May 16, 2008
Nestled between Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the International District, Squire Park is quietly preparing to reclaim its former glory as one of Seattle’s original go-to neighborhoods. Successfully blending the best of its high-profile neighbors—the old-world architecture of Capitol Hill, the downtown accessibility of First Hill, and the cultural diversity of the International District—Squire Park offers residents the best of all possible urban landscapes.
Technically, Squire Park occupies the NW corner of the Central District (12th Ave to 23rd Ave and Union Street to Jackson Street). The area’s downturn during the ‘70s and ‘80s, and its subsequent renaissance since the mid ‘90s, has provided this often overlooked neighborhood with a range of living choices that will ensure its diversity in the coming years:
Old World Stalwarts—Just like Capitol Hill, Squire Park is one of the few in-city ‘hoods with late 18th- and early 19th-century homes. But unlike Capitol Hill, its inventory includes residences in all conditions and at widely-varying prices. Impeccably renovated homes are significantly less than comps just 10 blocks North; and you can still find the occasional cheap fixer.
Old World Condo
Renovated with ADU
Renovated with ADU
New in-fill—For the modernists, brand new, move-in ready townhomes and single-family residences mix among the historical survivors. Stylistically you have a choice of ultra modern or Craftsman-style—both of which include modern conveniences and avoid the maintenance issues of 100-year-old homes.
New Condo
New Craftsman Single-Family
New Modern Home
Mid-rise urbanity—For better or worse, the relaxed height-restrictions have made way for several new mixed-use buildings along the urban corridors.12th Avenue is lined from Jefferson to Pike with six-story buildings combining living above retail, restaurants and services. These help absorb the growing population as well as lend a modern urban taste to several blocks that a decade ago were mostly rundown and derelict. What was formerly unused is now teaming with activity.
Urban Condos
Move over Captiol Hill and International District. Squire Park is flexing its new muscles!
May 16, 2008
Open House Date and Time:
Sunday, May 18th, 1-4pm
3802 209th Pl SW
Lynnwood, WA 98036
Seller’s Comments
Coffee shop of choice:
We have grown quite fond of a little place called Corner Coffee Bar & Cafe. The owners are very personable and friendly, and they have free wi-fi. They have live music every other Friday night that’s fun too. In the fall, we also like to walk down to the Larchway Latte to get a hot apple cider and enjoy the changing leaves.
Favorite Restaurant in the Area:
Anthony’s Beach Café is a short drive away right on the waterfront. It has fabulous views of the Sound all year long and outdoor seating in the summer. Azteca, Claim Jumper, and Red Robin are also favorites for us, although the list could be much longer if there was room!
Best features of the home:
We love the spacious 9 foot ceilings throughout the home. The washer and dryer are located upstairs, which has always made doing laundry very convenient. There’s lot’s of storage found under the stair well, in the attic, and a large crawl space under the house that has easy access. There’s a putting green, volleyball court, and walking trail on the shared property as well.
Favorite room:
One our favorite rooms is the master bedroom. It has two windows as well as a large bay window and gets East/ West light. The nature reserve is across from the driveway so it’s always pleasant to look out and see nature growing and blossoming as well as hear little birds chirping in the spring and summer. I’ve also seen some of the most vibrant pink and orange sunsets out the west window that creates the coziest glow in the room.
What’s in the neighborhood:
You name it, it’s here. Albertson’s is literally just around the corner, which was just recently remodeled and has a large organic section. The Alderwood mall is 5 minutes away with the AMC-Loews Theater, Barnes and Noble, 24 Hour Fitness, Bed Bath & Beyond, P.F. Chang’s, Lowes, and the list goes on. The corner of 99 and 196th has a large farm produce store, Trader Joes, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Business Costco, Joes, and just about anything else you could ever want.
What I will miss the most:
I will most definitely miss how convenient it has been to everything! I love that there is so much available and so close, but since we live on a nature reserve in a small neighborhood, it still feels like we have privacy and that we’re away from the noise. Have I mentioned the neighbors? They are absolutely wonderful. They are so kind and generous. I didn’t know that level of neighborly kindness existed anymore until I moved here. They will most certainly be missed.
May 16, 2008
Open House Date and Time:
Sunday, May 18th 1-4pm
32507 41st Ave SW
Federal Way, WA 98023
Seller’s Comments
Coffee shop of choice: As a self-diagnosed coffee addict, I frequent many of the local coffee shops in the neighborhood. My favorite is the Dash Point Starbucks, a 3 minute drive away. This Starbucks has a large, cozy seating area for lazy days or a very convenient drive-thru for most every other day. The coffee shop is located in the parking lot of the Dash Point Metropolitan Market, allowing for quick stops in for gourmet groceries and beautiful flowers to adorn our table.
Favorite places to go: In the summertime, we pack up the family and enjoy days on the beach at Dash Point State Park. When the weather isn’t cooperating, swim lessons at the Aquatic center or shopping in downtown Tacoma provide us with many fun activities.
Favorite restaurants in the area: We love to gorge ourselves at Salty’s Sunday brunch. Salty’s is conveniently located on the Redondo pier, allowing us to burn off brunch with a walk down the beautiful waterfront boardwalk afterwards. For a more intimate, romantic setting, we love the Lobster Shop at Dash Point or the Cliffhouse Restaurant overlooking the Port of Tacoma.
Best features of the home: The location is definitely one of the best features of our home. On this very private lot, from any room in the house you can take in the blue skies and territorial views. Unlike new construction, this home is well-spaced between neighbors and backs up to a beautiful ivy-covered hill. The spacious master bedroom has a large balcony over-looking nearby Treasure Island Park on Lake Lorene. The large downstairs bonus room is a nice retreat for late-night movies or game night with friends.
Favorite rooms: The living room and dining room make a perfect entertaining space. Cozy up to the fire and enjoy the view out the front windows or take the party out to the back deck and enjoy warm summer nights in the privacy of the secluded yard.
Any remodeling since last purchase?: Yes! All common areas have fresh paint, contemporary lighting fixtures, and new baseboard trim. The main bathroom has a new laminate wood floor, updated cabinetry, fixtures and counter top. Kitchen has a new laminate wood floor, updated cabinetry and newer appliances. Living and dining room feature a custom-made wood mantel and beautiful crown molding.
Most romantic spot: Spend some quiet time at Treasure Island Park watching the ducks on the lake or simply taking in the scenery. Situated between the “Twin Lakes,” the park is encircled with a paved path great for romantic sunset strolls or daily exercise.
What’s in the neighborhood: Twin Lakes is surrounded by shopping, restaurants and a multitude of neighborhood and state parks. We’re a three minute drive from stores, such as Metropolitan Market, Fred Meyer, Walgreens and QFC, just to name a few. There are also quite a few take-out and dine-in restaurants nearby.
What I will miss the most: Twin Lakes! We love being so close to golf at the Twin Lake Golf Course and Country Club (we love it so much, we even got married there!). The neighborhood is safe and full of friendly neighbors. Just 40 minutes to Seattle and 5 minutes to the beach…it doesn’t get much better than that!
May 16, 2008
Open House Date and Time:
Sunday, May 18th, 1-4pm
3249 NW 65th St
Seattle, WA 98117
Seller’s Comments
Coffee Shop of Choice: Walters’ Cafe, where not only can you get coffee, but pastries and ice cream as well. It is only 500 ft. away.
Favorite restaurant in the area: Coney Burger, Ray’s boathouse, Anthony’s Homeport are all within walking distance, so no valet needed!
Favorite Places to Go: The Locks, Shilshole Beach and Marina, the “Secret Beach” next to the Elks Club (formerly Spinnakers back in the 90’s), hiking to Golden Gardens Beach to run the stairs past the dog run. We enjoy the many trails we discover every day.
