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MOVIES HEALTH BASKETBALL

Get a
jump on
Can kids
defeat
AMERICA’S
Oscar
race
peanut
allergies?
TOP PLAYER
Maya Moore in action in Seattle
PLAY THIS D3 PAGE A4 SPORT C1

T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 6 , 2 0 0 6

TOP STORIES Angry at first, Madeline Brooks is now on a mission

New walk of to prevent spread of HIV among African Americans SYRIA
IRAN
peninsula life Baghdad

Fighting the disease JORDAN

SAUDI ARABIA
IRAQ BASRA

KUWAIT

An influx of retirees and big-city

escapees is refocusing the
– before it’s epidemic Source: ESRI

2 grim
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

economy on the Kitsap and

Olympic peninsulas, from
extraction and exportation of raw
materials to importation of people
and their wealth. SEE E1
Choking off
panhandlers
Discouraging people from giving
to panhandlers is the goal of an
effort the Downtown Seattle
Association plans to begin next
month. “Panhandling has been
getting progressively worse,” a
spokeswoman said. SEE B1
More Katrina
money gone?
The federal government may have
wasted $2 billion in spending on
recovery for Hurricane Katrina,
because so many lucrative
contracts are being awarded with
little competition. SEE A2
ALSO IN
THE NEWS
WORLD
African war: Ethiopia ramps up
air attacks on Somalia’s Islamic
militia. A10
SEATTLE
Crime fighter: A Ravenna bagel
shop owner wields a golf club to
chase off a burglar. B1
Capitol Hill slayings: Christmas
lights are up again at a house
where six young people died. B1
Prostate cancer: Radioactive
implants equal surgery in outcome,
according to new research. B2
BUSINESS
Holiday sales: The numbers
aren’t matching up to retailers’
expectations, Visa says. E1
READERS CARE
Get a shower. Spend a night
sleeping in safety. Learn to manage
money – even if you don’t have
much. The Family & Adult Service
Center is there to help people who
are struggling in life. The center is
one of the charities helped by the
Seattle P-I’s Readers Care Fund. B1
markers
of Iraq’s
relentless
conflict
British raid police
station; U.S. death
toll passes 9/11
BY CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA
The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Backed by
tanks, British soldiers raided a
police station Monday in the
southern city of Basra, killing
seven gunmen in an effort to stop
renegade Iraqi officers from exe-
cuting their prisoners, the British
military said.
Three more American sol-
diers were reported killed in oth-
er action, pushing the U.S. mil-
itary death toll to at least 2,975 –
SCOTT EKLUND / P-I two more than the number killed
Madeline Brooks, who is HIV-positive, has joined African American leaders and the health department in launching an effort to raise in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
awareness and combat AIDS among African Americans, who make up 22 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases in King County. The tragic milestone came
with the deaths of the three sol-
diers Monday in two bomb ex-
BY CHERIE BLACK
P-I reporter
HIV / AIDS NATIONALLY plosions southwest of Baghdad,
the military said.
According to the 2000 Census, African Americans make up about 12 The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks
Something deep inside her ached with the knowledge percent of the U.S. population, but account for half of all new claimed 2,973 victims in New
that he had intentionally infected her. HIV/AIDS diagnoses. More than 60 percent of HIV/AIDS diagnosed in
York, Washington and Pennsyl-
So Madeline Brooks prepared her bedroom. She placed a vania. Opponents of President
hammer in one corner and a butcher knife in the other. She people younger than 25 between 2001 and 2004 were African Bush have criticized him for rais-
took her former husband into the room and told him she was American. AIDS is the No. 1 cause of death for women ages 25-34. ing the attacks as a justification
HIV-positive. AIDS is the No. 2 cause of death for men ages 35-44. for the protracted fight in Iraq –
FIRST OF He already knew. even though the evidence shows
If I’m going to die of AIDS, he told HIV / AIDS IN KING COUNTY that Saddam Hussein had no
TWO PARTS her, I might as well take everyone I can connection with al-Qaida, the
Tomorrow: with me. African Americans are 3.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV terrorist group that executed the
Recruiters are The hammer and knife were with- than white people. 9/11 attacks
visiting Seattle bars in reach. But that same ache inside of
African American women are 14 times more likely to be diagnosed
After the British stormed the
her wouldn’t allow her to kill him. She Basra police station, they re-
hoping to attract with HIV than white women.
thought of her six children, the moved the prisoners, who
volunteers to test for youngest one 3 years old. She instead showed evidence of torture, then
an HIV vaccine. decided something positive had to LEARN MORE evacuated the building before
come out of her dire situation. She put blowing it up.
the hammer and knife away. Her ex-husband never knew of ◗ Black Leadership Council on HIV: The operation showed how
her intentions. metrokc.gov/health/apu/blc/index.htm closely aligned some police units
Fifteen years later, although her ex-husband died of AIDS, To be added to the listserv, e-mail quinten.welch@metrokc.gov are with militias and death
more than 25 pills daily have kept Brooks alive while she con- squads – and the challenges co-
tinues her mission to advocate for HIV prevention. Her target ◗ People of Color Against AIDS Network: alition forces face as they trans-
fer authority for security to Ira-
is the African American community throughout King County, 206-322-7061 or pocaan.org
where the rate of infection is on the brink of an epidemic. qis.
◗ Public Health – Seattle & King County:
“This disease matters if you don’t know you’re infected The British set out to arrest
and you’re spreading it around,” said Brooks, 48. “I’m here to 206-205-STDS (7837) or metrokc.gov/health officers with the station’s serious
tell the story. You don’t want to be ignorant your whole life.” ◗ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/hiv crimes unit who were suspected
A few local groups also are speaking out – tired of seeing of involvement with Shiite death
Sources: Public Health – Seattle & King County, Centers for Disease Control and
SEE HIV, A14 Prevention SEE IRAQ, A13

