What’s Wrong With This House: Sunny Queen Anne Apartment

This charming 1930s co-op unit has been on the market since July 2015. Why?

By Lauren Mang March 2, 2016

A living room with blue walls and hardwood floors.

Each month, we crawl through real estate listings on various websites searching for homes–in all sorts of price points and locations–that for some reason, just haven’t found the right person or family to call their own. Sad. But why haven’t these seemingly lovely dwellings sold? Back when we first started this column, we featured this one (which I’m happy to report is officially pending!) and got tons of great reader theories as to its continued market presence. My favorite: That it was haunted by a wealthy ghost.

For our March edition, we bring you to Queen Anne where this lovely, 700-square-foot, one-bedroom and one-bathroom unit has sat on Redfin for 220 days. It’s listed at $314,000 and looks like it was initially priced at $295,000, raised to $325,000 after it had been pending, delisted and then relisted and reduced to the current amount.

Really nice sized living room with an adjacent den or office space

Inside there are refinished oak hardwood floors, a partially remodeled, eat-in kitchen and a bonus five-foot-by-10-foot den or office off the spacious living room. The single full bathroom mixes modern finishes with original elements and I’m loving the current owner’s colorful style–if I moved in here, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Several Redfin agents have noted the location’s great walkability: it’s near Kerry Park and tons of shops and restaurants along Queen Anne Avenue N and is in a super quiet section of the neighborhood.

A bright kitchen with a funky and fun color combo

Love the subway tile backsplash and modern hardware

So what’s the deal? For starters, there are HOA dues of $375 per month and the 1930s building is a co-op, both of which could deter some buyers. The listing notes that it’s smoke-free (less of a problem these days), but here’s the biggie: It does not allow cats or dogs (*record scratch*). In a city that’s famously known for having more dogs and cats than children and where one in 10 single women lives alone with at least one cat, that’s a hard pet-free pill to swallow. Another big issue? There’s no parking.

Scroll through the photos and see what you think. Is this condo’s colorful, charming and light-filled surrounds enough to overcome its possible setbacks? Why hasn’t this property sold? Tweet us your theories and we’ll retweet the best ones we get!

This house is so colorful and cute; imagine leaving those windows (it’s on the second floor) open on a breezy summer day