Archive for the ‘Magnolia’ Category
March 30, 2007
I could still smell the fresh paint as I walked into this unit on the top floor of the recently renovated Ara Vita Condominiums. It’s 708 Sq. Ft. with a nice sized kitchen, living room and eating area, a fireplace and view of the golf course. Just a few concerns: There are only 6 untis left in this complex and only 5 spaces remaining in the secure parking garage. So, you would have to hop to it if you want to park inside because it’s first come, first served. There are two houses next to the building that could be potential pop ups some day. For the time being, they are just eye sores. If you have lots of stuff, it could be a problem because the only storage you get is what’s in the condo. unit and it’s not much. The building is close to the railroad tracks at the bottom of Magnolia, near a busy intersection and Romio’s Pizza, but with very easy access to downtown Seattle.
Price: $294,950
Beds: 2
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft. 707
$Sq. Ft. $417
MLS: 27039597
March 30, 2007
Quiet building coverted to condos. in 1968 with only 36 units on four floors. This unit is on the second floor and has great views, lots of built-in storage and a covered parking space. Some owners have even turned their spaces into actual garages by adding walls and garage doors. It’s an open floor plan with a private balcony between the bedroom and living room. The association recently had the elevator overhauled, and had plenty in the bank to complete the project. The homeowner’s dues are $172/mo. and the building is well maintained. They have their own pool and club house that’s two stories high. The top floor has a pool room with a round fireplace and sitting area, plus a kitchen area with a large eating space. The lower floor has an exercise room, sauna and shower right off the pool. The only concern I have about this property is that the unit doesn’t have a washer and dryer hook up. None of the units do, but there is a laundry room on each floor so at least you wouldn’t have to lug your laundry up and down the stairs.
Price: $255,000
Beds: 1
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft. 712
$Sq. Ft. $358
MLS: 27013784
March 21, 2007
Yes, it’s a dog with absolutely zip for street appeal. But, with some cash, a great designer and contractor, even this dog can have its day.
The property has funky space starting with the front stairs up to the house, which are so shallow you can’t even open the front door without knocking yourself off the stairs. Kitchen space is limited due to a powder room right in the middle of the first floor. Kind of like a kitchen island, only it’s a bathroom.
The lot is pie shaped coming to a point in the back yard. There’s a hot tub out on the pie shaped deck which follows the property line and comes to a Grand Junction with the neighbors properties. In that regard, the deck and hot tub could be seen as a social focus point.
This house could use a face lift, a new front porch, larger closets on the second floor, maybe a heating alternative to the electric units in the walls and at $ 479,950 it’s a good alternative to a condo or town home. If you’re looking for a project, this could be it.
Price: $479,950
Beds: 3
Baths: 2.25
Sq. Ft.: 1760
$Sq. Ft.: $273
March 21, 2007
Just on the market. I heard some guys bought this house to remodel and turn. They did a great job and with everything new, it’s gleaming from head to toe. It might look small from the curb, but it’s huge inside and has a nice deck off the kitchen eating area and master with a nice partially fenced yard too. The main floor has two bedrooms with big closets, a nicely done kitchen and loads of open space. The daylight basement is fantastic: full of light, very spacious with a bathroom that’s to die for. It seems like a lot to pay for a house without a garage, but then again, a lot of houses in Magnolia don’t have garages and it is an attractive neighborhood.
Price:$679,950
Beds: 3 (1 in the daylight basement)
Baths: 2.5
Sq. Ft.: about 2400
$Sq. Ft.: 283
March 21, 2007
This corner lot town home is only about 961 square feet but every inch was well planned out. The main floor has an open floor plan with a nice sized kitchen, small living room and enough room for a dining table as well. The master bedroom is good sized with a large closet. The second bedroom is small with a tiny closet to match. The laundry is on the garage level (my pet peeve these days), so it’s a hike up and down the stairs to do your laundry.
Concerns:
They say you should never buy a new car right after you buy a house. If you have an SUV, you might have to because in my opinion the garage ceiling is a bit low. If you have tall vehicle, I’d use a tape measure or do a test drive just to make sure there’s enough height.
This town home is located right on Thorndyke Ave. which is well traveled and can be a bit noisy during the day. While viewing it, I could hear cars and trucks go by pretty easily. The bedrooms were better since they are higher up and traffic in this area of Magnolia seems to settle down pretty early, so it shouldn’t be a problem going to sleep at night. I would give this one a second visit at night.
Price: $429,990
Beds: 2
Baths: 1.5
Sq. Ft.: 961
$Sq. Ft.: 447
March 16, 2007
First impressions are lasting and entering this newly built three story town home could leave your friends with quite an undesirable one. The front door opens to a steep flight of stairs that literally leads you directly to the first floor bathroom. You might as well write “welcome to my toilet” right over the front door just so your guests aren’t too surprised on entry.
The main floor is open with all the desirable things like granite countertops, a breakfast bar, cherry cabinets, stainless appliances, bamboo floors, and a gas fireplace. Doing laundry in this hip craftsman style town home will be like having a free home gym since your laundry room is on the garage level and the bedrooms are on the third floor with several steep staircases in between. The bedrooms on the third floor are a bit small and they aren’t square, but instead have a wall jutting out in the corner to give the building an architectural feature. The bucks you’ll save by not having to pay homeowner’s dues (because you’ll be maintaining the building yourself) can be used to buy your new heart shaped beds that should fit perfectly. If you don’t want to invest in some new furniture and all the heart shaped beds from the Pocono’s sales are gone, then you might measure the bedrooms before signing on the dotted line.
At $439,000 (recently reduced from $464,000) this town home is a steal. It’s your call. If you want to encorporate laundry day as part of your workout regimen and have impeccable manners, always closing the bathroom door, then this one’s for you.
Price:$439,000
Beds: 2
Baths: 3
Sq. Ft.: 1150
$Sq. Ft.: $382
Note: For $25,000 more you can get a town home in the same complex with an additional 300 sq. ft., your laundry on the third floor, one bathroom on each floor (although one is in the garage), and an extra bonus room on the first floor that can be used as a small office.
