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Ballard Sales: Tight at the Low End

Throughout northwest Seattle, asking and sales prices are closely matched for homes less than $400K. I’m not surprised to see bidding up in this range, either.

2801 NW 85TH ST has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 1455 square feet.
Asking Price: $364,000
Sales Price: $359,000
Percentage: 98.6%

5819 20TH AVE NW has 1 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and 830 square feet.
Asking Price: $319,000
Sales Price: $319,000
Percentage: 100.0%

7508 A 24TH AVE NW has 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and 1370 square feet.
Asking Price: $379,950
Sales Price: $390,000
Percentage: 102.6%

Note: All information from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

South Seattle: Room for Improvement

While it isn’t in the totally-crumbling-apart category of primo fixer-uppers, I think this $379,000 Beacon Hill home will require some sweat equity to fully realize its potential.

The most pressing issues for a new owner will be the lone bathroom and the kitchen as they are both well past their prime, the bath particularly. There are still some aluminum windows that could be replaced and the woodwork in one of the two bedrooms has been done in a unique combination of primary colors that may not appeal to everyone. In a space efficient design, the closet for each bedroom is essentially one shared closet space with a 3/4-height wall dividing it in half. I’d want to have that divider run all the way to the ceiling to maximize storage opportunities and add a little extra sound privacy. It would be very nice to see the carpet removed from the bedrooms and main living areas, too.

The basement height isn’t so low that one couldn’t consider finishing more of it (or refinishing what’s been done) and there’s access to the backyard from the downstairs, too. The backyard has some nice planting and is fairly private. However, a chunk of it is carved out for a neighboring lot and the result is an odd panhandle access to the alley.

The location of this home is great – it’s close to lots of amenities and makes for short travel time to downtown, Capitol Hill and the International District. Overlooking one home across the street, which I think is in the middle of improvements, all the neighboring houses are in nice condition with carefully tended lawns and gardens. With a little elbow grease this home could stand proud amongst them.

Lot Sq. Ft.*: N/A
$/Sq. Ft.*: N/A
Last Sale Price: $123,000 (January 1996)
* Information from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

South Seattle: Start Your Own Fiefdom

I’ve driven past this intriguing South Park property many times and I had to pinch myself when I saw that it had been put up for sale. Although most people don’t have occasion to drive through South Park very often, I happen to find myself in this tiny neighborhood regularly when I’m in the need of great Mexican food and sheet metal. It is a bizarrely engaging environment, as if someone threw maritime industry, nice old houses, and a highway into a paper bag and shook it.

For $649,000, you get too much house, property, and personality for me to fit into this one photograph. (You’d do best to click to the main listing to get the full idea.) Basically, it’s a 10,250 square foot lot, with two buildings included in the sale price. The larger of the two, built in the 1890′s, boasts 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and get this: 3 kitchens! The interiors have an old-timey Americana feel to them, full of light, honey-colored wood and open spaces. It seems to have been rented as maybe a triplex, since it has a few separate meters for electrical and gas on the property, but the residents appear to have kept it in ship shape.

The smaller cottage is about 720 square feet* and is a one bedroom, one bath. In the courtyard between the two buildings, there’s a veritable cornucopia of garden art, plantings, paths and cozy nooks. The wide porches are lovely and the entire package seems rife with possibilities. You could start an urban retreat or a cottage industry. Or you could have multiple spouses. (For the record, I am not encouraging that lifestyle… I’m just brainstorming.)

The Scoop: Price: $649,000. Last sold in 1997 for a low $195,000. 2,910 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. Information from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

*I got that number from the DPD website, so I can’t guarantee it either.

Sweet Digs: Shoreline Mid-century Modern

Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
South Seattle: The Lot Next Door
South Seattle: Seward Park Split-Level

Sweet Deal:
The seller of this home near Microsoft is offering a 3.5% Selling Office Commission instead of the usual 3% and Redfin is passing the bonus on to you! This means a Redfin buyer gets $21,910 back instead of the usual rebate of $18,780 on a home of this price.
16607 NE 47th St
Redmond, WA 98052

The hot property for today is a mid-century modern in Richmond Highlands. This house looks ripe for an update, and from the photos it looks like it has good bones. I notice a few misguided cabinet installations that a new owner might consider removing. You can never have too much storage space but randomly adding a row of ceiling level cabinets in the dining room and bedrooms is just not the solution.

