About Seattle's West Seattle

When doing an inspection:

Always get a sewer scope!

A sewer scope is an additional inspection that costs about $200 but is one of those things you don't want to buy a house without knowing. During a sewer scope they put a camera down the sewer line to see if there is any damage to the line. Often they find tree roots that need to be removed but other times they can find actual damage or whole collapsed lines. The cost to fix them can run in the tens of thousands of dollars and become your problem after the close so you need to know about them before hand.

Let me tell you a little story:

Several years ago a friend of mine was selling her house. The potential buyer did a sewer scope and found a complete collapse. The estimate to fix it was in the neighborhood of $40,000. That's a 4 with 5 zeros! Something you would certainly want to know.

Side note:

The scope isn't necessary for condos since the association is responsible for the maintenance of the sewer line for condos and co-ops.

Just like a regular inspection and a title search, you hope they show nothing and they typically do, but when they do find something it makes the $200 you just spend seem like candy.

Seattleite's love to eat out and thank goodness we have so many great choices to do so. But if you are like me you sometimes find yourself in the rut of going to the same places over and over. Well, if you are looking for a new place to check out, NW Source has a list of places readers have recommended for 2008. Each year they do a poll asking Seattle to name their favorite eateries in a variety of categories. So if you are looking for a new place to satisfy your palate, here are some thoughts. Just for some fun I thought I would add my own favorites. Feel free to add your own comments if you have favorites that you don't' want overlooked.

Best Sandwich/Place for Kids/Mac and Cheese/Bakery/Brunch/Dessert Spot

• NW Source Pick: Eats Market Café (West Seattle) - Talk about knocking the cover off the ball. Eats received top honors in no less than six categories. With that kind of support, this is a place you have to try out.

For the record I am a huge brunch fan. If it were up to me there would be nothing but three servings of brunch each day. Here are my favorites.

• Rob's Pick: The Dish (Ballard/Freemont) Angelina's Trattoria (W. Seattle) Salti's on Alki (W. Seattle)

Brew Pub

• NW Source Pick: Pike Brewing Company (Downtown, Pike Place Market)
• Rob's Picks: Elliott Bay Brewing (W. Seattle)

Burger

• NWSource Pick: Stell's Burger's and More (Queen Anne)
• Robs Pick: Kid Valley (Green Lake, U. District, Queen Anne) - Cummon', how can you beat a place that has a secret hand shake.

Chinese

• NWSource Pick: Ying's Drive-(International District)
• Rob's Pick: Uwajimaya - (International District) Yes I did have to look up the spelling of this and it truly isn't a restaurant but a market. Nevertheless, it is a fun place to go and there is great food there. Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon (Maple Leaf) - Ask anyone, its the best amost kept secret in Maple Leaf. (Thanks Courtney)

French Fries

• NWSource & Rob's Pick: Dicks (Queen Anne) - You can't argue with a classic

Happy Hour

• NWSource Pick: Tiger Tail (Ballard)
• Rob's Picks: Matador (Ballard) Great food, fun people watching, expect a crowd. Palisade (Magnolia) Great views, fun bar, limited menu though. Try the sliders.

Independent Coffee House

• NWSource Pick: Fuel (Capital Hill, Wallinford, Mountlake)
• Rob's Picks: Firehouse Roasting Co. (Ballard), Café Ladro (Freemont), Café Van Gogh (Wedgwood)

Indian

• NWSource Pick: Bengal Tiger East Indian Cuisine - (Ravenna)
• Rob is not a huge fan in this category so I am taking a pass.

Italian

• NWSource Pick: Perche' No Pasta and Vino (Green Lake/Wallingford) - I have to say I whole heartedly agree with this pick. Drop in and say hi to David and Lilly for me. They are great hosts.
• Rob's Other Picks: Mamma Melina's (U. District) Fantastic food but poor seating. Expect a wait. Assaggio's (Belltown) - Pricey, but so good. Pasta Bella (Ballard) - Little hole in the wall place on 15^th but honestly they have really great authentic food. Take it from a guy who grew up in New Jersey - Fageddaboutit.

Mexican

• NWSource Pick: La Carta de Oaxaca (Ballard)
• Rob's Pick: Gordito's -(Greenwood) You just can't beat a burrito the size of your head. Rosita's - (Greenlake) Fantastic in the summer time for before or after a stroll around the lake.

