News

Winter is here and so is the risk of frozen pipes. As soon as thermometers drop into the freezing zone, the following tips will help you avoid unpleasant surprises that may come from broken water pipes on your property. Winters can be harsh on household plumbing so don’t forget to protect the water meter and…

We see it in the larger cities, but we are just starting to see the rise in the desire to live downtown in a more urban environment, here in Olympia. Downtown Olympia is positioning itself to be a prime spot for those eager to live a more urban lifestyle. The demand for housing in downtown…

The New Gold Green Rush; Washington’s Pot Bubble In 2012, the voters of Washington State voted to decriminalize possession of marijuana, and in so doing paved the way for one of the largest growth industries our state has seen in a very long time. In addition to legalizing possession of pot, Initiative 502 also paved the way…

Give Downtown Olympia Another Look I have had people comment that they won’t go downtown because of the people and parking. Well, parking can be a challenge at times but the make-up of folks in downtown Olympia is changing, and downtown businesses are responding. The catalyst for the change is downtown housing. This is not…

Power Shifts in Lease Negotiations You may have heard the words “buyers’ market” and “sellers’ market” when shopping for a house. These terms describe which side of the deal (buyer vs seller) is tending to have the upper hand in negotiations during a sale. The same thing goes for the commercial leasing market and it…

How much insurance do I need? There’s insurance for fire, renters, pets, liability, earthquake, catastrophic, hurricane, flood, hail and umbrella coverage. WOW…where do I begin and how can I sift through all the terms and different types of insurance? A good place to start would be a broker. Insurance brokers, like real estate brokers, specialize…

Renters Insurance…Do I need it? A consumer survey conducted last year for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, an Alexandria, Va.-based industry association, found that nearly two-thirds of the more than 81 million people living in rental properties do not have renters insurance. Many people think that renters insurance is not in their…

Warnings about Lithium Ion batteries Recently The Rants group had the first catastrophic residential fire they’ve had in their history of over 40 years. After an extensive fire investigation it was determined that the fire was started from a rechargeable lithium ion battery that was being recharged improperly. The battery was placed inside a deep…

The Rants Group has a long history of selling and leasing commercial properties here in Thurston County. We also are well known as an owner and developer of some of Olympia’s most eye catching buildings. But there is so much more to The Rants Group than just servicing our properties. For example, did you know…

We’ve all heard it before regarding our homes, but what does that actually mean from a commercial real estate perspective? It can mean different things depending on your type of business. So, let’s start with the basics… Do you sell goods or services? If the answer is services, do you go to your customers or…