What is it like to live in a condo?

I live in a condo at the south waterfront in Portland Oregon, and there are a few things about living in condos that I would like to share with readers.

I have a great view.  Because many condos are high rises, many condos have great views.  I love the great view, especially at night.

They build condos where people want to live, so the location plays a huge role in the decision to buy a condo.  There are no free standing homes in the South Waterfront or the Pearl District, so if you want the convenience of living downtown in these neighborhoods, condos, townhouses and apartments are your only options.

Living in a condo is very convenient is some ways, and awkward in other ways.  It is super convenient having a trash chute just a few feet away from my door.  Underground parking is awesome. Having a concierge is fantastic.  There aren't any bugs on the 19th floor.  Seriously, I haven't seen a single spider, ant or moth since I live here.

Riding the elevator is awkward.  You are in a box with a stranger for 30 seconds or a minute.  Grocery shopping is awkward.  If you have more than what you can carry in one load, you have to get a cart or make more than one trip.

There is almost no noise transfer in this building, but I would never play loud music.

I love living in a condo.  It is a lifestyle choice that really works for me.

Atwater Place Condos

Atwater Place Condos at The South Waterfront in Portland, OR


















23 Story Building with Leed Gold Certification















The Atwater has condos and townhouses on the Willamette River














Kitchens have stainless appliances, granite counters, large islands, hood vented to outside, cabinet front diswashers and high quality cabinets with easy close feature.














The lobby features an amazing art collection, with art from Lucinda Parker. There is also a concierge and 24 hour security at The Atwater.














River View (from unit 812)

Party Room

Walkway along the Willamette River

Community Garden, as seen from Unit 812

Atwater Place Condominiums are high end, high quality condos, at surprisingly low prices. The Atwater building was finished in 2007, but there are still some developer units left. Out of 214 units in the building about 50 condos are still available. The current prices of the developer units start at $299,900 and go up to 1.3 Million. The sizes of range from 1060sf to 2350sf.

Sales have been steady of the past few months at 4 to 5 units per month, and the average asking price of available units is about 600K.

The Atwater was built with very high quality standards. For example, the walls between units are really two walls. There are two rows of metal studs and double sheets of drywall on each side of the wall. This helps keep the condos quiet. There is also several layers in the floor/ceiling constuction: hardwoods or carpet, padding, concrete, padding, concrete, airspace, insulation or noise abatement material and then drywall. This multilayer constrution keep sound transfer to a minimum.

I am a Realtor in Portland Oregon, and I am currenty representating a buyer who is buying a condo at the Atwater. Their staff is very nice and informative. Kudos to Sheridan, Cassie and Bob for their assistance with the transaction and for the information that they have given me.

On June 12th, there will be a "Designer Showcase" with 3 designers with 5 featured units. Let me know if you will be able to attend this event.

For more information about Atwater Place or other Portland Condos please give me a call: 503-810-2219 Brian Porter

Eliot Tower, Portland Oregon

Condos in Portland fall into two main categories: those that have a concierge and those that don't. The Eliot does have a concierge, and they also have a gym, a party kitchen, an outdoor BBQ area and eating area, a library, a meeting room and an impressive lobby with very high ceilings. It is a very nice building built during Portland's condo boom of 2006. It managed to sell out before the crash occurred, and it has not been as negatively affected as condos that were finished in 2007 or later.

The Eliot has 223 units, from large to small, and currently there are 10 units for sale. That is less than 5% of the units... not bad. The lowest price unit is $319,000 for 917 sf ($348) per square foot), and the most expensive unit is $2,700,000 for the 18th floor penthouse ($616 per square foot).

Not only is the Eliot Tower a luxurious building, it is one of only a handful of condo buildings in Downtown Portland, and its location is truly stellar. Right across the street from the Portland Art Museum, and next door to Safeway. It also is on Portland's streetcar line.

Portland has 3 main condo areas near or in downtown. The Southwaterfront (The Meriwether East and West, The John Ross and the Atwater), Downtown (The Eliot, The Benson, The Harrison, Portland Plaza, American Plaza etc.,) and the Pearl District, with way to many condo buildings to mentions. The South Waterfront is still in its infancy. Just 4 condo buildings, and not quite the "critical mass" to support commerce. Downtown is very grown up, with all types of commerce and cultural activities, and the Pearl District is boutique living. Of the downtown condos, the Eliot is the most sophisticated and quality building, and the location can be beat.

