Business

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, July 4, 2009 Snohomish entrepreneur bounces back with new venture By Amy Rolph Herald Writer There's making the best of a bad situation. Then there's finding summer vacation in the eye of a perfect storm. That's what entrepreneur Don Sieb is doing, just months after his once-promising startup, urbancondominiums.com, went south with the real estate market. The Snohomish transplant, formerly of Atlanta, thought about returning to the corporate world, where he has roots in the banking industry. But at 62, blazing a new career path proved to be impractical at best -- especially with the economy at its lowest point in years. So, as the saying goes, he took life's lemons and added a little sugar and water. Homeseekercenter.com launched in May. Sieb's newest endeavor, the site seeks to match buyers and sellers in bank-owned, distressed or new properties. And Sieb, a sort of real estate matchmaker, brings in revenue through referral fees with other agents -- typically 25 percent of earned commission. So far, the going has been slow, largely because of the housing market, Sieb said. "It's building traffic pretty steadily. By the end of this month, at the current rate of growth, we'll have about 10,000 page views," he said. "That translates into approximately 700 unique visitors." The site aims to do more than just match buyers and sellers. There are also pages filled with links to resources for homeowners faced with foreclosure. Often, all it takes is the loss of a job to put homeowners in a position where they can't afford the cost of a mortgage, Sieb said. "There's a special place in my heart for those people who are unemployed," he said. "And that's why so much of this site is dedicated to resources and information that I know they're interested in." Amy Rolph: 425-339-3029, arolph@heraldnet.com. Read her small-business blog at www.heraldnet.com/TheStorefront. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Shot ends search for man sought in killing of Seattle police officer 2. Thousands honor slain Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton 3. No charge will be filed in death of Everett pedestrian 4. Rain, thunderstorms forecast for lowlands 5. Bothell steamrolls Stanwood 6. PREP FOOTBALL/SWIMMING ROUNDUP: Halfback pass for touchdown sparks Sultan win 7. More jibba-jabba 8. Obama OK's homebuyer tax credit 9. Suspect identified in Seattle police killing 10. Dana nibbles into Somers’ lead 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Gough on track to keep job • Jazz vocalist headlines NPAC • Mountlake Terrace makes football history • Tax revenue sagging, city budgets lagging • ‘Touch of Magic' show opens at Gallery North • Jackson repeats as South champs • Holiday Bazaars Calendar • Meadowdale storms back to grab title • Edmonds moves to Fire District 1 • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million