Madison Park Times RE 02-01-22

February 2022

Madison Park Times

Serving East-Central Seattle since 1983

Real Estate

MADISON PARK - WASHINGTON PARK - MADISON VALLEY - DENNY-BLAINE - MADRONA - LESCHI www .M adison P ark T imes . com

Where are the homes for sale?

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what has driven ust like the this seller’s market temperafor the past two ture would years. Just look at suggest, winter our own neighboris typically a hood: In Madison cool time for Park in 2021, there the real estate were never more market. But than four single2022 continues family homes on 2021’s unusual the market at the trajectory: Real same time. estate in MadiWe’ve just enson Park and tered the new year, our surrounding Neda Perrina and anecdotally neighborhoods Property Views we’ve seen more is hot, with buyers come off multiple offers the bench and enter the market. common and above-list sales But listings aren’t coming on prices the norm.

Why is this happening? It’s due fast enough. And it’s possible the climbing home prices that to the scarcity of inventory across the Puget Sound coupled with record-low interest rates; that is SEE PROPERTY, PAGE 2

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Months of Inventory 2020 Madison Park

2 0.3 3 0 2 0.7 3 1.5 2 2 1.7 1.7

Months of Inventory 2020 - Months of Inventory 2021 Sea7le Madison Park 1.1 1.3 1.1 1 1 3 1.4 0.3 1.5 0.3 1.1 0.1 1.1 0.5 1.2 0.5 1.2 0.8 1.1 2 1 1 0.8 0

Inventory in 2020 & 2021 3 2.25 1.5 0.75 0

Jan

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moirα@moirαpresents.com 206.612.5771 moirαpresents.com

Jun

Months of Inventory 2020 - Madison Park Months of Inventory 2020 - Sea7le

2-BEDROOM, NEARLY-1,600 SQ FT. PIKE PLACE MARKET CONDO WITH PROTECTED WATERFRONT VIEWS. $ 1,495,000

MOIRA E. HOLLEY

May

Jul

Aug

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Months of Inventory 2021 - Madison Park Months of Inventory 2021 - Sea7le

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FEBRUARY 2022

LISA TURNURE REAL ESTATE COLDWELL BANKER BAIN ICONIC CAPITOL HILL ESTATE $,4,995,000

Recent Client Testimonial “Lisa was the best choice to help us sell our home. She is highly skilled in all aspects of the home sale transaction. She listened carefully to our needs and created an excellent sales, marketing, technology, and pricing strategy. She kept us informed through each step of the process through the sale and closing. No detail was unimportant. Even though she might have had other clients she was helping, we always felt like we were her first priority. We have moved several times around the country and we can honestly say Lisa is the best real estate agent we have engaged.”

To see my active listings and other recent sales, please contact me via phone, email or see my website at lisaturnure.com 206.919.6605 | lisaturnure@cbbain.com | LisaTurnure.com EXPERIENCED. INNOVATIVE. TRUSTED.

SOUTH LAKE UNION | $3,495,000

BROADMOOR | $5,495,000

BROADMOOR | $3,150,000

MAGNOLIA | $5,639,000

BETSY Q. TERRY & JANE POWERS

206.322.2840 | ewingandclark.com | luxuryrealestate.com

Pacific Publishing Company – Queen Anne & Magnolia News • Madison Park Times • City Living Seattle

S E L L I N G G R E AT E R S E AT T L E & G R E AT E R PA L M S P R I N G S

FEBRUARY 2022

ROBIN L. BLACK Luxury Homes & Estates

T H E R E H A S N EVE R B E E N A B E T T E R T I M E TO S E L L I N S E AT T L E A N D B UY I N T H E D E S E RT !

Whether you are buying or selling a high-rise condominium, or a desert estate, Robin will guide you through your real estate purchase or sale. With Sotheby’s International Realty off ices in both Indian Wells and Seattle, Robin and her team can provide her clients with top notch real estate services.

