The Amazon “Effect”, Seattle Growth

C VWLU The Amazon Effect, Seattle Growth

I came across an article this morning that sums up the Seattle growth story and the impact that companies like Amazon are having on our local economy. It is a lengthy piece, but well worth the read. We often talk about the Amazon impact on South Lake Union and Seattle as a whole. This particular piece really delves into the growth story and shares the intimate details. I’ve included a few excerpts, but I highly encourage you to read this article. Bottom line is, as a condo owner in Seattle or someone looking to buy, this kind information is priceless:

Even with increased competition for talent, Amazon is growing at a remarkable rate. Last year, the company’s employment base grew 67 percent to 56,200 employees worldwide. Just 90 days later, Amazon’s head count had jumped again, to 65,600—a hiring rate of more than 100 people per day.

Head to South Lake Union any weekday morning, and you can see it in the flesh. On sidewalks where hardly anybody walked five years ago, Amazon employees are everywhere. They come from every direction—pouring out of buses, crowding the street corners, and streaming down the sidewalks, wearing the telltale light-blue ID badges. They tend to move quickly, and don’t spend a lot of time chit-chatting. Amid the most significant corporate expansion this city has seen in years, there’s work to be done.

For me, articles like this just validate my bullish outlook on owning real estate near South Lake Union in the downtown core.  It will be exciting to see how new developments that are underway will continue to shape the future of Seattle.

Art Stable SLUT e1336554797289 The Amazon Effect, Seattle Growth

Curt Woodward of Xconomy Seattle, posted “Amazon Takes Over: How A Flood of People Could Remake Seattle”

Bank Owned Loft, Once Listed At $2.45 Million, Now Selling At $1,549,000

Banner Building 403404 web Bank Owned Loft, Once Listed At $2.45 Million, Now Selling At $1,549,000

Do you remember this unit?  We wrote about it back in October of 2011 just before it went to the public foreclosure auction. It is a 3,798 square foot loft in the Banner Building in Belltown.  It was once listed as high as $2,450,000 and now is selling it for $1,549,000.

This unit is insane. Although the pictures don’t reveal much, I can promise you that the unit itself would blow away your expectations. It is truly one of a kind and now at a price of $1,549,000 (407psf) it should attract plenty of interest. This type of unit in San Francisco or New York would sell for well over 1,400 per square foot (depending on the neighborhood my guess would be $4,000,000-$6,000,000).

GetMedia 4 Bank Owned Loft, Once Listed At $2.45 Million, Now Selling At $1,549,000
(picture c/o windermere)

UNIT FEATURES BUILDING FACTS
3,798sf (2 story plan)7 Floors
3 bedrooms, 2.75 baths28 units
Private DecksConcrete and Steel
Subzero,Gaggenau,Elan,& Miele Award Winning Construction
Spiral StaircaseCorner Location
Massive Windows 95 on Walkscore

Although the Banner Building doesn’t offer too much in terms of amenities, this unit certainly looks like a good deal when you look at a few other sales in the 3,000 sf category. There have only been 4 sales of properties that offer over 3,000 square feet in the last year:

Building Square Footage Selling PricePrice Per Square Foot Date Sold
Waterfront Place3,711$1,250,000$33611/09/2011
Escala 3,562$2,200,000$61711/04/2011
Millennium Tower 4,589$2,690,000$58609/14/2011
1521 Second Ave 3,600$4,250,000$1,18003/14/2011

A different perspective on the building:


View Larger Map

The Next Housing Bubble In Seattle – Apartments?

 

elliott bay and puget sound e1326924277475 The Next Housing Bubble In Seattle   Apartments?

I just read a great article today about apartment developers who face a potential supply bubble.  It highlighted some very important points that are worth considering as we examine the next 5-7 years in the Seattle market. We are in massive cycle of apartment development.  Just this last year, we’ve seen an incredible amount of new projects get underway. Developers, builders and investors are trying to take advantage of the rise in rental rates and the current demand for rental units in Seattle.