INDEX

Real estate agents take

TODAY’S WEATHER
Mostly cloudy. Chance of
showers. High 44. Low 38. B6

dramatic turn for sales

Comics D6,7
Crosswords D6,7
Editorial B4,5
Horoscope D2
Lottery
Obituaries
B3
B3
Crowded field leads why not focus on that?”
The Seattle-King County Association
Television E4 to costumes, gags, gifts of Realtors has about 8,800 active mem-
bers – up more than 80 percent from
★★★
and elaborate Web sites 1999. The state Department of Licensing
reports there are 13,747 licensed real es-

(FJECD|12000Z
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Monday through Saturday.
To subscribe, call 206-464-2121.
© 2006 SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
BY AUBREY COHEN
P-I reporter
Puck is upfront about his job.
“Let’s face it, I’m a marketing ploy,”
the 5-year-old English bulldog writes on
his page of Realtor Phoenix Rudner’s Web
site, seattlehousehound.com.
It’s a way to stand out from a thicken-
ing crowd of agents, said Rudner, of Cold-
well Banker Bain’s Capitol Hill office.
“You want to define yourself,” he said.
“If you really know an area really well,
tate salespeople in King County.
A growing number of agents are try-
ing to distinguish themselves with in-
creasingly elaborate Web sites. A National
Association of Realtors survey earlier this
year found 71 percent of Realtors had per-
sonal business Web sites, compared with
just 31 percent in 2002.
Many agents carve out a niche by fo-
cusing on a location, home type or a group
of buyers and sellers. Others wear cos- PAUL JOSEPH BROWN / P-I
tumes, serve pie or distribute handy gifts. To catch people’s attention, real estate agent Melanie Meyer has a Web site
(specialagentrealtor.com) that plays up her previous career as a sheriff’s deputy in
SEE AGENTS, A15 South Carolina. It’s one of many things agents are trying in a crowded field.

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SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER ❘ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2006 ★★ A15

