West Seattle
Puget Sound is ever changing and one of the never forgotten facts of our lives here on the edge of the world. Living in the Pacifc Rim city of Seattle here in the Northwest provides so many opportunities to enjoy the abundant nature that surrounds us. But the Sound is for me one of the most treasured facets of our environment!
A client that moved here because of work sent me a link to her photos while taking a walk with her daughter recently.
Sailing Puget Sound
I love this one showing a sail boat on the Sound with the city and Space Needle in the background. Krista, thanks for sharing a perfect moment!
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
Seattle has always been the professional sports mecca in the Pacific Northwest. Even after losing the Seattle Supersonics of the NBA, we still have the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners (currently in 1st place) the only professional teams in the National Football League and Major League Baseball, respectively in the Pacific Northwest. We also have the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and a winner of the league title a few years ago. By the way, they just re-signed Lauren Jackson, 2-time MVP, to another contract. Why did she as an unrestricted free agent sign here again? Because of the incredible fan support the team has.
New to the scene this year are the Seattle Sounders, a Major League Soccer team. Out of the gate, they have taken the league by storm and are currently in 2nd place, not bad for a team in it’s 1st year of existence. They have one of the premier goalkeepers in Washington’s own Kasey Keller. So far this season, he’s given up 1 goal in the 5 games he’s played. The other two games were lost as he was ejected from one and could not play the next. This team has played to sellout crowds in every home game.
Not surprisingly, even golf has made a stop in Seattle. There have been several Senior level golf tournaments played here and one PGA event was hosted here. Even Seattle native Fred Couples, a very successful pro on the PGA tour, has hosted a small multi-day event that has always been very well attended.
If you want to see an NBA game, it’s just a two hour drive south to Portland to see the Trailblazers led by former Washington Husky, Brandon Roy and for those NHL fans, it’s north to Vancouver, B.C. to see the Canucks. So as you can see, whatever you like in professional sports, it’s here in Seattle.
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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Spuds Fish and Chips has several locations around the Seattle area. This one is near Alki Point in West Seattle. Some of the better fish and chips we’ve ever had, we usually get a three piece cod combo and split it between the two of us.
In the entry before you reach the order counter, there’s a bit of a museum with photos of a natatorium that used to be essentially right across the street. Well if you are anything like me, you do not know what a natatorium is. I’ll tell you. It’s an indoor swimming pool arena. Yes, there are photos of old time bathing beauties….. Also on the wall are photos of Spud’s fish and chips, in the early years, with soldiers just home from the war, and signs for the fish and chips for 10 cents. Oh, and just a clue, it costs just a bit more than that now.
At the other end of the room near the front window seats are copies of a newspaper ad where local land merchants (you know, real estate agents) were selling lots by auction, called Alki Point Beauty Home Tracts. I’m sure some of them are homes that are still standing, but I wonder just how many. That might be a fun study some day. Alki Point has mostly view condos along the street and across from the beach. Also some older beach houses, some that grew like Topsy through the years. (Wow–am I revealing my vintage!)
And then if you wander upstairs and have a seat to eat your fish and chips, you can watch the water taxi make it’s run across to the city, and enjoy the water views. Take a look!
At the time these photos were taken, it was too cold for all the beach walkers to be out, but in the summer time, this is a very popular spot.
West Seattle, a hilly district in Seattle, Washington, encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area’s attractions are its saltwater beach parks along Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, including Alki Beach and Lincoln Park among others. The area is also prized for its magnificent views of the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Cascade Range to the east.
West Seattle is divided into several neighborhoods. They are Admiral, Alki, Arbor Heights, Beach Drive, Delridge, Fauntleroy, Fairmount Park, Gatewood, Genesee, Harbor Ave, High Point, The Junction, Lincoln Park, Luna Park, Morgan Junction, Pigeon Point, Roxbury, Schmitz Park, Sunset, and Youngstown.
Known as the “gold coast” to many in the housing market, West Seattle has a broad spectrum of available housing, with the majority of real estate retaining a very favorable return. The latest development to remodel the Highpoint area has helped land values continue up.
Puget Sound is ever changing and one of the never forgotten facts of our lives here on the edge of the world. Living in the Pacifc Rim city of Seattle here in the Northwest provides so many opportunities to enjoy the
abundant nature that surrounds us. But the Sound is for me one of the most treasured facets of our environment!A client that moved here because of work sent me a link to her photos while taking a walk with her daughter recently. I love this one showing a sail boat on the Sound with the city and Space Needle in the background. Krista, thanks for sharing a perfect moment!
Edy Kizaki, Realtor & Team Leader
206-402-9155
edy@seattlepowersearch.com
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abundant nature that surrounds us. But the Sound is for me one of the most treasured facets of our environment!A client that moved here because of work sent me a link to her photos while taking a walk with her daughter recently. I love this one showing a sail boat on the Sound with the city and Space Needle in the background. Krista, thanks for sharing a perfect moment!
