Yarrow Point has 3 recorded sales on the NWMLS for September and October.  This area, just north of Bellevue, is a protected point in the northern end of Lake Washington.  It's a small, private community with beautiful homes and water views.  Home prices are usually at or near $1,000,000.

Yarrow Point Homes For Sale

Street	Baths	Beds	Lot Sz	Price	Sq Ft
NE 38th St Yarrow Point, WA 98004	2.5	4	14700	925000	2970
Points Dr NE Yarrow Point, WA 98004	2.75	3	23189	779000	4120
Points Dr NE Yarrow Point, WA 98004	1.5	4	69260	1050000	2830

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Statistics not compiled or published by the NWMLS.  Full street addresses removed for owners' privacy.

Medina has had just a handful of home sales recorded on the NWMLS in the past couple of months.  Ranging from half a million to over $3 million, these sales really show the range of Medina's homes.  From simple, mid-century ramblers to towering waterfront mansions, Medina is really a picture of the old and new Seattle.  Many families have lived here for 50 years and watched the change from working-class, logger Seattle to high-tech, latte-sipping Seattle.

Medina has some of the best West-facing waterfront on Lake Washington, and home buyers pay a healthy sum to scoop it up when it's available.

Medina homes for sale

Street	Baths	Beds	Lot Sq Ft	Sold Price	Tot Sq Ft
NE 14th St Medina, WA 98039	1.75	3	8668	552500	1880
Evergreen Point Rd Medina, WA 98039	4.5	4	17084	2850000	5710
Evergreen Point Rd Medina, WA 98039	4.25	4	22257	3328000	4830
NE 7th St Medina, WA 98039	1	2	16553	681000	1440
NE 10th St Medina, WA 98039	2.5	4	14959	770000	2640
NE 26th St Medina, WA 98039	4.5	4	0	1700000

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Statistics not compiled or published by the NWMLS.  Full street addresses removed for owners' privacy.

There have been 10 homes sold in Clyde Hill that were reported on the NWMLS in the last couple of months.  Clyde Hill is an upscale suburb on the north end of Bellevue, just minutes from downtown Seattle.  With quick access to Highway 520 and great views of Lake Washington, it's a perfect combination for commuting and privacy.  Average home prices are near $1,000,000, while we have a couple of $2 and $3 million recent sales.

Clyde Hill Homes For Sale

Street	Bathrooms	Bedrooms	Finished Sqft	Lot Size - Sq Ft	Selling Price	Square Footage
NE 28th St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	4.75	5	5500	26868	3200000	6098
NE 16 St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	3.5	4	3390	11761	908000	3390
NE 20th St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	2.25	3	2520	20849	910000	2520
Clyde Ln Clyde Hill, WA 98004	1.5	2	2480	20847	900000	1700
NE 34th St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	2.75	4	2650	23240	815000	2650
NE 16th St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	4.25	4	0	14477	1487500
NE 14th St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	3.5	4	3710	22720	1275000	4350
NE 22nd Pl Clyde Hill, WA 98004	2.5	4	3590	11326	1212750	3590
NE 32nd St Clyde Hill, WA 98004	4.5	5	6180	21697	2350000	6180
86th Ave NE Clyde Hill, WA 98004	2.5	4	0	20790	896500	3350

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Statistics not compiled or published by the NWMLS.  Full street addresses removed for owners' privacy.

Forbes Magazine listed the 10 safest cities in America to live, with Seattle checking in at number 5 on the list.  The list was based on a number of stats, including crime, workplace accidents, weather, and traffic accidents.

It's not a surprise to see Seattle on this list.  Our crimes rates are unusually low for a large city.  We don't see a lot of the natural disasters that affect some other cities.  Our rare earthquakes have caused little damage, there's been only minor flooding in the city, no tornadoes, hurricanes, and snowstorms are scarce.

