About Seattle's Pinehurst

Are savvy Seattle home buyers getting energy audits?

If you are thinking about buying a home in Seattle one of the things that you may not have considered is getting a home energy survey done first. By no means is this is a requirement for purchasing a home, it is just an option you have that gives you information about your future home’s energy savings and losses.

A survey for home energy will evaluate the energy performance of any house that you are thinking of buying. This is a visual inspection that is done by professionals who know exactly what to look for. It will give you an overall idea of how many repairs will be needed to the home to bring it up to a decent energy standard.

For example, if there is a lot of mold and mildew in a bathroom that you are viewing, there may be a problem with the room’s ventilation system. Perhaps the bathroom fan is causing a problem or the air circulation in the home is simply not reaching the bathroom properly.

As a further example, while there may not be any mildew or mold in a bathroom in its current state, a faulty bathroom fan may lead to this type of situation in the future. A qualified energy surveyor will be able to pinpoint small and large problems that could lead to bigger issues in the future.

The visual check will include looking for moisture, examining the ductwork, ventilation, cooling and heating systems in the house and looking at the appliances if they are included with the house. This inspection will also look at the windows and doors in the home to make sure that the house is as airtight as possible.

There are reports available that are more complex and look for deeper issues. These inspections will use high technology devices to check for problems. If there is anyone that is going to be living in the house that has extreme allergies, this type of report is recommended. When you’re buying a house in Seattle it’s a long-term investment that is worth the small effort.

If you are thinking about buying a house in Seattle you might want to think about getting a quick energy check on it before your purchase. If there are any major repairs that will need to be done to help save energy in the future, you should know right away. Energy efficient homes will save you thousands of dollars in the long run in utility costs and will also help protect the environment.

This Seattle real estate market update is courtesy of Adrian Willanger at Coldwell Banker Danforth& Associates 206 909-7536 helping people buy and sale homes in the Greater Seattle area.

Related posts:

1. Seattle Green Builder freshens up marketing to reflect trend towards Zero-energy(10.4)
2. New Home Buyers Looking for Value, Efficiency and Green Features (8.7)
3. Staging a bathroom when selling your Seattle home (8.4)
4. Will reducing energy codes create more jobs? (8)
5. Seattle Net Zero Homes-Who Benefits? Buyers (7.9)

New Grocery Stores in North Seattle

I love grocery shopping where I can find the latest in gourmet and imported foods. Now grocery shopping is becoming more pleasurable in North Seattle, near Northgate!

A new Safeway is in the works for Pinehurst with completion by November of this year (2010). Located on 15th NE and NE 125th, the store will be the first "green" Safeway in our state. Safeway has wanted to update their store for some time and worked with a neighborhood community group who urged Safeway to agree to LEED Silver Certification for their new 50,000 square foot store. They will have an eco-friendly parking lot containing less concrete and will also have energy-saving refrigeration.

Other neighborhood requests being incorporated are an indoor / outdoor coffee shop with a fireplace (!), landscaping and bike racks.

Residents hope this new development will inspire restaurants and other walkable amenities to their North Seattle neighborhood.

Demolition occurred in early May and a drive through pharmacy has been constructed in the meantime.

Also new to the neighborhood is a newly remodeled QFC in Olympic Hills on 15th NE and NE 145th streets. Residents aren't happy about the higher cost of most grocery items but QFC does have high quality meat and produce, plus a lot more imported foods, wines and deli and bakery items.

I welcome the change!

Another north Seattle neighborhood not well known is Pinehurst.

Determined by the very active Pinehurst Community Council the boundaries are NE 130th Street to the north, NE Northgate Way to the south, I-5 to the west, and Lake City Way to the east.

Geographically, the eastern area slopes east and many homes enjoy a great territorial view. East of 15^th NE, is the Pinehurst Green Grid with a model natural drainage system. The grid is 12 beautiful, meandering, tree-lined streets and the project incorporates new sidewalks, roadways, and landscaping with native and non-native plants to enhance the pedestrian experience.

The western area of Pinehurst borders Northgate Mall on the north boundary and many businesses outline the arterials.

Homes are currently selling from $288,000 to $625,000.