Last week I kind of dismissed Ballard as the fishing village that it was, and may be again. To me it still has a stigma, but more importantly it’s job base is the Wharf, and I think the housing units should reflect that in pricing. I’m all for a reasonably priced Ballard. Fremont has gotten upscale, it had the massive transformation of the Suzy Burke Properties. Between the two, in my opinion, Ballard has stayed more blue collar.
OK, that was my reasoning, but I always forget about Loyal Heights, and the neighborhoods North of 65th. 59th is actually a demarcation point, but above 65th things change. I’ll spare you the twenty years of zoning wars between the meat head builders of rental units, and neighborhood houses. Above 65th was where the family home was preserved.
Above 65th all the way to 145th you will find well built solid timber homes. We were in a house this week where you could tell the builder built it for himself. It had all the usual stuff, of the Duffy tile work, mahogany trim, and doors, hard wood floors, and a sandstone fireplace. Everything was perfectly level, and you felt how solid the house was.
The other thing about all of Ballard is the South West Exposure. On Loyal Heights it’s a big expanse of flat so you feel the sun light all day, every day, even in the rainy season. There’s a whole gambit of housing styles with a penchant for those war era working homes. There’s no doubt though that the builder had money, the labor was skilled, and the materials the best.
I forget about Loyal Heights. It’s just a great family neighborhood that is a buffer between working class, upper class, and wealth.
About David Losh
In 1984 I got my Real Estate license and worked in a small company called Advance Properties. The owner was extremely interested in Real Estate, building, and land development. Most of his work was concentrated North of Seattle. Since the 1970s I had worked for Real Estate agents in Seattle as a contractor, mostly preparing properties for rent, and sale.
After a few years my skill level increased considerably concerning land use, building code, and development practices. Escrow, and lending offices were housed at the Advance Properties building so it was easy to get involved in all aspects of Real Estate. It was very much a family owned, and operated business.
Over the years my Real Estate license has been at a variety of Real Estate companies, and offices. Nothing compares to those early years, or that sense of family. Real Estate has gotten to be corporate owned.
My hope with this blog is to share with you some of the things I've learned. If you have Real Estate needs, or want contractor help, I refer freely to what best suits you. If you should choose to work with me you'll find a great resource.
My Real Estate license is at Skyline Properties in Northgate. Skyline is a locally owned company that is a desk fee office. There is a wide variety of diverse agents. It helps me with some of the other projects that I have, and mentoring that I do, to be able to work with people from other cultures.
Here in Seattle we are close to Vancouver BC and are the gateway to China. Boeing has a great trade relationship with China, as does Microsoft have with all of Asia. We are a culturally diverse community, and it helps me to be invlolved.
