Archive for March, 2007
March 21, 2007
It’s the second day of spring. Good enough reason to see what’s happening at the extremes of the Northwest Seattle housing market. (Check out this post to refresh your memory about February’s edges.)
Big
The largest home for sale hasn’t changed since February. It’s that 6,600 square-foot Medina estate that somehow got plunked down on the north end of Green Lake.
Small
Condos continue to dominate the smallest category. This month it’s located in a new Ballard project. Sized at 503 square feet, it also has a balcony, a parking space and “luxury finishes.”
Dear
Penthouse battle! The long-time champion for most expensive listing, the Tavona penthouse, has been replaced by a Fremont penthouse condo. This one has a $1,990,000 asking price. According to the listing, there’s a truckload of Italian marble and custom woodwork throughout. Would Lenin think it decadent?
Cheap
At $239,950, the asking price for the least expensive place is $20,000 less than the owner paid 14 months ago. It’s another Ballard condo, and a brand spanking new listing.
Old
Say buh-bye to the house on the freeway on-ramp in the northeast corner of Wallingford. This Ballard Tudor replaces it as the oldest listing: More than a year on the market.
New
In the last 24 hours, 12 new properties have come on the market in Northwest Seattle. You can track ‘em down yourself on our search page.
All data from 3/21/2007.
March 21, 2007
From the cedar shingles on the outside, to the warm wainscoting on the inside, this house is a symphony in wood.
It was obviously a labor of love for the person who did the remodel (the owner before the present one, according to the agent). I appreciated the attention to detail, from the plentiful storage to the capacious hot-water tanks.
I do wish someone had given more thought to the floor plan, though. I found the downstairs choppy, with doorways obstructing flow. Perhaps there were issues with load-bearing walls that restricted the design. Upstairs, they didn’t take the opportunity to put in a master suite and one of the bedrooms is a step higher than the hallway – not where I’d house a toddler.
For an encore, the finished basement is outfitted with a MIL apartment. Green Lake and the PCC, each a block away, complete the program.
STATS:
Neighborhood: Green Lake
Asking: $1,000,000
Address: 7343 Keen Way N., Seattle, WA 98103
MLS#: 27021575
Click here for detailed listing.
KCR DATA:
Living square footage: 2330. Lot size: 3922 sq. ft.
Bedrooms: 4 Baths: 1.5
Last sale price: $851,000 (Feb. 2006)
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 21, 2007
Here’s a warning: when you turn off Rainier Avenue onto Rose Street to find this house, it looks a bit rough. There are dismembered cars and smatterings of colorful graffiti along the roadsides, but just keep going. A few blocks away, things spruce up significantly, which is where you’ll find this recently flipped Rainier Valley house.
As far as flips go, this seems like a utilitarian one. Usually I notice a couple of unnecessary flourishes, like a European toilet, that I’m guessing are intended to make the buyer feel like they’re getting a remodel with a human touch. Here, expediency may have dictated the choices. They opted for wall-to-wall carpet, a vinyl bathroom stall and holding onto a weathered covered back porch.
Nevertheless, this house is on very large parcel of land (9,486 square feet), off a quiet T-intersection, and the houses directly across the street are cute as bugs. Just down the block, a property recently sold before I could even attend the open house, which could mean there is fresh interest in this area.
The Numbers: Price: $370,000. Last sold in 2006 for $233,751. 1,430 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath.
March 21, 2007
Builder and contractor Frederick William Anhalt developed some of Seattle’s most noteworthy apartment buildings in the years around the Great Depression. Anhalt’s buildings borrow aspects of earlier European architecture. The Oak Manor on Capitol Hill is one of his masterpieces and unit number four is today’s most clicked property. This unit appears to have a very functional layout and has bright and warm paint colors to contrast Seattle’s grey days. My favorite feature is the private spiral staircase leading to the front door.
STATS:
Price: $438,000
Location: 730 Belmont Ave E #4 Seattle, WA 98102
Last sale price: $525,000 (2004)
MLS: 27045085
Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
Bellevue: Young Architects Club Meets Here
Bainbridge Island: Romancing the Rambler
South Seattle: C’mon, Feel the Noise
March 20, 2007
If I was a kid, I’d love living on this street. It’s a quaint, quiet block with unique house after unique house, all nicely designed and architecturally interesting. It feels like a private little town here (and it must look quite Norman Rockwell when covered in snow). Plus, the elementary school is walking distance, as is the picturesque, well-manicured Medina Park (which I just found out has an off-leash dog area). And if I was a kid growing up in this house, I’d probably grow up to be an architect, photographer or artist of some sort. It would be hard not to be influenced by the dramatic beauty of the spaces here.
The grand piano in the entry area is a fitting object—the house has that same elegant design feel, with curved shapes and forms repeated throughout. The interior woodwork appeared to be oak with a light (white?) stain, which echoed the open, bright feeling of the home’s design. A graceful curving staircase takes you upstairs (where the master bath is a minimalist masterpiece—up two steps to a sunken tub with matching skylight above, or an open shower, also with skylight above). That same curve of the staircase stops on the first floor, briefly, then continues downstairs, where there’s an exercise room, fourth bedroom, and rec room, with doors opening out to the patio. The deck begins at the office, then continues around until it overlooks the backyard.
Looking at the current stats on Redfin for listings in Medina, at $423 per sq. ft., this house appears to be a bargain, too.
(Please forgive my awful photo. There were other folks waiting for me to move my car at the open house, so I had to snap and run. Click the photo to check out the listing’s better photos).
STATS:
Price: $2,075,000.
Location: 7842 NE 10th Street, Medina, WA 98039
Last sale price: $358,500. (in 1985)
Square footage: 4,910 sq. ft., Lot size: 16,000 sq ft
Bedrooms: 4 Baths: 3.5
http://www.redfin.com/stingray/do/printable-listing?listing-id=511737
March 20, 2007
Due to the nature of my beat, I look at a ton of houses that are on the fringes of industrial areas and transportation corridors. I’m usually surprised at how effective Seattle’s natural topography is at muffling noise, because sometimes all you need is a slight bump in a hillside to dampen or eliminate the racket.
I’d like to say that was the case for this Beacon Hill new listing, but I think the geography had an opposite effect. The noise bounced off the valley walls and made it sound like trains were decoupling in the backyard and jets were touching down on the roof.
Other than that, it’s a solid-looking starter home. Despite a few freshen-ups for sale, the interior needs some attention. For an example, look at the odd choice of an oblong carpet cutout to expose the fireplace hearth. However, it’s got plenty of potential for improvements and great southern exposure. For those, like myself, who appreciate detached project spaces, it’s got a large garage on site that is perfect for filling up with ambitious undertakings. Like a model train yard… you’d already have a soundtrack? It goes up to eleven!
The Specs: Price: $329,950. Last sold in 1997 for 115,000. 1,300 square feet. 3 Bedrooms, 1 bath.
March 20, 2007
Giant orange construction cranes seem to have become a permanent fixture of downtown Bellevue. The area has change quite a bit in the last few years with new condos and shopping centers sprouting up on seemingly every corner. The older part of downtown around Main Street has managed to keep it’s quaintness with cute boutiques and unique restaurants.
Today’s most clicked property sits just south of old downtown. This light filled corner unit condo is reasonably priced and has all the benefits of downtown living but in a quiet serene area surrounded by trees. There’s also a second unit available in the same building for slightly less.
STATS:
Price: $389,000
Location: 424 102nd Ave SE #101 Bellevue, WA 98004
Last sale price: NA
MLS: 27043892
Recent post on Sweet Digs Seattle:
South Seattle: The Price Is Right
