The unit was renovated down to the studs meaning new electrical, new a/c-heater, new water pipes and much more.  At the same time people want new kitchens, new baths, crown molding and lots of windows.  I would guess this building was about 80 years old.

     This Garden District condo has two bedroom and one bath and is in a great location.  You are within half a block of St. Charles Ave. and public transportation via the New Orleans Street car line.  There is no parking but street parking in front of the unit does not seem to be an issue.  Most people living here would love to park and walk.

   The Condo features include 12 foot ceilings, crown molding, recessed lighting, renovated windows that work, under counter lighting, ceiling fans, custom cabinets, travertine tiles, upscale granite counter tops, new stainless steel appliances, and windows that still work.  Whenever you have windows with natural light and high ceilings the unit lives much larger than the 753 sq. ft. of living.  The condo fees are reasonable at $187 per month.  This cover insurance, flood insurance, water and up keep. The building has never flooded.  (more…)

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     One of the nice things about walking is that you get to see the sites.  There will be something for everyone to see.   I am sure the score did not give you the conditions of the streets or the joys of walking in our humid summers. Walking here you can easily work up a sweat which is not all that bad.  In New Orleans you can always dress down, fashion city we are not. 

     The Warehouse District scored a 92 on the test.  The French Quarter a scored 98.  There were no bonus point because you can walk and drink at the same time, it just has to be outside of a bottle.  Its the go cup which may have had it origin in New Orleans.

    The Warehouse District has a lot of small streets and wide sidewalks to make you walks easier.  This is a photo of Lafayette Street several blocks from the Super Dome, several blocks to the French Quarter, several blocks to the Mississippi River.

     You can actually walk across the Mississippi River for free on the New Orleans Algiers  Ferry which is free.  It operates from 6 am till Midnite from Canal Street.  Best way to ride is not to sit down but walk down to where the cars are.  There you get the breeze and the feel of the Mississippi River.  You can walk around while the ferry motors across.  The views are great and you cannot beat the price.  No meter maids will hassle you either.

     I did not check out the scores in the Uptown 0f New Orleans but I sure they are high as well.  Many people walk for their health in Audubon Park.  Take your dog along and it will become habit forming.

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     All the condos have secure garage parking spaces on the first floor with a secure entrance via elevators to the units on the 2nd and third floors.  The penthouses and terrances are on the top floor.  The Paragon condos were finished in August of 2000.  There has not been a lot of turnover since that time.

     The units are upscale with a lot of individual tastes put into each of the units.  Its not your typical developers units and the owners did a lot of custom work for their units.  The condos have wook floors , stained concrete floors, exposed brick, cypress beams, balconies, and garage parking.  The balconies are a real plus as few buildings in the area have them.  They have some great city views.  The larger units are in the 1700-1800 st. ft. range. 

     They are professionally managed and the owners have a very quiet complex on a one way street that is rarely ever very busy.  You have as many walkers as cars sometimes.

     There are currently 3 units in the building for sale.  A one bedroom for $345,000, a two bedroom for $519,000 and a penthouse for $629,000.  The last sale in the building was for 430k with the 2 previous sales dating back to 2005.  The sales price on those units were 700k for a super decked out corner unit and a 575k for another unit that I did not get to see.  As the price of the condos goes up I think you have fewer sales as people can afford to keep them longer.

    There are currently 38 condos in the Warehouse District for more than 500k that are for sale .  This number does include several pre-sales.  There are 11 units for more than a million.  The best of the units are selling but the competition is stiff for the things that people want.  Its much more than just the size of the unit in this price range.

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    This was the location of the former Scheinuk Florist where the Easter rabbits always were.   You have got to love the location and the fact that is residential rather than another drug store or fried chicken place. 

     The New Orleans Luxury Condo market welcomes new additions as this market is still developing as people decide that condo living can be a plus.  There just have not may many new developments in the uptown New Orleans market.  Most of the upper end condos have been built are on the Lakefront and in the downtown area.  Even in those areas there have been few in the last 5 years. 

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     If you want to get less and have the unit stay on the market longer then have a messy tenant that has little incentive in seeing the unit sold.  This can be an agents nightmare as its hard for people to overcome a picture of confusion.  We all have these and try to work around it but the results never seem to change.  It takes longer and you get less.  

    Agents and professional Stagers know how to spiff up a unit to make it salable.  You still have to be priced correctly but it always makes a difference.  Buyers are always going to look at 6-7 units before making a decision. Put your self in their shoes.  The 2 photos are good examples how you can make a room look a lot larger by doing away with outdated wall paper.  Doing things like this can pay dividends and you will get the unit sold quicker.  it is a competitive market and the best sell.

     On the other hand if you are the buyer you should get the wall paper discount as the unit tends to stay on the market longer.  It will end up selling for less as the seller did not figure this out or listen to the agent.  You see the wall paper discount daily, take advantage of it.

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     There are currently 181 units listed as active which includes some pre-sales and a good number of developer units.  There have bee 38 sales since May and there are currently 33 units under contract.  The price levels remain rather stable year over year.  Condo fees have leveled off as the effects of Katrina have vanished from the scene in this area of town.  The energy prices seem to be having little effect on the area.

      The energy prices may be having a positive effect on condo sales.  The commutes are small and the need for a car is much less in a downtown area.  You can walk more or take the streetcar to avoid the increased fuel prices.  I tend to see an even split of locals and new comers choosing this area as place to settle.

   The expansion of the World War Two Museum in the Warehouse District is moving along will a completion date of next summer.  The expansion will triple the size of the present day museum.  There are several new apartment complexes expected to be completed in the next year as well.  Lots of construction in the area.

      Rentals have been hard to find as owners are not renting the units out as much and the demand has eaten up most of the supply in most of the complexes.

      My son Marcus just moved back for Houston for a better job, now that is a switch.  He had been there since Katrina and wanted to return to a small town. 

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    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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    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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     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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       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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