Discover North Seattle with Jay Silver

Parents - sign up your kids for some free fishing lessons sponsored by Seattle Parks and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife at Seward Park!

It's the 5th Annual "Fishing Kids" Event!

This is a great opportunity for kids, ages 5 - 14, to learn water safety, how to cast, and what to do with the fish after you catch it. Every child who participates will receive a t-shirt and a rod and reel to take home (and possibly a fish or two). Everything starts at 9am and goes til 2pm.

Register by calling 206-684-5177 between 9am and 5:30pm weekdays, BEFORE MAY 9th.

It'll be a great time with the family and, hey, the fish are pretty good, too!

I keep hearing the whispers that it's still too expensive for a first-time homebuyer to get into a home here in Seattle. So I did a little research and found over 25 condos in the Fremont/Wallingford/Greenlake/Ballard/Magnolia areas, and they're priced under $250,000!

Follow this link to view the condos:

http://locator.nwmls.com/scripts/mgrqispi.dll?APPNAME=Locator&PRGNAME=MLSLogin&ARGUMENT=I9xUF6hi%2BAmcF%2B8gU%2BqONh8XfwcJZJK8DE2dKR57pZM%3D&KeyRid=1

Trust me, 2008 is a great year to buy your first home. Refer to my earlier post regarding the First Time Homebuyer Program sponsored by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission, or go to http://www.wshfc.org/ for more info on the programs available. Or you can contact me through my website: http://www.ABODEN.com

- Jay

My wife and I have a top secret, ultra-special spot we go to that no one else knows about but us. Okay, so there are a few who know about Carkeek Park in North Seattle. But it honestly seems as though people have forgotten about it. Each time we go it seems there are only a handful of people enjoying the park and its jaw-dropping view of the Puget Sound/Olympic Mountains.

Maybe it's the weather. Maybe the clouds scare most of the people away. Whatever the reason, we like it! We can go there and feel like we're getting away from the crowd and stealing off to a remote location, though the location is just slightly north of Holman Road in North Seattle's Broadview neighborhood.

So... why am I bloggin' about a place I'd like to keep a secret? Well, I found out there's a volunteer opportunity at Piper's Creek, which is located adjacent to Carkeek Park. Scheduled for Earth Day, April 19^th, 2008, this is a great chance to help restore the creek that flows through the area and into Puget Sound.

I realize that I'm exposing my "top secret" location to all who read this (all one or two of you...), I know it takes more than a few inspired souls to keep the park and its neighbors (Piper's Orchard/Creek) beautiful.

My dilemma is this: Juliana and I won't be in town that weekend. I know we'd love to be there and help out, but in our stead perhaps a few of you would like to volunteer... It could be a great opportunity to rediscover such a beautiful part of North Seattle. If you're interested, here's the info (and feel free to pass this around):

Several years ago, when I was busy studying for my Real Estate exam, I stumbled upon a little-known coffee house in Shoreline, called "Hotwire Coffee House". I'm not sure if anyone outside of Shoreline (and its other West Seattle location) really knows about it so I thought I'd write up a quick blog about it.

Hotwire is growing in popularity, partly because of its large open space, big tables, and great pastries. But the biggest reason must be the coffee itself. Several of the Hotwire baristas have competed in US Barista Championships, so you know your espresso will be perfectly pulled. Oh, and every drink comes standard with two shots - now you're talkin'!

There's also free Wi-Fi access (with purchase) along with some big, poofy chairs to sit in.

They're located at 17551 15th Ave NE, in Shoreline, WA. Or you can visit the website at: Http://www.hotwirecoffee.com.

The Greenwood Neighborhood in North Seattle has been an eclectic mix of small businesses and single-family homes since just after World War II. But while this neighborhood is known for its character and burgeoning micro-economy, there's also another part of Greenwood's history that some newer residents aren't aware of.

The neighborhood is built on a peat bog.

This peat is soft and needs to stay wet or it ends up compressing, a process that can't be reversed. With all the recent construction in the area, a lot of the stormwater that would normally penetrate the soil ends up running off before it has a chance to. This is why parts of Greenwood (north of the Town Center building site) have sunk below the level of the sidewalks.

This is a big deal, and while the developers of the new Town Center are taking measures to stabilize the area, I'm still wondering why the City is allowing more development when past development has played a major role in parts of Greenwood sinking several feet.

So, when I have clients interested in the Greenwood area, I make sure they know about the geological issues and how they may have an affect on property values in the future.

I'm posting this in case other agents (or potential buyers) in the area are unaware of the peat bog and corresponding water table that lie beneath the Greenwood neighborhood. Be careful and know the history if you are interested in the area. It's still a great area to by a home in and has great upside potential if you do your homework.