First, before you start to drive you can visit the website at seattle.gov/epark and take a look at the interactive map and live feed which show the parking garages that have space available.  You can choose the garage that is closest to where you are going, taking price into account too.

Then when you get to downtown, just go straight to your chosen garage.  There are dynamic signs posted at key points (made so you can’t miss them), which will help guide you.  These useful little signs let you know current information including how many spaces the garages have at that time.

Don’t forget some fun and entertaining ride options once you are downtown, which include the recently returned Seattle streetcars, the light rail, the monorail, horse drawn carriages, rental scooters, and of course the Ride The Duck tours.  And the Center for Wooden Boats on Westake offers free boat rides on Sunday afternoons, as well as some boating lessons and some classes on keeping the art of building old time boats alive.  And for those who like to walk, check out this great walking map put out by the city government which you can enlarge to see each individual walk.

Maplewood Heights House on 1/2 Acre Lot

Maplewood Heights in Renton

Maplewood Heights is a neighborhood in northeast Renton with good schools, attractive amenities, and a good location.  The neighborhood is centered on Maplewood Park and the Maplewood Heights Elementary, which was recently named a “School of Distinction”.  The Renton School District generally has seen improvement in test scores in 2011.

Recreational opportunities abound nearby with the Cedar River bike trail, the Renton Community Center with its gym and outdoor water park, the Eastside’s only ice skating rink, and the public swimming pool open year round at Hazen High School.

The neighborhood has a choice of two routes for a commute to downtown Seattle (405/I-90 or 900/I-5), which makes it possible to avoid the worst traffic.  The community is service by King County Metro bus line 111.

SEARCH HOMES FOR SALE IN MAPLEWOOD HEIGHTS RENTON

Queen Anne real estate market has always been a hot one due to the highly desirable location and charming properties but it has never been hotter!  The combination of the attractive values and historically low mortgage rates is bringing a lot of buyers that were sidelined during the boom and really propelling the Queen Anne real estate market.  Why now?  Queen Anne has always been a highly sought – after neighborhood to the fact that it’s a well – established “suburban” close to Downtown and home to some of most beautifully preserved homes full of charm, character, and history that you won’t find in other neighborhoods.  Queen Anne is also home to some of the most prestigious streets and zip codes in Seattle.  My clients are I are noticing that pretty much any properties that are priced well are receiving multiple offers thus reinforcing the popularity of the Queen Anne real estate market.  My favorite part of Queen Anne is of course soaking in the beautiful Seattle skyline and the Puget Sound at the Kerry Park.

Queen Anne Real Estate Market

What is the “prime” Queen Anne real estate parameter?

-         10^th Ave W/Olympic Way W/W Olympic Pl to the west.

-        Taylor Ave N/5^th Ave N to the east.

-        Valley St. to the south.

-        W McGraw St. to the north.

I did a general search for that parameter and here are some interesting statistics:

-        Total of only 22 active listing of single family homes.

-        Of the 22 active listings, only 8 were priced at or under 800k (competitive price range).

-        Total of only 19 active condo listings priced at or under 500k.

There has never been a more opportunistic time to get into Queen Anne real estate market and own a piece of history and be part of the most prestigious community in Seattle.  Don’t get sidelined again and contact me for a complimentary consultant and get in the game TODAY!

Queen Anne Real Estate Market

ABOUT CHRISTY KIM

Renton Donogh Homes Resale

Donogh Homes Resale in Renton

This quality house by Donogh Homes sits on a half acre on the north Cedar river bluff.  Territorial view out the back includes Mount Rainier in the winter.

