tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63583849256225548602007-10-05T08:18:11.160-07:00Scott PriceBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-25194637557939327682007-09-25T08:58:00.000-07:002007-10-02T07:08:15.011-07:00

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is up for a vote again, and this insurance provides important affordable coverage for people in many areas of the Seattle / Puget Sound region. Most home owner insurance policies do not cover flood damage, and many home owners are not even aware that they have no coverage in this area. The NFIP covers obvious areas such as rivers overflowing their banks

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-82380952350301109922007-09-15T22:00:00.000-07:002007-09-15T23:00:46.662-07:00

1031 tax deferred exchanges, which allow the owner of an investment property to roll over gains into another "similar" investment property without paying taxes on the gains, can include personal vacation homes. However, the personal use of a vacation home must officially be restricted, usually keeping personal use to under 14 days a year or less than 10% of the time it is rented out. There have

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-26366533585476233632007-05-08T12:01:00.000-07:002007-05-08T13:16:06.842-07:00

Tideland ownership can be confusing and conflicting for some waterfront owners, since property ownership varies between communities and even between nearby local properties within Washington. In Oregon, all beaches are considered public, and private ownership starts above the mean high water mark. In Washington on the other hand, the state sold about 70% of it's tidelands to private upland

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-53661291732702779372007-05-02T07:19:00.000-07:002007-09-15T21:53:25.399-07:00

Because of my specialization in waterfront homes, KIRO TV contacted me this week about doing a story on houseboat living in the Seattle Lake Union area. The reporter, Michael Fox, was interested to show people what a houseboat was like both inside and outside, especially for people who had never been on one before. So I took them on a personal tour of a current listing of mine that was then

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-72671829851944283132007-04-25T19:08:00.000-07:002007-04-25T19:15:20.520-07:00

King County has a Grant Exchange Program that brings together different local grant and technical assistance projects to protect watersheds and shoreline habitats. If your community has an idea for an applicable project, you can apply for up to $50,000 in assistance as well as implementation support. The programs primarily target the following: watershed protection, habitat restoration,

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-89357182876177848132007-04-23T18:10:00.000-07:002007-04-23T18:26:46.929-07:00

The Elliott Bay Water Taxi service - that takes passengers between West Seattle dock at Seacrest Park and downtown at Pier 55 by Spring Street - is back in operation starting April 29th and runs through September 30th this year. There is also an associated free shuttle bus that connects the dock at Seacrest Park to Alki, Admiral District, and West Seattle Junction. It operates 7 days a week and

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-58711792760749396892007-04-23T17:46:00.000-07:002007-04-23T17:51:05.784-07:00

For all of you boaters out there: A large array of educational and water safety organizations will be hosting Safety on the Sound 2007 at the Des Moines Marina, 22307 Dock Ave S, on Saturday May 12th from 10am - 2pm. Participants include US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 32, Puget Sound Keeper Alliance, South King Fire and Rescue, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, Safe Kids Program, Boaters

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-29136300896921053862007-04-04T09:52:00.000-07:002007-04-04T10:10:14.407-07:00

The University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory and the Occupational Skills Center Marine Technology Center have joined together to provide a near-real-time web camera on the Seahurst Park beach and another web camera located underwater just off the shore. You can see what is currently happening in those two locations, and can also obtain time lapse video that quickly spans an entire day

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-51325222426981950372007-03-27T07:40:00.000-07:002007-03-27T07:53:08.901-07:00

If you own or are considering purchase of property with wetlands, which can include anything from boggy areas to full waterfront properties on large bodies of water, then you may be interested to attend an in-depth two day course that teaches about many aspects of properties with wetlands: Functions and values of wetlandsHow wetlands are identified and classifiedRegulations involved when buying

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-71063673751007500712007-03-14T14:12:00.000-07:002007-09-16T08:58:45.485-07:00

The Seattle PI recently raised awareness again about the efforts of the local volunteer group Friends of Street Ends, which works toward ensuring public access to the approximately 148 different street ends that run directly into Lake Washington, Lake Union, Ship Canal, and Puget Sound. They are trying to maintain, create, or open up these public property street ends as miniature waterfront

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-38767865742354208592007-02-13T11:36:00.000-08:002007-02-11T09:38:52.363-08:00

If the record November 2006 floods adversely affected your home, business, or place where tax-related records are kept, you are eligible to receive various forms of tax relief this year. King County was included with 10 other Washington state counties in the Presidential Disaster Area resulting from storms, flooding, mudslides, and landslides that occurred throughout the state in November. Most

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-17525134140354683762007-02-09T17:17:00.000-08:002007-02-08T11:00:46.360-08:00

The state Department of Ecology has mandated that King County update its Shoreline Master Program by 2009, part of a review and overhaul of the over 30 year old Shoreline Master Program throughout the state. This update could have potential ramifications for waterfront properties, although it is generally expected that the recent regulations brought on by the King County Critical Areas Ordinance

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-89503228331420797062007-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:002007-02-08T10:58:10.298-08:00

