Great Grandview Grape Stomp & Movie in the Park! September 10th!

It's almost time to get stompin'! The Great Grandview Grape Stomp will take place on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at YVCC's Grandview Campus at 1:00pm.
If you'd like to participate, get your registration in now! You can find information on registering here.
The Great Grandview Grape Stomp revives a long-time European tradition.  Each year, townspeople from small communities gather together at harvest to celebrate and to help crush the grapes.  Contestants in this updated version will hop into wooden wine barrels and stomp furiously, using their bare feet to turn 30 pounds of fresh grapes into juice.
There are activities for the whole family. Volunteers are also needed to make this event happen. You can email grapestomp@visitgrandview.org with any questions you have.

Looking for something to do after the Grape Stomp? Head over to the Country Park Events Center Amphitheater to watch Kung Fu Panda 2! The event is sponsered by Grandview Parks and Recreation and YVCC Grandview Campus ASB. Gates will open at 7:00pm, with the movie beginning at dusk. You're encouraged to bring your own blanket or lawn chairs and some snacks. The event is free, however donations will be accepted to offset expenses for the next Movie in the Park.

Where Do Your Taxes Go??

I stumbled across an interesting breakdown of where income tax gets distributed in Reader's Digest and thought I would pass it along.

A U.S. Taxpayer earning the 2009 median income ($34,140) and paying $5,400 in federal income tax and FICA ponies up for the following, for starters:

Social Security.........................................................................................$1,040.70

Medicare......................................................................................................$625.51
Medicaid.......................................................................................................$385.28
Interest on the national debt.....................................................................$287.03
Combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan............................................$229.17
Military personnel......................................................................................$192.79
Veterans benefits........................................................................................$74.65
Federal highways.........................................................................................$63.89
Health-care research (NIH)........................................................................$46.54
Foreign aid...................................................................................................$46.08
Education funding for low-income K-12 students..................................$38.17
Military retirement benefits.......................................................................$32.60
Pell Grants for low-income college students..........................................$29.75
NASA space program..................................................................................$28.09
Internal Revenue Service..........................................................................$17.69
Environmental cleanup (EPA)....................................................................$11.67
FBI..................................................................................................................$11.21
Head Start.....................................................................................................$10.91
Public housing..............................................................................................$10.50
National parks................................................................................................$4.27
Drug Enforcement Administration..............................................................$3.14
Amtrak.............................................................................................................$2.23
Smithsonian Museum.....................................................................................$1.12
Funding for the arts........................................................................................$0.24
Salaries and benefits for members of congress.......................................$0.19

Check out my new website!

I couldn't be more excited that after months of build up, my new website is finally live! Please check it out http://www.hollycastle.com/ I'd love your feedback!

Gorgeous Move-in Ready Home

A Big "THANK YOU" to my neighbors that helped me with my home tour on May 22nd!

This gorgeous home is located at 600 W. Concord Ave in Grandview and is listed at $162,900. Its features include 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, brand new kitchen with beautiful new applicances, a large 2 car garage, easy to maintain yard, and TONS of space! New extra soft carpets run throughout this home. A large finished basement brings this home to 2,360 total square feet. This home is for the busy persons that do not want yard work. Plenty of concrete parking.

Remodeled Kitchen with New Appliances

Eat-in Kitchen/Dining Area

Wood-Burning Fireplace in Living Area

Breezeway Between House & Garage

Large 2-Car Garage

Newly Updated Main Bath

Built-Ins in Master



Lots of Paved Parking

 If you are interested in purchasing this home (or another on the market), please give me a call at 509-882-2001. I look forward to hearing from you.

View 8 homes, 15 minutes each, May 22nd, starting at 1:00 pm!

Are you starting on your home search, but don't have a lot of time to schedule appointments to view homes? Want to get the most out of your time? Let me help you! This coming Sunday, May 22nd, I am hosting "Holly Castle's Tour of Homes". Over the course of 2 and a half hours you will get the opportunity to tour 8 homes, including one "Secret Never before Seen Super Bonus Listing"! This group tour will begin promptly at 1:00pm at 600 W. Concord in Grandview, from there we will venture onto another 7 of my listings.

Here is our schedule for the day:

1:00-1:15    600 W. Concord Ave
1:20-1:35    1807 W. King St.
1:40-1:55    504 Broadview Dr.
2:00-2:15    112 Acoma Dr.
2:20-2:35    104 Nicka Rd.
2:40-2:55    155303 W. King Tull Rd.
3:00-3:15    622 E. Adams St.
3:20-3:35    Our "Secret Never before Seen Super Bonus Listing"

For more information on the tour feel free to give me a call at (509) 882-2001 or just meet at 600 W. Concord at 1pm, May 22nd! Hope to see you there!

Grandview "Clean-Sweep" Clean Up- March 26th

Grandview High School student Adrian Reyes, in cooperation with the City of Grandview, is coordinating a downtown clean-up project for his senior project. The clean-up event is entitled “The Clean Sweep” and will be held on Saturday, March 26^th, from 10:00 AM to noon. The focus of this event will be to engage volunteer groups and individuals with various tasks of sprucing up public property within the city limits of the Grandview community.

Project Coordinator Reyes stated, “We are asking the community to step up and do their part to help the appearance and environment of Grandview.”  Various areas of concentration will include downtown planters, downtown mural area, City Hall,

Stokely Square

, Parks and Recreation Office grounds, Grandview Police Department grounds, Library/Museum grounds and the east entrance rose garden. Groups and individuals will be matched with one of these specific areas.

Reyes is requesting that those individuals and organizations that want to provide assistance and tools for this event, contact the Grandview Parks and Recreation Department at 882-9219. Due to needed paperwork, pre-registration will be required for this event. Reyes will be in charge of coordinating assignments for the day and will be sending out project instructions ahead of time to respective volunteer leaders.

Washington's top of the list place to retire is Grandview.

After reading the CNN Money issue on the top 25 places to retire in the United States it hit me that Grandview had all that and better.  The ratings were based on average home price, population, education, and state income tax.  Bellingham was at the top with Western Washington University.  But, Grandview has the Lower Yakima Valley Community College and Vintecology Center.  Our population is lower, 8,377.  Our average house price is $139,000.  And the big one, No State Income Tax. 

Ok, so this information is for the people 59 and older that may be retiring soon.  What about the younger people that would like to retire earlier than their parents.  Why not buy your home and live were you want to retire.  And have your second home be your first home, and be paid off.  Didn't our parents say "work smart not hard."  To view all of my investment homes go to http://www.buyinwinecountry.com/