The Seattle Condo Blog | Seattle Condos and Lofts

While most of the attention for downtown Seattle condominiums have focused on the new glitzy towers – Olive 8, Escala, 1521 2nd Ave – the unassuming Marselle Condominium has flown under the radar. With 13 homes sold or under contract this year, Marselle is nearly 70% sold per MLS records.

Part of its appeal to buyers is its location – Marselle is situated at the apex of Belltown, South Lake Union and Queen Anne. Residents have easy access to work downtown or SLU and to the numerous shopping, eating and entertainment venues in Belltown, nearby Capitol Hill and Queen Anne. It has a 97 WalkScore and a perfect 100 Transit Score.

On the other hand, conventional wisdom would question its allure considering it is right off Aurora Avenue and highway noise is discernible. Yet, most of the homes sold have been on the Aurora side of the building. Eventually, that portion of Aurora will be lowered and covered. Many of units currently available are on the west side of the building, a number of which face the Hyatt Place Hotel while others have great Space Needle views.

Other attractions are its value and availability. It is one the last remaining new construction condominiums in the city core offering spacious, yet affordable, quality finished homes. Its frame construction also helps to keep the price down.

Prices range from the low-$200,000’s for a 557 square foot open one-bedroom to the low-$500,000′s for a two-story, 1,284 square foot two-bedroom + den penthouse suite with a semi-private roof top deck. Additionally, all two-bedroom homes come with two parking spaces.

Home finishes include natural walnut flooring, slab granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and in-unit washer and dryer. Building amenities feature a billiard/lounge room, fitness center with a yoga studio, an enclosed dog patch and a roof top deck offering spectacular city, Lake Union and Space Needle views.

For additional information about Marselle, please visit their website, Facebook page or contact us for a private showing. Disclaimer: Marselle is an advertiser of Seattle Condos and Lofts at the time of publication.

View current listings of Marselle condos for sale

Photos courtesy of Matrix Real Estate

This week’s condo digest includes another huge reduction at 744 Harvard, Marselle Condo’s sales and its 1521-esque homeowner testimonials, Hjarta’s relaunch and Matrix’s annual real estate survey.

First, if you didn’t catch it here, the 200 West Highland Condominium is coming back on the market, with a public relaunch event starting at 5 PM on Tuesday, November 16th. The Kendra Todd Group is now handling sales and marketing at the upscale project.

The Kendra Todd Group also took over the boutique 744 Harvard Condo project located in Capitol Hill’s renowned Harvard-Belmont neighborhood. Prices on the two remaining homes have been reduced up to $150,000. Unit #200 is now priced at $799,000 while the penthouse (#300) is available at $825,000. Both homes have been reduced approximately 57% since they first came on the market in 2008/2009.

The 132-unit Marselle Condominium development reports they are now 60% sold. They’ve recently started a new homeowner testimonial campaign on Facebook and Twitter, following in the footsteps of 1521 Second’s elegant promotion.

Ballard’s Hjarta Condominium hosted a broker’s open event on Wednesday drawing over 65 real estate brokers to celebrate its relaunch with Matrix Real Estate. Hjarta’s current prices reflect significant reductions.

Speaking of Matrix, they just released the results from their annual market survey. A few highlights from the 2010 survey include: 82% of respondents felt now is a good time to buy, though only 48% said they were considering buying within the next 24 months and 63% prefer to live in a denser close-in neighborhood with the ability to walk to amenities, but the majority preferred a single family house.

Interestingly, 49.9% of respondents felt prices will remain stable or improve in 2011, with only 23.4% believing prices will go down next year. Read the rest of the survey here.

The Hjarta Condominium in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood has changed sales teams and is reducing prices.

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 7800 Plaza Condominium (website) on Mercer Island is celebrating its completion and grand opening.

7800 Plaza is a concrete & steel boutique condominium featuring just 24 two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes, ranging from 1,300 square feet to over 2,000 square feet. These upscale homes are currently priced from $499,900 to $799,500.

