urbnlivn, a seattle condo & real estate blog

There are 128 open houses in Seattle this weekend according to Redfin. Here are a few of them:

103 Bellevue Ave E #205

Sunday, August 1, 2010 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
This Capitol Hill one-bedroom unit is listed for $250,000. Just think of how many bookshelves you could put in against that big empty wall! The big windows in the bedroom are nice too.

6746 14th Ave NW Unit B

Sunday, August 1, 2010 3:30 PM – 5:30 PM
This very orange townhouse in Ballard is listed at $349,950. Despite being built and sold in 2007 (for $30K more), they claim it’s “better than new.” Is there such a thing as an old house that’s better than a new house? I was having this discussion with a friend the other day, and I think there actually is. There’s always something wrong with a new place – the first buyer is the guinea pig who ends up having to fix everything that appeared to work on a blueprint but doesn’t work in real life. I’d say three years is a decent amount of time for a place to be tested and fixed without being worn down and out of date.

432 17th Ave E Unit B3

Sunday, August 1, 2010 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
This 1913 mansion in Capitol Hill has been converted into three condos – one of which is on the market for $450,000. It’s got two bedrooms and 903 square feet. It’s also got some things you’ll never find in new construction – a wood-buring fireplace and a front porch. When you get too old for the nightlife scene, you could put a rocking chair on it and tell the damn kids to stay off your lawn! Hell, do it now. It’s cheaper than therapy.

2312 44 Ave SW Unit A

Saturday, July 31 and Sunday, August 1, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
New West Seattle townhouses! Fresh out of the oven! The architect is not listed, and they are in no way environmentally friendly. But hey, they’ve got “sophisticated tiled baths,” so how could you go wrong?

4343 Roosevelt Way NE #407

Saturday, July 31, 2010 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
This one-bedroom unit in the University District is a “fantastic opportunity for an investor or owner.” Seriously? You think there are still people out there investing in real estate? This guy must be a looney. He (I’m assuming this is a dude) also says that it “appears much larger than the published sq ft.” It’s larger on the inside than the outside! It’s Time Lord technology! No wonder it’s such a great investment! You could have your very own TARDIS* for just $288,000.

*TARDIS does not transcend space or time, but it is FHA approved!

Popularity: 1% [?]

An Urbnlivn reader wrote in about their experience buying at Lumen in June:

It was a bad first-time buying experience all around … with the discount brokerage, with the lender, with the listing agent, and with the REO owner. Ultimately the purchase was doomed by a high HOA dues delinquency rate due to which it didn’t qualify as a loan that Fannie Mae would purchase from the lender, making the loan too risky for the lender to fund I suppose … even with my good credit and 25% down. Interestingly, Fannie Mae also happens to be the REO owner of the condo! I don’t quite know what to make of that, it seems strange yet at the same time in a way makes perfect sense too …

For the record, apparently the deal could’ve been saved if I had tried other lenders instead of triggering the financing contingency. At that point though, I figured with the HOA in that kind of shape and me not comfortable with the people involved, it was best to walk.

We’d love to hear from other people who have recently looked at the Lumen. Did you run into high HOA dues delinquency rates too?

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Popularity: 1% [?]

There were 29 condo and townhouse sales in Seattle last week according to Redfin. Here are a few of them:


One of these cute townhouses on Alki sold last week for $479,136. It was listed in January at $544,950. The unit is 1,864 square feet, which works out to a very reasonable $257 per square foot.

It’s not very often that we see a Capitol Hill condo sell for less than $300K, but this two-bedroom unit just sold for $287,000. It’s only 876 square feet, so the two bedrooms must be tiny. It’s a second floor unit, so it has units above and below, and it was built in 1980.

This very similar second-story two-bedroom unit just sold for $357,500. Love those windows! This one is in the U District, and it’s a little roomier at 1,035 square feet. Much older, though – built in 1930.


This top floor one-bedroom unit sold last week for $257,500. Queen Anne High School Condos is one of my favorites in Seattle. Beautiful solid construction and high ceilings. I bet the view from this unit is spectacular.


One of the gorgeous first-floor loft units at Veer sold last week for $380,000. I’ve toured these and they are beautiful. I especially like the dramatic concrete and steel staircases. My only objection was that the wall of windows looks out onto the sidewalk, so you’ve got to either live in public or keep the drapes down constantly.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Just recovering from my Capitol Hill Block party hangover… Only one new interesting listing today; for fans of Pioneer Square and exposed brick check out unit 2 at the Nord (312 1st Ave S). $375,000 for 779 square feet, 2 beds, 1 bath and a small atrium for a private “garden”. Looks cute, but I’m curious how they cram all that into 779 square feet! Also no parking…

Actually, this listing at the Royal Crest has a beautiful pool and caught my eye too. Similar size as this unit at the Nord but only $200k, granted there is no exposed brick….

Current average appraisal:

$234,469

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Popularity: 2% [?]

There are 104 open houses in Seattle this weekend according to Redfin. Here are a few favorites:

834 34th Ave

Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
This three-bedroom townhouse in Madrona just went on the market at $520K. Looks like a great location, and fairly spacious at 1,390 square feet. However, I’m not sure that I’d call commuting from Madrona to Bellevue “EZ.”