America's Safest Cities

1. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wisc.
2. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisc.
3. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash.
4. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass.
5. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.
6. Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, R.I.
7. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.
8. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.
9. Cincinnati-Middletown, Ohio (tie)
10. Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, Ohio/Denver-Aurora, Colo. (tie)

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Home sales in the U.S. showed their fourth gain in five months by posting a 9% gain in existing home purchases as compared to 2008.  At the same time, inventory of total homes was down 7.5%, signalling more good news for home sellers.  There's no sure sign of recovery in the national real estate market, but this is another month of positive figures.

Realtor Article

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

The total number of Seattle bank-owned homes on the MLS is strikingly low.  Between Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Shoreline, I'm showing around 280 bank-owned homes for sale on the NWMLS.  That being said, the number did take quite a jump since it was around 210 homes a month ago when I last pulled the statistics.

To keep this in perspective, there are probably 10,000 listings for sale in the Greater Seattle metro.  These bank-owned homes make up only a tiny sliver of the homes for sale.  It's an interesting trend to follow, but not a market-changer at this point.

Seattle foreclosures have been rising steadily for the past couple of years, but a new article from CNN Money puts the total numbers in perspective.  While Seattle got hit with the real estate downturn much later than most cities, our foreclosures have been increasing while other cities have been slowing. 

That being said, our total foreclosure numbers are less than half the national average.  Most big cities have real issues with foreclosed homes and distressed properties.  Seattle bank-owned homes constitute less than one quarter of one percent of the homes for sale on the market.  This is miniscule, and doesn't affect the real estate market much at all at this point.  From the article:

The housing market could rebound quickly... "It's down because of economic distress," .... Once job losses end, the city's very diverse and modern companies should drive a quick recovery.

Article from CNNMoney

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats - Part 5 - Locations

Seattle Floating Homes Listings - Seattle Houseboats For Sale

The floating homes and houseboats in the Seattle area are all centered around Lake Union.  The Puget Sound waterfront is usually too rough for year-round moorage, and even Lake Washington with its great size can pick up a lot of wind and boat traffic, causing some rocky waters.  Lake Union, on the other hand, has caps on boat speed and a smaller surface area to pick up bad weather.  It's fairly calm year-round.

Eastlake - This is the home of the most magnificent floating homes.  While you can find some smaller homes for around $400k, there are also high-end communities with $2 million+, two story modern floating homes.  These are well-established communities and some newly-constructed communities.  Eastlake is the most well-known neighborhood and houses a large number of homes.

Portage Bay - This area also has a large number of floating homes, and is well protected in its small cove.  Many floating homes reside here, from small huts to full-sized traditional homes.  Located off the Montlake neighborhood, just across from the Seattle yacht club, there's plenty of boat traffic to view from the decks.

Northlake - This shoreline on the South end of the Wallingford neighborhood has quite a few houseboat/liveaboard communities.  You'll find everything from small sailboats to paddlewheel boats that are used as residences.  Gasworks Park is on this shore along with some marine industrial properties.

Westlake - Welcome to Sleepless In Seattle.  Tom Hanks' houseboat is here, along with a small outcropping of other floating homes.  This area is not as well-known for houseboats, save the movie star residence.  There are a lot of commercial/entertainment businesses in Westlake, which is separated by a steep slope from the East end of Queen Anne.

Canal/Queen Anne - Some of the least expensive houseboats/floating homes can be found here.  The views aren't as good as on Lake Union, but it still has great access to the lake and to the Puget Sound.  Most of the homes are located on the North shore of the Queen Anne neighborhood.

Searching for houseboats on the MLS can be difficult.  Real Estate agents vary in how they identify the neighborhood of the homes.  One houseboat could be listed 3 different ways--Lake Union, Northlake, or Wallingford.  Here are some of the most common:

Eastlake Floating Homes

Lake Union Floating Homes

Portage Bay Floating Homes

Queen Anne Floating Homes

Wallingford Floating Homes

Westlake Floating Homes

Although there have been other houseboats moved around to different parts of Seattle, the permanently established communities are all based within these neighborhoods and offshoots of the Lake Union waterfront.

