Seattle Houseboats

Northlake Way Houseboats

This week I helped a new client tour a couple Seattle houseboats on Lake Union.  This young lady works at a clinic where she knows two doctors who live on big houseboats.  She would be a first time home buyer and was looking for something small and affordable.  She picked out two listings under $300,000 that were about the size of an apartment for a single person: 550 to 700 square feet.

We looked at two houseboat neighborhoods:

• Westlake Avenue: which extends from the new Lake Union Park north to within sight of the Aurora Bridge.  This home was on the northern end of the avenue.
• Northlake Way: sitting alongside Gas Works Park.

Our clear favorite was the houseboat off of Westlake Avenue.  It sat near the end of the dock – just one sailboat between it and the open water.  Its upper level, covered deck anyway looked out over this sailboat for a terrific view across Lake Union to the north with the Aurora Bridge and Gas Works Park in view and to the east where we would have seen the Cascade Mountains on a clear day.  The floor plan was well organized with a master bedroom, loft, and outdoor deck up top.  Below was a common room with seating, a small dining table, and kitchen with miniature appliances.  Nearby was the 3/4 bathroom with shower and even a tiny guest bedroom – about the size of a closet.  This houseboat was only 10 years old and appeared to be in excellent condition.

Westlake Avenue Houseboat Neighborhood

A few things surprised me about houseboats:

• Both neighborhoods had plenty of free parking!  Practically unheard of for Seattle.
• Some houseboats sit deep inside their neighborhoods and have little or no view.  I don’t see the point in living in such a location.  Your position on the dock is very important.
• There was no dishwasher and no laundry aboard the houseboat.  You won’t have all the amenities you take for granted on land.

My client was young and new to home buying, so she didn’t really know how to proceed.  I took the lead in researching considerations in houseboat ownership.  The listing agent was an expert in the topic.  From her I learned that the cost of moorage and utilities would run between $575 and $605 per month.  The boats needs maintenance done on their hulls every 5 years.  The City of Seattle is limiting development of new neighborhoods and construction of new houseboats, but the current houseboats are protected.

More Information on Seattle Houseboats

Click here for more photos and current houseboat listings

One of the most delightful things about Seattle is the abundance of nature surrounding us.  Although this is a large metropolitan city, I appreciate the fact that you can escape to nature at any time.  Big or large, we have parks situated in every neighborhood and convenient access to rivers, lakes, and vast ocean.  However, with the rapid development and higher cost of real estate, many Seattleites resorted to condos and townhomes that did not leave much space for those with green thumbs.  So, when I noticed community gardens or patches popping up everywhere, I wasn’t surprised at all.

Community gardens are simply a piece of land gardened by a group of people.  The neat thing about them is that not only it provides a mean for people to garden and produce fresh produce, it also promotes sense of community, healthier urban environment, and pride of ownership.  People can experience both the joy of growing and being in touch with the source of their food.

In Seattle, the city began the non-profit organization P-Patch Trust 35 years ago.  According to the City of Seattle website, the organization acquires, builds and protects community gardens in Seattle.  Most of the supplies are provided at the sites, such as water and tools.  Your responsibility as a community gardener is to care for your plot.

Interesting facts about P-Patch:

- The “P” originally stood for “Picardo”, after the family who owned Picardo Farm, part of which became the original P-Patch.

-The P-Patch program only allows organic farming techniques to be used on these plots.

-The P-Patch community gardeners give back to the city by supplying 7 to 10 tons of produce to Seattle food banks each year.

-You are not allowed to sell what you grow, only share it or donate it.

As the broadening interest in organic food source and gardening increases, you will see the demand for community gardens increase.  The city currently has 55 patches in the city but most of them do have a waiting list.  If you are interested in starting your own Community Patch or for more information, check out City of Seattle website!

Community Patch in Seattle Neighborhoods

Seattle Neighborhood market data is unique to each...

As of April 25, 2010, the statistic is that a median single-family home in “The Seattle Market” is $392,731.00 and I can say confidently right now, there is no move-in ready 3-bedroom house on Montlake, Capitol Hill, Mount Baker or Queen Anne for this price.  But in Maple Leaf?  Yes this price point will buy a house and yard, maybe a nice 2-bedroom mid-century home.  In West Seattle?  Yes definitely in some micro-neighborhoods in West Seattle this is possible.  In Beacon Hill?  Yes again, a mid-century or Craftsman bungalow at $392,731.00 is definitely possible.  So for buyers, it quickly becomes clear what neighborhoods your price point allows and this makes your search constructive and efficient.  And for sellers, be the best option in a certain bracket within your neighborhood, because even in this economy, we still see multiple offer situations if you’re priced right.  Buyers know a good residence when they see it!

Marybeth Cicirello * 206.214.6556 * marybeth.cicirello@exprealty.com * Downtown Seattle Real Estate

Giving the Bash some serious competition are two major parties, one is DList Magazine’s “New Year’s Eve 2010″ being held at Fremont Film Studios (9 p.m. to 2 a.m.).  If you haven’t at least been in the neighborhood when the Studios are lit up with a celebrity event, noticed the strings of limos and party-goers approaching (the friendly smiles of the Valet guys tell us it’s Fremont after all) then you’ll want to make it a point to attend something there, and here is a great possibility.  General admission is $55 and Ryan Leslie is featured along with DJ Ikon.  21+, dress to impress!

