Buy our house
Take a virtual tour of our house, for sale now in Bothell, WA. Pictures were shot this morning. Lots of work cleaning up things yesterday. Whew, glad I didn’t leave my underwear on the floor this morning. Heheh.
Update: Our real estate guy, Stan Mackey, wrote a nice blog post and my family room got on ValleyWag. Yeah, I have three Channel 9 guys on top of my HDTV. You can take Scoble out of Channel 9, but you can’t take Channel 9 out of Scoble! :-)
Wow, even the Zillow blog noticed this post (Maryam used Zillow as one of the tools to find our new house in Half Moon Bay).
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June 26th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Hey nice house, care to sell it to me with all your electronic gadgets included free! ;)
hehe just kidding, nice house though, can’t wait until I finish Uni to get a place of my own, shame it wont be in the sun all the time though, dam English weather. :(
June 26th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
You can have my HDTV when you unwrap my cold, dead, hand off of my remote control! Heheh.
Actually, Maryam is cool with selling the home fully furnished, for the right price. So, we’re open to including the toys too!
June 26th, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Wow - you really should consider moving somewhere that housing costs are sane - my 3BR, 2 batch, 2800 SF house on .5 acres, with a huge 12 foot deep diving pool only cost me $180K here in San Antonio!
Oh - and don’t bring up the “But salaries are higher here in California” argumenet, because 1) They aren’t high enough to make up for the difference in housing costs, and 2) I made more here in San Antonio than you did at MS :). Plus - No State Taxes!
Best of luck with the move… I’ve done 22 of them. Never any fun :(
June 26th, 2006 at 3:57 pm
[...] Hey, if Robert Scoble can do it, why can’t I? We have done a lot of work on our place but now we have the chance to buy a house. So here is our Condo for Sale. [...]
June 26th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Underwear on the floor? Isn’t that one of those things you have to disclose to potential buyers? I hope it does not affect the resale value!
June 26th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
I figured you would have a link to your own video about your house…complete with your own description of the features / amenities…another good use for video.
June 26th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
Brian: that would be a cool idea. I don’t have a camcorder at the moment, though. Still waiting for my new one.
kr8tr: don’t make me jealous! :-) But, your house is a lot more expensive than lots of other places in the world too. Anyway, my family lives in the Bay Area, which is one of the major reasons for the move.
June 26th, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Now that we have pictures of the interior of Scoble’s house, the possibilities for Photoshopping are simply endless!
Someone get this to Fark, quick!
June 26th, 2006 at 4:32 pm
Sell it on eBAY!!!
June 26th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
You Don’t Get What You Don’t Ask For
The Scoble’s are selling their house and according to Zillow.com will do quite well in the year and a half they lived there IF they get what they’re asking. Looks like the neighborhood supports their pricing thoughts. (I LOVE Zillow… …
June 26th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Nice House. yeah and by the way nice office chair.(Have the same one). Hope you sell!
June 26th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
Robert, best wishes for a speedy sale!!!
June 26th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
Nice. You live about three miles from us (pretty similar house, too).
June 26th, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Your WA house looks pretty nice - I actually prefer it to most of the middle-tier Ocean Colony places.
But 1700 sq ft. Yikes, that’s a small place for a family. Real estate prices are out of control.
June 26th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Anon: we’re still trying to figure out the exact square footage. When we bought it it was listed as 1836. But the tax records say the number on our current listing.
If you think that’s bad. My ex-wife’s place was 900 square feet and it sold for half a million four years ago (and now would go for $700,000 or so.
Yeah, prices are going nuts. Everyone copies California.
June 26th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Oh, and, yes, those are Channel 9 guys on top of my HDTV. Heheh.
June 26th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
Best wishes in the move :)
June 26th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Robert, your house in WA seems reasonable for the size/price/salary ratio (I’m comparing to Bay Area prices nearish to where you are moving).
Are you sure about this move?
Quality of life in California is suffering as a result of ballooning mortgages. It was bad in the mid-80s, now it’s highway robbery in broad daylight. I’m considering selling and getting out: I can retire lavishly with what I could get for my home and I’m in my 30s!
June 26th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
The guy makes global news for jumping ship on Microsoft 2 weeks ago, and he works on a folding table at home. Now theres a well grounded individual. Hey kr8tr….shhhh man, we don’t want all those californian types out here, keep a lid on it, eh? :)
June 26th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
June 27th, 2006 at 4:31 am
Anon: “But 1700 sq ft. Yikes, that’s a small place for a family.”
