Podcast: Seattle Real Estate Tech Talk

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Today’s podcast was actually recorded a few weeks back at Seattle Mind Camp, a semi-annual gathering of technically-minded folk from around the Puget Sound area. Stuart caught up with Rain City Guide’s Dustin Luther and Shack Prices‘ Galen Ward to talk about trends and portents in the online real estate technology space.

 
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Podcast: Seaview Hall and the Homes with History Tour

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Seaview Hall

If you’d like to explore Seattle’s architectural past, don’t miss the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s 2006 Homes with History Tour this coming Saturday, May 20. This year’s tour includes ten homes of architectural and historic significance. It’s a self-guided tour which means you pick up your map and explore any and all of the homes at your own pace between 10am and 4pm on May 20. A guide at each home will review its history for you. For ticket information, go to www.loghousemuseum.org or stop by the Log House Museum at 3003 61st Avenue SW in the Alki neighborhood to buy tickets (a good excuse to visit it if you haven’t been there already).

Seaview front

Historic Seaview Hall, located at 4004 59th Avenue SW in West Seattle, is one of the homes on tour this year. Susan Shorett is co-owner of Seaview Hall, as well as a sponsor of this year’s tour and vintage home specialist with Windermere Real Estate. We spent some time with her recently to discuss the major renovations that are in the works at this beautiful historic log cabin. Click the link below to listen to the interview, or subscribe to our feed with your favorite podcatcher to have the latest audio from Seattle Real Estate Talk automatically downloaded to your mobile music device.

To contact Susan for more information about Seaview Hall or other vintage homes in Seattle, you can email her at sshorett@windermere.com or call her at 206.478.2417.

Seaview side view

 
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Featured Listing Podcast: Secluded West Seattle Craftsman

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4701 23rd Avenue SW

Check out this remodeled 3 bedroom/1.75 baths 1925 Craftsman in the up-and-coming Pigeon Hill neighborhood of West Seattle. A creative mix of original period detail and contemporary updates are evident in the rich colors, architectural built-ins and pop-outs, and customized spaces throughout this home. Nestled on a hillside and surrounded by trees and territorial views, this oasis is just minutes from downtown Seattle and close to South Seattle Community College, the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, and the 68-acre Camp Long. It’s ideally located for people who want privacy, a strong sense of community, and easy access to the city.

For showings, call Domenica Lovaglia at 206-730-3812 or email her at domenica@windermere.com. For more information and photos, go to www.4701twentythird.com or www.windermere.com and enter MLS#26035909.

To listen to the podcast, just click the link below. Or, subscribe to our feed with your favorite podcatcher to have the latest audio from Seattle Real Estate Talk automatically downloaded to your mobile music device.

4701 23rd Ext Front

4701 23rd Avenue SW, Seattle WA 98106

 
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Help promote literacy this holiday season

 

Editors’ Note: We’re happy to post the following announcement on behalf of guest contributor Joanne Rocheford.

This Holiday season Evergreen Moneysource is hosting a book drive for a wonderful organization called Page Ahead. Please read on to learn more about them and how you can participate!

Page Ahead is a Seattle-based organization that promotes literacy among at-risk students across Washington state. To achieve this, they provide new books to children who are reading below grade level, engage parents in reading to their children, host motivational reading events, and assist schools in providing successful literacy programs. You can read more about their work at www.pageahead.org.

Evergreen Moneysource will assist Page Ahead this Holiday season by hosting a book drive. Beginning the week after Thanksgiving, you will see boxes in each of our offices where you can contribute a new book. You can also participate by purchasing a book through their online partner, Powell’s Books, or making a monetary contribution on their website. Click here to purchase a book or make a donation. If you’d like to have a drop box located in your office, let me know and I’ll bring one by. I’ll pick up the box of books at the end of the drive on or around January 9th.

Education has always been at the core of our business, and this year we are excited to promote our passion for education and children in such a meaningful way. Join us as we promote literacy across Washington this Holiday season!

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Weather in a backyard near you

I love Google-enabled web serendipity (or, what I would like to call webendipity).

I was searching today for a quick weather update when Google, remembering my zip code from some previous transaction, popped up a link to Weather in a 98116 West Seattle Backyard. The site displays a variety of graphical weather indicators, linked to weather sensors in… some guy’s backyard. There’s also, apparently, a cat named Oscar who’s involved in the process.

West Seattle Weather

Mighty convenient! Now I don’t even have to crack a window to see how cold it is, which way the wind is blowing, or even whether the sun’s out. A link from the site to Weather Underground will display a page of charts and data from the North Admiral weather station.

Seeing this site reminded me that Weather Underground has links to hundreds of these local weather sites all around the country. I used to check this page when I lived in North Bend a few years ago. For a weather station near you, see this list of Washington-based personal weather stations.

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Featured Listing Podcast: A Queen Anne Triplex

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1821 Bigelow Avenue North

Versatility is the watchword for this week’s featured listing located at 1821 Bigelow Avenue North in Queen Anne. In the heart of one of Seattle’s most desirable neighborhoods, this 1925 Craftsman triplex is suitable as a fully-rented or owner-occupied investment property and also has the potential to be converted into a single family home.