206.734.7300 WALuxuryHomesAndEstates.com

760.774.7877 CALuxuryHomesAndEstates.com

#SeaAndSand WA DRE #24158 | CA DRE #01134202

Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Sotheby’s International Realty Aff iliates LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Off ice Is Independently Owned And Operated. If your property is listed with a real estate broker, please disregard.

It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully.

PROVEN RESULTS

What My Clients Are Saying...

Founding Member | Managing Broker Senior Global Real Estate Advisor 206.399.5842 | Laura.Halliday@rsir.com

“We were referred to Laura Halliday by a friend in Seattle who highly recommended her based on her own experience buying a home in Broadmoor. Our house criteria evolved and were refined by Laura’s knowledge and insights into the initial neighborhoods we thought might be possibilities. Because we were on the East Coast, her partnership was even more critical and valuable.

After six months, we found a house on Mercer Island and Laura helped us structure our offer with the right terms which allowed us to win a very competitive bidding process.” - Ken & Alison Kido

A CONTINUED LEGACY Realogics Sotheby's International Realty ranks amongst the largest most productive and fastest-growing real estate companies in Washington with access to 24,000 brokers in 75 countries and territories generating global sales of $150 billion annually.

SOTHEBY’S AUCTIONS

Sotheby’s Auction House Presents the François et Betty Catroux collection, which adorned their apartment in the Palais Maeterlinck, overlooking the French Riviera.

PENDING IN QUEEN ANNE 300 Ward Street — It was an absolute joy to represent the sellers of this incredible view home perched on the south slope of Queen Anne. This custom-built residence had more ‘under the hood’ features than you can believe plus the perfect setup for entertaining: the flow, the catering kitchen, the lighting, and, did I mention, the views? A lock-and-leave masterpiece for those that want only the best. Be still my beating heart!

Each Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. Seller reserves the right change the product offering without notice.

LauraHalliday.com

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FEBRUARY 2022

Things to stop doing in 2022

here’s been a lot of unlearning happening in my garden. I learned to not do a lot of things I was doing.

The good news of all this upheaval is most of these learnings add up to less work in the balance of thing and more diversity in the soil and species in my garden.

The goal in all of them is creating an environment that is as selfsufficient as possible.

Stop amending planting holes From Linda Chalker-Scott, an associate professor of Washington State University, I learned two crucial planting techniques.

The first was a new (to me) way of planting nursery-bought plants.

Chalker-Scott says that when water hits any new medium, going from one soil texture to another, it slows or stops.

Better to have one medium, your garden soil, throughout the root zone. So that means shake or rinse off the nursery soil, using garden soil in the hole.

Amend around the crown only with nursery soil, fertilizer or amendments that will trickle down via watering and worms.

Here are the details: https:// s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/ sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments.pdf.

The old wisdom of planting was basically: dig hole, plunk in plant as-is and add compost or fertilizer

Erica Brown Grivas

Get Growing to hole.

When you keep the plant in the nursery soil, the plant, which adapted those cushy conditions, will often stay within that original shape without sending roots out to acclimate to the existing garden soil. It eventually fills that space and starves or drowns just as if it was an overgrown plant in a tiny pot.

It’s heart-rending to pull out a sad plant after a season and see a wimpy root ball that never got wider than the original quart-size pot.

I began applying ChalkerScott’s method and noticed new plants were establishing much faster, even in areas with challenging soil conditions.

So now I dig the hole as deep

484 Lake Washington Blvd E ACTIVE $3,095,000

as the root ball and twice and wide, putting the garden soil to the side. I water the hole and the new plant. I shake off the fertilizer-filled nursery soil into another pile (some go as far as to rinse it off entirely). If roots are circling, I loosen the root ball with my hands — or in dire cases, my hori-hori knife — and replace garden soil around the plant.

Then I top-dress with nursery soil and/or compost or any desired fertilizer.

Don’t line containers with gravel Many people believe a layer of gravel at the bottom of a pot will “improve drainage” even if there is no hole in the pot, thinking excess water will collect in the gravel and save the plant roots from drowning. Chalker-Scott did a simple presentation at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show a few years ago that blew my mind.

