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Seattle, WA Real Estate News

By Courtney Cooper, 206-850-8841
(Cooper Jacobs)
Do you pick up the hammer or call the bulldozer? Seattle is filled with glorious homes built during the last turn of the century. There are homes here dating back to the 1800's, but most in the older neighborhoods of Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, University District, Capital Hill, The Central District, Madison Park and Ravenna are from the early 1900's. There are many different styles of homes depending on which decade they were built in, but none of them have the huge open floor plans of today's new construction. As a result, some of these older homes are being demolished to make way for larger suburban style homes. There are some amazing stories and surprises out there about what can happen during a Seattle remodel!In some cases, the house was in such disrepair with mountains of defe...
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By Jonathan Martin, Real Estate Agent - Seattle
It is so important that you have an agent who is willing to WORK for you. All too often I meet people that tell me horror stories from their previous agents. Like when it seemed that the agent only showed them houses that were out of their price range, or when the agent showed only one nice home and three gross ones and then said let's make an offer. These are stories of agents working for themselves not for their clients. This is why it is important that you choose an agent that you feel comfortable working with, not just the first agent that answers to phone or whomever is sitting at the front desk at your local Realtors office. Choose one that you have researched and know how they work for their clients. Your agent should have the statistical knowledge of the area you are looking in....
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By Courtney Cooper, 206-850-8841
(Cooper Jacobs)
                      Seattle Washington Real Estate is  Good Buy!!! Despite, the huge rise in prices over the last few years in the Puget Sound area, Seattle real estate is still one of the most under priced markets on the West Coast.  Economic growth is at every turn and people are moving here!  Although the recent mortgage fall out did slow things down for a bit, the current market is like none we have seen in well over a decade:  a buyer's market. Buyers interested in Seattle Washington real estate have the luxury of being able to cherry pick which home or investment they want because the inventory is high and choices in Seattle are vast.  In addition, the interest rates for real estate are low!!!  Whether you are interested in new construction real estate, investment property, or t...
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By Jonathan Martin, Real Estate Agent - Seattle
 There aren't many of em in Seattle, Co-Op that is.  But I think that they are a little under rated.  Here at 7 Harrison in Seattle, one block from popular Key Arena and when you face the other direction.  You can see the Puget Sound.Ok So this Building isn't the newest in town, but for the price it is great.  I have shown Studio and On Bedroom units in this building for 150k and 220k, in Lower Queen Anne.  WOW.  Were talking a steal of a deal.  More often you will see them priced at 300-400k in this area.But it is a Co-Op.  This brings a whole new level of complexity to the situation.  With a Co-Op your don't actually own any REAL property rather you own shared in a corporation that owns the building.  And therefore you are subject to there rules and mindings.  For this building that m...
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
In follow-up to my post from yesterday "Beware of EPFX Machines for Miracle Cures--It is a Hoax--And Still Being Used," The Seattle Times has an article today entitled " Spread of illegal devices causes alarm."  It talks about how U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee (Democrat, Bainbridge Island, Washington) "called for a congressional investigation into medical-device manufacturers and operators who use unproven ‘energy medicine' machines to exploit patients."  "Inslee said his request was in reaction to this week's Seattle Times investigation, ‘Miracle Machines.'  The series revealed how manufacturers and practitioners profit from treating people with unproven machines, some of them potentially dangerous, others illegal.  They have used these devices to misdiagnose diseases and divert critically ill ...
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By Adrian Willanger, Profit from my two decades of experience
(206 909-7536 AdrianWillanger-broker.com)
This morning crude oil soared to over $99 with fear of a winter oil shortages.  I recently finished Plan B 2.0 written by Lester R. Brown. One statistic that stands out is the chart showing the wheat/oil exchange rate.  In 1970 wheat was $1.49 a bushel and oil was $1.79 a barrel. Today a bushel of wheat is $8.30 and barrel oil is $99 and change.   In Seattle we have a pretty progressive utility provider Puget Sound Energy. They have a program called Green Power which allows you to purchase anywhere from 25-100% percent of your electrical power from a renewable energy source in the Northwest.  A great way to make a difference and, for the most part, the power is coming from clean earth friendly resources. PSE' Green Power program is Green-e-certified.  A large part of my real estate busi...
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
 I moved out of Washington State twice (30 years ago).  The first time when my husband had a job transfer to Oregon and the second was when his parents wanted us to come and "take over the farm" in North Dakota.  I was away from Seattle for two years both times.  When we would take driving vacations back to Seattle, I loved seeing the green State signs that would announce "________ miles to Seattle."  The closer we got to Seattle the more signs I would see talking about areas I loved.  Oregon (by Damascus) was very pretty and the people were nice; but each weekend we would drive back to Seattle with our very young family to see grandma and grandpa and our friends.  We really didn't give Oregon a chance.North Dakota was a different kind of adventure.  The people there were very friendly ...
