Now you can own a little piece of neighborhood filmmaking history. The Phinney Ridge house used for much of the filming of last year’s indie hit film “Humpday” is for sale. The distinctly blueberry-colored house on the corner of 2nd Ave. NW and NW 67th St. is listed at $459,950.

Veronica lives next door to the house and says the film crew was extremely good about making sure filming didn’t disturb the neighbors.

I thought there would be a lot of commotion and that I could just pull out a lawn chair and watch from the street, but it was pretty quiet. Except for some lights and a black drape they used outside the windows that face my house, I wouldn’t have known filming began.

Thanks to Mai Ling for the tip!

And now in more (not so) good news on the economic front, Zillow is suggesting that there may be a looming “double-dip” in home values.

At least from Seattle’s perspective, we’re not listed as one of most likely candidates for another drop in value, but data from Zillow’s Home Value Index indicates if you bought anytime in the last few years, your home is probably worth less than when you bought it.

Here’s a chart showing the change in values over the last five years. The real estate experts can chime in here on what it really means, but it appears Greenwood is a relative bright spot compared to everyone else in the past year:

According to Zillow, here are some toplevel findings:

• Decreasing Home Values: Home values changed -5.8% to a Zillow Home Value Index of $300,400. Values also fell in the short-term, changing -0.5% from November to December. The Zillow Home Value Index measures the value of all homes, not just those that sold in a particular period.
• Homes with Negative equity: 22 percent of all owners of single-family homes with mortgages were underwater at the end of Q4.
• Foreclosure re-sales: 19.5 percent of all sales in December were foreclosure re-sales (REO sales). Nationally, foreclosure re-sales made up 20.3 percent of all sales.
• Homes sold for a loss: 18.5% of all homes sold in December sold for a loss.

I’m not a real estate analyst, so I’ll point to the SeattlePI for more information.

Here’s a look at values over the past 10 years in the same neighborhoods:

Zillow Home Value Index

More Seattle Home Values

Here’s the full press release:

Continued High Negative Equity and Home Value Declines

Put a Damper on an Encouraging 2009

Despite Some Areas Experiencing Flattening or Reversal of Home Value Declines Last Year,

One in Five Markets Now Showing Signs of a Possible Double Dip in Home Values,

According to Q4 2009 Zillow® Real Estate Market Reports

Key facts:

Negative equity remains high at 21 percent of all single family homes with mortgages, but was flat quarter-over-quarter.

U.S. home values fell 5 percent year-over-year, and declined 0.5 percent quarter-over-quarter, marking the 12^th consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines.

In one in five, or 29 of the 143 markets tracked by Zillow, home values have flattened or have begun to decrease again after showing at least five consecutive monthly increases during 2009 – early signs of a what could become a “double dip.”

SEATTLE – Feb. 10, 2010 — Home values across the country declined again in the fourth quarter of 2009, as the Zillow Home Value Index[i] fell 5 percent year-over-year, and -0.5 percent quarter-over-quarter, to $186,200. That marked the 12^th consecutive quarter of year-over-year declines, according to the fourth quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Reports.

Despite home value declines seen across most of the country throughout 2009, some markets experienced what appeared to be a bottom in home value declines, or even increases in home values during the year. However, the fourth quarter of the year brought signs that the fledgling recovery of home values in many of these markets is slowing again. If the declines are sustained, the result will be a “double dip[iii]” in home values, defined as two periods of sustained declines in home values separated by a brief period of stabilization or recovery.

One in five, or 29 of the 143 markets tracked by Zillow, showed at least five consecutive month-over-month increases in home values during 2009 before beginning to flatten or fall again in the second part of the year. These markets include the Boston metropolitan statistical area (MSA), the Atlanta MSA and the San Diego MSA.

Home values in an additional 29 markets, including the Los Angeles and New York MSAs, increased on a month-over-month basis each month throughout the fourth quarter. However, the rate of increase slowed from November to December in 21 of those markets, and several appear likely to experience several months of sustained decline in early 2010.

