Comments for Seattle Condos and Lofts

Comment on Seattle Waterfront LID Assessment Tax by Bruce

Bruce — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 23:57:51 +0000

Congrats to all the condo owners in the LID Area. Finally a judge shot down the LID tax our wonderful City Council themselves voted to pass. Hopefully all of the owners will get THEIR money back soon. Although I’m doubting it. They will drag their feet for as long as they can.

Comment on The Decatur Condominiums by David

David — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 21:12:28 +0000

Just moved into a one-bedroom unit on the top (thirteenth) floor and so far love it. I thought I’d provide an update since the last post here was 2014.

Our unit does have a narrow galley kitchen. As half of a home-cooking couple, we do have to maneuver a bit, but the appliances are quite nice and the seller installed high-end cabinets in the kitchen. We have plenty of counter space. We have no stove hood or fan; we plan to install a downdraft.

The floorplans are mostly rectangular, with one long side of the rectangle filled with windows, so we get a lot of natural light.

The (in)famous rooftop deck: It’s small, and looks a bit comical, to be honest, with a wood trail (like what you would see in the Carkeek Park wetlands) leading from the door to a picnic bench. As we understand it, this was the best they could do given the type of roof on the building. It’s still quite enjoyable. The views are amazing.

Situated between two big hospitals, we do hear sirens occasionally, but we are used to urban noise so we don’t mind.

On-site manager is great–friendly and responsive.

The HOA dues are typical for Seattle. Ours is currently $557/month. I’d rather have fairly substantial HOA dues than have likelier big assessments in the future. It feels like insurance. And it all goes to protecting our investment in the building.

Our unit came with a parking space (not all of them do). Since we don’t own a car, we will be able to rent out the space for $250/month!

We have been here only ten days but so far love it. And with a walk score of 96, the neighborhood is great for urbanites like us.

Comment on Understanding a Building’s Envelope by Don Wesley

Don Wesley — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 17:56:08 +0000

This is huge business in Seattle. I find it disheartening that every new condo needs to be resided within 10 years, and nothing can be done about it. Instead of addressing specific problem areas, EVERY project seems to require the entire building to be reworked. This is legal blackmail and waste. Inspectors are buddies with the repair companies. They find the HOA’s that can be targeted and attack with pure fearmongering to get the owners to buy into the entire repair plan. It’s a dirty business that is making companies millions of dollars at the homeowner’s expense. There is no oversight either. And there is no undoing the damage of a shoddy inspection. It’s a giant boondoggle that every condominium will go through in Seattle. I wish some one would deeply investigate this to make it stop. People have bought these condos and are essentially being systematically bilked.

Comment on Condo Owners Insurance (HO-6 Policy) by Tim Smith

Tim Smith — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 05:36:35 +0000

It always surprises me when condo owners decide not to get condo insurance. There have been two condo fires this year that should remind all condo owners why they should have insurance. In January two units in a condominium building by Northgate were destroyed. Even worse, nine units were destroyed in Kirkland two days ago. If you own condo and do not have insurance please read the article above and protect your investment!

Comment on First Look: Insignia Condos – Seattle by Julie Endders

Julie Endders — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 01:35:03 +0000

Considering what these condos cost per square foot I certainly would sonsider it important when a unit comes in almost a hundred square feet less than touted. That’s a 10’x10′ room folks, the size of a bedroom in some buildings–not a small detail.

Comment on First Look: Insignia Condos – Seattle by Katherine

Katherine — Tue, 20 May 2014 08:01:47 +0000

I don’t think this is a trick at all. I bought a unit in the building and this was mentioned to me by a sales team member at Insignia before signing any paperwork. Not too worried about losing a few sq ft here and there. We were told explicitly that these were estimates and not exact. What’s trickier about the building is the 2bdrm units that are 1,300-1,500 sq ft. All of that “extra” space is lost in the entry way and not in usable living space. I’m extremely happy with my purchase and am very much looking forward to living there.

Comment on Luxe Condos – Queen Anne by Ben Kakimoto

Ben Kakimoto — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 20:08:14 +0000

Hi Jerry,
I don’t know that info. Here are two possible avenues that my help you. You might contact the property management company, CWD. They probably have that info. Or, the developer who converted the property. Metropolitan. I believe they’re the ones who installed it.

Here’s links to their webistes:

https://www.cwdgroup.com/

http://www.metropolitancos.com/Home.html

Comment on Luxe Condos – Queen Anne by Jerry

Jerry — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 19:26:02 +0000

You are correct about the economic heating. Do you know the manufacturer or vendor for the radiant wall heater panels.

“”Wall mounted flat panel radiant heat (very slick and economical) – See more at: http://seattlecondosandlofts.com/2007/05/luxe-condos-queen-anne#sthash.t1XC1NdX.dpuf”

thanks Jerry

Comment on The Decatur Condominiums by Ben Kakimoto

Ben Kakimoto — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 18:41:54 +0000

Hi Sam,
Thank for you comment about the roof. I take it you were looking at one of the resale properties. While the seller may not need to disclose that particular piece of the information in the online marketing remarks (limited to 500 characters), it does need to be disclosed through other sources, mainly the Resale Certificate, Seller Disclosure Statement and Homeowner documents, which is provided to the buyer during their due diligence review period. However, it would certainly be beneficial for all parties if they provide this information upfront. Your agent should also be able to inform you of any outstanding assessments.

I noticed two other listings at the building where they did disclose it up front…in those cases, the seller paid off the assessment rather than transferring it to the new owner.

– Ben

Comment on The Decatur Condominiums by Sam

Sam — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 01:00:47 +0000

Make sure you talk to the seller agent about their almost $1 million dollar roof assessment. They didn’t mention that in the listing which I thought they should have.