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
A lot of us that live in the Pacific Northwest love to get out in nature--whether it be walking along a beach, running or walking around the waterfront or Greenlake, skiing or tramping around in the woods.  I have come up with three groups that offer opportunities to get out and enjoy the parks and volunteer at the same time.If you are one of the folks that enjoy the woods, you may not have heard of the "Seattle Trails Program."  It "works with volunteers to address the need for trail maintenance, trail construction, and trail development standards."  If you are interested in volunteering, they give you these options:Trail Steward (weekly maintenance, gardening/landscaping)Trailblazer (help keep trails trimmed and neat on a few Saturdays a year)Events (staff booths, promote, canvass, ph...
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By Kate Pedersen, because life moves you
(Metropolist)
 Yesterday, Saturday November 17, residents of Jackson Park met with Mayor Greg Nickels to address our neighborhood concerns.  We met at the P-Patch and toured the path to Jackson Park Golf Course. From there we headed down 135th Avenue NE to NE 15th Avenue where his van picked him up to visit the next neighborhood on his agenda for the day.It was a good visit as he listened intently and put us in touch with city representatives to assist us with our concerns.  He was pleased about our focus on our Neighborhood Disaster Preparedness Plan and branded us "hearty" for weathering the pouring rain to visit with him. Funny, how that torrential downpour always seems to happen just as you are walking out the door as it was in this case, just minutes before he arrived.  As some of us walked back...
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By Kate Pedersen, because life moves you
(Metropolist)
It's great to have the parking lot back at Northgate Mall, along with some good restaurants and a couple of new stores! The Christmas shopping is going to be much easier this year! On the east side of the Mall, DSW is open and Bed Bath and Beyond will be soon.Construction has begun on the southeast corner of the mall and it looks like the rumors are true. A new cinema in our neighborhood in addition to condos, senior housing and best of all - Thornton Creek running through a green area. Completion is scheduled for 2008 and more details are on the website: http://thornton-place.com/ More renovation news includes LA Fitness, near 125th and Aurora seems to be completing construction soon. And Bartells on 125th and Lake City Way opened on November 5th.We won't have to put so many miles on o...
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By Ben Kakimoto, Seattle Condo Specialist
(Keller Williams Greater Seattle)
Over the next few years Seattle’s “Midtown” district may experience a spate of new construction activity from several new high-rise developments under proposal. "Midtown", a name created by a condo marketing executive, is roughly the area where Denny Triangle, Belltown and the Retail District converge. One of the projects in particular will provide a refreshing change to Seattle’s skyline. 1. Escala: 30-story upscale condominium. Developer: Lexas Companies. 2. Pagoda Tower: 40-story hotel/condo with 200 hotel rooms, 200 condos, part of a 1/2 block $900 million development. The 500′ project includes a 9-level hotel, a 30-level condominium and ground-floor retail space. Developer: Multi Capital / Hummingbird Advisors. 3. Heron Tower (5th & Stewart): 46-story 5-star hotel/condo with 190 ho...
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By Ben Kakimoto, Seattle Condo Specialist
(Keller Williams Greater Seattle)
Where is the Seattle condo market heading? There’s lots of speculation but no one knows for sure. Though, we can look at what the market has done this past year.  In comparison to the prior year, the condo market has been the shining star of Seattle's real estate market this year. There was a decrease in the city-wide condo median price from September to October…does that mean the sky is falling and bargains are to be had? Well, not exactly. The 2007 median price has outperformed 2006 levels all year long. Buying activity increased in October and the median price surpassed the prior year by over 10%. On the other hand, there are properties that have been sitting on the market so we might expect a better buyer negotiating position. Continue reading (more graphs, sales transctions, invent...
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By Ben Kakimoto, Seattle Condo Specialist
(Keller Williams Greater Seattle)
Gallery Belltown Buyers speak with their pocketbooks. And, apparently buyers spoke loudly at Belltown’s Gallery Condominium project. When the Gallery project first came online it was touting its SkyLofts concept, true two-level loft homes with 18′ ceiling heights located on the upper floors that offered spectacular city and sound views. But, it seems buyers just weren’t ponying up the big bucks for these units and most of them are now history, replaced with 600 sq ft one-bedroom flats.  Stewart | Minor The lack of loft living enthusiasts at Gallery hasn’t deterred the developers of the Stewart | Minor high-rise loft project in Denny Triangle. But, Stewart | Minor is somewhat unique. The concept is based on 600 sq ft cube units that’ll offer owners the opportunity to add a mezzanine/loft...