In the United States, maybe, but in Europe or Japan that certainly wouldn’t be considered ’small’! The house I’m in right now is little over half that and I know a family of four used to live here before we did.
June 27th, 2006 at 5:52 am
in the UK we have blue plaques which are put on buildings where people or events happened of notable importance. perhaps one will be put on your home in the distant future (i say distant as it normally happens when you’re dead and i doubt any of us want that happening anytime soon)
June 27th, 2006 at 6:33 am
A view of the famous red couch! And is that a replica NASCAR I see in your office?? :)
Good luck with the sale and congrats on the new house!
June 27th, 2006 at 8:52 am
How does your home price compare against an electronic appraisel? Load it up at myncre.com.
Your house is in great condition. Nice bathrooms.
Phil
June 27th, 2006 at 9:28 am
Scoble’s Home: For Sale By Blogger…
Robert Scoble, the author of Naked Conversations and longtime Microsoft employee and blogger is selling his house online via his blog with a post titled, Buy Our House. Robert recently decided to leave Microsoft for greener pastures with PodTech and…
June 27th, 2006 at 9:59 am
With the housing market slowing down, I feel your price is fairly unrealistic (especially since anyone can hit up Zillow and see that you’re pricing it at 1.5x what you paid for it in 2003, as well as above Zillow’s estimated value.) I am not sure if your real estate agent hasn’t clued in to the realities of a slowing market, or if Seattle hasn’t started to slow down yet… but please note that the Bay Area housing market, one of the hottest in the country in the past 8 years, has dramatically slowed… as YOU indicated when you bought a house here for $35K under the asking price after the house had been on the market 5 weeks.
Either way, I hope you don’t make the mistake of trending down along with the market and continually pricing your house above what it is actually worth as the market continues to slow. On Thursday, Bernanke is expected to raise interest rates another quarter of a point. This will make housing slow down even more dramatically.
I’m predicting your house will take longer than 30 days to sell… and I’m doing that based on the market realities at this time. If it takes fewer than 30 days, Bothell is most certainly still in a bubble. But I have a feeling your real estate agent is being way too optimistic.
Good luck. You’ll need it.
June 27th, 2006 at 10:16 am
OMG… the size of your telly!!!
June 27th, 2006 at 10:46 am
For this money - $450k in Dublin or Co. Dublin you would have maximum 2 bedroom apartment. Maximum! On the opposite side of the island you could have propably the same. Ireland is far way more expensive than the US!
Cheers from Microsoft Ireland,
Mike
June 27th, 2006 at 10:50 am
Looks like the bedrooms are pretty big, and I love the inset ceiling in the dining room. If only I had the jing and a job at MS.
June 27th, 2006 at 11:39 am
Robert
If you think that’s cool, check out http://circularworlds.com/gallery.html for a 3d view of Syndney Opera House. See if you can find the picture title in the view.. It was the Ozzies who brought is 3d panoramic views apparently
June 27th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
SlashChick: we’ve been following prices in our neighborhood and feel the house is fairly priced. If it’s not, we’ll know very quickly cause the market is harsh when it comes to that kind of feedback. Most houses in our neighborhood are selling within three days. The market in Seattle is, indeed, hot and happening.
Silicon Valley’s prices aren’t as soft as you might think from our experience. Half Moon Bay has a huge commute problem which keeps many people from considering homes there. Most areas in the Bay Area are seeing stable prices at the moment, but since they’ve been run up so much the past decade the prices are still EXTREMELY high there.
June 27th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Pretty classy house, everything so neat, who does all the housework? Its not really how I imagined a techie’s place to look(no offense) Most that I know have very little sense of decor, Your wife must have some artistic flair -living room is beautiful! Hope you get what you are asking. I guess the price is right for where you live but in my neighbourhood you could buy two decent houses for $450 000.
June 27th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
So you know what you’re getting yourself into take a look at: http://www.burbed.com/2006/06/26/followup-remember-the-827-sqft-house-in-cupertino/
Commute my friend…
June 27th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Gary, that’s what I’m talking about! Whew. I think my dad paid about $50,000 for our home in Cupertino when we first moved there in the early 1970s.
June 27th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
rockwatching: I don’t do my fair share of the housework, I must admit. Maryam is the decorator. I hang things where she tells me to! :-)
June 27th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
Robert - Anyone who thinks you can actually price a home using ZILLOW obviously has absolutely no clue about real estate. I’ve come to know your REALTOR, Stan Mackey, thru various Internet forums and can almost guarantee you’ll not only sell in far less than 30 days, but with multiple offers close for over list price.