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats - Part 4 - Financing

Let's reiterate again - Houseboats and Floating Homes are different.  Financing is one of the biggest differences.  Floating homes can be financed with regular 30 yr mortgages, traditional interest rates, and pay regular property taxes.  Insurance is a bit more expensive than a traditional home.

Financing a houseboat (vessel), on the other hand, is nothing like financing a regular home.  There are quite a few differences, the most important being:

Down Payment - Forget your No-Money-Down purchases.  Most lenders will require 25%-30% as a down payment.  These numbers change over time and with different lenders, but you must have a sizable down payment.  The least expensive Seattle houseboat right now is about $60,000.  That would still probably require $15,000 down.  Add to that...

Sales Tax - In most cases, houseboats are sold as personal property.  These "recreational vehicles" will pay almost 10% in sales tax at closing.  The buyer pays this tax.  You'll also pay yearly licensing fees.  This $60,000 houseboat now requires $15k down, $6k sales tax, plus closing costs.  Most buyers should figure on needing about 40% of the houseboat's price available in cash to make the purchase.

Interest Rates - Rates will typically be at least 1 percentage point higher than comparable home mortgage rates, and sometimes 2-3% higher.  A water-based house clearly has more potential for damage than a land-based house, and the lenders factor that risk into the rate.  Only a few banks will finance these loans, so you must find a specialized lender.

Insurance - Insurance costs are higher for boats than they are for homes.  A monthly policy for a house might be $80, while a monthly policy on a houseboat could be $200. 

Still on board?  It's better to know these issues up-front, and if you still feel like houseboat living is for you, let's move on.

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats - Part 3 - Utilities

Utilities on your houseboat or floating home can be rather ordinary or rather imaginative.  It all depends on your home and your moorage.

Electricity - This is usually fairly standard.  There are electric utility outlets available at your moorage for hookups to your home's electric supply.  Some houseboats will have large batteries or generators that charge while in dock, and can be used while out at sea.  Most large floating homes are hooked up semi-permanently to the electrical service and the owners need not pay much attention.

Water - Most floating homes are simply hooked up to an external hose from their moorage that brings in city water.  Compact water heaters are on board for hot water supply.  Houseboats that cruise will many times have a holding tank for potable drinking water that stores plenty of water onboard. 

Sewer - This is where it gets interesting.  Your high-end floating home communities have very sophisticated sewer systems that work with the city sewage lines.  The homes run regular, gravity-flow sewer lines from sinks, toilets, and showers, out to a submerged large holding tank maintained by the community.  When the tank fills, it automatically pumps the sewage up and out to the main city sewer lines.  Houseboats, on the other hand, can have on-board gray water tanks (shower/sink) and black water tanks (toilet).  Since they leave their moorage at times, they can't be permanently affixed to a sewer line.  These tanks must be pumped out by a mobile sewage service regularly.

Garbage - Get ready to haul.  While many communities have city garbage services, you're most likely going to be hauling your bags of garbage to the end of your docks to a main dumpster/pickup site.  This is much like living in a condominium complex, but it is one of the unique factors of living on the water.  From groceries to laundry to trash, there's a lot of hauling back and forth.

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats - Part 2 - Types of Homes

The term "houseboat" is used widely, and it is applied to many different types of residences.  You'll find floating homes, house barges, and even sailboat vessels with bunks being called houseboats, and there's a different usage of the term in different locales.  Here are the standards used in Seattle:

The City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development CAM 229 - Client Assistance Memo
Seattle Shoreline Master Program (SSMP) - Seattle Municipal Code 23.60

Floating Home - usually a true house, sitting on a float, connected to permanent utilities.

SSMP defines a floating home as a single-family dwelling constructed on a float that is moored, anchored, or otherwise secured in waters. Seattle's construction codes apply to floating homes and have requirements similar to those for houses built on land. Floating homes are required to be located in approved "floating home moorages" and have direct connections to sewer and water utilities, in addition to other location and design restrictions. The number of authorized moorage locations for new floating homes is very limited.