Located in downtown Mercer Island at 7800 SE 27th, 7800 Plaza is conveniently located to numerous amenities with an 82 Walk Score. Its location also affords easy access to Seattle and the Eastside.

The Ruby Condominium in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood is down to its last 5 homes for sale.

Unit #101 – $304,500: 790 SF one-bedroom (currently the sales center)
Unit #107 – $289,500: 801 SF open one-bedroom
Unit #110 – $289,500: 801 SF open one-bedroom
Unit #112 – $289,500: 817 SF open one-bedroom
Unit #209 – $289,500: 801 SF open one-bedroom

View floor plans

One Main Street Condominiums (website) is hosting its Grand Opening this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 27th and 28th, with three model homes and a selection of other available homes for touring from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.   One Main Street is located at 10000 Main Street in Bellevue.

Visitors can enter for a chance to win one of three $500 gift certificates to Greenbaum Home Furnishings.

With construction nearly completed, this is the first chance for prospective buyers to tour and purchase these new luxury condos, most of which are ready to move in today.

One Main Street is a ten-story building with just 57 homes, constructed of concrete, yet designed in scale with the surrounding Old Bellevue neighborhood. The development features 37 unique floorplans with one or two bedrooms, and three-bedroom homes coming soon. Homes are thoughtfully designed with expansive kitchens, spa bathrooms, powder rooms for guests, and many have dens that are large enough to double as a guest bedroom.

Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the spaces with natural light and capture spectacular views of Meydenbauer Bay with the Downtown Seattle skyline in the distance, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountains and Downtown Bellevue. Many homes feature oversized decks and terraces, some pre-plumbed for your gas barbecue, extending your living room to the outdoors with plenty of space for your container gardens and outdoor living.

The gourmet kitchens feature custom-engineered German cabinetry, sealed limestone, quartz or granite countertops topping large work islands, glass tile backsplashes, Bosch appliances, and Zephyr venting hoods. The spacious spa bathrooms feature open walk-in showers, deep soaking tubs, double-sink vanities, radiant heat floors and heated towel rails.

Each home comes equipped with Lagotek wireless home automation with a video touch screen for front door monitoring, plus upgradable controls for lighting, blinds and media. The building has a formal lobby with controlled keypad entrance, concierge service, two high-speed elevators, and reserved, controlled-access garage parking and storage included with purchase (up to two parking spaces per home).

Scoring a near-perfect 91 on Walkscore.com, nearby are unique, local businesses that you can enjoy from a morning coffee at Gilbert’s to a happy hour cocktail at the 520 Bar and Grill. A convenient pedestrian walkway offers easy access to the Bellevue Downtown Park, (with Bellevue Square and Lincoln Square just on the other side), as well as waterfront access just two blocks away at Meydenbauer Park.

“The thought of living in Downtown Bellevue appeals to many people, but they don’t like the idea of the city noise and heavy traffic, and the feeling you are going to get run over trying to get across the street to your local restaurant,” says Mike Miller of Matrix Real Estate who represents One Main. “At One Main, you get all the benefits of living in Downtown Bellevue, but on a quiet street in a real neighborhood. You can step outside your front door and stroll to shopping or dinner, or just take a walk in the Meydenbauer waterfront neighborhood. It’s really the best of both worlds.”

Home prices range from the mid $300’s to $1.6 million. FHA financing is available requiring as little as 3.5% down. In addition, below-market jumbo interest rates are available for under 5% through our on-site preferred lender.

Community website: www.onemainstreet.com

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The Seattle Condo Blog

200 West Highland

Received word this past week that 200 West Highland received bank approval to begin closing. Currently, the upscale development has 5 homes under contract that it anticipates will close by the end of February.

200 West Highland is situated across the street from Queen Anne’s famous Kerry Park offering homeowners stunning views of downtown and Elliott Bay. Prices of the remaining homes range from $895,000 to $2,050,000.

Website: www.200westhighland.com

Marselle Condos

The Marselle Condominium sent out an update last week announcing that they’ve sold an additional 8 homes to start off the year. Of the remaining properties available, prices begin from $199,990.

