Seattle's Urban Villages

Celebrate 2008...at the Space Needle!

Happy New Year Seattle!

We had a wonderful, clear evening (no rain!) to welcome the New Year, and there was a crowd surrounding the Space Needle waiting to watch the fireworks launch the New Year.  The surrounding neighboring hills allowed great vantage points to take in the sight.  Lucky are those that live in parts of Queen Anne, Magnolia, Capitol Hill, First Hill, Belltown, West Seattle, and Wallingford  where they have views of the Space Needle from their homes!

This year's theme was a Tribute to Hollywood with well known music from the Movies.  Star 101.5 was broadcasting the music so anyone watching either on TV or in person with radios could enjoy the fireworks synchronized to dramatic film scores.  The clock struck midnight and the New Year...showtime! 

The fireworks and music began, the music played on and the fireworks...fizzeled...whoops...no fireworks!  The fireworks computer had a glitch and had to be re-booted twice, when that did not work, the techs manually triggered the fireworks to ....>>>> Burst<<<< and flash.  The music had marched on to it's own drummer leaving behind the fireworks.  While is wasn't the elegant show that was planned, fireworks are spectacular and the crowds enjoyed what they saw.

The rockets roared, and the fireworks dazzled, whoooooshed, sparkled, twinkled, flashed, glowed, burst, and gloried in their "Aurora Seattlalis"! 
The Space Needle glowed and sparked in the darkness, looking even more Spaceship-like with the light show!

So while the show did not go as planned...it was an explosion of exuberant welcome to the New Year and wonderful way to celebrate 2008!

Happy New Year Seattle!

Magnolia View home...Meeting the homeowners today.

Today I met with a couple who have a wonderful home in Magnolia with views of Puget Sound, Elliott Bay, The Space Needle , Downtown Seattle and Mt Rainier... this is their view.....

Unfortunately, the online photos of the views were of gray, overcast skies, not the sun drenched, bright, open concept rooms and their stunning views.  Their home had been listed on the market for awhile earlier this year with another real estate agent and had not sold, even with price reductions.  This house is ideal for a couple who are downsizing from a larger home, and want to live a more urban Seattle experience, but want more privacy, parking and square footage than they would find living in a high rise Seattle condo. 

Last spring I sent the listing to a couple who live out of state who were thinking of retiring and moving to Seattle where they moor their 40 foot boat.  I previewed the house and strongly encouraged my clients to see the house next time they were in town, because the view really needed to be experienced in person, and the online photos did not do it justice.  Unfortunately my clients plans have changed and are putting off moving for awhile.   

Later, when the house was no longer listed on the market, I called and left a message with the homeowners saying that I had some ideas about improving the marketing for their home.  Last week I received a call from the owners that resulted in our meeting this afternoon.  We talked for quite awhile after I toured their home.   They had questions, and we talked about my ideas for marketing their home if they decide to hire me as their real estate agent to list and market their Magnolia home next spring.

Now that we are in the slower, fall market I feel waiting until next spring will be a better time to list and present their home to potential buyers, because the views are shown off to their best advantage in the spring and summer.  Wouldn't you love to enjoy views like this?