The question for our market is, with all the new apartments projected, when will we begin to see an over-supply? With an improving housing market, investors and banks have to be worried about finishing their projects right when the housing market has picked up steam. It seems logical that if the employment conditions continue to improve in Seattle, then the increase in income per household will follow. Seattle has a healthy job market right now. We have a young educated workforce who are taking advantage of high paying jobs. In my opinion, it is only a matter of time before we see more demand for purchases fuled by a limited-supply of condos. So the real question is – Are we creating a new kind of housing bubble? Will an over-supply of apartments be the next cycle that banks, developers and builders wish they could forget?

My opinion:

As rental rates continue to rise, a natural condition in the housing market begins to take shape. High rent influences home purchase demand when leasing begins to exceed the cost of owning a home. As rents rise and developers continue to take advantage of the situation, it will encourage buyers to give home ownership a try.  Inversely, if apartment supply comes quickly then rents have a likely hood of decreasing due to excess supply and competing projects. In my opinion there will be a steady cycle of home ownership demand due to high rents. This will come before we reach an over-supply of apartments.  What do you think?

If you want to participate in our recent survey, tell us where you think the next Seattle condo project will come from – What Will Be Seattle’s Next Condo Project?

Prices Down, Inventory Down, Sales Up For Condos

Seattle Heights Views  Prices Down, Inventory Down, Sales Up For Condos

I’m currently in NYC. Yep. I’m touching base from my hotel room. Not playing at the moment, just working – go figure!  I had some important news to share with you guys.

I caught word yesterday that November condo sales were up BIG.  As I was investigating this morning I ran across an article citing the listing service statistics published yesterday and titled “Home sales outpace number of new listings for first time in five years”.  According to Eric Pryne of the Seattle Times King County condo sales this month were up 70% in comparison to November of last year. Prices have continued to slide but so has inventory levels. The article also added that  units for sale were down 25% from a year earlier.  If you read the entire piece, you’ll also notice a few other interesting facts. For one, the number of bank owned listings in our market is now 20% of our total inventory.  In my opinion that number could go up as banks continue to purge their bad assets. In doing so, it will continue to put some pressure on pricing.  I wouldn’t expect prices to fall for an extended period of time. Seattle has strong employment and pent-up demand for home buying.  As sales continue to increase and inventory falls, simple economics will prevail. As supply shrinks and demand increases, pricing will increase. I’m already noticing a huge impact in the Downtown Seattle market.  Inventor is really starting to move and units that are new and priced well are selling quickly.  I’ll provide some examples towards the end of the week.  I’m off to grab a cup coffee.  Cheers!  

 

Facebook To Move Seattle Office, Near South Lake Union

 

FB View Facebook To Move Seattle Office, Near South Lake Union

Facebook's New Digs In Seattle

Do you need another reason to buy in South Lake Union?  Ok……well, here you go.

According to Brian Dudley of Seattle Times, Facebook is moving their Pioneer Square office to 1730 Minor Avenue (near SLU/Denny Triangle). Why is this significant?  For starters, the Seattle office is already the biggest engineering office outside of their headquarters in Pal Alto.  Secondly, the 27,000 sq. ft. space helps Facebook make their mark in the popular South Lake Union neighborhood. In a nutshell, Facebook wants the same thing that Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Google are looking for; Seattle’s best and brightest engineers. As this company grows its Seattle office, the impact it will make on Seattle condos will be tremendous.  Stay tuned.

Try to find their space on the map.  It’s like “Where’s Waldo”, just way easier:


View Seattle Condo Map in a larger map

3 Tips If You Are Buying A Condo In 2012

Bellora 1001 e1320255592744 3 Tips If You Are Buying A Condo In 2012

Buying a condo is a daunting experience.

At times fun, but often, frustrating, stressful and time consuming.  To help you get started, I thought I would provide a few tips that will make your buying experience a successful one.

