Category Archives: Local information

Seattle has so many wonderful neighborhoods that invite you to check out the posts below that dive into many of our neighborhoods. We also have lots of information on relocating to Seattle that you may find helpful.

Seattle Schools – Admit by Address

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The Seattle Times reports that Seattle is returning to a neighborhood-based system. Given it has been about 30 years since Seattle abandoned that system, this is big news for everyone who lives in Seattle, particularly people who are buying homes in Seattle.

According to the article, this decision passed by unanimous vote last night at 11 p.m.

If we’re going to use our limited resources efficiently, this is a big opportunity to reduce transportation costs, balance out enrollment so that hopefully the vast majority of our schools have enough students in them to be successful,” said board president Michael DeBell.

When people are looking for homes to buy, having a geographically based school system is very important. Not knowing which school your child is likely to attend adds a layer of uncertainty to an already uncertain process. I’m sure this decision will be controversial, but I have to agree that when an entire community is vested in the success of the “neighborhood” school…the system will improve via more outside support. Also, it will be easier to target the schools and communities that need more support than the local community can itself provide.

I went to the school around the corner from my house. I could even see inside the school from my yard. My children always attended the school nearest my home, and I used “which school?” as the basis for my home buying decision. Parents and children from the neighborhood around the school volunteered to help with seasonal maintenance projects and had a vested interest in the school being a safe and attractive neighborhood component.

On all counts, I think this is a good decision. Still I expect it will have as many unhappy constituents as it has happy supporters, until the system is in place long enough for people to forget the three decade old “used to be”.

Geek’s Guide to Seattle and More…

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seattle geek guideI’ve been having a lot of fun playing on RCG’s Facebook page lately… Some of the stories I’ve been linking out to include:

If you have an event or a seattle-related post you’d like to see featured, let me know!

Moving to Seattle – Bridges and Traffic

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Feb2006Storm4185

Thinking about moving to Seattle? Wondering what the traffic is like around here? Before you look at homes on the internet, I strongly suggest you study the Transportation Layout of the Seattle Area.

Often where you live, involves which side of “the bridge” you work on. This Seattle Area Traffic map gives you an excellent broad overview of how you get to and from. Study the “black traffic clog points” on that map for a two week period at various times each day during that two week period. That will give you a pretty good idea of normal traffic patterns, except for the few times each year when the bridge is closed.

Take a long hard look at Lake Washington. It’s HUGE and worthy of due consideration as to how you are planning to get over or around it.

My perspective centers more around the 520 bridge, and around the north side of Lake Washington, with occasional travel over the 1-90 bridge. Locals always refer to this bridge as “The 520 Bridge”, but if you are looking for info on it,  you will find it under “Evergreen Point Floating Bridge” in wikipedia, even though the name was officially changed to “The Governor Albert D. Rosselini Bridge-Evergreen Point” in 1988.

Sometimes people will simply say “the 520”, but more often they will say that when referring to the part of that road that is on The Eastside, vs the floating bridge portion of that “road” going over Lake Washington.

One of the reasons I decided to write on this today, is because I was reading updates to the Pontoon Construction Project posted on The Washington State Department of Transportation website. On a good day, travelling back and forth across the 520 Bridge is not a huge deal. On a bad day (when the bridge is closed or partially blocked by a stalled vehicle) one would have been wise to consider the alternative travel options, when deciding where to buy a home.

My general advice is to buy a home on the side of the bridge where you work, unless there is a really good reason not to do that. Very often my first question of someone who calls me about buying a home here in the Seattle Area, especially if they are moving here for a new job, is “Where are you going to be working?”

Live Video Streams on RCG? With Facebook Chat?

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I’ve been told my interest in using Facebook for marketing is a bit unhealthy, but I’ve been having so much fun, and this week I pushed the limits in some ways that I thought I’d share in the hope we could spark some interesting conversations…

275x229First off, I’ve been really fortunate to work with the team behind a really interesting movie called The Stoning of Soraya M. that’s being released in selected theaters today (and Seattle on July 17th). It’s a controversial movie based on the true story of a woman who was stoned to death in the Iran after being accused of adultly adultery by her husband. To help with outreach for the movie, I built (with some ridiculously well-timed help from Loren Nason of the Future of Real Estate Technology) a Facebook app that let me combine both a live video stream with a streaming facebook chat-style app. The result was an interview with the director where we took questions from the Facebook community. You can see a recording of the video on the Spinnio app page where we hosted the conversation.

