Atlanta Intown Lofts

Okay folks…

What two cross streets is this building located and name at least one business tenant in the building! You will win, guess what? Yes, a 10$ gift certificate from the Vortex Bar and Grill.

First of all, I swear I am not being paid by the Novare Group to write about their projects. They just happened to have two finishing up at the same time and therefore, I figured I would write about them both. (Twelve at Centennial Park is the other one.) I must say I am not disappointed in the least with either of them.

Viewpoint, located on Peachtree between 6th and 7th Street offers you living space in the vicinity of at least 50 restaurants, 25 or so shops, and Atlanta’s cultural spots including the High, Fox Theatre, and Piedmont Park - all within a mile of this grand condominium. Talk about living within walking distance to lots of stuff - it feels like you are living in a real city, where walking should be the norm.

I had heard rumours that this was supposed to be a condo for young partying people who had money to spend, but as I walked in, I did not get that vibe. The lobby (and hallways for that matter) are all painted in warm, rich colors of black, red, and brown. It certainly is made to feel like you are home. Viewpoint is also the only condo that has two separate amenity outside areas - between a very large clubroom. One side includes a big pool and grills large enough to “cook a goat on,” said my very fun tour guide and Sales Rep, Mike Sales (yes, that is his real name…) I doubt many people will be roasting goats, but you could on these things. The other side offers benches, a fabulous outside fireplace, and lots of greenspace - yes, all on the 11th floor of the building. I loved it!

The condos themselves are nicely done and of course include floor to ceiling windows, “premium granite” counters in the bathrooms and the kitchen. The bedrooms are a bit small and the only thing that bugged me was the fact that the closet space had mirrored doors. Really? All condos are of course teched-out as I say and are wired for I-pods, Internet, etc. The views from all sides is lovely and you have choices of tree lined views or of course city views.

Viewpoint is priced appropriately for Midtown and for what it offers. They have also sold about a third of the condos already.  The prices range from 195K for one bedrooms up to 500K for 2 bedrooms (this includes a lot of stuff.) Or if you are in the market, there are 3 penthouse suites from 1.1 to 1.5 million. Call me if you buy one and I will come hang out and watch you cook your goat as I wade in the magnificent pool looking out over Midtown/Downtown…

The sales office is located across the street if you want to take a tour. (Pictured below: the pool and the grilling area.)

Technorati Tags: Viewpoint, High, Fox Theatre, and Piedmont Park

Okay readers…what two streets am I intersecting AND what two buildings am I looking at? So there are 4 answers here- 2 streets and 2 buildings… You win a $10 gift certificate to the world famous Vortex. (The owners were nice enough to give me quite a few certificates…)  Congrats to Stephen who won the last one!

The Novare Group has outdone itself. Maybe I am just giddy because I went into a great unit on the 23rd floor of Twelve at Centennial Park, but who cares. It is grand. I will be honest and tell you that I am not a big fan of another one of their projects, The Spire in Midtown, but alas, Twelve at Centennial outdoes many high rises I have been in.

First off, there is the view. Smack dab in the center of it all- on one side all of Downtown and on the other side, Midtown and Buckhead. I don’t know if you can beat it. Then there are the amenities - a gorgeous clubroom, an elevated pool and tiki bar, a fitness center, the concierge, the list goes on and on. And if that isn’t enough, you are close to all new restaurants including FAB, Room (attached to Twelve under their “boutique hotel”,) and a host of other buzzing places to be. ( I even hear that Mellow Mushroom is opening at Twelve in the summer.)

Okay, to the actual units. I took a tour with Gay Bennett, a fabulous Sales Rep with Twelve and we hopped on the elevator to the 23rd floor. Wow. The two bedrooms are polished and refined and nothing is missing as far as I could tell. (Pictures on their website are better than what I took.) They include granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, 10 foot ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, really nice cabinetry, large balconies, wired for cable and Directv, open living areas, and nice bathrooms- oh, and big balconies that made me sweat because I am afraid of heights. The one bedroom unit I saw was loft like and very interesting. It was open and flowed very nicely.

This is true city living/high-rise living/grand living/ and it all seems like very fine living to me. The prices are spot on and they seem to be doing well selling them as over half the building is sold. I now look forward to seeing what the W has to offer next door.

Prices at Twelve: One bedrooms from the $190’s to $270’s and two bedrooms from the $300’s to the $460’s. Penthouse condos are in and above the $500K range.

Pictured below is the view of Downtown and Midtown from really high up!