New Restaurant

• NWSource Pick: Tidbit (Capital Hill) - This Spanish Italian fusion restaurant is getting rave reviews.
• Rob's Pick: Loki Café (Wallingford)

Outdoor Dining

• NWSource Pick: Salty's (Redondo)
• Rob's Pick; Ray's Boathouse - (Shilshole/Ballard) No place better to watch the sunset over the sound and sip a margarita. Try the calamari and the burgers. Aqua Verde - (Wallingford/U. District) For me you need a view of the water to rank in this category. Agua Verde has great home made salsa and chips. I would have included it in my Mexican choice except that I was including it here. If you get bored afterward there are kayak rentals downstairs.

Pizza

• NWSource Pick: Pagliacci (all over) - I have to say I agree. I am pretty picky when it comes to pizza having grown up on the east coast, but they are the best.
• Rob's bonus pick: Pegasus Pizza (Alki) Great location, great food, fun atmosphere.

Seafood

• NWSource Pick: Nordstrom Grill (Downtown) I have to say I am a little surprised by this pick, but there you have it.
• Rob's Picks: Alki Crab and Fish Co. (W. Seattle) Hands down the best fish and chips in the city. You can also get several other varieties of sea fare to go with your chips. Grab a bottle of malt vinegar and watch the ferries head downtown. Warning - If you sit outside you will have to fight the gulls for your fires, they aren't shy. Ponti Seafood Grill (Queen Anne/Freemont) A classic never goes out of style. Great upscale dining.

Steak House

• NWSource Pick: Jak's Grill (Laurelhurst, W. Seattle, Issaquah) - I do like Jak's but more for their sandwiches then their Steaks.
• Rob's Pick: El Gaucho (Belltown), Metropolitan Grill (Downtown)

Sushi

• NW Source Pick: Chiso (Freemont)
• Rob's Pick: Sam's Sushi (Ballard) - Shh, no one knows about this place. Lets keep it between you and me. Musashi's (Wallingford) - Shh, everyone knows about this place. The line sometimes wraps around the block.

Thai

• NWSource Pick: Mae Phim Thai Restaurant (Downtown)
• Rob again takes a pass.

Vegetarian

• NWSource Pick: Café Flora (Madison Valley)
• Rob - Did I mention how much I love burgers and steak?

For the full list check out NWSource. Eat, Drink and leave a generous tip!

With 109 active listings in March, West Seattle's absorption rate stands at 4.7 months.

Lighthouse Point - junction of Alki Ave and Beach Drive

The Lighthouse Point Condominium (website) is a new conversion complex located next door to the Alki Point Lighthouse and steps from Alki Beach.

Previously the Riptide Apartments, Lighthouse Point offers 40 studio and one-bedroom homes starting from $195,000. The initial release of homes are located on the 1st and 2nd floors and range in price from $195,000 to $215,000.

The homes offer Sound views, bamboo flooring, stainless appliances including a cooktop with a separate convection microwave oven, European-styled refrigerators (smaller than regular refrigerators), walk-in tiled showers and storage. Parking is also available. Located at the tip of Alki Point, residents are just a few blocks from the many shops, eateries and businesses along Alki Beach Park.

Lighthouse is hosting a fully-catered community BBQ for West Seattle residents on Saturday, March 29th from Noon to 3:00 PM.

The grand opening is slated for the weekend of April 5th.

The Sidney - 2514 57th Avenue SW

The Sidney (website) is a small 9-unit complex located steps from Alki Beach at 57th Ave and Alki Ave. The one- and two-bedroom homes are fairly spacious ranging in size from 735 to 940 sq ft. The one-bedrooms are offered between $299,000 and $375,000 while the two-bedrooms range from $425,000 to $475,000. Recently, prices were reduced $50,000 for a number of the homes.

Updates include new cabinets, slab granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, windows, siding and finishes. Homes come with storage, parking and washer/dryer hookups.

Trenton Court - 8659 Delridge Way SW

Trenton Court isn’t new having been on the market since August and they’re nearly sold out with just three two-bedrooms units remaining. The units range in size from 742 to 784 and are priced at $235,000 and $245,000.

The homes feature bamboo flooring, updated kitchens with stainless appliances, private decks, storage and 2-car tandem parking.

Perhaps the most disappointing condo appreciation result was in West Seattle which managed to eek out a 1% increase in annual median price for 2007. West Seattle had a tough year with two developments converting to apartments. As for 2008, it's a toss up as to what will happen. On one hand, the overall softening of the market will certainly affect West Seattle as will further reports on the fate of the Viaduct. On the other hand, with the "repartmenting" of two conversion projects, the condo inventory will have a chance to stabilize. Hopefully, that'll keep the market afloat for 2008.

Source: NWMLS. Appreciated rate based on closed sales reported as of 01/16/08.