What’s in the neighborhood: Rain City Video, Ice cream/coffee shop, The Sunset Hill Green Market, Barber shop, Nordic Heritage Museum, Sunset Hill Park, Sunset Hill community Center, Ballard Locks (great bike/foot access to Discovery Park/Magnolia), Downtown Ballard, Ballard Community Center, Ray’s Boathouse, The Secret Beach(known only to locals), Golden Garden’s Beach/Park(Dog park and “the stairs”), the recently completed section of the Burke Gilman Trail. Some of these spots are within easy walking distance, others are great for hikers/bikers. All are quickly reached via car.
Best features of the home: The spaciousness of this house allows for solitude when quiet time is needed and the silence due to all the interior soundproofing helps quite a bit. Main floor has great flow into all the rooms allowing for wonderful space for large gatherings which extends to the party size deck. The attention to finishing details such as solid dark wood trim throughout and solid core wide interior doors, help make this home stand out beautifully.
Favorite room: My favourite room is the gourmet kitchen with the Wolf range, 2 serving islands and abundant counter space. It is the room of gatherings for family as well as large parties. It is also the room with the most solid dark polished wood and along with the granite slab counters it is probably the most interesting.
My husband’s favourite room is the living room. Here is where he sits, reads and can take in the views of Puget Sound while also enjoying the wood burning from the elegant wood and tile clad fireplace.
Most Romantic Spot: The 2 person Japanese soaking tub in the master bath where you can lounge in warmth while watching the sunset.
Any Remodeling Since Last Sale Price: The entire house was gutted, second story added, completely remodeled and the exterior completely altered in appearance. The only original features are the solid foundation, the footprint of the house and the leaded glass door.
What I will miss the most: The walks throughout the neighbourhood with all these beautiful homes; the bike rides to the end of Golden Garden Beach where we watch the sailboats and visit ducks in the pond; standing on the pier at Shilshole Marina where we can pick out the second story of this home out of the mass of homes on the hill. The cruise ships with their lights on passing through Puget Sound and blowing their horns; the total beauty of this home with it’s fine woodwork detail and hardwood floors; the roomy master bath where I get ready for work every day while I stand on the heated tile floor; sitting on the swing out on the deck while watching the sunset; the huge media room which is painted a cheerful and refreshing yellow; seeing the many sailboats on Puget Sound during summer and the snow capped Olympic Mountains on a clear sunny winter day. It is impossible to list just one thing I will miss the most.
May 16, 2008
Open House Date and Time:
Sunday, May 18th, 1-4pm
4615 123rd Ave SE
Bellevue, WA 98006
Seller Comments
Coffee Shop of Choice: We constantly find ourselves at the Starbucks in Coal Creek Village for our caffeine fix.
Favorite Restaurant in the Area: We love Yea’s Wok in Coal Creek Village and McCormick & Schmick’s seafood restaurant in Bellevue downtown.
Favorite Places to Go: Bellevue Arts Museum and Beneroya Hall in Seattle make for a great day out.
Best Features of the Home: The wonderful Newport Hills neighborhood, which was ranked #1 Suburban Neighborhood to live in by Seattle Magazine in 2007.
Favorite Room: The living room with brick fire place and vaulted ceiling.
Any Remodeling Since Last Sale Price: Yes! The house is fully renovated. Kitchen: white cabinets, Whirlpool oven, Whirlpool microwave and GE Profile dishwasher. Sauna downstairs.
Most Romantic Spot: Gene Coulon Memorial Park is a great place to walk along the lake and watch the sunset in the evening.
What’s in the Neighborhood: Swim and Tennis Club. Factoria Mall just minutes away.
What I Will Miss the Most: The beautiful, quiet neighborhood.
May 16, 2008
Open House Date and Time:
Sunday, May 18th 1-4pm
20518 73rd Dr SE
Snohomish, WA 98296
Seller’s Comments
Coffee shop of choice: Molbak’s Café, Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream’s Café, and Lyon’s Den. On a beautiful day you can walk to get ice cream and get a little exercise to work off that ice cream – a 2 mile round trip walk.