The percent of single family homes with mortgages in negative equity was essentially flat from the third to the fourth quarter, changing from 21 percent in Q3 to 21.4 percent in Q4. This comes after a decrease in negative equity from the second quarter’s 23 percent.

The number of homeowners losing their homes to foreclosure[iv] across the country reached a peak in December, with more than one in every thousand homes being foreclosed – a number not reached since Zillow began recording national foreclosure data in 2000.

“While we have seen strong stabilization in home values during 2009, there are clear signs that they will turn more negative in the near-term,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries. “What we saw in mid-2009 was a brief respite from a larger market correction that has not yet run its course. The good news is that, for those markets that will see a double dip in home values before reaching a definitive bottom, this second dip will not be a return to the magnitude of depreciation seen earlier, but rather will look more like a modest aftershock of the earlier downturn.

“The recent stabilization owed a lot to policy support in the form of tax credits, lower interest rates and increased Federal Housing Administration lending. The remaining correction in home values we’ll see in the first half of this year is a function of market fundamentals, such as the increasing flow of foreclosures, high levels of inventory in the market and a probable decrease in demand as the impact of the tax credit wanes and mortgage rates rise. While the next few months are likely to bring further home value declines in most markets, we do expect to see a national bottom in home prices by the middle of this year. Thereafter, home values are likely to bounce along the bottom with real appreciation remaining negligible for some time.”

Foreclosure re-sales[v] across the country remained high, making up more than one-fifth (20.3 percent) of all U.S. home sales in December. Foreclosure re-sales also made up the majority of sales in several MSAs, including

the Merced, Calif. MSA (68.3 percent), the Las Vegas MSA (64 percent) and the Modesto, Calif. MSA (62 percent). Additionally, 28.5 percent of home sales nationwide sold for less than what the seller originally paid.

Several markets across the country showed positive longer-term appreciation. Home values increased year-over-year in 27 of 143 markets and remained flat in 15.

The Boston MSA was the largest area with year-over-year appreciation, despite its more recent downturn in home values. The area’s Zillow Home Value Index rose 1.9 percent in 2009. Home values in the Boston area rose for eight months in 2009, which outweighed the recent declines.

Markets in Double Dip/Markets Showing Signs of Impending Double Dip

The full national report, in its interactive format, is available at www.zillow.com/local-info on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Additionally, in most areas data is available at the state, metro, county, city, ZIP and neighborhood level.

About Zillow.com®

Zillow.com is an online real estate marketplace where homeowners, buyers, sellers, renters, real estate agents and mortgage professionals find and share vital information about homes and mortgages. Launched in early 2006 with Zestimate® home values and data on millions of U.S. homes, Zillow has since added homes for sale and homes for rent, a directory of real estate and lending professionals, Zillow Advice and Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. One of the most-visited U.S. real estate Web sites, with more than eight million unique visitors per month, Zillow’s goal is to help people become smarter about homes and real estate in every stage of their lives — home buying, selling, renting, remodeling and financing. The company is headquartered in Seattle and has raised $87 million in funding.

Zillow.com, Zillow and Zestimate are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc.

[i] The Zillow Home Value Index is the median Zestimate valuation for a given geographic area on a given day and includes the value of all single-family residences, condominiums and cooperatives, regardless of whether they sold within a given period. The Home Value Index at the national level is calculated using a weighted average of the median home value for each county and includes data from 440 metropolitan statistical areas. It is expressed in dollars and is for a particular geographic region.

[ii] The data in Zillow’s Real Estate Market Reports is aggregated from public sources by a number of data providers for 143 Metropolitan Statistical Areas dating back to 1996. Mortgage and home loan data is typically recorded in each county and publicly available through a county recorder’s office.

[iii] A market is defined as having a double-dip in home values if the following four conditions are met: 1) The market experiences five or more consecutive months of monthly home value depreciation and the annualized depreciation rate over this period is greater than 1 percent; 2) prior to this period described in (1), the market experienced five or more consecutive months of monthly home value appreciation and the annualized appreciation rate over this period was greater than 1%; 3) prior to this period described in (2), the market experienced five or more consecutive months of monthly home value depreciation and the annualized depreciation rate over this period was greater than 1%; and 4) the time span from the peak between (1) and (2) and the trough between (2) and (3) is 12 months or less.

