Diffusing the Rage – How Childhaven Helped Seth Learn to Be Considerate

Some children are constantly overflowing fountains of energy who resist any attempts to rein them in. When a child named Seth first came to Childhaven, he was so out of control, his teachers feared for his safety.

He would leap up on tables and windowsills, hurling curse words and insults at anyone in earshot. He would ball up his fists as he snatched toys from other kids. Nothing his teachers did to try to calm him

worked — until they gave him a special paper bag.

“OK, Seth, put all those words in that paper bag and throw it away,” a teacher said.

Something clicked in that moment. Slowly but surely, he quit swearing. He started listening when his teachers would say, “Use your words. Ask for a hug if you need one.” He began asking to take a turn with toys he wanted to play with. He even started trying to comfort his teachers when they were having a tough time with a child. He would say: “I care about you. Are you OK?”

Like any 4-year-old, Seth would still misbehave sometimes. But when he realized he had done something to hurt a friend, he would approach them and ask, “How do you feel? What can I do to make you feel better?”

As kindergarten neared, he learned his letters and numbers. He could sit through stories at circle time, and he beamed proud smiles when he mastered the monkey bars. When he left Childhaven, his teachers were sad to see him go, which is incredible considering how he behaved when he first arrived.

This sort of transformation with troubled children is easier at younger ages, and it changes the entire direction of their lives.

These are the kinds of amazing stories that inspire us to donate a substantial portions of our income from every home sale to the marvelous people at Childhaven. Your business and referrals help the kids at Childhaven.

Are Sellers on Vacation? In January?

It’s funny how real estate can be perceived as one of the most stable and volatile industries, all at the same time. Most of the volatility, however, is only perception, not reality. But sometimes, that perception seems to play too big a role in people’s decisions.

Which may help explain the very low number of new homes listed in January this year.

January 2023 saw fewer new homes put up for sale in King County than in any of the last ten years, as the chart shows. That includes the covid years, and all the boom years leading up to it.

But if you look at the data, the evidence is clear that the first quarter of each year is a great time for sellers. I highlighted the first quarter of each year on the chart on the back page, so that you can see how fast the market picks up speed every year at that time.

During this first quarter, the market is full of eager buyers, many of them brand new to the market. At the same time inventory levels are at their lowest. So the active sellers have less competition, while enjoying the high demand from the buyers. As the year progresses, competition from other sellers will increase, as it does every spring and summer. Bottom line – Q1 is a great time to sell!

But this does not mean that you can skip on the basics. To maximize the sale, the house needs to be prepared correctly, it needs to be priced correctly, and proper marketing still matters.

Do you know someone who is considering buying or selling? Then please send them our way! Our 5-step system for sellers lays out the plan for selling fast and for the most amount of money. And our 3-step system for buyers will make sure that you get the home that you want at the best deal. Have them call me at 206-779-9808, and we’ll be sure to take great care of them. And remember that your business and referrals help support the kids at Childhaven.