Seattle Afloat: Seattle Houseboats - Floating Homes On Lake Union: Washington: Seattle

Seattle Floating Homes Financing Update 2010:  You might think with all the other changing real estate financing guidelines that financing for floating homes would be hard to find, but not so.  There are some great local bankers who specialize in just this type of home and the process is still pretty straightforward for a houseboat that is in the category of floating home. 

With the changing lending environment, what is the range in programs available today for floating homes? According to Gary Olson at Banner Bank who is quite  a hard working guy and specializes in Seattle floating homes as well as doing a great job with your other real estate needs, the normal down payment for a floating home in Seattle would be a minimum of 20%-30% or more depending on the size of the loan.  After the potential purchaser has been given a conditional loan approval, the bank then orders the additional items required by the bank to finance the floating home.  In this case, they order a dive inspection as well as a current appraisal of the home. The bank must then review all items and both the bank and the underwriter for Banner Bank must approve all items.

In addition to these expenses, there are of course title insurance fees, recording fees, etc. just as with traditional Seattle real estate.The floating home must be on a co-op or condo dock for the program and the loans from Gary at Banner are amortized over 25 years with a 15 year term (the rate the client starts out with is what they keep for 15 years).  Gary is a great resource for your Seattle floating homes financing!

Seattle Houseboats:  Children on Floating Homes:  How do you raise children on a floating home?  I have asked this question quite a bit and it is always interesting to get the various answers, but I would love to hear your top ten tips for living on a houseboat with a child. 

Children and boating:  My in laws have a sailboat they sail around the Sound and all the docks at the marinas we stop in and see them at require children to wear a life jacket just to walk on the dock.  I agree with this policy. 

Children on floating home docks around Lake Union and Portage Bay:  I know some of the policies around the docks for kids and pets, but always wonder how some of the various Seattle houseboats co-ops cover themselves for just this thing.  I asked that question yesterday while previewing a brand new Eastlake floating home on the market (which is very cool by the way).  My question to one of the houseboat neighbors was what is your child policy?  He looked at me funny because of course that was a wacko way to word the question, but he smiled and said: "Parents."  Perfect answer.

Floating home child safety for houseboats:  What do some of the parents do to keep their children safe around the docks when you live in a floating home lifestyle?  I know of one family who keeps life jackets on hooks at every door.  It is just a way of life.  Other answers I have gotten over the years:  Of course they get swim lessons early as well.  Special railings on decks to keep toys, etc. from rolling off. What great solution have you come up with to keep your child safe while living life afloat in one of the very best Seattle waterfront lifestyles? Let us know!  SeattleAfloat@gmail.com

SeattleAfloat: Floating homes, Houseboats, More:  You can all the latest Seattle houseboats for sale on the corporate real estate site.  Here is a great peek at the North Part of Westlake on the base of Queen Anne (Northlake).  This is West across form Eastlake and South of Wallingford right by the Aurora Bridge and near Fremont.

Westlake floating homes:  Westlake has some wonderful shops along the Lake Union (Cheshihud) Loop.  You can also catch a glimpse into some of the cute treatments certain floating homes get from their owners.

This floating back deck for instance is in the moorage where you might usually find a boat, but the savvy owners have decided that adding outdoor space might better serve their life afloat. 

(I love little Seattle houseboat details like this)

  What kind of details do you have that are unique for your life afloat in Seattle?

 Seattle Afloat:   It is great seeing all the differences in each floating home: Little peep holes to see if the store is open or liquor hatches in the floats left over from prohibition.  Tiny cubbies fitted with hinges in the stair case to make use of any dead spaces for storage.

Eastlake Floating Homes: A Few Reasons Why I Love Eastlake

Eastlake is a small sliver of heaven in Seattle!  Even though it hugs I-5 there are great big sound barrier walls that make it a tiny little village right in the city.  A quick ride into South Lake Union or Downtown Seattle make it easy to see why this is such a great place to live.  It is a small laid back neighborhood which happens to be right in the middle of it all! 

Eastlake offers some amazing single family, condo, and townhouse type homes, but the shoreline is all about life afloat in Seattle floating homes.  These historical homes line the shore and their docks and offer a great peaceful setting while still being close to the action.

Want to see Eastlake homes for sale?

Eastlake Townhomes

Eastlake real estate

Seattle houseboats

Eastlake Seattle condos including Harbor Pointe

Come enjoy great places like Louisa's, Pete's, and trails like the Lake Union Loop (Cheshiahud), and more - Eastlake is a wonderful sliver in Seattle!

Seattle Houseboats:  Floating Homes Are Few And Far Between!  The inventory right now in Seattle floating homes is pretty much non-existent.  Seattle houseboat market update:

Seattle Floating Homes for sale:  Right now there are only a couple Seattle floating homes for sale - one of them is on Portage Bay and offers some additional moorage for income potential and the other is a lovely little historical gem that we listed last week.  List range is from $365,500 to $2,200,000.  There was another in Roanoke Reef but it is pending inspection at the moment and falls withing that same range of list price.  