Favorite places to go: Flower World, Molbak’s, Sammamish River Trail, Downtown Woodinville, Downtown Snohomish, even Mill Creek. This area is definitely a gardener’s paradise. No wonder Flower World and Molbak’s are nearby. For an active lifestyle, both the Sammamish River Trail and the Centennial Trail are easily accessible.
Favorite restaurants in the area: Maltby Café. Hands down the best cinnamon rolls and breakfasts. For a quick, cheap meal — $1.50 hotdogs at the Woodinville Costco. Of course, that’s also that Purple Café in Woodinville. There’s no shortage of choices that are less than 10 minutes away.
Best features of the home: The neighborhood! Modern craftsman on over .5 acre. It’s quiet here but still really accessible to all the great things in the northern part of the Eastside. I love the wrought iron stair rail and the wainscoting. There’s something timeless about both those features that accommodate many home décor styles.
Favorite rooms: The living room. It’s my favorite spot to read. I also enjoy the master on the main. I never realized how much I would appreciate having my own private sanctuary away from the noise of a busy family.
Any remodeling since last purchase?: The house in only 6 years old. New exterior paint.
Most romantic spot: The trails. Each .5 acre property backs up to a forested walking trail that’s well maintained.
What’s in the neighborhood: Park for kids and many walking trails. Quiet, beautiful neighborhood of houses that is also connected to similar neighborhoods.
What I will miss the most: The setting. It’s nice not to live in a cookie cutter neighborhood. Privacy is supreme. Your neighbors are nearby so you have all the advantages of a neighborhood without know what they’re having for dinner!
May 14, 2008
When I was a teen, I worked my summers at everybody’s favorite place Disneyland on the infamously boring, but quintessential Storybookland. (You know, the one where you go through the whale’s mouth on boats).
I wore a Scandinavian yodeling type of outfit–short skirt, knee-high socks, and sitting out in the sun all day long on these little boats, I had the wierdest tan lines anybody had ever seen; off the time clock, I found myself constantly on the receiving end of mocking questions like, ”Whatcha been doing, crawling around on the floor?” But it was an exciting job for a 16 year old, giving that same Storybook spiel, 48 times a day…
“Just around the bend and coming up on you’re left-hand side <smile>, you’ll see the homes of the three little pigs <smile>–one made of straw….one made of sticks…and one made of WOLF-proof bricks!” <smile>
Boy, have times changed…
“Just around the bend and coming up on your left-hand side, you’ll see the former home of a mid-level WAMU manager. <frown> This middle-aged product manager had a wife, two kids <frown>, and a zero-down, jumbo, sub-prime, adjustable rate mortgage.” <frown>
Think I’m making this up? NOT! Step back, folks and make way for the Foreclosure Bus Tours! Now I’m not taking this dialogue from the actual script, it’s conjecture on my part, but I just have to imagine that it can’t be too far off. I mean, what else could they say on the tour?! Taken from the website:
ForeclosureBusTours.com guides you to the “Pick Of The Litter” of Foreclosed Homes in cities around the country. This is an all-day Foreclosure Training and Deal Finding Event where we see 5 to 7 “Hand-Picked” foreclosed homes that are perfect to move into with built-in equity or deeply discounted for an investment property. We don’t just show you the deals, we show you how to get them and what to do with them after you purchase. Not just a tour of homes. We include several specialists on the tour that have expertise in buying and selling foreclosures, renovating homes, short sales, financing deals and much more. Licensed realtors, loan officers, contractors, and inspectors are just a few of the specialists that we have on our tour to help give you all the insight that you could ever want about buying a foreclosed home. You will learn the in’s and out’s of buying foreclosures and see some of the most incredible deals in town in a one-day foreclosure tour.
What do you think about foreclosure bus tours? Is turning the misfortunes of another into a public spectacle up there with the Faces of Death, or is it simply lemonade from “Hand-Picked” lemons?
