Archive for April, 2007
April 30, 2007
You won’t find the Weed n’ Feed obsessed out manicuring their lawns with fingernail clippers or shaping their boxwood into bunnies for the most part on this street.
And yet, this no-frills neighborhood just outside of town occupies an increasingly desirable location. (I’m amazed to witness several houses in neighboring streets going for 100K more than they probably would have last year at this time–making this 500K price tag looks like a Ross Dress for Less bargain to me.)
I imagine the Little Leaguers in the family will enjoy this house’s proximity to Rotary Field, the local baseball field, and those inclined toward hoofing it around town will appreciate its location in a pleasant spot at the top of the dead-end street, with fire road access to Lovell Avenue which leads toward town.
717 MOJI LN NW
4 bedrooms,2.5 baths
1,782 square feet
Built: 2000
Last Sold: 9/8/00 for $269,500
MLS#: 27069894
*information deemed reliable but not guaranteed
April 30, 2007
The developers of the Florera condominium complex, on the northeast corner of the park, are doing their part to save the planet.
The project is aiming for LEED silver certification, according to the on-site sales agent, using sustainably built practices, plus it boasts of eco-friendly amenities including a cistern to collect rainwater and a P-Patch garden on the roof.
There’s not much to see of individual units yet since the building is still mostly framing, but you can request a hard-hat tour. That’ll at least tell you about the privacy, noise, and views of the homes you’re interested in. This one-bedroom, one-bath is on the east side, which is subject to I-5 noise. As for ameliorating sound from the two adjoining units, the agent was only somewhat sure that there’d be an air gap, so I’d confirm that.
What also was fuzzy at the time that I visited was the exact finishes that would be used. What was displayed were combinations of round ceramic, glass, and steel tiles; bamboo floors; terrazzo-type and Paperstone countertops; and vertical-grain laminate cabinets. Colors were very muted, in shades of grey, mauve, putty, taupe, beige, and brown. The agent indicated that these weren’t final choices. Unfortunately, they didn’t have mock-ups of the kitchens and baths, so you’ll have to use your imagination to visualize what will eventually be built.
A serious negative for this unit is that there isn’t an assigned parking space. Given the dearth of street parking in that area, all the park visitors who claim any inch of curb for their cars, and the forthcoming burst of apartments that are planned for the Albertson’s and Spuds, if you can’t find a slot in the common garage, you could be hoofing it some distance from driver’s door to front door.
Another thing to consider is that the unit has one of the smaller one-bedroom floor plans Florera offers, which works out to be a stiff $567 per square foot. It’s at the top of the per-foot numbers among available condos in this price range in the northwest corner.
For another report on the complex, you can read several posts at the Urban Living condo blog.
STATS:
MLS#: 27049033. Click for detailed listing.
Asking: $374,950
HOA dues: $375 per month
Address: 400 NE Ravenna Blvd. #403
Bedrooms: 1 Baths: 1
Living square footage: 661 (per developer)
Last sale price: new construction
April 30, 2007
At Ballard Noma, the recent It Girl of the neighborhood’s condo boom, there’s a top-floor unit for sale with a good layout and an acceptable value proposition of $459 per square foot.
What attracts me to the top floor is the lack of people stomping overhead. It may not be a problem for units on lower floors since the developer went to the trouble of using resilient-channel sound-dampening components between the floors. (I checked this out for my own house and it seems to be the gold standard.) Unfortunately, it will be difficult to check its efficicacy until the building is closer to completion.
Other quieting techniques used at Noma include double-wall framing, which introduces an air gap between common walls. In this unit, there’s only one shared wall, another plus.
I also appreciated the architect squeezing double sinks into the master bath and a den with a closet – touches that could make it feel a bit less apartment-y. But, until you get a chance to walk around the space, you won’t know for sure how the nice touches seen on the paper layout translate into reality.
I’m not crazy about all the windows facing north; I like my natural light. It is on a street side, but 57th, not the heavier trafficked 24th. The view of the grocery store parking lot won’t win any awards, however.
The pictures in the listing are of the model set-ups in the sales center. The earth-toned finishes have a bit of flair without being as trendalicious as the live/work units nearby. You can pony up for granite slab, glass inserts in the cabinets, and more and different tile if you’re inclined.