I have been warning nursery customers off using gravel, Styrofoam, bits of clay ever since.

You can try the demonstration yourself: Take a clear plastic cup or glass, line with a layer of gravel topped with soil. Pour in water.

The water will hit the gravel and retreat to the soil level.

If there were a plant in there, the water would be pooling around the roots — exactly where you don’t want it.

The reason? It goes back to

the idea of water slowing down with each change in soil texture.

It hits the gravel, says “nope” and heads back up. You can learn the specifics here: https://s3.wp.wsu. edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/ container-drainage.pdf.

ly water desirable plants instead of the weeds if possible.

Stop pulling weeds This is a tough one. Pulling weeds is so satisfying — both physically and mentally. You feel so virtuous as the soil releases the offending root into your grip — gotcha! However, every time you pull out a plant — whether a dandelion, a cover crop of alfalfa or a spent tomato plant — it wreaks havoc with the bacterial web in the soil, which is the garden’s life support. Also, pulling weeds (or tilling soil, for that matter) can bring buried weed seeds into the light, adding to the problem.

The better way to go, experts say, is to cut weeds to the ground — repeatedly if necessary — and smother with a competitive ground cover or bark chips. I can hear you — but what about the insanely vigorous plants that grow twice with each cut?

This fall I was interviewing ecofriendly landscapers to help clear an area riddled with Trollius (buttercup) and bindweed, and they all agreed — cut and smother, and potentially repeat. If you missed some, cut off the flowers before they can go to seed, and selective-

Stop cleaning up, and leave the leaves Say goodbye to “fall clean-up” as you know it. You may have seen the “leave the leaves” campaign in fall on social media.

All that obsessive raking and bagging of fallen leaves and dried perennial stems takes away wildlife winter food sources, shelter and nesting sites and nutrients for your soil.

Happier and easier alternatives are to mow over your leaf pile (if it’s thick heavy oak leaves, say) and add as a shredded nutritious mulch that warms your plant’s roots while feeding them, compost them or just leave them, depending on your tolerance for wildness.

Even dead trees left upright, also called snags, can be a benefit to birds and other wildlife over the winter. The Bellevue Botanical Garden’s Native Discovery Garden has several large snags giving shelter to fungi, birds, insects and animals.

Ultimately, your easiest, happiest garden will come from choosing plants that want to grow where you put them, rather than creating false bubbles for them to live in temporarily. (That’s what containers and greenhouses are for.)

3619 E Terrace St SOLD $1,125,000

Happy Valentines Day With over 33 years of real estate experience, we would love be your real estate experts when it comes to marketing your home and purchasing a new home . We are excited to talk with you about your options!

We have a new addition to the Hinds Team, Katie Hinds!

122 Madrona Place E SOLD $3,198,000

322 Randolph Ave SOLD $2,350,000

KATHRYN HINDS Windermere Madison Park 206•650•6488 KATHRYNHINDS@COMCAST.NET HINDSTEAM.COM

TAYLOR HINDS Windermere Madison Park 206•434•5102 TAYLORHINDS@WINDERMERE.COM HINDSTEAM.COM

KATIE HINDS Windermere Madison Park 206-434-5103

KATIEHINDS@WINDERMERE.COM HINDSTEAM.COM

Pacific Publishing Company – Queen Anne & Magnolia News • Madison Park Times • City Living Seattle

FEBRUARY 2022

Nothing Compares Expertise that’s wherever you are and wherever you want to be.

1620 43RD AVE E #13B | MADISON PARK $1,750,000 | SOLD

300 WARD ST | QUEEN ANNE $6,250,000 | PENDING

1709 DEXTER AVE N UNIT #A | QUEEN ANNE $1,350,000 | SOLD

620 34TH AVE E | WASHINGTON PARK $2,795,000 | SOLD

We're your local Madison Park experts with global reach that will help you on your real estate journey—no matter where it takes you. Meet with one of our trusted advisors for a market evaluation today!

