March 8, 2007

South Seattle: That’s an Awkward Address

This Georgetown address, 6666 Flora Ave, definitely has a memorable ring to it. The mismatched house numbers on the front made me think that neighborhood kids periodically get a kick out of removing a six and running off into the night. Did you know that Ronald and Nancy Reagan changed their house number to avoid having 666 as their street address? I sure didn’t.

Goofy superstitions aside, the newly remodeled cabinetry and lighting fixtures do evoke the flavor of Home Deco. However, qualities like spanking new hardwoods, a great corner window, alley access and a newly finished basement speak for themselves. The swoopy roofline is also nice. Plus, the lot is large and this stretch of Flora Ave has a wide, lovely, old-fashioned neighborhood feel. You’d be hard pressed to remember that the cement factory is just down that road a ways, and to the right.

I do feel that for a cool half a million, there are some nagging details that would have been worthwhile to hammer out. (Zillow thinks so too.) For example, the vinyl siding isn’t in the best shape and there appears to be electric baseboard heating in part of the house and forced air in others. The landscaping is minimal and it seems that the drainage from the gutters hasn’t been resolved yet. Although I really like Georgetown, I don’t think it has made it onto many people’s favorite neighborhood lists, so it’ll take coaxing to get the higher-end buyer down here. Extra polish and cool features might win people over.

Specifics: Price: $535,000. Last sold in 2006 for $218,632. 2,330 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths.