The Seattle Condo Blog

Veer Lofts, located in Seattle’s South Lake Union district, has reduced prices and is offering a limited time $8,000 seller credit on any purchases before December 1, 2009. It is timed with the November 30th expiration of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. For purchases that close by November 30th, buyers will effectively receive $16,000 in savings ($8,000 seller credit and $8,000 tax credit).

Veer Lofts offer three styles of home layouts: flats, full 16′ two-level lofts and a hybrid flexi-loft layout. Flats start from $259,500, Flexi’s from $282,500 and the full-lofts from $379,500.

Website: www.veerlofts.com

The condo marketers version of musical chairs continues to go around as Williams Marketing takes over sales of Enso, and as of today, Veer Lofts.   It had been rumored that Vulcan was considering handling sales in-house after the contract with John L. Scott expires this month.   The Williams Marketing website also indicates they’ve taken over sales at The Pittsburgh.

Williams Marketing recently relinquished marketing and sales operations at Brix, Olive 8 and The Danielle.

Veer Lofts just announced special pricing on five homes for a limited time. Three of the units are top floor full-loft units while the other two are a flat and a flexi-loft unit.

The current pricing is available for homes that are purchased by July 1, 2009. In addition, Veer Lofts is providing a $500 California Closets credit and are waiving HOA dues till November 2010.

#317 – $270,000 flat, approximately 615 sq ft, previously offered at $275,000
#403 – $280,000 flexi-loft, approximately 635 sq ft, previously offered at $295,000
#606 – $465,000 full-loft, approximately 1,130 sq ft, previously offered at $485,000
#607 – $440,000 full-loft, approximately 957 sq ft, previously offered at $475,000
#617 – $395,000 full-loft, approximately 906 sq ft, previously offered at $399,000

A few local condo projects are now claiming a place on the social networking site, Facebook. With more than 175 million users, Facebook provides another venue to tout new condo projects as well as to bring new owners and future neighbors together.

Marketer/Developer created Facebook pages/groups:
- Brix
- Veer Lofts
- Enso
- Rollin Street
- Trace
- Maison Jiselle

Buyer/Owner created Facebook pages/groups:
- Veer Lofts owners group
- Rollin Street buyers (profile page, “friends” accepted once purchase is verified)

Besides Facebook, a few condo community blogsites have also been popular for owners, residents and condo aficionados alike – Cosmo Seattle, Fast Times at 2200, The Grandview and Mosler Lofts (restricted).

DISCLAIMER: This information is presented to provide an overview of Fannie Mae’s condo guideline changes. For specific information and questions, please consult with your mortgage loan officer.

Recently, TSCB noted two new mortgage fees implemented by Fannie Mae affecting condo buyers — a .75% condo add on fee and a 1.75% additional fee for investors — both applicable to loans with a loan-to-value rate greater than 75%.

Well, there’s more. Effective March 1, 2009, Fannie Mae is implementing condo guideline changes “in light of the current condo market and the need to mitigate risk on condo loans”. Some of these changes may affect a buyer’s ability to obtain conventional condo loans for new and established condos.

A condo project is “established” if 90% of the units have been sold, is complete and the HOA has been turned over to the owners. A condo project is “new” if less than 90% have been sold, is not completed, is subject to phasing or if the HOA has not been turned over to unit owners.

Overview of Fannie Mae condo guideline changes:

• For new construction and newly converted condo developments, 70% of the units must be pre-sold (closed or under contract). This is being increased from 51%.
• No more than 15% of a condo project units can be more than 30 days delinquent on HOA dues. This is an existing guideline that is now being applied to new condo projects. The calculation was also changed from being 15% of HOA fee payments to 15% of total units.
• Fidelity insurance will be required for condos with 20 or more units, ensuring that homeowner association funds are protected. Presently, this requirement applies to new projects and is now being extended to include established condos.
• A requirement that borrowers must now obtain a condo-owners insurance policy unless the master policy provides interior unit coverage; coverage may not be less than 20% of the assessed value. A condo-owners policy, known as an HO-6 policy, covers personal property, personal liability, and the physical unit from the studs and in. Many policies also include special assessment coverage or the option to include a special assessment coverage rider.
• No more than 10% of a project can be owned by a single entity.
• No more than 20% of a project can consist of non-residential space.
• The homeowners association must have at least 10% of its budgeted income designated for replacement reserves and adequate funds budgeted for the insurance deductible.

According to a Fannie Mae, the guidelines can be modified for condo projects on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, these guidelines may not apply to all condo projects.

What effect will the changes have?

The revised guidelines may affect a buyer’s ability to obtain a conventional loan for either a new or established condo if the project does not conform. Most notably, it’ll affect new developments and it’s already having an impact on at least two new projects. Vulcan recently sent a letter to buyers at its Rollin Street Flats project in South Lake Union notifying buyers of the new 70% pre-sold guideline and extending closing until April 15th at the earliest.

As it stands, Vulcan may be unable to close any of the units at Rollin Street unless (1) they continue to extend closing until 70% of the units are under contract, (2) seek modification under a Fannie Mae expedited review process, (3) find a lender willing to hold the loans in their portfolio, or (4) convert the use of the building.

