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• gooner
  i for one am glad i have the means to live in something a little more substantial than these cottages, especially with a few kids and dog, but to be honest, if this was what i could afford, i would really dig them. it is the size of a condo, but much much more appealing of a layout and from the street. the yard size has little to be desired though.
• BlackSheep
  My thoughts exactly, Gooner - I always find myself checking them out when I walk by, even though I've checked them out many times, even wandered in when they were under construction.
  
  Maybe it's because I find the lack of yard to take care of appealing? :)
  
  They aren't really that inexpensive, though - but a great alternative to a shared-wall situation.
• LC
  I hope that they build a few wheelchair accessible units. I would have liked to move into a new home but all that seems to be being built right now are townhomes. Townhomes=stairs.
• m
  I check them out on walks too. I love the concept but would like to see a smidge more space between them overall. Maybe 1 less cottage on a lot? I'm not a yard-maintenance kinda gal, but would appreciate a bit of private patio space.
• Iloveseatown
  There are dozens of real SFHs for in the price range of these cottages, I'm sure that there is a market for these at some price point but at 400K plus who buys these?
• Iloveseatown
  http://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/5917-22nd-Ave-...
  
  redfin listing of the last project, they don't even give the square footage of the things.
  
  They are building 4 of these around a house that is near mine, my house could be bought for 370K and it has 3 bdrms and a garage.
• BlackSheep
  I've thought that, too - neat, but 400-450k seems high.
• bmvaughn
  Actually it's a 10 unit apartment complex on that street, not 16. Glad to see more building in Ballard, especially in this economy!
• Allison
  They look really sweet, but yeah, WAY too expensive. I don't want a condo, but would dig living in something like this.
• Maria
  They are very cute and very overpriced. If they are built like the townhouses in 10 years they will look ghetto. Seattle weather is hard on buildings.
  
  I would love a condo but with real estate in the toilet too many are having issues with dues uncollected. When half are unsold and the other half in foreclosure there is no money coming in for repairs and maintenance.
• Wino
  Maria, please do not assume that all townhomes are built alike, we looked for months at many around Ballard, and all are not of the same quality. I love your positive attitude!!
• nina
  I wish they had garages.
• Maria
  It’s not attitude. It’s reality, and I am not to blame for it by speaking of it. Seattle real estate has been overvalued for years. Now we have also over built and are in a recession. None of that is the fault of those who report it and a positive attitude will not change it.
  
  A house is a place to live not an investment. If you think different then you took financial advice from a salesman, NEVER a good idea.
• blueben
  I wish the price wasn't a sad and laughable joke. Have they sold any of the other cottages that were built in Ballard?
• Wino
  One thing I actually agree with you on, A house is not a good investment, it's a home. And yes housing has been overpriced (as are these cottages).
  I know alot of what you say (or at least some) is reality, I just can't think doom and gloom, I may as well go jump of a bridge now, if I am going to think like that.
• jim
  a house is a very good long term investment.
  
  one point that keeps being overlooked; they are not making anymore land.
  Ballard real estate is a very good long term investment.
  no I,m not in the real estate business.
• Maria
  But I don’t see it as doom and gloom at all and have no desire to jump off any bridge. I think it is a positive that housing is getting a little closer to being realistically priced. That means less people will be stretching themselves to buy a house and have more income to spend without having to use credit and also more to save and invest in real investments. That helps the economy.
  
  Econimies do not rise and fall based on just housing. Sadly most of the economy of the last 10 years has been based on housing which is why it is faltering. When everything becomes a bit more realistic we then can start to get back on a good track.
• blueben
  Jim, "making land" hasn't mattered since NYC began to explode in the late 1800s. Just because there's no more land doesn't mean there's no more housing. Cities don't have to just grow out, they grow up. Condos may be a huge change from the way we're used to living, but they're a reality in every big city on the planet.
• Bella
  "... less people will be stretching themselves to buy a house and have more income to spend without having to use credit and also more to save and invest in real investments."
  
  Agreed. If only our system encouraged this. Hopefully everyone's learning. But then, what should we consider a 'real' investment if real estate is not? Certainly not stocks....
  
  CD's? Money Markets? If only there were more incentive for savings programs than credit. Someone needs to come up with a way for me to earn air mileage in a MM....
• Morgan
  This project at 1548 NW 61st street has not only been aproved, it is about 80% complete. I've been watching it go up for the past couple of months. I'll try to take some photos.
• Flexi
  The cottages on 60th Street don't have any place to sit outside. I think they need a common grassy area or patio between the units. Otherwise, you're just trapped inside with no place to go.
• Maria
  "If only there were more incentive" The incentive is life securtity"
• jim
  blueben, condo,s are not built on air. the cost of the land is quite large and is certainly a factor in the price.
• Bella
  Obviously.
  
