Queen Anne
So far this year I have had three short sale listings, all 3 of which I sold. Sounds great, doesn’t it? However, of those three I was only able to close none of them… that’s right, NONE OF THEM! Why? You ask? Because the banks keep finding ways to get in the way…
The most recent bank folly...
My most recent deal collapse was just this Tuesday! The bank representative (loss mitigation specialist) called me and told me that the bank had sold the property to HUD at a foreclosure auction 11 days prior! This came as a shock to me, since I’d had multiple offers on this property since May, and had just received an “approval to participate in a shortsale” document package from the bank only 7 days before! So, you can imagine my disbelief when I found out the bank had sold the property and THEN issued the approval to participate!!!
It is important to note that the statistics are showing only 10% successful closing rates on short sale properties in general (of course it depends on whose stats you like). So, I knew upfront that it was going to be a challenge.
I don’t mind challenges, but I do expect organizations to apply logic to their problems when they are trying to solve them and I do expect that these organizations deal in honesty and good faith. If you have no intention of honoring an offer then why put everybody through the wringer in the first place? Is it a requirement of TARP money that you give the “appearance” of helping the consumer? Also, who does it benefit to actually take the proerty back in house? I know it doesn’t benefit the bank…
I don't know why the bank wanted this one back...
I had another fail when the second/third lien holder refused a payoff of about 23% of what they were owed. Their reasoning was that their paperwork showed a 38% amount of equity available in the home! So they actually bought the house at the foreclosure auction, paying the first lien their entire balance owing of 229K dollars!!! Then they decided to sell the house themselves to get that other 15K they thought was in there… long story short… the house eventually sold for 236K!!! So, not only were they out the settlement I offered them when I had it sold, but they were also out their costs of sale (approx another 20K) in addition to the absorbed internal costs of bringing in a house as REO, and holding it for months as a non-performing asset (which increases their reserve requirements with the FED)!
I am pretty confident that short sales can and do occur when they benefit everybody involved, it is just that recently I haven’t seen it happen (I successfully closed a couple last year). If you plan on trying for a short sale property be sure to have an agent that has worked the system before, because this battlefield is tricky, full of mines and they keep changing the rules!
As always, I love hearing from you! So drop me a note if you have any questions bryan@seattlepowersearch.com.
Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood is one of the nicest places to take a walk (it’s no secret that if you want to live in a wonderful walkable neighborhood this is one of the best choices in the city…if you don’t believe me just plug the address of any home you’re looking at into the Walkscore.com site and you’ll see a high rating!), do some shopping, meet a friend for coffee or lunch, or plan a romantic dinner at one of the small restaurants that abound. But let’s not forget the lively pub scene that is justly said to be, especially in Lower Queen Anne which blends into Westlake near Seattle Center, one of the best hangouts in the city to drink, gab and get together.
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
It is typical for every purchaser of goods to feel some remorse over the price they paid, color of the object, the options they should have gotten…etc which we call “Buyers Remorse”. Now there’s another feeling that people go through call “Non-Buyers Remorse”, which is caused by missing out on a purchase by waiting for various reasons. Is it any more or less significant?
First, let’s consider “Buyers Remorse” . In real estate, because of the sheer cost of residences people tend to over think what they just purchased. Most people don’t purchase houses everyday and unless your a seasoned investor, it’s natural to wonder if you paid too much, could you have gotten more house for the money, is it really in the right location and the list goes on forever. Normally it is thought that buyers markets help with the remorse as there are so many houses to choose from and time to negotiate the right deal, but does it? Probably not. When there are too many choices, people tend to like many different houses because of one or two aspects and when they finally settle on one, the questioning starts almost immediately. When there are fewer houses to choose from the differences between houses seem much more apparent and while they still wonder if they got the best deal, can they really afford it or should they have purchased it, they usually settle down quickly once they are in the house and have made it their own and have made the payments for the first couple of months. In any event, people need to realize that it is ok and normal to have these feelings.