Ruby Condominiums in Eastlake is holding off closings until there are enough sales to qualify under the guidelines…that could be awhile. Ruby is FHA approved so that offers qualified buyers an alternative, though Ruby must have 25 sales under contract before it can begin closing FHA buyers. Its developer, Barrientos, is a major apartment developer as well, so reuse may be an option. In both cases, buyers are left in limbo.

The new guidelines may also apply to other recently completed and/or soon to be completed projects including Enso, Veer Lofts, Equinox, Alex, Duncan Place, Leona, Lakeview Residences, Brix, Eleven Eleven, The Danielle, The Dakota and Marselle — that is unless they’ve been approved for a lower rate under a case-by-case expedited review process. Quite frankly, though, I expect a few of these won’t end up as condos.

If there is a silver lining, it’s for sellers at established condo developments who’ll have reduced competition from new construction developments.

Statement from Vulcan:
Vulcan has informed our buyers of the new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regulations because Rollin Street is at a level of pre-sales that is under what is mandated by the new guidelines. As these guidelines affect the ability of our buyers to obtain financing and close on their purchases, we felt it was important to communicate these challenges as soon as possible. We are working to understand the new guidelines and how they will ultimately affect the property and our buyers. We will be communicating what we know about these changes and their impact in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

Veer and Enso are at a higher level of sales and pre-sales respectively and our goal is to continue to close units in those buildings as buyers come to the closing table.

Response from Williams Marketing (per comment below)
As of today [2/20/09], Ruby has partnered with a local lender (Seattle Mortgage) looking to actually lend money! They have committed to close homes now, ie, we are move-in ready with no pre-sale requirement. We are also working with other regional lenders for additional commitments to close homes with no presale requirements. Ruby on Eastlake is both FHA and VA approved, so buyers can take advantage of every financial opportunity to get into new home ownership.

Posting has been revised.

Veer Lofts – South Lake Union:
Offering special, limited time pricing on six units that closes by February 22, 2009. The units, two flats and four flexi-lofts, are being offered between $285,000 to $299,000. The flexi’s were priced in the high-$300,000’s, so good deals. The two flats are approximately 750 sq ft, one a corner unit with lake view and the other with city views. Two of the flexi’s have city views and two are on the back side with Space Needle views. www.veerlofts.com

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

Veer Lofts has adjusted prices of its full-loft homes located on the 1st and top floors. The full-loft homes have 16′ ceiling heights with either private patios or decks.

The first floor lofts that include interior as well as street-side entrances now start in the very low $400,000s while the top floor homes, depending on floor plan, now begin in the high-$400,000s to low-$500,000s.

The flexi-loft prices were not adjusted though I’m sure they’ll be flexible with those units as well.

www.VeerLofts.com

Veer Lofts (www.veerlofts.com), Vulcan’s first South Lake Union condominium/loft project to complete (technically the 2200 is not in SLU) received its temporary certificate of occupancy recently, and first move-in is expected shortly.

With Veer, Vulcan seeks to emulate a trendy industrial loft feel with open spaces accented with heavy timber beams, concrete and metal. The six-story building contains 99 homes with three distinct home plans – flats, lofts with a flexible space and two-level full lofts.

Prior to the TCO, our only glimpse of Veer was through the rather limited kitchen vignette at the SLU Discovery Center. And, honestly that single vignette provided an underwhelming impression of Veer, especially when compared to Vulcan’s other under-construction projects – Enso & Rollin Street.

I had the opportunity to tour Veer this week and I must say that it exceeded my expectations; partly because the finish materials are higher quality than originally sampled. And, also because the interior layouts exhibit an efficient use of space. Though, there were a couple of odd quirks. The in-unit exposed sprinkler pipes were not symmetrically installed. There may be a building code reason for this, but visually it was distracting. And, in the common stairwells, the sprinkler pipes hang below the ceiling decreasing overhead clearance, which is only an issue if you’re hauling large items up and down the stairs. At least in two flexi-lofts units I toured, the access point to the loft area was hindered by the ceiling beams that effectively decreased the height of the opening. I’d be hard press to visualize the flexi-loft space as anything other than storage. But, that’s fine. There’s more than ample living space on the main level.

Inside, the light colored concrete floors on the main level and over-sized windows provided more than ample ambient light. In the flats, a 3/4 height kitchen wall allows light to pass through to the sleeping alcove. The top-level full-loft homes are impressive with its soaring 16′ ceiling height, multiple decks and territorial city views. Curiously though, to access the private outdoor space (top-floor units) you’ll need to step out through a window opening, which is smaller than shown in renderings.

Veer Lofts has a number of units available offering an excellent array of home options, primarily flexi and full-lofts. There is only one flat still available, unit #207 that’s being offered at $404,950. This is a 751 square foot unit with windows on three sides offering views of downtown and Lake Union.

