Interested in a unique Seattle waterfront living arrangement?
I have gotten a lot of email requests for Seattle houseboat listings lately and the fact of the matter is there are not that many Seattle houseboats for sale right now! The movie Sleepless in Seattle did a number on the popularity of these beautiful homes (as in EVERYONE wanted one!!!) , but I have to admit to always loving them. I have close friends that live on houseboats and I truly enjoy my visits! I always leave reluctantly and wanting to move right away to this amazing lifestyle right in the heart of Seattle! But alas, my three children and giant Newfoundland dogs truly prevent me moving to a houseboat at this point in my life....Someday.
Keeping my eye on the houseboats...
In the mean time I keep my eye on what comes up on the market and try and share the info with what ever buyers I think might like this kind of lifestyle - Seattle waterfront living at its best in my opinion minus any kind of privacy. The houseboat docks are close knit and each house boat is snuggled up nicely to the next with a small walkway type deck or larger ones in some cases. Container gardening is taken to new heights and I consider houseboat residents to be among the very best gardeners despite their lack of dirt.
Pluses and minuses with houseboat living...
I mean can you imagine no yard or garage? Kayaking to work across the lake if you are lucky? Pulling your kayak or canoe right up to your house and tying it off? Watching seaplanes from your home right overhead? Even with these fantastic benefits, though, these houseboats are often hard to come by and the space inside them is quite limited as far as storage goes. Every nook and cranny should be utilized perfectly!
Yes I love houseboats! One of my very favorite memories of an open house was on a Seattle houseboat in Eastlake - I ended up showing another houseboat to a buyer and actually dropped the key into Lake Union! The listing agent was furious with me, but it just bounced right out of the key box and they had not bothered to add a clever float key chain to prevent such a mishap!
If you are interested in more info on Seattle Floating Homes or other Seattle real estate, I am happy to answer your questions!
Courtney Cooper
Seattle Realtor, Owner/Designated Broker/EcoBroker
Cooper Jacobs Real Estate
206-850-8841
(Seattle real estate - search all MLS listings from all companies for FREE), SeattleAfloat.com (Seattle Houseboats), GreenLakeLoop.com (Green Lake Blog), QueenAnneBoulevard.com (Queen Anne Blog), MagnoliaView.com (Magnolia Neighborhood Blog)
About Me:
Seattle real estate has been a big part of my life for well over a decade since I began my career in real estate,but also before that time when I was in the process of purchasing my own first home. Buying your first home can be quite overwhelming,but I have managed to help many first time home buyers along the way.
Move up Seattle buyers and other types of specialized purchasing is a great passion of mine! I love Seattle houseboats and you can find me down on the docks of Lake Union and Portage Bay several times a week. Other aspects of Seattle real estate that I adore include Queen Anne Real Estate,Wallingford Real Estate, Ballard Real Estate, Green Lake Real Estate, Laurelhurst Real Estate, Magnolia Real Estate,andSeattle Waterfront Real Estate.
In addition to being a Seattle residential broker and founder of Cooper Jacobs & Seattle Afloat, I am also a member of CBA (Commercial Brokers Association) and head of the Cooper Jacobs Commercial Division in an effort to provide excellent commercial real estate services to the Seattle commercial real estate industry. With a background in accounting and management, it is my great pleasure to coordinate our Seattle commercial brokers.
About Cooper Jacobs Real Estate's Seattle Branch:
My office at Cooper Jacobs Real Estate LLC is located centrally near all my favorite Puget Sound neighborhoods just a few blocks up from Lake Union in Seattle’s Wallingford. Cooper Jacobs Real Estate is a wonderful place filled with talented Seattle real estate brokers and I count myself extremely lucky that I get to spend so much time with these wonderful people. We specialize in different Seattle neighborhoods and suburbs in both residential and commercial real estate and are all very passionate and excited about each of our favorite Seattle neighborhoods and industries!
©Courtney Cooper ©Cooper Jacobs Real Estate LLC
Courtney, the last time I was in Seattle, I stayed in a B&B (berth and breakfast) that was totally fun! I'd love to live in a houseboat, but something tells me there's more to it than meets the eye - or the imagination! We all think of "Sleepless in Seattle".
Courtney, I had never dropped the cap to my moisture meter until I was using it at a houseboat inspection. It was like watching Leonardo DeCaprio disappear into the deep, as it sank to the bottom:)
Patricia - you are always so awesome and great with your comments - I promise to get better in the new year and return the favor:) You are also welcome at my beach hosue any time!
Charles - you are a hoot! Ya - I was sick to my stomach when I dropped that key - probably my worst key mishap ever!
Well at least we know where they are:)
Ya - I honestly felt like jumping in. It fell through the cracks in the dock and just disappeared - If it was out in the open I might have jumped - suit and all:)
I have been keeping my eye out for a great houseboat to buy or sell to a buyer, but everything that comes on the market is junk or should be junked, a $200,000 so called house boat is just a barge, where someone should just buy a 60 foot yacht instead and live aboard.
Sorry Sonny, but I have seen some cute ones out there:) The $200k barge "houseboat" has been a long term anomoly, but I see really cute actual houseboats come up that would be adorable to live in. Of course there are those that are falling into the lake, but even those are great given that houseboats are a finite thing and using the footprint of an existing on is better if the dock location is primo. I just think they all have suck great charm - some more than others:)