The Lake Stevens Education Foundation was established in 1993, as a collaboration between parents, teachers, community members, and administrators, to help local schools continue to provide children from Lake Stevens homes with a well-rounded education. Since its founding, the LSEF has coordinated donations from the United Way, matched business contributions, and individual donations from community members. Funds are used for classroom grants, school-wide activities and events, individual scholarships, and tutoring programs. The foundation also started the Academic Beginnings for Children program, to give every child a strong start in school.

On Saturday, March 19th, the LSEF will hold its annual fundraiser. Everyone from Lake Stevens homes is invited to come to the Blue Heron Room at the Waterfront Center, Port of Everett for an evening of good food and fun from 6 to 10 p.m. Enjoy tastings of fine wines, beer, and spirits. Bid generously at the silent auction, and enter to win great raffle prizes. The evening promises to be a night to remember. Tickets are just $50, and all proceeds from the evening go to support the students, teachers, and schools of Lake Stevens.

To learn more about the work of the foundation, to donate, or to purchase tickets visit the Lake Stevens Education Foundation online.

It is refreshing to see how much those who live in Snohomish take pride in their community. One such example is the upcoming Spring Clean-up that will take place on March 19th, 2016 from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. This is the 12th year for this event hosted by The City of Snohomish Parks Department. This happens every year to get the parks and downtown area ready for all of the activity of spring and the Easter Parade that will be held on Saturday, March 26th. A few of the areas that volunteers will be cleaning up are The Centennial Trail, local Snohomish schools, and the downtown area.

This event brought together more than 450 people who live in Snohomish and the surrounding area last year. Let’s all come out to beat that record this year. Anyone needing community service hours, especially high school seniors needing to get hours in before graduation can earn them during this event. Contact Mike Johnson at johnsonm@snohomishwa.gov or Joe Hopper at hopper@snohomishwa.gov or call 360-568-7070 to pre-register.  Learn more at the Spring Clean-Up webpage. Those who wish to sign up on the day of the event can come to the Hal Moe Pool parking lot beginning at 8:30 a.m. Come meet some neighbors, make new friends, and make the city of Snohomish shine.

Lake Stevens, Everett, Snohomish, Monroe Washington Home Owners don't know how much equity they have in their homes and how much real estate values have increased over the last few years.

Darin Persinger, host of http://insiderealestateshow.com shares his insights on this topic and real estate in this episode. 

Are Lake Stevens, Everett, Snohomish, Monroe Washington Home Owners Clueless About Home Equity & Real Estate Values? | Inside Real Estate Show #23

This according to a CNBC article that states, "57% of homeowners said they believe their home value has improved in the last three years, but the majority, 80% underestimated the amount of value it has gained..."

The reason you need to know how much your home value is appreciating is knowing if you have equity to pull out - maybe in the form of HELOC - to updates, remodels and general upkeep of your property.

• Or perhaps you need to use your home equity for debt consolidation. 
• Or maybe you are wanting to sell your home so you can move and buy a new home.
• Or maybe it's just for general knowledge of being up to date with your current net worth. 

Go “Back to Future” and spend some recreational time at Let’s Play Cafe. Located on a little piece of Monroe real estate at 214 N. Lewis Street this flashback venue is wall to wall memories and fun. Focusing on the culture of the 1970’s and 1980’s, Let’s Play Cafe boasts a retro arcade and a designated zone for board game play. In the arcade, gamers have plenty to choose from. Battle the stars in Asteroid or perfect reflexes on top quality pinball machines. Pac Man battles are still the rage, and don’t forget about some Dig Dug distraction. Race buddies around the track or speed down city streets in a variety of racing challenges. With over 50 games to play the action can last for hours. Following tradition, arcade games require tokens for use, and many only require one. For those living in Monroe real estate who prefer to unplug, board games are plentiful. Grab a gaming table and play a hand or two of cards, or challenge a buddy to checkers or chess. Younger generations are also represented with Pokemon cards and more modern diversions to engage in.

On the way out, visit the gift shop stocked with classic games perfect for bring back to Monroe homes for future family game nights. Let’s Play Cafe hours are Sunday through Thursday from 12 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to midnight. Plan a party at the Let’s Play Cafe. Tables are available for reservations and include all decorations and a set amount of tokens. For more information check out the Let's Play Cafe website.

