Schnitzer West is offering a buyer bonus on the 5 remaing homes at the Brix.  

For more information see the buttons below:

A green home may be classified by LEED, Built Green, Energy Star or another 3rd Party classification.

I thought I would highlight a few environmentally certified new construction projects and those still seeking some form of green building classification:

Trace North/Trace Lofts – Capitol Hill

Brix – Capitol Hill

Rollin Street – South Lake Union

Enso– South Lake Union

Veer Lofts – South Lake Union

Parc – Belltown

Mosler Lofts – Belltown

Cosmopolitan – Downtown Seattle

Olive 8 – Downtown Seattle

1521 – Downtown Seattle

5th & Madison – Downtown Seattle

220 West Highland – Queen Anne

Hjarta – Ballard

Florera – Greenlake

Bellevue Towers – Downtown Bellevue

This is a fun post for me to write.  I have been so excited to share with you some recent updates to the blog.  As you will see in the picture below, we have added a category of links titled “UCS Exclusive Sites”.  I think this is an incredible addition to the site.

For the last 2 months, I have been working tirelessly on building individual sites for the major condominiums projects in Bellevue and Seattle.  The objective was to bring each project to you!  This hyper-local approach, delivers “building” specific information.  Each website is loaded with great info.  You can search units for sale, units that have sold and within a few weeks you’ll be able to search for rentals as well!  In addition, you will find the following:

• Neighborhood information
• Amenities
• Walkscore and much much more.

Each site is fairly interactive as well.  For example, if you want UCS to send you listings in your favorite building, just fill out the email notifications form and you will receive new listings immediately when they hit the market.  As an owner you will also be able to keep tabs on the units that are for sale in your building.  We will be adding new features to the site as time goes on. For now, my hope is that you enjoy what has been created.  Please spread the word!  I’m very excited to get your feedback.  See below for a list of all the websites offered at this time:

Here is an example of the website for the Vine!

These are where the website links are located in UrbanCondoSpaces (see the picture below):

Eastside/Bellevue Condos:

Bravern Condos
Bellevue Towers
One Lincoln Square
One Main Street Condos
Astoria Condos
Washington Square
Kirkland Central

Seattle Condos:

Trace Condos and Lofts
Brix Condos
Eastlake Condos and Lofts
Enso Condominiums
Veer Lofts
2200 Westlake
The Cosmopolitan
5th and Madison
Escala Condos
1521 Condominiums
Cristalla Condos
Bellora Condos
Concord  Condos
The Vine
The Parc
Mosler Lofts
Madison Lofts
Gallery

Brix is a mix of concrete, glass and steel featuring 141 units.  There are two distintive types of Brix homes; Broadways Flats and Brownstones/Lofts.  The 6 stories of flats that were built on Broadway feature open-one, one and two bedroom plans.  The Brownstone units are built along 10th Avenue East (see picture). They feature private entrances, professional lanscaping, and a traditional brick exterior.

In my opinion, Brix is a compliment to the “Hill”.  Although amenities are limited, the rooftop deck, private courtyard and access to everything make this building a good buy; or a least something to consider.

Brix homes feature:

• Townhomes with exposed timber ceilings
• High ceilings (flats up to 9′, lofts up to 15′6″)
• Balconies
• Frigidaire gas range
• Frigidaire washer/dryer
• Fisher & Paykel refrigerators
• Bosch diswashers
• Hardwood & carpet flooring
• Slab milk glass or granite countertops

EXCLUSIVE UCS WEBSITE

__________________________________________________________
www.condosatbrix.com

UCS PROJECT GRADE
__________________________________________________________

WALKSCORE
________________________________________________________

Brix Condominiums

I just received an e-mail from Amanda Loring at Brix Condominiums in Capitol Hill.  They have just 11 units left after selling 8 units in less then two weeks.  I think this a great example of a project getting serious with pricing; leading to more sales.  The tax credit is driving traffic as well.  Just 10 days left for buyers looking to take advantage.