STATS:
Price: $414,000
Location: 215 NW 191st St Shoreline, WA 98177
Last sale price: NA
MLS: 27040224

Note to Readers and Subscribers: There will be no newsletter or new posts on Wednesday April 25 due to scheduled maintenance. The Sweet Digs and Redfin sites will still be live and searchable. We’ll be back at it bringing you great information and reviews on Thursday

South Seattle: The Lot Next Door

Yet another house on sale-happy Morgan St. has been placed on the market, and this one looks more promising than most. It’s on a quiet part of the street, at the hilltop crest above Lake Washington, which places it in easy walking distance of all the two parks nearby, Seward and Martha Washington. The house itself appears to need some cosmetic exterior updating, although the listing states that the interior has been recently improved. Oddly enough, the property has changed hands twice since 2002, but nobody has thought to add a deck or something.

A generous and private yard is one of the nicest features, as well as an off-street parking area and garage. This would come in handy regularly, as parking street-side is limited. Due to some zoning to keep traffic flowing, which helps diffuse cars from the nearby synagogue, parking is
only allowed on one side of the street.

More interesting is the vacant 39,000 square foot lot directly across the street from this house.



I did some poking around on the DPD parcel information website and discovered that the lot was purchased recently for close to a million dollars, and is being subdivided into five parcels. Each of these parcels will bear a two-story single family residence, so it’s clearly quite the project. It’s probably okay for property values, but you’d have to reconcile yourself to the fact that the view out your front door would be changing dramatically over the next year or so. Like big and scary.

The Details: Price: $479,000. Last sold in 2004 for $430,000. 2,120 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. Information taken from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

South Seattle: Seward Park Split-Level

Built in 1994 this 2,260 sq. ft.* home is close to a number of amenities and Lake Washington is only a short walk away. Having nice places to go and park spaces so close might make it a little easier to bear the fairly busy street in front and the lack of yard in back.

Overall I found this home fairly lackluster. It’s decent size but very few of the interior spaces appealed to me – they mostly felt cold and conventional. On the main floor there’s Pergo flooring in the master suite and public areas. The master bath is the only of the three bathrooms to escape a very odd choice of carpet over sub-floor. Although the home has evidently been readied for sale it does still show some wear and tear from previous occupants. All the baths could use re-caulking at the very least and in a certain light the new interior paint leaves something to be desired.

Perhaps it was the ’94 construction trend but having really short baseboards (less than 2″ to my eye) makes little sense to me and in this circumstance very few of them lie flush with the walls. It will surprise no one that I was disappointed to see hollow core doors everywhere. With the considerable square footage given to the living and dining room area I think it would have been nice to see some allotted to the kitchen design but as it is the kitchen space is clean and totally serviceable though looking a touch dated. Aside from the two-car garage there’s little else of note downstairs except for an accent wall in one of the bedrooms which is sponge painted in amazing shades of violet, green and orange. It’s bright and lively and a marked contrast to the rest of the property.

$519,500
Baths: 2.5
Lot Sq. Ft.*: 4,450
$/Sq. Ft.*: $230
Last Sale Price: $149,950 (April 1994)
* Information from sources deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Sweet Digs: Mansions and Shacks

Recent posts on Sweet Digs Seattle:
Queen Anne High School Condominums #311
Queen Ann High School Condominums #286
South Seattle: Of the Easy Rider Era
Open House: Bothell Home Aims to Please

Ooh la la, the opulence! The most expensive home listed this week is priced at $7,450,00 but from the photos it looks so much more expensive. It’s a wonder what high ceilings and huge windows will do for a space, they add a sense of grandeur and spaciousness. This home has five bedrooms, two of which are master suites, and a separate apartment with exterior entrance. This Mediterranean style villa has a generous veranda that looks out onto the infinity pool and Lake Washington with Seattle in the distance. Another detail that caught my eye is the flooring in the kitchen, a beautiful pattern in the hardwood adds interest and refinement.

STATS:
Price: $7,450,000
Location: 4351 Forest Ave SE Mercer Island, WA 98040
Last sale price: $595,889 (1994)
MLS: 27061032

For the price of a condo you can purchase the least expensive listing posted last week – a covered boat slip on Lake Washington. The description doesn’t offer much more information than noting that it has been “well maintained”.

STATS:
Price: $114,500
Location: 6155 NE 175th St Kenmore, WA 98028
Last sale price: $26,250 (1990)
MLS: 27065291