May 12, 2008
With the excess supply of properties on the market and prices in decline, maybe you’re one of the lucky few who can turn lemons into lemonade by taking advantage of the housing market downturn. For example, maybe you’ve got a walletful of spare change and you’re thinking about buying an investment property to rent out.
Before you do, there are a few major things you should consider before taking the leap. First off, you’ll need to figure out how you’re going to finance the property. Rhonda Porter put together a great piece on Financing an Investment Property, where she gives some good examples of the applicable loan rates that might apply to your investment property. For example, since investment properties are Non-Owner Occupied (NOO) dwellings, the interest rates will likely be higher than for Owner Occupied dwellings reflecting the higher risk of the investment property to the bank, even if the downpayment is higher than the standard 20%. Rhonda gives an example of a 30 year fixed mortgage on a $450,000 SFH with a minimum credit score of 720:
Owner Occupied with minimum 20% down: 5.75% priced with 1% origination/discount point (APR 5.904%)
Non-Owner Occupied (NOO) with 20% down: 6.375% with 1% point (APR 6.537%)
NOO with 25% down: 6.250% with 1% point (APR 6.413%)
NOO with 30% down: 6.125% with 1% point (APR 6.289%)
With financing and potential rental income in mind, you should also consider the planned time horizon of your investment. It generally takes time (lots) for real estate to appreciate beyond the transaction costs of buying and selling the property and you should also factor in taxes, insurance, and costs for repairs, maintenance, and even improvements during your holding period. For example, one new roof can easily suck up a year’s worth of appreciation, even in a good market. However, repairs are tax deductible in the year they are made and improvements are added to your tax basis, though you won’t realize the gains from these until you sell the property.
May 10, 2008
Traditional real estate-speak includes a carefully crafted lexicon of terms designed to appeal to the typical buyer. Read through any ad and you’ll find key words like charming, luxury, granite, stainless steel, and gorgeous interspersed throughout the home description. These words are strategically used to lure the reader into touring the home, as well as to instill a sense of confirmation bias in the potential buyer. Hey, these are tried and true techniques, and the house description is often the seller’s first (and only) chance to attract potential buyers.
However, in the Seattle/Bellevue area, where high-tech geeks run amuck, is the traditional real estate lingo enough? Perhaps not, and especially in these times of housing surplus, sellers need another way to stand out from the crowd, which is best accomplished by knowing your market. To do this, simply look at the work demographic. For example, in Bellevue, four of the top 10 companies, or 60% of individual employees, are in the high tech geek fields.
Largest Bellevue Area Private-Sector Employers (as projected through end of 2009):
1. Microsoft — 7,500
2. T-Mobile — 3,200
3. Boeing — 2,800
4. Overlake Hospital — 2,200
5. Expedia — 1,650
6. Verizon — 1,500
7. Safeway — 1,200
8. Nordstrom — 1,100
9. Puget Sound Energy — 1,100
10. Symetra Financial - 900
11. Eddie Bauer — 680
Source: Bellevue Economic Development Office
Consequently, if you have a home to sell, stand out from the crowd and market what’s unique to your home that might be interesting to the geek with a wallet. Wherever possible, drop a few alluring, geek-speak terms in a subtle, but not-too-revealing font, and you’ll leave them breathless for sure!
| Media room |
Sonos music system |
| CAT5 Ethernet |
Integrated |
| FiOS |
Multi-room |
| Theater room |
Security |
| Flat panel |
Multi-zone |
| Screening room |
Wired |
| Invisible |
Fiber optic |
| High speed |
Projection |
| Automatic |
THX certified |
|
|
May 9, 2008
Long surveys suck. Especially when you know many of the results are going to end up on a corporate Powerpoint as useless filler. That’s why we’re getting down to the nitty gritty. We want to know who are readers are and why you read Redfin Sweet Digs. That’s it. Please take a minute to fill out our blog survey. It will help us improve Sweet Digs, Scout’s honor.
Click here to take the survey.
We’ll share the results with everyone in a couple weeks. Thanks.
-The Sweet Digs Team
Photo credit: glenOX on Flickr