For more information please e-mail us at info@urbanimg.com.

Also, if you would like to schedule a showing of the 11 remaining units, please click on the button below to set up a time:

So I toured yesterday at Brix for a client looking to purchase a second home.  April did an awesome job getting me up to speed with their progress and the remaining inventory.  They have sold a pretty fair number of units over the last few weeks.  They have 20 units left and only 2 remaining  2 bedroom units.  Both are interior courtyard facing and priced at $389,000 for unit 138 and $429,000 for unit 139.  I have included both floor-plans below for your reference.

Out of the 20 units remaining every home is priced less than $429,000.  They have a few additional parking stalls that can be financed as well (value $20,000).   Now that the luxury apartments across the street are getting closer to completion, hopefully the noise will subside.   The rumor of Whole Foods going in that space was put to rest last month.  Thanks to Justin at CHS.com (read article here).

[mappress]

Floor Plans:

Unit 138

Unit 139

Brix and Gallery are reporting some immediate success since they have established new pricing.  According to their e-mail blasts, they have sold 5 units at Brix and 4 units at Gallery.  I have attached the e-mails for your reference.  Is this a part of the Auction buzz or pricing that is finally meeting the expectations of Seattle buyers?

Well, both the Brix and Gallery Auctions are over…phew!  It was a great experience attending these events and for the developer who sold and the buyer who purchased, I would say the verdict is still out on who “won”.  For the buyers it was between 30-32% percent discounts.  For the Seller, it will be the percentage of value above the minimum bid.  For us, who didn’t purchase it will be interesting to see if the new cost per square foot sticks.

At Schnitzer Northwest behind closed doors, they are probably discussing the results as you read this.  We will never really know how they felt after the sales.  I suppose we may get one of them on record, but for now, its all speculation.  I spoke with a respected colleague of mine after the event and he felt that it was without question a “favorable” situation for the buyer.  He said “Schnitzer won’t feel great about the results”.  With that being said, I believed they have accomplished what they set out to do:

1. Unload a portion of the inventory
2. Get closer to meeting FHA requirements

For the majority of the outsiders, one might not realize that there is still 35 units left at Brix and a large number at Gallery as well.  The prices have been set.  Only time will tell if the current pricing will meet the expectation of the rest of the buying pool.

I can attest to the reactions of the buyers.  The room was full and the bidding was active.  I think buyers saw this as a great opportunity to get back at what they felt were overpriced units to begin with.   Over the next few weeks, I’m sure we will hear more from satisfied buyers.

Please feel free to call or e-mail with questions.

Brix Condominiums just announced that they will auction off their remaining inventory.  See the attached image for more information.  If you have never done this before, I would be happy to walk you through the process.  E-mail me at jreynolds@urbanimg.com

Ever wonder if buying a green home is a sound financial investment?  A recent article in the Seattle Times discusses recent statistics and the benefits of buying a green home.  It cites a study by GreenWorks Realty which reviewed the NWMLS King County condominium sales from September 2007 – May 2008 and included only new construction built in 2007 and after.  The statistics reflect that 18.7% of condominiums bought during this period were environmentally certified.  When priced per square foot, these green condominium homes were 28% more valuable than non-classified homes.  A green home may be classified by LEED, Built Green, Energy Star or another 3rd Party classification.   Check out the article regarding green homes and condominums…Buying Green.

In addition to this article, I thought I would highlight a few environmentally certified new construction projects and those under construction seeking some form of green building classification:

Trace North/Trace Lofts – Capitol Hill

Brix – Capitol Hill

Rollin Street – South Lake Union

Enso – South Lake Union

Veer Lofts – South Lake Union

Parc – Belltown

Mosler Lofts – Belltown

Cosmopolitan – Downtown Seattle

Olive 8 – Downtown Seattle

1521 – Downtown Seattle

5th & Madison – Downtown Seattle

220 West Highland – Queen Anne

Hjarta – Ballard

NoMa – Ballard

Florera – Greenlake

Bellevue Towers – Downtown Bellevue