Archive for April, 2007
April 27, 2007
Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle
Open House: Built Green in Columbia City
Open House: This One’s in Tacoma
Updated Electrical?
Magnolia: If it’s Space You’re Looking For…
Queen Anne: Worth Negotiating with Parking Spot Income Potential
Queen Anne: Your Own Floor with Amazing Views
Magnolia: Updated? A Matter of Definition?
Queen Anne: Best View in the House
Open house this weekend
Saturday, April 28, 1-5pm
1020 S Oxford St
Tacoma, WA 98465
After yesterday’s rant about house photos I’m so pleased to present in contrast today’s most clicked property. This Phinney Ridge Craftsman has been updated and from the looks of the well snapped pics, I have to say I’m impressed.
I like that the modifications appear to have stayed in keeping with the architecture. The kitchen cabinets and wainscoting in the dining room just feel right. The picket fence is charming and the cute English garden really works. The windows are generous which I feel is always a must in gray old Seattle. This house has been on Redfin for only 2 days. At that price and condition, I suspect it will go STI quickly.
316 NW 81ST ST
SEATTLE, WA 98117
Beds: 3 On Redfin: 3 days
Baths: 2 Year Built: 1916
sqft: 1,970 Lot Size: 3,600
$/Sqft: $254 MLS#: 27068537
Status: Active on market
Last Sale: $309,000 (02/26/2001)
April 27, 2007
And this house is green throughout – from the exterior color to all the eco-friendly accoutrements, which include bamboo hardwoods, energy efficient lights and windows and pre-wiring for solar power.
When I stopped by earlier this week to take a snapshot there was still no way to walk from the street to the front door, but I’m sure it’s on the punch list to have done by the weekend since the house is open from 1:00-4:00pm both Saturday, April 28, 2007 and Sunday, April 29, 2007. No showings are available prior to the open house so this is a great opportunity for serious shoppers as well as the lookie-loos.
4056 34th Avenue S, Seattle, 98118
$549,000
Beds: 2
Baths: 3
Sq. Ft.: 1,920
Lot Sq. Ft.: 3,000
$/Sq. Ft.: $286
April 27, 2007
Open House Date and Time:
Saturday, April 28th, 2007, 1-5pm
1020 S Oxford St
Tacoma, WA 98465
Seller Comments
Favorite Restaurant in the Area: We really enjoy Shakabrah near Chopstix (the dueling Piano Bar), about a 15 minute drive east on 6th Ave. They have good breakfasts, unlimited drip coffee, and a chill atmosphere. Also, for fancier fare, Anthony’s on the waterfront by Point Defiance Zoo is fantastic.
Favorite Places to Go: Java Fusion, a new cafe on 6th Ave. has great atmosphere, food, and chess tournaments, Titlow Park (on the waterfront) has a wonderful view, and the Morgan YMCA is one of the largest, most up-to-date fitness facilities in the Puget Sound.
Best Features of the Home: Living room and kitchen get a ton of natural light, and the front and back yards are great. Mature trees in both give the place character, and the backyard has vast potential for gardening, landscaping, play structures, etc.
Favorite Room: Kitchen: has classic character (crown molding, spice cabinet converted from a recessed space for a fold-out ironing board), with updated appliances and countertops.
What’s in the Neighborhood: Within a 5 minute drive or 15 minute walk: Morgan Family YMCA, Tacoma Public Library, Tacoma Community College, Tacoma Musical Playhouse, Movie Theater, Local Park/Play field, James Center Businesses (Fred Meyer, Starbucks, IHOP)
What I Will Miss the Most: Neighborhood feel of the area. The house is close to so many entertainment and shopping centers, but feels like a small town neighborhood.
April 27, 2007
In the world of real estate it seems that the word update has several meanings. So I wouldn’t misuse this often used word, I decided to look up update on Merriam-Webster Online. Hmm. Many people might be surprised to find out that update means “to bring up to date”. Even that can mean many things for many people. I recently picked up a flyer for a house in Magnolia that stated “updated electrical and plumbing”. I was horrified when I saw that the electrical panel did not appear to be new at all and there was still original knob and tube in the house. When it comes to electricity, it’s a matter of safety, so shame on the people who advertise “updated electrical” when it’s not. To be safe, always get an electrical inspection.
