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Food Truck Laws Change

The City Council has changed the laws affecting food trucks here in Seattle. When before, they could only park and sell out of private lots, they can now park right on public street and dish out their delicious mobile food!

The goal of this new legislation is to promote more interest in neighborhoods and to increase the the activity in street life, in other words, get people out and mingling, shopping and eating!

Click here to read more.

Source: Seattle Times

Outdoor Cinema in Seattle

Though our weather is not quite participating, it is summer and that means...outdoor cinema!!

Here are some outdoor cinema spots to check out:
- Cinema on the Lawn: in South Lake Union
- Fremont Outdoor Cinema: in Fremont, obviously!
- Movies at the Mural: at Seattle Center
- Movies at Magnuson Park: at Magnuson Park of course!

Because Cinema on the Lawn is part of South Lake Union's Block Party, there will be a beer garden and food from Brave Horse Tavern and Whole Foods. Pretty rad.

There are some fabulous movies lined up this year so grab a blanket and some friends and head out to outdoor movies in Seattle!

The Sanctuary Townhome Community Update

The Sanctuary is a 12 unit multi-family townhome community that was converted from a century-old church in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

The project has been in the works for several years and has gone through several different Listing Brokerage companies. After going into receivership, the sales now lie in the hands of Realogics Sotherby's International Real Estate and the project is being relaunched.

They anticipate it hitting the market in September with new pricing estimated to start at $600,000 and go up to around $1 million. The townhomes range in size from 1,278 to 2,438 square feet. The new owners will also enjoy a 10-year property tax abatement because of the property's historic designation. The townhomes are all accessed from street level but share a common parking garage. They have soaring ceilings, top of the line finishes, local artisan created cabinets and metalwork, repurposed materials from the church, and some units boast roof top decks with views of the City and Elliot Bay.

Bike Riding Events in the Area

With Marco finishing his first STP, Seattle to Portland, bike ride this last weekend, we thought it would be nice to share some other bike riding events with you in case you wanted to hop on your bike and get rolling!

- ALS DoubleDay Bike Ride and Fundraiser: July 23-24
- Seattle Century: July 30
- Get Your Guts in Gear - The Ride for Crohn's & Colitis: August 5-7
- 2011 Sound To Mountains Bike Festival: August 13
- Tour de Peaks: August 14
- Bike MS: September 10-11 - Marco is doing this one!
- Trek Tri-Island: September 16-19
- Cycle the Wave: September 18

And this isn't even all of them! If you love biking or want to try something new, check out one of these rides or one of the other available rides in our area.

- Loren

The Season of Seafair is Upon Us

It's about to be July and you know what that means- Seafair! Seafair is a great time of the year and a fabulous time to get out and enjoy both the main events and neighborhood events.

Here are the upcoming Seattle Seafair events:
July 2-4: 36th Annual Lake Union Wooden Boat Festival
July 9: Seafair Pirate Landing
July 9: Pioneer Square Fire Festival
July 9: Wallingford Seafair Kiddie Parade and Street Fair
July 9: Crown of Queen Anne Fun Run, Walk and Children's Parade
July 9-10: McDonald's Seattle's Chinatown-International District Festival
July 9-10: Ballard Seafood Fest
July 11: Pirates Booty Seafair Milk Carton Derby
July 13-17: While Center Jubilee Days
July 15-25: West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival and Parade
July 16-17: Seattle Bon Odori
July 16-17: Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow
July 23-24: Benaroya Research Institute Triathlon at Seafair
July 24: Chinatown Parade
July 27: Greenwood Seafair Parade
July 30: Torchlight Run at Seafair
July 30: Alaska Airlines Torchlight Parade at Seafair
July 30: Magnolia Summer Festival and Art Show
July 31: Pista Sa Nayon in Seward Park
August 3: Parade of Ships at Seafair Fleet Week
August 5-7: Albert Lee Cup Hydroplane Race at Seafair
August 5-7: Air Show at Seafair presented by Boeing
August 5-7: Umoja Fest African American Festival

With so many options, it will be hard to choose which events to attend, but maybe try something different this year and attend an event you have never been too before! Check out the Seafair website for more details on the Season of Seafair.

Happy summer!

Information courtesy of Old Republic Title

Urban Marco's Listing - #909 at 2200 Westlake

2200 Westlake #909
Offered at $425,000

Located in South Lake Union

Incredible Amenities. Fabulous Location. Beautiful Interiors.
• 1 bedroom + den, 1 bath
• 821 square feet
• Bright corner unit
• Nice den space for office or guests
• Large deck with views
• Unique Denny Park, Space Needle, EMP, City, Lake Union, mountain and Queen Anne views
• Dark hardwood flooring
• Gas fireplace
• Gas cooking, stainless appliances, and dark cabinets in the kitchen
• Upgraded lighting throughout
• Forced air and central Air Conditioning
• In-unit washer/dryer
• Parking space and storage unit
• Great building amenities including concierge, guest suite, gym, terrace, dog piddle patch, party room, game room, hot tub, saunas, theater room, & conference room
• Sits above Whole Foods, Starbucks, Yoga, FedEx, Dry Cleaner, Pharmacy, and more!
• Fabulous central location between all that Downtown, Belltown and South Lake Union have to offer
• HOA Dues: $583 & include natural gas, central hot water, sewer/garbage/water, earthquake insurance
• MLS# 236391

For more information on this home please visit it at www.LiveSouthLakeUnion.com

Looking for Dining with a Water View?

Once the sun graces us with it's presence, we all rack our brains trying to think of where we can go eat with a sparkling view of the water as our dining backdrop. Often, when the moment comes to decide where to eat, we blank and can't think of any place.

So, Seattle Met came up with a list of options and here it is so when that moment strikes, you have some fabulous ideas:
- Agua Verde Cafe
- Chinooks
- Joey's Lake Union
- Ray's Cafe
- Waterfront Seafood Grill
- Salty's on Alki
- Anthony's Pier 66
- BluWater Bistro on Leschi
- Six Seven
- Chandler's Crabhouse
- Little Water Cantina

Click here to see them on a map!

Marco on the Town - May

What was Marco up to in May?

In May, Marco and Loren attended an appraisal class to better understand how appraisers do their valuations, what FHA is now looking for and how bank owned and short sales may or may not affect area values. This is important as an appraisal can be a deal killer.

Have an appraisal question or need a referral for a good appraiser? If so, give us a call or email!

South Lake Union's Incredible Growth

Seattle's Office of Economic Development commissioned a study recently that shows the South Lake Union neighborhood has grown faster than originally thought in 2002, despite the recession.

There were predictions made in terms of how much office space would be built, how many housing units added, jobs created and how much tax revenue would be generated between 2004 and 2010 as a result of the redevelopment of the area.

In terms of commercial growth, there has been more than predicted with the addition of Amazon headquarters, biotech, other office space, and retail. However, housing growth is falling toward the low end of the forecasted amount. Job created and tax revenue both also exceeded estimates.

According to the Puget Sound Business Journal, "Overall, actual development exceed the highest projected growth by 10 percent".

What does this mean in terms of Real Estate? We believe it means that buying a condominium in this coveted area will be a great investment.

Want to buy in South Lake Union or just have questions? Feel free to contact us anytime!