This week’s spotlight condo is a two-level townhome at the Ballard Place Condominium in Ballard.

Unit #1555 (1555 NW 57th Street) is a large 2-bedroom, 1.5-bath home on two-levels with its own private exterior entrance. The 1,475 square foot corner home offers a spacious living room, dining room, kitchen and a family room / office space on the main level. A wall of west facing windows create a bright and airy living space. The kitchen features shaker style cabinets, granite counters and stainless appliances. A perfect home for entertaining.

The bedrooms are located on the lower level. The master suite has a walk-in closet and access to private patio. Step out the back door to two secure parking spots and a storage unit. Or, walk out the front door to everything Ballard.

Ballard Place Condominium amenities include concierge services, a community lounge, fitness center, sauna, outdoor hot tubs and a roof top deck with a p-patch garden.

This home is currently offered at $374,999.  Contact us to inquire about this property or arrange a private showing.

>> View more information and additional photos of this home.

>> View all Ballard condos for sale

Listing information and photos are courtesy of Corey Robinson with Keller Williams Greater Seattle

After sluggish sales over the past few years, Hjarta is revamping its pricing strategy, which is now in-line with the market place and are competitively priced with Ballard’s new condo developments, namely The Danielle. One-bedroom homes now start from $229,950 and two-bedrooms from $329,950, upwards of $65,000 in reductions per home. Unlike the other new Ballard condo developments, Hjarta has superior construction (concrete & steel vs. wood-frame) and is a LEED Silver certified, green constructed building.

Hjarta’s sales and marketing are being headed up by Matrix Real Estate and is located at 1530 NW Market Street (map).

View available Hjarta condos for sale.

Visit: www.hjartaballard.com

The Bravern Signature Residences hit another snag in the depressed Bellevue condo market. The massive development is comprised of two luxury residential towers, two office towers (mostly leased to Microsoft) and upscale retail anchored by Neiman Marcus.

Earlier this year Bravern’s developer, Schnitzer NW, converted one of the two residential towers from condos to apartments. Yesterday, the Seattle Times reported the second tower will be converted as well, effectively removing 451 units from Bellevue’s condo inventory. The Bravern’s condo homes were previously offered starting from around $1 million. With leases starting from $1,550, renters will be able to live in style for a fraction of the cost compared to purchasing the very same homes.

The Bravern’s plight may be a boon for two other downtown Bellevue condo developments – Bellevue Towers and One Main Street. Potentially, buyers at Bravern may be lured to the comparably upscale Bellevue Towers, which has experiencing sluggish sales as well.

Back on this side of the lake, TeamBuilder JLS and Rennie Marketing announced that they have successfully closed out all 278 units at the Canal Station and Canal North condo developments in Ballard. Though the developer units have sold out, there are a number of resale units available for buyers looking to live in this prime spot in Ballard.

The only other new condo development in Ballard is The Danielle, which has seen brisk sales since coming on the market this summer. The Danielle is now over 30% sold.

Canal Station

Canal Station North Condominium in Ballard is down to its final home for sale…a 530 square foot one-bedroom priced at $179,950. This home includes slab granite counters, designer fixtures and parking.

Veer Lofts

Veer Lofts in South Lake Union is also in its final close out with just 4 homes available (unit #111 has sold), all available between $273,000 and $354,000. It sound like they’re offering additional buyer incentives, too. Gotta ask for them, though. Veer Lofts is FHA approved.

www.VeerLofts.com

Sylvan Ridge

This large townhome community in West Seattle recently reduced its prices. Home are now available from $274,950 for a 2-bedroom, 2.5 bath unit with over 1,400 square feet of living space. Sylvan Ridge has sold over 90 townhomes so far and are FHA & VA approved.

www.sylvan-ridge.com

Belltown Apartment Land Use

If you live/own in Seattle Heights or Mosler Lofts, the Seattle DPD is holding an Design Review Board meeting for the proposed 19-story apartment building at 3rd & Cedar (currently occupied by the American Lung Association).

September 28th at 5:30 PM
Seattle City Hall
Boards and Commission Room L280

South Lake Union news

A couple of noteworthy events are happening in South Lake Union.

For the pooches
A citizens’ committee for the creation of a new SLU dog play area is forming right now. Want in? Just come to Enso’s community room (820 Blanchard St.) on Thursday, September 23 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. (Via www.DiscoverSLU.com).

Lake Union Park finally opens
The Seattle Parks Foundation is celebrating the grand opening of Seattle’s newest park, the Lake Union Park, on Saturday, September 25th. The day long event (7 am to 7 pm) is filled with festivities – live music, model boat races, foods, canoe displays and more!

