Green Lake Real Estate: A look at Inventory

I’m not the only real estate broker who has been talking nonstop about the lack of inventory in the Seattle area.  So if there’s no inventory, why do I keep seeing “for sale” signs on every block – does that mean ?

In January, I wrote a post about the current state of the market and there were seven active listings – six single family homes and one condo.  So where are we at today?  Well, it’s Spring – a time when the market generally picks up and this year is no change.  There are currently 14 single family homes on the market and two condominiums.  Not including the condominiums, the average size of the homes on the market is 2,199 square feet and the average price is $611,268. This gives us an average price per foot of $278.

5608 Latona Ave

This home at 5608 Latona Ave NE is currently listed for $730,000. It has 5 bedrooms and 2.25 baths.

In April, fifteen homes sold in Green Lake (three condominiums and twelve single family homes).  Despite the amount of homes being added to the market, the average time these homes spent on the market was 13 days – and ten of the homes were on the market for a week or less.

Compared to 2012, we had just a few less homes on the market.  There were 18 homes sold last year in April, but at an average market time of 51 days – that’s almost two months compared to our current time of two weeks!  And in 2011, the average time on the market for April was 61 days.

To sum up: More houses are coming on the market, but we’re not balanced yet.  We still have a lot of home buyers out there and not enough houses to sell them.  Houses in Green Lake are selling quickly, often for more than asking price.  We’re still out of whack, but the addition of new listings each week is putting us on the right track to a balanced market.

 

 

Seattle Beer Week: Your North Seattle Picks

Seattle Beer Week is soon to be upon us again.  The fifth year running, this year’s Beer Week falls on May 9th through the 19th and as usual, is sure to include something for everyone.  Although I do like to expand my horizons out of the neighborhood a little for this one, here are my North Seattle event picks!

  • On May 10th, head to Brouwers in Fremont for the Underberg Back in Black Stout Fest – 40+ stouts on tap.  Event runs all day
  • On May 11th, it’s time to head to Hale’s Ales for Brewgrass – a collaboration of beer & music with 10 local breweries and 3 bands, benefiting NW Harvest.  Starts at 5pm and you can buy your tickets here.
  • On May 12th, it’s Mother’s Day. So treat your mother to one of her favorite movies – Psycho.  DJ Nicfit plays this film at Naked City’s screening room to a live soundtrack, and I can say from experience it’s amazing.  Starts at 8pm in Greenwood.
  • May 13th, check out the Sierra Nevada dinner at the Burgundian in Tangletown.   5 beers paired with 5 dishes (exact beers & dishes tbd).  This starts at 6pm.
  • On May 14th, check out Beer & Burger Battle back at Brouwer’s in Fremont.  It runs all day long, and pits six brewers against each other to design the best burger.
  • On May 15th, don’t miss the annual Latona Pub Cask Fest in Green Lake.  A huge selection of cask beers, starting at 6pm.
  • On May 16th, try out pFriem Family Brewing at Art of the Table in Wallingford.  Everyone is buzzing about this brewery, and the restaurant is pairing up 7 courses to match.  The reception starts at 6:30, dinner served at 7.  Call the restaurant at (206) 282-0942 for a reservation.  Dinner is $95/person + tax/tip.
  • After taking a few nights off to repair your liver, celebrate the last day of Beer Week with The Dray in Phinney Ridge.  The Dray has a celebration of its own that day – their 5th Birthday!  There will be special brews from Firestone Walker, and tacos from The Yard.

Make sure you don’t miss one or two other events in the rest of the city either, as there’s plenty to do!  You can check out the full schedule here. 

Photos: The exciting Green Lake Traffic Circle – boats, cows & aliens

A week ago, I tweeted a photo of a boat that got some attention.  Not just any boat, but a boat that was parked, without a trailer, in the middle of a traffic circle at Woodlawn Ave N & Kenwood Place North in Green Lake.  I thought the photo was humorous – not just because of the boat, or the note that was left on it by the Seattle Police Dept (stating “Really?”) – but because I really enjoy seeing what that traffic circle will come up with next.

Here is the photo I took of the boat (and the note) last week:

564428_10100107015227813_1683389671_n

Now, some argue this is a nuisance and some argue that it’s art.  No matter what it is, it’s always fun to see what’s coming next.  When I first moved into this particular neighborhood, a bench sat on that island.  Eventually, an inflatable family of aliens moved in….one at a time (here’s dad).

Photo_673E0231-241A-A75E-81AE-CD6ED3856370

After the aliens moved away (beamed back to the mothership?) Bessie arrived.  Well, okay, I call her Bessie.  Anyway, the life-size Green Lake cow stayed at the traffic circle for several months and even got decorative bows around Christmastime.