Conversely, “Non-Buyers Remorse” is a concept that has started to be discussed but has been around for years. Have you ever thought about buying something maybe a new video camera but waited because it will come down in price, there will be more free options in the next model, the format may change…etc, and then you miss making movies of your children who will only be that age once. This also happens in real estate. When the market is moving up, people wonder if they can afford it and is it really what they want and so forth. When the market is falling people wonder if it will continue to drop in price, has the market reached the bottom and in this economy maybe there we can purchase a nicer house that someone else is losing. Before I go any farther, I do not believe that anyone openly hopes that someone else’s loss will be their gain but it does happen. In both instances, in up or down markets the end result is that the delay in making a decision can be costly to the buyers. How you may ask will it hurt the buyers. In upward moving markets, the decision to wait will potentially cause them to pay more for the house than when they first thought about it or someone may buy it because they perceive it is a good price. In downward markets the same is true, waiting for the downward trend may cause people to miss out on the house they really like and later can’t find one to match. It is also very difficult to find the bottom of a market because the way most people determine the bottom is when the prices start going up. Oops. Rates also need to be considered as in down markets the loan interest rates have decline with the loss in demand for the loans. If the inverse is true then rates will rise as the demand for home loans increases. Therefore, by waiting and trying to hit the bottom of the pricing market, you may also give up the best interest rate for your house loan which means you will have a higher monthly payment. Ouch, that will give you some remorse every time you make a payment for your house.
So whether you buy now or later in up or down markets, you will have some feelings that you could have done better. It is natural and a part of most people’s thoughts. How you deal with it is by realizing that you did the best that you could at that time. Most people will get to try it again at a later date, hopefully many years later, and use what they learned the last time to improve the result. Will it be perfect? Probably not, but there could be another chance later.
Dave Sato
Realtor, Buyer’s Agent
dave@seattlepowersearch.com
425-213-6411
Sometimes Queen Anne can be an all day event, sometimes it’s enough just to go over to Silver Platters in jeans and a hoodie and stop by what’s arguably the city’s best fast food Sushi place, Sushi Land. Silver Platters is a great place for all kinds of shopping now that the holidays are approaching, as you are bound to find something for literally everyone on your list. This is not the downtown glitzy rush, it’s more an understated, laid back, Seattle cool kind of a twilight visit.
Silver Platters is a music and movie store with four locations in Seattle. The one in Queen Anne is where the old Tower Records used
to be. It’s a great store with so much atmosphere they should charge admission, but instead you find great stuff at reasonable prices, and that includes used DVDs and CDs, and they still do videos. Even more fun, 
take a few of your cast-offs (in good condition) and get part of what you’ll be spending in credit for the old DVDs and CDs that you no longer want on your shelves. They have great selections in every category you can think of, friendly staff and a great deal of knowledge if you have questions or are looking for something. They can also fill you in on various aspects of the Seattle music scene! 
We found some cool t-shirts, a documentary about living with wolves, a classic Marilyn Monroe movie, a modern spy film I’ve been wanting to see, two kids’ movies (dragons and transformers, what else) and a kung fu moive…something for everyone! Checking out we got into a fun conversation with the woman at the register which ranged all across the board and included ways of saving bags, whether they still take and sell used videos (they do) and my friend’s son’s electric guitar. It felt a little strange to walk out without at least inviting her over for dinner some time, but that’s how Seattle is, laid back, friendly, eclectic, and people are just plain interesting and pleasant.
We walked down Roy Street there in lower Queen Anne where there are at least four Asian 
restaurants to choose from all in a row, Thai (Pahn Thai in an old Craftsman), Upscale Pho and Curry (Pho Viet Anh), a Vegetarian 
Chinese (Bamboo Garden), and another interesting looking Thai one (Thai Heaven) that served cocktails, but finally decided to go back to an old favorite, Sushi Land. It was so early there wasn’t even a wait, which there usually is. Three sushi chefs rapidly arranged delicious maki (rolls) and negiri (the sliced fish on rice), as well as edamame (salty boiled soy beans to pop out of the pods), fried wontons, octobus bites and rolls, and other little treats onto plates color 
coded as to price. Waitresses brought drinks, miso soup and whatever else we ordered from the 
kitchen. Perched on stools at the counter in front of the conveyor belt, we had a ringside seat!
The prices are really great too! The green plates are $1, the pink ones are $1.50, the blue ones are $2, and the purple ones (the really special stuff!) are $3. These include bowls of 
Udon (fat noodles in broth), small and tasty. Wow, unbeatable. We had 5 green plates, four pink plates, two blue plates, and my son had the Shrimp Tempura Udon on a purple plate. We also had a Sapporo and green tea, all for under $25.
How does it work? All the little plates are loaded onto a conveyor belt and they circle around in front of the delighted diners who are lined up on stools at a counter in front of the stream of passing sushi! There is the added pleasure of watching the sushi chefs prepare the different dishes and anticipating what’s coming around next. You just reach out and take whichever ones you decide you can’t resist. Great fun, easy on the pocketbook, and something for everyone!
