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One of the biggest challenges of relocating to a new area is finding a good, reputable auto repair shop. Murphy’s Law almost always guarantees that whenever you move to a new area, your car will start to act up. There are few things worse in life than having your car breakdown in a new town and not have the slightest clue where to take it.

If you have recently relocated to the Kitsap Peninsula in scenic Washington State, then you are most fortunate. Not only is Kitsap County WA a great place to live, but we also have one of the best auto repair shops right in our own backyard!

Town & Country Auto Repair, located in Bremerton WA right off of Hwy. 3 on Chico Way, has  been a welcomed Godsend to our family. When we moved to Silverdale WA, our kids were much younger and we only had one car – the consumate Soccer Mom vehicle – the Dodge Caravan. Now, as our kids have grown older, we have added 4 other cars to our collection! Several of them are very basic junkers - ”Point-A to Point-B,” high miles used cars (Two of which were thankfully donated by friends or family). Of course, the more cars you own, the greater your chances of needing repairs, especially for the ones held together by rust.

Without reservation, I highly recommend the expert mechanics at Town & Country Auto Repair, and for the following important reasons:

These guys are like the “Boy Scouts of Auto Repair!”

They’re Trustworthy – they always do what they say they’re going to do and “when” they say they’ll do it!

They’re Helpful – each one of their technicians has been professionally trained and certified. Several of them are specialists for various systems or vehicle makes. They are able to troubleshoot even the most challenging problems quickly.

They’re Friendly - you feel like you’re one of the family. They actually make you feel like you’re the most important customer they have!

They’re Thrifty - here’s an amazing concept: they’ll only do the work that is needed or necessary! They’ll give you options, but they never sacrifice on safety related issues. They don’t gouge their customers, but provide excellent work at a very reasonable price!

Okay, so they’re not Clean, but what would you expect from guys who crawl under cars all day!

So if your car or truck needs work, from a major engine or transmission overhaul, to a simple oil change, check out the boys at:

Town & Country Auto Repair, 3420 Chico Way NW, Bremerton WA 98312

(Corner of Chico Way & Erlands Point) (360) 692-2262

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, and Crabbing in the Hood.

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Posted in Bremerton WA Real Estate, Business Bites, Kitsap County Bites | 4 Comments »

Tags: automotive repair, bremerton WA, Kitsap County WA, town and country auto repair

In the early 80′s, after the Kitsap Mall was completed, growth in and around the Silverdale WA area literally exploded, and a badly needed retail mecca for residents was created. To this day, it has continued to attract many of the national chains and big box stores.

By far one of my favorites is the COSTCO Wholesale store here in Silverdale.

Founded by current CEO James Sinegal, and headquartered here in Issaquah, WA, COSTCO has over 500 locations worldwide, with nearly 125,000 employees.

Now granted, when you shop at COSTCO, you normally end up with about a 3- months supply. However, with a family like mine, having 3 teenage boys, a 3-months supply lasts about 3 days!

I realize with a “warehouse-style” store you lose some of the intimacy normally associated with smaller shopping venues. But the value and benefits that COSTCO offers, clearly outweighs it.

Let’s face it, while COSTCO does offer a wide variety of products, and at some very attractive prices, who are we kidding?

It’s ALL about the “FREE SAMPLES!”

Who cares if they’ve got the lowest priced milk in town. Just give me those free smoked weenies!

Seriously though, one of the things that really makes it easy and enjoyable to shop at COSTCO is their extremely liberal return policy. As long as you haven’t drop-kicked it across Montana or dragged it behind your car on the interstate, they’ll take it back, receipt or no receipt, and they refund you in CASH!

Then, you can take your money and run over to get one of those really inexpensive Jumbo Polish Dogs and fountain drink for only $1.50! Boy, it doesn’t get any better than that!

So, if you’re new to the area and looking for a place to stock up, make your way to the COSTCO Warehouse store in Silverdale, WA. And don’t forget the smoked weenie!

