Welcome to our website! Feel free to look around . . . some pages are in better shape than others, but all of them help to give you a feel for the Seattle real estate market, information on some of our communities, and a little bit about us.

We have a particular eye for evaluating homes for livability and functionality, regardless of style: classic Craftsman garden homes, post-WWII war boxes and sixties splits, architecturally significant modern dwellings; Cynthia's MFA degree and construction background comes in very handy here! If you're shopping for a good buyer’s agent, and you like what you see here — then do drop us an email or give us a call at (206) 795-9271.

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EPA's “Lead-Safe” Program

Every year, over 300,000 children aged 1-5 are found to have unsafe levels of lead in their blood. The most common form of exposure comes from exposure to lead dust from renovation work in pre-1978 homes.

Effective April 22, 2010, contractors working on pre-1978 homes are required to be trained and certified in lead-safe practices.

These simple, low-cost, and common-sense steps can be taken by homeowners performing their own work in older homes, and a guide is available from the EPA website, describing workspace preparation, containment, and worker protection.

The current “action level” for lead in children is 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood; the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC) found that the average lead level on one square meter of interior carpet in a remodeled home was 35,100 micrograms.

For more information:
EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting
WTC “Reducing Exposure to Lead in Older Homes”

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Headlines from our blog:

We are also contributors to the Seattle Real Estate Professionals blog at the website for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer!

Blogs we like:
Lake & Company Real Estate Blog Where many of the city's top agents discuss topical real estate matters in a forthright and honest manner!

Northwest Cheapsleeps where favorite places for budget travelers throughout Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia are discussed and reviewed!

The Tangled Nest celebrates the “new home economics” — an essential twining of home, garden, food, craft, and co-existence with the wild, natural world. Lyanda Lynn Haupt's new book, Crow Planet, is available in local bookstores nationwide!

Asian Lifestyle Design Jenny Hones shares ideas on Feng Shui, Interior Design, Culture and Cooking!

Upcoming events we like:

Summer Shakespeare In The Park
As You Like It / Romeo & Juliet
July 9 - August 14, Various locations
Thursdays through Sundays, at several locations.
See schedule and locations!

At the Intiman - 201 Mercer in Seattle Center
Ruined (through August 15) — The most acclaimed new play of last year takes audiences to a rain forest bar-and-brothel in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, where young women can find refuge from the chaos and violence that surround them.

Click here for a list of upcoming local plant sales!

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About Cynthia & Mack:

Ex-New Yorkers, they now live in a Belltown condo, after living in a garden home in Whittier Heights from 1988 to 2006. They have a combined thirty-five years of experience helping people buy and sell residential real estate throughout Seattle.

Cynthia is recognized throughout the gardening and real estate communities as a leading expert in marketing Northwest garden homes.

In partnership with Brian Tschider of Cobalt Construction, they developed the AIA award-winning 42nd Street Condos, and were feted at Dwell Magazine's first annual Nice Modernists' Awards at New York's Cooper-Hewitt Museum in 2002. They have been rated Five Star (Best In Client Satisfaction) Agents by Seattle Magazine, and, most importantly: they are dedicated to exceeding your expectations for honesty, integrity, and expertise.

Services for Buyers: Cynthia & Mack offer comprehensive Buyer Brokerage services, usually at no fee to the buyer!

One area where they are especially useful is in helping homebuyers evaluate properties for livability. Often, home shoppers will be so focused on the specifics (bedroom count, square footage), that they may not be able to recognize the attributes that make some homes much more livable than others.

Another area where they are valuable is in helping buyers “see past the internet photos.” While a picture may be worth a thousand words, a few 72-dpi thumbnails may not tell the entire story of a particular property.

Cynthia & Mack also have the expertise to alert clients to many potential problems (and solutions) before buyers get emotionally involved. After the selection process comes negotiating the transaction, offering referrals to service providers (including lenders, inspectors, title and escrow) — essentially, it’s guiding buyers through the entire process and helping them get the home that best suits their needs! This approach to their practice has resulted in hundreds of happy clients over the years!

Cynthia’s particular specialty is organic gardens (and the houses they come with!). For Mack (native Manhattanite), it's the in-city condo life. Both of them are committed to make finding that dream home as easy as is humanly possible!

Services for Sellers: Cynthia & Mack provide complete sales services, from pre-listing preparation strategies (you’d be surprised how many people spend ‘way too much money on things that don’t really make a difference in the end), to full-color brochures, on-line presentation, and advertising specifically targeted to real estate agents and their buyers. We invite you to allow Cynthia & Mack to meet with you if you’re considering offering your home for sale - they are agents who are truly committed to adding value to the transaction!

Find out more about them on their "About Us" Page!