Currently, Marselle has several incentives available – a special 95% Seller Financing, no mortgage insurance and no HOA dues until January 2011. Additionally, Marselle is FHA & VA approved.

Website: www.marsellecondos.com

Ruby Condos

The Ruby Condominium is now 65% sold! Comparatively speaking sales at Ruby have been brisk and confirms there is demand for well-priced entry-level condominium homes that are centrally located and close to downtown.

In addition, Ruby recently reduced prices across the board with all homes now priced below $300,000. Ruby is FHA & VA approved.

Website: www.rubycondos.com

The Leona Condominium on Queen Anne’s South Slope is down to its last available home, a fantastic brownstone townhome. Unit 1-B, the largest of the brownstones, features over 2,800 square feet of upscale living on three levels. To close out the development, it was just reduced $100,000 and is now being offered at $850,000. It was originally priced at $1,495,000.

Home features:

• 2-bedroom, 2.5 baths
• Epicurean kitchen features luxury finishes
• Stone slab countertop w/undermount sinks
• State-of-the-art appliances – Viking, Sub-Zero and Bosch
• Private rooftop deck
• Two years HOA dues paid by Seller

View floor plan – click to enlarge:

Today, Seattle-based residential real estate marketing and sales firms MCM Group and Williams Marketing, Inc announced the joint creation of a new company, Matrix Real Estate. With the most experienced professional sales staff in the region and listings valued at more than $300 million, Matrix will become the largest real estate firm dedicated to condominium and townhome sales and marketing in Washington.

The Matrix team will be spearheaded by partners Leslie Williams, founder of Williams Marketing, Inc, and Mike Miller and Chaun Mackey, co-founders of MCM Group. Mackey will also serve as the president of Matrix and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company. MCM Group and Williams Marketing, Inc will merge both companies’ talent, resources and employees into Matrix.

“This exciting collaboration means we will be able to provide our clients with the combined strength, broad knowledge and long-term experience necessary to excel in the current market and be well-positioned to capitalize on future opportunities,” Williams said. “We see Matrix Real Estate as a pace setter in this new chapter of the Seattle real estate market.”

Since 2005, Williams Marketing, Inc and MCM Group have each closed more than $1 billion in sales. Williams and Miller continue to provide developer and lender clients with unparalleled experience—offering services from site selection and product design consultation through construction, strategic pricing and marketing strategies. As Matrix, the firm will specialize in sales and marketing for condominiums, townhomes and high-rise communities in urban and suburban locations throughout the greater Puget Sound region and beyond.

In addition, the company will offer a rare combination of consumer-targeted capabilities with services for private resale clients and buyers as well as sellers of new construction and conversion condominium properties and townhome communities—a mix unique to the Seattle market. This consumer-focused approach will position Matrix as a one-stop-shop for homebuyers and sellers—whether they are looking to buy or sell an individual property or addressing the strategic marketing and sales needs of a larger project or community.

“This new relationship may come as a surprise to some because as staunch competitors for more than a decade, we were also each other’s most admired competitors; Williams Marketing, Inc and MCM Group have each had a formidable presence in the marketplace,” Miller said. “But as Matrix, we can now offer our sellers the strength of our collaborative partnership. When a seller hires Matrix, they’ll have me, Leslie, Chaun along with an entire team of seasoned professionals working collaboratively on the sales and marketing strategy.”

As leaders in the condominium and townhome sales and marketing industry, Matrix will represent some of the largest sellers and projects in the region including Vulcan Real Estate’s Enso and Veer Lofts communities in South Lake Union and Pryde + Johnson’s Hjarta project in Ballard, as well as its Florera project in Green Lake.

“The combination of MCM Group and Williams Marketing, Inc will give an unprecedented market share to Matrix,” said local real estate economist Matthew Gardner, principal at Gardner Economics, LLC. “No other real estate company in the Puget Sound region has the breadth of experience that Matrix will be able to offer to its clients.”

Suzie Langford, will be the vice president and broker of Matrix Real Estate while Kim Sharpe Jones will serve as vice president of marketing and Sera Venis will serve as the controller. For more information about Matrix, visit www.matrixrealestate.com.