Wouldncha know it. The day after I post a review, this 4-bed, 2-bath Beacon Hill house sees a price drop to $649,000, dropping the per sq. ft. price to $240.
Was it something I said!?
Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
Bellevue: Remodeled Rambler Under $500
Phinney Ridge: Gnome Needed
Bellevue: $100K Price Drop Helps this House Squeak in Under a Million
Green Lake: The Big Chiclet
South Seattle: Pushing Tin
Bainbridge Island: Sleek, Sexy and Sophisticated
Today’s most clicked property looks as if it’s straight out of a cookie cutter community cookbook. You can visit a model home that’s been fully staged on site. Everything is new, squeaky clean, and sometimes a mirror image of what’s across the street. I’ve never lived in a planned neighborhood that was perfectly homogenous like the new developments cropping up in parts of the Seattle area, especially on the east side. I often wonder if anyone ever accidently tries to enter the wrong house because their home is identical to the one next to it.
STATS:
Price: $424,959
Location: 5940 31st Ave SW Seattle, WA 98126
Last sale price: NA
MLS: 26154462
This house is part of a new cul-de-sac development in south Beacon Hill, just a few blocks west of the new light rail system. First off, if you are planning on driving past these new houses, take a quick look at the maps following this post. The online location is actually incorrect, and following that map will gain you a good half-hour winding your way through the miles of orange cones and torn up concrete that is Martin Luther King Way.
The development, called Morgan Ridge, consists of six new homes, all constructed in a similar floor plan and aesthetic vein. It is a tad surreal to wind your way through a fairly rough-looking neighborhood with some ramshackle houses to end up in a tight cluster of fresh construction, complete with sod and blacktop. They all overlook the Rainier Valley, and showcase a glimpse of Lake Washington in the distance. For hobby bike-riders and kids, the Powerline Express, also known as the Chief Sealth Trail, is just a couple blocks away.
As far as the houses are concerned, my opinion is colored by what seems to be a rather unimaginative construction concept. They’re packed in so tight, you’d get quite familiar with your cul-de-sac mates. And it’s a classic cliché to say that if the houses weren’t painted different colors, you might find yourself cleaning out the neighbor’s gutters by mistake. While it’s always nice to see investment spreading in the Rainier Valley, I would welcome it more readily if higher standards for design were emphasized and rewarded.
The Details: Price: $489,000. 1,680 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. $291 per square foot.
Here’s a great example of an under-$500K find in the Lake Hills section of Bellevue. See an earlier post of mine for more about the area.
This perky rambler has been remodeled and is bright, colorful and very neat. Some highlights are the spacious laundry/crafts room, which has a new washer/dryer on a raised platform with built in cabinets, counters and desk area all around; a bright family room with doors out to the flat, user-friendly backyard; and well-chosen vibrant but tasteful paint colors throughout.
Note that there is only one bathroom. However, there are a couple of places (off the family room or on the bedroom wing) where it seems adding another would be possible. For parking, there is a covered carport, for one car, that felt small to me. The house is set back from the street, creating a big, flat, grassy front yard, ripe with possibility.
STATS:
Price: $495,000.
Location: 632 163rd Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98008
Last sale price: $198,000. (in 2001)
Square footage: N/A, Lot size: 7,300 sq ft
Bedrooms: 4 Baths: 1
http://www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=581501
There seems to be a glut of new townhouses, with gleaming stainless-granite finishes, on the market. I think this 7-year-old townhouse, with its lower-end kitchen and so-so location, suffers by comparison. Witness the ticking away of days listed on Redfin – 45 and counting – and a recent, 3-percent price cut from $499,990 to $485,000.
The street exposure makes it one of the least private among this conclave of zero-lot-lines. Fortunately, I didn’t hear much traffic noise when I visited, despite being situated on a one-way street that feeds into a major Aurora Ave. crossing.
The layout is pretty standard for a three-story townhouse, but I thought it contained wasted space, like a too-large entry way, deep bathroom shelves lined up for a drenching from the shower, and a ladder-less loft destined for cobweb storage. The smaller of the two upstairs bedrooms isn’t very big either, on the order of 12′ by 9′.
I felt sad as I toured, unlike the fresh vibe generated by a similar lake-area resale, which ended up getting bought quickly. The square footage here is more than many townhouses, so there’s a value argument to be made for considering the property.
I just hope the next owners can inject some happy into this home. Maybe they should start by buying a gnome.
STATS:
Neighborhood: Phinney Ridge
Asking: $485,000
Address: 914 N. 74th St., Seattle, WA 98103
MLS#: 27022898
Click here for detailed listing.
KCR DATA:
Living square footage: 1510. Lot size: 1501 sq. ft.
Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 2.5
Last sale price: $299,950 (Feb. 2001)
When I went to see this house during its open, the info said the price had dropped $100,000, putting its current price at just under a million.
Located on a triangular shaped lot, it’s got new secure fencing around tidy landscaping and concrete paver patio areas, from the areas that I could see. Medina Park, Bellevue Square, and Clyde Beach Park are walkable from here.
Flyer info said it was renovated last year, and I thought some really nice materials and choices were made. The dining room and kitchen have varied (in tone and contrast) slate tile floors and the kitchen has good light (thanks to a big window and skylight above) and stainless steel appliances. The master upstairs has access to a covered porch, which seems like a charming touch for a bedroom. The only thing I would change in the house is paint the trim a different color than the walls. I’ve become so conditioned to seeing white or wood baseboard molding in homes, it seemed odd to see the baseboard painted the same color (warm taupe) as the walls.
My photo, by the way, is of the side of the house. (I couldn’t get a good front shot).
STATS:
Price: $998,000.