Photo_92EE55F2-FABD-05EB-4977-72B4CF0ED322

And that, my friends, is the story of the last three years of the traffic circle at Kenwood & Woodlawn.   We’ve heard that the boat may be towed – some folks have tried to stop that with a petition that has now disappeared.   Is it art?  Is it funny? Is it tacky?

Well, it’s entertainment.

Food Truck Roundup to benefit U-District Food Bank – May 19th

You’ll want to mark your calendar for this one – May 19th, from 3-7 pm, the Phinney Neighborhood Center will become home to a wealth of local food trucks along with local beverage  providers and live music.

It’s all to benefit the University District Food Bank, which provides groceries to over 1100 families each week.    But unlike the U-District Food Bank fundraisers we usually see throughout the year, this one isn’t going directly to the food – it’s going towards the building.  Currently, the food bank operates out of an 800-sq ft facility.  This event, called “Fight Hunger, Build Hope” is the kick-off to raise $2.75M for a new, larger facility that can accommodate all the customers it serves.

The event itself will cost $25 for entry, and that gets you eight tastes from food trucks plus four drink sips from local distillers and brewers (this is a 21 & over event).   There will also be live entertainment throughout the afternoon.

You can purchase tickets here for either $25, or make a $125 donation to also receive a community cookbook with recipes from many of our favorite food trucks.

image002

Latona Pub’s IPA Final Four Bracket – fill it out before Tuesday!

After a successful few years, Latona Pub’s IPA Final Four Challege is back – and brackets need to be filled out and submitted by Tuesday afternoon.

If you’re used to losing the NBA March Madness brackets each year, and know your beers better than your sports teams (I admit, I choose my NBA teams based on how cute the mascot is), then this is definitely the event for you.

1698_10151861185863712_475990678_n

Starting Monday, March 18th, Latona Pub will put sets of IPA’s on tap – three at a time.  Your job is to predict which keg will blow first.  They’ll do this four times (timing depends on when the kegs blow), and then the four winners will be put on tap against each other.

Don’t think this is easy though – The first round features Green Flash, Boneyard, and Boundary Bay.  Boneyard won the entire event last year, and Boundary Bay won the year before – so it’ll be a tight race.

Other IPA’s coming up in the tournament include Black Raven’s Trickster, 7 Seas Rude Parrot, Elysian’s Space Dust, and of course, Georgetown’s Lucille.

Brackets are available now to be filled out at Latona Pub in Green Lake and turned in before the first keg blows – likely on Tuesday afternoon.

Wine World & Spirits joins U-District Food Bank for Chili Cook-Off

I’m a huge proponent of the University Food Bank (well, any food bank).  And those of you who know we well know that I’m also a proponent of beer and wine. So I’m thrilled to pass along that Wine World and Spirits has teamed up with the U-District Food Bank for the second annual Chili Cook-Off.

The Cook-Off will be held on Sunday, March 3rd from 2pm to 5pm at Wine World and Spirit’s private ballroom, with proceeds benefiting the food bank.  Tickets are $10 and include your chili tastes plus 5 drink tickets to sample local beers and wines that have been selected to pair with the chili.

Men, that’s probably all you need to read – buy your ticket here or at the door.

Ladies, if you still need a little tempting, this is the part where I get to tell you that the chili will be judged by Seattle firefighters.   And yes, I know that’s a totally sexist comment and I don’t really care.  FIREFIGHTERS.

Wine World & Spirits is located at 400 NE 45th.

TOMORROW: Washington Beer Open House. Expand your north Seattle horizons.

Tomorrow (February 23rd) is the annual Washington Beer Open House event – a day when, from noon until 5 pm, you can visit a number of Washington breweries for a special behind the scenes look, a tasty new treat, or perhaps a chance to meet the man behind the brewery door.

We’re incredibly lucky in north Seattle to have a plethora of the state’s awesome breweries, so I encourage you to get out to at least one of them tomorrow that you might not have been to before and expand your local beer horizons.

In north Seattle, you’ll find the following places participating in the Washington Beer Open House:

  • Fremont Brewing – Fremont
  • Hales Ales – Frelard
  • Hilliards – Ballard
  • Northwest Peaks – Ballard
  • Maritime Pacific – Ballard
  • Reuben’s Brews – Ballard
  • Naked City Brewery – Greenwood
  • Elliott Bay Brewery – Lake City

Been to them all already?  Great.  Try something new.  Venture further out from our area to visit American Brewing in Edmonds, or perhaps Black Raven Brewing in Redmond.  You can view the full list of participating breweries here.

Cheers!