Here are a few other developments that have adjusted prices this month:

The Arthaus on Capitol Hill reduced prices on their remaining inventory, ranging from $10,000 to $26,000. www.edendevelopmentco.com

The Oslo in Ballard adjusted prices up and down, about $10,000 each direction. www.ballardtrio.com

A small conversion in Ballard called Bostad recently took a $5,000 decrease on a number of their available units.

And, in the Green Lake area, the Green Lake Gables conversion also took a $5,000 price reduction.

The homes range in size from 653 square feet (seems rather cozy for a 2-bedroom) to 1,516 for the 3-bedroom penthouse unit. Home prices start at $399,900 and goes up to $899,900.

Home amenities include cherry cabinets, slab granite countertops, stainless appliances, in-unit washer & dryer, large decks and fireplaces (select units). Unfortunately, parking and storage are not included but available as options. For homes beginning at $399,900 it should include parking & storage.

Nevertheless, they have done a remarkable job with the conversion and the building is located within a few of blocks to QFC, parks and the main Ballard business district.

View current listings

1430 NW 59th Street (map)

A 6-unit boutique condominium, originally constructed in 1968, the homes have been extensively renovated. Interior finishes include berber carpets, cherry cabinets, stainless steel appliances, slab granite countertops and in-unit washer and dryers.

Prices range from $269,900 for a 548 square foot studio to $429,900 for a 1,059 square foot 2-bedroom unit. Three of the homes come with reserved parking. Click for unit & pricing (PDF) information or view available listings with photos.

2818 Northwest 56th Street (map)

A 6-unit boutique condominium, originally constructed in 1969. Includes similar finishes to 1430 NW 59th above, but also includes deeded parking, CAT5 wiring and a complimentary plasma TV with each home.

Only 3 of the 6, one- and two-bedroom, units remain ranging in price from $249,900 to $399,900. Click for unit & pricing (PDF) information or to view available listings with photos.

2830 NW 56th Street (map)

Originally constructed in 1968, this 4-level 20-unit building has been completely renovated. Located just north of Market street, homes offer views of the Ship Canal, large decks, slab granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, in-unit washer & dryer, parking and hardwood floors.

2830 NW includes 4 one-bedroom and 16 two-bedroom homes ranging in size from 503 to 907 square feet. Prices range from $299,900 to $499,900. Click for unit & pricing information or view available listings with photos.

The Luxe will be hosting its public Grand Opening this weekend at 500 5th Avenue W (map).

200 West Highland – Queen Anne

Work is underway for 200 West Highland. The 5-story concrete & steel building will feature just 25 condominium homes ranging is size from 1,600 to 2,800 square feet. The project is located across the street from Queen Anne’s famed Kerry Park. Completion is slated for fall 2008.

Condo Re-sales

I wanted to highlight a few re-sales currently available. Please see our Condo Listings page for more information.

The Klee, Belltown - 1 bd, 761 sq ft, listed at $465,000

Towne Terrace, Queen Anne – updated 850 sq ft 1-bd condo, listed at only $379,500

Ballard Condominium - large 458 sq ft studio available for $205,000

2200 Westlake – 2 bd, 1.75 urban condo, views, for $749,950

The project is a small boutique condo complex consisting of just nine one and two-bedroom homes and a live/work loft on the ground floor, and is located close to the waterfront offering views of Shilshole Bay. Residents can stroll to area restaurants and enjoy sunsets at Golden Gardens on a warm afternoon.

Homes range in size from 677 to 1,350 square feet and priced from $409,000 to $735,000. Units feature floor-to-ceiling windows, decks, parking and storage.

Updated: June ’07

CityView held its brokers open sneak preview today. The builder did a great job at renovations. I updated the post with current pricing, photos & review – view CityView post. The grand opening is this weekend the weekend of February 24th.

Maris – Shilshole

Construction on this boutique condo at Shilshole is moving along. Maris shares the same developer as First Church on Capitol Hill.

The Nord – Pioneer Square

Work on The Nord Condominium conversion in Pioneer square is underway. The 1900 classic brick building will be home to just 7 homes. The Nord will begin sales later this year. More info to come…stay tuned.

The Betsy Ross – Capitol Hill

The Betsy Ross is a conversion project on Capitol Hill. The vintage 1928 building will be home to 16 one-bedroom homes. Sales is expected to begin later this year. More info to come…stay tuned.