However, before I was ready to go live with the app for the movie, I decided to use the Spinnio app to record a weekly radio show that I run with Rob Hahn called the RE:RnD (Real Estate Radio with Rob and Dustin)… Normally, Rob and I record our radio show form opposite sides of the country, but this week, we were both in Orange County for REBCOC. We took advantage of some of the great real estate people in attendance to interview:

You can watch the video here:

But wait, there’s more!!!

seattle-channelI happen to think the technology of streaming video with Facebook Chat is simply too interesting to resist… so I created a page on RCG that combines the live stream from the Seattle Channel with a chat box that lets you comment on the video with anyone else on RCG watching the video. While I doubt this page will get the critical mass to be extremely interesting, hopefully you can see how cool it could be and just where the Facebook chat/status update technology is heading.

Also, I’m somewhat hesitant to throw a generic chat on RCG in a prominent place, but what do you think?

FB.init(“639647c0b027e22dfc546244ab17a875”, “files/xd_receiver.htm”);

(By the way, this works! Feel free to try it out, although be prepared that each comment leaves a “status” update on your profile.)

I’ve never liked the idea of adding a message board because I simply don’t have the time to moderate it, but I have a feeling that this would be pretty self-moderating considering it’s tied to people’s Facebook account… But what do you think? Should I create a place on RCG where you can leave comments and engage in conversations that aren’t tied to any blog post?

Look No Further Than Seattle Neighborhoods For Penny Pinching Summer Fun This Year!

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Some people don’t know this, but….

Gorgeous globe light at Hiram M. Chittenden locks in Ballard

Gorgeous globe light at Hiram M. Chittenden locks in Ballard

I was a single mother for years until I met and fell in love with my next door neighbor in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Ballard. Single parents develop a real knack for making every dollar stretch, and I am thankful that things have been easier (most of the time) with a husband! As we all look for ways to save money and make sure that our families are provided for, I find myself revisiting some of those older ideas.

Seattle is really a phenomenal place to live for great free entertainment, but out of town visitors will love these, too! Make sure and check out the Seattle Parks Foundation website if you have a minute, too. They have wonderful resources for all the latest and greatest in parks! This is only the first ten of these because I really don’t want to hog the whole page. Happy Seattle summer 2009!

1. Go visit the Hiram M. Chittenden locks (aka Ballard Locks) in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. OK, I will be honest. I am starting with my one of my very favorite places.dsc_0299 This was built in 1911 and serves as a passageway between the Puget Sound and the Ship Canal so that boats can travel to and from Lake Washington and Lake Union despite the huge difference in water levels. Visitors can watch as the water is raised and lowered to let boats come in and out on either side. But that is not all! The grounds are beautiful and feature extensive mature gardens and plantings. There is also a cool fish ladder on site as well as a museum/learning center. Even after any trips here, we always have fun going again!  Need more free here? In 2009 from June 6th to September 7th (Labor Day) there will over 30 FREE and open to the public concerts at the Ballard Locks!

Just one section of this amazing place! 

2. Museum of Flight This is one of the Seattle museums that offers first Thursdays free (after 5PM only) and is a great place to see some of the world’s amazing historic planes including one of the Air Force One planes that Kennedy flew in! This is another of my favorite places in Seattle. This museum is located in one of the early Boeing facilities and the history is just rich. There is something for everyone here and it is kid friendly. I would suggest visiting item #6 (Hat n Boots) after wards because of the close proximity. There is a good restaurant on site at the museum, but a picnic at the park is much more fun!

Beautiful entry at the Conservatory in Volunteer Park3. Conservatory at Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill is so much fun! The park itself is also amazing and has great paths and spaces, but I am in awe of the Conservatory building itself – 6200 square feet of plantings and displays by people that obviously know what they are doing. There are 3426 glass panes on the building. It was assembled in 1912 and has two plants in it that are over 75 years old – one of which is a giant Jade Tree. This is not your ordinary Jade plant! The Conservatory is completely FREE, though I do encourage you to throw a few dollars in their donation bin.

