Archive for July, 2008
New Orleans Luxury Condos-St. Elizabeths Condos-1314 Napoleon Ave-Plenty of history here.
July 10th, 2008 categories: New Orleans Condo Reviews, Uptown NOLA
One of a kind, yes! The St. Elizabeth Condos at 1314 Napoleon Ave. in Uptown New Orleans are truly unique in terms of history and quality in many of the restored units.
A little history of St. Elizabeth’s was built as a boarding school in the 1860’s and later in the 1870’s was turned into an orphanage. Before becoming condos it was the home of Anne Rice the famous New Orleans author who had restored much of the property to be used as her private home. The St. Elizabeths were transformed into historic luxury condos in Uptown New Orleans in 2005. This link will give you some ideas as to when Anne Rice had the home. Anne Rice-St-Elizabeths
The 28 units which encompasses the entire block with new town-homes built in the rear of the old building. I have not seen the units recently as not many have come on the market since they were completed in 2005. There is off street parking for all. A nice pool in the rear of the building. Exercise room and fenced grounds as common areas for all residents to enjoy. One person actually bought the Chapel to make it into a condo.
Many of the historic features were kept in tack such as exposed brick, ornate fireplaces and mantles, loft ceilings, crown molding, and wood floors. This along with the modern kitchens and many updates is like getting new construction. Since there are few resales the origional owners must be enjoying their home and investment.
There is currently one listing for sale in the complex. It is one of the new town-homes that are located in the rear of the complex. This is listed for $595,000. There have been a couple of sales since the beginning of 2007. One unit sold for $748,000 and was 2100 sq. ft. of elegant living which was $369 per sq. ft. There was also a large one bedroom unit that sold for $345,000 which was 1080 sq. ft. which is very large for a one bedroom in the New Orleans condo market.
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835 Julia Street, New Orleans Warehouse District-New Condo Project being completed!
July 6th, 2008 categories: New Orleans Condo Reviews
The 24 unit condo complex at 835 Julia Street is at the corner of Barone Street and Julia Street are condo conversions from an office building. There are 5 penthouses, 18 condo units on floors two and three and a retail condo on the first floor. The units have on site parking on the first floor. Looks like the average price is around $300 per sq. ft. with some more and some less depending on the size and view. Remember you get garage parking which is an easy 20k that you need to figure in the price.
The location is a little removed form the center of the Warehouse District but still has a good location that gets about the right amount of traffic. Everything is still an easy walk. The units are not pre-sales but by sales contracts meaning you just buy one and wait till its finished. You would still have time to choose many of the interior features such as flooring. The great thing is that you know its getting built as each unit is finished when you purchase.
The pricing start in the low 200k range and goes to the mid 400k range for the units that are left. The downtown market is still in good shape and would expect sales to continue to be moderate to good. Most are one bedroom units over 600 sq. ft. The prices seem to be very fair for a place that is all new. You could be the first to live in a unit as its not an upgrade but a new unit in an old building.
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Realtors have hobbies, Keeping the jungle in the backyard is mine!
July 5th, 2008 categories: NOLA Gardens
The weather in South Louisiana is great for growing things. Plants, insects and fish are all included. However I fool with the plant part. Most of the time you never have to water here with 60 plus inches of rain per year. You rarely have to worry about freezing during the day. Snow comes every 20 years or so, the most was in 1964 so its been a while.
This blog has little to do with New Orleans condos but you can grow some great plants in your condo with a little care, light and light food. These are plants in my yard in no orgainzed way. I can always find new plants when I show homes and can trade them with other backyard growers. You can always tie this in with photos to tie the hobbies togeather. Bonus points if you can name three of these!!
Read beneath the line so you too can enjoy some of my plants. When business slows there is always something to do.
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New Orleans Sparkles, Second Home Condo Market looking up!
July 4th, 2008 categories: Second Homes
“In a national survey, Americans voted online for the most “animated, brilliant, lively and vivacious” city in the United States. The winner–New Orleans! Yellowtail Wines sponsored the survey, and the city will receive its award, given by travel authority Pauline Frommer and Yellowtail, in front of St. Louis Cathedral, behind Jackson Square, on July 1. Welcome, and sparkle on!” Sharon Keating- New Orleans Travel Blog
This is a local travel blog I read weekly. Living here we do not always know what goes on as we are doing our thing which is New Orleans real estate. This is a blog I check into several times a week to see what is happening. Its the positive spots we all need to know. I sell more and more New Orleans second homes that are condos. If you run out of things to do you should check out the blog before you come to town.
This French Quarter and the Warehouse District have been hot spots for second homes with people even looking Uptown. The French Quarter is much, much cleaner than it used to be and people are taking more pride in all the areas since Katrina. There are becoming more family attractions than ever before and that is accounting for a lot of the new business. Some of it are people living in the New Orleans Metro area that want to stay close to home and have a place to visit that has a little excitement.
These areas are a great place to entertain and visit on a regular basis. Its easy to get people to accept an invitation. It tends to go against the grain as to what is happening in other real estate markets, but then a lot of things in New Orleans tend to be against the grain. Property taxes were lowered 30% in 2008. Charter schools are the norm. The Hornets are winning, the Saints should be winning and LSU are the college football champions for the 2nd time in 5 years.
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Louisiana State Bond Money, Bond Program is on the way!
July 3rd, 2008 categories: Julie's Mortgage Tips
Louisiana State Bond Money will be available in July. The State of Louisiana is offering help to people in certain income brackets to assist them in buying a home. Bond gives the borrower 4% of their loan amount towards the closing cost associated with the loan. I will post the rates when the new bond issue is released.
Julie Baudier
Baudier & Grace Mortgage (A Division of Standard Mortgage)
504-583-1793 Cell
This has worked for many of my clients over and over again. You just need to find out about the details as there are income and price limits. It is availaibe in all Parishes and can fit into different types of loans. It is on a first come basis and you must have an accepted contract. Details of the issue are not availiable at this time so stay tuned. The Bond money works for homes and condos.
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New Orleans Condos, How is the high cost of energy affecting condo sales?
July 1st, 2008 categories: Condo Knowledge
The high cost of fuel, energy and Insurance has made condos a great choice for a number of reasons. Most of the New Orleans condos that I am selling are going to be much smaller than the homes of the same price. This fact alone is going to make them much more efficient in terms of energy needs.
Smaller places are easier to cool and heating is never an issue in New Orleans. Many of the Warehouse and Uptown conversions are very well insulated with thick brick exteriors. You also get the honey comb effect of being next to other units and having units above and below yours gives you a natural insulation. Many condos open onto halls and covered common condo areas. People who own condos tend to spend a lot more time on the go for the job or for fun.
Smaller places need less things. You just run out of room. Katrina washed away a lot of things so the locals have learned to do with less. You buy less and when you do you buy something it is generally a higher quality item.
Most of the units I am now selling are in areas where you really do not need a car all that much as everything is nearly within walking distance. It give the owners more time rather than spending it commuting back and forth. Your time is worth a lot.
The vast majority of New Orleans condos that I am selling are in areas that did not flood during Katrina. Home owners Insurance is much lower for condos as the insurance pulls from a different pool and most had little damage. The entire condo fee is often times less than just the homeowners insurance on a home.
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