House Barge - a floating home with a hull built for towing/navigating the water if needed.

The SSMP defines a house barge as a vessel that is both:
1. designed and used for navigation but lacks a means of self-propulsion and steering equipment or capability (for example, it is designed and used for navigation by towing); and
2. designed or used as a place of residence.

A house barge houses people over water, but does not need to comply with the construction and utility requirements applicable to floating homes. Only house barges that have been continuously moored and used for residential purposes within the City of Seattle since June 1990 are allowed, and they are regulated as nonconforming uses. They must be moored in recreational marinas, meet State water quality standards, and demonstrate that all overboard discharges havevbeen sealed and that a satisfactory means of conveying waste-water to an approved disposal facility has been provided.

There are approximately 34 authorized house barges in Seattle. New house barges are not permitted. Moorage restrictions on house barges and floating homes are intended to preserve moorage space for boats rather than non-water-dependent residential uses.

Vessel - a boat with living quarters.

Boats, ships, barges, or other floating craft that are both designed and used for navigation and that do not interfere with the normal public use of the water are classified as vessels. Vessels are not regulated by the City's construction codes.

Vessels must be moored at a site that has the appropriate use permits for providing moorage to that type of vessel. Uses on vessels must be consistent with the policy of the Shoreline Management Act and with the regulations of the Land Use Code and the SSMP, even if no shoreline substantial development permit is required.

Incidental residential use of a bona fide vessel is permitted under the shoreline regulations. Several unique features of vessels with residential use differentiate them from house barges and floating homes. Vessels must be designed for navigation, including having a seaworthy hull design that meets U.S. Coast Guard standards for flotation, safety equipment, and fuel, electrical, and ventilation systems. They are capable of being used for water transportation, and if they are used for residential purposes they must be able to travel under their own power to open water, including a method for steering and propulsion, deck fittings, navigational and nautical equipment, and the required marine hardware (absent these features, they will be categorized as house barges, as described above). 

In addition, vessels must be used for navigation in a manner consistent with the type of vessel. Finally, vessels must be registered with federal, state, or county agencies. (NOTE: Being registered alone does not mean that something will be classified as a vessel for the purposes of the City's Codes-a vessel must be designed and used for navigation.) A structure on the water lacking any of these features does not qualify as a vessel and is subject to the SSMP and other City codes as a structure and as an obstruction.

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats - Part 1 - Floats

Understanding a floating home or houseboat starts with the most important part - the float.  No matter what style floating home you have, it needs to stay on top of the water.  Here is a simple breakdown of the typical floats you'll see:

Raft - This is the most basic and traditional type of float.  A bunch of logs are tied/strapped together in the water, and you build your house on top of it.  Seriously, that's it.  There are floating homes on Seattle's Lake Union that have been floating on the same logs for 60 years.  Logs do eventually sink, but it's a slow process and you can see it coming.  Just strap another log underneath and keep floating.

Pontoons - Two long floats are placed lengthwise along the bottom of the house.  They sit at the outer edges of the home and are connected by a smaller support structure in-between.  These can be fiberglass, steel, plywood, or many other kind of materials.  They can be hollow or filled with a foam product.  Pontoons are great for a houseboat that needs to be towed.

Barge/Scow - Essentially, borrow the hull of a ship and convert it to the float of your home.  Some barges are built new, but many are salvaged.  Old wooden and metal hulls work fine, and most have a bilge pump in the hollow interior in case of leaks.

Box flotation - Large boxes are built from wood, metal, or even just styrofoam and strapped/attached to each other.  This becomes a large dock to sit the house upon.  It can be sealed empty boxes or foam-filled.

All of these systems have advantages and disadvantages.  The deterioration of the materials is the most pressing issue for many saltwater floating home owners, but those lucky enough to live on Lake Union don't have these worries.

Sam DeBord and Brian Wiegand
Seattle Real Estate Brokers
Seattle Waterfront Homes
SeattleHome.com  (206) 552-8820