Lake Forest Park WA - living - the video store is gone and a much needed fully stocked hardware store is nicely showcased on the center of the NorthEast upper Lake Forest Park Mall.  They have some great stuff in here and all the displays are quite attractive - great use of space here - go check it out!

You can have your breakfast at the Honey Bear Bakery inside Third Place Books and then wander over to pick up all the tools you need for getting your household chores done!  Lake Forest Park Towne Centre is definitely improved:)

Lake Forest Park Real Estate: Market Update 2010 - Feb 2010 comments -

The average price of homes in Lake Forest Park has dropped to the tune of roughly 20-25% since 2007.  This is surprising to me given the sheer volume of amenities that Lake Forest Park has to offer - the parks and shopping are wonderful.  The city is waterfront on the banks of Lake Washington, and there are wonderful waterfront facilities for all depending on what part of the city you live in (Civic Club if within boundaries, Sheridan Beach Community Club if you are in those boundaries, and then of course there is the city owned waterfront park which many won't tell you about (Lyon Creek Waterfront Park)...Lake Forest Park has a wonderful farmer's market and some great merchants.  I could go on with all the reasons that it makes no sense for prices to have dropped that much, but that is another post obviously......

Lake Forest Park homes are taking a bit longer to sell, but they should because the market is slower.  You should expect to price your home appropriately and it might take 60-120 days to sell, but that is normal.  Only under price your home if you truly need a quick sale.  Looking at many of the house that have sold in only two or three days shows you that they were clearly under priced.  I am sure there are those that will argue that they were priced right, but that is just not true. 

"I have gone to listing appointments and had the sellers tell me agents wanted to price their home below or at assessed value when there were clearly amenities and features of the home not accounted for in that number. I think it is pretty convenient to price a home at what Zillow or the county tells you it is worth rather than doing the work and trying not to leave any money on the table for your clients...."

Could it be that perhaps the Lake Forest Park real estate market has suffered so greatly because homes were not listed where they should have been? This is not 1999 and this is not 2005 or 2006.  It takes longer to sell your home.  The only thing that speeds that up is lowering your price to below market value because that is what buyers are after right now.  Below market priced homes are being snatched up and I feel like a great disservice is being dealt to the sellers of these as well as the rest of the residents of the city who watch their home values drop as a result.  Recovery is a team effort and won't be found by taking the easy way out.  You need a local Lake Forest Park agent and you need to talk to at least three of them.  Get someone who wants to act in your best interest and not leave YOUR money on the table.  You can find all the latest Lake Forest Park Real Estate on our site - search for free always and no forced sign ups!  Lake Forest Park Real Estate

Lake Forest Park WA Community Info:

Lake Forest Park WA is full of natural beauty and is all in all just a wonderful community!  It is a great alternative to city living, but still close enough in to take full advantage of all Seattle has to offer. 

Here are some of the Lake Forest Park WA things you may not have known:

• Speeding STRONGLY discouraged with many speed traps and camera tickets especially around schools.
  
• Hybrid drivers welcome!
  
• Lots of trees!
  
• Farmers Market
  
• Beach Access even if not deeded through one of the private clubs through public park

Want to know more about Lake Forest Park Wa and Lake Forest Park Living?

Here is a link to a Lake Forest Park Community Guide:

Lake Forest Park WA Living

You can also find more info here:

Lake Forest Park Blog

Even though this post is written for Virginia Waterfront property, many of the same things apply to Seattle waterfront living so I wanted to post it because it is good info and well written!  Seattle Waterfront homes including Seattle houseboats require special attention.  This is a great list:

Lake Forest Park Photo Enforcement Speed Cameras...

You should never speed anyway, but anyone knows that there are two places you should know you will be caught speeding in:  Seattle Suburbs Brier WA and Lake Forest Park WA.  It is practically common knowledge for anyone living there or even driving through.  Well Lake Forest Park has come up with a great tool to make sure to keep would be speeders in check - cameras that video tape speeders in school zones.

From the City of Lake Forest Park WA website -

"Lake Forest Park launches photo enforcement program
to reduce speed violations in school zones

To increase pedestrian and vehicle safety in Lake Forest Park, the City is launching a new "photo enforcement program" aimed at reducing speed violations in school zones on NE 178th Street and 35th Avenue NE.

