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New Seattle Water View Homes Search - 06/30/09 07:40 PM
SeattleHome.com has launched a new search for water view homes this week. Without having to search for each neighborhood, type of view (river, bay, lake, city, territorial, etc.), and other features, the new search quickly narrows down water view homes by neighborhood.
Select quickly from each drop-down menu for Northwest Seattle, Northeast Seattle, Central Seattle, Southwest Seattle, and Southeast Seattle. All homes returned will be water view homes, from peekaboo views to waterfront villas.
There are also Greater Seattle areas included such as Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Shoreline, Edmonds, and Burien water view homes.
Seattle Water View Homes Search
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Seattle Home Prices Up Slightly in April 2009 - 06/30/09 04:57 PM
Prices on Seattle homes rose in April for the first time in a year. From March to April, real estate prices rose just 0.23 percent in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. The increase is miniscule, but it halts a trend of losses and is likely due to the seasonal uptick of spring and summer home sales.
The Case-Shiller index measures home sale prices in 20 major metropolitan areas around the U.S. This month, 8 of those 20 areas showed increases in prices, while the other 12 were flat or down. Although the numbers aren't great, they also show a slowing of … (0 comments)
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Canadian Buyers Up 114% - Tips for Canadians Buying Homes in the U.S. - 06/30/09 10:02 AM
We've had a large number of Canadian buyers in the Seattle area over the past couple of years. Many of our clients come down from Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, to buy second homes and investment properties in the Puget Sound region. According to the National Association of REALTORS, this phenomenon has carried across the rest of the country.
NAR reports that Canadian investment in American real estate went from 11% in 2007 to 23.5% in 2008. Canada became the nation with the largest foreign investment in U.S. real estate for the year. Much of the investment has been attributed to the Canadian dollar's … (2 comments)
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Foreclosures on the Seattle Waterfront Part 2 - Bank-owned waterfront condos - 06/28/09 04:10 PM
The number of bank-owned waterfront condos in Seattle and King County is surprisingly low, keeping in line with the scarce waterfront single-family homes in foreclosure. As of today, there are only two condos in the entire county that are listed as bank-owned waterfront, and just one of those is actually sitting on the waterfront line.
The first condo is in the Broadview/Bitter Lake area of N. Seattle. A 1 bed 1 bath condo, it's listed for just under $220,000. The condominium complex does border on Bitter Lake, and there is an access trail for residents, so this is technically designated as waterfront.
The … (0 comments)
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Foreclosures hit the Seattle waterfront - Bank-owned houseboats, floating homes, and waterfront homes - 06/26/09 12:30 AM
Waterfront home owners, on average, have more equity in their homes than other home owners, and their homes hold their value better. That hasn't stopped some waterfront homes in the Seattle area from going on the auction block, and reverting back to the bank.
To be honest, the number of foreclosures on waterfront homes in the Seattle metro is astonishingly low. There are five total bank-owned, waterfront homes in King County available for sale right now. Of those, two are "creek waterfront" - not high end waterfront homes. A couple of other homes are quite interesting.
The smallest is a cozy floating home on Lake … (0 comments)
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When Good Data Goes Bad a.k.a. "Zillow says my school is a JAIL!" - 06/25/09 12:17 PM
Bringing more information and data to the public is in the best interest of real estate professionals. I don't buy the old mindset that we, in the real estate community, are the gatekeepers to home information. Our job is to provide service and to be educated and experienced in real estate contracts, real estate law, and transactions. Witholding data about homes listed for sale, besides personal owner information, creates distrust.
That being said, sometimes new technology and information can hit a road bump.
Average Joe homeowner in Indiana gets up in the morning and logs on to a new real estate tool on the … (3 comments)
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The Value of a Water View Home - 06/22/09 12:02 PM
Water views are some of the most difficult factors to value when pricing a home. There are so many contributing factors to a water view's value, it's hard to know where to start. Everything from the body of water, direction, angle of view, fullness of view, proximity to water, obstructions, reflection, which rooms have view/which don't, and potential of future development/obstructions can weigh into a water view's value.