Here’s my two cents about electrical things to check out:
1. Has the service (the main panel, usually the big grey box in the basement) been brought up to code for the size of house you are buying? This basically has to do with the number of outlets, switches, lights and appliances and how much power they are drawing. An electric hot water heater and dryer draw much more power than gas appliances of course.
2.Outlets and receptacles: Just because they look new, doesn’t mean they are and that they are wired correctly. I have seen many houses in which people have connected new wiring to knob and tube instead of rewiring the house. There’s plenty of information about knob and tube wiring on the web and it’s a good idea to make sure your house is up to date.
My Quick Tip: If you want to quickly know if things are wired properly before having the house inspected by a qualified electrician, you can carry around a circuit tester and plug it in at various outlets in the house. It tells you if you have a faulty wire for standard and GFCI receptacles. They sell them at most hardware stores for under $10. You just plug them in and look at the lights to see what’s going on. They are easy to use and have a diagram on them so you know what the lights mean when they light up. It’s fast and easy and almost anyone can use one.
3. Exposed wires. If you see any wires below the rafters like the ones below, beware. All wires should be buried in the walls, in the rafters, underground or in metal cables. If you can see wires below the rafters and they aren’t in metal cables, chances are that’s not all that’s wrong.
April 27, 2007
Space is and is not an issue in this house. It’s a rambler that was popped up two floors. While it has lots of space, it feels like it is almost three separate houses. The first floor is a mixture of the original house and a brand new kitchen. It has a pink “Pepto-Bismol” bathroom and ceilings that are noticeably lower than the remodeled floors above it. The second floor didn’t have any surprises, but the third floor is just one gigantic room. It would be perfect for very large yoga classes, a huge playroom for all the neighborhood kids or for someone to redesign so it wouldn’t feel so overwhelmingly humongous and open. The basement is ripe for a remodel show and the yard has lots of potential. It was just reduced $30,000 bringing the price per sq. ft. down to $252/sq. ft., which is quite a deal in Magnolia.
Price: $1,195,000
Beds: 4
Baths: 3.75
Sq. Ft. 4747
$Sq. Ft. $252
Last Sold: $349,950 (2000)
MLS# 27051350
April 27, 2007
This unit is on the North side of the building with a nice view of Queen Ann Hill. I was told that with all the pop-ups and planned pop-ups, you can’t count on a view in the future. The floor installation was poor to say the least. I could (and did) stand my pen up in the huge gaps between boards. The agent I talked to said that having the floors refinished could be negotiated in the contract. My only questions are:
– Why aren’t they fixing them now since they know they have a problem?
– Why should you have to negotiate having floors properly installed in a brand new condo
– Why didn’t they see the problems before installing the base molding?
– What else didn’t they catch since it seems they were not checking the work being done on the building as it was being built?
At $626 a sq. ft., I’d say it’s a bit high for the quality. On a good note, there is opportunity to get additional parking space income if you pick your parking spot options carefully. I was told that each unit comes with one covered space in the garage or two spots outside in the alley, one covered, one not. You also have the option, if you choose the tandem alley spaces, to buy an additional space in the garage for $20,000. You could capitalize on it all and end up with three spots. One for yourself and two to rent out. If you rented two spaces and brought in $500-$700/mo., you would pay for the spots in a few years and have some steady parking spot income.