NEIGHBORHOOD FIRST- One of the biggest mistakes that condo buyers make is choosing the unit before they choose the neighborhood. It is easy to get caught up in the romanticism of buying a new place.  In doing so, buyers have a tendency to shop for the right home, before shopping for the right hood.  In my mind, the latter is always where you start and the former will come with time.  There are great units in every neighborhood. So, its important to get to know your neighborhood first. Spend an entire day walking around. Check out the grocery stores, the movie theaters and the coffee shops.  Make sure you vibe with your neighborhood and imagine yourself living there; not just now, but 5 years from now.  It is easy to act quickly when you find “the place of your dreams”.  With that being said, acting with emotion instead of reason can lead to poor decisions. Shop the neighborhood first and you’ll find specific attributes that make the neighborhood unique.  These can include, proximity to dining, entertaining, employment, public transit and future development.  Shop the neighborhood first; you’ll benefit immensely.  Trust me.

FOCUS ON QUALITY- One of the biggest advantages you have in a depressed real estate market is the ability to buy quality.  Many of you have heard me say this before.  In a down market everyone is selling at a discount and often a loss.  TAKE ADVANTAGE.  One of my favorite quotes is from the legendary investor Warren Buffett, he says when investing, we should “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful”. We have to be aware of the discounts sellers are providing as they re-balance their portfolios and fix their balance sheets from the recession. In order to really take advantage, I think its a “must” to recognize what makes a opportunity/building great. I like concrete and steel buildings.  There is a quality of construction, noise reduction and minimized risk of construction deficiencies.  For those reasons, there is a better re-sale value. Get an expert opinion, focus on quality and take advantage of the times.

UNIT FOR NOW, UNIT FOR LATER – Do not get caught up in the emotion of condo buying.  Think and act like a shrewd investor.  Focus on the functionality of the unit.  Does it work for most people?  Will you be able to sell it to others when you move out?  How does it fair compared to neighboring properties?  Do I have the best floor plan in the building?  What are the “it factors” (view, upgrades, location in the building, unit size etc…).  These are all important elements when choosing the right unit.  If you think about your ability to sell the unit just as much as your ability to live and enjoy the unit you’ll be better off.  At a time like this, when units are still on sale, it is your opportunity to focus like a seasoned investor.  If you do, you will reap the rewards.

Buying a condo can be challenging.  There are so many factors that go into buying a great unit.  Focus on these 3 tips as you start your search.  You’ll be thankful that you did.

Need more advice?  Contact us.  

 

Downtown Seattle Rental Market Update

 

For Rent Seattle Downtown Seattle Rental Market Update

I’ve been getting emails from readers about the lack of condo inventory for rent. So I thought it might be interesting to see whats actually on the market. I don’t always track the inventory on Craigslist, but I do watch the available properties on the MLS.  I was surprised to see that there are only 28 total units in downtown Seattle for rent. I know most of you prefer visuals, so I decided to put the inventory into a pie chart (see below).  Pretty interesting to see how few properties there are under $2,500 per month.

Are you in the market for a rental?  Is the inventory stale or limited?
Want to see the 28 units?
Click Here

Downtown Seattle Rental Inventory  Downtown Seattle Rental Market Update

Seattle Job Market Beats National Average. Its Growing.

Seattle Skyline e1313619803695 1024x382 Seattle Job Market Beats National Average. Its Growing.

Is there job growth in Seattle?

I ran into this piece on annual job growth this afternoon and thought I would share it.  Ultimately, jobs and income growth are going to be the catalyst to a recovery in our local housing market.  According to the article, Seattle ranks as one of the best percentage bumps in the entire country.

You may also be interested in this article written about Seattle technology driving demand for office space.  As written in the article, Seattle has a growth rate in jobs (tech industry) that is 4 times better than the national average.

As a condo owner in Seattle, this should be music to your ears.  More jobs, more tech, more money = better housing market.

NEW POLL, What Will Be Seattle’s Next Condo Project?

WHATS NEXT  NEW POLL, What Will Be Seattles Next Condo Project?

Is anyone else curious about what the next Seattle condo project will be?  Now with less then 300 new construction units availble for sale, one has to wonder where the next project will come from.  I created a poll to see what you guys think.