There are 13 other Noma units listed on Redfin. If you want more info about the complex, check out the news and comments at Urban Living condo blog run by Redfin’s own Matt Goyer.
STATS:
MLS#: 26202136. Click for detailed listing.
Asking: $484,950
HOA dues: $478 per month
Address: 5650 24th Ave. NW #615
Bedrooms: 2 Baths: 1.75
Living square footage: 1056 (per developer)
Last sale price: new construction
April 30, 2007
After visiting this home, most of my notes read more like an enthusiastic listing description rather than a critical review, hence the un-snappy post title. This house has been painstakingly cared for and when I visited I saw very few areas that could be of concern to interested purchasers.
The one bath and kitchen are both new and the former has a sweet claw foot tub and tile work appropriate to a home built in 1914. While some may find the kitchen a touch small, it’s been beautifully designed to maximize space and the cabinetry and counters complement the rest of the home nicely. There is only one main room, which is currently serving as both living and dining room. It works just fine with the space divided that way although some might see it as a drawback. The two bedrooms have decent size closets, and while neither room is exceptionally large they both fit all the necessary furniture without challenge. Due to taller houses on either side, I found the house a bit dark from their shadows. However, there’s lovely landscaping all around, and the back yard has a covered porch, a patio and lawn and garden space in which to seek out sun or shade.
In the dry and immaculately clean full-size basement you’ll find an additional room currently serving as an office. What you won’t find anywhere on the property is off-street parking or a garage, which could become a frustration if both the neighborhood population and popularity continue to grow. Nevertheless, with an asking price of $424,500 I expect this house to have new folks trolling for parking very soon.
Sq. Ft.: 1,640
Lot Sq. Ft.: 3,427
$/Sq. Ft.: $259
Last Sale Price: $305,000 (January 2004)
April 30, 2007
Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
Bainbridge Island: bon achat, au revoir
Bainbridge Island: Simple and Sold
South Seattle: Downward Spiral
South Seattle: I Am An Island
South Seattle: Free Bus With Purchase
The annual taxes on this lavish Mercer Island estate are about equivalent to the average yearly household income in Seattle (around $40K). This mansion has everything necessary to properly live the decadent life: a wine cellar, movie theater, billiard room with a bar, and an outdoor space that’s an extension of the living space poolside with an outdoor fireplace to boot. Curiously, what seems like the perfect pad has one little problem, it’s just 2 doors down from I-90. It’s gorgeous but you’d think $9,750,000 would buy you some peace and quiet!
2205 60TH AVE SE
MERCER ISLAND, WA 98040
Price: $9,750,000
Beds: 5
On Redfin: 7 days
Baths: 7
Year Built: 2004
sqft: 8,490
Lot Size: 33,064
$/Sqft: $1,148
MLS#: 27061641
Status: Active on market
Last Sale: $1,200,000 (05/07/2002)
The least lavish property listed last week is a teeny weenie cabin way out in Gold Bar (that’s about an hour away from civilization). This 280 square foot Skykomish River front abode is really more of a “tent-substitute” for your Washington wilderness adventure. Camp-out luxuries include electric power, toilet, sink, and bear-proof walls.
It unfortunately doesn’t have running water or septic tank, because then it wouldn’t really be camping now would it?!
50311 LOOP RD
GOLD BAR, WA 98251
Price: $64,950
Beds: 0
On Redfin: 5 days
Baths: –
Year Built: 1962
sqft: 280
Lot Size: 7,841
$/Sqft: $232
MLS#: 27070317
Status: Active on market
Last Sale: –
April 27, 2007
This Shannon Drive sweetheart had a certain Je ne sais quoi that appealed to me–and I guess someone else had that Parlez-vous Francais? feeling about it too–for it has sold…under asking price, at $498,280.
242 Shannon Drive SE
2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths
1,880 square feet
Sold March 15 for $498,280
Asking Price: $515,500
*information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
April 27, 2007
Shoppers combing the island for up-to-the-minute Bainbridge bling of the constructed variety might find the houses on this Nakata Avenue strip short on footage and frills, but I wrote with fondness about the simplicity inherent in these standard fare eighties era homes–perhaps it’s a personal pendulum swing; a nostalgic longing for houses rather than castles, I don’t know.