  But younger people, teenagers for instance like benefits today. Credit cards entice with relatively instant perks.
  
  Teaching the less savvy that it's great to rack up credit card points for reward bonuses.
  
  Not being able to touch money for 40 years isn't as appealing. Some people can't see that far ahead, this is obvious looking at the state of the economy.
  
  All I meant was a sarcastic notion that it would be nice to glamorize credit cards less and hype savings more. For society as a whole. Sheesh.
• Nordic Woman
  How big are these things, and how much do they cost? From the pictures, they look to be about the size of an average espresso hut.
• Maria
  “Some people can’t see that far ahead” Maybe they need glasses, unless of course they are feeling lucky in the Lotto or really like the taste of dog chow. Is that hype enough?
  
  Sorry I don’t think we need to offer prizes for intelligent living. I suppose if we Boomers had not raised out kids to think they are special this might not be an issue. A gold star maybe?
  
  This is a basic concept like breathing or eating , not some theory that should need Madison Avenue to sell it.
• Bella
  Wise fiscal investing is the same basic logic as eating and breathing? I respectfully disagree.
  
  Maybe you should teach investing to infants at the hospital. Oh wait, they are born with this instinctually.
• Bella
  well....you do have to teach an infant how to eat....
• Billy
  Anybody who thinks they can retire on their social security need their heads examined. The boomers are about to suck us all dry.
• nina
  Since Maria keeps saying condos are going under because no one is paying dues, I decided to check. Out of 172 units, only 5 units are behind. 2 were 90 days behind and 3 were 30 days behind. I would say that is pretty darn good.
• Maria
  Billy I don't know of anyone who has ever thought that and know of no one who tries to live on SS alone. now.
• m
  @ Maria - apparently you have a very narrow range of acquaintances. I have friends in the service industries that have no retirement, no 401K and aren't sure what they are going to do. And these aren't invulnerable 20 year-olds. Personally - after 18 years of paying the max into my 401K I watched it get cleaned out by a CEO who was later convicted of 19 SEC counts. Needless to say, I'm not in the best shape for retirement.
  
  As far as knowing no one who tries to live a SS alone - meet a senior! Why do you think we have fixed income/low income senior housing?
  
  I'm seeing a pattern of absolutes and sweeping negative generalizations in your posts.
• Maria
  The world is generalization. You and I are not special. Absolutes? No there are no absolutes. there are no facts, only perception.
  
  I started over from zero in my late 40s with very limited choices and with a kid in tow. I am not rich nor will I ever been rich but when I retire I will make more than the max allowed for me to qualify to live in senior housing. My 88 year old mother does not qualify now. She worked in the service industry all her life starting as a domestic servant in 1938. My dad had a third grade education. Just people who lived below their means and saved. No 40lKs and no degrees.
  
  It’s all about choices
• Alonzo Neighbor
  @Billy - who are the 'us' you speak of? Remember, all ages read and post on this blog, including some of of us boomers. I, for one, have always lived below my means, even if it meant living in a studio apartment with two roomates and a few cockroaches. Luckily, things are better now, but I still don't buy more than I can afford. By the way, some folks who work(ed) in the public sector are not eligible for social security benefits, so we won't be suckees.
• sushisistah
  I find these cottages refreshing. Take a gander at housing in Scandinavia. Good design with a very small footprint. I'm tired of the greedy American habit of aquiring as "much as you can" and labeling that successful. The pricepoint of these small houses is high only because I guess the market supports it. I cannot afford to buy one as a single parent who is an architect (in transition by the way).
  There is an open house at these cottages on Sunday...
• Maria
  Actually, I take it all back m. I am just lonely and seeking attention. That's why write these silly meaningless comments on this otherwise good blog.
  
  I hate that I lie!
• Maria
  Seems to me that major hurdle faced by this development is that it is possible to buy a small bungalow in Ballard now for less than what they are charging for these cottages, cute as they are. I suppose some like the appeal of new v old, which having owned a 100 year old house, is a selling point in their favor. ( I still like old but old electric and plumbing is scary) It is hard to judge size. The ‘lot’s are around 1300 but they are one and half stories. Maybe 1000 to 1200 sq ft? If that's close then they are asking way more than the average price per sq ft that is currently selling other for than highrises with views downtown.
• BlackSheep
  According to the website, the largest is 902.3 square feet.
• Maria
  Wow, that’s small for the cost.
• michncraig
  I don't think they are really that overpriced.
  
