Living In Ballard, WA
Living In Ballard
Thinking about living in Ballard, WA – the hip new must-have address in Seattle, WA?
If so, you are not alone! The burgeoning cultural scene, vibrant community atmosphere, and unique amenities in Ballard, WA have sparked a growing interest among people in living in Seattle to take a look at this popular address.
The Scandinavian Roots Of Ballard, WA
The Ballard neighborhood in Seattle, WA was historically a fishing village, just northwest of downtown Seattle. You can still see may fishing boats docked here that go out to sea, and even up to Alaska for commercial fishing and crabbing.
If you’re in the mood for a little viking culture and a fun history lesson, pop by the Scandinavian Museum in Ballard to see what all the fuss is about.
Living In Ballard, WA
The Ballard Locks and beaches provided a draw for local tourism. My grandparents always used to make a point of taking out-of-town visitors to go see the locks. It’s an amazing feat of engineering, and there’s a salmon ladder where you can look for spawning salmon, in season.
My son was born at Swedish Hospital which is a major local employer. If you love farmer’s markets, local mom and pop shops, restaurants and bookstores, and pubs after hours, then you the central shopping street on NW Market provided employment within the area. You might want to look for a home for sale within walking distance, as parking in this area is getting really tight as streets filled with homes, have been replaced by streets filled with condos – the higher population density lends itself better to foot-traffic and bus-riding than the multi-car family.
Nevertheless, many people love living in Ballard, WA. It’s a great location from which to commute past the space needle and into downtown Seattle for work, as well.
What The Locals Say About The Ballard, WA Lifestyle
My childhood friend Ciara, who grew up in Ballard, was fond of saying that everything you needed was there, and therefore no one who lived in Ballard ever needed to leave.
My sister bought her first home in Ballard, WA – a three-level townhouse, and she was able to commute into her law firm in downtown Seattle fairly easily from there, by bus.
Recent Changes In Ballard, WA
In the last ten years, Ballard has seen itself evolve from its Nordic Fisherman roots to a more hip and eclectic young professional population. Coveted for its proximity to downtown Seattle and its walkable pub-lined streets, older homes are making way for new construction high-density condos and townhouses, as well as apartments.
Homes For Sale In Ballard, WA
Homes for sale in Ballard have enjoyed tremendous price appreciation over the last few years. Although they were impacted by COVID in 2020-22, there are still many new construction building projects in this area.
I recently sold a 3-story new construction 2-bedroom townhome in Ballard for around $900,000. This is a pretty typical price range for this widely available housing product.
Concerns For The Ballard Neighborhood
As Seattle’s homeless count continues to swell, many Ballard residents have become concerned about the large numbers of indigents lounging in the streets and sidewalks, RV-residents perma-parking on any available street-side and hypodermic needles littering parks and even being tossed into yards of citizens.
As population-density increases, there is not enough parking here for everyone to have a car. As I found when helping my clients shop for a new construction townhouse in 2023, many new construction developments are only sold with 1 parking spot per home. Some are sold with none. Plan on biking, walking or taking the bus.
If you want electric-vehicle charing stations, this is feature widely available for your single-parking spot, but some home-owners will have to buy for almost a million dollars without enough room for their partner to have dedicated parking space. Homes with no parking tend to cost about $100K less than their deeded-parking-spot equivalents.
Even if your home does have parking, you might want to consider going with a smaller car instead of a truck. My sister found when buying her condo that her Honda Acura would not fit around the corner and into the garage parking in many townhome developments.
Despite these challenges, many new home buyers are excited about living in Ballard, and if that’s you, I’m happy to help.
Fill out the form below and let me know how I can help you find the right neighborhood, or select the Ballard home for you!
Pending
- $1,350,000
- 3 bd
- 1.75 ba
- 2,920 sqft
3-Bedroom Richmond Beach View Home – Shoreline, WA
Sold
- $320,000
- 1 bd
- 1 ba
- 411 sqft
Garden-Level Condo with Spacious Bedroom and Pool Access in Shoreline, WA
- $678,000
- 3 bd
- 2.25 ba
- 2258 sqft
3-Bedroom Residence For Sale at Lake Louise, Tacoma
