Seattle Floating Homes For Sale And What’s Happening With The Market
School is officially in session today so I am calling this the end of summer Seattle floating homes market report. A lot has happened this summer, but the market overall had a very slow start. I think I had mentioned this several times in previous articles I have written. It seems like anything under about $800-900,000 sells somewhat quickly and anything up to $2.5 million is not selling as fast. Then there is a micro market for floating homes in the $3 million dollar range that are selling quicker than expected. There isn’t a lot of rhyme or reason to who will be in the buyer pool for a floating home at any given time so making sure that you are staying on top of the market is the best course of action.
There are a lot of things that have been changing in the Seattle houseboats world overall, so just keep asking questions if you are wondering where you stand compared to the market. For Molly and me, we have been most successful by keeping an open dialog about what is happening in the market – whether good or bad pricing wise. Our efforts have been on marketing, getting the word out, education regarding our community, and also just keep sellers on course with pricing.
Many higher end Eastlake floating homes are coming on the market as a result of recent success in the three million dollar and up range. Many lower end floating homes are experiencing longer market times. Feel free to call us if you have questions: Courtney 206-850-8841/ Molly 206-841-6800
 Some of our favorites if you are on the hunt for one of the Seattle floating homes for sale:
2025 Fairview Ave E #Q: 800 square feet, 1 bedroom, 1 bath, rooftop deck, and boat moorage! $850,000
Come aboard a very special Eastlake floating home to enjoy a slice of nature and art. Light, bright and a beautiful kitchen with ample storage. A cleverly designed built in kitchen table to maximize space. Two bay windows to relax and day dream in the living room. Master en suite on upper level with your private balcony to soak up the west facing sun. A few more steps up to enjoy the amazing roof top views. Moor your boat or water toys. Wonderful neighbors & great co-op dock! $850,000
2822 Boyer Ave E #2: 1852 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 1.75 baths, rooftop deck, and boat moorage PLUS guest boat moorage and parking: $2,175,000
Luxury high end 3 BR smart home floating paradise w/ rooftop deck. Automated lighting, Lutron shades, sec cams, 10-zone audio, more w/ touch pad controls throughout house & remote access. Decks on 3 levels. Exotic zebra hrdwd, Pedini Italian cabinets, underlit glass molded cast glass staircase + 6 antique operable brass portholes frm an English luxury liner. Upscale kitchen w/ Bosch and Gagganau + outside Lynx BBQ cooking area. Solar powered boat lift. Parking, Moorage, Low Dues,Great location! $2,175,000
What else is going on? How about the tour? It’s in Eastlake this year! Tickets are just about sold out for the 2018 Seattle Floating Homes Tour so grab them quickly while you can – it is THIS SUNDAY!
Again, if you want to learn more about our community or buying and selling a Seattle floating home, please do call us if you have questions: Courtney 206-850-8841/ Molly 206-841-6800
The 2018 Seattle Floating Homes Tour! 
Tickets just went on sale for this year’s tour!
The Seattle Floating Homes Tour only happens every two years! Buy your tickets here before it’s too late:
https://2018seattlefloatinghomestour.bpt.me/
Sunday, September 9th, 2018 Noon to 5 p.m.
At Seattle Afloat, Molly and I are so proud to be supporters of the 2018 Seattle Floating Homes Tour! Each tour, we work extremely hard and we volunteer our time and sponsor the tour with our money. We love the Seattle floating homes community and this year’s 2018 Seattle floating homes tour is worth the price of admission ten fold! Want to have a peek into this amazing lifestyle and dream about living on Lake Union afloat? Here is the description of this year’s exciting tour! We have seen the tour houses personally and you won’t be disappointed!
Don’t delay, the tickets for the 2018 Seattle Floating Homes Tour sell out fast!
The Seattle Floating Homes Association is pleased to present the Eclectic Eastlake 2018 Floating Homes tour! On Sunday September 9, from noon until 5, a dozen specially selected homes will be available for viewing from 2017 Fairview up to Mallard Cove at 2600 Fairview. You will come away with an appreciation of why Seattle’s floating home owners cherish their lifestyle and why they have become known as the Stewards of the Lake for nurturing the nature and animal habitats the docks, homes and surrounding foliage provide. Nowhere else in the world will you find the coexistence of wildlife and city life blending so harmoniously. We look forward to having you as our guest!
Proceeds from the 2018 Seattle Floating Homes Tour will benefit the Seattle Floating Homes Association and its mission to protect, preserve and promote the vitality of Seattles historic floating homes community through education, advocacy, environmental stewardship and collaboration. Parking is available in the lots south of E Newton on Fairview Ave E, at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School to the north and on side streets throughout the neighborhood. Food, coffee and dessert trucks will be on hand for purchase of refreshments, and a bus will be circulating throughout the afternoon at several spots along the route.
This is a self-guided WALKING tour with stairs, uneven pavement and over-water dock surfaces; please plan accordingly. No backpacks, strollers, food or drinks are allowed in the homes. The tour will take place rain or shine, and everyone who wants to participate in the tour will need a ticket, except babes in arms.
2018 Seattle Floating Homes Tour Ticket Information : Tour tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets. Ticket price is $55. Capacity is limited so advance purchase is highly recommended. Ticket Brochures will be mailed 1-2 weeks prior to the tour to Washington addresses only. Any out of state addresses can pick up their brochures at Will Call, at the ticket tent in the parking lot across the street from 2025 Fairview Ave. E. (between E. Boston and E. Newton), on the day of the tour beginning at 11:00am. Once you have this brochure you can start the tour at any location you chose.
Want to learn more about Seattle Houseboats and other types of Seattle Waterfront Living? Molly Cartwright & Courtney Cooper are Seattle Realtors who specialize in this special niche! We would live to show you our favorite Seattle floating homes, luxury homes, and waterfront homes and are happy to help you find your perfect home in Seattle. You can call/text us at 2016-841-6800 or email Houseboats@cooperjacobs.com
Looking For A Seattle Floating Home For Rent On Airbnb?
Or, Are you thinking about renting your Seattle floating home on Airbnb or some other short terms rental platform? It isn’t legal.
We get a lot of calls asking if Seattle floating homes are for rent by the night and the short answer is no. The majority of the docks have rules against this activity anyway, but the lure of Airbnb income can cause some owners to go ahead and offer their homes up for rent anyway. The Seattle floating homes you find online for short term rental rates and periods are likely operating outside of the law. It is currently illegal to offer your Seattle floating home up for short term rent and beginning in January 2019 ALL types of Seattle houseboats for rent on Airbnb will be operating outside of the law.
The Law against renting your Seattle floating home on Airbnb:
This commercial use is prohibited in the Urban Residential shoreline environment by SMC 23.60A.540. Short-term residential rentals and meeting hall and office uses are defined as commercial under our land use code. See SMC 23.84A.024 (lodging), 23.84A.010 (entertainment uses) and 23.844.028 (office).
The Consequences of Your Seattle floating home for rent on Airbnb or other short term rental:
When a violation is recorded, reported, etc., the city will first send out a warning letter to explain the violation and to allow time for the home owner to comply. Compliance is usually achieved by removing any ads from AirBnB.com, VRBO.com, etc., and discontinuing any short-term rental activity immediately. If corrective action is not taken within a fairly generous time period, then the city will issue a Notice of Violation with fines accruing at $150.00 per day for the first 10 days and $500.00 per day thereafter until the violation is corrected.
My two cents:
Whether you agree with this or not, there are a lot of reasons why a Seattle floating home for rent on Airbnb should not be allowed. Privacy, safety, and liability come to mind immediately, but also respect your neighbors by not inviting in a parade of strangers to add wear and tear on our community owned dock and systems. We are stewards of a fragile ecosystem and are extremely fortunate to have the privilege to be caretakers of this natural beauty and community. To operate a short term rental violates trust – both with your neighbors most of the time and also with the city which is clear: They are illegal.
PLEASE HELP
See an ad or short term rental activity? Please protect our floating neighborhood and report it:
If your neighbor is renting their Seattle floating home on Airbnb or other type of short term rental, then you will want to know how to stop this illegal behavior: You can call The City Of Seattle’s Code Compliance complaint line at 206-615-0808 or use the Seattle Services Portal online. Complaints can be anonymous but keep in mind that you’ll want to be very accurate with locations and information when doing so as it leaves the city with no way to follow up and gather missing facts. Some people include slip numbers/marina names in the body of the complaint when it’s difficult to input them in the online tool.
Please feel free to email me if you have questions. I am trying to get the word out to protect my beloved community. – Courtney courtney@seattleafloat.com
Looking for your perfect Seattle floating home to live the most amazing lifestyle in this city?