Follow the link to see more photos of the Eliot and get more information about Portland condos.

Portland Condos, The Meriwether, South Waterfront

There are two Meriwether buildings at the south waterfront. The East tower is adjacent to the Willamette river and the West Tower is set back a little bit from the river, but it still offers river, city and mountain views. The two towers share underground parking and several common elements, but they both have their own concierge.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see unit 2305 at the Meriwether West. It is a two bedroom, two bath unit with river, city and mountain views. It has 1608SF and it is currently selling for 499K. It comes with 2 parking places and storage unit. At $311/sf it is one of the best deals out there on downtown condos. The only downside of this condo is that the taxes are almost $800/month.

The finishes of the Meriwether common areas are very nice. Not as much art as the Atwater, but very nice all the same.

The south waterfront is growing up. It still needs more retail space to give it the vibrant feel that the pearl district enjoys, but on my most recent trip down there, I observed a few more stores and restaurants. It is only a matter of time before the south waterfront reaches the critial mass required to be a vibrant downtown district. For the moment, the streetcar will take you to downtown, the pearl or 23rd ave.

The south waterfront is still has the best deals on condos, but inventory is drying up.

The Casey Condos, Portland Oregon

The Casey Condos in Portland, OR are among the most exclusive and expensive condos in the Pearl District.

I have had the opportunity to visit the Casey 3 times over the past few weeks, and it is truly an impressive building. The architects, designers, builders and craftsmen have paid attention to detail and have created a beautiful and unique condominium. From the self opening doors, to the concierge, to the bullseye glass art that adorns the lobby and hallways, all of the elements are in place to have quality building.

Furthermore, The Casey was the first residential high rise building in the USA to receive the coveted LEED platinum certification for “green” building. The Casey was designed to us 32% less water and 52% less energy than similar buildings.

There are about 290 condos for sale in the 97209 zip code (mostly in the Pearl District), but there are not any units in the Casey currently listed in the RMLS.

The Casey is located at 311 NW 12th Ave. at the corner of NW 12 and Everett, and it has 61 units on 16 floors. That is an average of only about 4 units per floor. There is commercial space on the main floor including the outstanding Café Umbria.















The Concierge
















Living Room (unit 903)

This blog was posted on 7/20/2010

Portland Condos

The Benson Towers, Condos in Portland Oregon

One Portland Condo that should not be overlooked is Benson Towers located in SW Portland at 11th Ave and Clay. It is on the streetcar line, 2 blocks from Safeway, 2 blocks from the Park Blocks and close to the cultural district and PSU. The units are somewhat small, but the use of space is impressive. I recently view a 603sf one bedroom, and it seemed more livable than most 800 sf studios that I have seen. They 910 sf units are actually 2 bedrooms, so this is one of the few buildings downtown that offer 2 Bedroom units for less than 400K. The prices have come down quite a bit of the past two years, and an example of the pricing of the building is unit 2002 at $438/sf x 910SF = $399,000. I was told that this unit was formerly over $500,000.

The condos at the Benson have walls of windows and fantastic views, terraces, gas appliances, teak floors, quartz countertops and other high end finishes. The building has an outdoor garden, fountains, secure parking, a library, and a fitness center with a Jacuzzi. This is a very nice building that was finished just as the market started to take a turn for the worse. However, it is over 90% sold out, and the most of the remaining units have never been lived in.

I revisted the Benson on January 15th, and they have a 2BR plus a den condo for about $375,000. It is a corner unit and it has a view of PSU and a park. It is a bank owned property, and I think it is a great deal.

Pearl Lofts Condominiums, Portland Condos

The Pearl Lofts Condominiums are located at 1009 NW Hoyt at the corner of NW 10th and Hoyt. Rumor has it that this was the first "new" condo building in the Pearl when it was built in 1994. These condos were built as entry level housing at the time, but over the years, the Pearl District has become more and more expensive, and the prices at the Pearl Lofts Condos has gone up quite a bit as well. There is a very interesting condo for sale at the Pearl Lofts right now. It is a two story loft with 17' ceilings in most of the condo. It has 2 bedrooms and 1 and a half baths and about 1400sf. It has windows facing every direction and incredible light. It needs some updating, and can be purchased for about $399,900. But on a price per square foot basis, this place is a good value. Follow this link to see additional photos.