Seattle has buses. (Really, they're throughout King County, and reach into the neighboring counties, too.) Use them! In which case you might as well find a place to live along a line. One line at a time. Here's the next one, selected at random for the fun of it.
From the top of one lake (Lake Washington) to the bottom of another (Lake Union) there's a bus. Route 309 starts in Kenmore and ends at First Hill (at least in the morning.) Make a swing through Lake Forest Park and Lake City with a bit of time by South Lake Union on the way to First Hill, with hardly any stops along the way.
↑ Here's a house for people who are going places. It's close to Kenmore Air's floatplane base. A three car garage isn't abnormal; but a triple jet ski lift, plus a regular boat lift, plus a 50 foot dock all mean opportunities to move around. Inside the 5 bedroom, 5 bath house there's more room to roam because it has 5,030 square feet. Waterfront on Lake Washington does claim a premium, especially when the view is almost straight south down the lake, but part of the $3,875,000 price comes from the sweeping staircase, chandeliers, and the wood-paneled library. There's even a terrace off the master bedroom, allowing you to survey 0.29 acre shoreline estate. Dressing for dinner is not required, but highly recommended.
↑ They just knocked $223,000 off the price, but it can be hard properly positioning a house that hasn't been on the market for 47 years. Now, this 0.58 acres of Sheridan Beach has a price of $1,775,000. The house was built in 1929, which may not be the colonial era, but it does have a Colonial style. It is a little smaller than the previous house on the list, with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, and 4,000 square feet. It also only has one boat lift, but it does have a dock, 80 feet of waterfront, and a sunrise view. The difference is about two million dollars and a shift from old England to New England. What's your style?
↑ It isn't waterfront, but you can see it from there, for $995,000; another pricechopper, but this time of $100,000. The style is one of the variations seen in the 60s that seems to be surviving well. Fifty years ago, having 2 baths for 5 bedrooms was normal. Everyone please don't shower longer than you need to. Considering this summer, short showers make sense. The view is a major feature, and the best way to emphasize something they didn't build and can't control is to emphasize the windows. Let the view in and the entertaining can begin.
↑ Get a house on a hill on the other side of the street from the water and $672,000 gets you 1.07 acres with a view. It also gets you a 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3,420 square foot house. There's even the suggestion of a wine cellar, or at least a wine rack, downstairs; and evidently, there's a greenhouse outside. With over an acre to work with, RV parking is a possibility, too. With the lake so close, park a boat instead and it becomes a lot more convenient to play on 22 miles of lake.
↑ You've got to love this color, or you've got to be willing to paint. From the street it is hard to miss turquoise. From the house it is hard to miss the view. They're asking $599,000 for 0.61 acres with 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 2,340 square foot house. It was built in 2001, which makes it relatively contemporary and conventional; but the color makes it bolder and distinctive. They carried the color through to the porch and the hot tub. Inside, the tones are more subtle. Whether the colors work for or against you, they're most just paint and therefore easy to change. That view, however is far closer to permanent, much less likely to change, and requires almost no maintenance - though trees do grow.
· Kenmore Air [KA]
· Route 309 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
· All Pricechopper coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath