urbnlivn, a seattle condo & real estate blog

Now that backyard cottages are legal on eligible, see Council unanimously approves code revisions on backyard cottages:

Backyard cottages will be limited to 800 square feet, including garage and storage space. The legislation also prohibits the construction of backyard cottages on lots less than 4,000 square feet or located in a Shoreline District.
The property owner must [...]

Popularity: 2% [?]

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It is noisy living at 12th and Madison. We’re literally on the corner facing both 12th and Madison, a five way intersection. In the evenings the newly opened bars and restaurants mean the area is staying noisier later. Plus life on the street gets going early with leaf blowing, blaring car stereos, neighbors’ alarm clocks [...]

Popularity: 3% [?]

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Big news for Realogics today as they join the Sotheby’s Network:

Currently located at 217 Pine Street, Suite 700, in Seattle, the brokerage will relocate to a new retail storefront it owns at 2715 First Avenue in downtown Seattle’s popular Belltown neighborhood. The firm has 17 licensed sales associates, which include top-producing agent teams managed [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

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I bought my place at Trace Lofts in September 2007. I know, I made a huge mistake buying at peak. I bought it with a 6.25% interest only 5 year adjustable rate mortgage through Countrywide (since at the time no one else would lend to me with a rental unit). With the low interest rates [...]

Popularity: 6% [?]

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I went on a tour of The Broadway Building last week. It’s new construction across the street from the Broadway Performance Hall bordering Cal Anderson Park (roughly two blocks from the new Elliott Bay Books location). It will include apartments, retail, offices, and student housing, and it will open in April.
Pictures and full [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

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New three-story townhouses in Greenwood. There are eight of them altogether, none sold yet. They each have three bedrooms. Some have 1.5 baths, and some have 2.5. Half of them have itty bitty fenced back yards, the other half have itty bitty open front yards. They are listed at $329K [...]

Popularity: 5% [?]

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PSBJ posted a Collier’s map of downtown construction:

Read more, Downtown’s Strange New Real Estate Map:

The biggest cluster of red dots is the Amazon campus being built by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Real Estate and partners. Not far west is the $500 million campus for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Other than those, a 16.1 percent vacancy [...]

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Publicola has published a couple of interesting pieces recently on the discrepancies between broadband speeds in different neighborhoods of Seattle. The differences stem from the fact that while 89% of the city is covered by Comcast cable, which has an 89% “very satisfied” customer service rating, the rest of the city (Beacon Hill, the [...]

Popularity: 6% [?]

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1. $60k on 7/1/2009 for 3609 14th Ave W #204 (Queen Anne) at 718 square feet. (source: public records via Redfin)
2. $66.5k on 12/2/2009 for 3609 14th Ave W #209 (Queen Anne) at 669 square feet. Prior sale was for $120,950 on 12/28/2001. (source: NWMLS via Redfin)

3. $73,503 on 1/20/2009 for 2001 E [...]

Popularity: 8% [?]

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Not only are lots of listings that were de-listed pre-holidays coming back on this week but a quick peak at Craigslist shows lots of cool spaces for rent.
Here’s the top ones that caught our eye.
Terry Denny Lofts in Pioneer Square
$2,000/month for 1,000 square feet. Lots of brick and old world charm.

Bernard Apartments on Queen Anne
$1,695/month [...]

Popularity: 9% [?]

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