Price: $289,900
Beds: 1
Baths: 1
Sq. Ft. 463
$Sq. Ft. $626
Homeowners Dues: $222.38
MLS# 27026752
April 27, 2007
There are six units in this building built in 1995 and redone in 2005. The outside of the building, windows, balconies and entry were totally replaced during the renovations. I was told that they used top quality materials and I noticed the same very high quality windows and doors that I had in my house in Germany. Because of the quality of the materials, I expected it to be a little quieter than it actually was. With the doors and windows shut, I could still hear street noise from Elliott Avenue. When I went out onto the balcony I could also hear what sounded like another building’s HVAC system. The closet space is great, but I expected the large walk in closet to have some built-ins instead of a few wire racks to hang clothes from. There is a cracked tile in the bathroom floor that needs replacing. The views are spectacular though and the elevator opens right into your unit on your own private floor.
Price: $925,000
Beds: 2
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft. 1812
$Sq. Ft. $505
Homeowners Dues: $718
MLS# 27063406
April 27, 2007
The paper flyer for this house was written by a master. It sounds so nice, almost anyone would want to come inside and take a peek. I did a little more than that and here’s what I found: The house seems to me like it needs a new electrical service and it still has knob and tube even though the flyer says the electrical was updated. The plumbing story is about the same. When I asked, I was told that the pipes out to the road are new, but the ones in the house are galvanized and original. The basement walls have vents, inside. I have never seen that before and I noticed what looked to me like traces of water damage along the bottom of the walls. The kitchen needs major updating and the bathrooms on both floors could use a facelift too. The upstairs has sloped ceilings that gave me the feeling that the master is not much of a master at all. I guess it’s all in how you define it. However, with some cash for a dormer, it could be a great master with fabulous views. Updating this house could cost a pretty penny and take some time, but the neighborhood is wonderful and the views are spectacular. If you’re interested in this house, I suggest doing a close inspection since there seem to be a few discrepancies on the flyer.
Price: $899,000
Beds: 3
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft.: 3020
Price/Sq. Ft.: $298
MLS# 27067522
April 27, 2007
I thought it was odd that the best view in the house had not sold when other units had. This unit is on the SW corner with views of the sound and Cascades. I was told that it sold once and recently went back on the market. My curiosity got the best of me and I quickly hiked up to the 5th floor to check it out. As soon as I opened the door and saw the sloping floors, I had to pull out my golf ball and give it The Titleist Test. It failed miserably. From the hallway, the ball rolled picking up speed right to the middle of the room. Then I tried it again from the balcony doors and again it rolled to the middle of the room. It’s a new building and you would think the floors would be more even than that. The floors also looked like they had a poor installation job. There are big gaps and the stain doesn’t look like it set very well. All in all, I would give the floors a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10 for a new installation. The tiles in the bathtub were also a bit wavy, which made me wonder if someone forgot to use their level on the job. If you are interested in this unit, the agent told me that you can negotiate having the floors redone in your contract. I would question and define what they mean by redone though, since it looks like they didn’t do it right from the start. Parking is a plus with a chance to get an extra spot or two with their parking spot options.
Price: $479,900
Beds: 2
Baths: 2
Sq. Ft. 709
$Sq. Ft. $677
Homeowners Dues: $340.65
MLS# 27026779
April 26, 2007
What all the hoopla’s about:
It’s as if “Extreme Makeover: Home[page] Edition” did a major renovation on the Redfin site. Actually, the Redfin team has been working hard for months now on a face-lift, changing the site and incorporating customer feedback. Glenn Kelman, Redfin CEO, wrote about the revamp on the corporate blog.
Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
Ballard Sales: Tight at the Low End
South Seattle: Room for Improvement
Featured property:
I’m getting vertigo just looking at the photos from today’s most clicked property. These images are just plain scary and look like they could be stills from the movie “Blair Witch Project“. I am often amazed by the varying quality of images for house listings. Photography 101 should really be a required course for all real estate agents. It’s a disservice to the both seller and potential buyers if the photos are wonky… and don’t get me started on uninformative descriptions!
4365 150TH AVE SE BELLEVUE, WA 98006
Beds: 4
On Redfin: 3 days
Baths: 2
Year Built: 1954
Sqft: 1,900
Lot Size: 11,566
$/Sqft: $276
MLS#: 27068458
Status: Active on market
Last Sale: $199,950 (03/16/1999)