973 Nakata Avenue
Sold March 15 for $495,230
Asking Price: $529,500
*information deemed reliable but not guaranteed
April 27, 2007
Perhaps you read the recent PI and Seattle Times articles (click here and here respectively) about Seattle bucking the nation-wide trend in declining property prices, and we’ve all heard or read amazing stories about bidding wars for local homes of every caliber. Yet here are a couple of houses I’ve reviewed which are, in turn, reducing their asking prices in order to sell.
What would John Donne say to this? No Home Is an Island is stranded on the market and is now $419,500, down from $439,000 (it started at $448,000).
3507 S Genesee Street, Seattle, 98118
Beds: 3
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.: 1,570
Lot Sq. Ft.: 3,000
$/Sq. Ft.: $267
Vision in Brick is currently priced at $550,000, which is a reduction of $35K from the listed price of $585,000 in December 2006 (and then it had already dropped from $600,000).
4430 49th Avenue S, Seattle, 98118
Beds: 4
Baths: 1.75
Sq. Ft.: 2,388
Lot Sq. Ft.: 7,187
$/Sq. Ft.: $230
Future Retro Real Estate is moving further away from the near million mark it was originally priced at and it’s now listed at $889,950. It was $909,950 earlier this month.
4807 50th Avenue S, Seattle, 98118
Beds: 4
Baths: 2.5
Sq. Ft.: 3,400
$/Sq. Ft.: $262
Someone has decided to Sweat the Small Stuff as that property is now down to $584,950 from $589,950. Not sure that $5K reduction will really turn the tides here, but who knows.
3311 35th Avenue S, Seattle, 98144
Beds: 3
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.: 1,910
Lot Sq. Ft.: 4,080
$/Sq. Ft.: $306
April 27, 2007
Hey, you missed a spot. See, there… on the roof, yeah… over to the right.
There are times when it’s great to be the prettiest, and then there are other times when it’s quite awkward to be overdressed. The latter seemed to be the feeling of the day when I stopped by to see this fresh Hillman City house on the market. It’s a healthy sized house, with the usual set of pre-sale updates that are becoming a mandatory set of guidelines for marketability. It’s always nice to be on a corner lot as well.
However, the toughest things about a place like this are the surrounding houses. This little intersection, a block from Brighton Playfield, has seen better days. When I say better days, I mean days when there wasn’t junk all over the yards and porches weren’t rotting off. It’s a delicate balance, this transition that our neighborhood is experiencing. On one hand, it takes a hardy person to get the ball rolling on a block like this, and nothing would ever re-vitalize if there weren’t such participants. But, it can be difficult to not be discouraged by signs of neglect and apathy in close proximity to your brand new house.
While I may sound slightly downtrodden about it, I know this house will probably sell in short order. One thing I’ve noticed in buyers these days is the ability to block out cosmetic impediments and enjoy four spacious bedrooms worth of value. And it’s got an open house this Sunday, April 29th, 1-4pm.
The Specifics: Price: $385,000. No previous sales history listed. 1,780 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 1.75 baths.
April 27, 2007
Another fine opportunity for creative outdoor landscaping has cropped up, this time in the small neighborhood of South Park. Not only is this house well below the $300,000 mark, the buyer gets a free historical Seattle public bus!
The house itself looks to be fairly well-worn, but serviceable. Thistle Street is, by and large, definitely one of the more pleasant lanes in the schizophrenic South Park zoning world. Unfortunately, the building across the street from this humble cottage puts the ram in shackle, but maybe spray painting something that reads like “super bowl yahgr” on your front door is a hip new proto-industrial statement. However, the upside is that the property is off the busy main drags, yet still close to amenities and transportation corridors.
But, more about the bus. It’s long, blue, and forms a natural barrier across the back of the property, successfully shielding the backyard from the alley. Check out this little known organization for preserving depression-era Seattle metro buses to get the gist, or click on the main listing for a few shots of the vehicle in situ.
One more thing, there is an open house this weekend: Sunday, April 29th. 1-4pm. Correct change only.
The Toll: Price: $245,000. No previous sale information listed. 1,260 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 1.75 baths. All information taken from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