Fannie Mae & The Seattle Condo Market

FannieMae SeattleCondos 1024x335 Fannie Mae & The Seattle Condo Market

Have you noticed that Fannie Mae is actively unloading their inventory in the Seattle condo market?

For those of you unfamiliar with Fannie Mae, it was founded in 1938 during the Great Depression.  It is a government sponsored enterprise (GSE).  Its purpose is to expand the secondary mortgage market by allowing  lenders to reinvest their assets into more lending.  Thus creating space for more lenders in the mortgage market.  So why are we seeing them selling so many homes and condos?

Fannie Mae buys (bought) thousands of loans from approved mortgage sellers.  They were given initiatives to expand home-ownership to low and middle income families.  As borrowers began missing payments and the financial market collapsed in part to a growing number of foreclosures, losses mounted for GSE’s like Fannie.

Now with an abundance of inventory from foreclosed homes and failed banks it appears that Fannie is actively adding some of their inventory to the market. In doing so, they are offering incentive programs for both buyers and real estate agents.  I’ve seen offers to buyers that include a 3.5% credit.  They are also offering agents “selling bonus’s” for closings before a certain date.

We will be watching the inventory closely and will update as much as possible.  Hopefully this post added a little clarity to the relationship between Fannie Mae and “bank owned properties” in Seattle.

What 2 Bedroom Condos Are Selling For In Downtown Seattle

seattle skyline.UCS  What 2 Bedroom Condos Are Selling For In Downtown Seattle

Curious about what Downtown Seattle condos are selling for?  I was working on an analysis for a seller of mine this morning and thought I would share the data I compiled with all of you.  In my opinion, its crucial to review recent sales if you want to understand the market as a whole.  Especially if you are thinking about buying or selling.  So for this analysis, I used the following data points:

2 bedroom
Built in 2000 0r newer
Square Footage Between 800-2,500sf
Sold listings
180 days of data

I have three visuals:

  1. Data/Statistics/Numbers on the sales
  2. Number of sales by building
  3. Analysis of new construction vs. re-sale

DATA/STATISTICS

Number of SalesAverage Square Footage Average Cost Per Square FootAverage Time (Days) On Market Average Sale Price
421,453$536.69157$808,934

The least expensive unit sold for $227,000 ($247psf)
The most expensive unit sold for $2,000,000 ($536psf)
3 sales were short sales
2 sales were bank owned

CONDO SALES BY BUILDING

Seattle 2 Bedroom Sales By Building What 2 Bedroom Condos Are Selling For In Downtown Seattle

 

NEW CONSTRUCTION VS. RESALE CONDOS

 

Seattle 2 Bedroom Sales  What 2 Bedroom Condos Are Selling For In Downtown Seattle

Downtown Seattle Rental Analysis

For Rent Seattle Downtown Seattle Rental Analysis

Are any of you as surprised as I am about the lack of condo rental inventory in Seattle?  I typically check the availability once a day.  Good units that are priced well rent very quickly. Just out of curiosity, I thought I would look into what the Downtown Seattle inventory looks like as of today.

Before I get started, remember that rentals are not all listed in one place.  In fact, some buildings don’t list any of their inventory at all. If I were to look for a rental in Seattle I would probably search in the following way:

-Sites like UrbanCondoSpaces.com, Seattle Rentals, rent.com and other online portals showing inventory.
-Craigslist
-Driving around the city to explore buildings with available inventory.

So what does the inventory look like right now?  In total there are only 38 units available.  I’ve prepared a pie chart to show you rental rates:

Seattle Rental Analysis Downtown Seattle Rental Analysis

What surprised me the most is that there are only 2 units that are less than a $1,000 dollars and only 13 that are less then $2,000.  With rents expected to go up, affordability could get even further out of whack.

Here is a link to all the units seen above:

Rental Inventory Downtown Seattle Rental Analysis

If you want to actually view these units, you can click the link below.
Click the following URL to see the report:
http://www.matrix.nwmls.com/Matrix/Public/EmailReport.aspx?ID=47842426

 

South Lake Union, The Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

C VWLU South Lake Union, The Next Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Ok.  You have heard it here before.  I LOVE South Lake Union.

