Cute One-of-a-Kind Green Lake House Open This Weekend

 Cute One-of-a-Kind Green Lake House Open This Weekend

Here’s the link to the listing: As a Phinneywood specialist and longtime resident I am holding a very special open house this Saturday and Sunday April 28 and 29th  from 1-4 for National Open House weekend.  This home is truly one of a kind in the area.  Located just a couple of short blocks from the Woodland Park Zoo. A few years ago it was a neglected original Green Lake cabin from the beginning of the last century (maybe even older) then it was completely reinvented as a charming family home on a small foot print with a second story and a finished basement. It might have had one of the smallest floor areas five years ago, but it lives big now.  Perched above the street it boasts privacy and and a quiet backyard complete with a water feature and granite retaining walls.

Back Yard

Beautiful Lanscaping and Shade Gardens

Safe to say you haven’t seen another lot like this, and the house is completely remodeled top to bottom. What was once a garage is now a finished bedroom (buyer to verify) or office space and a 3/4 bath. It’s the kind of house that you could easily drive right by on the street without noticing it perched proudly above the street and out of the way, but once you are inside you will find light filled spaces and views over Greenlake Park towards the Cascade Mountains and beyond in your own little private “treehouse”. The master is on the top floor along with another bedroom and a spacious full bath. The ground floor entry level has gleaming hardwood floors, a kitchen with granite counter tops and Stainless Steel appliances, the original brick fireplace in the living room, dining space and a powder room all in an open floor plan.

Open Ground Floor Plan

Downstairs is the laundry room and  the converted garage. This house doesn’t scream” look at me”, tucked behind and underneath mature trees but you will appreciate the privacy the mature plantings provide when you are inside. Outside is a well executed landscape plan with low maintenance in mind and year-round color. It’s a charming oasis without a lawn to mow. Complete with a functioning pond,backyard deck and other outdoor “rooms”. OK, it might be a stretch, calling this a” treehouse” with it’s firm concrete foundation and traditional stick built construction. I am referring to how it feels to live in this space. Perched high above the street and sidewalk, placed well above the neighbor to the east, buffeted by the beautiful granite walls to the west (they don’t make them like they used to!), under the large tree to the back of the lot, and the unique tree south of the front door. What I am alluding to is the sense of peace and quiet and privacy with the views looking over the neighbor’s home to the views to the east from the master bedroom and balcony and to the views towards the south in the second upstairs bedroom and ground level.

Bird's eye view from the sunny side of the street

One can’t help but feel above it all in their own private light-filled spaces away from whatever might be happening down below at street level. It’s a very walkable neighborhood, zoo concerts blocks away in the summer along with the Woodlawn and Greenlake parks just down the hill. Up the hill with a Walk Score of 69 is Phinney Ave North with all the restuarants, pubs and galleries. The PNA has zip cars as well as classes and it’s myriad of other activites. To learn more about this special jewelbox of a home please contact: Kim Mulligan kim-mulligan.com kim@cooperjacobs.com 206-579-9066

Pre Inspections in a Hot Market

Pre Inspections in a Hot Market

“Offers, if any, will be reviewed Tuesday the 20th”, comments the listing agent.
Okay so you and 8 other people bid on this house just listed on amazing street in Green Lake.  What do you do?

  Well, offering more money doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore.  With the dip in home values over the last roughly 4 years, the appraisers are out in force making sure homes don’t get inflated like before.  Of course there are other tricks like a bigger down payment, shorter close, more earnest money.  But did you know the most compeling offer is one that waives the inspection.  The only thing that trumps this is an all cash offer.  But for those you don’t have a lump sum of money hanging around, read on.

Does waiving the inspection mean I don’t get an inspection done?  No way.   It’s too large of an investment to not!  But a pre inspection is the ticket these days.
If you know the seller isn’t looking at offers for a week, go ahead and get it pre inspected by a trusted inspector or contractor.  When it’s time to write up an offer, you can waive the inspection since it was inspected before writing an offer instead of after mutual acceptance.  This not only saves the seller a lot of potential inspection negotiations (repairs, credits, etc) but it means the seller gets his home sold quicker too.  An offer pending an inspection can take up to 10 days or longer.   Above all, waiving an inspection contingency makes it clear the buyer is serious about buying the home.

You can expect to pay anywhere betwen $400 to $1,000 (sewer scope, contractor bids if relevant) for a home inspection.

Happy House Hunting!

 Besides listing and selling wonderful floating homes on the shores of Lake Union, I sell in my own neighbor - Green Lake, Tangletown, Wallingford.  Feel free to contact me for any of your real estate questions!

HEADS OUT FOR SPRING

Heads Out for Spring

The turtles have come out of hibernation on Green Lake and Lake Washington and many people are thrilled to see them. For some folks, seeing the turtles bask in the sun on wooden logs is the unofficial start to Spring.

green lake turtles

 

Turtles surfacing the waterline is a magical time in Seattle. These shelled critters act as a barometer for this body of water we know as Green Lake.Many of the flowers and cherry blossom trees have been out for about a month now but the turtles seem to know when there’s little chance of going back to freezing temperatures.

Baseball’s in the air too! The Seattle Mariners have their season opening game at Safeco Field today after starting the season overseas in Japan. There have been more and more Green Lake open houses, too, and that’s another sign that warmer weather and sunny days are more common. If you are interested in open houses held by Cooper Jacobs please contact us at courtney@cooperjacobs.com.

If you are looking at homes for sale in Seattle, then Green Lake is a great place to live.

Active Green Lake real estate listings can be viewed at Green Lake Properties.

For ALL the listings in Seattle and surrounding neighborhoods go to www.cooperjacobs.com.