Seattle has buses. 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.
Traveling from Shoreline, Jackson Park, and Lake City down past Children's Hospital and the U District on your way to downtown and the bus tunnel? That may not be a relaxing drive, ah, but if you let the bus on Route 65 take you, well, there are a few worries you can put aside.
↑ Built Green and beside the Burke-Gliman? And along a bus route? Why even have a garage? Oh well, some things remain conventional. This 1,987 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house is relatively new, hence the Built Green sticker, all of which add up to an asking price of $484,500. Efficient isn't dull, at least the way they designed this one. The layout has a variety of rooflines, to keep from looking like a cube. The kitchen and bath are furnished with stone, which is actually green, even if the color is something else. There is one luxury tucked away that may not be the greenest of green, a hot tub, but life should have at least some indulgences.
↑ There really is a house behind that garage, a 2,980 square foot house with 5 bedrooms, 2.75 baths, and a mother-in-law apartment, all for $595,000. It doesn't have a sign on it saying Flipped, but it sold in August for $367,500, so the new price is a 60% jump. Upgrades happen, and possibly some profits too. Either that or the price is suddenly climbing at 10% per month. That's a lot better than you'll get on a cd, which matters for those who see houses as investments instead of a home.
↑ Another mother-in-law. Where would the father-in-law live? In either case, this 1,870 square foot 4 bedroom, 3 bath one story house is priced at $450,000. The exterior is far from ostentatious, but the interior and the landscaping show some talent in design and decorating. Part of the landscaping seems to be directed at minimizing mowing. The lawn isn't gone, but what's left are patches surrounded by hardscape and beauty bark. Go low maintenance.
↑ A house built in 1940 is likely to have a lot of built-ins, as this one does. A yard planted in 1940 is likely to have a lot of established plants, as this one does. There's a lot you don't have to do with this 1,760 square foot, 3 bedroom, 3 bath house that priced at $364,000. Sure, bring in some paint. Pull some weeds. Give some thought to how much retro wallpaper and carpet you want to live with, because there's a lot of it. Maybe that one room is in Husky purple, so for some folks, that room is a keeper.
↑ Hello urban foodies and farmers. Here's a house that comes with a chicken coop, a cook's kitchen, and advertises its proximity to a farmer's market. Sure, you get a 1,410 square foot, 2 bedroom, 1 bath house for your $349,000; but you also get the opportunity to be green instead of Built Green. Maybe it has something to do with being built as the Great Depression approached in 1928; or, maybe coops and markets are just part of the resurgence in localvores who are helping redefine urban life in Seattle. Either way, suit up in your grubbies, grab a pitchfork, and do that Seattle Gothic thing.
· Route 65 [Metro]
· All Bus Tours coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath