Today’s Friday Featured Property is a spacious Northwest Contemporary style home in Newcastle that has been extensively renovated and updated with vaulted ceilings and great room concept floor plan. Western exposure and large picture windows naturally light this 3,300 sq. ft.  home that has 3 bedrooms upstairs, 2 bedrooms downstairs, 2.75 baths and a huge bonus room downstairs.

This lovely home also has a 1-car garage, hardwood floors and a large outdoor deck.

If you are interested in this property, you may view it here or MLS# 311486 or by contacting the seller’s agent, Cynthia Carver, at Realty Executives Evergreen: 425.427.0800.

Guest post by Nicholas Sooy, Farmers Insurance Agency Owner, Bellevue, WA. Nick may be reached at 206-719-8122; his website: http://farmersagent.com/nsooy

Having homeowners insurance and having “accurate” homeowners insurance are two completely different things, especially when there is a home insurance claim. Typically, there are three types of home insurance policies available: owner-occupied; tenant-occupied; and vacant. Who occupies the home, if anyone, distinguishes the correct policy to have in force.

An increasing number of homes on the market are taking a long time to sell, therefore, many of those homes are vacant. A standard home policy allows 30-60 days of incidental coverage for a vacant home. Beyond this timeframe, it is imperative that the policy switches from a standard policy to a vacant policy to ensure any claims would be covered.

Many insurance companies do not offer vacant home policies, and those that do may have higher premiums than owner-occupied policies. Check YOUR insurance; it is important to protect your investment!

You know them, you love them: those single socks whose mate has mysteriously disappeared in the dryer, drawer or gym locker. How long have you been keeping those orphans, hoping to re-unite them with their “sole-mate?”

We suggest celebrating Lost Sock Memorial Day
(May 9th) by donating your partner-less socks, along with other clean, usable women’s, children’s or men’s clothing, to Seamless Moves’ Lost Sock Day Clothing Drive to benefit Northwest Center. On Lost Sock Day, volunteers will play matchmaker and pair up as many donated socks as possible, so that they may fulfill their calling to warm chilly toes.

As you spring-clean your closets and dresser drawers over the next couple of weeks, keep a bag handy for items you no longer use. Then, take your donation to one of the donation sites listed below by May 6th, or contact Seamless Moves for pickup at 425-746-1334.

• The Stor-House and Wine Storage Bellevue, 1614 118^th Ave SE, Bellevue 98005
• Foot Solutions, 15230 NE 24^th St, Suite O, Redmond (Overlake) 98052
• Delaurenti Florist, 15100 SE 38th Street, Bellevue (Eastgate) 98006
• Home Street Bank, 6949 Coal Creek Pkwy SE, Newcastle 98059
• The Stor-House, 2829 NE 3rd Street, Renton 98056

Northwest Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, has provided services to support the rights and independence of people with developmental disabilities for 45 years. From early childhood therapy and education to adult job training and placement, Northwest Center promotes the building of a community where people of all abilities can fully participate.

Each Friday we feature homes for sale by our clients and/or Realtor partners as a way to add value to their Seamless Moves moving experience. Enjoy!

Today’s Friday Featured Property is a stunning new 3-story, 5,599 sq ft. home nestled in the heart of charming west Bellevue, just minutes away from downtown and beautiful Medina Park. It has 5 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, a movie theater, wine cellar, 3-car garage and, one of my favorite features: a fireplace in the master suite. As of today’s date, the listing price of the home is $2,895,000.

Lochwood-Lozier Custom Homes builds and remodels homes in the greater Seattle area with an emphasis on Bellevue, Yarrow Point, Clyde Hill, Medina, and Hunts Point. Their customers regularly cite their attention to detail, integrity, quality and passion for excellence when describing a home purchase or remodel experience. We would add that in our experience, they are genuinely nice people and easy to work with.

This home is located on a cul-de-sac with only 3 other homes and is in the Bellevue School District.

If you are a Luxury Home Realtor or home buyer interested in this property, you may view it at http://bit.ly/Lozier or MLS# 104844 or by contacting the seller’s agent, Steven Erickson, at 206-295-8485.

Today’s Friday Featured Property is a
pre-sale offering by Madrona Custom Homes, an Eastside specialty builder constructing a handful of new custom homes per year. The company is focused on thoughtful design, attention to detail, and creating exceptionally well-built homes for its clients. The selling price of this 3,530 sq. ft. home as of the date of this post is $965,000.

