Monthly Archives: July 2013

Kiss Cafe raises $$$$$ for Asher Deaver

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According to MyBallard.com this past Saturday the Kiss Cafe raised over $15,000 for Asher Deaver a Ballard musician who is facing surgery to remove tumors from his head. Asher who went into surgery today was shocked at the generosity of the people who attended. Kegs of beer were donated with all of the proceeds that night going directly to a fund for his surgery. Hundreds of people cycled through the Kiss Cafe to support Asher and his worthy cause.

If you would like to donate to this cause the Kiss Cafe is also having a raffle to raise additional funds. The tickets are $10 each and you have a chance to win a 2 night stay at the Inn at Langley or an Ipad. You will be able to buy tickets through the end of this week with the winners being chosen on Monday. For more information on last Saturday’s event visit the MyBallard Blog or the Kiss Cafe facebook page!

Ballard’s Night Out is Coming Soon

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Next Tuesday August 6th is the annual “Night Out Block Party” event which is held to increase awareness of neighborhood crime prevention. This event is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors, welcome in new ones, and talk about crime prevention that you and your neighbors can participate in. The theme this year is “Celebrating Crime Free Neighborhoods.”

While talking about crime prevention is the reason for this event, the city of Seattle encourages people to not only meet your neighbors but also have BBQ’s, play games, and enjoy this festive evening. If you would like to register your block party with the city of Seattle you can due so on their website here. Last year there were more than 1300 registered block parties going on throughout the city of Seattle.

For more information on this event or tips on how to increase your neighborhood safety please visit www.seattle.gov.

 

 

Greenwood Street Soccer

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Saturday August 10th is the 2nd annual Greenwood Street Soccer Tournament put on by Naked City Brewery, Summer Streets, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Innovators Network. This 3 on 3 soccer tournament will take place on Greenwood Ave between 85th and 87th with sectioned off fields lining the street. If you are interested in putting a team together you are encouraged to pre-register as only a limited amount of teams will be allowed to participate. 

Friday night Naked City Brewing will host a pre-tournament party from 7-10pm offering up drink specials to get everyone fueled up for the following days games. All proceeds from the event will go directly to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research.  For much more information about this event, please visit their website here.

  • Price: $150/team
  • When: Fri-Sat August 9th-10th
  • Where: Greenwood Ave between 85th-87th
  • Why: Sounds like a good time

Housing Inventory Rises in Seattle

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If you have been active in the market to buy a new home, you know how tough it has been to find a property that meets your needs and fits your budget. For most of 2013 more people were looking to be buyers rather than sellers which led to an inventory shortage in the Seattle market. For the first time this year (according to this Seattle PI article) we are starting to see the inventory of houses increase while the number of buyers stay roughly the same. Currently the level of housing inventory is about the same as November 2012 with the median home price in Seattle at $408,000. All of this is a good sign if you are in the market for a new home.489177

While there are more houses available today than a couple months ago, that does not mean the real estate market is slowing down. Compared to last year the total number of sales for the month of June increased 11%. With interest rates still low and the inventory of houses increasing, this may be a great time to consider purchasing!

Greenwood Parade is Back

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This Wednesday July 24th is the annual Greenwood Seafair Parade. For 64 years Greenwood has hosted this event that will feature various themed floats, drill team performances, and the always loud Seafair Pirates. The parade route runs south along Greenwood Avenue from 95th to 85th and then heads west on 85th to 6th Ave NW. 

This year the theme of the parade will be “Funny in Greenwood” and the grand marshal will be Pat Cashman of “Almost Live”. The Greenwood Parade starts at 6:00 PM and should last until roughly 8:30 PM.

If you are looking for something to do this week, make sure you grab a blanket and head north to Greenwood to see one of the oldest Seafair sanctioned events around! For more information you can visit their informational website here.

Ballard Community Food Buying Club

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A Ballard lady is forming a bulk community food buying club to make organic products such as natural meats, produce, eggs, and milk more affordable to the average consumer. The theory behind it is similar to how Costco operates which is to “increase access to natural and local food options by purchasing in bulk and eliminating the middle man, thus reducing food costs while keeping our families healthy.” 

According to the website you need to fill out the online catalog prior to the group order being placed. If you would like more information about this service or to see the complete list of food items available you can visit the website here.

Ballard Bike Tour

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If you are looking for a way to get outside and enjoy the great summer weather this weekend, consider attending the Sustainable Ballard Seven Wonders Bike Tour. According to their Facebook Event the tour will start this Saturday July 20th at the Ballard Commons Park on 22nd Avenue Northwest & Northwest 58th Street at 9 am.

While they do not list what the seven wonders of Ballard are, with so many to choose from we are confident it will be worth the time. This “easy ride” will be a great way to fit in a workout while enjoying several things that make Ballard so special.

Happy Hour & Brewery Tour in Ballard Tonight

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According to MyBallard.com, Hale’s Ales Brewery (4301 Leary Way NW) is throwing a happy hour and brewery tour tonight in partnership with Net Impact – Seattle to help promote sustainability and corporate social responsibility. The tour will begin at 6:15 pm with the event concluding at 8:30 pm. 

For more information on this event as well as to RSVP for it, please visit their Facebook event here. Hale’s has been promoting sustainability in their processes and has obtained their ingredients from local companies for more than 25 years. If you would like to see how a brewery can promote sustainability or would just like to enjoy a fresh cold beer after work, stop on by Hale’s tonight!

In Need of a Real Estate Agent? Things to Keep in Mind

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According to this Curbed Seattle article, if you are in search of a real estate agent for your Ballard home, many of the traditionally questions that you may have asked in the past no longer apply to today’s internet dominated world. In the article it touches on questions that you should no longer ask your real estate agent and instead provides you with more relevant ones to consider. One example that they provided was that in today’s online focused world it is important to ask your agent what type of online marketing would they provide for your listing compared to the type of news print advertisement.  With many new and more cost effective ways to market your Ballard home, Curbed Seattle states that the type of marketing plan your agent comes up with might show you how current they are in today’s trends. 

Curbed Seattle focuses on the fact that you want an agent who is up with current marketing trends as well as an agent who knows the area where your house is located. Choosing the agent who works at the most popular agency may not necessarily be the best choice for your property. Instead having an agent who specializes in the market where your house is located at is many times the most important factor in receiving top dollar for your house.

Ballard Ranks 5th According to Walkscore.com

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According to this Ballard News Tribune article, Ballard has a walk score of 94 which ranks them 5th out of 100 neighborhoods in Seattle. Ballard features over one hundred restaurants & bars packed in its dense urban setting as well as grocery stores, libraries, parks, and a post office, all of which are within a short distance from each other. As the high ranking indicates, not many neighborhoods in Seattle offer as much variety and in such a close proximity as Ballard does.

One of the reasons why Ballard is ranked as high as they are is because of the diversity of places that are within a 5 minute walk. This is one of the strongest indicators of how walkable a neighborhood is according to Walkscore.com.  In case you were wondering, the 4 neighborhoods ahead of Ballard are:

4. Cascade
3. Belltown
2. South Lake Union
1. Denny Triangle

With this great summer weather that we are currently having get outside and walk around Ballard and make sure to let us know what you think about our walk score of 94!