The Washington State University Extension Water Resources Leadership Team is providing a full day class - intended for both real estate professionals and waterfront property owners - that details impacts of shoreline development and how to best work with natural processes that occur along shorelines. I've been to a similar class in the past and it was quite interesting and informative; it

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-84326872815130834922007-02-06T21:49:00.000-08:002007-02-06T22:05:21.661-08:00

This week engineers and surveyors will be walking the beaches of Burien home owners to produce a "Base Flood Elevation Study" for determining normal water levels and to pinpoint potential flood hazard areas. They will be taking photographs, measuring bulkheads, and surveying aspects of the shoreline, but will not trespass onto upland property without owner permission first. Most people think of

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-2583107271906600022007-02-04T22:06:00.000-08:002007-02-04T22:19:54.785-08:00

Come visit Seahurst Park on the Puget Sound shores of Burien to experience the beach creatures that come out on a low tide winter evening. The event will be led by naturalists from the Environmental Science Center and People for Puget Sound, who will provide hot drinks. They'll have a glowing bonfire to gather around and share stories before walking the beaches at night to educate you, your

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-40369810930284360052007-01-18T18:00:00.000-08:002007-02-09T18:18:52.167-08:00

The Shoreline Property Owners and Contractors Association (SPOCA) is sponsoring a seminar on dock permitting rules and regulations, shading, grating, construction time windows, and mitigation requirements for shoreline property owners. The seminar will be held at the 2007 Seattle Boat Show in Seattle's Qwest Field Event Center at the following times: Monday January 29th 1:00pm, Tuesday January 30

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-70576143655140500702007-01-16T16:21:00.000-08:002007-01-16T16:51:37.922-08:00

The Emerald City has another jewel in its crown: the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park on the waterfront of downtown Seattle. It officially opens to the public Saturday and Sunday January 20-21, and I recommend stopping by for a stroll when you are next in the area. Whatever your particular tastes and however you may feel about the modern sculptures represented throughout the park,

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-43710546204573824612007-01-11T07:44:00.000-08:002007-01-15T17:39:59.093-08:00

2006 has come and gone, and it was yet another terrific year for WaterHavens everywhere. Waterfront real estate has risen with the general market throughout the year, and in many cases outperformed market averages. This is a normal occurrence: waterfront is always more desirable and tends to be a better investment than non-waterfront real estate. And if a down market ever occurs in the future,

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-18594594235026989852007-01-09T08:41:00.000-08:002007-01-15T17:29:43.539-08:00

I was recently contacted by a television show producer who occasionally asks me for ideas on our local communities. She has chosen Normandy Park as where she wants to film a show with two families competing to make their homes "greener" and more energy efficient; the show pays for all of the upgrades and remodel costs. Good deal! If you or someone you know might be a match, tell me about

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-81860544648858136322007-01-08T10:53:00.000-08:002007-01-15T17:27:46.984-08:00

Good news that we will have local King County (Des Moines) state representative Dave Upthegrove to lead the Select Committee on Puget Sound. He was elected chair last month, and he will help bring south King County viewpoints to the table when deciding how to address Puget Sound clean-up and how to improve its longer term environmental health. There are a number of different legislative districts

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-62103221380179912182006-12-23T11:41:00.000-08:002007-01-15T17:25:41.142-08:00

Public understanding of the need to protect the beauty and physical integrity of Puget Sound has gained ground, though the understanding that it already needs to be cleaned up for its (and our) long term health is less understood. It looks beautiful, so how can it be "dirty" or have pollution in it, some may say? This increased awareness has occurred through efforts over the past year such as

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-47678019772659706742006-12-18T11:25:00.000-08:002007-01-15T17:21:16.565-08:00

Wanted to share the good news! For the second year in a row, Seattle Magazine has selected me for its Best In Client Satisfaction and 5 Star Real Estate Agent Awards. This award was determined by the independent research firm Crescendo Business Services. They surveyed 22,000 local real estate sellers and buyers, plus convened a blue ribbon panel, to select me for one of the area’s top real estate

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-76853017917383796912006-11-30T16:32:00.000-08:002006-12-05T16:39:39.087-08:00

The events of the Dalco Passage oil spill a couple years ago near Vashon Island may have got you thinking ‘what would I do if an oil spill were to occur in front of my own beach?’ To answer this question, I helped create an evening program for local waterfront home owners. Here are key points you need to know. When a marine spill occurs, the creator of the spill is fully responsible for its

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-83622951173302016372006-11-15T12:00:00.000-08:002007-01-11T22:15:15.622-08:00

With my upcoming move to a new Blog format, I have archived my extensive list of waterfront community news collected for the years 2004-2006. Click here if you'd like to see some of the key local waterfront topics from during that time.

Scott Pricetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358384925622554860.post-27053526088592607072006-04-01T12:00:00.000-08:002006-12-17T11:11:48.386-08:00

King County market: The 2005 King County Annual Growth Report was just released, which included historical data related to the status of our housing market. Some of the interesting findings: about 50,000 of the 85,000 jobs lost in the 2001-2003 downturn have been replaced, in year 2000 there were 742,000 housing units in the county (95,000 more than in 1990), the county population was 1,808,300

Scott Price