Recent Stories with tag studio

Connoisseurs will note that this studio condo's location, at the corner of East Union and Belmont, actually leaves it perching on the north shoulder of First Hill. But since the bustling Pike/Pine corridor is just down the street, I don't think people will sniff at you if you call it Capitol Hill.

This 377-sq.-ft. studio in the Belboy Condos is admittedly cozy, but it does come with 10 feet tall ceilings. In addition to a the benefits of a renovation of this 110-year-old building--intercom systems, updated electrical, kitchens, and bathrooms--you can enjoy a large full bath, a fireplace, and leaded glass windows.

All for just over $100,000, if you can imagine that. (If you can imagine bank ownership, more to the point.) HOA dues are $208, and property taxes are $996. There's an open house this Sunday, October 24, from 1 to 4 p.m.

"Short Sales, Foreclosures, and Bankruptcy Sales: Oh My!" is the subtitle of a section of Redfin's monthly real estate report, and that's partly a warning for bargain hunters:

Non-refundable costs needed up front, the stress of buying home as-is, and a process that seem interminable are all common issues encountered when buying distressed inventory. Sometimes the pain is worth the gain, it just depends on your constitution.... (more)

The Columbia City Theater (Facebook) is a music club to fall in love with. It re-re-re-re-opened (the old vaudeville hall has been around since 1917, in various guises) in June of this year, and vaulted into the Seattle Weekly's "Best of Seattle" list less than two months later.

Before we go behind-the-scenes, here's the lowdown. You'll find the Theater at 4916 Rainier Avenue South, which is just beyond the Columbia City Cinema. (Take the #7 or #8 bus or light rail--the last light rail train leaves SeaTac for downtown at 12:10 a.m., Monday through Saturday.) It's adjacent to the award-winning pizzeria Tutta Bella, who serve up the eats in The Bourbon, Columbia City Theater's bar. The bar is open seven days a week, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The bourbon-heavy cocktail list ($8-$10) features pre-Prohibition favorites (Mint Julep, Derby, Commodore), as well as some rye (Red Hook; Fratelli Cocktail, with Fernet Branca; Diamondback). Bar entertainment ranges from djs to karaoke to live music, and on nights when there's a show in the theatre, you can watch the show projected live on a screen. Happy Hour most of the week is 4-7 p.m., and all day Monday, and brings you such wonders as $5 pitchers of High Life and $3 wells.

Past the bar, on your left, is the entrance to the theater, which has a bar of its own. It's an intimate shoebox space, though it holds over 200, and the acoustics require no over-amplification. The ambiance--the curtained stage and brass lighting fixtures and brick walls--makes this unlike any other music club you're likely to step into in town.... (more)

"Foreclosures continue to surge around Seattle," reports the Seattle Bubble, with King County's 1,413 notices of trustee sale in July representing an increase of 13 percent compared to July 2009.

Thus this 410-sq.-ft. studio condo on East Thomas Street, just off Belmont on Capitol Hill, which the bank will let you have for $135,000. It's eligible for HomePath financing, so you can buy with just three percent down (about $4,000).

View the listing on Windermere or Redfin. It's a 1917 brick-exterior building, with natural gas and a heat pump. HOA is $252 per month, but property taxes are $1,617. 

The price is down from an original $144,900 and it's been on the market for about a month and a half.

Redfin's July real estate summary compares buyers to vultures ("Vultures! Vultures everywhere!" Sorry. It's a tic.) who won't act until sellers pull the listing in despair, or someone else tries to snap it up. Sales volume is down, and inventory even ticked up slightly, as Seattle home sales dropped over 15 percent from June. Their spreadsheet shows 2,129 houses for sale in Seattle, and 1,373 condos. The median sale price for condos was $342 per square foot; for houses, $330.

Bottom line, says Glenn: "So far in August, we have seen record numbers of Redfin customers touring properties in Seattle, but buyers are very picky, and in no rush. Prices are going to stay down for the rest of the year, and probably longer."

I just got an email about Taylor 28, the new apartments on Taylor at Denny Way. They have a move-in special of two months free (with a 12-month lease), and even offer month-to-month. The building opened its well-appointed doors in July, boasting a fitness center, a "clubhouse" with kitchen, and community WiFi. Stainless steel appliances? You bet. They made the Luxe List top ten for Seattle, even.

There's only one slight hitch: you have to pay for it. A 538-sq.-ft. studio requires a deposit of just $200, but goes from $1,180-$1,385 per month. For context, that's about what I paid for my studio across the street from the San Francisco Opera House during the dotcom boom. (And Denny, I am sorry, but you are no Market Street. You're not even a Gough.)

Everything about the email suggests barely concealed desperation: the 2-months-free, the month-to-month "leasing," the $200 deposit...but it's all undone by that deluxe price point. If someone can afford $1,200 per month for a studio, would putting down a full deposit... (more)