[iv] Foreclosures are defined as a Trustee’s Deed Upon Sale or equivalent transaction.

[v] Foreclosure re-sales capture mostly sales of bank-owned (REO) homes. It measures sales of homes that were foreclosed on in the previous 12 months.

Here are a few things from the neighborhood you might want to know about:

Music Center of the Northwest’s “Messiah Sing/Play Along” last Sunday night raised 240 pounds of food and $632 for FamilyWorks Food Bank.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting another public meeting to plan and design the new 9th Avenue NW Park. The meeting is 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday (tonight), at Whittier Elementary School, 1320 NW 75th St. The 39,000 square foot property was purchased with funding from the 2000 Pro Parks Levy and is being developed with $800,000 from the Parks & Green Spaces Levy.

Woodland Park Zoo is offering one free child’s admission with a paying adult if you mention the offer “Winter Fun” at the entry gate during schools’ Winter Break. The offer runs Dec. 19 through Jan. 3.

Someone witnessed a hit-and-run accident last Friday, and wants to know if the victim needs a witness.

My husband witnessed a hit and run at the intersection of 3rd NW and 65th Friday around 6:50pm. He didn’t stop for the victim because he saw an opportunity to follow the perpetrator. Unfortunately he was unable to keep up with the guy. We did call the Seattle PD N Precinct to report what he saw, but also wanted to send his contact info to PhinneyWood in case you hear of someone looking for a witness to the accident. The victim car was a black Prius and the perpetrator was a light blue Honda.

If you need to speak to this witness, please email us and we’ll put you in touch.

Time is almost up for the Greenwood-Phinney Historical Society’s contest to find the oldest house in our neighborhood.

We do have houses built before 1906. Perhaps we still have a few houses that were built before 1900? Hint: if you find a construction date of 1900 in King County Tax Records keep digging! The house might actually be older than that. Building permits will give you a more accurate construction date.

Houses must be within the Phinney-Greenwood neighborhood (50th to 105th Streets, Aurora to 8th Avenue NW) but contest entrants need not live within the neighborhood. The house does not need to be yours! You can enter any house in the neighborhood that you feel might be the oldest! More than one entry per person is acceptable. Please include your name and contact information so that we may contact you if you are the winner!

When you’ve found your “contestant” take a photograph of it and photocopy your documents identifying the construction date of the house. Winning entry will be determined by oldest construction or building permit date of all entries received. Entries must be received by January 15, 2010. Send your photo(s) and documents to: GPHS Oldest House Contest, c/o Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103.

Winner receives a copy of “Seattle’s Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood” signed by author Ted Pedersen and breakfast for two at Mae’s Phinney Ridge Café.

The Greenwood-Phinney Historical Society is trying to find the oldest house in the neighborhood, but they need your help. You could even win a prize!

We do have houses built before 1906. Perhaps we still have a few houses that were built before 1900? Hint: if you find a construction date of 1900 in King County Tax Records keep digging! The house might actually be older than that. Building permits will give you a more accurate construction date.

Houses must be within the Phinney-Greenwood neighborhood (50th to 105th Streets, Aurora to 8th Avenue NW) but contest entrants need not live within the neighborhood. The house does not need to be yours! You can enter any house that you feel might be the oldest! More than one entry per person is acceptable.

If you find a likely contestant, take a photo and send copies of your documents identifying the construction date of the house to: GPHS Oldest House Contest, c/o Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103.

The winning entry will be determined by oldest construction or building permit date of all entries received. Entries must be received by Jan. 15, 2010. The winner receives a copy of “Seattle’s Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood” signed by author Ted Pedersen and breakfast for two at Mae’s Phinney Ridge Café.

Here’s some info from the Historical Society to get you started:

Where can I find a photo of my older home?

