The year-old senior “village” that supports seniors in their own homes  is celebrating its anniversary next month with an evening with librarian Nancy Pearl.

In its first year providing services, 55 people between the ages of 60-98 have become members of North East Seattle Together (NEST) .

Esther, a 77-year-old Ravenna resident said, “I feel so relieved since joining NEST. Over the past year, I have gained confidence in asking for help. Now I am developing a list of things that I am not going to do on my own. I feel confident in calling and asking NEST for help.”

Transportation, social connections, technology assistance and household maintenance are members’ top requests. To date, more than 100 volunteers have been trained to support NEST members with errands, household tasks, and rides to medical appointments, the hairdresser, or the grocery store.

Volunteer Sharon Greenberg says, “NEST members do not sit around watching TV all day.”

NEST, a 501(c)3 non-profit, serves seniors in the area roughly from Northgate Way south to the ship canal, and from Interstate 5 east to Lake Washington.

NEST is celebrating its first anniversary with “An Evening with Nancy Pearl” held on Sunday, March 24th.  For more information about NEST or this event, contact Judy Kinney, NEST executive director, at judy@nestseattle.org, 206.525.6378, or visit www.nestseattle.org.

Disclosure: Mike, the author of this post, is also a NEST board member.

A purse-snatcher armed with a silver knife attacked a woman walking on Roosevelt Way Northeast on Friday afternoon, police report. It was the third such incident reported nearby so far this month.

We reported earlier on the previous two attacks.

About Friday’s armed robbery, police report:

On February 22nd at approximately 2:15 p.m. officers responded to the 7200 block of Roosevelt Way NE for the report of an armed street robbery involving a knife. Preliminary investigation indicates that the 50-year-old female victim was walking southbound in the 7200 block of Roosevelt Way NE on the east side of the street. She was carrying her purse strapped diagonally across her chest when she felt tugging on it from behind. As she began to shout the purse came away from her body. She grabbed it and pulled it back toward her.

At that moment the suspect circled around her and she saw that he was holding a silver-colored knife in his hand. Seeing the knife, the victim let go of her purse and the suspect ran off with it eastbound on NE 72nd Street and remains at large. The victim was not injured.

There is no suspect description available at this time.

Police patrols in north Seattle have already been increased after a series of four sexual assaults nearby.

Police are searching for an armed robbery suspect who cut a woman’s hand with a knife and stole her purse Wednesday about 3 p.m.

The attack, on 36th Avenue Northeast at Northeast 65th Steet, was similar to one that occurred on Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day – at 32nd Avenue Northeast and Northeast 60th Street, according to a police report.

Wednesday’s attack involved a 65-year-old woman who had gotten off the bus and was walking north on 36th Avenue shortly before 3 p.m., police say.

“She was attacked from behind by an unknown male suspect wearing a black mask, black hoodie and jeans. The suspect forcefully grabbed the victim’s purse in an attempt to steal it. As the victim attempted to retain her purse the suspect pulled out a knife and cut the purse straps and in doing so cut the victim’s hand. The suspect fled the scene on foot with the victim’s purse, running northbound on 36th Avenue and then westbound on Northeast 68th Street,” according to a police release.

The release said it’s unclear what race the attacker is, but that he appeared to be in his 20s, 5-foot-9, and 150 pounds, with a thin build.

In the earlier report on Feb. 14th, a neighbor was out for a walk at about 2 p.m. when he noticed a suspicious man near the ally in the 3400 block of Northeast 62nd Street, according to a police report.

A few blocks later the man walked up behind him and used a knife to cut his wallet pocket, the report states. The victim was thrown against a concrete retaining wall, with scratches to his arm, and the attacker ran down the alley.

That suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, 5-foot-10 and 130 pounds.

“Did you know that Northeast Seattle was once the home of a ghost town, a lumber mill, a college (not the University of Washington!), an airport, a railroad, a mosquito fleet, a saint, a dairy farm and the city’s first p-patch?”

That’s what The Seattle Library has to say about an exhibit currently showing at its Northeast branch. Through the end of the month you can view historic photos, maps and articles about the development of Wedgwood, View Ridge, Laurelhurst, Meadowbrook and Ravenna.

