Twins!

By Molly Cartwright, Realtor, Cooper Jacobs Real Estate, Molly@CooperJacobs.com, 206-841-6800, on June 23rd, 2011%

Twins!

My client is pregnant with twins.  And while this new experience is super exciting for her and her husband, the four story townhome is not so much exciting.  There is literally a bedroom on every floor.  Not screaming practical here. 

Time to stock up the car with plenty of bottled water and m&m’s. 

They live in the uber-urban neighborhood of Wallingford and didn’t want to venture too far away since schools are a major focus now.  So my checklist reads:

  1. Great Schools
  2. Walkable and Safe Neighborhood
  3. Practical Floorplan with Four Bedrooms, 2,000 sq ft.
  4. Easy Commute to Work
  5. Updated
  6. $500,000 to $600,000 Range

Do any of these ring a bell? 

Green Lake Beach

First we look in Greenwood because of an amazing 2011 home just built.  Almost a perfect fit: 4 out of 6.  Bonus: Two car garage!  Overall, the neighborhood wasn’t for them.  No sidewalks (one of those things I keep hearing about Greenwood) and walkability was poor.  And I’ll give it a 5 out of 10 on the school-meter.

We look in Ballard.  Too far West for commuting purposes.  Plus they weren’t familiar with the neighborhood and I think this psyched them out a bit. 

Wallingford was up next.  They found some wonderfully updated bungalows in this uber-urban neighborhood.  They were shocked by the price per square foot and really – when you’re having twins plus a nanny – you want square footage.

I guess I left the best for last.  Green Lake was our final destination.  Bingo! 

Wallingford Park and Wading Pool

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was at an open house for my own Green Lake listing.  She and her husband went to an Open House and fell in love with it.  Who said Open Houses don’t sell houses?  We wrote it up the next day.  They can walk to PCC, Green Lake Park is across the street and when they get hungry they can walk to Duke’s, Blu Water Bistro then Ben and Jerry’s for dessert.  Daniel Bagley Elementary is one of the top desirable k-5 elementary schools and they also have a Montessori.  If private schools are more your thing, St. Joseph’s is right up the road on 80th Ave.

Happy Mommy.  Happy Daddy.  And soon to be Happy Twins this Fall.

Comments are closed   Green Lake Amenities, Green Lake Biz, Green Lake Neighbors, Green Lake Real Estate, Green Lake Realtors, Seattle Real Estate, Things to Do   , , , ,  

Tis The Season For The Green Lake Loop To Get A Little More Crowded

By Courtney Cooper, Seattle Realtor, 206.850.8841, courtney@cooperjacobs.com, on June 16th, 2011%

green lake seattle wa  Green Lake is a great place – we all know that and that is why we find ourselves here. The loop around the lake itself is a wonderful multi-use trail perfect for walking, jogging, running, scootering, roller skating and roller blading, cycling, and even hula hoop walking as I have seen a few times.  I walk Green Lake three to four times a week rain or shine – even in snow.  There are some days where I might see six people around the whole lake because the weather is ridiculously bad – I finally broke down after a winter of walking alone and in the cold and bought a very nice Patagonia rain jacket from REI. 

The days are FINALLY warmer so the lake is getting more crowded – SUP boards, kayaks, strollers, and more. I am now having to dodge people on the trail around Green Lake and I have noticed that once again people are totally disregarding the wheels lane and walking in the middle of it. It is dangerous for all parties involved and even those innocent bistanders who might not have anything to do with the person walking in the wheels lane.  Accidents can and do happen. green lake real estate

The wheels lane is on the outside edge of the Green Lake loop – it is meant for bicycles, skates, blades, scooters, even fast joggers with strollers are ok, but walking side by side in the wheels lane is not only against the rules, but also thoughtless .  You can walk either direction on the the rest of the trail, but the wheels lane has one direction and that is counter clockwise.

Green Lake is awesome – if you are interested in Green Lake Homes For Sale - let us know!  Cooper Jacobs is a local real estate company  – we are located at 3645C Wallingford Ave N between Green Lake and Lake Union.  If you are walking the loop, you are sure to see at least one of us at some point.  I have run into Green Lake real estate brokers Molly Cartwright, Patrick Rusher, Mark Osaki, Katie Herrick, and even saw Marvin Moreno and Kimberly Allen walking one day!

Comments are closed   Green Lake Real Estate

Welcome to Green Lake, New Home Owner!

By Molly Cartwright, Realtor, Cooper Jacobs Real Estate, Molly@CooperJacobs.com, 206-841-6800, on June 10th, 2011%

Welcome to Green Lake, New Home Owner!

My Favorite Yellow Castle

Congratulations if you are one of the lucky 26 people who can call Green Lake home.  The month of May turned out to be a successful month for sales in this paddle-boarding, bike-riding neighborhood.  The previous two months – even more successful!  Crazy to imagine 87 homes were sold in the last three months – all of which have 1, 2, 3…5 each in a household.  I know of a couple households which sold their Green Lake home only to move two blocks away.  It’s nice to know growing families want to stay here.  So let’s look at the numbers in a glance:

March 2011 - Booming!  34 homes sold with an average of 84 days on the market.  Okay – that last number is not so great.  Probably just people getting out of the winter hibernation.  We want  days on market to be more like 30.  Homes were also selling on average for roughly $423,000….better (if you’re a seller) than the average price today. 

April 2001 – Sweet!  27 homes sold with an average of 49 days on the market.  Okay – better!  People thinking ahead for summer and school changes.  Homes were selling on average for roughly $406,800…better (if you’re a buyer).

May 2011 – Looking ahead!  26 homes sold with an average of 41 days on the market.  Okay – getting there!  More sun, longer days.  Homes were selling on average for roughly $397,500….really better (if you’re a buyer).

So what if you’re a seller?  Yes, the average prices have come down in the last three months IF YOU’RE LOOKING AT AVERAGES.  See the thing with averages are there might be a million dollar home that sold…which happened in March ($1,225,000 to be exact) which then shoots up the average. 

Southwest Flare

 Then you look at April and the highest house sold was $698,500..which went OVER asking price.  Yay!  In May it looks like $785,000 was the highest house sold.  

If someone were to ask me what the average price of a Green Lake home is, I would say a solid $500,000 with 3 bedrooms /2 bath, garage, and logical upgrades on a great avenues like Corliss and Bagley.

Corliss Ave

Tangletown has really sprung into action too.  Tangletown is known around here by mostly the locals.  Here’s the equation:

Dive bar/nice bar/ to die for sushi,/cafe complete with free wi-fi/ hip salon/dentist/ dry cleaner, and of course you got your quick market + many zig zag residential (walkable) tree lined streets = tangletown.  

Oh yeah, and it’s four blocks from the lake.  Bam!

Comments are closed   Buyer News, Green Lake Amenities, Green Lake Biz, Green Lake Neighbors, Green Lake Real Estate, Green Lake Realtors, Seattle Real Estate, Seller News, Things to Do