July 24, 2008
Capitol Hill is a spendy place, real-estate-wise. The average cost per square foot for a home listing on the hill is $404 (for a condo, it jumps to $504 sq/ft). But there are deals to be had. The following homes come in at under $250 sq/ft.
122 19th Ave E Seattle, WA 98112; Beds 4, Baths 3.5
Price: $697,000 Square Feet: 3,680 Price/Sq. Ft.: $189
Recently renovated, this one is well worth a look. It boasts an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) that you can rent to help with the mortgage. Be aware: this one is a short sale. Typically, only about one-third of initiated short sales make it through to closing.
1815 E John St Seattle, WA 98112 Beds 4; Baths 1.5
Price: $399,950 Square Feet:1,930 Price/Sq. Ft.: $207
This one needs some work. Per the listing notes, it does have updated wiring and plumbing, but clearly more needs to be done. The place has been on the market for 77 days and has seen five price reductions.
2412 Broadway Ave E Seattle, WA 98102; Beds: 6; Baths: 3
Price: $850,000 Square Feet: 3,880 Price/Sq. Ft.: $219
This is a really sweet house with its old world charm intact. Near as I can tell, the location is the sticking point: it borders the off-ramp from I-5 to SR520. There’s a greenbelt, but noise might be an issue.
628 11th Ave E Seattle, WA 98102; Beds 4; Baths 1.75
Price: $749,950 Square feet: 2,990 Price/Sq. Ft.: $251
Here’s another restored craftsman. I’m not sure why this place is such a deal. The location is great (though it is across the street from a school) and the home looks to be a classic high-end home. It has been on the market for 73 days, but in this climate that’s nothing, really. If you’re looking on the hill, this place is definitely worth investigating.
July 24, 2008
Don’t miss the Capitol Hill Block Party this weekend, which starts tomorrow, July 25, and runs through Saturday, July 26. Block Party boasts five stages and a slough of great bands (Vampire Weekend, yo!). Want to spend the weekend with the partiers? Two-day passes are available through ticketswest.com, or at Rudy’s Barbershops, select QFCs, and Moe Bar for $34. Tix for each day’s shows are available at Urban Outfitters outlets for $18.
So, while you’re out tooling open houses in the area this weekend, take in some sweet tunes and get to know your Cap Hill (and CD) cronies.
1017 Minor Ave. #904
OPEN: Sun., 1 to 4 p.m.
Price: $750,000
Specs: 3 bd/2 bath
Size: 1,600 square feet
1414 12th Ave. #503
OPEN: Sat., noon to 5 p.m.; Sun., 1 to 5 p.m.
Price: $495,000
Specs: 1 bd/1 bath
Size: 826 square feet
1416 Boylston Ave. #501
OPEN: Sun., 1 to 4 p.m.
Price: $547,950
Specs: 2 bd/1 bath
Size: 945 square feet
July 24, 2008
Get out this weekend and sample urban style living on the Eastside with Bellevue’s annual street fair festivities. Browse for pleasure or pick up some treasures to decorate your home! These fairs run Friday, July 24th through Sunday, July 26th so there’s ample time to get those walking shoes ready!
Bellevue Festival of the Arts
Located in the Cost Plus World Market parking lot, this is an outdoor arts and crafts fair where you can find local treasures such as jewelry, glasswork, woodwork, and textiles galore. Over 200 artists are represented in this festival and it’s free to attend. Hours are Friday and Saturday, 10-8 and Sunday, 10-6.
6th Street Fair
If the Bellevue Festival of Arts isn’t enough, walk over to NE 6th St near 106th Ave NE where you’ll find another gathering of more than 120 other artists and their fine handiwork including baskets, beadwork pottery and more. Don’t miss the munchies, the music, and craft activities for the kids. Also, free to attend, hours are Friday and Saturday, 10-8, and Sunday 10-6.
Bellevue Arts Museum Arts Fair
Free admission into the Bellevue Arts Museum during the festivities brings you up close and personal with another 300 artists displaying their work in everything from glass blowing, to ceramics, to painting. The Kidsfair offers free painting, drawing, and chalk art projects for the kids, as well as the High School Arts Expo. Museum hours during the festival are 9:30 am-9:30 pm Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 am-6 pm on Sunday. Kidsfair hours are 9:30 am to 6 pm Friday -Sunday.