All the best down in California - if you’re ever in Calgary, look me up!
June 27th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Admittedly, I haven’t lived in the United States in many, many years. But that price does seem to be a bit steep for 1700sq ft! Had any offers yet??
June 27th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=84
Care to comment as you leave the fold of Microsoft? Forced future updates, reminds me of MIcroshaft removing functionality from SQL2005 ReportingServices AFTER it was released. No wonder you are leaving!
June 27th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
We are so desperate to buy a house now but can only afford 250k and can close only in Dec 2006.
*wink wink nudge nudge* c’mon, one blogger to another.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
Carolus: I don’t know enough about this yet. Sorry.
I’mPerfect: I can’t hold out that long or for that low, unfortunately. I wish I were rich so I could make your dreams a reality.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
I see a lot of news about Zillow.com lately, but honestly, I just don’t believe their numbers. They say my house is worth $208,410. I paid $179K for it three years ago, so this might seem realistic on the face - but since I bought my house a major Interstate Highway moved 140 yards closer to my house - 250 thousand cars drive 165 feet from my bedroom window every day. NOT the kind of house that goes up in value. And don’t think commercial prosects - I am zoned residential in a very small community that is surrounded by San Antonio — we don’t re-zone anything. This is residential propery, and it will be for my lifetime. So how can Zillow value it the way they are?
Simple - they aren’t local, they don’t have a local community to provide feedback when they are completely bonkers - they rely on computer data that is almost certainly outdated before it ever blesses your screen. Basically, they aren’t social enough. I can’t even provide feedback on the property I own, and that’s one-way-Web, and that is *so* outated :)
June 27th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Darn, I’m only in the market for a rental. Still trying to find a place up in the Seattle area (moving up from SoCal after August).
Good luck with the sale/move.
June 28th, 2006 at 12:36 am
at first, I thought that the price may be too much but then I did the conversion in my local currency and found that such a house in my own city would have cost you more or less the same or not too less.
June 28th, 2006 at 10:13 am
so unfortunately robert, that money will pay for an extra bathroom for a house in the bay area… maybe you get a hot tub thrown in for good measure in HMB ;)
welcome to the bay area real estate market!
sigh.
- dmc
June 28th, 2006 at 10:22 am
Thanks for the scintilla of hope hehe. Ah well, back to more (re)searching.
June 28th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
David G from Zillow here;
SlashChick - you miss the fact that the price is in Zillow’s Value Range (http://tinyurl.com/qt4r8). From my personal experience, the Seattle market is still very competitive at this price-point.
kr8tr - you’re right, Real Estate is local so we update our db’s with local transactions daily. If the highway’s move has impacted your neighbors’ sales, then we’ve counted it in. Also; we do take feedback from homeowners (see link in footer). Our roadmap’s based on what they’ve told us: next up is the ability for homeowners to update their home’s facts (sign up on the feedback form to be notified when this launches). Thanks for the feedback.
June 28th, 2006 at 8:33 pm
Sell it to Billy Boy
June 29th, 2006 at 4:55 am
Moving? You could always consider relocating to out here in the Outer Hebrides (a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland). We’ve got broadband recently; lots of bloggers (not just me!), and we have beaches: http://silversprite.wordpress.com/tag/beaches … maybe not the heat that you guys have, but nothings perfect!
June 29th, 2006 at 12:16 pm
Now showing on edgeio:
http://www.edgeio.com/item/697273-Buy-our-house
August 1st, 2006 at 9:53 pm
VERY nice house, Love the corner table with all the pictures, Maryam, very cute :) My figers are crossed for the both of you! best wishes Robert & Maryam~!
August 3rd, 2006 at 1:02 am
Great house and virtual tour. Blogging does definately help out.
Richard
September 10th, 2006 at 9:47 am
Hi, Maybe my real estate brussels agencies might interest some of your readers. Keep up the great work!
October 6th, 2006 at 7:49 am
I am a Realtor, and you are my dream seller. Look at all of the web traffic you created for your virtual tour, your agent’s site and your home.
Hope you are enjoying your new place.
February 16th, 2007 at 3:58 am
lap timer
Description of lap timer.
June 4th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Selecting the right real estate agent to represent you in the sale of your property can be difficult.
Beware off:
1 Agents who overvalue the property.
Some will suggest an inflated market price to win your business. Remember, it is the purchasers who decide how much your property is really worth. Ask for a written list of selling prices of comparable homes to support their opinion of the value.
2 Agency agreements that extend for lengthy periods of time. Do not sign a selling agreement that ties you to an agent for more than 60 days.