COSTCO Warehouse

10000 Mickelberry Road NW

Silverdale, WA 98383

(360) 692-1140

Regular Hours:

M-F  11:00am – 8:30pm

Sat.   9:30am – 6:00pm

Sun. 10:00am – 6:00pm

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation of clients throughout all of Kitsap County, and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him on KitsapLife.com and his fun hobby blog, Crabbing in the Hood.

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Tags: costco wholesale silverdale wa, kitsap county wa local business

One of the great things about being a real estate agent and living on the Kitsap Peninsula in scenic Washington State is that you’re surrounded by water and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Pacific Northwest

If you were familiar with the Puget Sound area you would know that it is one of the premier locations around the country for pleasure motor boating. From the Washington state capitol of Olympia, all the way up through the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia, boating enthusiasts are offered some of the finest waters and harbors in the world.

Here on the Kitsap Peninsula we have several excellent marinas:

Poulsbo – Poulsbo has three marinas: the first is Liberty Bay Marina, with no guest moorage; the second is Poulsbo Yacht Club with reciprocal privileges; and the third is the Port of Poulsbo Marina, right in downtown Poulsbo. You can moor at the Port Marina where there’s moorage for about 130 guest boats. A park and picnic area are right at the marina, which also has clean restrooms, hot showers and laundry, fuel float with gas and diesel, and a pump-out station.

Brownsville Marina – the Brownsville marina is about 3 miles farther south down from Poulsbo on the west side. There’s a great marina here with guest moorage for about 60 boats, restrooms, showers, laundry and a fuel float with gas, diesel and propane. There’s a deli with groceries, wines and marine supplies.

Port Orchard Marina – The Port Orchard Marina is one of Puget Sound’s most popular destinations. The Port Orchard Marina offers excellent facilities and services. Within walking distance are restaurants, antique malls, library, post office, banking services and marine supplies.

Bremerton - Located in downtown Bremerton, you are a short walk from the Puget Sound Navy Shipyard, the Naval Museum, and the historic Navy destroyer, U.S.S. Turner Joy. Bookstores, restaurants, marine supplies and gift shops are all within walking distance. Washington State Ferries offer service between Bremerton and Seattle.

Silverdale – Since 1920 the Port of Silverdale has been working hard to create a quality facility for Mariners. Our boaters will enjoy transient moorage complete with power, fresh water, vehicle/trailer parking, and deep water boat launch.

Kingston - The Port of Kingston currently has 262 permanent mooring stalls ranging between 24 and 60 feet in length. Water, phone service, electronic access and 30 amp power are available. Area shops, restaurants, and services are within walking distance. The Washington State Ferries also use this harbor for service across the Sound to Edmonds.

Driftwood Keys (Hansville) – This secured marina provides 20, 30 and 40 foot slips which may be leased as well as open moorage available for 2 to 3 days at a time. With a locked gate and ample tow parking, the paved boat ramp and auxiliary docks are available to launch your boat into the protected bay waters.

Two future marinas worth mentioning are Olympic View Marina in Seabeck WA, located on the eastern shore of Hood Canal, and Port Gamble Marina, just north of the Hood Canal Bridge. Olympic View Marina is a complete reconstruction project of the prior Seabeck Marina.

In addition, there are many state and county boat ramps and docks located throughout the peninsula. Check the following websites for more information:

Kitsap Peninsula Visitor & Convention Bureau

Kitsap County Recreation and Parks Department

Washington State Parks

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing empowerment and relentless representation of clients throughout all of Kitsap County, and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him on KitsapLife.com and his fun hobby blog, Crabbing in the Hood.

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Tags: boat launch, docks, hood canal, Kitsap County WA, marinas, mooring, olympic view marina

In today’s Web 2.0 environment, the skyrocketing growth of New Social Media and it’s ongoing impact/influence on our culture is a force that cannot be ignored. It is a power that can be unlocked and effectively harnessed for expanding our sphere of contact, increasing our Internet presence, and promoting our message.

But first, it’s important for us to define our terms. “Web 2.0” is the term given to describe a second generation of the World Wide Web that is focused on the ability for people to generate, collaborate/share, publish/distribute information online. It basically refers to “the transition from static HTML Web pages to a more dynamic/interactive Web that is more organized and is based on serving web applications to users.” Some examples of the improved functionalities of Web 2.0 includes open communication with an emphasis on Web-based communities of users, and more open sharing of information, such as blogs, wikis, and web services. Simply put, Web 2.0 is a new movement or trend within the World Wide Web that shifts the focus away from static webpages to dynamic and shareable content.


