October 2010 Real Estate: Green Lake vs Wallingford

October 2010 Real Estate: Green Lake vs Wallingford

Green Lake vs Wallingford  

I was curious how many homes sold just for the month of October 2010 in Green vs Wallingford

Let’s not beat around the bush:  The Winner with 23 homes and/or condos sold:  Green Lake wins, hands down.  Wally’s 6 solds in October 2010 is a distant second.  Why?  For one reason (being a resident of Green Lake for over 15 years), it’s a bigger area.  Another reason?  The price tag is just a tad bit higher in Wallingford. Although with the way rates are going, it has definitely caused increase lending in both purchases and refinances. 

Home SOLD prices in Green Lake look like this:  64 days on the market (not too bad for combining 23 listings including condos and towhomes!) and averaging about $10,000 less than list price, settling at $469,700.  That’s about $240.00 per square foot for a 1,980 square foot house.   

How does Wallingford shape up in comparison?  Less homes sold, yes, but the median price for these homes (and only two condos) were higher at $490,000  Sellers, on average, received about $18,000 less than asking price.  Again, this is another great example of how real estate is a moving target.  With the average days on the market much longer than Green Lake homes at 235 days in Wallingford, sellers are holding out a little more in Wallyhood because they can.  Smaller geographical area means the traditional supply and demand theory wins.  Surprisingly, sold homes in Wallingford averaged a little smaller than Green Lake at 1,740 average square footage or $279.00 per square foot. 

We hope this information finds your inquiry about October 2010 Real Estate Green Lake vs Wallingford worthy and helpful.

Until next time…you can check us out at www.cooperjacobs.com or www.seattleafloat.com for more articles and real estate news.

Tangletown Real Estate

Looking to buy some Tangletown Real Estate?  Is it a wise purchase?  What kind of neighborhood life is Tangletown?  What about the schools?

Tangletown Home

Geographically, Tangletown is nestled between south Green Lake and north Wallingford.  Living here you can still take advantage of Green Lake’s paddle boats and basketball courts while walking to Wallingford for a glass of wine and live music.  But Tangletown has its own main drag (North 56th Street) you don’t want to miss!  Get an updo at Beehive Salon then walk across the street to grab one of many hotdog selections at Diggity Dog Hot Dog & Sausage stand and wash it down with a brew at the local Elysian Brewing Company ~ just kiddy corner from Might O Donuts.

Tangletown is probably most proud of ZokaZoka is a super cool cafe which roasts its own coffee beans, has delicious pastries and lot of seating for those important meetings with your wedding planner or hunkering down to write that mid term paper for school.

Because of the quaint parameters of Tangletown‘s borders, it has seen average solds for the last six months.  13 solds to be exact.   $214,000 buys you a 500 square foot studio or an expansive $1,280,000 beautiful home with over 3,000 square feet of living space.  So the average days on the market are only 24 days from these sold properties and the average price is around $564,000.  This is just under the FHA loan limit of $567,500.  Believe me, a minimum downpayment of 3.0% is worth buying a home in Tangletown.

The schools are amazing!  Let’s start with daycare and pre-kindergarden.  Green Lake Day Care and Preschool, managed by Anne Kelly, is a safe place you can trust.  Located at 63rd and Green Lake, it has three separate rooms for the Poohbears, Piglets, and Tiggers in a huge brick church.  My daugther went there from 1 year old as a Poohbear and graduated at age 5 as a Tigger.  She’s seven now and STILL talks about her teachers from Green Lake Day Care and Preschool.

The Elementary school will be McDonald in 2012 after a complete facelift but for now, it’s Lincoln Elementary.  Middle School is going to be Hamilton, and Roosevelt for high school.  I recommend going to the Seattle Public Schools Website for more detailed information.

Tangletown has some charming homes on the market right now!  There are 10 single family homes and 1 condo for sale in Tangletown.  Find more at Cooper Jacobs Real Estate.

Backyard Cottages in Seattle

I wrote a blog earlier about Backyard Cottages in Seattle or Detatched Dwelling Units.  Since then, I’ve had numerous questions about them. 

Whether you are considering a Backyard Cottage on your at least 4,000 square foot lot as a rental property, for an elderly family member, or a grown child you need to know the max square footage the structure can be is 800 sq ft.  This includes any carport, attached garage, or storage. 

You can decide to go through a contractor and architect or get a panelized or modular fabricated design.  Fabricated is the fastest, and designed much like building blocks.  Panelized takes a little more time and can be more customized.  

