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By Courtney Cooper, February 11, 2008 12:42 pm

Built Green in Seattle neighborhoods and Seattle suburbs?

In Seattle real estate, I have written about all the great Built Green properties in Seattle neighborhoods & Seattle suburbs before, but I thought it was pretty cool that the Master Builders Association in partnership with both King and Snohomish Counties also offer a Built Green Self Certification checklist for Seattle area remodelers, too!!! This is huge since I put all new energy efficient appliances in my house and also had Bamboo flooring installed throughout, but I also think it is so wonderful that Seattle buyers looking for a built green house can now look to existing properties for a Built Green rating!

Return on Your Investment?

Yes! Green for green! Seattle Built Green properties are popping up all over the place in the new construction arena. I think a great way to add value to your house before you decide to sell is to make sure that any remodels done are certified by this program as being green and better for the environment! It will add to your ability to market your home to all the savvy buyers out there looking for these types of properties, and it will be contributing to making Seattle real estate more green!

Courtney Cooper ….For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County.  Seattle Real Estate and Seattle Suburbs!  Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:   Experienced REALTOR with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle neighborhoods(Ballard, Crown Hill, Phinney, Ravenna, Maple Leaf, Greenlake, Greenwood, Northgate, Lake City,University, Sand Point, Laurelhurst, Windermere, Fremont, Wallingford, Queen Anne, Westlake, Eastlake, Lake Union, Downtown, Madison Park), Shoreline, Edmonds, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mill Creek, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs!

 If you are thinking of relocating to Seattle, I am an expert at Seattle Relocation services and can help you find the perfect home while making sure it is a solid financial investment!

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By Courtney Cooper, December 5, 2007 6:52 am

Seattle real estate is so much fun and nothing is more fun for me than walking into a house and seeing the remodeling that a client has done or is thinking of doing. I have a lot of clients who want me to come over and just take a peek at plans for a potential remodel. They know that I am the queen of knocking down walls, but still possess the sensibility to advise them of what will offer the best return on their real estate investment. Sometimes I can give them a few pointers to smooth out the rough edges of a potential remodel. I also have an army of remodeling contractors I can refer to them.

Some homeowners find themselves questioning whether or not they should remodel their Seattle house or just move. In some cases, remodeling is not the answer. You can remodel that little house on the busy street to your hearts content, but if it being on the busy street is still going to bother you in the end, then you should consider a different type of remodel. Instead of the extremely high end finish work you would prefer to live with, do some simple upgrades and cosmetics to help it sell faster and for more money. On the flip side, if you love your Seattle neighborhood, but your house is just too small, consider adding on.

I have one client who needs an extra bedroom in her Seattle suburb home. Her house is perfect except that it is missing a bedroom so she finds herself looking at bigger houses, but always coming back to the realization that she loves her house. She has gorgeous twenty foot vaulted ceilings just off the landing loft upstairs above her dining room so I suggested contacting one of my architects or contractors and looking at putting in that extra bedroom above the dining room. The high ceilings are nice, but the bedroom would not only make her house more valuable, but also make it more livable for her. . She wonders why I would tell her not to buy a house when I am a real estate agent, but the truth is that I want my clients to be happy and she would never be happy living in a different neighborhood – I know her this well after other investment property dealings I have gone through with her. Remodeling is the best choice for her.

Sometimes it takes an extra set of eyes to decide whether or not remodeling in Seattle is the right decision. There are a lot of factors that go into the choice of buying another house in Seattle and moving or hunkering down and coming up with a sound remodeling plan for your current home or real estate investment property. Seattle has a lot of fabulous contractors and many that specialize in specific areas of remodeling. Unfortunately, there are always bad with the good so make sure you get referrals from people who know and have worked with the contractor. Also, make sure you get at least three estimates or bids before choosing one.

If you need someone to come and take a peek at what your plans are and give you an honest opinion, please feel free to send me an email – I am happy to let you pick my brain on the decision to remodel or move in Seattle. I also might see an idea you hadn’t thought of before… courtney@courtneycooper.com

Courtney Cooper ….For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Associate Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County - Experienced and with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them! Please call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mill Creek, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs! If you are thinking of relocating to Seattle, I am an expert at Seattle Relocation services and can help you find the perfect home while making sure it is a solid financial investment!

Contact info: Courtney Cooper   phone (206)251-5948   email: courtney@courtneycooper.com

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By Courtney Cooper, December 1, 2007 2:18 pm

Seattle Real Estate is so much fun, but it is really amazing when something cool happens along the way………………………………..

I recently sold a gorgeous view home in Edmonds, WA..it was one of the most unique houses I had ever seen or had the pleasure to sell. In addition to being a view home, it had a really unique floor plan. The uniqueness probably caused it to be on the market just a tad longer than it normally would have been, but it was perfect for my buyers! The sellers were extremely kind and after close, brought something really cool to my buyers….a time capsule of sorts!!!

Apparently, during the major tear down and remodel job the seller did in the seventies on the original 1910 house, they found a bottle embedded in one of the walls. Upon opening it, they were treated to a letter from the long deceased original owner! It made the local papers and the seller was kind enough to give my buyers the press clipping as well as the letter.

I thought this was so cool! I had to share! What is in the walls of your old Seattle home? Love letters, trinkets, old stocks, perhaps?

Courtney Cooper ….For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Associate Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County - Experienced and with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them!

Call me if you are looking for a home or investment property (including short sales, preforeclosures, foreclosures, and REO properties) in Seattle, Shoreline, Edmonds, Brier, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Mill Creek, Everett, or other Seattle Suburbs!

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By Courtney Cooper, November 27, 2007 2:24 pm

Should You Grab a Hammer or Call the Bulldozer?

Seattle is filled with glorious homes built during the last turn of the century. There are homes here dating back to the 1800’s, but most in the older neighborhoods of Queen Anne, Magnolia, Ballard, University District, Capital Hill, The Central District, Madison Park and Ravenna are from the early 1900’s. There are many different styles of homes depending on which decade they were built in, but none of them have the huge open floor plans of today’s new construction.

As a result, some of these older homes are being demolished to make way for larger suburban style homes. In some cases, the house was in such disrepair with mountains of deferred maintenance issues leading to bigger problems. In other cases, however, a remodel really could have done the job! Anytime you can leave the charm of the original construction intact while still making a house into a home that someone will love and really be able to live in, please do it! Seattle Architecture is a thing of beauty and what makes us so special!

There are lots of people you can call to give you some ideas. If you think the house really might be a scrape job, but you would rather try to save it, consult with a professional such as an engineer, architect, or inspector. It is important to find out whether or not you would be throwing away good money after bad on a house that is not sound. In most cases, you should be able to fix the house up with a remodel.

But What to Remodel? Where Do I Start?

An experienced Realtor can give you a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) for your house in its current state as well as an idea of what it might be worth based on any possible improvements. A full service Realtor can also give you an idea as to which projects might give you more bang for your buck. Every one knows that kitchens and bathrooms really pack a bunch when you are looking at equity builders, but your house might be completely different! You might have an extra large lot that could be subdivided or a view you could take advantage of with an addition. The Realtor is the one that can really help you create your own vision!

I love remodeling! I have remodeled all of the houses I have owned or lived in and really enjoy being able to make something better than when I found it. It is sometimes stressful – especially if you are living in your home while you remodel it, but such a feeling of accomplishment at the end! On top of that , the money I have made from making simple changes is astounding. It doesn’t have to be huge. There are many levels of remodeling and one should start where they are comfortable starting!

Courtney Cooper - For all your Seattle Washington Real Estate Needs! Seattle Area Real Estate Agent: Associate Broker and Realtor serving North King & South Snohomish County - Experienced and with a background in accounting - I love my clients and work hard for them!