Updated price and photos

We’ve recently lowered the price to $385,000, and taken some new photos.  We didn’t use all the shots in our official listing, so I thought I’d post the extras here.

 The front door…

The kitchen.

A view of the kitchen and hallway, from the living room.  Note how great the slate floors look!

Another view of the living room.

Here’s a nice view of the back of the building, showing the secure garage door.

Oh, and one more thing:  as a part of the scheduled upkeep of the building the deck was just re-finished.  It looks great!

Restaurants near you

While we’re on the subject of walkability, check out Urban Eat’s “restaurants near you” feature.  Here’s the map for the Florentine.  Not a bad selection, eh?  And, they even managed to miss most of the places in the International District, not to mention a few south of the stadiums.  (via Sweet Digs.)

Walkability

Do you know your Walk Score?  This is a fun little site that rates your neighborhood based on proximity to stores, restaurants, coffee shops, schools, libraries, and more.  The Walk Score for the Florentine building is 94, or according to the site, a “Walkers’ Paradise.”  So, if your current place isn’t cutting it, move on in!

Be a real estate mogul!

A recent post about mortgage rates on the Rain City guide blog got me thinking about the investment potential of this unit.  So, let’s do a little back-of-the-envelope work here and see what the numbers could look like.

Let’s assume that you’ll take out a 250,000 mortgage, and put the rest down as a down payment.  At 5.9%, 30 years, that’s a payment of just under $1,500/month.  A quick look at Craigslist shows that you could probably rent this place out for at least $1,500/month, and probably even higher than that.  (Of course, you’d could also have the tenant pay the homeowner’s association dues, which would push the price up.)

I’ve heard, through the grapevine, that Seattle is currently facing a shortage of rental units.  Looking very quickly, I found one newspaper article along these same lines — and I’m willing to bet that more research would turn up similar stats showing that vacancies are low and rents are rising in town.

Anyway, in the short term, you’re looking at a wash.  It is in the long term where this deal works.  Even if the local real estate market slumps for a bit, values will rise in the long term.  And, rents will continue to go up…all the while you’re paying just $1,500/month.  So, you not only build equity, but you could also be profiting each month.

(Of course, you should do your own math prior to following this little plan.)

Open House this Sunday, 10/28

The weather report indicates that this Sunday will be a great day to check out open houses!  We’ll be open from 1-4pm on Sunday.  So, come on down to Pioneer Square, grab a cup of coffee at one of the many coffee shops, and swing on by the Florentine to see the unit.

(And, if this Sunday is like previous Sundays, there will likely be at least one other unit here open, so you can do an little compare ‘n contrast routine…I think you’ll find that 222 is easily the best deal!)

The Neighborhood: Art!

As you might know, Pioneer Square is Seattle’s art gallery “district”. The monthly “First Thursday” artwalks are the best-known example of this, and art galleries abound in the area. The Pioneer Square association even has a handy map listing all the galleries.

There is one gallery that I’d like to call out: ArtXchange. The reason I mention it is because the gallery is located in the Florentine building. (Like many condo buildings in the downtown and Pioneer Square area, the Florentine features first-floor retail.) From their website:

“ArtXchange has evolved from online gallery to private showroom and finally to our current gallery in Pioneer Square. Our expanded gallery allows us to mount exhibitions on a larger scale, as well as being a community asset for unique events such as art auctions, book-signings and tea-tastings.”

Oh, and they even rent artwork. There are a bunch of great spots to hang art in the building, should you be the lucky buyer! (Click the links under “Blogroll” to view the listing.)
Even if you’re not in the market for art, it can be fun to walk around during the exhibit openings on First Thursday, or at other times. It is just one more reason why Pioneer Square is a great place to live!

FAQs: What does the parking lift look like?

Matt at the Urbnlivn blog asked if I could post some pictures of the lifts in the Florentine garage, so I headed downstairs and took some snapshots.  Apologies in advance for the quality of the photos — I took these at night, so the light was less than ideal, and the garage isn’t exactly a perfect place to take pictures anyway.  But, hopefully you get the idea about how the parking works.  Leave a comment if you have any questions about parking here, or about the condo!

