Gleaming hardwood floors, tuftex stainmaster carpet, and porcelain tile floors envelope these serene walls.  New stainless . . . → Read More: Handsome Green Lake Home Just Listed]]>

 Handsome 1910 Green Lake Home Just Listed!  Spacious and charming offering an expansive remodel to encompass a friendly floorplan and functional spaces.  Nestled between Green Lake and Greenwood, this home offers double dynamic neighborhoods with a walkscore of 83!

Gleaming hardwood floors, tuftex stainmaster carpet, and porcelain tile floors envelope these serene walls.  New stainless steel kitchen appliances, Richlite wood countertops, and nifty eating nook takes center stage in the kitchen. 

The gas fireplace is the perfect centerpiece between the large dining room and the casual great room to entertain. 

2,450 square feet is complete with 4 bedrooms and 2 3/4 bath plus loads of storage space.  A perfect  resource room or kids corner is smartly designed on the main floor next to the kitchen.  Separate heating zoned for upstairs and downstairs for your comfort.

This modern bungalow sits on a quiet, residential street with exclusive driveway, and a huge private backyard. 

On a more serious note, Green Lake has tons . . . → Read More: Green Lake Appeal]]> Oh how I do love Green Lake and the appeal it has over me.  I’m a runner, so I want to say thank you for giving me flat trails to run until my heart’s content.  But no thank you when I get low times in races with hills.

On a more serious note, Green Lake has tons to offer – we know this, right (?) or else you wouldn’t be reading about this awesome Seattle neighborhood.  It has the schools, the park, the location, the water, the views, the new architecture, the old architecture, the history, libraries, pizza joints, amazing schools, and yes Starbucks.

Looking for great Green Lake homes for sale?  Well there’s a new kid in town and it’s called 8552 Densmore Avenue North.

This beauty, built in 2006, has over 3,400 square feet of functional, livable space with every inch thoughtfully laidout.  Spacious front porch to watch the walkers go by, lofty ceilings with stylish two toned neutral colors to add to the airy appeal.  4 bedrooms and 5 baths including two master bathrooms all on the upper floor.  The  walk-in pantry keeps the main kitchen virtually clutter-free.  An easy two car garage accessed through the private alley.  Did I mention the A/C and a back-up generator?  This home has it all.

Contact us for a tour!

Link to the outdoor environment.  Link to Green Lake Real Estate. Let us know if you want more information about this Green Lake home or Seattle’s Green Lake (Greenlake) neighborhood.

Molly A. Cartwright & Courtney Cooper
Dream Green ~ Dream Green Lake

206.841.6800 mobile
molly@cooperjacobs.com
courtney@cooperjacobs.com

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 . . . → Read More: 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.

Top 5 Selling Improvements On A Budget: You should know putting on a new roof or stainless steel appliances in the kitchen won’t necessarily sell your home faster and you definitely won’t recoup the cost.

So what does help improve our home when it’s up for sale that won’t cost an arm and a leg?

Number 1:  . . . → Read More: Top 5 Selling Improvements On A Budget]]>

Top 5 Selling Improvements On A Budget: You should know putting on a new roof or stainless steel appliances in the kitchen won’t necessarily sell your home faster and you definitely won’t recoup the cost.

So what does help improve our home when it’s up for sale that won’t cost an arm and a leg?

Number 1:  CLEAN UP.  I mean take your home to the next level.  Hire a pro and give it a deep cleaning.  Remember how great it looks and smells afterwards?  Keep that up with a weekly clean (either you or a pro) and it will really pay off with first impressions.  Also make small repairs, ie: broken outlets, door latches, flaws that the buyer views as signs of deeper problems.

Number 2:  STORE YOUR CLUTTER.  $100 a month for a storage unit (or a good friend or relative’s use of their garage) to store those holiday decorations, extra kitchen pots and pans, arts and crafts, and extra clothes in the closets.  It will make your house look bigger, brighter, and more valuable.

