Lake Union Homes

Home sales in the U.S. showed their fourth gain in five months by posting a 9% gain in existing home purchases as compared to 2008.  At the same time, inventory of total homes was down 7.5%, signalling more good news for home sellers.  There’s no sure sign of recovery in the national real estate market, [...]

Seattle foreclosures have been rising steadily for the past couple of years, but a new article from CNN Money puts the total numbers in perspective.  While Seattle got hit with the real estate downturn much later than most cities, our foreclosures have been increasing while other cities have been slowing.   This hasn’t affected the waterfront [...]

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats – Part 5 – Locations

Seattle Houseboats and Floating Homes Map

Seattle Floating Homes Listings – Seattle Houseboats For Sale
The floating homes and houseboats in the Seattle area are all centered around Lake Union.  The Puget Sound waterfront is usually too rough for year-round moorage, and even Lake Washington with its [...]

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats – Part 4 – Financing
Let’s reiterate again – Houseboats and Floating Homes are different.  Financing is one of the biggest differences.  Floating homes can be financed with regular 30 yr mortgages, traditional interest rates, and pay regular property taxes.  Insurance is a bit more expensive than a traditional home.
Financing a [...]

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats – Part 3 – Utilities
Utilities on your houseboat or floating home can be rather ordinary or rather imaginative.  It all depends on your home and your moorage.
Electricity – This is usually fairly standard.  There are electric utility outlets available at your moorage for hookups to your home’s electric supply.  Some [...]

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats – Part 2 – Types of Homes
The term “houseboat” is used widely, and it is applied to many different types of residences.  You’ll find floating homes, house barges, and even sailboat vessels with bunks being called houseboats, and there’s a different usage of the term in different locales.  Here are [...]

Seattle Floating Homes and Seattle Houseboats – Part 1 – Floats
Understanding a floating home or houseboat starts with the most important part – the float.  No matter what style floating home you have, it needs to stay on top of the water.  Here is a simple breakdown of the typical floats you’ll see:
Raft – This is [...]

This is an interesting article by Diana Forman with the Floating Homes Association.  The Shoreline Master Program (SMP) consists of regulations for the use of waterways in the Seattle area.  There is a committee that consists of land owners, businesses, developers, and recreation groups that all have a stake in the management of the floating [...]

Residents of Seattle’s Lake Union neighborhoods, especially those living near the waterfront, should take note of the proposed community center planned for the north shore of the lake near Gasworks Park in Wallingford.  In my opinion, this is a much-needed improvement for such a beautiful area with so little community development.  The Lake Union waterfront [...]

The jumbo mortgate market has been rough for more than a year.  Interest rates on larger mortgages have remained very high, as banks are reluctant to make large investments in individual borrowers.  This has caused a real lag in sales of luxury homes and waterfront homes on Lake Union.
There may finally be some relief on [...]