  My house is in the same area, around 1100 sq ft, 108 years old, on a standard lot with a garage and an unfinished basement, and I figure it's worth around the $400K they are asking for the cottages.
  
  We've been working on our place for 5 years, probably half the weekends each year, and we aren't even close to how nicely finished those cottages are, not to mention the extra money we spend on oil each winter compared to the energy star rating the cottages have.
  
  IMO, if you don't care about a yard or don't want to deal with it (I pay a yard service) and you don't have a lot of crap you have to store (I do), those cottages might seem like a better value than an original old Ballard cottage.
  
  of course you'll miss out on fun stuff like re-wiring old electrical circuits and climbing up into the attic with buckets when there's a heavy rain storm.
• iloveseatown
  michncraig, you may have over paid for your house too. There is a 6 year old townhouse (half a duplex) with 3 bedrooms, two car garage and a small yard for 300K just down the block from me. With the setbacks on those cottages you won't gain much from the standalone aspect as the noise will still travel thought he walls.
  
  I see nothing in these cottages which provide any advantage over the townhouse I am referring to.
  
  The cottage idea would be great for those who have hobbies that take up little space and who don't plan on having kids if they were significantly cheaper then other housing options.
  
  I was hopeful that the cottage idea would provide housing for those people. However how they have priced them they seem to be more of a product of the speculation bubble vs. a viable inexpensive housing option.
• Maria
  Mich when I owned a 100 year old plus house I daily lit candles to the gods of plumbing and electricity.
  
  As for value? You might went to check out the site posted on the newest tread.
• michncraig
  I don't think I mentioned what I paid for my house. I was just talking about what I thought it was worth now, which is about the same as the cottages.
  
  All I'm sayin is that if someone was looking for a small house and had $400k to spend I can easily see how they could make either choice, depending on their priorities.
• michncraig
  Maria,
  
  After all the work I've done, I feel like I am the God of plumbling and electricity!
  
  I saw that link, crazy.
• BlackSheep
  My 100 year old house leaks in three places when it rains hard and the wind blows just right. I'm lucky Mr. Blacksheep is crazy-handy, or I might pack it in for new, although it would break my heart...
• Nordic Woman
  Apparently, people who live in these places have NO hobbies, do no sports, have no pets, and pay for storage units.
  
  With no yard and no basement, and no place to sit outside, you cannot
  Have a barbeque
  Have a dog (Ok, maybe a tiny dog.)
  Have a garden
  Keep a canoe or kayak (ps, there is no storage for that kind of watercraft here in Seattle)
  Sit outside in the summer
  Have a workbench
  Store a bicycle
  
  For half a million bucks I'm pretty sure you could find someplace to live with a yard and a basement, even in Ballard.
  
  PS Maria's 100 year old house wasn't in Washington. Many of the houses here were built with old growth cedar; builders 100 years ago wouldn't use a piece of wood with a knot it it, they'd just burn it, because wood was so plentiful. My parents house is @ 90 years old; in all the earthquakes we have had, it hasn't gotten a single crack.
• BlackSheep
  Nordic Woman,
  
  Maria only mentioned plumbing and electricity, so not sure what you are talking about?
  
  I've lived in < 300 square feet without a storage unit - it was tight, but we aren't all into kayaking and barbeques, so it worked.
• Maria
  My rental is 980 sq ft and it is enough……sorta…for two of us. A garage would be nice. Where do garageless people put their dried up pain cans? This is a diliema.
  
  New spaces do tend to be designed better for use of space so my guess is these cottages are livable. The price is the problem. At $450,000 with 20% down and 5% I would be paying more than twice what I rent the same space for now. That is a major rule of real estate investment broken right there and rents are dropping faster than Paris Hilton’s under panties.
• Maria
  opps PAINT cans. geeeeez
• BlackSheep
  "rents are dropping faster than Paris Hilton’s under panties"
  
  Now THAT's fast.
  
  The paint cans are a dilemma if you don't have a basement or shed - maybe a covered area outside?
• leavinglasballard
  we looked at these today and they are AWESOME! one of them did have some storage space upstairs large enough to accommodate a kayak or 2. they all had little yards, enough to be able to bbq, garden, or have a small dog. the floorplan was really well thought out and livable. if i could afford one, i'd definitely snap one up.
• leavinglasballard
  another advantage to the cottages over condos--no dues; you own your little piece of land and all 4 walls.
• Monica
  Ok, so I'm actually seriously considering buying one of these things. I'm hoping to make an offer tomorrow...
  