July 23, 2008
It was another slumpy quarter for single-family home sales in Seattle, reports Seattle Bubble. Check the chart, which tracks all King County closings since 2000, as reported by the NWMLS (click the pic for the big view):
See that little red 2008 line? Yikes. While the crimson Q2 isn’t the lowest point on the chart (Q1 of this year beat it for last place by a long shot), it’s still mighty scary.
Given this, do you think dropping prices will spur more home closings? Or is our abundant selection totally sogged?
July 22, 2008
What does a “Super” store actually mean? What is a SuperK or in Bellevue’s case, a SuperTarget?
Is it just bigger? Do they carry bananas?
Rumors circulating the blogosphere say the Factoria target will be not only be plowing down Grazie to make way for the new Marketplace @ Factoria development, but it will be stealing more square footage for a new “Super” title. We’ll watch out for confirmations and be sure to let you know the deets.
I have never been to a SuperTarget, but the idea screams Wal-Mart to me, which is not everyone’s favorite idea for a neighbor. So, in the theme of re-thinking supersized retail, let’s take a look at Eastside homes new on the market this week that fall on the opposite side of super—less than 1,000 square feet to be specific. Perfect for a twosome or a lonesome.
13301 SE 79th Pl, Newcastle - $276,000
844 sqft., 1 bed, 1 bath
5722 SE 122nd Pl #235, Bellevue - $225,000
784 sqft., 2 bed, 1 bath
973 NE Ingram St #202, Issaquah - $199,950
933 sqft., 1 bed, 1 bath
July 22, 2008
If you’re anywhere on the Eastside, you can’t help but notice the ever-changing skyline of Bellevue, a continuously growing, not-so-mini-metropolis of it’s own. The silhouettes of skyscrapers paint the sky, as do the shadows of looming cranes, poised to build upward.
Bellevue is clearly coming into its own. Just a few months ago, Bellevue reigned at the top of Fortune’s top 100 list of Best Places to Live and Launch.
Huge corporations exist symbiotically with startups, a booming downtown abuts healthy residential neighborhoods, and the rising skyline is tempered by an abundance of parks, as well as lakeside and mountain views. Flash retailers such as Neiman Marcus draw regional shoppers, but Bellevue’s excellent healthcare and schools are key attractions for relocating families.
The city’s condos are quickly filling with trendy, young professionals in their 20’s and 30’s who are getting the most out of “urban living on the Eastside,” living and working in close proximity. With continued job growth in the works for employment biggies such as Microsoft, Yahoo, and Expedia in the area, the number of downtown residents is expected to double in the next two years, according to the Seattle Times.
Businesses have been quick to pick up on this trend. Safeway, for example, opened a new, upscale store on Bellevue Way Northeast, which very much encompasses this new urban style of living. Complete with sushi-bar, a selection of prepared foods that would make your head spin, and a gelato bar, this store sits beneath the Avalon Meydenbauer project, home to 368 apartments.
Urban living on the Eastside can still be found for a reasonable cost (if you’re willing to go with an older condo that might need some updating):
200 99th Ave NE #33
2 br/1.75 ba, 1,164 sq.ft.
Price: $499,900
MLS 28105827
401 100th Ave NE #311
2 br/1.75 ba, 1,230 sq. ft.
Price: $399,500
MLS 27184970
Or if you’re a fan of newer construction, you can live for a pretty penny more, a few steps away (don’t worry, these probably don’t need updating!) :
10015 NE 4th St., #4002
2 br/1.75 ba, 1,561 sq.ft.
Price: $1,385,000
MLS 28114384
535 100th Ave NE #3A
2 br/2.5 ba, 1,638 sq.ft.
Price: $995,000
MLS 28100980
July 21, 2008
Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
The Seattle Times reported that foreclosures are way up in Washington since this time last year. The good news is that Washington has significantly fewer sub prime mortgages than other troubled states like Navada. Since Washington follows national housing trends, just 18 months later, it looks like this year may be the worst of it for us.
