Condominiums and carriage home for sale in High Point redeveloped area in West Seattle

As the self-titled “resident green agent” in High Point, I thought it was time for an update on what was available for sale here, and also take a look at what has sold in recent weeks.

Currently on the market are some of the smaller homes – two condo suites and one townhome in Redwood High Point (original builder was Polygon Homes). I live in one of the larger townhomes in this subassociation community.

Also still on market is a lovely carriage home on 31st Avenue – which has been on the market as a short sale for months.

See High Point Seattle Real Estate For Sale

What has sold in recent months is an interesting mix as well. One townhome, two of the smaller single family homes (one on 29th, one on 31st), and one of the large homes above High Point Pond (SW Cycle Court).

See High Point Seattle Sold Homes (since 6/1/09)

I always find it interesting to see what also is pending – these are homes that have not closed yet, but obviously are a good indication of what people are interested in purchasing. Again, one of the smaller Polygon-built townhomes (with a nice city view), and one of the large single family Polygon homes on 30th (at the top of Snake Hill) that stirred so much interest when I wrote about it in July because when I mentioned its asking price of $299,999 everyone got very excited since this is one of the $500k+ homes when it was first built and sold in 2006. I personally showed it to three different parties from the surrounding area. It is a short sale and the listing agent was trying to create a bidding war to drive up the actual sales price. We still don’t know what the winning price was, we won’t know until it actually closes. I will keep an eye on it since I know so many of you are very interested in knowing!!

See High Point Seattle Pending Sales (as of 11/28/09)

$2 million in levy funds to go to Seattle p-patch gardens

Hot out of my Inbox is an update from Seattle’s P-Patch Program. This is great news for community gardening and local food economies. I served three years on the Board of Directors of P-Patch Trust, the nonprofit land trust organization that works along with the city’s PPP department to preserve green space for community gardening!

If you know of a good garden location now is the time to speak up!

****************

Hello P-Patchers,

I’m sure many of you have heard something about the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Some of you might even have been among the 59% that voted to approve it and raise $156 million dollars for parks and green spaces in Seattle. What you might not know is that $2 million of the levy funds are dedicated to developing P-Patches and community gardens! Thank you Seattle Voters!!

We’ve just updated our website with relevant information and links about the P-Patch Projects funded by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy. Take a look! http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/levy.htm

Here’s a quick synopsis for you:
 Garden development will focus on 21 neighborhood areas that are currently underserved by the P-Patch Community Gardening Program.
 Some locations have already been identified and we’d like suggestions from you for good potential sites within the priority areas.
 To make the funds stretch further, we’re prioritizing garden building over land acquisition.
 There is an Opportunity Fund for many types of projects proposed by community members. Project Proposal Letters are due on February 1, 2010.
 If there’s a project happening near you, we’d love your involvement.

For information please visit our levy web page: http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/ppatch/levy.htm. If you have additional questions, you can contact me directly.

This will be a busy and exciting time for P-Patch community gardening! Please, watch our webpage for updates and ways to be involved.

As always, thanks for everything you do to keep P-Patch community gardening vibrant and thriving in Seattle!

Laura Raymond
P-Patch Program Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
ph 206 615 1787 fax 206 233 5142
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/

It’s Open House Sunday – 15543 SE 24th Street in Bellevue, 1-4pm

Wendy gives a casual walk through video tour of her newest listing, co-listed with Howard Hegwer. The 3 bedroom one and a half bathroom rambler on a corner lot in the Phanton Lake area of Bellevue is so conveniently located it’s a great investment as an occupying home owner or to own as a rental property. The home is located at 15543 SE 24th Street in Bellevue, on the corner of 156th Ave – the street with both Microsoft main campus and Crossroads Mall on it to the north.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2W5apSBRo]

NWMLS #29134138 offered at $349,950

Formal marketing remarks:
Presenting a wonderful opportunity to settle in a quiet Eastside neighborhood and realize the homebuyer tax credit! 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath plus bonus 1/2 bath off master bedroom. Cozy livingroom fireplace, hardwood floors under carpets throughout. 50 year metal roof, vinyl windows. Large fenced backyard, level corner lot. Super location, easy access to Robinswood Park, Phantom and Larson lakes with trails, playgrounds, and courts. Lots of local amenities, quick access to I-90.

A quick visit to Woods Creek Preserve in Monroe, WA (video)

Wendy takes a drive out to one of her listings, a 37.8 acre preliminary plat in unincorporated Snohomish county, 8 miles outside of Monroe, Wendy’s hometown. Wendy gives an update on Woods Creek after a few days of rain in the Pacific Northwest.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4j4ttrtAcY]

These parcels are adjacent to public land owned by the Department of Natural Resources. There is a lot of wildlife here, open field, and woods. The seller will consider selling individual parcels, and also will consider financing on approval of credit with a certain amount down. Be sure to check out this property’s blog at woodscreekpreserve.blogspot.com

Price: $1,095,000
NWMLS listing #29098469

An Eco-Minute with Wendy ~ FrogBox.com

Wendy talks about her personal experience with FrogBox.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRX9NDD1MwY]

REUSABLE PLASTIC MOVING BOXES/ TOTES
Greater Vancouver & Greater Seattle
FROGBOX offers a low environmental impact alternative to traditional cardboard moving boxes. Their eco-friendly, reusable and plastic FROGBOX moving boxes, totes and wardrobes, and other moving supplies will make your move easier on you and the environment!

