Best Streets in Lower Queen Anne, Upper QA, Ballard, etc!

[DancesWithSalmon]

mkarsh, I would think that would be the case. 5 is a nightmare and I really don't think I'd like to live so close to it. I can't imagine air quality in Sunset Hill would be similar to Roosevelt Ravenna area. Some parts of Ballard seems pretty run down. I have driven up most of the streets in Sunset Hill on Google Earth. Have not looked at prices. Very concerned about mold. Any experience with this?

[mkarch]

SFH = single family home. In Ballard these are the old original homes vs the new stuff which is 95% condos and town homes.

Parts of Ballard are run down. Some areas are transitional, and some still have very old owners. It's something you get a feel for. The house I bought had one owner, and apparently wasn't so attractive once he was too old to care for it. Certain areas had neglected rentals, others just had old owners. The more expensive streets suffered from the latter.

I didn't see too many houses with serious long term mold issues, but damp basements can be a problem. Most of the really moldy homes I've seen had roof issues or poorly installed windows or siding.

[DancesWithSalmon]

SFH. Of course. I thought you were referring to an area of Seattle or Ballard. The problem with mold is that it is a problem for one's health even if it does not seem like it is a serious mold overgrowth problem. Even a relatively small area can be catastrophic for a person's health. Esp for a child. ERMI testing is the only testing one should use for determining the presence of mold. Trying not to freak about this but the climate lends itself to mold growth inside and we are dealing with compromised immune systems. Mold experts warn about buying older homes stating that one can never truly get rid of mold and in a damp climate the older a house is the house will undoubtedly contain mold. I don't know, I think the bigger problem today is with hermetically sealed poorly contructed houses. Shoddy construction is the rule of the day. However numerous older schools in Seattle are battling mold. Teachers getting fired for reporting the problem, etc.

Is Ballard still affordable or are the nicer areas like Sunset Hill out of reach now as the area grows. I plan to look at the area on the MLS. Magnolia on Mag Avenue seems a bit more upscale. Is that correct?

Are there any modern homes going up in Ballard or is most new contruct condos/twnhs as you mentioned?

Can you suggest any other areas other than Sunset Hill? Although that will prob be my fave due to the views and coast. I did not see a single for sale sign and I've literally driven up and down every street in Sunset Hill on Google Earth. I do not recall the date of the recordings.

[mkarch]

Funny you should ask about modern homes... There's a really cool one a few blocks from me. They exist, but they're all infill on existing home sites. Skinny SFH start around $550k, up from there if you want a house and yard. This place has a view, so it's a little higher than average for the square footage.

3021 NW 92nd St, Seattle, WA 98117 | MLS# 442237 | Redfin

[DancesWithSalmon]

WOW! I thought you were saying the house was a half mil. I got very excited only to find it is actually a million. Even so, that house for a million??? Other locales it would be 3 million and up. Stunning, minus the blue rug and round mirrors on the wall. I am wondering about a tear down now and the cost of a lot. Have you looked into this?

[DancesWithSalmon]

I've cut and pasted a post below from sean98125 from October 4, 2007 in which the traffic and congestion of the Ballard area is being discussed. The post is now approx. five plus years old. Any feedback on the situation now? Worse? Better? The roads are the same so is it safe to assume the congestion is now worse than what is described below? Ballard seems to have experienced immense growth since the post was written. For those of you who live in Ballard what routes do you take to avoid the traffic if at all possible. Thank you in advance.

"One thing to keep in mind with Ballard (including Sunset Hill) and Magnolia is that you're a bit of a drive from the freeway, and the east-west corridors are limited and congested. The increased business and residential development in Fremont, on Phinney Ridge and along 15th Ave W/Elliott have a pretty big impact on how long it takes to get to and from Ballard (along with the massive influx of people to Ballard over the past few years). Remember also that even though Ballard is close to downtown, the most direct route goes over a drawbridge over one of the busiest waterways in the nation. The drawbridge doesn't open during rush hour, but you should always plan on a few extra minutes parked on 15th waiting for the bridge to close. Another thing to keep in mind about Ballard and Magnolia is that at some point the city is going to be doing a major construction project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct and that is going to have major traffic impacts on traffic coming in from the north."

[mkarch]

Traffic getting out of Ballard is not great and what he wrote is true. The viaduct construction is impacting access to downtown from a lot of northern neighborhoods. Also, the city seems to be re-routing east-west through traffic to keep it out of greenwood's core area south of 105th. On of the effects of this is more traffic on 15th.

Now, the good news is that just getting around Ballard isn't bad. I'm way up in North Beach and can zip down 32nd or 24th to the Ballard Ave and Market area area in 5 minutes even during commute times. I'll add though that neither of us commute out of Ballard, so that isn't a factor for me nor do I have all that much experience with it.

The traffic problems here are going to get worse, but I'm not sure it's unique to this part of Seattle. Apparently the light rail line down 15th to downtown is part of the longer term fix.