, is it can be constructed within the existing limits of some intersections and has a center island that can be driven over. A mini RAB requires little to no reconstruction of an existing intersection. To install one requires the placement of a small center intersection island, restriping of the pavement, and the installation of signs. Work is expected to take about one week from start to finish with good weather. The cost for these two mini RAB is estimated at $25,000.

The idea for these two RAB came about as a subtask in the process of the subarea plan effort that the City began in 2010 to help improve the economical and job sustainability for the Lake Stevens community. The subarea looks at long range planning for the area but it was recognized that some improvements were needed now. This effort is how to protect the existing businesses and jobs within the City until redevelopment and long range transportation improvement will be performed. Most particularly in need of transportation improvements right now is the Frontier Village area where circulation is very challenging. The effort to get to this decision involved public outreach, meeting with businesses, and developing short range circulation concepts. While this effort is still in process for a short range transportation concept plan, early modeling of the concepts demonstrated an immediate need and benefit for the two intersections along North Davies. It was considered that the two mini RABs were needed for safety and capacity and were within a do-able budget limit.

While not all intersections are good candidates for mini RABs, these two intersections appear to fit well for this type of improvement. The City has been fortunate to have been selected by the Federal Highways Department of Transportation to model these intersections for a national study. The initial modeling results by the Feds, base of existing operating mini RAB throughout the nation, are showing these two sites to be good candidates.

"The problems with circulation of the Frontier Village area has existed long before the City annexed this area." said Mayor Vern Little. "Part of the long range subarea plan for the Lake Stevens Center is expected to address these traffic circulation problems in the future but some action is needed now to help traffic movement until the subarea plan is implemented. The North Davies mini roundabouts are a first step in an early action in this direction. We are excited about the prospect of what these could mean to our community in protecting our businesses and helping them grow."

Announcing New Business Name
Williams Real Estate Brokers

Juanita and son Kevyn Williams are very happy to announce that we have changed the name of our real estate brokerage.

We are now proudly called Williams Real Estate Brokers and are very happy with the change. We are located in Lake Stevens in the shopping center with fellow Chamber members Luca’s Italian Restaurant, Foster Press, Community Escrow, Merry Maids and TK Enterprises. After years of being with a national franchise, this has given us a chance to make decisions for our business on a local level.

Williams Real Estate Brokers is a full service brokerage. When we list your property, as members of the multiple listing service, it gives us the tools to make your property available to all the participating real estate brokerages as well. We can show all homes that are listed in the Puget Sound area as well, not just our listings. This gives you, as the buyer, many more options. We pride ourselves in advertising in all of the leading real estate magazines to give our clients as much exposure as possible.

Our staff is experienced in the short sale process and in bank owned properties as well as being a HUD Broker which allows us to show and sell HUD owned properties. With a network of past relationships, we also have a wide referral network, whether it is for your out-of- town or out-of-state property. Call us at 425-334-1600 for all your real estate needs.

Business Email Etiquette

Email is my favorite way to communicate since it doesn’t interrupt someone like a phone call can, but it seems that lately I have been hearing a lot about different peoples “pet-peeves” with email communication, so I thought I would include a few basic etiquette rules that I have researched in this area . . .

Remember, few people like “spam”: When sending unsolicited e-mails, make sure that there is value to the recipient. If you don't, they may very well consider it “spam” (Internet lingo for junk mail), and delete it unread. Whenever possible get the recipient’s permission, or at least ensure that they know the e-mail is coming. Did you know that federal law “requires senders of commercial email to provide recipients with the ability to opt out of receiving more email?” This can be done with an “unsubscribe” button, or a disclosure sentence giving the option (and instructions) to be removed from receiving further emails.

Answer swiftly: Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the customer's mind at rest and usually customers will then be very patient!

Do not attach unnecessary files: By sending large attachments you can annoy customers and even bring down their e-mail system. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send attachments when they are productive.

Do not overuse Reply to All: Only use Reply to All if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message.

Do not overuse the high priority option: We all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its function when you really need it. Moreover, even if a mail has high priority, your message will come across as slightly aggressive if you flag it as 'high priority'.

Use active instead of passive: Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will process your order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily formal.

Use a signature that includes contact information: To ensure that people know who you are, include a signature that has your contact information, including your mailing address, web site, and phone numbers.

SHOP LOCAL
The Best Bargains Could Be Just Around The Corner

Support Your Local Merchants!

Why Shop Locally . . . Every time you make a purchase, you’re exercising power of choice. The choice is yours—you have the power to strengthen and enrich your community. Independent businesses provide meaningful service with a personal touch. It matters to them that you are satisfied and will come back again.

Make a decision to find and patronize a locally-owned business whenever possible. Nothing beats knowing the owner by name and getting tips on new inventory or a sale item; it is well worth it.