There's no perfect way to calculate the value, but there's also no denying that there is great inherent value in a water view. The most straight-forward analysis involves condos, as they typically … (27 comments)
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Freddie Mac expands guidelines for Making Home Affordable Refinances - 06/20/09 12:59 PM
Freddie Mac has released some improvements to the Relief Refinance Mortgage terms. This program is part of the Making Home Affordable plan from the federal government which was intended to help struggling home owners to refinance their mortgage to lower interest rates.
FHMC (Freddie Mac/Federal Home Mortgage Corporation), will allow home owners with a mortgage that is FHMC owned to refinance with any affiliated lender, not just the current servicer of the loan. There could be more costs associated with using a new lender, as opposed to the current one.
Borrowers will also be able to include a larger percentage of closing … (2 comments)
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First-Time Home Buyers Class in Seattle - 06/18/09 04:46 PM
Jumping into the real estate world can be daunting for a first-time home buyer. You've never owned a home before, and now you're supposed to learn about mortgages, down payments, credit scores, contracts, title, escrow, inspections, foreclosures, and many other topics all at once.
A great way to start is by attending a first-time home buyer class. Many brokers, loan officers, title companies, etc. will put on short, informative classes to give home buyers a head start on the learning process. These classes are almost always free, and really pack in a ton of real estate knowledge, as much as … (0 comments)
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Denny-Blaine Home Sales, First Half of 2009 - 06/16/09 07:28 PM
The Denny-Blaine neighborhood had relatively few homes sales in the first half of 2009. Some of that may be due to the tight lending market in the jumbo and super-jumbo mortgage arena, although many homes here are purchased in cash transactions.
There have been just 3 sales in Denny-Blaine in 2009 according to the NWMLS as of 06/16/09. The first two are atypical of the neighborhood, but interesting homes and properties. A small condominium/cottage in the Lake WA Cottages. This small cluster of 1 bed/1 bath homes has an HOA like normal condominiums, but the feel of a detached home. … (0 comments)
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Denny-Blaine on Seattle's Lake Washington Waterfront - 06/16/09 10:09 AM
Denny-Blaine is a neighborhood in east central Seattle on the Lake Washington waterfront. Just South of Madison Park and North of Madrona, this exclusive neighborhood is mostly made up of million-plus dollar homes on large lots. The streets are immaculate and tree-lined, making it feel more like a park than an in-city neighborhood.
Although there are a few modest cottages and homes in Denny-Blaine, the vast majority are historic, expansive, and meticulously maintained. This neighborhood is one of the most affluent in Seattle, and it's easy to see the attraction with a short drive through Lake Washington Blvd, McGilvra, and … (0 comments)
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Seattle in Forbes' Top 10 Cities to Recover Quickly - 06/15/09 01:40 PM
Forbes.com has ranked the top 10 cities in the United States poised for a quick economic recovery. These rankings were based on employment data, housing data, and industry trends like technology advances. The top 10 metropolitan areas were:
Austin-Roundrock, Texas Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark. Boulder, Colo. Huntsville, Ala. San Antonio, Texas Mobile, Ala. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, D.C.-Va.-Md.-W.Va. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. Seattle's economy was specifically highlighted for its emphasis on techonology and new business devlopment. Seattle's real estate market has slowed the rest of the economy, with the number of Seattle homes for sale being fairly high and significant drops in prices over the past year. The economy should begin recovering … (0 comments)
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Buying a foreclosure? Get used to to those tenants! - 06/12/09 07:35 PM
Buying a foreclosure is already a more complicated transaction than most consumers realize. As new regulations come into place, another hurdle is being added for investors attempting to gain occupancy of the home.
Effective immediately, federal law mandates that any residential tenant who resides in a property that is secured by a federally-related mortgage can retain posession of the property for the length of any "bona fide" lease agreement under which they are currently living. An investor could buy a home without the right to rent it to his/her preferred tenants for a year - or more.
Further, if there is … (5 comments)
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Got a MyBlogLog Widget Yet? See Who's Reading and Not Commenting! - 06/12/09 02:18 AM
MyBlogLog from Yahoo is a great all-in-one-tool for your blogs and memberships. The tool keeps your plethora of accounts manageable in one place.
