Estates Northwest: Seattle Real Estate Blog

This one is always interesting, but listing agents including myself need to prepare sellers for vacating their homes upon close.  My very first transaction involved me representing a first time home buyer where the seller literally picked up their check at escrow and boarded a plane to California for good - food in fridge, clothes in closet, the tv was still one, etc.  - you get the idea.  It was not my job as a buyers agent to stand over her and make sure she left.  The listing agent who happened to be pretty experienced should have seen the signs.  Even a walk through on our part did not reveal her intentions.

Recently we had a seller completely disregard our buyer's feelings - we have a gorgeous couple buying a home and we had to force the transaction along on their behalf every step of the way.  The wife is pregnant and we really wanted to make the transaction as painless as possible. The seller, though, just only considered himself.  He left the house filthy and even left mattresses behind all over the house with no intention what so ever of picking them up. He just got out what he wanted and left town. Luckily his long suffering listing agent did help out and step up to the plate to get the rubbish out and we paid for a housekeeper for the couple. 

You really should use the golden rule when moving out of a home - would you want your home to be left this way?  For the most part, people are good thank goodness, but every  once in a while you do get a rotten egg and it is nice to have a team behind you when that happens so that you still get a great home and experience. We shielded our pregnant client form much of the true stress and took care of it on her behalf along the way. This is how things get done:)

Eastlake Houseboat:  11 E Allison St #3

Gorgeous modern and eco friendly Seattle houseboat featured in upcoming issue of Coastal Living Magazine! Spacious 1000 square feet with both a heated deck off living room and amazing roof top deck for full on city, lake, and mountain views!  Radiant bathroom floors, gas cooking and fireplace, five piece designer bath, built ins and storage galore!  Enjoy life in one of the most thoughtful modern Eastlake Houseboats in recent years.  

• 2 bedrooms
• 1.5 baths
• 1000 sq ft
• Condominium owned moorage slip
• additional moorage space for included 14 foot Duffy electric boat
• vertical dock orientation for most waterfrontage
• Viking appliances
• Paper Stone Counters
• Tiger wood decking
• Cedar Exterior
• Hand finished woods
• Smart wired
• Low dues $180 cover water, electric, moorage
• Pump out only $60/month
• garage parking
• gated entry
• moorage slip includes use of gym in Lake Union Crew Building next door
• city views

Historic Mansions in Seattle

Seattle has some of the most gorgeous and significant historic mansions and I always love touring them and showing them to perspective buyers.  Seattle mansions are in many different neighborhoods, but I particularly like the historic beauties.

Many clients refer to the movie Money Pit when I am showing these types of homes, but in most cases, Seattle's historic mansions for sale are in very well cared for and preserved states. 

 My favorite historic mansions in Seattle are in Capitol Hill, Roanoke Park, Washington Park, Laurelhurst, and Queen Anne.  I love the Queen Anne mansions along Queen Anne Boulevard. 

My phone has been ringing off the hook today thanks to Today, but it did all start at Active Rain so I wanted to share!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Want to see this great Seattle houseboat? http://www.cooperjacobs.com/18075

I really do owe this to Active Rain since I would not have ever blogged or gotten out there on the internet without them. This listing has six new showings set for tomorrow as a direct result of the segment and more to come in the next week. Fingers crossed for a great buyer because I love this houseboat!

Looking At Sunset Hill Homes:

There are only 15 Sunset Hill homes for sale right now and amazingly the houses that are marked as Sunset Hill in the MLS are actually in Sunset Hill for a change. A lot of times I have to take a few out because they aren't really in Ballard's Sunset Hill. 

The last few days have been a perfect time to show Sunset Hill homes and showcase what a gorgeous neighborhood it is.  When the 90 degree heat was pounding down on the rest of Seattle, it was still warm here, but also cooled by the lovely sea breezes coming off Puget Sound.

There are 4 Sunset Hill homes that are pending right now - they have offers but have not closed.  These range from $417,250 to $799,000.

Homes in Sunset Hill that are for sale range from $412,500 to $2,475,000 and there are many choices in home style and size.  Homes here sell rather quickly when priced for the market.  

Six Sunset Hill homes have sold in the last month ranging from $399,990 to $785,000 with an average sale price to list price of 98.54%.  The range in sale price to list price is 92.66% to 102.17% and the median sales price is $471,250.  The average days on market for these is 22 days.

Sunset Hill homes are desirable and it is no wonder given the natural attraction of the neighborhood. 

Interested in Bidding for HUD Homes?

Seattle HUD Certified Agent: If you are interested in buying a HUD home in the greater Seattle area, let me know if you need help or have questions.  Cooper Jacobs has its HUD certification.  This allows us to submit bids for HUD buyers on properties.  Not all brokers have the HUD Broker Certification, but we do! 

Perks of buying a HUD house - HUD Certified Broker on your behalf participates in a bidding process where you pick your price and can have up to 3% of your closing costs paid for you.  HUD also offers other incentives like low earnest money requirement and only $100 down in many cases.  There is even an opportunity to purchase some of the HUD homes as a non owner occupied. 

Want to see what HUD homes are  out there?  HUD homes in WA  Let us know what HUD homes you might want to put a bid in on and we can walk you through it step by step.

Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services is a HUD Registered Broker and can help you place a bid on HUD homes throughout the greater Seattle area and state. HUD pays our fee so you don't have additional out of pocket  costs.  Email me if you want more info:  courtney@cooperjacobs.com 

Seattle floating home for sale!