4.Carkeek ParkOver six miles of trails and an Education Center, large open spaces for playing, picnic facilities, a stage, wonderful dsc_0450playgrounds including a fish slide where children can slide through a salmon, plus the beach!!!! Carkeek Park overlooks the Puget Sound and is one of my favorite parks in Seattle! Carkeek Park is just North of the Blue Ridge neighborhood in Seattle and well worth the trip from anywhere in the Puget Sound.

5.Pike Place Market – You do not need a dime to go have fun here, but support these locals if you can. I love it here and could spend all day watching the hustle and bustle!

6. Hat 'N' Boots in GerogetownThe Hat N Boots in Georgetown – I love these!  How cool is it to visit some old giant boots that used to be his and hers restrooms at a gas station. According to one source when the hat and boots gas station was up and running in its previous location even Elvis stopped in once ( I am sure there are lots of Elvis sighting stories – true and untrue, but I love the idea that Elvis may have peed in that boy boot!).  The good people of Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood played a huge part in getting the Hat n Boots moved to their current location at Oxbow Park (6400 S Corson Ave.). The boots are newly refurbished, but the hat is looking sad while waiting for funds. There is a great neighborhood p-patch there with some of the most amazing plantings I have had the privilege of seeing and the playground keeps my kids entertained for quite some time, but don’t expect to be able to use the boots as a restroom today – they are for display only.

7. Green Lake – Go explore Green Lake Park – This park has it all – a 3+ mile path around the lake itselfdsc_0036 which is perfect for biking, hiking, running, skating, and more, play space, ball fields, pool, tennis courts, and my favorite: the wading pool on the North side of the lake which is filled when it is warm. There are docks for kayak launching or you can fish off the side of the banks of the lake. There is golf here and basketball, plus bathrooms. Swimming is allowed and there is a life guarded swimming beach. Green Lake is a great neighborhood to live in anyway, but really gets busy when the nice weather hits. Green Lake is a great place to take the dog for a walk, too.

8. Fremont Troll. This is a giant troll made of concrete holding an actual VW in its hand! It is located in Fremont under the Aurora Bridge and WORTH THE STOP! The Fremont Troll is also a great photo opportunity! While you are in Fremont, take a stroll along the ship canal waterfront and visit all the great little vintage shops. There is almost always something fun going on in Fremont.

9. Alki Beach Park While I was a single mother, the tradition was to go every Sunday morning and find beach glass at Alki Beach in West Seattle and then drive up into the hills and look at the dreamy houses. Alki has some of the best views of the Downtown area of Seattle anyway and the beach glass is abundant! There is also a rough boat launch for hand carried kayaks, etc. and restrooms. Alki Beach is a 2.5 mile strip of beach and one of the closest to a California Beach atmosphere I can think of right here in Seattle complete with rollerblading and jogging patrons.

10. Take a bike ride on the Burke Gilman TrailGo basically from Ballard all the way up to Kenmore2008-1661 along some of the prettiest trails and areas in Seattle. The Burke Gilman is virtually uninterrupted for the most part from Fremont to Kenmore and skirts the Western side of Lake Washington plus there are restrooms along the way.

Okay, well that is it for now with my penny pinching ideas for fun around Seattle! Even if you aren’t in the market for saving money, go and explore your city! Seattle is a great place to live and play.

Seattle Sounders and the Space Needle

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seattle-soundersWhen I first saw the pictures below taken by Damon Cortesi who I know as @dacort on Twitter, it was St. Patrick’s Day.  I thought the green “hat” on the space needle was a Lepruchan’s hat 🙂 I didn’t know why it wasn’t all green.

Kim told me that the blue and green colors on the Space Needle are for the Seattle Sounders Football Club. Tickets for their inaugural game were sold out well ahead of time, and they WON!