Number 3:  TIDY THE YARD.  Again, first impressions and curb appeal.  It’s not necessary to uproot the junipers and jack hammer the cement pathway.  Simple put color spots or planters in empty places, rip out any weeds and mow any grass.

Number 4:  PAINT.  Interior and exterior.  It’s likely to cost less for you to do it before selling.  You’ll recoup more in the long run.

Number 5:  REPLACE HARDWARE:  Instead of remodeling that kitchen, just paint cupboards and pick out new hardware.

For most, the value added is a mere fraction of the cost.  So it’s in your best interest to do these small steps above by honing in on attention to detail for a greater return.

For more tips on selling or buying your next home feel free to contact us at Cooper Jacobs Real Estate!

We have seen a lot of Green Lake homes sales in the Seattle MLS through the years and the homes that always sell faster and for money have one thing in common in most cases.  They all follow the seller tip guidelines below.  We thought . . . → Read More: Good Housekeeping: Five Points To A Sale On Your Green Lake Home]]> Good Housekeeping: 5 Points To A Sale of your Green Lake Home

We have seen a lot of Green Lake homes sales in the Seattle MLS through the years and the homes that always sell faster and for money have one thing in common in most cases.  They all follow the seller tip guidelines below.  We thought we would go ahead and share them with you in case you are thinking about selling your Green Lake home.

The goal is to sell your Green Lake (Greenlake) house as quickly and as profitably as possible. To do that sellers need to Stage the home – not just have it Staged professionally, but all the items that go along with that.  Here are four-steps designed to maximize the value of your house:

1. De-cluttering Tips
2. Repairing Tips
3. Cleaning Tips
4. Revitalizing Tips
5. Showing Tips

Make four distinct piles: Trash, Return, Donate, and Might Need.

It would be overwhelming if you tackled the whole house at once. Delegate the work to other family members accordingly and go at it. Put checkmarks next to each completed room. It’s important to know you’re making progress. Golden Rule – Consider hiring a garbage collection agency or rent a commercial garbage bin if you have a lot to throw away.

Repairing Tips

Green Lake Buyers expect a trouble-free home. They want to buy a house, move in and start enjoying it right away. They don’t want to waste time and money fixing up the place. If you don’t repair your house now, it will be seen as a fixer-upper and you will not be able to attract the right kind of buyers, nor will you get the price you want for it.

Know whether you need a pre-listing home inspection and understand the difference between repair and renovation can save you money and headaches. Golden Rule – Repair cracks in the foundation immediately.

Cleaning Tips

Cleaning your house for sale goes well beyond dusting, mopping and vacuuming. You must clean it like you mean it. You must minutely examine every square inch of your house and restore it to near-new condition. An advantage of a well-cared-for house is that you’re less likely to receive a low offer. When buyers can’t find faults they focus less on how much money they can squeeze out of you and start thinking that the house is right for them. If you don’t have the time to clean then you should hire a professional. It’s a smart investment. Golden Rule – Clean the area around your fireplace and then the fireplace itself.

Revitalizing is not remodeling, which is usually expensive and delays the selling of your house. Revitalizing starts with improving your curb appeal, follow up with lighting, and painting. Only then can you start staging your house for sale.  Golden Rule – Home Office: Move your filing cabinet into the basement.

Showing Tips:

You’ll need to dust the undisturbed rooms once in a while but you can see how this strategy ensures your house is always ready for showing with minimal efforts. For the rest of the living space create three to-do lists:

• A weekly must-do checklist
• A daily must-do checklist
• A final checklist before the open house

Golden Rule – Put away personal valuables. Turn off your computer.

Full service Green Lake Realtors help with all of the above.

Often we are asked to go through a Green Lake home and give the seller a check list of some of the items above.  We also usually hire a Stager and a housecleaner on your behalf.  Selling Green Lake real estate requires knowing what Green Lake buyers want. Curious what YOUR Green Lake home value is and what’s been selling in the neighborhood?

Contact us and we can help or at least answer any questions you might have.