Meet your global real estate advisors:

Cindy Paur

206.949.4497

Leslie Dickinson 206.200.2174

John Madrid

206.498.1880

Laura Halliday

206.399.5842

WE'RE OPEN ONLINE 24/7

Hoady Spencer 206.372.1092

Toby Lumpkin

206.786.2035

Neda Perrina

206.218.8589

4031 East Madison Street | Visit rsir.com or call 206.466.2409

Forest Bathing Walk

Seattle Night Market | Lunar New Year

Seattle Kraken

Join UW Botanic Gardens and Cascadia Forest Therapy for a unique forest bathing opportunity in the Washington Park Arboretum. The practice encourages you to walk in the forest at a slower pace and take in the atmosphere around you. Event is Saturday, February 26, 10–11:30 a.m. Find out more at botanicgardens.uw.edu.

Seattle’s favorite monthly indoor Night Markets returns to celebrate the Chinese New Year - Year of the Tiger! Shop over 100 local vintage, craft and purveyors just in time before Valentine’s Day. The fun returns for two unique nights with Friday, February 12th 2-9pm. at Magnuson Park. Find out more at eventbrite.com.

February is about to get busy. The Kraken will play 10 games in the month originally scheduled for a threeweek Winter Olympics break to allow dozens of NHL players to represent their countries in Beijing. Save the date for Wednesday, February 9, 7 p.m. More information at nhl.com/kraken.

rsir.com Each office is independently owned and operated. Seller reserves the right to change product offering without notice.

SounderBruce, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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FEBRUARY 2022

Chris Sudore “As a Madison Park Resident, I care about your home‘s value.”

Your property value has significantly increased this year.

Contact us today for a fee market evaluation.

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Coldwell Banker‘s Global Luxury Team | King County Estates

Chris Sudore President/Founder of King County Estates 206.799.2244

Marta Grzankowski Sales Broker & Office Manager 425.519.3345

Stephanie Brown Sales Broker 206.595.4488

Jennifer Vandiver Sales Broker 509.969.6767

Chris Sudore | Managing Broker Madison Park Your Specialist In: Madison Park • Washington Park • Broadmoor • Denny Blaine • Capitol Hill • Madrona • Leschi

Ryder Fasse Sales Broker 206.351.0923

Nikki Betz Sales Broker 206.919.1870

Megan Bassetti Marketing Manager

Chris@KingCountyEstates.com 206-799-2244 KingCountyEstates.com

Pacific Publishing Company – Queen Anne & Magnolia News • Madison Park Times • City Living Seattle

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So, a new year began

fears all over the page. I felt as though I could not breathe.

This is not whistle-blowing; it’s turning noisy data into something cohesive to understand. If anything, it reflects ourselves back at ourselves, exposes how easy it is to con us, how culpable we are, how crazy it is to trust these new Mad Men in hoodies.

The other dream — and this is a relief — had more to do with how many times since Thanksgiving I found myself scarfing down another piece of pumpkin pie because once I learned how to make one, I just couldn’t STOP! Why, I wondered, had I convinced myself baking was so hard? Pumpkin.

Milk. Sugar. Eggs. Easy. And, oh, compared to writing, do I ever mean easy.

Anyway, my sister, who is an R.N., swears that tears do cleanse us emotionally. And she is very opinionated, my sister, nothing at all like me, so when she said she absolutely knows this to be true, I knew enough not to object.

I offered only a smile. But we know each other so well, it’s as if she could tell it was a doubtful smile.

But I’ve started to like the idea that this cleansing in sleep (and, admittedly, in waking hours when necessary) will help offset the fear I have of becoming re-addicted to sweets, and just how right Haugen is.

