The first phase of the redevelopment of the South Lake Union Park is nearing completion and the folks at the Seattle Parks Foundation will be hosting a public Grand Opening celebration on April 30th from 11:00am – 1:00pm. The public is invited to experience this new public park on the shores of Lake Union. Grand opening activities will include food, music, boat rides, and prizes.
Seattle residents will enjoy 1.6 acres of new green space, relax on the terraced steps, stroll along the cedar plank boardwalk, and watch the wildlife from the pedestrian bridge.
Seattle Parks Foundation is completing its campaign to raise $20 million in private contributions to develop this 12-acre waterfront park into a world-class park in the heart of Seattle. Completion of the entire project is slated for 2010.
Another year, another sales tax increase in King County. Last April 1st, the sales tax in King County increased a tenth of a percent to 8.9% to improve bus transportation services.
Effective tomorrow, April 1st, 2008, King County's sales tax will be going up another one-tenth of a percent to 9.0%. This increase will be used for chemical dependency or mental health treatment services.
Taxes for those parts of the county not included in the RTA district will be 8.6%.
February performance results exhibited the buoyancy of Seattle’s condo market. As we’d expect moving towards Spring the market is beginning to pickup with increases in the number of sales, closings and median price. Compared to January there was a 20.7% increase in the number of properties going under contract (pendings), a sign of buyer’s confidence in the market. As a result, the median price showed an upward movement of 3.1% over January to $314,500.
Looking at year over year figures we get a different picture. In comparison to the same period last year, the market reflected a slight decrease in citywide median price by .9%, the second consecutive month that YoY median price decreased. Most areas of the city underperformed compared to last year’s figures as well.
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The National Sales and Marketing Council announced its 2008 “The Nationals” Gold Award winners in 59 categories with Seattle projects among the winners. The awards honor new home sales and marketing homebuilders, developers, associates, and consultants. From among the 1,400 entries, Seattle winners were represented by Escala and Veer Lofts (Vulcan):
Other awards include:
When originally conceived, the project at 6th & Denny where Greg’s Japanese Auto used to be was going to be the newest addition to the hotel & condo hybrids popping up in the city. Instead, work is now progressing on a hotel & apartment project. The developer has opted to switch to apartments given the current condo market conditions.
The 160-room hotel and 56-unit apartment will have separate lobby entrances, elevators and amenities, but will share a common wall. The building is being constructed to condominium quality, opening the door for a future conversion. The switch to apartments will keep 56 units out of the condo inventory for now. The project joins the Taylor 28 and Borealis Apartments, both under construction within a 2 block radius.
Other new construction projects that switched from condos to apartments include Landes, Expo 62 & Aspira. Additionally, the developer of Domaine has put the project up for sale as apartments.
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Located in the Belltown district of Downtown Seattle, Ben specializes in urban real estate. Ben's the author of the Seattle Condo Blog and is your expert source for Seattle's condos & lofts.
Ben's goal is to simplify your home buying and selling experience by providing unparalled service, responsive communications and expert knowledge of the Seattle urban real estate market while maintaing uncompromising principles.
To simply the process, Ben developed his Seattle Real Estate website to provide in-depth information that includes buying and selling tips/articles, demographic information, area market updates, community resources and appreciation rates. Ben primarily real estate niche urban real estate and create a consumer-focused site called The Seattle Condo Blog. Additionally, Ben also started a blog called Seattle Housing Buzz providing commentary about market trends, news and real estate technology.
To simplify property searches, Ben has incorporated neighborhood condo Quick Searches in his website. With just one click buyers can see all available condo and loft properties for a given neighborhood.
To simplify the transaction process, Ben has partnered with expert associates. Ben's team includes Title and Escrow partners, a number of lenders to satisfy his clients specific needs (first-time buyers, presales, zero-down, etc) and a transaction coordinator to ensure a smooth, stress-free process.
Originally from the sunny shores of Honolulu, Ben has lived in Seattle for the past 17 years and now considers himself a true Northwesterner. In his spare time, Ben indulges in black & white fine art photography and volunteers with the Seattle Animal Shelter as a dog walker and foster parent.
Ben volunteers and/or contributes to the following organizations:
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Ben specializes in Seattle real estate - condos, lofts and townhomes - in Downtown Seattle, Belltown, Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Pioneer Square, Ballard, Fremont, Green Lake, University District and West Seattle. Though Ben is an urban condo and loft specialist, he has a number of clients in South Snohomish County and have sold homes in Bothell, Mill Creek and Lynnwood.
Urban Real Estate:
A national trend is underway in many cities - Suburban Flight - a reversal of the decades long Urban Flight. With rising fuel costs, long commutes, restrictions on growth & rising housing costs, many people are moving back to the urban core. Faciliating this trend is the revival of the urban core - enticing business back to the cities, investing in civic projects, creation of pedestrian friendly urban centers and rezoning.
Ben Kakimoto and his associates, based in downtown Seattle, understands this movement and have intimate knowledge of Seattle's urban housing market. Keeping abreast of new developments and building relationships with developers, Ben and his team provides expert knowledge about buying and investing in urban real estate.
To keep home buyers up-to-date about the numerous projects underway, Ben has devoted an entire blog to profiling Seattle's Condos and Lofts. In addition to profiles of new and existing projects, Seattle Condos and Lofts includes informative articles on purchasing pre-constuction presale and investing.
Seattle's Long Trusted Company:
Ben is an agent and REALTOR associated with John L. Scott's Seattle Center Office in Belltown. John L. Scott Real Estate is celebrating it's 75th Anniversay this year and is the region's premier real estate services company. John L. Scott Real Estate is Washington's largest and most successful real estate company based on volume (Realtor Magazine, July 2006).
John L. Scott's success is credited upon the personal and trusted relationship it's agents build with their client. Ben works closely with his clients to understand their needs and requirements. As a full-service agent, Ben focuses on providing uncompromising service that his clients have come to expect.
Recently, Ben's office was selected to handle onsite sales for Vulcan Real Estate. Vulcan's upcoming projects include the Veer Lofts, Rollin Street Flats, ENSO and The Martin. Please contact Ben if you are considering investing in a Vulcan property.
Background:
Ben brings years of experience & business savvy to the real estate profession. As a former risk manager/underwriter for a major financial services company, Ben understands the importance of clear communications, fiduciary duty, respecting confidentiality and minimizing risks. As a former IT Project Manager, Ben provides experience in high-level negotiation, managing project workflow (the buying and selling process is a project), understanding different personalities and maintains a cool demeanor.
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If you're new to Seattle or a long-time resident, here are some help resources to living and working in the Emerald City:
"Ben helped to alleviate the stress by providing a thorough market analysis, explaining the process and walking through the steps and forms needed to make the purchase of a home a reality." -- Nancy K., Bothell, WA
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