#1: Here’s a shot of a car up on a lift.  You’ll note that on the right hand side of the lift you can see the safety latch.  This ensures that the lift doesn’t come crashing down!

#2: A head-on view, showing a car on the lift and another parked below.  You’ll also note that the car in the spot on the left is parked on top of the lift, but was left in the down position.  You’ll also note that that is one big truck! 

#3: A shot from behind the lift.  Note the “lip” on the lift that ensures the car doesn’t roll off the back.

#4: Another side view.

#5: Another wide-angle view, from behind.

Buy this condo and lose weight!

Okay, that might be a bit of a stretch.  But, I think that living in a downtown environment like this can help you stay fit.  We’ve found ourselves walking much more here than we ever did in our previous location (a Seattle suburb that will remain nameless).  Trips that would have taken a car in other locations turn into easy walks when you live in a walkable neighborhood.

If you’re looking for something a bit more vigorous, there is a health club right across the street from the Florentine building: Seattle Fitness.

Of course, with all the cookies I’m making for these open houses, I might gain back the weight I lost while living here!

Neighborhood: Salumi

Salumi is a not-so-well kept secret of the Pioneer Square food scene.  Salumi makes the best cured meats you’re likely to find this side of Italy, and the operate a small storefront about four blocks away from the Florentine.  They’re only open Tuesday through Friday for lunch, meaning that those of us who don’t work in the neighborhood only get to visit every once in a while.  But, if you happen to be down here on a weekday and are looking for lunch, I highly recommend it.  The place is easy to find…head over to Third and Jackson, turn north, and look for the long line of people waiting to get inside.  Oh, yeah, that’s the other thing — you’ll need to devote some time to this lunch, as the lines can get long.  Like I said, it is well worth the effort.

Salumi is run by celebrity chef Mario Batali’s family, and has been featured all over the place.  Check out their press page for more.

FAQ: What are the transit options?

We’re a very short walk from the newly re-opened bus tunnel, so that’s a great option for running downtown.  The King Street station is two blocks away, so hopping a train to Vancouver or Portland is easy, as well as the Sounder commuter train.  The downtown ferry terminal is a short (5-10 minute) walk for easy access to Bainbridge or Bremerton.  And, the water taxi dock is about a 10-15 minute walk, in case you’re looking to take the easy way to West Seattle.

The condo is a short walk to the commercial and retail core of the city.  You could get to the downtown library in about 15 minutes or so, to give you an idea.

FAQ: What the traffic on game days?

It isn’t that bad…really!  Sure, we’re aware of when games are, as well as other big events, but getting in and out of the area is fairly easy.  For large events (Mariners and Seahawks games), Occidential is blocked off.  But, Florentine residents get a handy pass that lets us drive right past the roadblocks.  It really hasn’t been much of an issue at all!

One reason that traffic isn’t so bad is because there are a bunch of ways to get in and out of the area.  The condo is really close to I-5, I-90, and 99.  With I-5 (and, since it hooks to I-90), there are a bunch of exits and on-ramps, so it is easy to adjust your route if you’re worried about event traffic.  And, there are plenty of surface streets that can get you quick in and out of the area.

For I-5, we’re partial to the Dearborn exit/on-ramp (on-ramp is North-only; exit goes both ways).  It is rarely backed up, and the access to the condo is quick ‘n easy (exiting I-5: Dereborn to 4th to Jackson to Occidental).

Print a flyer

Need to print out a flyer? Perhaps you’d like to pass it along to a friend or co-worker? Get it here, in handy PDF format: Flyer.

(As an aside, I just got back from printing out a few of these flyers at a Kinkos. It took about five minutes to walk to the one at 4th and Jackson. Just pointing out how easy it is to get to services like this…)

Welcome Sweet Digs Readers!