‘Artists at the Center’ offers music other performances

206 Zulu, Feb. 19 at Northwest Courtyard El Sueno, Feb. 20 at Seattle Center Armory Gender Tender, Feb. 27 at Fisher Pavilion Roof Sumayya E. Diop Dance & Drum, at the Monorail Alfonso Cervera Dance, March 5 at Northwest Courtyard Das Biest, March 25 at Fisher Pavilion Roof Orquestra Northwest, March 26 at Seattle Center Armory Seattle Center, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Climate

Pledge Arena, Uptown Arts & Culture Coalition and Seattle Kraken partnered to create Artists at the Center. The program features free pop-up performances on Seattle Center grounds through September 2022.

For performance schedule, details and to learn more about the artists, visit http://www. seattlecenter.com/events/featuredevents/artists-at-the-center. To learn more about virtual and inperson activities at Seattle Center, visit www.seattlecenter.com, or call (206) 684-7200.

PROPERTY, FROM PAGE 1

“The truth is, there hasn’t been a better time to be a seller.

Historically, spring is the time to list. More buyers are entering the market in the spring, and it usually creates an ideal environment."

you can list now, you are at a huge advantage. So few homes are on the market that multiple offers are common. That doesn’t just make it more likely for the seller to get a high offer; it also puts them in a great position to negotiate additional terms that will benefit them in the long run — including protections if you haven’t found your next home.

Last year proved to be a challenging and rewarding year in real estate. I’m so honored I was able to guide my clients through the process of selling a home or finding their next. If you’re thinking about what a move in 2022 could look like for you, let’s grab a coffee or set up a time to connect.

over. I reached does. “You for my robe and were crying,” walked into the I hear him whisper. living room.

I thought I laid there more about in sort of an tears, how our altered state eyes are actually — roughly cleansing themthree-quarselves of irters me, or ritants. I sighed, maybe only a not wanting to half — until sound ridicuthe dream lous, even to let up. How myself, but still, could it be you’d think crythat I didn’t ing might want hear myself Mary Lou Sanelli cry? to seek a higher Falling Awake “Everyfeat and flush thing all out some of this right?” he fear. said. “Or did you read ‘Time’ I’m telling you this because, in bed again?” Which made me yes, I do read “Time Magazine” smile. I rolled over. I felt his body in bed. As a gift to my psyche, I move to accommodate my turning cancelled the cable. And because I work at my laptop, I don’t want to read my news online. Any other place is better at the end of my day.

Anything to get up and stretch and walk around and take in the world that is not on a screen. The Call me today.

2022 me still reads as many books as she can but only one factchecked news source of serious WALLY GREEN journalism a week, balanced by 206-322-8744 Saturday Night Live, especially 4020 E MADISON ST STE 102 SEATTLE the opening scenes.

Anymore is deliberately sucSubject to terms, conditions and availability. © 2015 Allstate Insurance Co. cumbing to another nosedive, and I don’t want to spend that much 230967

Home insurance from someone you can trust.

PREMIER DIRECTOR | WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE MIDTOWN (206) 972-7768 • ttruex@windermere.com theresatruexproperties.com

theresatruexproperties.com

Theresa Truex MADISON PARK PROPERTIES

The Stewart Lumber & Hardware Company Shop Local ∙ Shop Smart 206.324.5000 TheStewartLumberCo.com 1761 Rainier Ave. S Seattle, WA 98144

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time being down anymore.

And on this night I’d read an in-depth piece about Frances Haugen, the Facebook whistleblower (I prefer integrity-keeper) who is the kind of articulate woman who compels you to listen.

Which I did.

I listened closely, her findings stressing truths within truths within truths. It was the first piece of writing on the whole Facebook mess — because it is a mess and should be one, and (hopefully) a crackdown on big tech and their sneaky, manipulative practices, yes, a muddied, complicated mess — that cleared up questions I didn’t have answers for yet.

Haugen studied what was happening during our last election and in countries like Ethiopia and India, about “engagement-based ranking” — commonly known as the algorithm — that chooses which posts to rank at the top of a user’s feed.