AGENTS: Pitches tailored to dogs, police, rock music fans

FROM A1 Ridge open house Sunday, and so we could have a prop turkey,” mats, emery boards, seed pack- Many choose a poor niche, or cats, or even kids.
the espresso cart. Schile explained. ets and yardsticks. just mess up their marketing, “Some people have told me
Rudner has worked in real “I love pie,” she said. “I cele- The seller moving to South The rubber jar openers are Canterbury said. He said Rudner, it’s silly,” Meyer said. “But I don’t
estate about five years but only brate National Pie Day, on Jan. Africa for love wants to be on cheap and fit into an envelope, now one of his clients, didn’t care. I’ve got a good sense of hu-
incorporated Puck during the 23, with a Pie-esta (party).” Schile’s Valentine’s Day card. said Mollot, who worked in pro- start out saying why anyone mor. I’ve got very thick skin.”
last couple. Schile also holds an annual motional advertising for 28 might need an agent who spe- Heslop said she generally
“There are so many dog own- pie-eating contest, where con- Give it away years. “And people keep these cializes in dog owners. gets a good response, although
ers who need someone who un- testants compete for passes to One old-school promotional things for years.” One of Canterbury’s clients is some don’t appreciate her style.
derstands their needs,” he ex- the annual Sasquatch! Music approach is giving out personal- a mortgage broker who targets That’s just as well, she said. “I
plained. Festival at The Gorge Amphith- ized gifts – typically pens, calen- Does it work? newlyweds. Another aims at real don’t want to work with people
Issues include proximity to eatre, and bakes her clients dars or fridge magnets. Carolyn Dominic Canterbury, owner estate for new lawyers. who aren’t somewhat on the
dog parks, safe neighborhoods house-shaped cakes. So maybe Mollot, a Realtor with Winder- of the Seattle marketing and And Canterbury, of course, same wavelength as me.”
for early-morning and late-eve- she’s the rock ’n’ roll-pie-coffee- mere Real Estate, has been distri- public relations firm D/C Strate- has followed his own advice in The main point may be just
ning walks, bedrooms big and-cake Realtor. buting personalized, house- gic, said niche real estate market- choosing for his business. to get people to remember you.
enough to avoid tripping over Then there’s the “Sold on shaped, Mightygrip jar openers ing can work, if done right. “My own niche is real estate Mollot recalled running into
dog beds at night, showing a Mary” postcards she sends out, for more than two years. “Most agents are awful with agents,” he said. one of her original recipients re-
house with a dog in it and pet re- featuring real clients. House-shaped whatnots are their marketing,” he said. “That’s Realtors say all of these ap- cently. “He said, ‘Yeah, weren’t
strictions in condo complexes. One client wore a costume in, as evidenced by the custom- why they’ve sort of become the proaches bring some measure of you the person that gave me that
“I used to live in a condo for the Halloween card. Another ized letter slitters, tape measures used car salesmen of our time.” success – at least in reaching a jar opener?’ ”
complex where the dog had to be posed with a turkey for Thanks- and banks available through one The key is word-of-mouth, target audience.
carried through all common giving. company specializing in real es- Canterbury said. “People love to “I would say that 80 percent P-I reporter Aubrey Cohen
areas. Well, my dog’s 60 “He made his complete tate promotions. Other personal- share things that they think their of my clients have dogs,” Rudner can be reached at 206-448-8362
pounds,” Rudner said. “I ended Thanksgiving dinner in October ized possibilities include floor friends are going to love.” said. He added that some have or aubreycohen@seattlepi.com.
up getting a red Radio Flyer wag-
on.”
Dogs would seem a sensible
focus in a city with nearly a dog
and a half for every child, accord-
ing to current city and Census
Bureau estimates.
RE/Max Northwest Realtor
Ross Adams aims for a more ex-
clusive group of buyers on his
Web site, realestateforcops.com,
which touts itself as the No. 1
Web site for law enforcement-
friendly real estate services.
There’s a picture of Adams, a
reserve police officer, in his blue
uniform, wearing his badge.
“In my years working as an
officer, I’ve had the opportunity
to get to know the men and
women of law enforcement,” the
site says. “In addition to the great
experiences I’ve shared, I’ve also
grown to understand and appre-
ciate the needs of the people in
this profession.”
As a “special offer of appreci-
ation,” Adams promises officers
a contribution toward closing
costs and an officers guild dona-
tion in their name.
Some specialties focus more
on location or home type.
Mr. Magnolia, actually a
three-agent team at Coldwell
Banker Danforth & Associates, is
among many agents and teams
focusing on a particular Seattle
neighborhood or part of town.
Tom Holst – a Madison Part-
ners agent who runs seattlemo-
dern.com and sometimes goes
by “Modern Tom” – is one of sev-
eral agents specializing in mod-
ern houses, as opposed to Crafts-
man, Victorian or Tudor homes.
Be the niche
Realtor Melanie Meyer of
Century 21 North Homes Realty
puts a different slant on the cop
angle at her site: specialagen-
trealtor.com.
Meyer, a former sheriff’s dep-
uty in Charleston County, S.C.,
also has pictures of herself in uni-
form. But rather than aim for any
particular group of clients, she
proclaims on her site that she’s
“solving the real estate mystery”
for the general public.
Meyer gave up her law-en-
forcement career and moved to
Seattle in 2003 to marry a man
she met playing “Dark Age of
Camelot” online. She started
working in real estate two years
ago.
Meyer’s business card shows
her wearing a fedora and trench
coat and carrying a magnifying
glass.
“My husband’s so embar-
rassed,” she said last week. “He
said, ‘You’re so silly, but I still love
you.’ ”
Her Web site also notes that
she has a pit bull named Megan
and is a freelance writer for “To-
day’s Astrologer” magazine.
“There are a lot of good
agents out here,” she said. “I try
to be different.”
Mission accomplished, al-
most.
Meyer claims to be Seattle’s
“first and only Special Agent
Realtor.” It seems she didn’t have
the scoop on Serena Heslop.
“Some call me the Emma
Peel of Seattle real estate,” Hes-
lop writes on her Web site, the
conventionally named serena-
heslop.com.
Heslop has at least one thing
in common with Peel, a spy in the
1960s television series “The
Avengers”: They’re both British.
Photos illustrating various sec-
tions of her Web site show her in
a trench coat, fedora and dark
sunglasses; a safari hat (holding
binoculars); a hard hat, fake
mustache and overalls; and a
wetsuit.
Heslop said she’s been a
“Special Agent Realtor” for four
or five years but just got her Web
site up a few months ago. It’s a
way to liven up the dry, boring
world of real estate advertising
and give prospective clients an
idea of who they’d be dealing
with, she said.
News of a competing special
agent Realtor didn’t seem to rat-
tle Heslop or Meyer.
“I’m sure I’ll run into her
someday,” Meyer said. “I hope
she’s as silly as I am.”
“I’m gonna scratch her eyes
out,” Heslop joked.
Or be a few niches
When Mary Schile switched
to real estate two years ago, the
former House of Blues contracts
negotiator called herself the
“Rock-and-Roll Realtor.”
Schile, of RE/MAX Mutual
Realty, now claims the title of
“Pie and Coffee Realtor,” as illus-
trated by the apple and cherry
pies she served at a Phinney

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