  Aside from the no dues bonus, these cottages have alot to offer. I'm grad student at SU, single mom with a toddler and I'm a diehard runner. Capitol hill is not exactly the safest place and Ballard is awesome so that's where we've been looking. Townhouses may be bigger but if you've seen one, you've seen most. Not to mention, as a mom of an energetic boy, it sucks to live in a shared-wall space, especially when said boy wants to play dinosaur!
  
  The cottages are charming! The one's in the back row actually have little fenced in back yards...not big enough for a party but enough for my son to play and maybe a grill too!
  
  My life is busy, sometimes chaotic, so the less maintanece issues with my house the better. Amazingly, they have plently of storage. They're high quality, energy efficient (which saves $) and in a great location. A couple blocks away from the elementary school, playgrounds and the library. Plus greenlake is a 5min drive!
  
  They have parking spots...not garages but I kind of feel like the more space I have the more junk I find to put in it.
  
  As for the price, it's comparible to the townhouses and small homes in the area but there is something to be said about quality over quantity. I'd rather have a smaller place that's really nice, as well as easy to maintain and keep clean. Plus, they're green, which is great!
  
  Ok, sorry...I sort of rambled. Just felt like I needed to defend myself for some reason!
  
  :)
• Monica
  P.S. Nordic lady, no need to be so angry. No one said you have to buy one.
  
  None of them are half a mil... the most expensive sold for 435 in Dec and the one I'm bidding on is priced at 416... I pay 1100 in rent now (for a tiny one bedroom that I share with my son) and my mortgage will be somewhere around 17-1800. I won't be paying much more and I will own a home.
  
  Like I said in my previous comment, they do have little back yards that would fit a bbq. There's a pretty large storage room upstairs that would absolutely fit kayaks or whatever... If you were desperate for a workbench you could get creative but you wouldn't need to worry about making major home improvements or even minor repairs because they're top-of-the-line. If you don't have a kid, the 2nd bedroom could be an office/hobby room/guest room/gym/etc... I have lots of hobbies, luckily they (such as running, reading, homework, singing the alphabet with my son, etc...) don't need a garage.
• Monica
  ok ok ok, I'm almost done ranting... This is also to Nordic Lady... who's comment I keep re-reading because I can't believe how absurd it is.
  
  Lady, r us serious? Why are you so bitter?
  
  THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM TO STORE A BIKE! Or several bikes for that matter.
  
  As for the sitting outside in the summer thing, there are several parks within walking distance and golden gardens is just around the corner which has a nice little beach. Sheesh!
  
  I don't garden because I simply don't have time. Does that make me a hobbiless loser? Nope! Everyone is different and that is ok. Did you maybe miss that lesson in kindergarten?
• Iloveseatown
  Monica
  
  I am excited this is what you are looking for. The only question i have is the no dues part. They have an HOA, how is that funded. How will common areas be maintained?
• Maria
  I call $600 or $700 a lot more to pay PLUS add in the HOA fee. Especially for something that is unlikely to appreciate very well.
  
  Really we are not angry …..more like astonished.
• Monica
  They actually don't have an HOA. It's like buying your own house so you are responsible for your own property, including your parking spot. As far as common areas, which would be the walk way in between the two rows of houses. There is a maitenece agreement you have to sign which is basically a set of rules such as you cannot obstuct the walkway or add onto your house in anyway that it interferes...
  
  I think that they actually are likely to appreciate well because ballard is becoming a more popular area and the more it's developed the higher the demand will be for modern living space. The cottages are homes which stand alone, unlike condos and townhomes People want to own their own piece of land and that's hard to find in a metropolitan area. There is also a growing market for anything "green" and I think that in the future developments will have "green" requirements which makes them cutting edge. The economy is down for now but it won't last forever.
  
  That being said, I signed the papers yesterday so let's pray I'm not totally wrong. I'll for sure be keeping my fingers crossed over the next few years!
  
  :)
• grahamhmichaels
  The proposal shows the site as two parcels of land which will be broken down to six lots that range from 1,349 square fidelity 401k feet to 2,051 square feet. The homes will have surface parking that is accessed from the alley. The neighborhood is a mixture of single family residences, newer townhomes and a 16-unit apartment complex.