Renton Real Estate Information Resource

Renton, Washington

This blog will provide you with valuable information, tips, and general insight into the real estate market in Renton, Newcastle & South Bellevue Washington.

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Renton Real Estate Information Resource

Spring is in the air? Not on Cougar Mountain.

Mar. 1, 2007

Tagged with: bellevue, cougar mountain, newcastle, open window school, ows, private, private school, real estate, realty, renton

I was going to talk about the fact that Spring is in the air and then go on to identify some springtime home improvements you should start preparing for in today's blog post. That was until I saw the dusting of snow on my lawn as I poured my first cup of coffee this morning. I think that discussion can wait a few more days.

The higher elevations of our area received more than just a dusting of snow. My wife is a Teacher at Open Window School (OWS) (www.ows.org) in Bellevue. She had a two hour delayed start this morning. Like most schools, OWS will have to make up the lost time because they have already exhausted their reserve of additional snow days that were automatically built into the school's calendar.

The school sits atop Cougar Mountain and the weather is so unique compared to the surrounding region that they have their own weather center. You can check it out at http://www.ows.org/weatherstation/Current_Conditions.htm.

You may have seen reports from atop Cougar Mountain which is why I have to expose King 5 News for their weather reporting theatrics. Whenever they want to give the greater Seattle region a dramatic display of extreme weather conditions (usually on a slow news day), they send Jim Forman to the streets of Cougar Mountain after the sun goes down and the roads freeze so they can film vehicles sliding all over the place. At the same time, the rest of us in the lower elevations are sitting in our lawn chairs drinking the latest iced coffee extravaganza purchased "to go" at our local Starbucks facility in Renton or Newcastle. (Okay... that's an exaggeration but it's true that King 5 loves to report the weather from Cougar Mountain and if it's a car accident in Blaine, a mudslide in Enumclaw or a snowstorm atop Cougar Mountain, you can bet Jim Forman will be sent there.)

Don’t get me wrong... If my wife and I miss the paper and find ourselves in need of some news, we do prefer King 5 and a Jim Forman report is rarely a bore. And as for OWS, the unique and occasionally extreme weather helps give real world meaning to learning about elevation.

Here is a blurb from the OWS website...

Open Window School is a nurturing community for gifted children who love to learn. The students benefit from small classes that allow the talented teachers to offer an engaging and challenging curriculum that fosters academic excellence, cultivates innovation, stimulates problem solving and encourages independent thinking.

David Edwards

REALTOR®

Keller Williams Realty Southeast Sound

425-890-8045

E-Mail: david@davidjedwards.com

Website: http://www.davidjedwards.com

Blogsite: http://www.davidjedwards.com/renton-info-blog.asp

David J Edwards is a full time REALTOR® with Keller Williams specializing in Residential Real Estate for buyers and sellers in Renton and Newcastle.

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Seattle Sonics Choose Renton over Bellevue for New Arena

Feb. 14, 2007

Tagged with: agent, bellevue, buying, key arena, listing, listings, real estate, realtor, renton, seattle sonics

You might have heard that the Seattle Sonics are leaving Seattle’s Key Arena for a new location between now and 2010. According to the Seattle Times, Sonics Owner Clay Bennett told state lawmakers that he prefers Renton over Bellevue for the new $500 million basketball arena. (It would likely be the most expensive in the country.) Sports lovers seem relieved to hear that the prospect of sending the team completely out of our region to Oklahoma as initially rumored has become less likely but the fate of the Sonics in Renton remains far from certain.

This is a quote from the Seattle Times: “With a request for $300 million in state-authorized taxes, Bennett said the remaining $200 million or so would be split among private investors and the city of Renton. He said team owners have talked informally about a private contribution of $100 million.” The Sonics have not officially asked the citizens of Renton for anything at this point.

I was speaking with my wife about this topic the other day and she brought up an interesting point. She said… “We are already paying for Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners) and Qwest Field (Seattle Seahawks) why shouldn’t we subsidize the Sonics? We’ve proven that it’s not necessary to be a winning team.” While I don’t necessarily believe we need to subsidize a professional sports team that is paying Ray Allen 15 million a year, I do tend to agree that professional sports teams contribute to the economic base of the region they are located in and regardless of whether they are a winning team or not, they help create a sense of community and this has been the basis for the subsidies in the past.

Being chosen over Bellevue, Washington is a major boost to the ego of Renton residents who have long been the butt of jokes based on our working class economic base but is it really a good thing? We were not actually chosen first. Bennett didn’t want to leave Seattle in the first place. He has spent the last two years pleading with the state legislature for 200 million which he planned to use to renovate Key Arena. The specific plat of land Bennett had been investigating in Bellevue was actually four plats and four owners as opposed to the simplicity of one plat and one owner (Boeing) here in Renton. In spite of all this; I believe the answer is yes… It is a good thing, regardless of whether it comes to fruition or not. This is actually the second pat on the back from a professional sports team in the last year. The Seattle Seahawks have chosen Renton as the site of the corporate headquarters and they actually break ground on their new building next month.

Renton is a major player in the game of creating opportunity centers within the Pacific Northwest and ongoing increases in property values will continue to reflect that. Even if we do have a large working class population, I submit that it’s something to be embrace, not shy away from because it has paid off. While housing in Renton is considerably less expensive than Seattle and Bellevue (part of the reason for the Sonic’s choice), prices are on the rise (for the same reasons the Sonics’s were attracted to Renton.) If you need numbers to prove it, note that the average sale price of a 3 bedroom home in Renton was $366,000 as of December, 2006. Compare that figure to December, 2005 below to see our increase in property value for the period.

Renton Median Home Price