The exhibit is on loan from Valarie Bunn, who runs the blog Wedgwood in Seattle History.

For more information on this exhibit, call the Northeast Branch at 206-684-7539.

(This is a sponsored story written by John Madrid, Managing Broker with John L. Scott Real Estate).

“A house, a house, my kingdom for a house”. If you are in the market for a new home you can probably empathize with Shakespeare’s King Richard III.  Single-family homes, townhomes, and even condos are all in short supply throughout most the city.

For Northeast Seattle (including Maple Leaf, University, Wedgwood, View Ridge, and Laurelhurst) there is now less than a 1 month supply of single-family home inventory which is definitely favoring home sellers with the result that homes are really hard to come by.  We will continue to see more pre-inspections, multiple offers, and bidding wars on the fewer listings hitting the market.

(more…)

Police say the Key Bank in Wedgwood was robbed about a half-hour ago.

Here’s their report:

A lone male robbed the Key Bank in the 7300 Block of 35th Avenue NE on Thursday morning, around 10:45 am.

The suspect is described as an unknown race male, approximately 5’09, 140, wearing a black hooded jacket,blue jeans, and a partial black mask covering the lower part of his face. He was also carrying a black backpack.

The suspect entered the bank, pointed a gun at the teller, and then jumped over the counter and took money out of the teller drawer. He then fled out of the bank on foot, last seen running south.

Officers arrived quickly after receiving the 911 call and are currently searching the area. Several area schools have been notified and are taking the necessary precautions.

(This is a sponsored story written by John Madrid, Managing Broker with John L. Scott Real Estate).

What a difference a year makes … sale prices continue their climb and time on market continues to drop. It is definitely turning into a seller’s market.

For the 10 out of the last 12 months median sale price for single-family homes sold in Northeast Seattle, including Maple Leaf, University, Wedgwood, View Ridge, and Laurelhurst met or exceeded the sale price for the same period a year prior. Much of this trend can be attributed to a decrease in the supply of new listings in 2012 compared to 2011.

In addition to a shortage of inventory, record low interest rates, continued strong hiring by Amazon, Microsoft and a slew of smaller to midsize companies and a general belief that the market has hit bottom has resulted in strong appreciation for most Seattle home owners and sellers in 2012.

The median sale price for single-family homes sold in 2012 in NE Seattle was $442,000 compared to $410,000 for 2011, an almost 8% increase. The average time on market decreased to sold 29 days in 2012 from 55 days in 2011.

A less than a 3 month supply of homes is generally considered a Seller’s market. The overall supply of NE Seattle homes averaged around 1.6 months of inventory for 2012 relative to a little more than a 3 month supply for 2011.

Expected trends for 2013 include continued low interest rates and inventory as well as multiple offers situations for competitively priced homes in popular neighborhoods including most of NE Seattle with its great walkability, popular schools and proximity to downtown.

More stats on other Seattle neighborhoods can be found here.

Tip: Even in a strong home Seller’s market amazing photos and professional marketing materials (including a custom website and full color two sided flyers) can result in a quicker sale and the best sale price.

John Madrid is a Managing Broker with John L. Scott Real Estate – University Village and is a 2005-2012 Seattle Magazine “Five Star” Agent. His clients include both home buyers and sellers. He can be reached at 206-498-1880, john@live206.com or www.live206.com.

(Statistics are deemed reliable but are not guaranteed. All information should be verified to the users own satisfaction.)

Here is advice from the City of Seattle for disposing of your holiday tree.

Seattle residents may compost holiday trees and holiday greens free of charge between Dec. 26 and Jan. 13.

At Recycling & Disposal Stations: Trees should not exceed eight feet in length and must be free of decoration so they can be turned into compost for local parks and gardens. Trunks should not exceed four inches in diameter.

At the Curb: Food and yard waste subscribers can put trees and greens out on their regular collection day. Cut trees into sections, six feet long or shorter, with branches trimmed to less than four feet to fit into the collection trucks. Bundle each section with sisal string or twine (not plastic). Decorated, flocked and plastic trees are not recyclable, and will be charged as extra garbage.

At Apartments: Check with your manager. Multi-family buildings can put out one tree next to each food and yard waste cart per collection day at no extra charge.