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By Ben Kakimoto, Seattle Condo Specialist
(Keller Williams Greater Seattle)
Joining Seattle's condo expansion, Vancouver-based Embassy Development plans to build the largest condominium complex in town.  The project, called Insignia Towers, will envelop an entire city block in the Denny Triangle district of the downtown core.  Insignia Towers will feature two 41-story towers with 643 condominium homes, most of which, are expected to be two-bedroom units.  The developer anticipate homes will run about $750 per square foot. But, Seattleites will have a bit of a wait.  Construction is not expected to begin until mid-2008 with occupancy sometime in 2010.
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By Ben Kakimoto, Seattle Condo Specialist
(Keller Williams Greater Seattle)
The good news about Seattle’s condominium market is that market values continue to reflect a strong increase over 2006. City-wide, the median sold price in October was $318,500, an 11.4% increase over October 2006. Queen Anne and Capitol Hill also reflected double-digit median price increases over the prior year as well. As has been the case all year, values have been increasing while the number of sales decline and the available inventory grows. In the course of 2007 we’ve moved from a seller’s market towards a normal market, based on the absorption rate. As the last two months are usually the slowest it’s not unreasonable to think that we’ll inch over towards a buyer’s market by the end of the year. Although the overall market is teetering towards a buyer’s market environment, several...
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
This is a picture of a sunset at Shilshole Bay Marina in the Ballard area of Seattle.   We do love our boats here!  If you want to see some "up close and personal" the Seattle Boat Show will be Thursday, January 24th - Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 "1,000 boats for every budget, designed to meet every recreational need are featured at Qwest Field Event Center, plus another 200 watercraft on the water at South Lake Union for the 2008 Seattle Boat Show. The show, the largest on the West Coast, features a free shuttle service between the two venues. For more information, visit http://www.seattleaboatshow.com/."Ballard is a Scandinavian area on Northwest Seattle that is becoming extremely popular.  People enjoy all the restaurants, shops and parks that are there.  Many condominiums have been...
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
   These pictures were taken at Gasworks Park that is located in the Wallingford area of Seattle. The address is 2101 N Northlake Way.  People go there for the fabulous view, picnics, kit flying and even weddings.  It also has a play area with a large play barn for kids.  People also go there to view a Fourth of July fireworks display.  If you live in Wallingford or Fremont you can walk or ride your bike there.   “The Burke-Gilman Trail runs past Gas Works parking lot and follows the Burlington-Northern Railroad 12.5 miles north to Kirkland Log Boom Park.”This is one of those great places to go to even if it is raining--just get on that rain gear and go!  Please visit my site for information and support.  Seattle, Bellevue, Queen Anne, Wallingford, Green Lake, Fremont and Redmond, Washi...
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
Yesterday the Wallingford Community Senior Center had its Thanksgiving luncheon.  It was a traditional Thanksgiving meal and children from the Meridian School served the meals and cleared the tables--what a nice bunch of kids!  Mom and I sat next to three women that were members of the University District Senior Center "Hamilton House."  The Hamilton House will be closing soon, for financial reasons, which is really too bad.  This has been the case for other Senior Centers in the Seattle area and our Wallingford Community Senior Center also is having financial problems.  Senior Center's are so good for the communities and the people that join.  Deep friendships are made and through classes, activities and services (i.e. senior wellness clinic, blood pressure checks, hearing screenings ...
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By Jonathan Martin, Real Estate Agent - Seattle
A must read before you buy your next home the benefits are amazing here is the first in the series written by Jonathan Martin a Seattle area Real Estate Agent specializing in first time buyers. Home ownership the good stuff, 1 The Guide to Seattle Real Estate is a great blog for first time homebuyers in the Seattle area.
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By Leslie Bloss, Bellevue Real Estate Professional
  If you have never gone on the Seattle Underground Tour, it really is interesting.   Many years ago, I had a group of friends and family meet at my house and we carpooled to Pioneer Square in Seattle.  Here is some of what the website says:While you roam the subterranean passages that once were the main roadways and first-floor storefronts of old downtown Seattle, Tour Guides regale you with humorous stories our pioneers didn't want you to hear. It's history with a twist!The tour begins with a seated introduction inside Doc Maynard's Public House, a restored 1890s saloon. Then you walk outside through historic Pioneer Square to three different sections of Underground-about three blocks in all.They do not recommend kids under six years old go.Please visit my site for information and sup...
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