Key features:

• Big floor plan with 3,070 square feet
• High end finishing materials (marble, granite, nice cabinets, etc.)
• 3 car garage
• Sprawling master suite with sitting/reading/TV area, private view deck, walk-in closet, and attached bathroom.
• Four big bedrooms
• Extra wide staircase to upper level
• Updated kitchen with island and stainless appliances
• Two fireplaces in living and family rooms

COMPLETE DETAILS OF DONOGH HOMES RESALE IN RENTON

SEARCH RENTON VIEW HOMES

SEARCH RENTON REMODELED HOMES

14521 144th Place SE, Renton, WA 98059 (MLS # 310345)

View Virtual Tour

Owner financing available on this beautiful Cedar River north bluff home on a 1/2 acre. Quality construction and lovingly maintained. Updated kitchen with island and high-end cabinets. Marble and granite throughout home. Double-wide stairs lead to 4 big bedrooms and laundry on upper level. Sprawling master suite with sitting area, private view deck, walk-in closet, and 5pc bath. Generous front and back yards. Big sky view where the bluff drops away and Mt. Rainier in winter. Quiet neighborhood.

Property Type(s): Residential

Last Updated	1/15/2012	Tract	n/a
Year Built	1995	Community	Maplewood Heights
Garage Spaces	3.0	County	King
Total Parking	3	Walk Score ®	14

Schools

Additional Details

Features

Location

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with eXp Realty

(view all details for MLS #310345)

Seattle or Vancouver?

A Tale of Two Cities: Seattle or Vancouver, BC?

The affordability of houses is trending sharply differently in the nearby markets of Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, British Columbia.  Affordability is made up of three factors: the median home price of a city, median household income of the inhabitants, and the level of interest rates.  Interest rates at this time of writing are historically low in both cities.  Because house prices in Seattle are near flat or slightly rising, falling interest rates and job growth are causing affordability in Seattle to reach levels not seen since 2004, as documented by the SeattleBubble.com.

A very different scenario is taking place in Vancouver, where foreign buyers from mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, and elsewhere are snapping up houses and driving up prices.  Vancouver now ranks as the least affordable market in all of Canada.  These Asian buyers are searching for a better lifestyle: better schools, larger houses, more privacy, less polution, and a beautiful location.  Recent articles in the Seattle Times (“Vancouver attracting buyers from China“) and on CrossCut.com (“Vancouver’s real estate gold rush is totally out of control“) document the trend.

Seattle, I believe, will start to see a spillover effect from this real estate gold rush in Vancouver.  Seattle has similar attractive qualities to Vancouver with its proximity to mountains and waterways, good schools, and rich culture emanating from an ethnically diverse population.  I worked recently with a Chinese/Canadian buyer originally from Taiwan who decided that Vancouver had become far too expensive to buy back into.  He recognized prices in Seattle for high end waterfront properties as a bargain and preferred to buy at the bottom of a market cycle rather than the top.  He shared some property listings we visited together with some friends back in Hong Kong and they were astonished to see estate quality large houses on acreage selling for what they would pay for a condo back home.

See an example of what $2.5 million would buy in Seattle: Magnolia Puget Sound View Home with Beach.

Check out live listings of:

• King County Puget Sound Waterfront Homes
• Lake Washington and Sammamish Waterfront Homes
• King County Estate Homes on 3+ Acres

View Deck in West Seattle

West Seattle Remodeled Home

This thoroughly remodeled home sits in a quiet location alongside Camp Long, a 68 acre park, to the north and overlooking a green belt to the east.  The home has been upgraded inside and out.  Outside you’ll notice the quality deck railing, hardi-plank siding on the house, new vinyl sliding door and windows, and fresh paint.  Inside a creamy, rich bamboo flooring flows through the great room and back to the master suite on the main living level.  The kitchen has been completely modernized with stainless appliances, attractive cabinets, granite counter tops and back splash, and colored glass light fixtures.  The master suite features a walk-in closet, small deck, and remodeled bathroom nearby.  Downstairs are found two more bedrooms, a large family room, a second remodeled bathroom, and a new stack washer/dryer pair.  Electrical and plumbing have been upgraded too.

Great Room with Bamboo Flooring

The SW entrance of Camp Long is reached by a short stroll just up Brandon Street.  Enjoy the miles of forested trails and the sturdy rock climbing structure called Schurman Rock.

