Jan. 15, 2009 - The Lakeview Neighborhood of Kirkland
The Lakeview Neighborhood of Kirkland Washington is fairly easy to define since the right boundary as shown above is the railroad track, the left is Lake Washington, the south goes as far as 98033/Kirkland border and the top starts at 68th Ave.
Single Family Homes in Lakeview, Kirkland WA 98033
The 5 homes that have sold In Lakeview in the last six months have had spectacular views, and ranged in price from $940,000 to $2,800,000. There are no single family homes in escrow as of today. 17 are for sale. One home just came on the market about a week ago for $670,000. The most expensive on market right now is a townhome in Marsh Commons priced at $2,500,000. Actually there are two of them in Marsh Commons, and another home nearby at the same price. There are 5 homes priced between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000. There are 6 priced between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000. Many of these are attached housing, towhomes, even in the highest price range, many with spectacular mountain and lake views.
Condos in Lakeview, Kirkland Wa 98033
There are 37 condos for sale, with two of those in escrow. Many of the condos are equally as expensive as the single family homes, and some are equal in square footage. The rare gem of a lower priced condo with a fabulous view is a lifetime hold vacation place for most anyone! It may be small, but what a place to come home to for under $350,000. A lot of people think they can't afford Lakeview, but for those with patience and who are willing to sacrifice some amenities for location in the lowest price ranges, it's a great lifestyle!
The most expensive property sold in Lakeview sold for $3,750,000 in April of 2008 and was just over 5,000 sf of opulent finishes with spectacular views across Lake Washington of the Mountains and The Seattle Skyline. There was a condo that sold for more at $4,900,000, but it was really two condos turned into one, and I'm not sure if the new owner converted it back to two units.
Lakeview is a neighborhood where "condo" is clearly not the poor sister to single family home. Many of the best residences in Lakeview are condos on the water...and off the water, for that matter. Views and lifestyle, walk to Downtown along the Lake. It's about As Good As It Gets.
Kirkland Weblog is a great source of info on Kirkland. It's more of a blog for residents, than a place for people thinking about moving to Kirkland. A blog with neighbors talking to each other more than simply a "brochure" about Kirkland. It's chock full of pretty much anything that's ever happened since the blog's been around. Right now the buzz is all about Jason on the Bachelor being from Kirkland. But nose around the blog and you will get a pretty good feel for the area, especially Downtown. Lakeview is often referred to as Carillon at one end, Houghton in parts, and even sometimes "Downtown".
Anyone who, like me, has enjoyed all that Green Lake has to offer, should go get themselves a giclee of Sonny Salsbury's magnificent "snapshot" of Green Lake - Seattle, depicted above. Because Sonny's "got it down!" Sometimes someone just hits that nail right on the head better than anyone else can, and Mr. Salsbury captured the essence of Green Lake that dis-spells all the confusion and "nails it!" In fact, throw all the definitions of what constitutes the Green Lake Neighborhood in the trash.
Real Estate Agents in Seattle, argue more about what IS and IS NOT "Green Lake", the neighborhood, than most any other geographic area in "The Emerald City". I lived at "Green Lake" when I first moved to Seattle, and I can tell you from "first hand" experience, that they've all got it wrong. Because anyone who can wake up in the morning and walk over to, and around Green Lake's 4.5 kilometer path, lives AT and IN "Green Lake". A neighborhood is first and foremost, it's lifestyle, and not the oddball street breakdowns the so-called experts attribute to being "the Green Lake neighborhood". They are so wrong, I'm not going to tell you how "they" define it.
I will, however tell you what you DO need to know. When you walk around Green Lake, within walking distance to and from the lake from all points, you pass through from Green Lake (going clockwise) to and through Wallingford, Woodland Park, Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, Licton Springs and back down to Green Lake. I especially mention "Licton Springs" because that is where I lived and because real estate agents don't give nearly enough credit to this gem of an area. That is both good news and bad news. While agents are freaking out right now that I have included this neighborhood in the same breath as Green Lake, that means you can buy into the lifestyle without paying "the price". The top of Green Lake is at or about at 78th. What we in Seattle might call "The Duke's Side of the Lake". OMG! Duke's has a BLOG! Technically, if you walk on Wallingford Ave to the other side of 85th, you're not in "Green Lake" anymore, Toto. But really. Get a deal and a lifestyle and be damned with the purist's definition. If you can walk to Duke's from your house in 7 minutes...trust me...you ARE in Green Lake.
Truth is, the Freakonomics boys are more right on most things, than some people give them credit for. Especially when it comes to the Real Estate Industry. I do agree that real estate agents say more with their actions, than with their words. In their "white paper" titled : Market Distortions when Agents are Better Informed: The Value of Information in Real Estate Transactions they touch more on the economic aspects. But it's a short leap to my point today, that many could learn much if there were a map with little push pins denoting where agents, who have seen much and who understand value, choose to live.