The Seattle houseboats market is finally heating up and inventory has loosened up enough that buyers are having choices, but at the same time these Seattle floating homes for sale that are on the market are getting more serious looks. Let’s look at what’s going on. There are nine Seattle floating homes on the market ranging in price from $850,000 to $3,499,000. The median price for the current offerings is $1,795,000 so there is definitely a shortage of the lower to medium end floating homes for sale. In fact the only floating home for sale on Lake Union currently that is under a million dollars is not in an owned slip. All other eight floating homes for sale are in a condo or co-op dock and have secured moorage ownership. Five of the nine floating homes for sale are in Eastlake and on Fairview Ave E. The remaining listings are in Lake Union’s Eastern arm, Portage Bay, which has become a hot commodity in recent years.
Featured Seattle Floating Homes For Sale:
Molly Cartwright and I are full service Seattle floating homes specialists. We can help you navigate the process of purchasing a floating home and help educate you on all the ins and outs of them. We are happy to show you these and others on the market – no matter who they are listed with. We also have our finger on the pulse and know what’s coming on the market. I live and work in this community and I love it. I am a Floating Homes Association board member and give back. Call Molly or me and we can show you our favorites: 206-841-6800.
2017 Fairview Ave E #N: 2 Bedrooms, 1.5 bath $1,795,000
Step aboard your newly remodeled floating home in Eastlake. Gorgeous kitchen includes granite counter tops, new cabinets, under counter refrigerator, and warm your toes on the heated Travertine floors. Or opt to use your outdoor grill while soaking up the sun and views. In the lower level, a comfortable master bedroom with ample closets, a cozy fireplace, and access to the lake from your deck. Second bedroom plus bonus room. Walk to Serafina, SLU, Essential Bakery, Pete’s Market.
3146 Portage Bay Pl E #G: 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths $1,999,000
Beautifully designed by Prentiss Architecture, this new floating home expands over 1,980 square feet of luxury. Handsome cedar on the exterior and warmth from radiant heat inside. Black honed soapstone kitchen counters compliment custom cherry cabinets with energy efficient stainless steel appliances. Gorgeous Maple hardwood floors unite the open concept floor plan. Loewe windows + nano doors to bring the outdoors in. Category 5 wiring. Seattle waterfront at it’s finest.
2822 Boyer Ave E #2: 3 bedrooms, 1.75 baths $2,350,000
Luxury high end 3 BR smart home floating paradise w/ rooftop deck. Automated lighting, Lutron shades, sec cams, 10-zone audio, more w/ touch pad controls throughout house & remote access. Decks on 3 levels. Exotic zebra hrdwd, Pedini Italian cabinets, underlit glass molded cast glass staircase + 6 antique operable brass portholes frm an English luxury liner. Upscale kitchen w/ Bosch and Gagganau + outside Lynx BBQ cooking area. Solar powered boat lift. Parking, Moorage, Low Dues,Great location!
We look forward to hearing from you soon! – Courtney Cooper 206-850-8841 courtney@cooperjacobs.com
Happy Fourth Of July!
Lake Union Fireworks & More
Happy July 4th, Seattle! We wish you a happy and safe Fourth Of July and look forward to working with you in the future. Thanks so much for all your support! We appreciate this community so much!
Here is a great shot from our end of the dock Seattle houseboat for sale for $997,000!
You can read more here or call/text us at 206-841-6800 for more info and a private showing so that YOU can be the go to destination for next year’s festivities:
“One-of-a-kind END-OF-DOCK Floating On-Water Residence and slip on Lake Union in Eastlake. Unobstructed views of Seattle, Space Needle and sunsets. Spacious 1,650sf living w/ 3 beds, 2.5 ba, fireplace, skylights, covered patio. Awesome hot tub, bar and grill on the rooftop deck. Summer ready- fully furnished & includes dinghy on electric davit, kayak, 2 bikes. Very low HOA dues and taxes. Great walkscore, walk/bike to Amazon, easy 5/90/520 access. Start planning your July 4 party!”
“If you are interested in getting your own “fifty yard line” seats for Seattle’s magnificent July 4th Fireworks show over Lake Union, then let us show you Seattle houseboats including this one and others! Thanks again for your support and enthusiasm in our business. We appreciate you and wish you the very best happy and safe 4th of July!” – Courtney & Molly
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Want to see ALL the Seattle Houseboats that are for sale right now? (Click below and come back and read more when you find one you like!)
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