More Information about this West Seattle Remodeled Home

Click here for more photos of this West Seattle Remodeled Home and Current Listings of Remodeled West Seattle Houses

Bellevue View Home

In the hills of South Bellevue nearby to where I live, I recently found this Bellevue view home with many attractive features:

• A great view of trees and greenery with the mountains in the distance.
• An oversized master suite with with room for an office or TV/entertainment area besides the bedroom furniture.
• Beautiful, many-tiered decks for entertaining in the back yard.

And much else besides: new kitchen appliances, upgraded windows, etc.  Overall the house is in very fine condition.  It is currently set up for 3 bedrooms with office and workshop space, but could be converted to 5.

Learn more about this Bellevue View Home (see full photo album with 122 images).

Low Maintenance Back Yard in Bellevue

Researchers Eli Beracha and Ken Johnson made that conclusion after analyzing data for 23 different Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).

The study used an eight-year holding period for comparative purposes and factored in costs associated with homeownership, tax benefits and home price appreciation, and considered returns on similar risk portfolios. The net result is that home price gains would need to average only 3.25% annually to beat renting, according to Beracha and Johnson.

After crunching the numbers, Beracha and Johnson concluded buying a home may beat renting for the first time in several years.

Two key factors prompted their conclusion. First, rents are expected to rise, perhaps as much as 7 percent in each of the next two years. Second, home prices have dropped enough — about 32 percent from their 2006 peak – to create a buying opportunity.

In corroborating the analysis, CNNMoney compared 10 metro areas and determined it makes sense to buy in half of them: Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburg and Seattle. In the other five cities, Boston, Dallas, Honolulu, Houston, and New York, it is more advantageous to rent. (See chart.)

Authors of the CNNMoney analysis noted Seattle’s home prices have grown quickly over past 25 years, but since the late stages of the boom during the 2000s, “prices have fallen 26% from its peak, according to Fiserv, making purchases more attractive.” Research shows by early 2011, prices had fallen to about 26 times the annual rents.

“Seattle’s price rises have been robust historically and for someone looking for a home today, gains would only have to near the metro area’s normal growth rate for buyers to come out richer than renters in eight years,” stated the CNNMoney report.

Of the 23 cities Beracha and Johnson looked at, Seattle is the best place to buy right now. When renters invest in portfolios that include stocks, the appreciation rate required over the next eight years there is 4.84 percent and the area’s historical average is 6.06 percent.

Seattle Area Real Estate

Best Real Estate Deals in Seattle

One of the most frequently asked questions I get are “where can I find the best real estate deals in Seattle?” and “what’s the hottest area in Seattle?”   Honestly, there is value in every market and in every neighborhood.  I know that sounds like a cliché, but that is the truth.  That statement is more evident in the current real estate market and buyers are taking advantage.

I did a very general search today for homes, non-condo under 300k in Queen Anne, Magnolia, Belltown, Downtown, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, and Green Lake and came up with OVER 100 listings! 

Read the Full Story

Seattle Real Estate

4^th of July in Seattle is fun!  First of all, it is a common knowledge that summer in Seattle starts after 4^th; that in and of itself puts Seattleites in an especially good mood for the 4^th celebrations.  But the real reason why it is so fun is because of the non-stop activities scheduled all around the city in every neighborhood.  People in Seattle love their summer and we make sure to maximize every opportunity to enjoy the weather and have fun during this short season.  There are ton activities and festivities going on in Seattle, North, South, and everything in between!  I have compiled a useful list of websites and references for you to pick and choose how you want to enjoy your 4^th of July.

The 4^th of July at Lake Union hands down city’s favorite and a Northwest tradition for many years now.  Time magazine has called the Family 4th at Lake Union one of the Top Five fireworks displays in the country.  This one gets very crowded, so be sure to get there early!

Family 4th at Lake Union

Activities all around the Sound

Celebrations to the north and south and on the eastside of Lake Washington

Smaller, more intimate, and family oriented festivities

SEATTLE REAL ESTATE