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Seattle's Pricey Shorts: A Bit of Lake Union for $1.1 Million

Short sales happen, and sometimes they are expensive. Grand dreams available at discount prices.


Waterfront, on all sides - that's appealing enough right there. Houseboats are like that. This houseboat has 1,300 square feet of space inside, including 2 bedrooms and 1.75 baths; but it also has two porches and two moorages. Then, on land, it has two moorages for cars, but those moorages are called garages. Very nice, as long as you can pay the price of $1,150,000.

Houseboats range from the simple and frugal to the opulent and ostentatious. Classic, refined Arts & Crafts style is expertly done to maintain the appearance of simplicity with quality that creates quiet elegance. Houseboats also have to worry about weight. Something about having to float means the architect, the builder, and the owner literally have to weigh the options for anything that included in the house.

Two parking spaces on land and sea. Few houseboats come with covered parking. A garage on land (because who would park a car over water?) can hold two cars. It looks like they gave the architect the day off when it came to the garage. Pragmatic, but not a showpiece. The two parking spaces at sea, or at least on the lake, are a bonus. How about one for the power boat and one for the sailboat? Lake Union's Duck Dodge races are in the neighborhood!

So, when you're not out on the deck, or sailing around the lake, you'll get to enjoy a house with lots of room, but not lots of rooms. For 1,300 square feet, by only having two bedrooms and a couple of baths, the average area per room is larger than normal. Space is precious and appreciated after the rains come in and the Sun goes into hiding. That's a good time to use the sauna, one way to get warm that doesn't weigh as much as a hot tub.

A houseboat on Lake Union has a lot of advantages, which is one reason for the price of over a million. Eastlake in particular has access to downtown, the U district, and the north end of Capitol Hill. There's always something going on nearby, and there's a good chance your commute will be short; it might even be by boat. Home to office by water, without ever dealing with Seattle's traffic. That bit of stress relief is priceless.
· 2351 Fairview Ave E [Estately]
· Discovery Park [Seattle Parks]
Written by Tom Trimbath