All three units have been updated with much of the original architectural detail preserved and include views, patios, and spacious floorplans. Queen Anne shops, restaurants, and parks are all within easy walking distance. Listed at $825,000. With the additional rental income, it’s another buying option for those in a much lower price range.

Contact Windermere listing agent Susan Stasik at 206-660-1012 for a private showing, or email her at susan@windermere.com. For more information and photos you can go to www.windermere.com and enter MLS# 25168871, or go to Susan’s website www.thinksavage.com

To listen to the podcast, just click the link below. Or, subscribe to our feed with your favorite podcatcher to have the latest audio from Seattle Real Estate Talk automatically downloaded to your mobile music device.

Seattle Real Estate Talk Podcast for November 18, 2005.

1821 Bigelow Avenue N

1821 Bigelow Avenue North, Seattle WA 98109

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Featured Listing Podcast: 3515 SW Elmgrove Street

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A Lovell Home in Gatewood

Delightfully charming, well-situated, and recently updated, our featured listing this week is located 3515 SW Elmgrove Street. This 4 bedroom/1 bath Lovell home has a distinct cottage feel to it. A second story complete with knotty-pine walls and ceilings, and built-in bed create a cabin-like sanctuary. Located in West Seattle’s Gatewood neighborhood, it’s a short commute to downtown Seattle, close to ferry docks, and shopping. List price is $349,000.

Lovell homes were popular in Seattle around the middle of the last century, but information about the builder has been hard to come by. If you can shed any light on the history of this unique home style, please contact us.

For more information on this listing, contact Windermere listing agents Louise Maxwell at 206-612-0124 or Margaret Nordahl at 206-226-7349. Or check out the photo gallery at www.windermere.com; just type in MLS #25168137.

To listen to the podcast, just click the link below. Or, subscribe to our feed with your favorite podcatcher to have the latest audio from Seattle Real Estate Talk automatically downloaded to your mobile music device.

Seattle Real Estate Talk Podcast for November 14, 2005.

3515 SW Elmgrove St

3515 SW Elmgrove Street, Seattle WA 98126

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Featured Listing: 2143 N. Northlake Way, #61

(The Podcast will return next week. In the meantime, here’s a beauty of a featured listing…)

Waterfront Living

Okay, here’s your chance to paddle to block parties, have a bird’s eye view of the Fourth of July fireworks without leaving your living room, and generally have the Sleepless in Seattle lifestyle (well, almost). Our featured listing this week is an updated houseboat on Lake Union. Built in 1984, this 2-story, 2-bedroom/1bathroom houseboat has a rooftop deck, spacious kitchen with new energy-efficient appliances, bamboo floors, tiled soaking tub, and views to beat the band. Centrally located, it’s convenient to… everything! Listed at $320,000.

For more information, call Windermere listing agent, Mary Durkan, at 206- 915-7527 or email her at marydurkan@windermere.com. Or check out photos and more info at Windermere.com.

2143 Northlake

2143 N. Northlake Way, #61

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Green Building 101

Thinking of shopping for an energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly home, or having one designed and built for you? Or perhaps you want to remodel your home into a “greener” one. If you’re like me, a newbie to the green building movement, you may find these sites useful resources.

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Monthly Market Update Podcast

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Guest: Karen Lavallee

Active Listings, number of days on the market, median prices – being a good real estate consumer means knowing the numbers – which ones will give you edge and which ones are meaningless.

I spoke late last week with Karen Lavallee, Managing Broker of Windermere West Seattle. Karen shared her insights on Seattle’s current real estate market in light of the monthly market update (16kb PDF) recently published by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. We discussed what buyers and sellers need to know about these current figures. Click here to listen to the full podcast.

Here are a few of the points that Karen and I touched on.

  • The number of houses for sale and the number of houses sold indicates a picture of supply and demand.
  • More demand for houses than number of houses for sale creates a “sellers market.” This is what we’re experiencing here in Seattle.
  • Less demand for homes than number of houses for sale creates a “buyer’s market.”
  • Buyers and sellers need to be aware of different strategies to use to work within those environments.
  • Median price is the midline between lowest-priced home and highest-priced home (this is different than “average price”). Low interest rates plus high demand puts pressure on price. This accounts somewhat for the higher than usual increase in median price this past year.
  • Number of days on the market - we’re seeing many, but not all, homes selling in the first week on the market and with multiple offers.
  • Higher-priced homes tend to stay on the market longer. Although the average number of days on the market was 33 days for September 2005, it doesn’t mean buyers have 33 days to make a decision to buy a home.
  • Agents can help buyers by researching what the number of days on the market is in a particular price range within specific neighborhoods.

You can reach Karen Lavallee at the Windermere West Seattle office at 206-935-7200, or by email at lavallee@windermere.com.

For the Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) September 2005 King County Breakouts click here (16kb PDF).

For more real estate news from the NWMLS click here.

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