But it was Haugen’s argument about human nature that really drew me in, that this system of ranking is doomed to exaggerate the worst in us. She warns us (without prophesying, which is really hard to do) that one of the most dangerous things about engagement-based ranking is that it is much easier to inspire someone to hate than it is to inspire compassion and empathy. “And given that the internet tends to amplify the most extreme content, we are going to see more and more people who, for example, think it’s okay, even right, to hate and be violent. And that destabilizes societies.”

It was like reading my worst

anuary felt more long-awaited than other months because it was.

In December, I just felt — anxious. Christmas, for a lot of us, means family, friends, food, everything right about the season. But now that we launch into it a week before Thanksgiving, are they enough to sustain all of it? As the month passes, it becomes more of a mood, an emotional one. And by New Year’s, I’ve pretty much run the span of my emotional reserve.

Not only that, twice in December I woke in the middle of the night after having the same dream where I am standing at the edge of a canyon, and with my hands pressed against my ears I yell, “Stop!” at the top of my lungs.

Now, when my husband thrashes from a dream, I immediately wake. But he doesn’t, typically, when I have one, but this time he

THERESA TRUEX

FEBRUARY 2022

Artists at the Center, a yearlong slate of performances featuring up-and-coming artists to celebrate the opening of Climate Pledge Arena, offers varied performances during the first three months of 2022. From classical music and poetry to modern dance and rap, Artists at the Center will have something for everyone to enjoy.

Scheduled performances:

we’ve seen since 2020 could start to level off in the spring if a few things come to pass that industry leaders are expecting.

First, if interest rates do continue to rise, some of the buyers might decide to press pause on their home search. That means fewer offers for sellers to choose from, and it makes it just that much more difficult for sellers to negotiate their ideal terms.

Second, a combination of those rising interest rates and more sellers entering the market in the busy spring selling season could cause a recipe for home price sales growth to level off.

Higher interest rates will mean buyers will have less flexibility to escalate their offers, and there will be more houses to make offers on,

easing the competition.

The truth is, there hasn’t been a better time to be a seller. Historically, spring is the time to list. More buyers are entering the market in the spring, and it usually creates an ideal environment. But if you’re planning on listing your home for sale, and

Mary Lou Sanelli’s latest collection of essays, “Every Little Thing,” has been nominated for a Pacific Northwest Book Award and a Washington State Book Award.

Neda Perrina 206-218-8589 neda.perrina@rsir.com

FEBRUARY 2022

HISTORIC SEATTLE VIEW ESTATE MERCER ISLAND VIEW HOME

Bob Bennion · 206.328.7200 · BDHomeSeattle.com $16,000,000 · #1846278

Tere Foster & Moya Skillman · 425.637.8373 $3,095,000 · Just Listed

Bob Bennion & Mary P. Snyder · 206.328.7200 $4,150,000 · #1856019

HARVARD AVE E VIEW CONDO Evan Wyman · 206.320.1400 · WymanGroup.com $1,100,000 · #1880203

LUXURY

HARVARD-BELMONT DISTRICT

LEADERS IN

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BOB BENNION TERE FOSTER MOYA SKILLMAN MARY P. SNYDER EVAN WYMAN

BELLEVUE VIEW HOME DT BELLEVUE PENTHOUSE

Tere Foster & Moya Skillman · 425.637.8373 Listed at $2,380,000 · #1877836

Tere Foster · 425.637.8373 · FosterRealty.com $1,599,995 · Just Listed

LAKE CLE ELUM RETREAT

Bob Bennion & Mary P. Snyder · 206.328.7200 $5,300,000 · #1648351

ORCAS ISLAND WATERFRONT Tere Foster & Moya Skillman · 425.637.8373 SOLD for $7,500,000 · represented buyer

#TRUSTEDADVISORS THIS UNPRECEDENTED MARKET CALLS FOR THE LUXURY LEADERS

CO M PA S S . CO M

SUN VALLEY TOWNHOME

Evan Wyman · 206.320.1400 · WymanGroup.com SOLD for $3,200,000 · represented buyer

SUN VALLEY VIEW LOT

Evan Wyman · 206.320.1400 · WymanGroup.com SOLD for $1,500,000 · represented buyer