Down 5th Avenue the other direction you will find Crow Restaurant and Bistro, well-known and well-beloved Seattle dining spot, but you’ll probably need a reservation several days or weeks in advance, although sometimes it’s possible to find an impromptu seat at the chef’s counter where you can watch them prepare and assemble the artful plates of heavenly fare.
Edy Kizaki
Realtor & Team Leader
edy@SeattlePowerSearch.com
206-402-9155
These days, most people looking for houses that are in neighborhoods that have the same community spirit that was prevalent in the 60’s, 70’s & 80’s. These were neighborhoods where everyone knew each other and their kids all grew up together. You didn’t have to find a babysitter, there was probably one next door. How is this type of community created? One way is to slow down the pace of our lives and to stop trying to schedule every hour of every day. In place of rushing here and there, people need to take the time to walk around their neighborhood. It’s pretty interesting to meet all of the neighbors on your street in maybe a one block radius. In my old neighborhood in Seattle, there was the grade school a block away that drew every kid there after school, on weekends and you almost couldn’t help getting to know each other. Most neighborhoods have a central core area that defines it. Within the core area there are grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, movie theaters, parks, libraries, bookstores, fitness centers, drug stores, hardware stores and clothing stores to name a few. All of them are within walking distance of where people live. In most instances, mass transit is available within a block or two that can take you to and from work. Which means…you don’t need a car! Wow, what a cost savings that would be. Just think about how much you’d save not having to pay $2.00 - $5.00 for a gallon of gas, your annual insurance cost, upkeep and maintenance, licencing…etc.
A lot of people are thinking this way and are looking for this style of living. But how do you find it? There are plenty of ways to do this. The first is to start from where you work and decide how far out you want to commute. Once you determine that, you look at the communities within the radius of that commute time and bingo, you should have found neighborhoods that you’d like to live in. Then go and visit the neighborhoods and see what’s there. Are there the activities that you’d enjoy? Does the school in the area meet the quality you’d want for you kids? Are there groceries and clothing stores? If you don’t have enough time to work on all of that, you might try looking up the walkscore for the house that your looking at. What’s a walkscore? It’s a numerical score that takes into account all of the items previously mentioned. You can then compare the different houses and their walkscores to help you decide on the perfect house for you. The website is http://walkscore.com and it does most of the areas here in the Greater Seattle area.
Communities are built on people and if you think back on the nicest place you’ve ever lived, it is probably where you felt the most comfortable. What makes most people comfortable, is living in an area where people know and respect each other. That brings safety as people watch out for each other. So when you do walk down to the neighborhood coffee shop and see your neighbor you’ll realize that you picked the right place. Happy walking!
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Driving around the lovely streets of Queen Anne Hill is a special treat at this time of year, when the cherries and other
Queen Anne Brick Tudor and a Delicate Cherry Tree
lovely spring flowers are starting to blossom. The neighborhood always has a timeless feeling to me anyway, with the 100 year old Craftsman homes each distinct as a jewel (and as well cared for) lining the streets. The shopping area is crowded with little individualistic shops and restaurants, people are out strolling with their dogs or pushing strollers or having coffee with a dear friend.
Daffodils in Traffic Circles
There are quite a few destination shops which attract people from all over with their exciting offerings, whether knitting, fabric, pet goods, amazing eyewear… there is peace, community, atmosphere, a sense that life is good and we are part of it all. But it is not often that I literally can’t bear to stop driving up and down the residential streets just gazing at the sights of a neighborhood that is it’s own raison d’etre. This is a place that, one feels, is as it was menat to be, and some days just to be a part of it is joy enough.
Every traffic circle seems to have it’s crowd of daffodils, and we should proably have a
Craftsman Cloaked in Cherry Blossoms
contest to see who can most accurately guess the number of cherry trees in Queen Anne. I will kick it off, and guess 4,029. Go see, if you have time, if not, at least enjoy these photos of the cherries and their cousins just beginning to bloom!
Clouds of Cherry Blossoms on Queen Anne Hill
Edy Kizaki
Realtor, Team Leader
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
206.402.9155 (cell)
follow me on Twitter.com: http://twitter.com/edykizaki
About Queen Anne Neighborhood
Best known for its commanding view of downtown Seattle, the Queen Anne neighborhood is one of the city’s more popular residential locations. Queen Anne hill, at the northern end of Seattle’s city center, offers great views from an elevation of 456 feet. Queen Anne gets its name from the architectural style that was popular when Seattle’s elite first made it their home. Many of these homes still remain and are mixed in with newer homes, apartments, and condominiums.