2030 Western Ave #414

Sunday, July 25, 2010 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
This fourth-floor one-bedroom condo in Belltown was purchased in 1989 for $157,500 and hasn’t been on the market since. I’m not sure if there is such a thing as a “tranquil corner” of Belltown, but I do like the way they made the private patio and garden central to the unit. And the master bathroom looks huge.

319 Summit Ave E #101

Sunday, July 25, 2010 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
If you haven’t lived in Seattle long, you might not realize that the “action corridor” is a small stretch of Summit Ave E between Harrison and Thomas. You’re not alone – a totally scientific poll of people sitting near me came up with “Pike place?” “Broadway?” and “Yeah – I’ve been to the action corridor. It’s that alley behind Neighbours. Anybody could get some action there.” You would clearly outwit all of them by purchasing this first-floor two-bedroom unit. Not only is it directly on the city’s one and only Action Corridor™, it has a gas fireplace, brand new bamboo floors and a “cook’s kitchen” (as opposed to an unmotivated and hapless microwaver’s kitchen, I presume).

1017 Minor Ave #1301

Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Now that’s what I call a view of downtown! Okay, so it was taken from the roof, but still, this two-bedroom unit is on the 13th of 14 floors, so it’s pretty close. The building went up in 1930, and this unit has a bit of an odd layout, with everything sort of spiraling out from the kitchen which is hidden in the center. And the floors! The floors are a crime against all that is elegant and tasteful. Let us not speak of them.

2201 3rd Ave #1007

Sunday, July 25, 2010 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
That’s not a bad view either. This Belltown studio was built in 1979. The big windows and the patio are spectacular. It’s listed at $260,000. The only drawback I see is that the kitchen seems to have been built for dieting munchkins. I hope you like eating out!

Popularity: 2% [?]

Got an email blast from TeamBuilder JLS about Escala yesterday announcing that they’ve had 65 sales in three months since Rennie Marketing and TeamBuilder JLS took over on March 27th.

Rennie Marketing and TeamBuilder JLS re-launched marketing and sales efforts at Escala March 27th, 2010. At the time, the project had only six homes sold and closed. We are pleased to announce the team has just made their 65th sale and 38 are now closed. The Escala turnaround is unparalleled in our marketplace.

I’m just a little confused about this since on May 13th Rennie Marketing sent an email saying:

We are extremely pleased with the overwhelming response Escala has received since readdressing prices and homeowner fees. There have been 52 new sales since March 21st and our weekly appointments continue to book-up.

The word sale can be so easily confused that we’re not going to run with a headline of 65 sales but rather 38 closed sales. And with 265 units they still have a long ways to go!

If you haven’t been to see Escala yet check out our pictures and write-up. Or just watch our YouTube tour:

Popularity: 2% [?]

After not selling for $700,000 when it was on the market a year ago (read our write-up then), unit #1 at Nicholas Court is back on the market but this time as a short sale listed at $425,000. Talk about a decade of lost appreciation, this unit originally sold for $471,580 in February 2001.

Current average appraisal:

$402,947

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Popularity: 3% [?]

There were 17 condo and townhouse sales in Seattle last weekend according to Redfin. Here are a few of them:


The lowest price per square foot last week was for new construction. This three-bedroom townhouse in Westwood village (on the very southwest corner of the city limits) just sold for $182 per square foot. It’s been on the market since April.

Escala is back on top for the highest price sale of the week at an astonishing $1.94 million, or $794 per square foot. The unit is on the 25th floor; it has 3 bedrooms, and 2,442 square feet.

This three-bedroom townhouse finally sold for $372,000 after being on the market for two years. Looks nice, and it’s close to several bus lines.


Lest you assume that the only thing selling in Seattle is three-bedroom new construction, this one-bedroom unit in Westlake was built in 1968 and it sold last week for $164,950. At 684 square feet, that works out to a very reasonable $241 per square foot.


This first-floor one-bedroom unit, built in 1909, sold last week for $249,950. It’s been on the market for two years. It’s in Fremont, which is currently averaging $335 per square foot. This unit went for $316.

Popularity: 3% [?]

The Architectural Record has a blog post onthe top 250 US architecture firms by 2009 revenue:

The combined revenue for the Top 250 firms in 2009 totalled $10.2 billion (B), $2B less than the year before. As difficult as it is to comprehend the evaporation of so much money from the profession’s income stream, growth over the past half-decade was phenomenal, and undoubtedly unsustainable. In 2005, income for the largest 25 firms on the list was $3.3B. By the end of 2008, that had increased a whopping 94 percent, to $6.4B. In any industry that would be a huge gain. In 2009, their income declined to $5.1B.

Visually 2009 looks like this:

And for those curious here’s the four Seattle firms in the top 250:

#9: NBBJ – $201.84 million
#14: Callison – $119.50 million
#93: NAC|Architecture – $28.97 million
#172: The Miller|Hull Partnership – $11.27 million

(Where is Weber Thompson, Callison,…?)

Popularity: 3% [?]

There’s not many million dollar plus condos on Capitol Hill so when one hits the market at at $2.25 million it is pretty notable. The condo in question is 915 Harvard Ave E and features 3 beds, 3,700 square feet, parking for two cars and a private elevator. The interiors are certainly not my style and for that kind of money I’d buy a house.

Current average appraisal:

$1,433,333

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Popularity: 3% [?]