1.CONVENIENT Moving is hard enough without worrying about where you are going to get your moving boxes. They drop FROGBOX moving boxes/ totes off and pick them up at your new place anywhere in Greater Vancouver BC and Greater Seattle Washington. Unlike cardboard moving boxes, you dont need to build and tape up our eco-friendly plastic moving totes, boxes and wardrobes before you move and you dont need to break them down and dispose of them after.

2.AFFORDABLE FROGBOX plastic moving boxes/ totes save time and money because they are quicker to stack and move. Movers charge by the hour and cardboard moving boxes take longer to pack and load. These eco-friendly plastic moving totes, boxes and wardrobes stack up perfectly and are much easier to carry than traditional moving boxes.

3.GREEN plastic moving boxes/ totes is reused hundreds of times saving lots of trees and preventing tons of cardboard waste from entering our landfills. FROGBOX moving supplies lower the environmental impact of your move!

40 Sustainable, Local-Food Chefs Under 40

Read 40 chefs under 40 By Matt Hickman
These rising young culinary stars bring more than just good food to the table — they link farms to forks and promote better health for people and the planet.

Also by Matt Hickman: Cash for caulking?

Bill Clinton is behind a home weatherization variation of the cash for clunkers program that he hopes will give the sagging economy — and the environment — a boost.

Let’s take a tour! The perfect little rambler in Bellevue for sale at 15543 SE 24th Street

Wendy gives a casual walk through video tour of her newest listing, co-listed with Howard Hegwer. The 3 bedroom one and a half bathroom rambler on a corner lot in the Phanton Lake area of Bellevue is so conveniently located it’s a great investment as an occupying home owner or to own as a rental property. The home is located at 15543 SE 24th Street in Bellevue, on the corner of 156th Ave – the street with both Microsoft main campus and Crossroads Mall on it to the north.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2W5apSBRo]

NWMLS #29134138 offered at $349,950

Formal marketing remarks:
Presenting a wonderful opportunity to settle in a quiet Eastside neighborhood and realize the homebuyer tax credit! 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath plus bonus 1/2 bath off master bedroom. Cozy livingroom fireplace, hardwood floors under carpets throughout. 50 year metal roof, vinyl windows. Large fenced backyard, level corner lot. Super location, easy access to Robinswood Park, Phantom and Larson lakes with trails, playgrounds, and courts. Lots of local amenities, quick access to I-90.

Wine, nibbles and art! Grand opening party this Thursday as Wendy Hughes-Jelen opens “The OC” for GreenWorks Realty in West Seattle

West Seattle’s High Point self-styled “resident green agent” Wendy Hughes-Jelen, who is a long-time blogger including Green Spaces Real Estate.com, has opened a small operations center for GreenWorks Realty on Harbor Avenue. Her spiffy and eco-fashionable office has taken up residency in Suite 104 of the ActivSpace building (on the Alki Trail at 3400 Harbor Ave SW).


She is throwing a “cocktail party” via a Facebook event page to show off the new office, which has been taken from a blank-slate “white wall & concrete floor” space to a showcase of small-space usage of green building materials. It’s been painted using Devine low VOC paint (Hosta and Macadamia), has salvaged bamboo flooring, and the custom-built furniture is made of wheatboard.

Wendy’s office grand opening is running in conjunction with Thursday evening’s art walk from 6-9 pm. Wendy is featuring two different artists – Michael Eric Dennett, a talented potter she happened to take a wheel throwing class from a few years ago,

and Delores Johnston Peck, aka Lella Rae of Lella Rae Designs, a West Seattle jewelry artist.

They also will be collecting food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank as this is a major effort of this month’s art walk.

Wendy plans to share some of Rockridge Orchards‘ berry wines from her private stash, along with cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery and other organic nibbles. If you stop by to say “hi” you may even find you stay for awhile. It is a very “zen” place!

Note: This is a dog-friendly event, as this is also the daytime hangout of Sophia, the Italian greyhound featured on the Spring issue of Seattle’s
CityDog Magazine (based in West Seattle).

Guest blogger – Stephen Hochhalter explains the Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension


Guest Blogger, Stephen Hochhalter, of Sound Mortgage

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended Into 2010!
Plus…A New Tax Credit for Certain Existing Home Owners!

It’s official. President Obama has signed a bill that extends the tax credit for first-time homebuyers (FTHBs) into the first half of 2010. This program had been scheduled to expire on November 30, 2009.
In addition to extending the tax credit of up to $8,000 through June 30, 2010, the extension measure also opens up opportunities for others who are not buying a home for the first time.