The real problem right now for potential houseboat buyers is that there is no inventory.  We have the high and the low end represented in this batch, but there are a real lack of Seattle floating homes in the $550,000 to $950,000 range which is where I see a lot of the demand. Obviously getting your foot into the door on a Seattle houseboat priced at $365,500 is also pretty desire able which is why we have had a lot of attention and activity at the home we have listed at 2764 Westlake Ave N!

Other Seattle Houseboats for sale (vessels, barges):

Vessels and barges are lower priced and boats rather than real estate so they fall into a completely different category of Seattle houseboat than the floating homes do.  Current listings for these other types of Seattle houseboats or liveaboards range from $110,000 all the way up to $385,000 and $395,000 with 7 or 8 available to choose from at the moment.  

Recent Seattle houseboats that have sold or are pending:

Roanoke Reef has one pending sale and there is also a smaller floating home pending on Portage Bay.  In the last 6 months there have been 11 closed Seattle floating homes sales and 3 closed vessel sales.  Stat Averages for these are as follows:  $765,929 listing price, 1645  square feet, 140 days on market, $709,552 average selling price.

Seattle houseboat Real Estate Market 2010 Summary:

Seattle houseboats are in demand!  If you have been thinking about selling your Seattle floating home, then right would be PERFECT.  There is little or no competition and the floating home market has for the most part not been seriously impacted by the rest of the Seattle real estate market.

Let us know if you want a market analysis and competitve bid for the listing.  We always clean, stage, and market our listings to the fullest and would love to see your Seattle houseboat!

2764 Westlake Ave N # D, Seattle Floating Home Just Listed! 

$365,500 with co-op owned moorage

Really adorable Historic Seattle Houseboat D:  Want a Seattle floating home?  Enjoy life on Lake Union in this great floating home circa 1910 but with great updates through the years.  This is one of the originals!  Log foundation with newer roof and deck on co-op owned moorage dock!

Sleeping loft, large kitchen, plus additional den/office to the back, this floating home has vaulted ceilings, skylights, and more!  Great condo alternative for in city living with flair.  Cats ok and dogs ok with co-op approval.  Low dues cover almost everything you need!

Just steps from Fremont at the base of Queen Anne along Westlake Ave N, this is the perfect location for easy access to Downtown Seattle, Queen Anne, Fremont, and more and right on the Cheshiahud Loop (Lake Union Loop) with quick access to all the other walking and cycling trails and paths that intersect right in that area!

Throw your kayak in at the end of the dock and enjoy life afloat in Lake Union!

 Want more info?

2764 Westlake Ave N  Floating home for sale 

SeattleAfloat.com:  Seattle houseboat blog with lots of great info about floating homes on Lake Union and life in the ultimate Seattle waterfront way to live:  Seattle houseboats

HouseboatEats.com  I love this great website - what a wonderful idea and there are so many amazing recipes on here created in their tiny little Seattle houseboat kitchen:)  Just check them out!  Talley and Beryl are so cute and the dishes created and written about are truly inspiring. 

I think they might have a lot of cats for one floating home, but that is my own personal opinion - doesn't seem to make their quality of life go down at all! 

http://www.houseboateats.com

Great job, you guys!

Roanoke Reef Floating Homes:  Primo Seattle Houseboats - out in the rain today previewing a couple Roanoke Reef houseboats on the market and also meeting an appraiser.  By the end of the afternoon, I was soaked!

Roanoke Reef is a great Seattle houseboat community and the floating homes here are top of the line for size and amenities - Buying a Seattle floating home in this Eastlake community means buying via condo ownership for the dock  with your own submerged land (fee simple ownership).  It also means you get a gated entrance and parking.

Roanoke Reef floating homes have a lot to offer.  The dock is well maintained and all the homes are newer than other historical houseboat docks.

Additional info -

Seattle houseboats for sale

Eastlake real estate

Seattle houseboats:  Seattle floating homes are the ultimate in Seattle waterfront property - Seattle houseboat inventory has been low lately - obviously a change in season has something to do with the fact that there are not that many houseboats for sale right now, but the interest in these floating homes is still going strong.

Lake Union Houseboats:  And why shouldn't it be?  Seattle has some beautiful waterfront properties all around the Puget Sound, but none are so perfect as a houseboat. 

Seattle houseboats are the ultimate in waterfront living and Lake Union is the heart of the city.  Whether you are on the Eastlake, Southlake, Westlake, or Northlake side or in Portage Bay, Seattle floating homes offer an oasis for the waterfront lifestyle.

Seattle houseboat real estate market:  If you are thinking about selling your Seattle floating home for some reason, please let us know as there are a ton of interested parties and not a lot of Seattle houseboat to go around!  You can see what I mean by checking out the slim pickings available right now:

Seattle houseboats for sale

In the mean time, stay warm and please have a safe and Happy New Year! 

© Seattle Afloat:  Seattle houseboats blog about floating home life on Lake Union