Lower Queen Anne is home to a lively commercial area and the Seattle Center. Trendy restrausts, bistros and upscale hotels can be found nearby along Queen Anne Avenue. Queen Anne’s Kerry Park is also a popular destination that provides views of the Space Needle, and Mount Rainere on clear days.
It was an hour before dark by the time my son Daniel and I pulled into the new parking garage at Seattle Center. We were meeting friends there to play at the Children’s Museum, get a bite at the International Food Court in Center House, and then go on to the Seattle Children’s Theater for a long-anticipated pirate stage show. Located right at the bottom of Queen Anne, this is a collection of enjoyment that will take several days initially, and many repeat visits to explore properly.
We almost didn’t get out of the parking garage, because it is so interesting and fun, with so many posts, pillars, rocks and other surfaces just out the front door that invited climbing and playing 
on that it was hard to tear ourselves away. We finally made it, and passed by the rippling 
chrome copper purple and magenta Experience Music Project building. We passed among one of my favorite little features, the standing forest of brown shiney staffs. Maybe a sculptural reference to a bamboo forest, certainly for my 7 year old fun to play in.
At last we got to the Center House, found Daniel’s friend and his mom (my friend) and headed down the curving staircase to the Children’s Museum where they played with the many interactive exhibits including the Making Music, Exploring the Wilderness, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and the Art Making areas. Then we headed upstairs again for sandwiches for all and well deserved coffee for the moms.
Last we strolled over (it was dark by now) to the Seattle Children’s Theater which is interesting
in and of itself, visually a treat. We sat on long padded backless benches with many other children and parents to watch a haunting pirate tale in which the bad guys were really funny and the good guys won. On our way back out, we had to stop while the boys ran and played in the fountain area, no water but still a facinating space to explore with it’s dips and curves (a 
wonderful waterplay treat on a summer day, though!).
We’ll go back another time soon for Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Shakespeare Company at the Center House Theater, the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and the Space Needle!
Edy Kizaki
Realtor, Team Leader
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
206.402.9155 (cell)
follow me on Twitter.com: http://twitter.com/edykizaki
Sometimes Queen Anne can be an all day event, sometimes it’s enough just to go over to Silver Platters in jeans and a hoodie and stop by what’s arguably the city’s best fast food Sushi place, Sushi Land. Silver Platters is a great place for all kinds of shopping now that the holidays are approaching, as you are bound to find something for literally everyone on your list. This is not the downtown glitzy rush, it’s more an understated, laid back, Seattle cool kind of a twilight visit.
to be. It’s a great store with so much atmosphere they should charge admission, but instead you find great stuff at reasonable prices, and that includes used DVDs and CDs, and they still do videos. Even more fun, 
take a few of your cast-offs (in good condition) and get part of what you’ll be spending in credit for the old DVDs and CDs that you no longer want on your shelves. They have great selections in every category you can think of, friendly staff and a great deal of knowledge if you have questions or are looking for something. They can also fill you in on various aspects of the Seattle music scene! 
restaurants to choose from all in a row, Thai (Pahn Thai in an old Craftsman), Upscale Pho and Curry (Pho Viet Anh), a Vegetarian 
Chinese (Bamboo Garden), and another interesting looking Thai one (Thai Heaven) that served cocktails, but finally decided to go back to an old favorite, Sushi Land. It was so early there wasn’t even a wait, which there usually is. Three sushi chefs rapidly arranged delicious maki (rolls) and negiri (the sliced fish on rice), as well as edamame (salty boiled soy beans to pop out of the pods), fried wontons, octobus bites and rolls, and other little treats onto plates color 
coded as to price. Waitresses brought drinks, miso soup and whatever else we ordered from the 
kitchen. Perched on stools at the counter in front of the conveyor belt, we had a ringside seat!
Udon (fat noodles in broth), small and tasty. Wow, unbeatable. We had 5 green plates, four pink plates, two blue plates, and my son had the Shrimp Tempura Udon on a purple plate. We also had a Sapporo and green tea, all for under $25. 
How does it work? All the little plates are loaded onto a conveyor belt and they circle around in front of the delighted diners who are lined up on stools at a counter in front of the stream of passing sushi! There is the added pleasure of watching the sushi chefs prepare the different dishes and anticipating what’s coming around next. You just reach out and take whichever ones you decide you can’t resist. Great fun, easy on the pocketbook, and something for everyone!
