Number of condos for sale in High Point “just stupid” (West Seattle neighborhood review)

As the self-titled “resident green agent” in High Point, I wanted to give a quick update – even though it’s been less than 3 weeks since my last. Because the number of homes for sale here is just stupid. In an “I’m amazed” sort of way.

I am not going to go in to a lot of detail, except to say more than half of the homes listed for sale are in the subassociation of Redwood High Point. But there also is a new carriage home that is on the market, and these are my favorite home in the community. It is the first one listed (see link) since it is the lowest price, and as a 4 Star Built Green Certified home, it’s cute and comes with its own garage (as most homes do).

See High Point West Seattle Homes For Sale.

Some homes currently being marketed for sale require lender approval (short sale). Ask for details.

What makes High Point so great?
Well, first of all, it is in West Seattle. I have lived in West Seattle since 1997. And I won’t leave. It has everything I need so I don’t actually have to leave at all, which is nice. And for when I do want to pop downtown for a night out, pick up someone at the airport, or go mall-hopping at Southcenter, all of that is within 15 minutes (using the West Seattleites travel tips, which I am happy to share).

It was wonderful to have the opportunity to buy a brand new home in a Built Green Certified Community right in my own neighborhood. I lived within a mile of this location for ten years, and watched the development of this community over that time with great interest. When I took a property tour in April 2007 I wasn’t looking for a new home and had no intention of moving – but what I found in High Point made me put my house on the market almost immediately, and the sale of our home on 18th Ave SW and the purchase of our townhome on SW Raymond all managed to squeek through right at the beginning of the real estate market fallout. We feel lucky that we managed to get moved and settled without any hassle.

The utilities are underground so the views are not impeded by anything…but trees. And I like trees. The old trees in High Point were saved during redevelopment and they *make* this neighborhood. There are great views of downtown, sunrise, sunset, trails in the woods, access to Camp Long and the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail all within walking distance.

For the developer-identified benefits of living in High Point in West Seattle, check out these High Point Highlights.

If you are considering a move to West Seattle…
Call me. Or email me. Or send me a message on Facebook or Twitter. I know the Westside inside and out and can answer any questions you may have about what it is like living here. Just know you will get biased answers – because it is clear that I love it here and don’t see why anyone would want to move!

The listing links are only good for 30 days from the date of this post.

Westside Green Living Experiences NuBe Green in Seattle (Video)

GreenSpacesTV — March 30, 2010 — New Facebook fan page “Westside Green Living with Wendy” presents its first original video. Wendy and her husband Stephen Hughes-Jelen check out NuBe Green (newbie green) on Capital Hill.

Wendy says on her Facebook page, “Very cool place! I brought home the “Organic Salvage Candle” in Blossom, altho I still can’t smell it because of the head cold I have. The candle is poured into a former beer bottle. Also tips on dogs and tennis balls, cardboard furniture, plants in paper bags, and ‘liquid cardboard’.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTN4Q3h4mkE]

According to their web site, NuBe Green “employs a rigorous screening process to guarantee that every item available in the store meets established sustainability and sourcing criteria. While products touted as US-made are often only assembled in the US, NuBe Greens products are made in the US from materials that are grown and/or sourced in the US. All items at the store are made without toxic chemicals and materials in order to offer consumers choices of green products that are healthier for humans and the planet.”

NuBe Greens offerings include the work of Seattle artists and artisans as part of its mission to support the local community. Wendy and Steve have fun exploring the many things in ths shop and sharing little tidbits with their viewers.

The original uncut version of this video can be found at http://www.facebook.com/WestsideGreenLivingWithWendy
The original video has several additional segments but was edited here for YouTube’s required “shorter than 10 minutes” video rule.

The launch of Westside Green Living with Wendy

In the fear of overwhelming all of my Facebook friends with too much green information, I decided to start a green fan page where I can share the information for the people who want it! In one day I was able to get enough fans to obtain my personalize URL for the page.

http://www.facebook.com/WestsideGreenLivingWithWendy

The vision of “Westside Green Living” starts local, Westside is often a term used for West Seattle. But it also means west of I-5, west of Lake Washington, west of the Cascades, and west of the Mississiippi. I wanted to create a place that had an identity but did not limit me too much.

The information I share there will not always be related to a location. As you can see by the first post, it’s World Water Week, and I shared the new video The Story of Bottled Water. Great stuff no matter where you live.

I will be posting my own videos, tho, much like the “Eco-Minute with Wendy” videos I have published on my YouTube channel, GreenSpaces TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0K1GemTs3Y

My permanent home is here, my blog Green Spaces Real Estate. But 80% of the material on my blog is not related to real estate, which is why this new page on Facebook is perfect. I can share anything I want here without worrying about an audience expecting more about real estate.

I live in a Built Green Certified home in a Built Green Certified community in West Seattle. I will be sharing more about what it means to live in a green community, what to look for in a green home, and also where to shop for local foods and how to make healthy choices not just for you but also for the products you purchase.

If there is something you would like to learn more about, let me know! I would love to answer your questions or shoot a video about it.

Tomorrow night, turn off your lights for Earth Hour 2010

You have another chance to show you stand for climate change, tomorrow night is Earth Hour.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5WYlqD8mR0]

And here are seven tips for living green

1. Purchase energy efficient appliances. They cut carbon pollution and save you money!

2. Make sure your dishwasher and washing machine are always full before you run them as this will save energy and money

3. Weather-proofing your home is a great way to save energy. Caulk your doors and windows, add insulation or add shades to use in the summer!

