Lake Union, Happy 4th of July! – Here Is Some Of The Latest In Seattle Floating Homes – Both In The MLS And Not Listed
Happy 4th Of July!
There is no better place in greater Seattle to enjoy the festivities of the 4th of July than Lake Union. I first discovered this about 15 years ago on the bow of a boat in Westlake snuggled up to my college boyfriend (thanks Pete) at the time. It was raining of course and it did not matter. The fireworks over Lake Union are nothing short of magical and each year it still surprises me how beautiful they are. It is never the same experience and I never tire of it.
Seattle is a jaw dropping fantastic place to live and work – anyone can find something special in this city. Lake Union special and Lake Union homes are special, so here are the latest on Seattle houseboats – both in Lake Union and Portage Bay.
Seattle houseboats for sale: Lots going on out there – both in the MLS and not in the MLS. I know of at least four Seattle floating homes that are not listed but are available or will be available soon and two of them are at the ends of the docks. End of dock moorage is always something people are interested in so it is fun to track how fast they sell. Let us know if you are interested in any off market Seattle houseboat opportunities so we can either get you in there or keep you posted as to their availability.
In looking at Seattle houseboats in the MLS (including floating homes, vessels, and barges) there are currently 19 opportunities*** to live life afloat on Lake Union or Portage Bay plus a handful of Lake Union slips available for new houseboat moorage. “Houseboats” is a general term and refers to all three types of homes that happen to be on the water. Seattle floating homes are the houseboats I generally refer to in most of the posts I write on SeattleAfloat and elsewhere.
So here are details on the current market regarding the Seattle floating homes for sale in the MLS right now:
Westlake & Northlake Houseboats – there are 4 Westlake houseboats in the NWMLS for sale right now ranging from $325,000 for a historic Seattle houseboat to $975,000 for a new beauty near the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat. In between those ranges, there is a great Westlake floating home on a wide channel with good views into Lake Union and opportunity for boat moorage for only $489,000. In Fremont there is a great dock: Lee’s Mooring and a beautiful floating home for sale on that one for $799,950.
Portage Bay Houseboats – Two floating homes there for sale in the MLS priced at $645,000 and $739,000 (E Shelby St & E Hamlin St).
Eastlake Houseboats: One of the Roanoke Reef houseboats on the front row is for sale- gorgeous views and nice spacious home $1,720,000, There are 4 other opportunities to live on Lake Union along Fairview in an existing houseboat. They range from $575,000 to $749,000 for the four Seattle floating homes for sale***. A really great one is this charming and beautiful Eastlake houseboat for sale on the Willow Dock – it has hardwood floors, a gas fireplace, wrap around deck, moorage for two boats, and lovely radiant heated slate floors in the bath. It is a really great buy on Lake Union at $625,000.
Lake Union Moorage Slips: If you are interested in building or having built a brand new construction houseboat, then look to Ward’s Cove which is one of last brand new Lake Union Moorage slips for sale. There are four in the MLS ranging from $675,000 to $930,000 for the slips on a state of the art dock.
Email us if you want to see any of these or have questions about Seattle floating homes in general. [email protected] Have a safe holiday!
***7/3/2010 Later day update: New Seattle houseboat listing popped up in the MLS – there is now another Fairview houseboat listed – a one bedroom on one of the Log Foundation co-op docks for $495,000***
Wow! A lot can happen in a week! Bring out the sun and outcome the Seattle houseboats for sale! I wanted to update you all on the new floating homes and give you an overall idea of the market. There are now 13 Seattle floating homes for sale – They range from $349,990 for a 100 year old beauty on a co-op dock in Westlake to $1,720,000 for a fee simple ownership floating home in beautiful Roanoke Reef. The median price for these Seattle floating homes for sale is $725,000.