The flexi-lofts, located on the 4th and 5th floors, range in size from approximately 600 to 740 square feet and are being offered between the upper-$300,000s and upper-$400,000s. One note about the flexi’s, the stated square footage does not include the loft space, which would add an additional 250 to 350 square feet. The full-lofts, located on the 1st and 6th (top) floor, range in size from approximately 807 to 1,073 square feet. The 1st floor homes start from the upper-$400,000s while the top floor homes begin in the mid-$500,000s.

An on-site sales office and staged model homes will open to the public beginning Thursday, October 9th. The sales office hours are 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

Veer Lofts Versus …

Three other recently completed new construction developments provide homes with similar layouts to Veer. These include Madison Lofts, Gallery and Mosler Lofts. Here’s my impression on how they compare to Veer.

Madison Lofts
Madison Lofts is a much smaller building with only 20 loft homes compared to the much larger 99-unit Veer. All of Madison Lofts’ homes are multi-level full-lofts with 16′ ceiling height, on-par with Veer’s full-lofts. Homes at Madison Lofts essentially start from the upper-$400,000s, though two larger units with expansive outdoor space begin at just under $1 million.

With a few exceptions, the interior layout and square footage between the two projects are quite similar. But, Madison Lofts scores more points for better construction (concrete/steel vs. wood frame), a more polished interior with better quality finishes and more usable, larger exterior spaces. Veer gains points for its central location, in the middle of the yet to be fully realized SLU district and close to downtown. Madison Lofts, on the other hand, is tucked way next to the arboretum, a good 15-20 minutes from downtown.

Gallery Townhomes
The Gallery condominium in Belltown is in the final stages of completion with residents already moving-in. At one point Gallery offered “SkyLofts”, two-level loft units on the upper floors, but eventually replaced those with single-level flats. Fortunately, for those interested in loft living, Gallery did retain its ground floor loft-styled townhomes. Though, these are aimed towards a different demographic and are larger, ranging in size from 1,000 to 1,195 square feet. They’re also priced quite a bit higher, between $622,000 and $740,300.

Gallery is a concrete and steel building located within the established Belltown neighborhood, so it has an edge over Veer in that respect. With its refined interiors, it lacks the urban industrial character of Veer and Mosler. Gallery offers a greater variety of home options which will appeal to a more diverse homeowner base as well.

Mosler Lofts Townhomes
The concrete and steel constructed Mosler Lofts, also located in Belltown, offers similar ground floor loft-style townhome units. Mosler has a more industrial aesthetic compared to Veer, with exposed concrete walls and ceilings and exposed HVAC ducts, but does have higher quality finishes and more common amenities.

Presently, only one of the five loft-townhomes is available. It’s a 962 square foot home offered at $579,000, which competes directly with Veer’s top-floor lofts. Although, Mosler has a superior build quality, more amenities and located in an established area, on price, a top-level Veer unit is a compelling option. Veer’s top-floor lofts offer city or lake views, private decks and a greater sense of security.

Veer Lofts is located in Seattle’s most aggressive urban renewal and reinvention projects, South Lake Union. Led by Paul Allen’s vision, SLU is actually an amalgamation of numerous entities that represent diverse interests – educational and research institutions, market-rate and low-income residential development as well as commercial/office developments. Local companies setting-up shop in SLU include Group Health, UW Medicine, Rosetta, Tommy Bahama, Amazon, Microsoft, Weber Thompson and NBBJ. Additionally, Microsoft is expected to be the principal tenant of the 2201 Westlake office building (Enso).

One Main Street – Bellevue, just announced they will begin hard hat tours soon. Call the sales office to make an appointment if you’re interested. Visit www.onemainstreet.com for more info.

Gallery – Belltown, recently relocated their sales office into a townhome unit in the Gallery building at 2nd and Broad. They have a couple of model homes staged and should have seven model homes ready shortly. The first five floors are complete and residents started moving-in this past Friday.

I recently toured the property but the sales staff was a bit disheveled and only had keys to one unit, and couldn’t provide access to common amenities. I’ll reserve judgment of the development until I can get back for a comprehensive tour. But, if there was one item I was disappointed with it was heating – baseboard and stand alone forced air wall heaters, in a $600,000 unit no less. There are still assignment opportunities available, just saw one on Craigslist. For more info on Gallery, visit www.liveatgallery.com.

Veer Lofts – South Lake Union, is nearing completion and expects to receive its TCO in the next week or two, with first move-in by the end of the month. Currently, the project is about 60% sold so there’s still a number of options for anyone interesting in pioneering SLU condo living. Visit www.veerlofts.com for more info.

Canal Station – Ballard, hosted an agent event last night, a final push to close out sales in phase two. A recent price reduction may make the development appealing to hesitant buyers with one-bedrooms starting from $265,000 and two-bedrooms from $415,000.

I spoke with a owner in phase one who lamented the falling values, especially now that phase two is priced below phase one. At the present, he’s realizing a decent-sized loss in value, but hopefully the new pricing will entice buyers, leading to a reduction in Ballard’s condo inventory. Visit www.canalstation.com for more info.

1521 – Downtown, expects first move-in to begin this November.