This home will be located in Enatai, a very popular neighborhood close to Lake Washington, known for its casual lifestyle and well-established groves of tall fir trees. Your custom home will include four bedrooms and 2.5 baths with granite slab counters, painted millwork, stainless appliances, butler’s pantry, tile accents, upgraded carpets, hardwoods, and cherry cabinets. It could also be constructed as a five bedroom, 3.5 bath home utilizing the third level, should the buyer wish, and the price would be adjusted accordingly. It is located in the Bellevue school district, a plus for families with school-age children.

Normally, we try to preview our featured homes; of course this one hasn’t been built yet, which means you can build your dream home your way! And for under $1M in this sought-after location in Bellevue!

If you are interested in this property , you may view it at http://bit.ly/EnataiHome or MLS# 190269 or by contacting the seller’s agents, Rich Willard at 206-200-8100 or Randy Ginn at 425-417-3515. The builder also has a couple of other available projects nearby.

The Bellettini is a collection of luxury apartment homes in the heart of Bellevue. It was developed and built by Lytle Enterprises, a highly-respected developer of retirement communities, and is managed by Leisure Care under their Signature 180 brand. The Bellettini opened to residents age 62 and better in 2008. It quickly became the “gold standard” in active retirement living with apartment homes as large as 2,400 square feet, amenities such as gas fireplaces, granite countertops and air conditioning, and their signature PrimeFit Fitness Center and BrainFit programs open to all residents. They also have a full-service travel agency, comprehensive concierge service, valet parking, an on-site upscale restaurant (Toscano) and a casual bistro and wine bar (Panini’s).

If you toured the Bellettini after it opened and had concerns about the investment level, it’s time to take another look. The community has begun offering select apartments at a monthly rental rate that, on our review, appears to be close to that of other communities in the area. There is a reasonable one-time residency fee to cover their costs, but they no longer require a “buy-in” that some felt would require selling their home or rearranging other assets before moving there.

So, if you are finished with yard work, getting into an icy cold car on a winter morning or are just looking for a home with luxurious amenities, fun activities and new friends, we recommend you take another look at The Bellettini!

Contact: Sandra Presser at 425.450.0800.

Unpacking Team In Action!

With an enormous thank-you to our clients, friends (and Realtors®), Mary Juhl-Willard and Rich Willard for letting us film in their lovely home. The awesome Unpacking Team in the video: Cheryl McIvor, Jan Screen and Lindsay Loeffler.

A day of unpacking makes a great wedding gift, thank-you gift from Realtors® or job relocation perk. Before YOU move, think “Out of the Box!”

This??

Last time you said, “Never Again!” Remember?

You took a week off from work; begged, borrowed and scavenged from the liquor store as many cardboard boxes as you could source, packed up all your cherished possessions and loaded them in the U-Haul van; goaded 2 of your strongest friends into helping you muscle the hide-a-bed down 2 flights of stairs (and then had to patch the ding they made in the wall); made 6 trips to your new home; cursed at those too-small those liquor store boxes that don’t stack worth beans; jammed your furniture and boxes into the garage; and barely made it back the rental office before midnight to avoid being charged an extra day’s truck rental.

But you saved money, right?

Three years later, you still have unpacked boxes in that same garage and it’s time to move again. Really?? Can your back take it? Is your wife pregnant with baby #2 and #1 is already a full-time job? Will the only other person left in your department after the recent layoffs cover your job for a week as well as theirs?

or This??

We invite you to picture this:

Monday morning: You go to work as usual. When you come home, everything is packed up and ready to move EXCEPT the coffee maker, your personal bathroom items, what you want to wear to work tomorrow and the TV and remote. Hmm, mildly annoying, but not too bad.

Tuesday morning: You go to work, but instead of going home to your old home, you go to your new home. The furniture has all been placed where you want it and your bed is made. The coffee maker, your personal bathroom items, what you want to wear to work tomorrow and the TV and remote are unpacked and in place. Your bedside alarm clock has been set 10 minutes fast, just the way you like it.

Wednesday morning: You go to work again, only tonight when you come back to your new home there are no boxes (no paper, no crates, no bubble wrap!). All of your belongings have been unpacked and put neatly away. Your paintings, artwork and decorative items are unpacked and ready for your decorator (or ours) to place in their new locations tomorrow.

Thursday: Decorating day. When you come home tonight, you feel like you’ve lived there for years. You change your clothes and go watch your child’s soccer game.

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Relax and enjoy your Seamless Move! Have a housewarming party; invite friends over and brag about how you got it all done in less than a week (we won’t tell!). No back ache, no calling all over town several weeks before you move to source boxes, trucks, labor, etc. No wondering what is falling through the cracks at work or at home.

Relax! We’ve done this before. Hundreds of times. We would LOVE to help you and your family, too! Just tell us what you need, and we’ll do the rest.