SECOND HOME
PORT TOWNSEND
$845,000
Port Townsend’s reputation as a safe harbor is well earned—it’s been welcoming ships into its docks since Captain George Vancouver founded it in 1792. But Port Townsend is also a harbor for second-home owners and retirees, thanks to a growing economy that relies as much on tourism as it does its maritime industry. This two-bedroom, two-bath home combines modern amenities, including solar power, with nods (think dumbwaiter and antique-style refrigerator) to the area’s Victorian-era homes. Featuring views of the bay and the Cascades, the home also boasts a guest suite upstairs—perfect for inviting your city friends along.
Listed by Barbara Bogart, Windermere
Real Estate.
ONE-OF-A-KIND HOMES—converted spaces, historic sites, unique locations—take twice as long to sell, on average, as conventional properties because they appeal to only 40 or 50 percent of the buyer pool. Sellers must be patient and market their singular properties creatively.
Michele Elliott knows about uncommon homes. Her late mother, Gloria Runnings of the Runnings Gallery, owned a circular four-bedroom home on a sloping lot in West Seattle with 270 degree views of Puget Sound. “There is no yard to speak of, and the main living floor is one room with the bedroom opened to the rest of the space,” says real estate agent Joe Nye, who agreed to market the Space Needle–like home last May. Nye knows that the unique design and $1.45 million price tag makes the house a hard sell, even in the best of markets. So Nye is zeroing in on a small segment of buyers; he’s targeted Seattle’s freethinking architects and members of the arts community, many of whom knew Runnings. Nye also included dramatic aerial shots with the property’s online listing to emphasize the home’s view-enhancing elements.
The house has been sold only once before. MLS doesn’t track how many days a house stayed on the market as far back as 1993, when Runnings and her partner purchased it from the original owners for $600,000, but agents in the area recall that it wasn’t a fast mover.
Elliott is confident that a buyer who responds to the home’s artistic appeal will come along. “Either you love the concept or you don’t like it at all,” she says. “The person that is going to fall in love with it will be an engineer or an artist—someone who thinks outside the box.”
BUYING POWER
Townhomes
Like condos, townhomes represent lower-priced alternatives to single-family residences. They take up less land, which reduces costs and allows buyers to upgrade materials or live in a more desirable location. Less yard work and fewer freestanding walls also make them popular among young families trading up and empty nesters.
Bellevue $499,900
Details 12210 NE 24th St, No. 109; 1,727 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2½ baths, built 1998.
Selling points Within walking distance of downtown Bellevue, offers views of Mount Rainier, features attached two-car garage, all appliances remain.
Listed by Cindy Kohut, John L. Scott Real Estate.
Queen Anne $589,000
Details 1832 12th Ave W; 1,652 square feet, 2 bedrooms, 2½ baths, built 2007.
Selling points New construction, no shared walls, large deck off den, custom tile and inlaid slate floor, granite counters and cherry cabinets in kitchen.
Listed by Merdad Shariatmadari, Re/Max Metro Realty.
Shoreline $350,000
Details 1437 NE 166th Ct, No. 5; 1,663 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2½ baths, built 2002.
Selling points Large floor plan on secluded cul-de-sac next to Hamlin Park. Home features patio, two-car garage, and vaulted ceilings.
Listed by Tricia Anderson, Coldwell Banker Bain.
Published in the Have Fun and Stay Fit issue of Seattle Met.
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