Technorati Tags: Novare Group, Twelve at Centennial Park

Lately, I have noticed a lot more “short sales” happening in the condo/housing market in Atlanta, and wanted to learn more about them, so I started doing a lot of research. I have found a couple of good articles for buyers about short sales and the pros and cons that can occur with one. Instead of me rambling on about a short sale, take a look at the two articles I found - and do your research before you buy a short sale property!

Home Buying at About.com

Business Week

Technorati Tags: short sale property

Okay, folks. I am trying to get a bit harder since you people are way too good at this. Also, if you have already won, I say you can’t win again for a while. (I haven’t made up that time line yet.) But, if you would like to e-mail me your guess anyway, please feel free. Those of you who have never won, please play and comment!

So, where am I? What street am I on in the metro Atlanta area and what part of Atlanta am I looking at (with all those tall buildings that is…?) The lucky person will receive a $10 gift certificate to the Vortex Bar and Grill if you guess right! And congrats to our last winner, Rob, for correctly locating where I was in #6.

Decatur, a little city that is hopping distance to downtown Atlanta (15-20 minutes on surface streets) includes a community/neighborhood called Oakhurst. Oakhurst has fabulous schools, great trees, walking streets, and a wonderful neighborhood feel. You don’t see many townhomes in Oakurst, but I know of some called Oakhurst Commons (and they have unfortunately been here for quite some time.) In a nut shell, there must have been some developer financial problems, because these things are bank owned and you can get a steal for really nice 4 bedrooms/3.5 bathrooms or 3 bedrooms/2.5 bathrooms. They range from $299,900 to $365,000. Yes, you read that right. 299K-365K. Brutus and I decided to go take a look. (He is in the Prius as I take pictures above.)

Many people who live in this neighborhood (and surrounding ones) want a home with a big yard, but really I must tell you, you are not going to get this nice and large of a home for these prices in this part of town. And yards just cost money - so go sit out on the deck instead . The townhomes at Oakhurst Commons are 3 floors and include a two car garage, a nice kitchen (with granite counters and a gas stove) that is open to the den area with a gas fireplace. The main floor also includes a dining area (or office area) whichever you prefer and it all flows nicely. The bedrooms are a good size and the bathrooms are standard (nothing too fancy in these.)

So, again, I think you are getting a great deal on these townhomes and you are living in a wonderful area of the city - very close to Agnes Scott in fact. Oh, and there is a large Decatur park behind the Oakhurst Commons that includes a skate park, a wonderful baseball field, a play area and nice trails. Go take a look - and visit the Universal Joint while you are in the area - I’ll meet you for a burger and a beverage. (Below are pictures of the den with hardwood floors and french doors leading to the deck and the kitchen taken from the den.)

Technorati Tags: Decatur, Oakhurst, Agnes Scott

A 20-story office tower is set to move forward and further change Buckhead’s skyline. This $175 million project, called Phipps Tower, will sit on 3 acres across from the Ritz-Carlton on the Buckhead Loop.

The developers have decided to follow the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System on this project.

I wrote about Oakland Park a few months back, but wanted to update you on the award the development has received. Oakland Park is now a certified green project. The development recently celebrated the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

Oakland Park is the first multi-family project in Atlanta to receive this certification by the US Green Council. Now it is time for other condos in Atlanta to Go Green. (I know of one on Dekalb- the second phase of the Marble Lofts.) Congrats again!

Technorati Tags: Oakland Park, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification

There are 14 foreclosures/corporate owned condos and lofts in the 30305 zipcode. This zipcode of course includes Buckhead (along with sections of Pharr Road and East Paces Ferry.) Starting at a mere $72,621 (I love that figure), you can buy a 1/1 condo at 430 Lindbergh. The highest price listed is a 2/2 at Parkplace on Peachtree for $649,900. There are a couple of units available at the Peachtree Residences (one is a 1/1 for $214,900 and the 2/2 is $337,500).

There is one loft at the Mathieson Exchange Lofts($270,000 for a 2/2), and a nice looking 1/1 (according to pictures) on the 14th floor at Paces 325 for $193,000.

The best descriptions and pictures come from the listing at the Plaza Towers on Peachtree of a 2/2 for $468,000. This one looks really nice.

So, there you have it. Let me know if you want any more information on any of these. (Below is a picture of your view from the condo at Park Place on Peachtree for $649,900.)

Technorati Tags: 14 foreclosures/corporate owned condos and lofts in the 30305 zipcode, Buckhead