The cameras will operate between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. The cameras will monitor both directions of traffic in school zones. Only vehicles that exceed the school zone speed limit of 20 mph will be photographed and videotaped."

So there you have it!  Keep Lake Forest Park homes wonderful and keep our streets safe!

Waterfront Homes In The  Seattle Area... Lots Of Real Estate Choices Here

Do you want to look at waterfront homes for sale in Seattle, Washington?  There are a lot of different real estate choices so which type of waterfront living is your favorite?  Seattle, Washington luckily has all kinds of water and there are many different ways to live on the water!  So if you want a waterfront home in the Seattle WA area or Washington state in general, you have some great options!

Some Great Seattle real estate waterfront homes and neighborhoods to look at:

1. Seattle floating homes aka houseboats are a popular option to dream about!  Seattle floating homes are really the very ultimate in Seattle waterfront real estate, right?  What could be more waterfront than living on the actual water in one of Seattle's finest neighborhoods?  There are not many houseboats left in Seattle  (about 500) and these floating home communities special!  They require special financing, inspections, and more, but to live on Lake Union or in Portage Bay would a for sure number one pick for Seattle waterfront real estate! 

2. Riviera Beach in Matthews Beach (Matthews Beach Real Estate) is a close second for Seattle lakefront living.  This little community is nestled on the West banks of Lake Washington with perfect postage stamp lots and also right on the Burke-Gilman trail.  If you want more privacy than houseboat living could offer, this might be a great choice! 

3. Sheridan Beach real estate in Lake Forest Park, Wa is a great option for North Seattle - situated North of Matthews Beach on Lake Washington, Sheridan Beach offers a private beach club membership and wonderful views of Kirkland.  Lake Forest Park homes in general have a lot going for them and the natural settings in this Seattle suburb are gorgeous!

4. Richmond Beach, Shoreline, WA. Richmond Beach is one of my very favorite beaches in the Seattle area and it is quite historic!  Perched on Puget Sound, this West facing community has some of the most amazing mountain and Sound views! 

Richmond Beach homes have a huge variety and are all oriented towards the downward slope and the water.  Because of this and the large park, a great option is to buy a big view home and walk to the public beach. Richmond Beach Real Estate  is one of my favorite parts of Shoreline WA real estate!

5. Bainbridge Island:  Want to work in Downtown Seattle and live the Seattle dream by commuting via ferry?  If you are a walk on passenger or even a cyclist, then the ferry system can be a very quick way to commute back and forth between work.  Many people like to live in Winslow on Bainbridge and walk on the ferry to ride over to Downtown.  Without having to rely on putting a car on and off the ferry, the commute is pretty easy!  Bainbridge offers a ton of waterfront homes and options!  Bainbridge Island Real Estate

6. Lastly, Go check out the Washington State coast!  A lot of people think that Seattle is on the West Coast, but it is actually 2 1/2 to 3 hours in from the Pacific Ocean.  We are on the Puget Sound which comes in from the Pacific Ocean.  If you want to check out the ultimate in waterfront homes, go take a trip and check out our pretty coast!  Ocean Shores is quite affordable with oceanfront lots starting at under $200,000!  Washington Coast homes

That is it for my Seattle waterfront homes and neighborhoods - these are just a few highlighted communities!  There are many more options as well in waterfront homes around Seattle:  Mercer Island, Bellevue, Kirkland, Edmonds, Mukilteo, Sammamish, and more all offer different ways to enjoy our beautiful state! 

 What are you interested in and what kind of waterfront home do you want?

Waterfront homes around Seattle

Courtney Cooper, Seattle Realtor, EcoBroker, Broker for Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services:  Seattle real estate

Great Harvest Bread Co. in Lake Forest Park WA:  baking up some wholesome goodness!

I have been to Great Harvest Bread Companies before, but had no idea they were individually owned and the Great Harvest in Lake Forest Park, Washington is at the top of my list!  This locally owned small business has been creating wonderful wholesome food and giving back to the community they serve! If  you haven't been to Great Harvest in Lake Forest Park, then you should go experience it because THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. 

This local Lake Forest Park bread company offers up a lot more than bread and has some great eat in options with amazing soups of the day (Today's soup is Broccoli Cheddar) and a made to order sandwich bar among other fabulous items.  My very favorite spot to stop for a sandwich is right here!  They make their sandwiches with really fresh ingredients and their yummy bread. You can also buy a number of prepared baked goods packaged up and ready to go. 