Location: 844 NE Lake Washington Blvd, Bellevue, WA 98004
Last sale price: $550,000. (in 2005)
Square footage: 2,270 sq. ft., Lot size: 9,000 sq ft
Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 2
http://www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=499915
The pictures of this home show a big, white chiclet that lacks curb appeal. In person, it wasn’t any prettier. Where are the deep eaves and detailing common to a house of this era?
A slight elevation and deep front yard give the place privacy. It doesn’t supply any views of Green Lake, but is within walking distance of the park and Tangletown, on a quiet street.
There are some nice features inside. The remodeled kitchen has a workable layout and attractive finishes, but the lack of both a backsplash and an externally venting exhaust fan had me wondering if the designers were serious cooks.
I wasn’t crazy about the double-shotgun layout on the first floor, which made the living room long and narrow. I couldn’t envision a furniture arrangement that didn’t have foot traffic right through the conversation area. Two good-sized bedrooms and a bathroom complete the main level.
A steep, narrow staircase leads to three bedrooms and a Jack-and-Jill bath. The two smaller rooms are so small that I think the kids will outgrow them once they hit first grade. The master suite is of decent size, but to enter it you have to go through either the bathroom or a closet, which is an unusual layout.
Electric baseboard heaters warm the upstairs. The furnace for the first floor is also electric. Gas appliances would be more economical.
The listing history for this house has been up and down. It was first listed around the end of October with a different MLS number and agent. The old agent told me that the sellers had rejected at least one offer. By early January it was off the market. Now it’s back on and the asking price is virtually the same as before.
Perhaps the spring surge will bring an interested buyer at this price, but if it were me, I’d consider this listing around 150 days old and closely examine the value proposition.
STATS:
Neighborhood: Green Lake
Asking: $629,950
Address: 2342 N. 60th St., Seattle, WA 98103
MLS#: 27035057
Click here for detailed listing.
KCR DATA:
Living square footage: 1470. Lot size: 3040 sq. ft.
Bedrooms: 5 Baths: 2
Last sale price: $357,000 (Mar. 2002)
The big new kitchen in this home had many visitors audibly oohing and aaahing. No surprise as it’s got all the desirable items and a terrific deck accessible through French doors. Nevertheless, I was more taken with the finished basement, which adds the option to have a rental unit in this house as it has a separate entrance and needs only a kitchen to be complete.
On the main floor I thought the fir floors were lovely and I appreciated the care that went into maintaining the 1924 accents while updating the house. The bathtub on this level looked to be an original accent and I thought it could use refinishing or replacing as it’s a jarring contrast to all the new stuff. For my $.02 the tile grout in this bathroom needs a thorough cleaning, too. The top floor has been finished into one very large room with a cool view of Georgetown and the loading cranes at the Port of Seattle.
For clarification…this is not the view, just a pic of the port.
Due to its chain link fence the backyard is not all that private and it abuts the alley so you could be disturbed by some car traffic. However, you’re more likely to be annoyed at the frequent rumbles over head, since this stretch of Beacon Hill is under very busy flight paths for Boeing Field and SeaTac. All the more reason to sleep in the newly refinished basement.
$669,000
Beds: 4
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.*: 2,700
Lot Sq. Ft.*: 4,800
$/Sq. Ft.*: $248
Last Sale Price: $429,000 (September 2006)
* Information from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Commodore West, the Chaffey community just west of the high school offers a lot of house and bigger lots than many of the newer planned communities in the Winslow area.
This house could accomodate a small country, or at least host my family during the holiday season! It’s got five bedrooms, and one could almost divide it into two living spaces–with separate family rooms and bedrooms–and only share the kitchen–it’s that spacious!
The baseball diamond-worthy backyard offers a recreation opportunity and the dog run on the side of the house is handy (if one owns a dog.)
It’s in a cul de sac location–within earshot of the rifle club across Sportsman Club Road. (They have target practice once–maybe twice a week.)
It looks as though a new house will be going up next door.
Older kids can walk to the high school through the connecting Commodore neighborhood–it backs up on the high school/swimming pool complex.
All in all this house offers convenience and space for everyone–a boatload of it–in town.
9458 Capstan Drive NE
nwmls # 27023553
5 br, 2.5 ba
built 1997
sold for $308,406 on 9/15/97
Sleek, sexy and sophisticated wouldn’t be the words I’d use to describe Park Avenue on Bainbridge Island. This isn’t New York, so don’t get the wrong idea…
This little rambler just went up for sale on Park Avenue here.
This section of Park Avenue here backs up on the upscale street, Alder. Past Alder you’re into Wing Point Golf Club territory.
I imagine our Park Avenue will become desirable, due to the close-in location and elbow room between neighbors. (Houses for sale at the moment in the surrounding streets are listed between $849 and over 1.3 million).
This 1,272 square foot rambler is a redo gone right in my opinion. Set on a large flat lot, the new kitchen sparkles with fresh white beadboard-style cabinets, black counter tiles and small emerald green inlaid tiles. Hard wood floors, crown molding, and solid wooden interior doors add to the ambiance. The three bedrooms are small, sixties rambler style rooms so don’t expect soaring vaulted mega rooms here.
It’s close to the ferry and the ferry feeder bus reportedly stops right by the house.
Most of what I’ve looked at around this price needs cosmetic work, and even though this one’s in the high range per square foot compared to some, to my mind it’s got the sophistication of the best of the new condos in Winslow, without the homeowner’s dues and with a big dose of precious privacy.
I would venture to call the interior of this Park Avenue address sleek, sexy and sophisticated–in the New York sense.
737 PARK AVE NE
$520,000
Beds: 3
Baths: 1.75
Sq. Ft.*: 1,272
Year Built: 1963
MLS: 27045620
07/01/2002 $254,900 10.1%/yr
