Francine Viola's Blog

 Yes, I’m reading a cookbook this month, which is kind of funny if you know me. I complain quite a bit about menu planning and going grocery shopping. In fact, when our local Fred Meyer started a grocery shopping service, I nearly cried tears of joy. (Of course, I had to write a blog post about i...

Every February, right around Valentine’s Day, Thurston County homeowners will receive in the mail a small postcard from the Assessor’s office with your new property tax assessment for the year. Most homeowners have their mortgage set up where the mortgage company collects property taxes in each m...

Olympia WA - one of many nature walks in the town. January 2020 in the Olympia WA (Thurston County) real estate market started off very strong with lots of buyer activity and positive equity gains for most sellers. The median home sales price in Thurston County is $342,787. The gains sellers are ...

 The Olympia WA (in Thurston County) January 2020 real estate marketplace is deep in a seller’s market.  With the low inventory and fewer choices for buyers, many sellers are seeing multiple offers and are receiving offers within hours of listing.  Most offers are over the asking price when buyer...

 Coldwell Banker is proud to be a winner of the 2020 Women’s Choice Award The Women’s Choice Award is the only award that recognizes and identifies brands that women recommend. And with women being key in real estate, this is a tremendous honor. Did you know...... · 91% of homebuying decisions ar...

 Here is the market at a glance for Thurston County WA, including the major cities of Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater. 2019 was a strong year for our local housing market. Why was 2019 such a strong year for the Olympia area housing market?  1. Strong Regional Job Market and Low Unemployment 2. Relat...

 January 2020 is starting out as the most robust seller’s real estate market we have seen in Olympia, WA in Thurston County.    There are currently less than 250 active listings for sale (a balanced market is about 1,200+ listings countywide). Thurston County is in the longest stretch of time in ...

Starting January 1, 2020, many home sellers in Thurston County, WA will see relief in their Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) that they pay to the state of Washington when they sell their home. In the past, most areas in Thurston County were taxed 1.78% (1.28% state tax rate + 0.50% local rate) of th...

The Biscuit House is on my very short list of favorite restaurants in the area. Why? Just the name itself implies delicious, comfort food at its best!   The location of the Biscuit House in Tumwater is a little unconventional. It's located in the Toyota dealership at their service department.  Al...

  Here is this year's tree at the Capitol rotunda in Olympia WA. The 34-foot Noble fir tree is outfitted with toys and games, keeping with this year's theme of "Timeless Toys."   When I was there today, a group was starting a tour. If you haven't taken a tour of the Capitol and grounds, I'd recom...