But this is a post about the fabulous night shots taken by Damon, and I appreciate his permission to post them here for everyone’s enjoyment. Thanks @dacort !spotlight-on-seattle-space-needle1

space-needle-soundersdowntown-seattle-at-night

Is Excise Tax Payable on Short Sale Debt Forgiveness?

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The Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) seems to think so.  Background: At an Escrow Association of Washington (EAW) meeting on Nov 13, 2008, Mel Kirpes and Steve Bren from  WA DOR spoke at a regional dinner meeting where it was announced that when there is a short sale, the DOR considers the debt forgiven as additional consideration above the contracted sales price between the parties and that the DOR will be pursuing the home seller for payment of the excise tax. (Reference is a EAW letter dated Nov 25, 2008 from EAW Director Cindi L. Holstrom)
Naturally this had a chilling effect amongst escrow officers.  The DOR responded on Dec 12, 2008 in a letter from Gilbert Brewer, Assnt Director of the DOR:

RCW 82.45 imposes an excise tax on the sale of real estate unless specifically exempt from statute. “The measure of the tax is based on the total selling price of the property conveyed. The incidence of the tax is usually on the seller.  However, if the tax is not paid in full, the tax (together with any interest and penalties) becomes a lien on the real property. This is mandated by RCW 82.45.030 …which defines “selling price” as the “true and fair value of the property conveyed.” If a property has been conveyed in an arm’s length transaction between unrelated persons for a valuable consideration, a rebuttable presumption exists that the selling price is equal to the total consideration paid or contracted to be paid to the transferor, or to another for the transferor’s benefit….”total consideration paid or contracted” to be paid as including “money or anything of value, paid or delivered or contracted to be paid or delivered in return for the sale, and shall include the amount of any lien, mortgage, contrat, indebtedness, or other incumbrance, either given to secure the purchase price, or any part thereof, or remaining unpaid on such property at the time of the sale.”

Since there is an exemption from real estate excise tax in the event of foreclosure or a deed in lieu of foreclosure (see WAC 458-61A-208) this DOR opinion may unfortunately motivate homeowners to consider foreclosure a more viable option. Perhaps the home seller’s Realtor can negotiate with the lender to pay for the additional excise tax lien as well.  However, then that extra amount paid by the lender may also be subject to excise tax.
The Seattle King Co Assoc of Realtors and Washington Realtors believes DOR’s position is incorrect and problematic.  On Jan 8, 2009, The Northwest Multiple Listing Association posted a notice to their real estate agent members as follows:

“RCW 18.86 requires agents to advise their clients to seek expert advice on matters relating to the transaction that are beyond the agent’s expertise.  This duty exists in every transaction but is particularly important in short sale transactions where unique legal and tax issues exist.”

We’ve been saying the same on RCG for many years now. Short sales are way more complex for real estate agents than the average transaction and homeowners are best served when they have retained their own legal counsel to help them understand the lender paperwork as well as this current DOR trainwreck. You may be thinking, “homeowners in financial distress can’t afford an attorney.” However, some attorneys offer low cost options for homeowners facing foreclosure.

UPDATE
January 13, 2009
Department of Revenue: “After receiving extensive input from interested stakeholders and industry representatives about the nature of these transactions, we have carefully reconsidered how real estate excise tax statutes apply to these unique transactions [short sales]….we now see that these short sales are distinguishable from other transactions involving the forgiveness of debt because the seller negotiates separately with the lender for any debt reduction/forgiveness, apart from the actual purchase and sale of the property.  As a result, the loan forgiveness is not “paid or delivered in return for the sale” of the property, as required by RCW 82.45.030.”   Margaret J. Partlow, Senior Policy Counsel, Dept of Revenue. 

(Hat tip Rhonda Porter and Kary Krismer.)

Translation: We are not going to require sellers to pay excise tax on the debt forgiveness  with a short sale.

40 representatives from escrow, title, real estate, attorney, and short sale faciliator companies showed up in Olympia to help educate the Dept of Revenue. Thank you, Escrow Association of Washington, for bringing this to our attention and taking on the state head to head.

Historic Snohomish Homes glow in winter wonder.