I choose to live in Kirkland. The Newcomer's Handbook has this to say about Kirkland, "some of the most spectacular views on the Eastside are found in Kirkland, with Lake Washington, the Seattle skyline, and Mount Rainier all visible from a few fortunate neighborhoods." I am one of the fortunate few, who on a daily basis, enjoys all that Kirkland has to offer. Perhaps it does take an agent to find that gem of a home. The one that other people pass up for one reason or another. The one that has everything life has to offer, at 65% or so of the price one would expect to pay to be where I am, with what I have.
A simple truth, that I don't think Steven and Stephen take into consideration, is this. Some people really don't take full advantage of a real estate agent's advices. Sometimes that is the most frustrating truth for me. Some people just absolutely insist on buying too high and buying the wrong house in the wrong place. I don't represent too many people like that, because I can usually see it coming. I can pretty much tell who those people are at the first or second meeting, and for the most part I say "adiós" to them early in "the game".
That's not to say that everyone wants the same things that I do, and should all live in Kirkland. Not at all. But everyone has a special place that will make their everyday existence more joyful. I can see each person's special place, and most times I can find each person a special value in their own special place, the same as I did for me and mine. But lacking Spock's powers...sometimes I can't transfer the imagery dancing in my head, and disambiguate a client's concerns adequately. Sometimes they just simply insist on making bad choices. No matter how much I make when that happens, I am not happy with the outcome. Luckily those days are very few and far between.
As like many of my Articles...what started out as a "Neighborhood" post...took a turn in another direction.
Nov. 14, 2006 - Eastside-Condo-$200,000 to $400,000
There are tons of options in this price range. The end unit townhome above in 98052 Renton is a good single family alternative at just under $330,000.
I don't like "red curbs"and speed bumps, but otherwise this one in Bellevue 98007 is another decent single family alternative.
For those looking for a condo with a view, this one at almost 1,300 square feet on one floor for about $350,000 is interesting.
On the Eastside, a "condo" can be a townhome or one level unit. It can be newer as in the first two above, or built in the late 70's to early 80's like the one with the view. There are currently 260 condos for sale in the zip codes noted as "Eastside" from Kenmore to Issaquah.
My observations are that one level unit is better if the square footage is 950sf or less. The 32 units for sale with two bedrooms but only one bathroom are a bit risky with regard to appreciation. There are 147 with 2 bedrooms and at least 1 3/4 baths, so opting for only 1 bathroom would have to come with a great price and hard to beat location. I encourage stepping up in price a little if needed, to upgrade from only one bathroom for resale considerations. There are 46 with 3 bedrooms, but the locations for most are a bit "out there". Great as single family alternatives, but a two bedroom, two bath closer in for the single crowd who want to be close to the gym or some nightlife and shopping.
The 260 condos for sale on the Eastside are pretty spread out area-wise. So unless you had your heart set on living in Medina for under $400,000 where the lowest price of anything for sale is $1,440.000...you can pretty much have your pick of location in this price range.
Stats for tracking inventory: 13 in 98004, 21 in 98005, 18 in 98006, 8 in 98007, 9 in 98008, 37 in 980011, 1 in 98014, 8 in 98028, 39 in 98029, 31 in 98033, 40 in 98034, 6 on Mercer Island 98040, 24 in 98052, 1 in 98053 and 7 in 98072
I'm going to breeze past the under $200,000 market on the Eastside. When you can still buy a totally refurbished condo like the one above for $165,000 to $175,000, things, have not gotten too far out of control. In fact, other than the three in Bellevue that we spoke about before that will either set a new standard for price or recede back to a reasonable increase over the last sales, the condo market is still moving at a reasonable pace and people are not priced out.
Best bets for a condo under $200,000 are in 98034, Juanita - Kingsgate - Totem Lake. I saw a great 3 bedroom up around 138th and 100th for $249,000, a little over the benchmark set in this article, but worth mentioning. The condo conversion above is in Kenmore. There are a few in Redmond, Bothell and Woodinville and even one in Issaquah.
Because of the three overpriced one bedrooms in Bellevue, I would be careful to check the comps before making an offer. Make sure you are not paying that 23% over the last sale price. Keep it down to no more than 10% and preferably 5%, if you can. I'm the first one to suggest to a seller that the price can be pushed, if they are the only game in town. But you see what can happen when you push too far, and it doesn't appraise. Not a happy scenario.
