UrbanAsh

Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue Earns Two Prestigious Awards

Ashley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:45:51 +0000

Opus Northwest, today announced that its Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue condominium development in downtown Seattle received two honors at the 47th annual Gold Nugget Awards. At the awards ceremony – the premier event at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference – Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue won the top award for “Outstanding Attached Project – High-Rise for Sale” and received an “award of merit” in the category of “Sustainable Residential Neighborhood – Attached Home.” Another Opus project, Canvas LA, won an award of merit for “Residential Community of the Year – Attached.”

The Gold Nugget Awards program honors creative achievements in architectural design and land-use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.

“Relevance keeps the Gold Nugget Awards at the forefront of design/planning competitions, as our 2009 winners demonstrate,” said Judging Chairman Peter Mayer of Peter M. Mayer Productions. “The Merits and Grand awards represent an amazing diversity of locales, projects and design and planning firms. Gold Nugget winners share one common denominator: excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.”

During a three-day judging process, a panel of eight industry professionals from across the country selected Award of Merit honorees and Grand Award winners from a field of hundreds of entries representing 14 Western states and international high-rise markets as far away as China and Dubai.

Judges acknowledged a long list of design innovations at Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue, including: ·        The first “tall and skinny” residential tower under a new zoning code (440 feet tall)
·        Elimination of traditional terraces in favor of indoor/outdoor solariums
·        Unobstructed views of Elliott Bay from almost every home (even those on the east side of the tower) ·        Larger-format, two-bedroom homes averaging 1,950 square feet (twice the size of typical condos) ·        The first luxury high-rise anticipated to achieve a “silver” LEED rating

All new concepts were exhaustively test-marketed during the tower’s design and were key differentiators leading to impressive sales statistics today. The project was designed by Seattle-based architectural firm Weber Thompson and Opus Architects & Engineers is the architect of record.

“We’re very proud of both the design and our ongoing market success,” said Andy Taber, Senior Real Estate Director for Opus Northwest – Seattle, who accepted the awards on behalf of his development team. “These acknowledgments reinforce the civic role that developers play – to challenge convention and to listen to the marketplace when designing new communities.”

Taber says with an average purchase price of more than $1.9 million, homes at Fifteen Twenty-One Second Avenue are bucking the trend of a regional housing market slowdown, which is more acute in higher price ranges. The project’s sellout pace since opening in January remains steady at one new home per week, bolstering its reputation as the most successful condominium on the West Coast. The development, near Pike Place Market, was also noted for contributing half of the top 25 residential sales closed in King County in recent months. To date, 81 of the 143 homes have closed with many more scheduled over the coming weeks and months.

NEW LISTING! Remodeled 1bd/1ba Condo in Eastlake on Lake Union!

Ashley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:33:56 +0000

NEW! 2301 Fairview Avenue #106
1bd/1ba
$289,000
MLS#29084734
Virtual tour!Union Harbor is one of the few lakefront condominiums on Lake Union within walking distance to neighborhood stores, restaurants, shops, bus lines & the SLU street car. Located across the street from Pete’s Wine & Deli, the building offers covered parking, an outdoor swimming pool, onsite manager & access to Union Harbor Moorage. This beautifully remodeled 1bd/1ba sits on the south side of the building, bursting w/natural light & features sweeping city, Space Needle & lake views throughout!

Monday Mortgage Update

Ashley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:27:33 +0000

Forecast for the Week
The see-sawing motion between Stocks and Bonds will likely be seen during the coming week, as there is plenty of action ahead. After last week’s look at the new construction piece of the housing market, we’ll get more information on housing this week with Tuesday’s Existing Home Sales Report and Wednesday’s New Home Sales Report.

Also on Wednesday we will get an update on consumer and business consumption and buying behavior via the Durable Goods Report, which shows data on items that are non-disposable, such as cars, furniture, appliances, games, cameras, business equipment, etc. Thursday brings a read on the economy with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Report, which is the broadest measure of economic activity. Also on Thursday is the weekly Initial Jobless Claims report. Last week’s report showed that continuing claims fell by 148,000 to 6.69 million, which is the largest one-week drop since November of 2001. Jobs are vital to the economy strengthening, so it will be important to see what this week’s report indicates.

This week we also have the Fed’s next regularly scheduled Federal Open Market Committee meeting, followed by their Policy Statement and Interest Rate Decision coming on Wednesday afternoon. It will be important to hear the Fed’s comments on the economy and inflation. And speaking of the Fed and inflation, the Fed’s favorite gauge of inflation, the Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) index found within the Personal Income Report, will be released on Friday.

Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result. As you can see in the chart below, Bonds were unable to maintain the gains they made earlier in the week. I’ll be watching closely to see what impact this week’s news, including additional supply of Bonds hitting the market, will have on Bonds and home loan rates.

Patrick Dunn, Westwood Mortgage Inc. & MMG Weekly
patrick@westwoodmortgage.com / http://www.certifiedplanning.com

2006 Eastlake Ave: Temp $27k Price REDUCTION! $398,000!!

Ashley — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:40:24 +0000

We are temporarily dropping the price of the 1 bedroom + den cottage that sits above Eastlake Avenue to $398,000! This unique home has been completely remodeled and features fantastic views of Lake Union, Queen Anne and the Space Needle- check out the virtual tour!

OPEN HOUSE: 6/6 from 2pm-4pm

Stewart | Minor Tower Site FOR SALE!

Ashley — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:52:28 +0000

The site of the former Stewart | Minor Tower (Residential/Hotel/Retail) is now on the market for $3,995,000!

It is being marketed as a vacant parking lot, 31-story hotel or seven-story 77 unit studio apartment building. PRICED TO SELL!

Click here for more details!

JUST LEASED: 1521 #2800! $550…

Ashley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:38:23 +0000

JUST LEASED: 1521 #2800! $5500 per month

NEW LISTINGS: For Lease-Cosmo …

Ashley — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:37:42 +0000

NEW LISTINGS: For Lease-Cosmo Penthouse $2695 furnished/ $2495 unfurnished; Live2200 1bd $1625; Cristalla 1bd $1695 furnished

The Sanctuary at First Church- Open 1-4pm Today & Tomorrow!

Ashley — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:33:57 +0000

If you are out and about enjoying the beautiful weather, pop by The Sanctuary at First Church (1519 E Denny, Capitol Hill) for a peak at their brand new model home. They are having a soft opening today and tomorrow between 1 & 4pm and will have a preferred lender on site to talk about special financing packages and the Historical Tax Credit.

The Sanctuary (formally known as First Church of Christ, Scientist) is comprised of 12, very uniquely designed homes, and are starting in the $900’s. Click here for more details!

Toured Rollin Street Flats tod…

Ashley — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:42:38 +0000

Toured Rollin Street Flats today- very impressive!! The Grand Opening Event was last Saturday and they have already leased nearly 10 units!

NEW LISTINGS: For Lease-Contin…

Ashley — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:37:35 +0000

NEW LISTINGS: For Lease-Continental $3500 seattlerentals.com/11537; Matae $1650 seattlerentals.com/6972; Nord $1475; seattlerentals.com/9099