4. Leaving your computer for awhile? Put it on stand-by & it will take less energy than shutting down and restarting

5. Fix leaking faucets. The constant drip wastes water, energy and money, so repair them as soon as possible.

6. Eat more veggies! On average, it takes nearly 10 times as much fossil fuel to produce animal protein compared to plant protein

7. Unplug appliances and phone charges when they aren’t in use. If they’re plugged in, they’re drawing energy and costing you money.

It’s World Water Week

Remember the “Story of Stuff”? It opened a lot of people’s eyes. Now Annie Leanord has produced the “Story of Bottled Water”.

If you agree that all of those plastic bottles are wasteful, my personal recommendation is Klean Kanteens. We own several and take water with us from home. You will too after you watch this video.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0]

If you’d like to know more about the video’s creator, check out this blog post at Green House on USA Today.

Another beautiful day to learn something new

DSCN4995  This was the view from my home office this morning as I was getting ready to go down to the Seattle Center for the 2nd day, this time for an "un"conference, Real Estate Barcamp Seattle. It is my 4th barcamp, and it is through this venue that I have grown my business in the last year and also learned how to implement new marketing techniques to help property owners get their homes sold in a challenging market. It is both a duty and a pleasure to stay current with everything that effects the real estate industry, and these days it is what’s called "social media marketing". 

There are a ton of free webinars out there that have helped me pick up the diamonds strewn on the beach of life. There’s normally a pitch at the end, and sometimes I get a follow-up sales call, but the information I learn in exchange for the interruptions is well worth it.

My 10 am session is just getting started. The hosts of TBSW Daily are here from Vacaville, CA and they are pretty funny.

Some great garden-related classes going on this weekend in SW Seattle

Seattle Tilth always has great stuff going on, including their first-ever Spring Edible Plant Sale at Magnuson Park on Saturday (which I happen to be going to on my way to another event). But since I live in West Seattle, these additional events also caught my attention. Good stuff to know, worth your time. I participated in Tilth’s COG class in 2004 (Comprehensive Organic Gardener) and go to their edible plant sale in May almost every year.
So this weekend ~
WHAT: Grow Great Garden Soil
WHEN: March 27; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
WHERE: South Seattle Community College, West Seattle Campus, Olympic Hall Room 105, 6000 16th Ave. SW. Seattle, WA 98106

Tasty and nutritious plants require healthy soil that is full of life and nutrients. This class will introduce techniques that enhance the life of your soil so that you get the most out of your garden. We will cover four seasons of soil building methods including cover crops and nitrogen fixing plants; fertility rotations, no dig methods, soil testing, animal manures, sheet mulching and using organic amendments.

COST: $30 for Tilth members, $40 non-members. Advance registration and payment is required. For more information and to register, visit: www.seattletilth.org

WHAT: Lawn to Lettuce
WHEN: March 27; 10-11 a.m.
WHERE: St. James Annex, 9421 18th S.W., Seattle, WA 98106

Learn different techniques for taking out that old, boring sod and putting in your new garden beds. This class will cover the tools and materials needed to either dig out the sod or sheet mulch over existing lawn. You will also learn what veggies you can plant now to fill your salad bowl later this spring.

COST: $15 for Seattle Tilth and Community Harvest of SW Seattle members, $18 non-members. Advance registration and payment are required. For more information and to register, visit: www.seattletilth.org

WHAT: Season Extension – Cold frames, Cloches, Mulch and More
WHEN: March 27; noon-2 p.m.
WHERE: St. James Annex, 9421 18th S.W., Seattle, WA 98106

Use of season extension techniques is one of the best tools gardeners can use to extend their growing season and harvest year round. With the use of cloches, cold frames, row cover and other techniques gardeners can warm the soil and air allowing plants to grow and thrive earlier than they would unprotected. This class is perfect for beginning gardeners who want to learn techniques for planting earlier in the spring, later in the fall, and growing better heat crops in the summer. Learn what you can plant now to get a jump on the season!

COST: $25 for Seattle Tilth and Community Harvest of SW Seattle members, $35 non-members. Advance registration and payment are required. For more information and to register, visit: www.seattletilth.org

What’s the Payback? How to calculate the return on your solar electric system investment before you buy

I tripped across this today when doing some research following up on an inquiry after my blogging from the Built Green Conference last Friday.

Check out this article from May/June 2006 Solar Today by Andy Black.

Oh just added this to a post from last Friday but wanted to call it to your attention:

According to Rick Nevin and Gregory Watson “An Increase in Property Resale Value occurs in homes with solar electric systems because these systems decrease utility operating costs.” According to a 1998 US Appraisal Journal article by Rick Nevin and Gregory Watson, a home’s value increases $20,000 for every $1,000 reduction in annual operating costs from energy efficiency.

Read Evidence of Rational Market Valuations for Home Energy Efficiency by Rick Nevin and Gregory Watson for the US EPA.

Today at the Pacific Northwest Housing Summit in Seattle

Wow lots of statistics being thrown around today at the Pacific Northwest Housing Summit. It’s great info, good speakers, and it is fun to see so many people I know now since getting involved in the social side of my industry a year ago. I work alone most of the time and this is such a treat.

I am not blogging live intensely today since I need to be paying attention and like I said, a lot of stats. Only person on any of the panels who has seems to have drank "the market is hot" Kool-Aid is J. Lennox Scott. The panel is extensive and altho they attempt to be upbeat there also is realit and that is the recession has been tough in this business.

I have some notes that I will add later, but I better get back to this session since Frank Garay  and Brian Stevens of Think Big Work Small  is talking about VIDEO,

Here’s my favorite quote of the day: