The Seattle Condo Blog | Seattle Condos and Lofts

The Enclave :: Eastlake / Lake Union

The Enclave is hosting an open house this weekend to coincide with Opening Day of boating season on May 1st. The Enclave is part of the Wards Cove master plan community that’s comprised of townhome-styled condos starting from $1.3 million with occupancy expected in 2011.

Ruby Condominium :: Eastlake

Ruby is down to its final three units that are priced between $284,500 and $304,500. Compared to many other newer projects, sales at Ruby have done well in this down market.

Decatur :: First Hill

Decatur Condo, on the other hand, has had a bit of a struggle since coming on the market over 3 years ago. However, the project is now more than 2/3rds sold and occupied. This FHA approved building is part of Condo Bulk Buy’s inventory with units available up to 35% off original pricing — starting from $184,950.

1111 E. Pike :: Capitol Hill

The Tom Kundig designed 1111 E. Pike development reports they’re 70% sold with only 10 homes remaining for sale. Located in the heart of the Pike/Pine Triangle, prices at 1111 E. Pike start at $244,950.

The Danielle :: Ballard

Ballard’s newest condominium development, The Danielle, is nearing completion and reports they’ve already sold 4 homes. The Danielle is located kitty corner from the new QFC on 24th Ave and the Ballard Commons Park.

Hjarta :: Ballard

Hjarta is reporting that they’re now 51% sold and is FHA approved. As part of Condo Bulk Buy, Hjarta’s pricing is up to 35% below their original level.

Florera :: Greenlake

Like its sister project, Hjarta, Florera was off the market for a while before becoming part of Condo Bulk Buy. Sales have been slower with only 30% of the building sold, but it is FHA approved with prices starting from $244,950. Florera is located just 1.5 blocks from Green Lake Park.

1521 Second :: Downtown

Now 70% sold, 1521 Second, received 4 additional sales in April. Homes at these premium residences start from $1.1 million.

5th & Madison :: Downtown

It appears that 2 of the units that went under the gavel at the 5th & Madison auction are back on they market again by Kennedy Wilson:

• Unit #1102, the last unit auctioned, had a winning bid price of $350,000. It’s now available at $365,000.
• Unit #1805, a fully furnished unit, had a winning bid price of $331,000. It’s now for sale at $370,000.

Additionally, the penthouse, which had been withdrawn from the auction is on the market at $1,595,000. It was previously offered at $1,995,000.

If you have questions about any of these condo projects, please drop us a line.

While the sun and rain battled outside, the auction was brisk amongst the bidders vying for the 16 condo units inside the Grand Hyatt Seattle. Auctioneer Kennedy Wilson conducted another smooth and fast-paced auction.

The 5th and Madison Condo auction differed a little from the prior events in that the starting bid was not the minimum reserve amount. Instead, 5th and Madison had an unpublished reserve for each unit. It’s unclear at this time whether the winning bids exceeded the unpublished reserve price; there was no mention of it during the auction. Winning bids less than the reserve price are subject to seller acceptance, counter offer or rejection. I’m sure bidders were informed once they were whisked away to the separate purchase contract room.

Winning bids ranged from $331,000 for an 808 square foot 1-bedroom to $719,000 for the 1,241 square foot 1-bedroom + den. The average price per square foot was $428. On average, the units sold at 65% of their last offer price and 57% over the starting bids.

Units #1803 and #1805 were model units and the winning bid price included furnishings. Units #2105 and Penthouse #2 were withdrawn from the auction.

The chart below identifies the winning bid amount. Once units begin closing I’ll update the chart with the actual sale prices.

Click image to download (PDF):

View available 5th & Madison condos for sale

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The Seattle Condo Blog

Kennedy Wilson has been tapped to conduct the auction for the remaining 18 units at 5th & Madison.

The minimum bid starts at $195,000 for 808 sq ft one-bedroom units on the 17th & 18th floors. Those were previously priced between $399,000 and $415,000. The highest starting bid is $995,000 for a 1,957 sq ft penthouse that was previously listed at $1,995,000.

The auction will be held on March 28, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt Seattle (721 Pine Street) starting at 1:00 PM. Homes can be viewed at 5th & Madison daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

As with previous auctions, Kennedy Wilson will be hosting a “How to buy at auction” seminar the week prior on Sunday, March 21st. This is a great way to learn about the auction process and participate in a mock auction. I’ve been to a few of these and they’re sort of fun.

For more information, including units available, floor plans and auction documents, please visit: www.5thandMadisonAuction.com

If you need guidance through the auction process, we’re here to help.

Matt @ Urbnlivn got a copy of the letter I was looking for. As hinted on TSCB’s Facebook page a couple of weeks ago, 5th & Madison’s 18 remaining units will be auctioned off. The auction has been scheduled for March 28, 2010.

In order to sell the remaining units, we have decided to retain the services of Kennedy Wilson, Inc. and utilize their dynamic auction marketing process. On Sunday, March 28, 2010, 18 units of the remaining inventory will be offered for sale. The company will begin marketing the units the weekend of February 27th.

The tall, slender 5th and Madison (website) project is well underway across the street from the Seattle Central Library. Occupancy is on-target for October making the project one of the few due to be completed this year.

I had an opportunity to take a hard hat tour of the building to see how it was coming along. One of the benefits of hard hat tours is that it provides buyers an opportunity to gauge perspective of the units in relation to the environment. Personally, it did not feel as closed-in as I had expected considering neighboring buildings and with open floor plans and tall ceilings, the units felt much larger than their footprints suggest.

5th and Madison is unique in that all of the units, except the three penthouses, are one-bedroom or one-bedroom + den layouts, ranging in size from 808 to 1,244 square feet. The two- and three-bedroom penthouses range from 1,957 to 2,164 square feet in size.

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