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Expo 62

Expo 62 is the latest condo project to come from project designer Dan Foltz and the team at Weber Thompson. Developed by John Street, LLC (member of Intracorp) the building is slated for completion for Summer 2008.

Expo 62 is going to be located at 2nd & John, in the heart of the Seattle Center. With 114 units and 7 stories, they are offering studios, open 1’s, 1 bedrooms, 1 BR + Dens, 2 BR, 2BR + Den, Live/Work Lofts, and Penthouses. Square footage is ranging from 422-1364 sq ft and prices are tentatively ranging from mid 200’s to low 700’s…penthouse pricing to be released.

Amenities: Expo 62 will boast a lounge (kitchenette, fireplace, and big screen), library, fitness room, wine and cigar storage (with cork floors no less!), rooftop view patio (views of city and Sound, BBQ’s, herb garden), bike storage, parking, and a dog cleaning area.

Swank is the word. The design team has based the project off of an early 20th century artistic movement in Holland called de Stijl (Stijl you ask? It’s the Dutch word for style…). Robin Chell (interior designer) has brought bold colors, stone surfaces, hardwoods, and stainless to the table. Don’t be too put off by the picture, of course the cabinets will come in more than just red! They are offering anything from that bold red, to blue, white, brown, beige, and gray…or you can go with the same tone that they have on the bottom portion to unify the kitchen a little more.

I think it will be interesting to see what happens here in terms of how buyers respond to the construction. Rather than all wood construction (no thank you) or all concrete and steel, Expo 62 has decided on 2 stories of concrete topped off by 5 stories of wood construction. Hopefully the minimal 2 stories of concrete will give them an edge against projects like the Trio with their nerve-wracking all wood construction.

The sales center is going to be open to the public from 11-6 on Sat. April 21 & Sun. April 22. Check it out, but prepare yourself for an overdose of particularly hip & retro marketing speak…

Dustin Luther gives Blogging Presentation As m…

Dustin Luther gives Blogging Presentation

As many of you know, Dustin has taken a job with move.com, the parent company of Top Producer and Realtor.com and moved to sunny southern California. Yesterday he came to Seattle downtown Hilton and gave a great seminar on the “Basics of Blogging” to a bunch of real estate agents. This was sponsored by his company, but there was very little hype and lots of information packed into a few short hours. This was my first time to meet Dustin face to face and I was impressed with his presentation skills. He has a natural passion and enthusiasm for the subject that is infectious and his own personal success with Rain City Guide makes a great example for those wanting to get started in blogging. He was brutally honest with people in letting them know it was no cakewalk, and that just creating a blog was not going to automatically change their real estate businesses. I am a good example of that. I have a bit of a tech background and started a blog when I first heard about them back in 2004. I did NOTHING with it because I was so busy, blah, blah, blah (fill in the excuse). Now I am busy playing catch-up to some very good bloggers out there who have quickly dominated the Seattle real estate blogosphere.

Dustin also spent a fair amount of time talking about online community networks and the interactive nature of newer web 2.0 websites and the value and synergy that they bring to blogging. MySpace, Linkedin and biznik and others were discussed and links, links, links, were emphasized. In the end, it was a Dustin gave a very thorough lecture of the basics of blogging, what it takes to get started, and why it is important in the world of real estate web marketing.

Early design review committee meeting for a new co…

Early design review committee meeting for a new condo project at 2301 6th Ave. Set to be two 32-story residential skyscrapers with approximately 640 units, 34,000 sq ft of retail space, and approx. 1,000 parking stalls. More to come later.

Lumen Design Studio Event Windermere REAL had thei…

Lumen Design Studio Event
Windermere REAL had their opening event for the new condos located at the former site of Tower Records at the base of Queen Anne. Their first public opening was quite and event with go-go dancers and free “Lumen Drop” cocktails (Lemon drops with blue water color – clever!) The architect for Lumen the same as for The Klee and The McGuire in Belltown, and Harbor Steps in downtown Seattle. It will be concrete, steel and glass construction and will have a QFC grocery store on the main floor.

1st Hotel and Residences (2nd and Pine)

North Elevation drawing

2105 5th Ave – Condo Project The final design revi…

2105 5th Ave – Condo Project
The final design review for the project at 5th and Lenora was completed last night. This project will be 24 stories with 172 residential units. There will also be about 4310 sq ft of retail at ground level. Above and below grade parking for 191 vehicles will be provided.

Thinking of remodeling your home? Need to find a g…

Thinking of remodeling your home? Need to find a good contractor?

We recently found a great resource by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. They have put together a website for people to find a good contractor to hire (see link below). You can check with they are registered with a bond and insurance, check to see if a contractor has had any recent infractions, and verify if they are up to date on their workers compensation premiums. There are guides and checklists to help you make a informed and good decision about who you should hire.

1608 2nd Ave Condo Project Application for a 23-st…

1608 2nd Ave Condo Project
Application for a 23-story 88 room hotel with 105 apartments/condos above 4 floors of retail space was made. This will be an exciting project in a great location. More to come later.

2006-2007 Regional Expectations Summary: We belie…

2006-2007 Regional Expectations

Summary: We believe that the real estate market nationally, regionally and locally will continue to appreciate in value and increase in units listed and sold for the rest of this decade.

• Interest rates will remain relatively stable during 2006 probably in the mid 6% range for 30 year FRM…perhaps edging toward 7% by year end.
• We will continue to experience significant “net new jobs” in the 4-county region during 2006
• The impacts of the Growth Management Act and increased land use regulation (CAO) will result in fewer and more expensive new building lots. There have been no significant plat applications in King County for more than 3 years. Apparently when Snoqualmie Ridge, Redmond Ridge, Talus and Issaquah Highlands are built out, any major housing developments (more than 200 lots) will be outside King County. The notable exception will be condominium developments
• We will continue to see fewer building permit applications than we have net new jobs in the region.
• Net in-migration will increase especially in the areas of technology and bio-tech throughout the region
• The non-English-as-a-first-language Market will accelerate in market presence and purchasing power
• Gen Y’ers (15-25 years) and Gen X’ers (25-35 years) will begin their first- and second-time home purchases. The combined X/Y group has more people than the touted Baby Boomer generation and will have more impact as they begin their home purchasing and home changing. The average sales price of their first time homes will be greater than any other generation at least in part because their parents (Baby Boomers) have no other better place to invest their savings than in the homes their children are buying.
• Baby Boomers will continue to lead the charge as they purchase or sell their last “big” home

  As a result we expect prices to continue to increase throughout the region as supply fails to meet demand although we expect the price increases to be less as a percentage than 2005. Units closed should be about the same as 2005.

  Mike Grady, CRB
  President and Designated Broker