28-Acre Eastside Hospital Goes on the Market

The Seattle Times announced today that Group Health Cooperative is putting its 28-acre hospital campus up for sale. The Overlake property is zoned for mixed-use which means that it could soon house retail, commercial space, apartments or condos.

Read more by clicking here.

Talus Market Stats as February Comes to a Close

As a Talus resident and Realtor, I have my pulse on the neighborhood. Here's what's going on in terms of resale real estate right now in Talus.

• As of today, there are 5 Active listings on the NWMLS in the $399,999 - $599,999 range. Additionally, in this range, one home is pending and one home sold since the beginning of 2008.


• As of today, there are 7 Active listings on the NWMLS in the $600,000 - $899,999 range. Additionally, one home is subject to inspection, one is contingent, two are pending and one sold since the beginning of 2008.


• As of today, there are 3 Active listings on the NWMLS that are priced above $900,000.

In terms of the average days on market in Talus, here are the stats:

• 72 days for Active residential listings; 223 days for Active condominium listings


• 40 days for Contingent listings


• 79 days for Pending listings


• 67 days for Sold listings

On average, these Talus homes have 4 bedrooms and just over 3 bathrooms and are just under 3000 square feet.

* These statistics were gathered by Alex Rosenstein using NWMLS data, but information was not verified or published by the NWMLS.

A Turkey Fryer Disaster

I can credit the introduction to fried turkey to my husband. Before I met him, I can safely say I'd never experienced fried turkey. Now I won't go back. It's become a staple at our Thanksgiving dinners and is even a great go-to meal to serve to friends and family throughout the rest of the year.

There's a lot of controversy regarding the safety of fryers. They can be dangerous - potentially causing fires and burns. Here's an example of that. The fryers and the oil labels all caution you against spillage - but what happens when the fryer accidentally gets knocked over and gallons of peanut oil end up slopped on your concrete patio?

Unfortunately our fryer did get knocked over - not because we overfilled it. In our case, the door to the patio was opened rather quickly, slamming into the fryer and knocking it over. Fortunately the fryer was unplugged at the time and in the process of cooling down. I admit, I was devestated, but we did manage to enjoy a nice turkey! We are well aware, the situation could have been even worse.

After scouring the Internet for a magical solution, we tried kitty litter. We poured 150 pounds of kitty litter on the spill. Did it absorb the oil? For the most part. Did we have a stain on our hands? Oh yes, we did.

So what should we do now? It came to me! If you can lift graffiti off of walls, why can't you lift peanut oil stains off of concrete? Maybe a stretch, but I knew there was hope.

I placed several calls to concrete companies and soda blasting companies. Paul at Puroclean of Seattle took my call. This company is known as "the paramedics of property damage." I knew I was in good hands.

Paul sensed my frustration with the stain and within days was at my home to try to combat the problem. They tried a few power washes with some powerful solutions with slight success. Then it was on to the next solution, soda blasting. And it worked!! Our patio looks nearly as good as new.

I want to publicly thank the crew at Puroclean for saving the day. Just when my husband thought he'd never see the day of frying another turkey at our home - they came to the rescue and cleaned up the big mess on our hands.

Thank you, Puroclean!

A New Bridge is Coming to Bellevue

In the next few weeks, demolition will begin on the Paragon Hotel in Bellevue to make way for a new bridge that will cross over I-405 in Bellevue. Dubbed the 10th Street Bridge, it will help relieve traffic congestion on NE 8th and improve access to the North side of Downtown Bellevue. The project is estimated to be completed and opened to the public next year.

For more information about the project, click here.

Construction Begins on Final Phase of Redmond Ridge

The Seattle Times reported today that construction has begun on the final phase of Redmond Ridge, "Redmond Ridge East." It will be an 800-home development featuring high-end homes in addition to apartments, townhomes and smaller homes.

For a link to the complete news story, click here.

Issaquah Highlands and High Point Make the Top 10

According to Realtor Magazine, Natural Home magazine has selected two Seattle-area neighborhoods - the Issaquah Highlands and High Point to be a part of the Top 10 Green-Friendly Neighborhoods. These neighborhoods were selected because they "have worked hardest toward developing green building, energy efficiency, and reuse of previously developed land."

From the Realtor Magazine article,

"Most are enrolled in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The winners are listed below alphabetically.

• Mueller, Austin, Texas. A 711-acre redevelopment that has worked with utility Austin Energy to provide options for home owners who want tankless water heaters, programmable thermostats, and solar panels.

• Greenbridge, Chapel Hill, N.C. A downtown redevelopment project that promotes human and ecological health. About 75 percent of the materials from the original demolition have been reused.

• Stapleton, Denver. A former airport, Stapleton is the largest urban-infill redevelopment project in the United States, with 47,000 acres of reclaimed land a few minutes from the center of the city. The development is in the LEED pilot program.

  
  

• Prairie Crossing, suburban Chicago. This development has green-built homes constructed under U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program and geothermal-powered schools with LEED classrooms.

  
  

• Issaquah Highlands, suburban Seattle. Nearly 4 million square feet of LEED-certified commercial space and a LEED community center and firehouse.

  
  

• Navy Yard at Noissett, Charleston, S.C. This 340-acre brownfield redevelopment on the former Charleston Naval base will house 7,000 families when it's complete. Homes are being built to LEED standards with solar and geothermal energy available.

  
  

• Helensview, Portland, Ore. These low-density homes are being developed by a nonprofit to help renters become home owners. Most properties qualify as LEED homes. High-efficiency fireplaces heat many.

  
  

• Pringle Creek Community, Salem, Ore. The community integrates 130 carbon-neutral/net-zero residences with LEED-certified retail and community buildings.

• High Point, Seattle. This redeveloped public-housing project, mixes subsidized and market-rate homes, is landscaped with native plants. All new and redeveloped properties will meet Built Green and Energy Star standards.

  
  

• Markham Gardens, Staten Island, N.Y. This 290-unit revitalization of World War II public-housing will be eligible for LEED certification, be Energy Star compliant, and be constructed with products that encourage healthy indoor air."

Source: Natural Home, Laurel Kalenbach (02/01/08)

Changes May Be in Store for Bellevue's "Auto Row"

The Seattle Times is also reporting today that the City of Bellevue is considering a change to "Auto Row" which may include more major streets, taller buildings, apartments and condos in addition to car dealerships.

They are also planning for a 36-acre pedestrian-friendly retail village on 120th Ave. similar to University Village to include mixed use condos or apartments.

Click here to read more about the plans for "Auto Row."

Issaquah Makes Headlines - Planning for the Future

Issaquah once again made the news as it thinks about the future. In today's issue of the Seattle Times, reporter, Sonia Krishnan, talks about planning that the City of Issaquah is doing in regards to the central area of the city.

Now surrounded by strip malls and office space, the city is planning for a future of parks, retail, housing and transit in this 900-acre core.

Read on for more information.