Jun. 10, 2006 - From a RainCityGuide.com reader

********Growing up in Texas I always thought that Texans were just the nicest people around, what with that “southern hospitality” and all… but after our recent cross-country move to Kirkland, I am so glad to find that kindness can be found almost anywhere. Just about everyone here has been so very helpful in getting us settled in and feeling welcome. But it was a long hard road to get this far.

For starters, I was getting married… yes, planning a wedding and a cross-country move, at the same time. Not to mention, getting my husband ready for his new job, quitting mine and starting the search for a new one here, trying to sell everything we own, and of course finding a place to live—a great neighborhood as well as a home.

About two months before the move I began to scour the internet for a realtor and began attempting to make contact. I got all my information together, needs and wants… a small house, within an hour of the airport, a yard for the dog. And I planned a trip to the area one month before the move, and just days after the honeymoon, so that I could see as many houses as possible in one weekend. I thought I was so prepared… unfortunately, no one responded back; no one wanted to help “just a rental.”

In Houston, this is unheard of. Any person at any time could contact any realtor and look at any house they wanted. Almost all rentals in the city are listed in the MLS and could be found at HAR.com. Renting a home was easy; I was shocked to find this was not the case elsewhere.

Finally, I got a response. Ardell DellaLoggia was kind enough to help explain the way things worked, or didn’t work, around here. She kindly informed me that I would be on my own and that a realtor would be of no help… Property Management Companies (who did not work weekends), craigslist, newspapers, etc. would be my best resource. Little did she know I would nag her to the point that she herself would become my best resource.

My trip was fast approaching and I had no homes to see, no contacts waiting, and no hope of finding a home. The Property Management Companies wanted little to do with managing their properties and without really knowing the area, listings online and in the papers were of little help. How was I to know what neighborhoods are bad or too far or too expensive?

After a few more emails back and forth Ardell convinced me to check out the Eastside. And after a few more emails, she decided to lend me one of her realtors for the day. Ardell and Gwen Youch spent a day going over any listings they could find and organizing my trip. Upon my arrival, I went directly to Ardell’s home in Kirkland, was fed lunch, and then was driven around town to examine, not only a list of homes, but of the neighborhoods they love. We saw parks and shopping centers and homes that they would not even make a commission off of. It was a wonderful trip and we ended the day with new friends and TWO possibilities for our new home.

I don’t know where I’d be right now if it weren’t for Ardell and Gwen, probably not here in Kirkland. Granted, my home here is half the size and more expensive than my home was in Houston, but that, I suppose is really beyond their control. I cannot thank these ladies enough for their help and we look forward to never again attempting to rent in the Seattle area, maybe buying will be a little easier…


Enjoy, mls

Jun. 10, 2006 - re: From a RainCityGuide.com reader