Originally constructed in 1930, the rejuvenated Queen’s Court was unveiled in early 2007. Though, it wasn’t alone as a number other developers rushed to bring new conversion projects to market. With its premium pricing, combined with stiff competition and the subsequent market collapse, Live Historic eventually found itself in financial turmoil.

Fast forward to 2009, under a new owner Queen’s Court received additional upgrades, its HOA budget fully funded and prices slashed. It also obtained FHA and VA financing approval. Led by the sales team at Developer Services Group, Queen’s Court has further restructured its pricing in order to be competitive in today’s market place.

Homes at Queen’s Court are now being offered from just $159,000 for studios and tops out at $210,000 for a one-bedroom. The homes retain its ’30’s architectural charm yet feature modern updates and conveniences including new cabinetry, fixtures, stainless appliances, granite countertops and in-unit washer/dryer combos.

Seventeen of the 34 homes are available, though pricing has only been publicly released for the units shown below.

So after its 3rd price cut in 6 months how does it stack up? For comparison, units #104 and #110 are now being offered at 29% and 38.5% below their 2007 prices, respectively. However, even at this pricing level, there’s still competition from other, newer properties in Belltown and Queen Anne. What’ll set Queen’s Court apart is its quieter location and 1930’s character.

The building doesn’t offer much in the way of amenities, but it does have a newly remodeled lobby, a library and green space. On the other hand, the limited amenities allow Queen’s Court to keep its homeowner dues fairly low.

Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. At this time there are only two spaces left, which I believe are available for $35,000 a piece. Fortunately, there are ample leasing options including the Bernard Apartment across the street for $125/mo as well as the nearby Seattle Center garage.

Queen’s Court is open weekends from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.

Click thumbnails to view larger image:

Click image for larger version (pdf), courtesy of O’Brien/Savage.

The Press, a condo conversion on Capitol Hill, will be auctioning off 18 remaining units on Saturday, December 13th.

The Press development includes two buildings, a converted apartment building at the corner of Belmont and Pine St and the adjacent new construction addition. Minimum bids for one-bedrooms begin at $185,000 (last asking price ranged from $334,950 – $364,950) while the minimum bids for the two-bedroom range from $210,000 to $255,000 (last asking price ranged from $364,950 – $467,450).

The presentation center is open daily between 10 am and 5 pm at 1610 Belmont Avenue.

The auction will be held at the Grand Hyatt Seattle at 721 Pine Street. Interested bidders should review the auction website thoroughly as an auction registration form and deposit are required.

www.PressCondos.com/auction.html

Recent news articles:
No Parking Anytime: Condos being put up for bids at about half price – Seattle PI 12/2/08
Press release – Seattle PI 11/18/08

Now, those 3 remaining units are back on the market at “auction pricing”:

• Unit #110, a studio listed at $110,000, not remodeled
• Unit #102, a one-bedroom listed at $239,000
• Unit #307, a one-bedroom listed at $245,000, not remodeled

The Daily Journal of Commerce reported today that the auction brought in $3 millions and noted that “all 14 units” were sold. Apparently, the number of units available for auction had been reduced. At 14 units sold, that averages out to $214,285 per unit. No info on individual unit sale prices were provided.

The auction, which is being conducted by Accelerated Marketing Partners, is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Sunday, October 19th at Hotel Monaco, located at 1101 4th Avenue. Bidders are encouraged to arrive between 1:00 and 1:30 pm to pick-up bid packets, and will need to be pre-qualified by either Wells Fargo or Countrywide (see auction site for more info).

Seventeen07 was converted earlier this year and has 36 units (studio, one- and two-bedrooms). The auction notice states that 17 homes will be available, though only six closed sales and two pending sales have been recorded in the NWMLS. It is possible the remaining 11 units were sold but never entered into the NWMLS system, or being held for a future sale. At least one unit, which closed this month, is available for rent.

For more information, visit www.auction1707.com.

They also posted a list of conversions involved in litigation, eight of which are located within Seattle.

The WestWater hit the condo market nearly a year ago just after the market started to turn downward. And, even with other developers bailing out of conversion projects in West Seattle (the Strata and the Gables), the reduced competition wasn’t enough to boost sales activity at WestWater.

Rental prices at WestWater starts from $950 for a one-bedroom and $1,250 and up for a two-bedroom.

I can certainly see the decision on the developer’s part, to minimize the cost and drain on resources for carrying and marketing unsold products, as well as, trying to generate cash flow. But, the decision may adversely impact those buyers who purchased at WestWater. The rentals will affect potential resales as the property may not qualify for financing due to ownership level requirements. On the other hand, potential resales would have been tough anyway as owners would’ve been competing against the other 45% of the units that were still for sale.