I love the proximity to freeways, the underdeveloped industrial buildings, the short walk to the waterfront, the vision of urbanization, the coffee, the new restaurtants, the SLU-Transit line, the condominiums, the new apartment projects and the thousands of employees that are now occupying this up and coming neighborhood.  The latter is probably the most exciting aspect of the South Lake Union explosion in growth.   Did you catch this article a few days ago? (Amazon.com on a hiring spree).

According to Amy Martinez, Amazon has 1,900 job postings in Seattle.  They have moved 6,000 employees to the South Lake Union campus and are rumored to be moving another 4,000 between April and June of this year.  Paul Allen’s grandiose dreams of urbanization are coming true.  Look at this map .  Once Vulcan’s construction is complete Amazon’s footprint will include 1,702,694 square feet of office space and 95,533 square feet of retail.  This does not include the 460,000 square feet of office Amazon just leased at the 1918 office building at 8th and Virginia. It’s just 2 city blocks from SLU.

Bottom line is the word that best describes the future of South Lake Union is “upside”.  There is upside for developers, homeowners, prospective condo buyers, restaurants, yoga studios, gyms, cafes and everything else within a few city blocks.  I firmly believe that South Lake Union will be the epicenter of our city in the next few decades here in Seattle.  If you caught the phenomenal article out of the NY Times today, Seattle’s existence and staying power is a direct result of our history of business, trade, education, and our entrepreneurial focus.  We should feel fortunate that we have thousands of new transplants relocating to our incredible city.  We have cultural diversity and visionaries that will continue to develop the areas we live, work and play.   South Lake Union’s success will bring road improvement, greater means of transportation, more sustainable living and a future beyond any of our imaginations.

I made my point.  As you consider your options for investing in a condo over the next few years, make sure you put SLU at the top of your list. You can thank me later.

South Lake Union Resources:

SLU Facebook Page

Community Website

South Lake Union Condo Projects:

2200 Westlake

Enso

Veer Lofts

Marselle

 

Announcement of Phase 3 Completion from Discover SLU on Vimeo

For Rent At Cristalla, Great Corner Unit, One Floor Below The Penthouse

Cristalla Views South For Rent At Cristalla, Great Corner Unit, One Floor Below The Penthouse

Project: Cristalla
Neighborhood:  Downtown
MLS #189746

Looking for a sweet pad to rent in a downtown Seattle high-rise?   I noticed this 22nd floor south facing unit at Cristalla.  Cristalla is simply one of Seattle’s most beloved condo projects.  It was designed by Weber-Thompson, developed by Murray Franklin and completed in 2005.

This particular unit is a 1 bed + den, one bath corner unit that sits just 1 floor below the penthouse.  Other features include:

UNIT FEATURES BUILDING AMENITIES
Big south facing views24 hour concierge
Stainless appliances, granite counters, gas cooktopGrand lobby
Custom bathroom vanity Pool, sauna wet & dry
Contemporary layout Owners lounge
Deck/Balcony Multiple view decks
Floor to ceiling glass windows Workout facility
5 piece master bathTheatre room

Free Real Estate Market Reports From UCS

Just a reminder to all of you that I’ve been offering these market reports for free. They provide relevant market analysis in both Bellevue and Seattle. You can get specific by choosing just your zip code as well. There is really no “catch” to signing up.  Just like the blog, I provide the information at no cost to you. I appreciate your support and hope that I continue to provided useful content to help you make great decisions in the Seattle and Bellevue markets.

If your interested in getting your free report just fill out the form at the bottom of this page.

The example attached shows how you can use the information when you start receiving it weekly. Whether you are thinking about selling, deciding when to buy or simply following your area, these reports are a powerful tool to keep you informed.  As always, contact me if you have any questions.

How to use the Exec Summary Condo WA SEATTLE 98121 Free Real Estate Market Reports From UCS


Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc.
3933 Lake Washington Blvd NE #100 Kirkland Wa 98033
www.UrbanCondoSpaces.com
Seek. Live. Urban.