Whether you’re a local, home shopping, or just visiting, there’s a great way to see more of the city and maybe polish up your photography skills too!  There’s a Shutter Tours of Seattle that is so interesting that earlier this year it was profiled on Evening Magazine (check out the video!) and is an ongoing favorite of tourists and residents alike.  Want to see something of Seattle?  This is as interactive as it gets!  Want to bring back some special photos?  Not only will your friends and fans ooh and ahh over your sparkling creativity, but I predict your photos will never be the same again.

And what does this have to do with real estate?  As always, enjoy and get to know the city, meet some of the people and give yourself a chance to breathe it in… you are never going to want to leave.  If you get some great photos, please play along with my little game and upload them on my Where in Seattle?  page, or post a link to your web album.  Keeps us guessing…

The cost to participate in this fundraiser is $40, which covers event registration (including beer), and an Ales for Alzheimer’s t-shirt.  Continue reading…

Ed. note: I don’t usually post press releases verbatim. However, this particular disease has affected my life considerably for several years. Both of my Dad’s parents, who were effectively my parents, have suffered from Alzheimer’s. My grandpa, now a vibrant, if befuddled 95, lives in a managed care home in Ballard, and my Dad is now the CEO of the Western & Central Washington State Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.  I look forward to being an active volunteer with this wonderful organization. I must say, they make it pretty easy by including pub crawls among their events. Please consider joining us, or at least sponsoring a crawler.

I’ve started my own team of committed pub crawlers on Facebook. Join us!

With the weather heating up, are you looking for something different to take it outside?  Have you checked out outdoor movies in Seattle?  Outdoor movies in Seattle provide a great alternative to stuffy indoor movie theaters!  This used to be a popular past time, but it is becoming more common recently and people are finding its joy again.  The movies are not current, but they are old favorites and classics, so you aren’t stuck with leftover movies.  And because most of them are either FREE or donation based, it an economical way to have a night out with family and friends.  Why don’t you pack a blanket, snacks, and gather your family and friends for a fun night “out?”  Lights, camera, action!

Here is the list of outdoors movies in Seattle and Greater King County!

 ABOUT CHRISTY KIM

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! 

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Seattle Real Estate

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 Farmers Markets are a local tradition, and each neighborhood has one with a little bit of it’s own special character.  Here is the all-inclusive list of the markets.  You don’t have to limit yourself to one because many of them are on different days of the week.  Two of my favorites are the Fremont Sunday Market and the Ballard Sunday Market, and of course the Granddaddy of them all, Pike Place Market itself.

BALLARD: Sundays 10-3 year round, 5300 Ballard Ave NW

BELLTOWN:  Thursdays 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. July to Sept, 2901 Western Ave

BROADWAY:  Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May to December, Broadway & Pine

COLUMBIA CITY:  Wednesdays 3 p.m. to 7  p.m. April to October, 37th Ave S & S Edmunds

GEORGETOWN:  Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June to October, 6000 Airport Way S

LAKE CITY:  Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, NE 125th & 28th Ave NE

MADRONA:  Fridays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. May to September, 1126 MLK S

MAGNOLIA:  Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June to October, 33rd Ave W & W Smith St

PHINNEY:  Fridays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, 67th & Phinney Ave N

PIKE PLACE MARKET:  Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sun 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round, 1st & Pike

QUEEN ANNE:  Thursdays 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to October, W Crockett St & Queen Anne Ave

U DISTRICT:  Saturdays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, University Way & NE 50th

WALLINGFORD:  Wednesdays 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June to Sept, 1815 N. 45th St

WEST SEATTLE:  Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year round, 44th Ave SW & SW Alaska

Below are some photos taken at the Fremont Sunday Market.  Come and shop, enjoy, taste, listen, people watch, and I guarantee you’ll be back!

Charming Craftsman in Ballard

One of my favorite styles of house is craftsman so I was excited to preview this charming craftsman in Ballard. This charming one story craftsman with basement is nestled in a quiet yet vibrant Ballard neighborhood between 65^th and 4^th Ave NW. I just knew the house would be a stunner and it didn’t disappoint with all that charm and curb appeal.

Upon entrance, I was greeted into a cozy living room with brick fireplace and hardwood floors. This Ballard craftsman featured two bedrooms and one remodeled bathroom with dazzling title work. The kitchen was bright and airy with white cabinets and dining room featured built-ins with big windows that let in ton of light. As a true testament of a craftsman, the kitchen had a built-in “breakfast” nook that faced the spacious backyard. The backyard was beautifully landscaped with matured trees and fencing that provided a lot of shade and privacy. Besides the one car detached garage, the house has over 700 sq.ft of unfinished basement that is currently used for storage. I saw a lot of potential in this underdeveloped space; perhaps an art studio or fitness room.

The house is located in a prime Ballard location closed to restaurants, coffee shops, and businesses. Close proximity to the highway, Freemont and Wallingford makes this Ballard craftsman a great buy at $359,950. For your private viewing or questions, please call or email me soon before this goes off the market!

Charming Craftsman in Ballard

***Listing provided by Windermere R.E.***

ABOUT CHRISTY KIM

SEATTLE REAL ESTATE

Fremont Street, busy and laid back all at once.

"Let's meet over by the Rocketship in front of Burnt Sugar."

Fremont rocket ship provides landmark for any kind of path finding necessary.  Shopping starts here.

More Shopping as you round the corner and stroll south toward Fremont Bridge and the Queen Anne side of The Cut.

Willow & Bloom for lovely gifts and flowers.

Dream in Fremont, always something perfect.

Dream of Fremont offers Spring fashion and window reflects the twilit street.

Dream and street.

The Triangle Lounge in Fremont. Squeeze through the door and you're in!

Outside El Camino in Fremont friends chat before snagging a table for Happy Hour.

They rave over the unusual gifts and vintage furnishings at Burnt Sugar

Get peeks of Henry in Fremont, Ballard, and...where will we see him next?

Keep an eye out for further Fremont walks, including Theo Chocolate Factory, the country’s first organic and fair trade chocolate factory, the Ship Canal, the Fremont Sunday Market, the Solstice Parade float warehouse, and much much more.

It was not up on the street corner by any means that very day, in fact it was stored in various areas and back yards of Fremont for a couple years while plans were made and remade.  At last a group of intrepid Fremont business people selected the roof of the Bitter’s building (Evanston and 35th).  The plans to get it settled there did not go as well as hoped and the group finally admitted defeat with considerable chagrin.

But the next year (being ’94) another team set out to get it up in time for the Fremont Solstice Parade, and was successful.  On the rocket is engraved “De Libertas Quirkas” which has the meaning “Freedom to be Peculiar.”  I’ve often said here and elsewhere that Seattle humor is quirky, and nowhere more so than in this fun loving neighborhood where the Fremont Rocket, the Fremont Troll, the beloved sculpture Waiting for the Interurban, and an authentic Statue of Lenin from Slovakia, acquired at a bargain price by a Fremont resident that was teaching over there (imagine the dedication to his hometown, to bring the statue back this Fremonter took out a mortgage on his house), all find their home in the sun (and rain and on more than one occasion even snow).

This location is truly in the “heart of Fremont” right on N 36th between N Dayton and N Evanston Avenues.  There are so many good restaurants near here that you could pretty well eat in a different restaurant every day for a month without repeating a place.  So to have everyone giving it five stars is really a complement in this very competitive area.