But wait, it gets even more tempting with the 8th Annual all-out bash at EMP!  It’s called “Indulgence 2010“, a party featuring varied music, many dance floors, national music acts, hot DJs, comedians, great experiences!  There are tickets for $60 as well as VIP packages at $189 and $350.  And views of the Space Needle and City Lights.  Actually, I wanna go.  Problem is, I wanna go to all three, and then there’s the all night cruise, the Rock the Boat party that starts out at the Islander Yacht Club, boarding and pre-funk starts at 9 p.m., boat leaves the dock by 10:30 p.m., and parks about 20 minutes before midnight at the South End of Lake Union to watch the fireworks.  The tickets are $70, it’s usually a private party but this year for the first time has been opened to everyone, black tie attire.  Oh, I forgot, the event is hosted by Harrison Wood from Kube 93 and the music is slated to be “the best hip hop and R&B”… all night!  Let’s!  The Islander Yacht Club is at 1611 Fairview Ave E in Seattle.

There are warnings abroad that any and all of these just might sell out so if you are going to one it’s recommended to get your tickets early (so I’m posting it now to give you a week).  And don’t forget to post your comments and photos so we can all enjoy!  Happy New Year, Seattle!

Of course this should be no surprise with high profile leaders like Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia, and other futuristic companies being located here and drawing talent from all across the country and all over the world.  Even the medical services and hospitals here are at an impressivly high level compared with perfectly adequate services in other locations.

As far as WiFi, being able to sit down in numerous locations and work, or work while your children are playing, or stop off quickly and get onto the Internet from your laptop, is certainly an earmark of the approaching future.  For this city, it’s now.  Seattle has WiFi (free) in the following locations:

Freeway Park, Occidental Park, Westlake Park, and Victor Steinbrueck Park, and also in the Plaza at City Hall.  Users can log in using seattlewifi for the ssid.

Some of my FAVORITE PEOPLE IN SEATTLE, the Seattle Weekly crowd, has issued a great little guide in this week’s free Weekly, their Happy Hour Guide.  Be sure to grab one at your favorite coffee house, or if you are out of town drop me an email and I’ll put one in the mail to you, as I have a stack in the office.

The Seattle Weekly Happy Hour Guide has five picks for Queen Anne, which are The Spectator, Genki Sushi, McMenamins Pub, Paragon, and Ozzie’s Restaurant and Lounge, with Happy hours listed below.

The Spectator   …   Monday all day, Tue-Sun 4-7 p.m.
Genki Sushi   …   daily 3-7 p.m., 9 p.m. to close (beer $3, sushi $1, side dish $1, daily cocktail $5)
McMenamin’s Tavern & Pool   …   daily 4-6 p.m., 10-close
Paragon Bar & Grill … Mon-Fri 4-7 p.m. (Very Live Music)
Ozzie’s Restaurant & Lounge … daily 11-7 p.m., food 3-7 p.m. daily (5 bars and a summer patio)

There is also a great Happy Hour in Seattle website I recently found, which lists 15 spots in Queen Anne, with ratings (note I found 3 had closed, so I took them off my list…check before you go).  Hands down winner is Peso’s, which a client of mine who bought a condo in Queen Anne also told me is his top choice most times!  Here is my list of places to visit as they got a 4 or 5 rating on the site (I’ve been to Peso’s to meet clients and it’s great, but got no photos for a blog…sorry, next time!):

Jabu’s Pub … 4:30-6:30 daily … “fun little place,” Monday night Bingo
          (Home Fries $2, 2 baby BBQ Onion Burgers or Beer Battered Shrooms $2.50, Wells $3, Drafts $2.50)
Ozzie’s Restaurant & Bar … 3:30-6:30 daily…offers happy hour during Seattle Center events, unusual in QA
          (2 Salmon or Beef Tacos, Shrimp Cocktail, Cheeseburger & Fries, Mini Pizza, Fish & Chips  all $1.95,
            Drafts $2.25, Wells $2.50)
Peso’s Kitchen and Lounge … 4-6 p.m. & 10-1 a.m. daily … busiest & most popular happy hour on QA!
          (22 different appetizers, $4 each)
Ponti … 4-6:30 & 9-close daily … it’s on the Queen Anne side of the Fremont Cut, next to the Fremont Bridge
          (Calamari $5, Scallops $5, Prawns $5, Cheeseburger w/Bacon $5, Wells $3.50, Beer $3.00, Wine $5)
Sport Restaurant and Bar … 3-5:30 p.m. M-F (near Seattle Center, award winning martinis)
          (Pizza $3.55, Wells 4.95, Bud Lite/Kokanee Drafts $1.50)
The Sitting Room … 5-7 p.m. daily

Two other sites that offer great insight on the Happy Hour scene in Queen Anne are SeattleTravel.com, which has great resources for travel here, and the website for Seattle’s nightlife rag, The Stranger, a full resource website that includes a neighborhood bars section.

Edy Kizaki, Realtor, Team Leader
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
cell:  206-402-9155