LOCAL MARKET UPDATE

Despite an uptick in inventory, home prices hit new records in June yet again. A national study showed that home prices are rising faster in Washington than any other state. While lower interest rates provide some relief for buyers, sellers are the real winners. The increase in inventory indicates that more homeowners are starting to take advantage of this historic seller’s market.

Read the full Local Market Update, including statistics for the Eastside, Seattle, King County and Snohomish County.

KING COUNTY

July Neighborhood Update / Eastside Equestrian Life

If you’d like information on your specific neighborhood, give me a call and I’ll be happy to send you a report.

The Timeless Appeal of the Equestrian Life

July Eastside Equestrian Life

This month I was honored to have been asked to write a blog piece on equestrian style for Windermere and I’d like to share the article with you. To shop the looks I featured please go to www.OSApparel.com

Recently, I put my well-worn paddock boots away for a weekend and treated myself to a trip to New York. Though I love my horses and thoroughly enjoy taking care of them (yep, I even enjoy mucking their stalls!), I needed a little vacation, and New York is my version of Disneyland so off I went. It had been a few years since my last visit to the Big Apple and, as I walked the streets happily window shopping and people watching, I just had to giggle to myself. No matter what part of town I was in – Soho, Midtown, Upper Eastside – I saw well-dressed ladies wearing tall riding boots, snaffle-bit style belts and purses with a distinctly “horsey” feel to them.

Lexi and “Vincent” owned by Karen Halverson

Bronte Jacket with Fox and Horn Scarf
Photo: O’Shaughnessey Appare

Lexi and “Hampton”

Bronte Jacket with Fox and Horn Scarf
Photo: O’Shaughnessey Appare

It struck me, in the midst of a big bustling city where the only horses are the giant stone ones gracing the façades of old buildings and the few scattered cart horses pulling excited tourists through Central Park, that no matter who you are or where you live, the equestrian lifestyle has ubiquitous appeal. We all know that Ralph Lauren played a big role in defining this style in America, and clearly his influence has not dampened in decades but rather given inspiration to dozens of new designers creating in the same milieu. Lauren has built an empire on equestrian life images but, let’s face it, none of the folks running around in his famous Polo shirt just left a match. It’s probably safe to say that the majority of folks wearing a Polo have never even been to a match, and most polo players are probably not wearing Ralph Lauren (sorry Ralph). So, what is this appeal?
I don’t think it’s simply because equestrian sports are often favored by the mega wealthy, and hence that wearing equestrian-styled clothing somehow puts one in a league with the rich and famous. I believe it’s also about the feeling you get when you are near a horse. Horses have a regal quality and it is they who give meaning to the sport and the lifestyle. A horse would just as soon throw a prince off his back as a pauper. Likewise, he will just as likely love and care for a little girl astride his back for the very first time as the 90-year-old Queen of England. Being in the presence of a horse makes us feel special, and who doesn’t like feeling special?

Pure and simple, horses are magic and we all want a little more magic in our lives. Horses have carried us through war and peace, pleasure and competition. And even if you can’t have one to call your very own, wearing horse-inspired apparel makes us feel special, refined, and maybe even a little bit powerful. Just like the beautiful animals we so admire.

KiamaLise Herres is an equestrian properties specialist with Windermere Equestrian Living. She lives in Fall City, WA with her husband, two children, three horses, four dogs, one barn cat and a very sassy goat.

Lexi and “Vincent” owned by Karen Halverson

Tara Hacking Jacket and Leila Ombre Scarf
Photo: O’Shaughnessey Apparel