Aug 29 2009
A variety of units in Brix, the brand new condo building in the heart of Seattle’s Capital Hill neighborhood, are going up for auction on Sunday, Sept. 27. With the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit (due to expire Nov. 1) and opening bid prices that are attractive to everyone, this is a fantastic time to buy a premier urban home.
Aug 02 2009
The neighborhood that’s considered one of Seattle’s favorite hubs for living (we counted more than 27 seattle condo buildings), dining and nightlife will soon incorporate a park boulevard into the mix. In June, a unanimous vote by the Seattle City Council voted to turn five blocks of Bell Street into a beauty spot, complete with landscaping and attractive night lighting.
Between First and 5th Avenues, there will be only one lane of traffic (at present there are two) and the sidewalk will extend out to Continue Reading »
Jul 05 2009
Is actually isn’t easy being green, validating the theme of a certain puppet frog …
In fact, while any builder can claim their building is “green” just by including some recycled materials, there are certain standards and awards that designers, architects, and builders can strive for. If you’re truly aiming to live in a green building, look for those with LEED approval.
Jun 29 2009
Green is the new buzzword in new Seattle condo building construction –– just in case you haven’t noticed. But what makes a building “green” and who gets to make that claim?
Basically, a building that is designed, built, or fixed up for a new purpose in a resource-efficient way can call itself green. Some builders stretch the limits of the word… they may use a few materials such as bamboo flooring and water-saving plumbing and call it good (i.e. green). Others may take the concept seriously and meet certain global objectives, including using materials that protect both the environment and the long-term health of the occupant.
To truly be a green building it all needs to start at the ground level, with the owners, the designers and the architects. The building needs to be sustainable, which means it has to reduce its overall impact on the environment. Energy use, water use, integrated systems throughout the structure are the fundamentals of green building, and what ultimately affect its surroundings.
If you’re interested in living in a green condo building, here are a few questions you can ask when shopping for your next living space:
Jun 20 2009
One of Seattle’s most desirable neighborhoods, Green Lake is also a perfect mirror of the real estate times. Anyone who has been living in the area, or heading over to work out on the 2.8 mile paved loop around the lake can’t have helped but notice buildings going up, and BIG holes being dug down.
The biggest question mark right now is, of course, what’s up with the city-block-size hole at the corner of Woodlawn Ave. NE and NE 71st St. – the site of the old Vitamilk Dairy complex? Vitamilk (a family run business that operated from 1940-2003) still owns the three-acre site, which will be developed by Lorig Associates into a mixed-use property named Park 71.
Included in the grand plan: a three-story complex with underground parking, a major anchor tenant (such as a high-end grocery Continue Reading »
Jun 15 2009
It’s been 13 years since the FHA changed its approval process for insured mortgage financing on individual condo units. But late last week the FHA transferred authority directly to the lenders who can now determine if a condominium project, after meeting FHA-HUD regulations, is eligible for the insured financing. If the building has not yet completed all the requirements, the lender can offer “spot approval,” financing that can be funded on a limited basis and which takes the burden off the buyer.
Jun 12 2009
Thornton Place Condos offer Summer Incentives for Easy Breezy Northgate Living
Thornton Place is the new buzz around Northgate – one of six Seattle neighborhoods identified for urban renewal by the Mayor’s office. It’s big, it’s classy, it’s convenient, its design is sleek and airy, and its mixed use, community-focused goals are bound to set a precedent in the greater Seattle area. Six separate buildings constitute a European-style village where staircases weave together private areas with the open space plaza, all incorporated within the natural parkland surrounding Thornton Creek.
Seattle-based and family-owned Lorig is a highly respected developer with a track record of community involvement. Mithun, who designed the REI Continue Reading »
Jun 10 2009
Although the housing sales pendulum is still swinging, we Seattle area residents are starting to feel a little less dizzy these days. Because the Northwest market has not fallen nearly as far as other areas – like California, Arizona, and Florida, for instance – our rebound has been a little quicker. That all has to do with the fact that the economic climate here was not quite as stormy as in much of the rest of the country. Knock on wood.
One buzz word that seems to be surfacing these days is “overvaluation” – that is, that with the big boom in tech and other industry in the past five to eight years, housing prices climbed much faster than anywhere else. So right now, given the bust in some of those industries, our market is Continue Reading »
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