Phinney Ridge Homes for Sale in the Seattle "Snow"

It’s finally getting cold in this Seattle neighborhood and all over facebook people in the Puget Sound area of Washington State are posting their pictures with how many inches of snow are in their yards today. Being a Phinney Ridge neighborhood Realtor® I wanted to use today to check out a few rare single family houses currently on the market. There were some truly unique and diverse properties in this area that sold over the holidays, when it is often thought to be the time of year buyers and sellers take a break from Real Estate. One of the houses I especially wanted to see today because it is currently owner occupied and when touring a house, I would rather not disturb the residents if at all possible. I blocked out this afternoon to finally see the one listing and I arrived during the advertised hours where there was a sign “Open House canceled due to weather“. Really?!! All I can imagine is there must have been another reason to put this off. In the past I have met the listing agent who certainly seems competent and professional. As I am reading the sign in disbelief, I see buyers reading another posted sign and continuing on their way. The picture below shows the level of snow that actually stuck to the ground this afternoon and there was very little slush on the hilly streets. Not very intimidating for this born and raised Californian and apparently buyers who were not so easily spooked!

News Flash! People on Phinney wake up to white substance on lawns.

Several houses viewed today were Craftsman style houses, some with all the antique light fixtures, original wood paneling in dining and sitting rooms, and with the living room built-ins. Two had all the bells and whistles in architecture on the exterior buyers crave. Other homes were from the same era but much more modest in finishes, and the main level reflected the more modern tastes including an open floor plan and were more modest in price as well.

As I continued on and did a drive by of an occupied Craftsman house that is part of a government program that allows for a very low down payment as well as other incentives. This home is in a very desirable part of Phinney, and close to many amenities. I plan on investigating this further for my buyers who might be interested. The craftsman style home has good bones and is typical of many Seattle neighborhoods. It appears there could be a nice mountain view from the second story which looks above the house across the street that sits lower than this one situated high above the street, further up the hill. This government-backed offering is rare opportunity in this part of Seattle. I emailed the out-of-area agent at 6AM thing this morning about the possibility of seeing the inside of the house before making an offer. At 9PM I am still waiting to hear if it might be possible for a buyer to see it, no response as of this publishing, just crickets. . . . . when I drove by there were people milling around the property.

Another single family home has one of the most incredible features I have seen in a long time. It’s a 360 degree view incorporating both the Cascade Mountains to the east and the Olympic Mountain Range to the west. If this wasn’t enough, it also has a commanding view of Green Lake and the Puget Sound. That still doesn’t tell the whole story though, there appears to be views both to the south where I am only guessing one might be able to see Mt. Rainier (the tallest mountain in the state) if not downtownSeattle and most likely to the northeast, Mount Baker (the third tallest mountain in the state) way up north in Whatcom county near the Canadian border! This is a rare “crows nest” indeed! It would be hard to find a home with such a view in the Seattle Area in any given neighborhood. The home was probably remodeled in the 80′s and 90′s and although it appears to be well kept, many buyers in this price range might want to personalize it to their own tastes. The view was truly breathtaking even in up in the snow clouds today that limited the visibility. This panorama is a feature that cannot be added to just any home with any amount of remodeling! How many people can say they can see the promise of the sunrise and the glory of the sunset over snow covered mountain peaks and bodies of water every day? Simply amazing!

Another highlight of the tour was a beautiful and spacious home where the brave contractor/builder took care to incorporate green elements and features to the spacious and comfortable new high-end remodel. It sports one of the largest accessory dwelling units I have see in this part of the city. Although it was fully useful as a Mother-in-Law unit, I could easily see it as the hang-out room for teenagers or perhaps even a home office set-up where one could accommodate several employees as well as a couple of private offices. This was a very succesful blend of an ADU/additional family space. Besides this home being beautifully and smartly remodeled, it had the famous Phinney Ridge views of the Olympic Mountains and of the Sunset on all levels. My props to the listing agent who held a great open house, and who used several of the methods I take the time to employ as well. Much more than just cookies and coffee (if they were there I didn’t notice as I was looking at the great marketing) this broker took the time and effort to make sure any buyers coming through the house would be educated in the features and benefits even if they didn’t get the chance to speak with the listing agent. It was a great job in presenting the home in a professional and welcoming way and a job well done for that broker’s client! There were probably 10 people who toured this house during the mere 15 minutes I was there, also brave souls who damned the snow and all! My guess is I only witnessed a handful of many.

As I wrote this thought about the diversity of not only homes in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood, but in Phinney Ridge Real Estate Brokers. I took a break from composing this post and I looked out the living room window of my home and I reminded myself why I purchased my home way back when. It’s a sky-scape the nineteenth century storm and cloud painter, William Turner couldn’t have imagined! The mere photo doesn’t do it justice. It’s real and it’s right here for me to enjoy in my home on Phinney Ridge!

Green Building Can Be Fun!

Heard about the Triple Bottom Line in Green Building techniques and haven't seen a real life example? Well here you go. . . .

Who Says Green isn't Fun! A house "spotted" in Wallingford.

There's a remodel in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle underway with an obvious sense of humor. Green Canopy Home's latest endeavor has the moniker of "Keaton" after the famous actor Buster. If you aren't familiar with this company, they are 'house flippers'. While this might have a negative connotation to some, this partnership has a unconventional business plan. They look for existing homes throughout Seattle to improve and spruce up just like ordinary investors do. What they do differently isn't always easily apparent. Sure they add the usual bells and whistles buyers look for, but they go beyond the obvious and put in energy efficient windows, insulation and install energy efficient heating (and cooling) systems.

Don't trust that behind the walls might not be what they promise? This company tests the house before and after their improvements with a blower door test and provide the buyer with the Energy Performance Score (EPS). This is an objective measure of efficiency and can give the buyer peace of mind knowing what to expect for heating and cooling bills. The completed houses are certified with Built Green of King and Snohomish Counties.

What Green Canopy Homes also does extremely well is marketing. They get the neighbors involved; you can vote for the exterior paint color on their facebook page (a lesson they learned the hard way and turned it into a positive!). They hold events for the neighbors and the public with behind-thewalls tours, and educate whoever is curious through the whole process. If you happen to tour one of their completed homes there's information about what was done and a real time energy monitor so one can see how much energy is being used in the moment.

Flipping houses in this market is perceived as a risky enterprise. Green Canopy seems to be a great example of the working business model. The neighbors appreciate that the existing homes are kept in scale with the rest of the block. Less waste ends up in landfills. The homes perform much better than they did before and will last for at least a few more generations. In the process people are educated on what a green building is and get excited with the process and results. Green Canopy homes tend to sell for a slightly higher price and typically aren't on the market for long. It's a business idea that seems to work well for everyone involved. A very tangible example of a 'winning!' Triple Bottom Line.

Are you looking for home to do an energy efficient retrofit on? If you would like more information on how to make your house more efficient, I'm here to help!