Puget Sound Regional Archives has a collection of King County property record cards beginning in 1937 and kept current to 1972. These cards generally contain tax assessments, a photograph from 1937, approximate construction date, building use, small sketch of the footprint of the building, and some floor plan diagrams. For more information, call the archives at 425-564-3940. Email: archives@bcc.ctc.edu. To access this information you will need the tax identification number of the house or the legal description.

How can I find out the previous owners and the remodeling history of my Seattle house?

Contact the Department of Planning and Development for their Building Permit History files. Most of this information is available on microfiche. The office is at 710 Second Avenue, Seattle WA 98104. 206-684-8850.

Where can I find the tax records for my home?

King County Tax Records are on-line for all homes currently standing. Dates older than 1900 are not always accurate due to the millennium computer glitch. If your home has a tax record date of 1900, but may be older, you will want to research further. A building permit may be a better gauge of your home’s construction date. King County Parcel Viewer is where you’ll want to go on the internet.

What about more information about previous owners?

The Polk Directories would be a great start. Take a look at the archival Polk Directories at the downtown Seattle library reference section. These will tell you the names of who lived at your home in years past.

What about even more information about previous owners?

Stay at the downtown library and look up Census information! Now that you have the names you can learn the number of family members living in the house and also what the head of household did for a living.

This real estate listing caught our eye because it’s the largest and most expensive house we remember seeing in the neighborhood recently.

The remodeled home at 516 N. 62nd St. is 4,590 square feet and has nine bedrooms, including a legal apartment. The home was built in 2001 and is listed at $1,375,000. It has an expansive kitchen, large entertaining areas, lots of natural light, and killer views.

This 1925 home at 5567 Phinney Ave. N. across from Woodland Park Zoo will be auctioned off - along with all its contents - Saturday at 10 a.m.

According to the flier it’s a 4-bedroom, 1-1/2 bath fixer with oak floors, large tiled fireplace and old world charm. Check out the series of photos -including the great view - on the auctioneer’s website.

There’s an open house on Friday from 1-4 p.m. or by appointment if you’re interested. The house will be auctioned first, followed by the home’s contents, which includes some lovely antiques, a large Chinese rug, a garage full of tools, and a 1995 Lexus with low mileage.

The New Homes section of today’s Seattle Times has a front page advertorial about the last remaining condo at the Fini development at 6801 Greenwood Ave.N. The 912-square-foot, one-bedroom, 1-1/2-bathroom plus den is listed at $339,000. That’s a $200,000 price drop from the original listing.

The top-floor condo has almost 10-foot ceilings, big picture windows, slab granite in the kitchen, balcony, laundry closet and electric fireplace.

A larger-than-usual number of houses went on the market this week in both Greenwood and Phinney Ridge.

Fifteen houses in Greenwood were listed on Tuesday, plus another 14 in Phinney. We usually see just a handful on any given day, not 29. All were listed on Tuesday.

Most of the Greenwood houses were in the low- to mid-$300’s. The cheapest listing was $225,000 for a 640-square-foot condo. The most expensive was $750,000 for two homes currently occupied by renters on a large, gated property.

Phinney homes range from $409,000 for a newly built 1,244-square-foot 3-bed, 3-bath condo with a view of Green Lake; to $1,198,000 for a 4,210-square-foot, 5-bed, 3-1/2-bath home with views of the Olympics and Puget Sound.

This is an excerpt from the real estate listing for the 16-unit Pullington apartment building at 509 N. 85th St.:

The rule of thumb is to find the worst building in the best area! Well here it is and the best part is the building is in great shape and is surrounded by new construction from commercial shops to highrise apartments. 16-unit building steps to Green Lake and Greenwood…

It’s listed at $1,649,500 and while it doesn’t mention the possibility, the $1,295,000 listing for the neighboring building pitches both properties as “prime development property that is ideal for a mixed use building or a townhome development.”

Use the embedded image below to explore the location.

If it’s not working, try this link.

A 487-square-foot house in Greenwood, apparently.

The listing on Redfin touts the tiny house near 6th Avenue NW and NW 84th Street as “Greenwood’s 1918 version of simple & efficient living.”

In Ballard, there’s a 325-square-foot “condo alternative” listed for $199,999.