May 16, 2013

HFO Investment Real Estate

Johnson

HFO Investment Real Estate, a Portland firm that specializes in apartments, added Tyler Johnson as a partner broker. Johnson has worked in real estate for more than 10 years and has brokered more than $125 million in transactions. HFO said it uses a team approach where multiple brokers work together to represent a client. HFO said since 2005 it has represented more buyers and sellers of multifamily projects in Oregon and southern Washington than any other commercial Realtor.

Keller Williams Realty

Schroeder

Keller Williams Realty added three agents to its Bellevue office in April. Freddy Delgadillo was previously with Realty Executives, and Meagan Hall and Crystal Schroeder are starting their real estate careers. Keller Williams is based in Austin, Texas, and has more than 80,000 employees in 700 offices in the U.S. and Canada.

Blueprint Capital

Blueprint Capital, a Seattle-based residential construction lender, said its earnings were up 25 percent over this time last year. For the first quarter of this year, the company earned $1.2 million, compared to $961,227 for the first quarter of 2012. The company said it has made a profit in 13 straight quarters. Blueprint provides financing for developers planning small projects. The company said it funded 32 loans in the first quarter, worth $23.8 million.

Dow Hotel Co.

Amy Wiseman has been hired by Seattle-based Dow Hotel Co. as a project management administrator. She will coordinate design presentations and schedules for all projects. She was previously with LMN Architects where she performed similar duties. Dow Hotel Co. owns, manages and upgrades hotels throughout the country. It has 11 hotels under brands that include Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Sheraton and Crowne Plaza. Dow said it has more than $35 million in renovation projects underway. In the past 14 years, Dow Hotel said it has spent more than $150 million on hotel upgrades.

ULI offers tour of UW dorms

The Urban Land Institute is offering a tour of the University of Washington's new student housing projects at 4 p.m. June 4 at Alder Commons, 1310 N.E. 40th St. The western portion of the UW campus is being transformed through the construction of an eight-building, $160 million student housing project with a variety of dorm options. Tour leaders are: Rob Lubin, associate director for facilities and capital planning for UW Food and Housing Services; JR Fulton, capital projects and sustainability manager for Housing and Food Services; Troy Stahlecker, capital projects manager for the university; and Hal Ferris, principal of Spectrum Development. Tickets are $15 for ULI Young Leaders members, $20 for non-members under 35 and $25 for non-members over 35. There will be drinks and happy hour at Big Time Brewery after the tour. For more information, contact northwest@uli.org or 206-224-4500.

May 09, 2013

Keller Williams Realty

Crouch

Han

Barbon

Ashwood

Allen

Austin, Texas-based Keller Williams Realty has added 15 brokers to the greater Seattle office so far this year. Industry veterans Jan Horning, Susan Shorett, Sara Washburn and Scott Crouch joined the company. Keller Williams also hired Julie Allen, Tim Ashwood, Andrea Barbon, Christian Codd, Joe Darza, Jessica Drugge, Amy Farrow, Sandra Farrow, Sandra Firestein, Bert Han, Odina Kolsch and Ana Pereyra, all of whom are new to the industry. Keller Williams says it is the largest real estate franchise operation in the U.S. It has 700 offices and more than 80,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada.

Red Lion Hotels

Spokane-based Red Lion Hotels said it sold the Kalispell Center Mall in Kalispell, Mont., for $11.6 million. The buyer is an entity related to Salt Lake City-based Woodbury Strategic Partners and Spokane-based Goodale & Barbieri Co., two real estate development and investment companies. As part of the agreement, Red Lion will continue to run the attached 170-room hotel. The hotel has a fire place, an outdoor courtyard with a fire pit and whirl pool, a renovated solarium with an indoor pool and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. With this transaction, Red Lion has sold all of its non-hotel properties.

EMB Management

Associa's EMB Management, which provides services to homeowner associations and developers, has opened a new office in South Lake Union at 1100 Dexter Ave. N., Suite 100. Dallas-based Associa says it is North America's largest community association management firm. It has 8,000 employees and more than 150 offices in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

NAIOP forecast event May 15

A panel of real estate brokers will look into the crystal ball to forecast trends in local real estate at NAIOP's May 15 breakfast meeting. The event begins at 7 a.m. and is at the Four Seasons Seattle. J.J. Shephard, managing director at Jones Lang LaSalle will moderate. Panelists are Greg Inglin, senior vice president at Colliers International; Casey Trees, vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle; and Susie Detmer, senior director at Cushman & Wakefield Commerce. They will look at office, industrial and retail. Cost is $35 for members and $60 for nonmembers. For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/18tVLAV

CREW luncheon on McMenamin's Tacoma

Commercial Real Estate Women of Seattle and Sound will hold its first South Sound luncheon Tuesday, May 14, at 11:30 a.m. at Hotel Murano in Tacoma. A panel will discuss McMenamin's plans for the 100-year-old Elks Hall in Tacoma. The Oregon-based company plans to build 45 hotel rooms, space for live music, a ballroom, three restaurants and a brewery. Construction is expected to begin later this year. Heather Burgess, a founding partner of boutique real estate firm Phillips Wesch Burgess PLLC, will moderate. The panelists are: Bob Levin, economic development services division manager for the city of Tacoma; Grace Pleasants, director of Heritage Collection LLC and George Signori of Ankrom Moisan Architects in Portland. Cost is $45 for members and $65 for nonmembers. For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/12engLp

Windermere Real Estate

Seattle-based Windermere Real Estate added Hunter Properties of Bend, Ore., to its network. Windermere's Central Oregon team now includes more than 50 brokers in its Bend and Redmond offices. Hunter is owned by Lawnae Hunter, who has 35 years of experience in the industry including running a real estate company on California's Central Coast. Hunter is also adding a new partner: Tona Restine. Windermere has 300 offices and 7,000 employees in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Mexico.