Seven of these floating homes are in Eastlake. Most Seattle houseboats in Eastlake are on Fairview Ave E, but there are a few docks that fall into other streets. The least expensive floating home on Fairview is a beautiful 
Other areas of Seattle floating homes: Lee’s Moorings in Northlake aka Fremont has a floating home for sale with a wall of windows – one bedroom at $799,950. It is one of the brightest floating homes we have seen and worth the visit if you are in the market. The dock is very nice, too. Over in Portage Bay, there is a houseboat on Hamlin which just came up for $645,000 – a one bedroom with 800 square feet of living space, but unique shape and quite appealing. I know of one on Boat Street also – high $400’s, brand new, and a great location near the U-District. It is listed with a broker, but has not shown up in the MLS as of yet. I happened to see it while checking on my friend’s houseboat on that dock. The Boat Street dock is leased moorage owned by the University of Washington so the homes are lesser in price, but not as much security for your moorage as an owned dock.
Seattle Floating Homes Sunday Open House Tour:
Well the NWMLS has really gone a little haywire with the changeover to the new Matrix software. As a result, Seattle houseboats for sale are not being updated correctly in the MLS or any of the sites that the listings feed to. Many are still showing without pictures to the public sites even though many professional pictures have been loaded in to the MLS. The glitch should be resolved soon, but in the mean time, I wanted to make sure and get some complete and current data out there for what is available in the 
The Lake Union Dock – 2 bedroom/1.5 bath reverse floor plan with really cool cork flooring and great decks plus the best roof top deck I have been on since the last Roanoke Reef floating home that sold. No idea on the square footage but feels pretty spacious and nice views. $749,000
this one, too. $769,000
Seattle Floating Homes Houseboat Market Wrap Up
Seattle Floating Homes Houseboat Market Wrap Up –
A lot can happen in a week or two! The Seattle housbeoat market seems to be heating up a bit –
Recent Seattle Houseboats moving from Active status in the MLS –
Charles Buell During A Seattle Floating Homes Inspection
Pending Properties range from a Portage Bay Houseboat on Hamlin Street listed for $645,000 to a beautiful end of dock Eastlake Seattle floating home with huge sweeping views of the city priced at $2,250,000. In between there are two other pending sales in both Westlake and Portage Bay. The median price of these Seattle Houseboats for sale in the MLS is $845,000. In addition to these pending houseboats, there is one that has sold and closed in the last month. 2031 Fairview Ave E #E was listed at $749,000 and sold for $676,500 in 62 days on market which is much lower than the current average days on market of 143 days.
Seattle Houseboats for Sale in the MLS right now –
Lots to choose from in EVERY price range and style. Current offerings range from $325,000 for a 100 year old historical beauty to $3,800,000 for a newer concrete floating architectural wonder complete with underwater porthole windows. Although there is a big range, the median list price of the current offerings is at $622,475. You can find Seattle floating homes for sale right now in Westlake, University District, Northlake, Eastlake, and Portage Bay – both owned and leased dock moorage is attached to various properties so make sure and get the details about each type.
Want to see more info on what is out there including listing photos and virtual tours?
A view across to Eastlake Houseboats from the Sleepless in Seattle Dock
Here are some useful links, but make sure and call me if you want to see something or just have questions. You can also text or email me if that is easier. ([email protected] / 206-850-8841)
Seattle Houseboats for Sale (all current listings no matter who lists them)
2321 Fairview Ave E – Really great 2 bedroom with loft and rooftop deck available right now $595,000
Eastlake Houseboat – check out this state of the art modern houseboat featured in upcoming issue of Coastal Living
Historical Houseboat For Sale – $325,000 – and amazing buy and the most affordable Seattle floating home on the market in some time.
Almost Sleepless in Seattle Houseboat – often mistaken for the movie icon, this Seattle houseboat is a great buy!
Some fun sites with Seattle Houseboat Docks Pictures –
2369 Fairview (Fairview Landing) Roanoke Reef Houseboats Mallard Cove Houseboats (2600 Fairview)