In the past, people would simply access static websites, and be exposed to a ‘read-only’ environment. It was a limited, one-sided conversation. And unless your static content changed regularly, there was very little ‘stickiness’ that encouraged visitors to come back.

But in today’s Web 2.0 arena, web/blogsites have become ‘dynamic’ and encourage greater interactivity with their visitors. Conversations have moved to near ‘real-time’ and allow visitors to participate in the process. Content is being syndicated through multiple media streams, including video and podcasts, to provide portability and appeal to user preferences.

Next, let’s consider another popular term, Social Media. Social Media refers primarily to the Internet-based tools and technologies that enable and facilitate the Web 2.0 generational shift – the creation, publishing, and distribution of user content for the purposes of encouraging meaningful interaction, sharing, and conversation among human beings. Hence the term, Social Media.

For most people/organizations who have used the Internet for marketing purposes, their primary focus has historically been on SEO (Search Engine Optimization). These are strategies of site construction and content generation that help to ensure efficient indexing and high page rank by the search engines.

But now, with the growing availability of various social media tools, applications, and networks, additional focus is also being placed on SMO (Social Media Optimization). These are strategies for identifying viable, relevant tools, applications, and networks, and implementing effective methods  to consistently promote a businesses/organization’s message/services.

In its most basic essence, unlocking the power of social media is simply going where the conversations are, and utilizing the tools and applications to engage others, and become a meaningful part of those conversations.

Like any meaningful marketing effort, SMO takes time, strategy and commitment. It requires a basic, current understanding of what tools, applications, and networks exist, and how they can best be utilized.

Developing an Effective SMO Strategy

The first step in establishing an effective SMO strategy is to identify those tools, applications, and networks that offer the greatest relevance and highest measure of exposure.

The second step is determining what message/information/content you want to communicate, and developing a consistent strategy for effectively spreading it across multiple venues.

A few key elements to keep in mind:

1.  Your branding must be consistent. You must develop a library of logos and images that can be used to convey the essence of your organization’s vision/mission.

2.  Your social media efforts need to be consistently maintained. Readers/visitors need to be engaged and responded to quickly. Fresh content is the key.

3.  If your business or organization has a website, you need to incorporate a blog into your site as soon as possible. This will allow for greater transparency from your management team, and allow the public to have more meaningful access to your organization.

For addtional reading:

Ten Ways that Non-Profits can start Leveraging Social Media

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Tags: SMO, social media

One of the challenges of relocating to a new area is finding the best places for Christmas Trees. While some have elected to join the “Save the Trees!” bandwagon, and go the seemingly more convenient fake ‘Tree-in-a-Box’ route, I continue to refuse to buckle under such pressure. Living in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by towering Cedars and Pines, my home will be graced by a ‘real’ tree, thank you very much!

For the past several years, we’ve heartily (and financially) supported Hubert’s Christmas Tree Farm on Seabeck Hwy. in rural Bremerton.

While somewhat pricey compared to other area tree farms, the quality & selection of trees is unsurpassed. Their kind, friendly staff make our yearly tradition a fun and enjoyable family experience.

For approx. $40 – $50, you can find the perfectly formed 6ft. to 8ft. tree to help adorn your abode with the festive Holiday spirit. After you’ve cut-down (they can provide a draw saw) your prized evergreen, you’ll want to stop by the ‘Noble House’ where you can use the ‘Tree Shaker’ or curl up to the warm stove, enjoy a cup of hot apple cider, and the panoramic views of the Olympic Mountains to the West.

Hubert’s Noble Ridge Christmas Tree Farm 4635 Seabeck Hwy NW Bremerton, WA 98312 Contact: 360-373-7044 Daily hours of operation: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Open November 28, 2008 thru December 21, 2008

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Tags: bremerton WA, christmas trees, huberts christmas tree farm, Kitsap County WA, seabeck wa