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Some of the many  Historic Snohomish Homes are oriented on wide tree-lined streets and remind me of growing up in the Capitol Hill neighborhoods very near St. Joe’s school, Stevens Elementary School and Holy Names Academy.   Some of the larger historic homes of Snohomish share similar architecture, classic lines and warmth that is accentuated when under the soft blanket of our local snowy weather.

I brought the camera to work this morning to hopefully capture some scenery (or crazy drivers) while coming to work and on my way home.  These are very amateur photos, but I tried.  Enjoy.

This photo above does not show it well, but there is a large wooden placard hanging under the front porch gable that reads, “Merry Christmas.”  It must be about 8 ft wide.  If you click the photos you might see it better.

Classic.  Gorgeous wrap-around radius deck and historical colors, probably from the Benjamin Moore palette paint line.   A wonderful treat to see a full Christmas Tree in the upper 2nd floor porch/deck.  Tremendous detail on this historic home, much of the 2nd floor shows wonderful wood work, pillars and dentil molding.  (Boy, I wish Snohomish had a lumber store similar to Seattle’s old Blackstock Lumber.   I’d probably be broke buying up all that clear VG Fir moldings)  Much is blocked from the trees, but who’s complaining?  Not me.

These homes are a lot to take care of and maintain, but there is nothing like them.

Snohomish river looking from park in downtown Snohomish towards the east.  Just weeks ago, this river was raging and near flood stage.   In years past, the flooding of this river would rise to levels above the bank, which is several feet high and cover those bolted down picnic benches.

Cold weather tips for keeping your home safe

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With temperatures dropping into ranges we aren’t accustomed to around here it’s time to review what should be done when it gets below freezing:

If you can, turn the main water supply to the house off and drain the  system from the lowest point and flush the toilets. Leave the cabinet doors open on any sink that is on an exterior wall. Remove any attached hose pipes from exterior bibs, etc.  Also, to put insulation around an exterior faucet you can improvise using a towel wrapped around and secured with a plastic bag and either tape or a heavy duty rubber band.

Also, here for our wood burning fireplace property owner readers, posted with permission from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, are tips and issues to know about burn bans:

New law prompts significant change to residential burn bans Where there’s chimney smoke, there’s fire — and fines

November 24, 2008 — A new burn ban season is upon us and this one will be different from those in past falls and winters.

  • The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency will be calling both Stage 1 and Stage 2 burn bans, often in sequence.
  • Stage 2 burn bans are more restrictive than the more familiar Stage 1 burn bans and ban ALL wood burning, even from certified wood stoves and pellet stoves.
  • Our Puget Sound region will likely have longer burn bans, and perhaps more of them.
  • And more fines may be issued for people violating the bans.

What is prompting this change?

First, in late 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightened the 24-hour health standard for fine particle pollution, also known as PM2.5. And earlier this year, our Washington State Legislature lowered the air-quality trigger for calling a burn ban to align with this new EPA standard.

The reason for these actions is to better protect public health because the soot and smoke that makes up these fine particles are associated with serious health effects. The tiny size of these pollutants allows them to be easily inhaled, bypassing the immune system and proceeding deep into the lungs, where they can cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems, including premature death.

So what’s this mean if you heat your home with wood or pellet fuel?

During a burn ban, we’re basically asking people to rely on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the risk to public health is diminished and a ban is cancelled.

If agency inspectors observe a burn ban violation, they will issue a Notice of Violation to the property owner and recommend a $1,000 penalty.

The rules for a Stage 1 burn ban are the same as in the past:

  • No burning is allowed in wood-burning fireplaces, uncertified wood stoves or fireplace inserts, unless this is your only adequate source of heat.
  • No visible smoke is allowed from any wood stove or fireplace, certified or not, beyond a 20-minute start-up period.
  • All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned.

When a burn ban goes to Stage 2:

  • NO burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves, unless this is your only adequate source of heat. Natural gas and propane stoves or inserts ARE allowed.
  • All outdoor burning is prohibited, even in areas where outdoor burning is not permanently banned.
  • If our agency inspectors see any smoke being emitted from a chimney during a Stage 2 burn ban, they can assume a fireplace, wood or pellet stove is in use and a penalty is warranted.

Maybe you’re wondering what “adequate source of heat means.