Thanks to RedFin for featuring this little blog on their site. Make sure to check out all the posts, and feel free to leave a comment if you have a specific question!

Oh, and don’t forget to come by this Saturday for the open house, 1-3pm.

Let’s all go to the lobby…

If you have a chance to come by and tour the condo, the first thing you’ll see is the lobby, complete with tile floor and water fountain.  The elevators and mailboxes are located just beyond the archway, and there is also a door to the garage back there.

I had an interesting conversation today: I mentioned to someone that I have a Pioneer Square condo on the market.  She immediately asked if it was the Florentine — it turns out she remembers touring it a number of times five years ago when she was house-hunting.  The funny part was that she couldn’t stop talking about how cool the lobby was!

And, as an added bonus, I thought I’d throw in a picture of the front entrance.  The lobby picture above is taken just inside the front door.

Open House: Saturday, 1-3pm

Come on by this Saturday (the 20th) from 1-3pm for an open house. As I usually do when we have an open house, I’ll make some cookies. If you don’t come, I’ll be forced to eat the leftovers!

Plenty of places to work

Pioneer Square features plenty of places to work.  Maybe you already work for one of these organizations, and you’d like to walk to work, or maybe you’re in the market for a job change.  Here’s a list of notable places:

• King County’s King Street Center.
• Microsoft is moving into Pioneer Square, in a couple of locations.
• The office buildings adjacent to Union Station are home to a number of companies, including Amazon.com.
• Starbucks is putting up a new office building across the street from the Florentine, and their main headquarters is a mile or so south.
• The Hawks and the Mariners are next door!
• All of the shops and restaurants in Pioneer Square.
• All of downtown is just a short walk away.

The Kitchen

Another great feature of the condo is the kitchen.  Before we bought this place, we looked at a couple of other units in the building.  They had these odd little kitchen spaces, where stuff was tucked into a corner.  In contrast, this unit has a nice large kitchen, with plenty of counter space and a ton of storage in the cabinets.

We’re both enthusiastic cooks, and the kitchen has served us well.  There is plenty of room for prep and cooking, and it is an easy space to move about in.

As an added bonus, the kitchen has a large counter in the pass-thru area to the living room.  We’ve used this as a buffet area for parties, or you could easily put a couple of stools there and use it as an eating space.

Neighborhood: Zeitgeist

One of the conventions in real estate is that the owners clear out when a potential buyer wants to view the property.  Fortunately for us, we have tons of great places to hang out in.  Last time someone came to visit when I was home, I headed over to Elliott Bay Books and picked up some reading material.  Then I walked a block or so to Zietgeist to have a cup of coffee and read.

Zietgeist is probably the best coffee shop in the area, and that’s saying something given the number of good coffee shops in a four or five block radius.  They make great drinks, and have a decent-sized selection of snacks (but if you’re in the mood for a more serious food, head over to Grand Central instead). The place always seems packed no matter what time of day!

FAQ: Where are the two parking spots?

Both parking spots are located in the main floor garage.  The building features a large secure garage on the main floor (aka, the one you can see when walking down Occidental), and a number of “basement” garages.  The big advantage of the main floor garage is that it has easy elevator access.  The homeowners association provides a number of handy carts that you can use to wheel bigger items (or a bunch of groceries) from your car to your unit.

These parking spots use a lift system. The first car drives on the ramp, then the ramp is lifted up and secured.  Naturally, you’ll want to exit the car first.  Then, there is room to park the second car under the ramp.  Of course, this is a last-in, first-out situation.  One big bonus of the lift is that all our friends seem to think it is really cool.  So, buy the place and impress your friends!

Calling all Seahawks fans! Open House this Sunday

If you’re planning on being in the area this Sunday for the Hawks game, stop on by for an open house.  We’ll be here from 2-5pm, so you’ll have plenty of time to tour the condo and still be in your seats for the 5pm kickoff!

Oh, and don’t forget, if you bought this place, you wouldn’t be paying for parking when you went to the game!