Finding the home you want to buy home is just the beginning of the real estate buying process and real estate transaction. 

Finding the home is the easy part. The hard part, complicated part is actually buying the home. 

Realtor, Darin Persinger, host of http://insiderealestate.com shares what you need to know about buying a home. 

If you are only searching online for homes, going out and looking at homes and focused on finding a home you want to buy, but do not know what happens next after you find your home, you are setting yourself up for a stressful home buying transaction, a crisis and possible overpaying in all sorts of different areas. 

Fishing is a favorite pastime for many Washington residents and for those living on a Lake Stevens property, Greg’s Custom Rods is the go to place for gear and more. A resource for novices and experienced anglers alike Greg’s always has the current fish report posted, and all the supplies needed for a good trip. Consistently stocked with top-notch merchandise for all sportsmen, the shelves in this shop are filled with reliable brands such as Daiwa, Abu Garcia, Mack Lures, Silver Horde and more. With rods, reels and lures aplenty whatever was left at home on a Lake Stevens property can be replaced here on the way to the water.

Fishing enthusiasts come to Greg’s for more than just supplies. Those delving deeper into the sport can take a rod building class and walk out the door with their own customized pole. Nothing can be more satisfying than reeling in a larger than life Pacific Northwest Salmon or Steelhead on a rod constructed by one’s own hands. Classes include expert instruction, workshop time and epoxy for the rod. All other required supplies are available for purchase beforehand. Attendance is limited and advance reservation is required so call the shop to reserve a spot today.

Open six days a week, Greg’s Custom Rods is closed on Sundays. The water is calling and the fish are waiting. Pick up a spinning lure or jig at Greg's Custom Rods and get out and get fishing near Lake Stevens real estate today.

Open Houses sell homes, right? An Open house is the best way to get real estate sold, right? Should your realtors hold an open house when selling your home?

According to the real estate shows, the fixer upper shows, the real estate flip shows on TV, all you do is put an open house sign in the home's yard, and the house is as good as sold. 

In this episode, (Episode 21) of the Inside Real Estate Show http://insiderealestateshow.com Darin Persinger, realtor and broker, at http://persingerrealestate.com shares what he calls "a cautionary tale" of a home for sale in his neighborhood and how there is an open house every single Sunday. 

Lisa Archer of http://livelovehomes.com chats with Darin Persinger of http://insiderealestateshow.com about how she got started in real estate, filming for HGTV and her expansion real estate team.

Lisa Archer Conversation | Inside Real Estate Show #020

Have you ever wondered how much reality is in those real estate shows on HGTV?

In this episode, Darin Persinger talks with a Realtor that has done a few episodes of HGTV real estate shows. They discuss what the filming is like, what production is like and how much of what you see is real. It's interesting, because what you don't see of course is the production and filming and behind the scenes of those HGTV shows. And that's kind of like what goes on with a real estate transaction for a home buyer or home seller. You don't see everything going on behind the scenes that the Realtor is doing to keep the real estate transaction moving along.

You can listen to this conversation on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-real-estate-show-darin/id1087114866?mt=2

Don't have iTunes, listen on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/darin/inside-real-estate-show-with-darin-persinger

Get to know the history of Monroe homes by visiting the Monroe Historical Society. Founded in 1976, the society houses its collection in the original City Hall, a historic part of Monroe real estate. A fascinating new artifact was added to the museum’s collection in October. The upright piano that was played in Monroe’s movie theaters during the era of silent films has been tuned and installed. Nellie Johnson Blakeslee was the piano player for many years, performing during silent films at theaters around the city. Museum director Chris Bee has been collecting and displaying Information about the old Avalon Theater adjacent to the piano. The theater opened in 1929 and showed the first “talkie” in 1930.

Tour Historic Monroe Real Estate

The historical society invites everyone from Monroe homes to visit the museum and browse the artifacts. It’s located at 207 East Main Street and is open Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. New volunteers are always welcome, as are new artifacts from the city’s past. Another way to experience Monroe’s history is to take the self-guided walking tour. The historical society has published a free pamphlet that contains photos of historic sites to compare with how they look today. Pick up a copy at the museum or download it at the society’s website. Be sure to visit the Monroe Historical Society online, where you can read articles on the settlement and development of the area and see many photographs that bring the past to life.