August 2010 Archives

Have you been tortured by your desire to be a farmer and your attachment to your urban dwelling?  Worry no more!  The Seattle City Council recently updated and approved the ordinance governing urban farms and community gardens.  I think you will soon be seeing many more chicken coops, vegetables for sale and straw hats around your Seattle neighborhood.

Below are a few of the provisions in the ordinance.  Check out the complete ordinance here.

   In all residential zones all urban farms are subject to the following provisions:

             1.  Mechanical equipment. Only mechanical equipment designed for household use may be used. 

            2.  Sales. Retail sales and all other public use of the farm shall begin no earlier than 7:00 a.m. and end by 7:00p.m. every day of the week. 

            3.  Deliveries. Commercial deliveries and pickups are limited to one per day. On-site sales are not considered commercial pickups. 

            4.  Motor vehicles.  No more than two motor vehicles, each with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or less, may be used for farm operations.

             5.  Location. The farm shall be located on the same lot as the principal use to which it is accessory or on a lot where the planting area is within 800 feet of the lot where the principal use is located.

             6.  Signs.  One identification sign is permitted, not exceeding 64 square inches in area.

             7.  Structures.  On a lot with no principal structure:

                   a. The total gross floor area of all structures for urban farm use may not exceed 1,000 square feet.

                   b. Structures for urban farm use may not exceed 12 feet in height, including any pitched roof.

                   c. Structures for urban farm use are also subject to the development standards that would apply to an accessory structure in the zone.

 

A popular website for homebuyers researching neighborhoods is Walkscore.com.  Lake & Company Real Estate now offers Walkscore information for every listing in the Northwest MLS.  From Lakere.com simply choose the home you are interested in from the search map.  At the detailed listing page look for the tab "what's nearby".

 

Website rates your neighborhood's walkability and your commute costs.  The Seattle Times, 8/16/2010

According to Walkscore, 57 percent of Seattle residents live in a neighborhood with a score of 70 or above.  Most neighborhoods have a score of at least 50, with 14 percent of residents living in car-dependent neighborhoods.

Seattle's most walkable neighborhood is Pioneer Square, with a score of 99, followed by downtown, 97; First Hill, 96, Belltown, 95; and Roosevelt, 96.  At the bottom of the list is Blue Ridge, with a score of just 32. 

Walkscore also scores the walkability of a neighborhood to its proximity to such amenities as grocery stores, schools, restaurants, parks and even bookstores. 

The website also has a calculator to show home much of a resident's average monthly income goes to housing and transportation costs.  According to Walkscore, households in traditional suburbs spend up to 32 percent of their incomes on transportation costs, while households in walkable areas with good access to public transportation spends as little as 12 percent.

The Seattle Times reprinted an article by David Streitfeld of the New York Times today. Your home a path to wealth? Experts say no quotes exectives from various companies as if they have a clue as to what's coming down over the next 20-50 years.  Even the cheif financial officer of Zillow says,  "There is no iron law that real estate must appreciate." 

When was the promise that home ownership would create wealth, except on late night TV? Most of us know that there are a great many tangible and intangble benefits to home ownership, that span one's lifetime. The home isn't and never was intended to be the monthly ATM machine to meet expenses. Nor was it the path for everyone to create wealth.

Perhaps only executives of major corporations know that the true way to weath is gigantic bonuses funded by investors through IRAs and other investment plans. Maybe there is a flaw in the Wall Street model for the little guy to get ahead.

Of course you could put you money in a CD or bank account, now paying a whoping 1%, more or less. The beauty of compound interest has pretty much gone down the tubes.

Renting is the only option besides buying, unless Mom and Dad will allow you a little comp time in the basement. Have you ever noticed that rents do go up? With a fixed rate mortgage your house payments will stay the same. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the landlord is non-responsive to your requests for small repairs? Could you do a better job of that yourself?

Home ownership is not for everyone. For one thing you are either going need a lot of cash, or good credit. And then you have to be a responsible person, willing to take care of your home. Sometimes you will have to cancel the trip to Cabo, because, just maybe you didn't plan ahead for the new roof. Oh, well, the sun shines here once in a while, too.

When you are ready to own, give us a call. I'd be happy to help you find that special home, or one that you can make just right.

 

Lake Real Estate and Company is proud to announce their new website, empowering the consumer to find properties online, and learn much more about buying and selling real estate. Given the radically changing market and the increase in buyers turning to the web to find a home, LakeRE.com has been developed to serve the needs of everyone involved.

Using revolutionary new technology, a detailed property search of all listed properties from all northwest brokers is easily negotiated using the interactive map, simple list, or tile display. Buyers can compare listings and save favorites to review later. They can create a custom search and receive daily updates of new listings by email, or look for this week's Public Open Houses. Sellers can view recent sales as well as listings currently pending in order to make the right decisions when listing a property for sale. Users can take a virtual walk down the street using Google's Street View, or determine the nearest schools or restaurants. Zillow's demographics are displayed as well as Walk Scores where available.
In addition, the website gives advice on how to maneuver through issues like preparing your home for sale, making the successful offer, and financing decisions. At any time, a quick phone call or email will answer any questions you may have about a property or the website.

We hope you enjoy our new site and the information we are now able to provide.

• Open Houses
• Pending Homes
• Active Listings
• Recently Sold
  
  

Fannie Mae has a new site designed to help homeowners. It's called Know Your Options and here's what Fannie Mae has to say about it:

If you are struggling with your mortgage payments or facing foreclosure, you may feel overwhelmed and frustrated. Many homeowners simply don't know what to do or where to go for assistance, and they feel too helpless to take action.

In Seattle, at the present time, less than 10% of homeowners are in one phase or another of the foreclosure process. In outlying areas the figure is higher. While our problem is not as serious as the problems in Arizona, Nevada, Florida and a few other states, this is a concern for us all on a neighborhood level. If you know of someone who is having a problem with a home modification loan, a short sale, foreclosure, or just currently having trouble making their house payment, this site is a good place to send them. It's easy to navigate and will clarify issues that are often hard to grasp.