As long as sellers stay in a moderate straight line up increase mode, the under $200,000 market on the Eastside will hold its own. No sign of weakness here, and still a few good buys. I still think the best bet to hedge against market changes is the "ugly" one that you can improve upon. I saw one in Bothell or Kenmore where the owner made all the wrong upgrades for optimum resale value. Any condo that has some upgrades, but hasn't sucked out all of the equity yet, (like the one above) is always the better buy.
Update for tracking: 11/14/06 There are 20 condos for sale in the zip codes noted for "Eastside". 12 are one bedrooms: 4 in Kenmore, 3 in Bellevue, 2 in Kirkland, 2 in Redmond and 1 in Issaquah. There are 8 two bedrooms: 4 in Kirkland 98034, 1 in Bellevue 98007, 1 in Kenmore, 1 in Bothell and 1 in Woodinville.
Personally I like to go around the Lake from Kirkland on the Eastside, down Juanita Drive through Kenmore past Bastyr University hugging the Lake all the way around and down through Northgate and down to GreenLake. But most people take "the 520 Bridge" or the I-90 Bridge. The links above will give you tons of info and that last link is a cool web cam of the bridges, so you can decide by traffic conditions if you want to drive over the Bridge to the Eastside, or take the pleasant, scenic route around the Lake.
I have to say, that when I lived in Bridle Trails Bellevue, I used to say "it's always sunny in Kirkland!"
Even coming across the 520 Bridge from Seattle, there always seemed to be one big dose of sunshine right over Kirkland, even when it was rainy and cloudy everplace else. I know, there goes "Ardell in Ardell's World" again . I just love Kirkland, I can't help it.
It's a beautiful, sunny morning here, and has been pretyy much every day. It's Sunday and I am going out with a young couple, he from California and she from Japan, who are being relocated here by Microsoft.
Looking at the inventory of homes for sale, I have to say that the condos and single family homes are picked over and overpriced for the most part. At lesast the ones in their price range.
What's standing out are the townhomes...so we're off to see what we can see this afternoon. Maybe we'll get lucky. Or maybe I'll just find out a little more about what makes them happy and what doesn't, so I can preview for them or find homes "not for sale" for them.
UPDATE 1/28/06 Another one coming...condo conversion on Lake Washington Blvd. Don't have the details except my Dentist lives there and has to move in two months...so it's coming...
pdate - Heard they had their Grand Opening on May 5th...
The big news is that there will soon be another massive condo conversion in downtown Kirkland similar to last year's at the Gallery. A better job of retrofitting, I think, based on this group's othe project up in Juanita.
Will probably be the same timeframe as the Gallery was last year, mid to late summer completion for some of them. Around 850 square feet give or take. $299,000 to $324,900.
Jan. 5, 2006 - Building Permits & Neighborhood info - Kirkland
Here's a great tool!
If you click on the Kirkland Neighborhood Map in my favorite links to the right, you will find a great map of the way Kirkland breaks down its neighborhoods. The map is INTERACTIVE!. If you click on a neighborhood, you will be able to see all of the approved and pending building permits in each neighborhood.
While these are the actual neighborhood names, when you are looking at homes for sale under the property search link on the right, most real estate agents will break down the communities differently. The "Market" neighborhood is commonly referred to as "West of Market". Norkirk is called "East of Market". Moss Bay and the SW corner of Norkirk is usually referred to as "Downtown". Juanita North and South are combined and called Juanita. Lakeview and Central Hougton are combined and called Hougton except at the southernmost point of Lakeview where you have Carillon and Rose Point. Totem Lake is Totem Lake, Highlands is Highlands, Bridle Trails is Bridle trails and I'm not sure what they call Everest :-) Some agents call parts of Lakeview, West Bellevue, but most Kirkland residents do not want to be called Bellevue.
When choosing a home, note that there is a train that can be noisy at times if you live very close to it and the 405 runs straight through Kirkland. Great access for getting around, but you probably don't want to live right up on it. Check noise levels when the road is wet. Also, Downtown living is great! But it can be noisy in the summer if you live too close to the bars and restaurants. Of course EVERY house sells. If the noise level doesn't bother you, properties with higher noise levels will give you more home for your money or better schools for your children at a price you can afford. Just make sure the property is appropriately discounted for the noise factor.
I live East of Market. Heaven!! Great views of Lake Washington, Mt. Rainier and Downtown Seattle and relatively affordable compared to West of Market and some other areas with views.
ARDELL
DellaLoggia
On Seattle Real Estate including Kirkland, Bellevue, Redmond, Green Lake and most areas around Lake Washington North of Downtown Seattle.
Phone: 206-910-1000 - Mailto:Ardell@RainCityGuide.com
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. I just love Kirkland, I can't help it.