So to the bread:  Great Harvest puts out a bread schedule and bakes all of their normal staples daily, but also adds some variety by adding specialty breads using a daily schedule - for instance, today's specialty bread for July is Apple Crunch, Cherry Berry Bread, Dakota, Gluten Free Bread, Swedish Rye, and Whole Grain Sourdough.  On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Great Harvest has gluten free breads and on Fridays they have hamburger buns. Breads are all baked from scratch and the ingredients are all local and organic. 

You will be greated with a smile and great service even if it is crowded.  Great Harvest Bread Co.  always has a table of samples that they will go through with you and give you a chance to try.  I have never been disappointed - it is just good food!

After 24 hours if not sold Great Harvest donates to a local food bank.  This is truly a company making a difference. I would highly recommend stopping by Great Harvest in Lake Forest Park if you get a chance and if you are a local, then buy all your bread here all the time.  We should all support our local businesses and especially when they are stellar!

Great Harvest Bread Co. in Lake Forest Park is located in the lower mall portion of the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre on the corner of Ballinger and Bothell Ways in Lake Forest Park WA.  They are open M-F 6AM to 7PM and Sat-Sun 7AM to 6PM

17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155  206-365-4778

If you want to know more about the amazing Seattle suburb of Lake Forest Park and want to know why this community is so wonderful, please feel free to get a hold of me or visit my Lake Forest Park real estate web page as well!  It is small businesses like the Lake Forest Park WA Great Harvest that are making a difference in our local economies!

The City of Lake Forest Park is known for its natural beauty and settings and also for its amazing gardens!  The filtered lighting through the trees is an ideal place to raise some of the most beautiful plantings.  Here is some of the info the city is putting out on the latest Garden Tour this month:

   "The Secret Gardens of Lake Forest Park garden tour is one terrific garden tour," said Ciscoe Morris.

"The 2009 Lake Forest Park Garden Tour includes special gardens.  This year the gardens will foster your imagination and your creativity."

Ciscoe Morris of News Talk 97.3 KIRO FM will be broadcasting from the Lake Forest Park Towne Centre on June 20, 2009 between 10 am and 1 pm followed by live music until 4 pm.   Ciscoe Morris will be broadcasting from the Plant Sale in the lower level of the Towne Centre.

Advance ticket sales for the Secret Gardens of Lake Forest Park are $12.

According to the city, you can purchase tickets at the Towne Centre at Two Trading Tigers, Wildbirds Unlimited and at the Farmers Market.

Are you interested in Lake Forest Park homes with big gardening spaces?  You can find all kinds of Lake Forest Park living and Lake Forest Park real estate info our site!  Free MLS Searches and no registration plus community information for Seattle suburbs and neighborhoods.

Third Place Books is changing their hours beginning 4/1:

Lake Forest Park's community gemstone is changing their hours beginning April 1st - This is a great place to go hang out, shop or browse, and more and has been a center of Lake Forest Park living for quite some time!  

 Here are the new hours starting in April:

Monday thru Friday:  9AM to 10PM

Saturday:  8AM - 10PM

Sunday 9AM to 8PM

Third Place Books is just a wonderful book store and so much more.  They always have a great selection, good prices, and have been very accommodating in the past with helping us find anything we are looking for. With the Honey Bear Bakery right there, too, it is just a great place to hang out and have breakfast, lunch or just a latte.

Lake Forest Park Real Estate: Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services lfp@cooperjacobs.com

Lake Forest Park and Beyond:

Honey Bear Bakery has new hours beginning April 1st!  Looking for an early breakfast?  Here's your chance to come enjoy this wonderful place! I love grabbing a bite here either just for myself or for my kids - they have such a great variety of wholesome food with good healthy choices and we all come away happy.

 Here are the new hours starting in April:

Monday thru Friday:  7AM to 10PM

Saturday:  8AM - 10PM

Sunday 8AM to 8PM

This is great for nearby neighbors and others passing through.  If you haven't tried Honey Bear Bakery then please do - it is a necessary staple around these parts!

Lake Forest Park Real Estate: Cooper Jacobs Real Estate Services lfp@cooperjacobs.com