Hat tip: urbnlivn.com

The article suggests there’s a shadow housing inventory of 7MM units that are either in delinquent status or in foreclosure that are destined to liquidate and have not yet hit the market. This inventory would put additional downward pressure on the already weak housing market.

I can’t link the article due to a conflict of interest, but do a Google search on it. It’s out there, but you may have to dig a little to get the full 17 page report.

The biggest on is sound transfer from units on the vertical plane. In short, it’s terrible. There are many that have the daily pleasure of enjoying the the thunderous footsteps of our neighbors above. I am not new to multi-family buildings and understand that it is only natural for there to be some transfer of sound between units, but what I have been experiencing is well beyond acceptable. I will say that they’ve done a great job of sound isolating on the horizontal plane. We have been through almost a year now of kicking and screaming to get something done about it and we have finally got them to do some additional construction to potentially correct the issue. We have still yet to see any results, but they say they are going to do something about it. There are others in this building that are in the same battle.

Another huge one was the installation of our inside balcony railing. The installation of the railing was done EXTREMELY poorly and that fact was agreed upon at signing by both parties. Going through the proper channels, there was an addendum made, by Schnitzer, to the contract, stating that the job would be done within 60 days. On the 60th day, I received a phone call stating that they were going to “get to it when they get to it” (keep in mind that THEY are the ones who wrote in the 60 day deadline). I told them that was unacceptable and I was then made to feel as though I was in the wrong and that I was being unreasonable. After many weeks of fighting and a Better Business Bearue complaint filing, the railing was finally completed.

Without going into nit-picking every little detail, you may want to check out the following as you peruse the premises.

Do the windows fit in the window frame properly?
When you walk out onto the balcony, do the metal planks flap up and down as though they were going to come off? Mine have still not been addressed.
The amount of poorly executed patches in the wood beams.
Is the elevator working, because there are service people there all the time to fix our 1 year old elevator?
Do the appliances actually work? I’ve had mine worked on several time already.
Are there strange rolls in the carpet or bumps in the floor that don’t make any sense?
Not sure of the details, but I’m pretty sure the bus stop on 10th was not supposed to be there when some the units were purchased. Those people now get to breath exhaust fumes and have their entire unit shake while the bus sits idle in the early morning.
Are these auction purchases “AS IS”, because if they are you will get no help from the developer, and if they are not, be prepared to fight for everything.

Like I mentioned in my initial post, these units are aesthetically cool and in a prime location. I’m trying to look past these things as this place is my home, but Schnitzer has not been making it easy. Had these issues been addressed in a manor that was based around customer service, perhaps these issues would have been mere inconveniences and I would have gotten over them.

Those are my thoughts and opinions, do with them what you will.

Mark – Sorry to hear about your experience at Brix. Definitely good advice – I did notice some construction related issues while touring the townhome units.

For auction buyers, keep in mind, the units are sold “as-is” without warranty, and thus no punch list.

Revised: To clarify above, while there’s no warranty to cover punch list items, both Brix and Gallery offer a one-year limited warranty and a four-year building warranty.

I am an owner of one of the Brix condominiums on Capitol Hill and I think it is important to let people know that while these are definitely very aesthetically pleasing units in an amazing location; the service, support and construction is heavily lacking. It has been an uphill battle with Schnitzer from the beginning. Not only have I had to fight and scream to get them to complete tasks by which they were contractually obligated, the overall “cost cuts” that were implemented in order to complete this building is astonishing. It’s sad that my wife and I have spent so much money, (WELL beyond what anyone at this auction will pay) and our living experience has been so tattered with issues. We are supposed to LOVE this place and now that there is no chance of getting what we’ve paid for it in a resale, we are stuck with a home that isn’t great to live in. In my opinion, Schnitzer does not understand the definition of home?