2321 Fairview Ave E, Houseboat #3

This one is a cutie - gorgeous warm spaces, remodeled bathroom with slate, kitchen with stainless, 2 spacious bedrooms, wrap around water level decks, roof top deck with great Lake Union views, moorage for multiple boats, and more!  $625,000

You can see all the photos and get more info here:

2321 Fairview Ave E

Why not live the ultimate Seattle waterfront lifestyle?  Want to see more Seattle houseboats for sale?  There are some wonderful ones right now!

courtney@SeattleAfloat.com

Hawthorne Hills Real Estate Update:  

Our buyers just closed on a pretty wonderful Seattle view home in Hawthorne Hills. Hawthorne Hills is perched above Laurelhurst overlooking Lake Washington and has some of the most beautiful Seattle views! 

A little about the Hawthorne Hills view home we sold:

 4919 Stanford Ave NE - 4 bedrooms, 2.75 baths, gorgeous indoor spaces and the most amazing view deck I have had the pleasure of walking on in some time! $850,000  

This was a charming 2510 square foot 1936 cape cod style home on a quiet street which also happens to have a 2 car garage.  

Hawthorne Hills Perks of this home - This one is really close to Children's, UW, and University Village Shopping Center plus the Burke-Gilman runs right through Hawthorne Hills making it ideal for cyclists and runners or walkers.

If you are looking for some great Hawthorne Hills homes for sale that have good views, right now is a gorgeous time to go tour them!  Seattle sun - awwe... I love it:)

Car less in Seattle:  Are you looking for The Best Neighborhoods in Seattle To ditch the car? 

Seattle has a ton of opportunity for someone who might want to move into town and not have a car! 

The walkability of various Seattle neighborhoods can be pretty impressive. 

Criteria for choosing: 

My criteria for picking out best Seattle neighborhoods for being car less is as follows:

1. Easy ability to commute to Downtown Seattle
2. Retail Essentials like the grocery store, pharmacy, etc.
3. Parks and recreation nearby - walking or biking trails, water a plus
4. Entertainment such as movie theatre and restaurants
5. coffee!!! (okay maybe this should be number one)
6. misc. retail, gift stores, etc. a plus
7. Daycare nearby, schools if you have children
8. Library nearby

 Here are some of my favorites for living car less in Seattle:

1. Obviously, Downtown Seattle should be the first choice here - especially if you can find a great Downtown Seattle condo close to Pike Place Market  like the Union 98 Condo Building or how about these Downtown Seattle luxury condos...
2. Queen Anne - Upper Queen Anne is the best for being car less because you have a good combination of all of the above with the extra added benefit of lots of great views, too!  Queen Anne transit has always been ahead of the game and Queen Anne Boulevard is Queen Anne's walking trail. You can find lots of great Queen Anne homes for sale with views that are close to everything, too. 
3. Wallingford - Wallingford has a hip retail center with lots of all of the above and also quick proximity to the freeway for your car friends. It is at the North side of Lake Union and is loaded with charm!  Wallingford homes for sale range from condos to large sweeping historic homes.
4. Phinney Ridge - This is a great spot with easy access to all surrounding amenities plus its own retail zone. Phinney Ridge Homes for sale are usually lovely Seattle Craftsman homes or great modern town homes.
5. Ballard - Now Ballard is big so I am really just referring to living right near the main drag on Market Street, but also into early Sunset Hill.  Ballard is right on the Burke-Gillman Trail so if you wanted to commute via a bicycle, this is a dream.  Make sure and check out Ballard real estate to see all the different choices because there is a big range.
6. Fremont - Fremont has quite  a retail area and lots of activities daily plus it is close to Ballard, Wallingford, and Queen Anne - just over the bridge.  It is a great option and there are good choices for Fremont homes.
7. Green Lake  - Green Lake (Greenlake) has a lot to offer.  It has a few different retail areas and has that wonderful loop around the lake itself. At first it may not seem as walkable as the other areas, but then you realize that Green Lake definitely has it all - retail, restaurants, indoor pool, tennis, library, lots of kids activities, more. Green Lake homes range from condos to townhomes to homes, but there are a few price ranges to choose from.
8. Capitol Hill - Go no further than to check the Walkscore for Capitol Hill and you will see all that surrounds you.  This is one of the oldest Seattle neighborhoods like Queen Anne and highly walkable. My favorite homes in Capitol Hill are the Seattle Historic Mansions.
9. Madison Park - Madison Park has transit out to Downtown and a good retail core plus it has the perks of being on the banks of Lake Washington with a wonderful waterfront park. You can also find nice Madison Park waterfront homes.
10. Eastlake - Eastlake is a quick hop on to the Street car for an easy trip downtown, plus you can live in Eastlake condos, Eastlake townhomes, detached homes or Seattle houseboats.  Eastlake has a long history of being a close knit neighborhood and lots to choose from in the retail section. 

There you have it.  There are others, but I didn't want to overwhelm you!  Let me know what you are looking for in a Seattle neighborhood and I can help you find your perfect spot to go car less in Seattle!

The tax credit deadline approaches faster than ever now - you need to get a purchase and sale contract signed around by this week if you want to take advantage of the current home buyer tax credit.  That is the fact, but don't allow that to impact your decision process when purchasing. Being under the gun over a tax credit seems pretty silly when trying to make a much bigger decision overall. My suspicion is that there might be quite a bit of buyer remorse when those IRS checks come in. You would hate to be sitting with your $8000 in a home that as you look around just does not feel right.

My suggestion instead is to take your time and really find the home that is going to work for you and your goals. Choosing a home in a rush over a credit which is tiny when compared to the purchase price overall is like buying a brand new car because they give you a free junky toaster. It's a little gimmicky. 

Why not take your time and find the perfect property and let your Realtor negotiate it to make up for not getting that free toaster... I mean credit?  The competition will be less fierce as the feeding frenzy ends and the pressure will be lessened so that you can really focus in on whether or not the house truly works for you! You can find current inventory here:  Seattle Real Estate