Comments for Seattle Housing Buzz http://seattlehousingbuzz.com a Seattle Real Estate Blog Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:26:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 Comment on Seattle - A fading star? by Ben http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-164305 Ben Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:41:18 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-164305 The company was goner when she decided to sell the Plaza. The company was goner when she decided to sell the Plaza.

]]> Comment on Seattle - A fading star? by Sue http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-164300 Sue Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:21:18 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-164300 It's about the $. Safeco's stock was hovering around the $44 mark when they were threatened with the potential for a hostile takeover.....I don't think Paula wanted to loose the company on her watch but the drop in financial sector stock prices put the companies value proposition way above that price (since Safeco apparently had little or no exposure to the mortgage debacle in their portfolios yet took the stock price hit along with the industry as a whole). Do the math! If they had done a hostile it might have gone to the $50-60 range vs the $68.50 offerred. What stockholders in this market would hold out against a guarenteed gain of this magnitude? I don't think Paula Reynolds "Pillaged" anything...there were genuine tears when she announced it to the employee ranks. Who wants their legacy as a CEO to be "I lost the ship on my watch". It’s about the $. Safeco’s stock was hovering around the $44 mark when they were threatened with the potential for a hostile takeover…..I don’t think Paula wanted to loose the company on her watch but the drop in financial sector stock prices put the companies value proposition way above that price (since Safeco apparently had little or no exposure to the mortgage debacle in their portfolios yet took the stock price hit along with the industry as a whole). Do the math! If they had done a hostile it might have gone to the $50-60 range vs the $68.50 offerred. What stockholders in this market would hold out against a guarenteed gain of this magnitude? I don’t think Paula Reynolds “Pillaged” anything…there were genuine tears when she announced it to the employee ranks. Who wants their legacy as a CEO to be “I lost the ship on my watch”.

]]> Comment on Seattle - A fading star? by Ben http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-163972 Ben Fri, 01 Aug 2008 01:04:25 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-163972 My nostalgia for Safeco diminished after the 2003 layoff round, McG's golden parachute and Paula's pillage of the company, so my "yes" vote was about money...$68 plus change per share. My nostalgia for Safeco diminished after the 2003 layoff round, McG’s golden parachute and Paula’s pillage of the company, so my “yes” vote was about money…$68 plus change per share.

]]> Comment on Seattle - A fading star? by ethan http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-163964 ethan Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:43:47 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/07/seattle-a-fading-star#comment-163964 can i ask why you voted for the sale? it seems antithetical to all the stereotypical "seattle" morays: small business, local options, etc. not that safeco was really part and parcel to that mentality to any large degree, but i'm curious why you think that the sale was a good idea. in other news, however, microsoft (not technically seattle, i guess, but certainly associated with us, even if the city proper doesn't collect taxes directly) is doing fine. amazon is moving into new digs far more central to the city. seattle is bearing the recession like any other major city, i think. maybe a little worse since weird kind of "mid tier" as far as cities go, so people are looking for more fertile ground in larger places, but it doesn't seem like things are dire just yet. can i ask why you voted for the sale? it seems antithetical to all the stereotypical “seattle” morays: small business, local options, etc. not that safeco was really part and parcel to that mentality to any large degree, but i’m curious why you think that the sale was a good idea.

in other news, however, microsoft (not technically seattle, i guess, but certainly associated with us, even if the city proper doesn’t collect taxes directly) is doing fine. amazon is moving into new digs far more central to the city.

seattle is bearing the recession like any other major city, i think. maybe a little worse since weird kind of “mid tier” as far as cities go, so people are looking for more fertile ground in larger places, but it doesn’t seem like things are dire just yet.

]]> Comment on More trouble ahead for Countrywide by Ben http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/more-trouble-ahead-for-countrywide#comment-158954 Ben Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:53:45 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/more-trouble-ahead-for-countrywide#comment-158954 The post seems to over simplify the market place, focusing on one poorly selling project in Bothell. Fortunately, the Seattle area condo market is fairing better than single family homes. Though, many condo projects, especially within Seattle proper, are facing difficulties as well. The post seems to over simplify the market place, focusing on one poorly selling project in Bothell. Fortunately, the Seattle area condo market is fairing better than single family homes. Though, many condo projects, especially within Seattle proper, are facing difficulties as well.

]]> Comment on More trouble ahead for Countrywide by Dan http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/more-trouble-ahead-for-countrywide#comment-158474 Dan Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:46:19 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/more-trouble-ahead-for-countrywide#comment-158474 It's about time! Speaking of Seattle, looks like the prices are seeing pretty big drops: http://www.geldpress.com/2008/07/seattle-condo-pain/ It’s about time! Speaking of Seattle, looks like the prices are seeing pretty big drops:
http://www.geldpress.com/2008/07/seattle-condo-pain/

]]> Comment on NWMLS Revises Online Data Display Policy by Jim Reppond http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/nwmls-revises-online-data-display-policy#comment-145887 Jim Reppond Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:31:05 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/06/nwmls-revises-online-data-display-policy#comment-145887 Another new display feature I love a lot is that now NWMLS members can see who the Selling Agent is, not just the office. It's a required field when you change to Pending. Another new display feature I love a lot is that now NWMLS members can see who the Selling Agent is, not just the office. It’s a required field when you change to Pending.

]]> Comment on Market Spurs Inventive Sales Idea by drboyce http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea#comment-145775 drboyce Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:42:40 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea#comment-145775 That has to be the dumbest idea I've ever seen - sounds like a "regular" listing that's over priced to begin wit...all you do on it is lower the price every 2-3 weeks anyways!!! In Austin Texas real estate, we just sell houses the 'regular' way. That has to be the dumbest idea I’ve ever seen - sounds like a “regular” listing that’s over priced to begin wit…all you do on it is lower the price every 2-3 weeks anyways!!! In Austin Texas real estate, we just sell houses the ‘regular’ way.

]]> Comment on Market Spurs Inventive Sales Idea by Ben http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea#comment-131028 Ben Fri, 30 May 2008 05:32:04 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea#comment-131028 Yup. It's essentially different spin on the process. Though, this guy is selling FSBO so he doesn't have the benefit of the MLS. His King5 interview was a great way to draw attention to the property. Yup. It’s essentially different spin on the process. Though, this guy is selling FSBO so he doesn’t have the benefit of the MLS. His King5 interview was a great way to draw attention to the property.

]]> Comment on Market Spurs Inventive Sales Idea by Jason http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea#comment-130987 Jason Fri, 30 May 2008 03:25:05 +0000 http://seattlehousingbuzz.com/2008/05/market-spurs-inventive-sales-idea#comment-130987 Don't most decent real estate web sites let you watch a property, getting e-mail alerts when prices drop? Don't most sane sellers drop prices gradually to attract interest, setting their own floor price? Don’t most decent real estate web sites let you watch a property, getting e-mail alerts when prices drop? Don’t most sane sellers drop prices gradually to attract interest, setting their own floor price?

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