More importantly, MyBlogLog's widget can be added to your ActiveRain blog (or any other site) so that you and other readers can see who has been visiting your site without any delay (edit for clarity: The widget shows MyBlogLog Users who visit, not just any visitor). Take a look at the sidebar of my blog. I just added the widget, and if you're a MyBlogLog member, your picture and name would show up right now as you're viewing the … (56 comments)
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Seattle's Eastlake Floating Homes - Mallard Cove and Roanoke Reef - 06/11/09 10:05 AM
I had a chance to visit a few floating homes this week in the Mallard Cove community on Lake Union. Brian Wiegand, my business partner, and I toured a few new listings with clients. The location at Mallard cove is ideal, with quick freeway access and gate-free access to the homes.
This part of Eastlake has a nice setup for the floating homes, too, with the Roanoke Reef homes as one outer cluster enjoying the best views and serving as a breaker for the Mallard Cove homes closer to shore. The waters inside the cove are particularly calm, but this is Lake Union, … (0 comments)
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Beaux Arts Village - Lake Washington waterfront - 06/10/09 12:11 PM
The town of Beaux Arts Village is a small waterfront community in Southwest Bellevue. Located on the shores of Lake Washington just North of I-90 and across the water from Mercer Island, this high-end enclave of homes has private waterfront property that is available to all of the 100 or so property owners in the village.
Although it's technically it's own city, it functions much like an independent neighborhood of Bellevue, served by Bellevue schools and utilities. Its proximity to Bellevue and Seattle, coupled with the small town feel, make Beaux Arts a highly desirable community.
Beaux Arts Village's waterfront includes 1100 … (0 comments)
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Houseboat cruising on Lake Union - What a Job - 06/06/09 04:31 PM
I had the opportunity to visit a broker's open with a client this week on Lake Union. Hosted by Linda Bagley of Special Agent Realty, the open was a 2 hour cruise on Lake Union and Portage Bay. Work doesn't get much better than this.
The Seattle houseboat we cruised on was Linda's listing - a beautiful, modern, 60 foot vessel built in 1991. This live-aboard had a chartered captain and the owners entertained. The open was catered, the weather was clear and sunny, even if a bit windy. This houseboat was built for entertaining, from the open kitchen/living room layout to the … (5 comments)
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Mercer Island Waterfront Homes Sold, 2009 - 06/02/09 10:41 AM
There have been 3 waterfront homes sold in Mercer Island so far in 2009. Two are in the Lakes neighborhood, while the third is Lake Washington waterfront.
The Lakes neighborhood is comprised of high end 1980's era homes on a group of small inland lakes. The two homes sold each had waterfront on this neighborhood shoreline. Selling at just under $1,000,000, the first 4 bed, 3.5 bath home sold at a 15% discount from list price in about 5 months. The second sale in Lakes was a 3 bed, 2.5 bath home with 120+ feet of waterfront. The home sold for … (0 comments)
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King County, Seattle Home Sales drop in first half of May '09 - 06/01/09 04:38 PM
Seattle area home sales showed small bump in prices from late April to mid-May of this year, while total home sales were down almost 20% in the same period. King County in general, seems to have taken a Memorial Day break from home buying.
According to recent NWMLS data, King County real estate sales went from 883 in the second half of April 2009 to just 707 sales in the first half of May. The median price, at the same time, went from $346,000 in April $355,000 in May. Median days on Market went from 44 days to 53 days.
While these … (0 comments)
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Sam DeBord - Seattle Real Estate Broker
Seattle,
WA
More about me…
SeattleHome.com -Coldwell Banker Danforth
Address: 222 Wall St #100, Seattle, WA, 98121
Cell Phone: (206) 658-3225
Email Me
2009 $10MM+ Sales
Top 10 King Co. Sale
Managing Broker
Realtor
206-658-3225
Seattle Waterfront Homes - Seattle Real Estate news, including waterfront homes, water view homes, floating homes, and houseboats.
Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
SeattleHome.com
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Coldwell Banker Danforth
(206) 658-3225
Seattle Homes For Sale
Bellevue Homes For Sale
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