Veer is offering other incentives as well:

• No HOA dues until September 2010
• Paid closing costs up to $7,450
• A $1,000 Ikea gift certificate
• Two $500 Alaska Air gift certificates
• A 1-year membership to Rain Fitness

Ruby – Eastlake:
A VIP grand opening is planned for the weekend of January 24th/25th from 11 am to 5 pm. Ruby is a new construction development by Barrientos whose other recent projects include The Pearl, Leona, The Bernard and The Packard. Homes at Ruby start from $269,990. www.rubycondos.com

Brix – Capitol Hill/Broadway:
Broadway-side building is complete with a grand opening scheduled for January 31st. They are offering a grand opening special — no HOA dues till 2011. See Matt’s post about mechanic’s lien and possible legal action involving the general contractor. www.brixcondos.com

Fini – Phinney Ridge:
Announced they are offering “close out” pricing on their final four units, all one-bedroom + dens that are priced from $399, 990 to $449,990. www.finicondos.com

Rollin Street Flats – Gateway / South Lake Union:
Vulcan announced that Rollin Street received a few awards from The Nationals sales and marketing competition, presented by a group that’s part of the National Association of Home Builders. Rollin’s received a Gold Award for Best Website for an urban community and two Silver Awards for best attached community and best brochure. www.rollinstreet.com

The building features 51 spacious one-bedroom (6), one + den (31), two-bedroom (3) and two + den (11) homes ranging from 728 to 1,417 sq ft. The top-level 1,417 sq ft penthouses also features a 715 sq ft private terrace. Prices at Fini are expected to start in the low-$300,000s to more than $1 million. Occupancy is anticipated for early 2008.

Home features include:

• Oversized windows
• Designer floor tiles in entry & kitchen
• Custom shaker-style cabinets in kitchen
• Granite tile countertops in kitchen
• GE stainless steel appliances
• Whirlpool Duet washer & dryer
• Marble tiled countertops in bath with dual vanities
• Many homes have Olympic or Cascade Mountain views
• Electric fireplaces
• Large balcony or patio
• Select homes feature high ceiling heights

Preview Event & Pre-Sale

Fini will host its VIP Preview event this coming weekend, May 5th & 6th, at their presentation center located at 6802 Greenwood Avenue N (map) from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Homes will be available for pre-sale purchase with a 5% earnest money deposit.

I arrived at the sales center at exactly 11:00 AM on Saturday morning to a line of anxious buyers. The sales center is located in a mobile unit so space is a bit tight but included a kitchen, bath and closet vignettes, interactive screens, representative images of views and finish samples.

By 11:15 AM, 5 units were sold and by 1:00 PM, 10 units had been sold, including two of the the three penthouses. Prices were available but not made public (unless you purchased), though Fini did provide a price range sheet.

Fini has two interior finish & color schemes, Nutmeg and Walnut, both fairly warm & earthy. The one item I found disappointing was that all homes, except for the penthouses, have carpeted flooring. Hardwood flooring is not an option. For pricing (per sq ft) that rival downtown projects, I would have expected partial hardwood flooring as standard, or at least available as an upgrade option.

Homeowner dues run approximately $.53/sq ft. It’s more reasonable than Sapphire’s $.56/sq ft, but still rival downtown projects which offer more amenities. However, the cost to maintain common areas is shared by a considerably smaller number of homeowners than the downtown projects, and so it’s not unreasonable. Fini provided a information sheet called Demystifying Home Owner’s Dues.

Overall, Fini provides a welcome alternative to the more urban lifestyle choices around the downtown core.

View images of Fini.

Neighborhood

The Phinney Ridge neighborhood is situated on the hill West of Green Lake, extending from the Woodlad Park Zoo area to Greenwood. The project is situated in the heart of Phinney’s commercial district and is a short stroll to many fan-favorite businesses including Red Mill Burgers, Starbucks, 74th Street Ale House, Herkimer Coffee and the neighborhood True Value hardware store.

Related Story: Seattle PI article

Eastlake area – Ruby Condominiums (website) at northern tip of Eastlake Ave E at E. Allison.

Lower Queen Anne – Luxe Condominiums (website) at 500 5th Ave W. Thirty-nine flats starting from the low $300,000s.

Escala Unveils Revamped Website

Escala unveiled a new website with additional features including home floor plans, an impressive virtual tour and a webcam.

Fini Preview Event Update

Fini’s VIP Preview Event will be held next weekend, May 5th & 6th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at their presentation center at 6802 Greenwood Ave N. (map). Homes will be available for purchase at the preview event with a 5% deposit.

Seattle Condo Expo 2007

Click here for updated event info.

The Seattle Condo Expo and Realtor Symposium is set for May 19th & 20th at the Westin Hotel. Tickets will go on sale on May 1st and those interested in attending can register on their website. The cost of the event is $10 and can be purchased at www.SeattleTixx.com.

Kiro Radio has several short podcasts of interviews with several leading individuals in the Seattle condo craze including the developers of AVA & 1 Hotel, Blaine Weber of Weber + Thompson, Dean Jones of Realogics and economist Matthew Gardner of Gardner-Johnson…to name a few.

The event has blossomed into a two-day expo with a consumer focus. Last year, it was a single evening event aimed towards Realtors. The change this year sounds like a great opportunity for the buyers to immerse themselves with various projects at a single location as well as provide an opportunity to meet with architects and developers.

Lumen - Queen Anne

April 24th – Lumen’s Design Studio will move to 501 Roy Street, Unit C232 (2nd level, NE corner of the courtyard). Lumen requests visitors utilize the elevator at the 5th & Mercer entrance. The Design Studio is open 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily.

April 28th - The Lumen model homes will be open to the public. These exclusive homes will be stylishly outfitted by Roche Bobois, Kasala, Garret Cord Werner, The Container Store and Lighting Universe.

Fini – Phinney Ridge

Fini’s VIP Preview Event is slated for May 5th & 6th, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at 6802 Greenwood Ave N (map).