So Who Gets What?
The program that has existed for FTHBs remains intact with the one exception that more people are now eligible based on an increase in the amount of income someone may now earn.

Additionally, the program now gives those who already own a residence some additional reasons to move to a new home. This incentive comes in the form of a tax credit of up to $6,500 for qualified purchasers who have owned and occupied a primary residence for a period of five consecutive years during the last eight years.

Deadlines
In order to qualify for the credit, all contracts need to be in effect no later than April 30, 2010 and close no later than June 30, 2010.

Higher Income Caps in Effect
The amount of income someone can earn and qualify for the full amount of the credit has been increased.

Single tax filers who earn up to $125,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Those who earn more than this cap can receive a partial credit. However, single filers who earn $145,000 and above are ineligible.

Joint filers who earn up to $225,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Those who earn more than this cap can receive a partial credit. However, joint filers who earn $245,000 and above are ineligible.

Maximum Purchase Price
Qualifying buyers may purchase a property with a maximum sales price of $800,000.

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit – Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the tax credit.

What is a tax credit?
A tax credit is a direct reduction in tax liability owed by an individual to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In the event no taxes are owed, the IRS will issue a check for the amount of the tax credit an individual is owed. Unlike the tax credit that existed in 2008, this credit does not require repayment unless the home, at any time in the first 36 months of ownership, is no longer an individual’s primary residence.

What is the tax credit for first-time homebuyers (FTHBs)?
An eligible homebuyer may request from the IRS a tax credit of up to $8,000 or 10% of the purchase price for a home. If the amount of the home purchased is $75,000, the maximum amount the credit can be is $7,500. If the amount of the home purchased is $100,000, the amount of the credit may not exceed $8,000.

Who is eligible for the FTHB tax credit?
Anyone who has not owned a primary residence in the previous 36 months, prior to closing and the transfer of title, is eligible. This applies both to single taxpayers and married couples. In the case where there is a married couple, if either spouse has owned a primary residence in the last 36 months, neither would qualify. In the case where an individual has owned property that has not been a primary residence, such as a second home or investment property, that individual would be eligible.

As mentioned above, the tax credit has been expanded so that existing homeowners who have owned and occupied a primary residence for a period of five consecutive years during the last eight years are now eligible for a tax credit of up to $6,500.

How do I claim the credit?
For those taking advantage of the tax credit in 2009, you may choose to either apply for the credit with your 2009 tax return or you may apply for the credit sooner by filing an amended 2008 tax return with Form 5405 (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5405.pdf).

Can you claim the tax credit in advance of purchasing a property?
No. The IRS has recently begun prosecuting people who have claimed credits where a purchase had not taken place.

Can a taxpayer claim a credit if the property is purchased from a seller with seller financing and the seller retains title to the property?
Yes. In situations where the buyer purchases the property, even though the seller retains legal title, the taxpayer may file for the credit. Examples of this would include a land contract, contract for deed, etc.

According to the IRS, factors that would demonstrate the ownership of the property would include: 1. the right of possession, 2. the right to obtain legal title upon full payment of the purchase price, 3. the right to construct improvements, 4. the obligation to pay property taxes, 5. the risk of loss, 6. the responsibility to insure the property and 7. the duty to maintain the property.

Are there other restrictions to taking the credit?
Yes. According to the IRS, if any of the following describe your situation, a credit would not be due.

• You buy your home from a close relative. This includes your spouse, parent, grandparent, child or grandchild.
• You do not use the home as your principal residence.
• You sell your home before the end of the year.
• You are a nonresident alien.
• You are, or were, eligible to claim the District of Columbia first-time homebuyer credit for any taxable year. (This does not apply for a home purchased in 2009.)
• Your home financing comes from tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds. (This does not apply for a home purchased in 2009.)
• You owned a principal residence at any time during the three years prior to the date of purchase of your new home. For example, if you bought a home on July 1, 2009, you cannot take the credit for that home if you owned, or had an ownership interest in, another principal residence at any time from July 2, 2006, through July 1, 2009.

Can you buy a home from a step-relative and be eligible for the credit?
Yes. Provided the person you are buying a home from is not a direct blood relative, the purchase would be allowed.

Can parent(s) who will not live in the property cosign for a mortgage for their child and the child that is a qualifying FTHB still be eligible for the credit?
Yes.

Can a separated spouse who has not owned a home for four years qualify for the FTHB tax credit if the spouse has owned a property anytime in the last three years?
No. However, the spouse may be eligible for the repeat buyer credit. The best path to take in any situation regarding income taxes is to speak with a professional tax preparer or CPA.

If you have any questions that fall outside the situations here, give me a call and if you do not have an accountant to speak with, I can refer you to one.

And if you have questions about this update, give Wendy or myself a call. We have worked together for several years and will serve you well as your real estate team.

Sincerely,
Stephen Hochhalter
425.228.5300
Sound Mortgage
7200 South 180th Street, Suite 103
Tukwila, WA 98188