Of the three Central Puget Sound counties, foreclosures again hit Pierce County hardest, with one in 483 households in trouble. In Snohomish County, it was one in every 966.King County fared best, with one household in 1,265 in trouble…In Washington state, 1 percent of outstanding mortgages were subprime in the fourth quarter 2007, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s most recent national delinquency survey.
By comparison, 10 percent of mortgages in Nevada, the foreclosure leader, were subprime. Last month, one in 99 Las Vegas homeowners was in foreclosure.
| Here’s a look at the number of foreclosure filings for the past four Junes: |
| June 2005 |
1,077 |
| June 2006 |
1,440 |
| June 2007 |
1,646 |
| June 2008 |
2,742 |
| Source: RealtyTrac |
July 21, 2008
Between the obscene price of gas, bulging bellies, and green guilt, walking is once again in vogue. We’ve posted about WalkScores on SweetDigs before, but I wanted to share with you the latest WalkScore rankings.
While Seattle didn’t make it into the top ten most livable cities, we rank number six in terms of walkability. San Francisco came in first, followed by New York, Boston and Chicago.
Given the list, it appears large, densely-packed cities are the most walkable. No surprise there; big city neighborhoods have restaurants, entertainment and other services demanded by their inhabitants. The ‘burbs on the other hand (including several of the so-called most livable cities), with their open spaces and strip-mall-services, require daily car excursions.
Though walkability is just one factor among many of a home’s overall appeal, in the current environment, it’s gaining importance. I’m thinking it won’t be too long before walk scores are included as a matter of practice in most MLS listings.
July 20, 2008
I never realized the benefits of living near bike trails until I tested the 520 and I-90 commuter trails. Many thanks to Seattle bike commuter, Dave Treadwill, whose blog helped me locate the most bike-friendly Bellevue back roads. While my biking skills leave little to be desired, today’s trip got me thinking that all I really want to do is ditch the car.
After experiencing the luxury and convenience of living on the I-90 bike path, I’m beginning to look at alternative transportation as a new home selling point. Maybe it was this home’s proximately to the 520 bike route that scored its recent sale for $635,000.
Judging from current economic forecasts, more people need to research alternative transportation conveniences when buying a home. Living on the Burke Gilman trail or adjacent to commuter bike paths are HUGE perks… for the right buyer.
Fortunately, we are more likely to find buyers who are interested in this type of fanfare in the Northwest. Reading this post from the Mercer Island blog, Surrounded By Water, we know at least one person enjoys bike commuting. Read the post for a step by step guide to commuting by bike from Mercer Island and the Eastside to downtown Seattle.
Seattleites, the weather will be nice this week. Get out. Take a walk or (gasp) bike to work. Maybe you will find that you, too, live near a pedestrian commuter path that may someday be your own personal cash cow.
Do you like to bike, and are you looking for a home on the Eastside that supports your hobby? Check out this home in the Kelsey Creek neighborhood. They love biker riders (at least they always waive to me!). Or try this home in the pleasant Glendale neighborhood of Bellevue. Not only is it smack dab on the 520 bike path, but it’s also close to some of the Eastside’s best schools.
Interested in what bike path I took today? The map below shows my path from I-90, and you can go here for more detailed street directions.
July 20, 2008
Loads of development (albeit far in the future) is coming to that Central District thoroughfare, 23rd Ave. The intersections at both Union and Cherry are getting primed for construction, ready to rejuvenate the neighborhood with new businesses and residences. Want to get in on the action? Here’s a smattering of what other folks have purchased in the area.
1110 24th Ave.
Sold: June 28, 2008
Price: $392,000
Specs: 3 bd/1 bath
Size: 1,420 square feet
991 21st Ave.
Sold: June 10, 2008
Price: $429,950
Specs: N/A
Size: 1,230 square feet
605 20th Ave.
Sold: June 26, 2008
Price: $795,000
Specs: N/A
Size: 2,480 square feet
919 25th Ave.
Sold: June 2, 2008
Price: $526,000
Specs: 2 bd/1 bath
Size: 840 square feet
719 26th Ave., #A
Sold: May 9, 2008
Price: $320,000
Specs: 2 bd/1 bath
Size: 1,050 square feet