It’s no secret adding a Backyard Cottage on your property can add extra monthly income.  However there are some costs involved.  Here is a link to a handy worksheet that breaks down Hard Costs and Soft Costs.  Example of a Hard Cost is demolition or site preparation.  A Soft Cost is a mortgage, or fees for utility hookups.  Which aren’t cheap, by the way!  Seattle City Light  recommends separate electricity meters.  This will save you way more money in the long run.

Make sure you save room for a parking space for your Backyard Cottage – this is a requirement!

For more information regarding Backyard Cottages and self help steps to diagrams, permits, and more – this site wins, hands down.

Check back frequently to www.cooperjacobs.com for our Backyard Cottage listings in Seattle City Limits.

Green Landscape Architecture In Seattle

I just got my EcoBroker Certification, so I wanted to touch on Sustainable Landscape Architecture:

Don’t forget to check out my Green Seattle real estate info, too, if you get a chance!

Susan Black of Susan Black & Associates is a Seattle landscape architect that has been doing green landscaping for a long time!  Check out this article I found written about LEED and Seattle landscaping back in 2001:

http://www.djc.com/news/ae/11121028.html

Green landscaping is a huge movement in Seattle and the Puget Sound – Designing sustainable landscapes is vital to the environmental health of our great city!  I am happy to see that this is finally taking off, but I admire the early adapters of environmental causes!

Here’s some more about SBA and what Seattle landscape architect Susan Black can do for Seattle landscaping:

Seattle landscaping can be commercial or residential and SBA does it all.  Susan Black & Associates have been doing some of the very best landscaping projects in Seattle and are among the most respected firms in the city when it comes to Seattle landscape architecture.  They do some amazing projects and should be considered first when it comes to any project!

I have had the pleasure of knowing Susan Black for years and am constantly delighted to find the firm’s work is everywhere!  Logan Park in Lynnwood, WA got a huge transformation by the firm and it is one of the best parks in Lynnwood now.   Powell Barnett Park in Seattle has become a neighborhood favorite after being in ruins for years.  Cities and Counties interested in project planning should consult this firm first for a quality job.  Residents interested in making their landscaping the best it can be should get a hold of SBA.

seattle landscaping

Contact info:

Susan Black

206-789-2133

SBA is located in nearby Wallingford and has the capabilities of serving the greater Puget Sound.

Courtney Cooper, Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services – Helping you with all your Seattle real estate and Green Seattle real estate, too!

Seattle: Tips On Having A Green Holiday Season!

seattle go greenI know it is early, but since the holiday stuff is popping up in the stores everywhere, I figured I better get this in!  I have a lot of tips this year on having a green holiday, but this is a biggie and I am loving it!

Switch to Holiday LED Lights!!!!!

I had no idea that the newer Holiday LED Lights were so great!!!!  I knew they were wonderful, but had no idea just how much of an impact they can make.   If you can find the solar LED lights, too, then I will be in awe of you so let me know where you found them and how much, PLEASE.

OK – so here is the skinny on going green for the holidays by using LED light strings instead of the regular fire hazard energy guzzling lights:

The LEDs use a fraction of the energy of regular strings of lights and according to the info I found can last between 100,000 and 200,000 hours.  That is a long time for less refuse and less energy used.

But this is the really cool part:

You can use up to 20 strings together on one circuit!!!!!!  I am no electricity expert and as a result I am constantly shorting out strings of lights because I piggy back too many together so this is good news!

Other benefits?

Cool to the touch and the whole string stays lit even when a bulb is out so no more guessing at that!

Where to buy?

Bartell’s!!!!  I love Bartell Drug Stores!  The recycle CFL bulbs for free starting this month and they sell these for $10-$15 for a string of 70 lights.

Go green for the holidays!!!!! Are you interested in Green Seattle real estate?  Cooper Jacobs is a member of Built Green and Seattle Realtor Courtney Cooper is also working on an ECOBROKER designation.  If you have green holiday suggestions, please email them to realestate@cooperjacobs.com

Green Gardening in Seattle & Green Real Estate: Washington Toxics Coalition Contact Info

Looking for resources for green gardening in Seattle?

The Washington Toxics Coalition has a wonderful site for your education!  They also offer cute little signs for your yard in exchange for pledging to a few things…  I have seen these in some local Seattle front yards and I love that people are willing to show how much they care.

Seattle Green Gardening is Just The Beginning…

Green gardening is a huge part of going green in Seattle overall and pesticides have no place in my garden, but the Washington Toxics Coalition has information for the entire household that range from garden info to cleaning products to art and hobby materials or building materials that are toxic.  This is great information to have on hand for anyone who is thinking about green remodeling or looking into the Built Green program.

Are you interested in Seattle green real estate? realestate@cooperjacobs.com