Expansive vistas pan north, west, and south through barely-there walls of floor-to-ceiling windows in this swish penthouse atop the Mosaic at Hermann Park, one of the twin-ish 30-story condo towers across from the park’s eastern edge. Do the panoramas and high-end custom finishes from a 2012 update to the 2008 space merit the listing’s asking price of $2.05 million? It last sold in 2009 for $930K, but back then the FDIC and a group of investors had control of the property following sequential foreclosures on the condo tower and its neighboring rental twin (once named The Montage).
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Visible sky and horizon further open up the 3,143-sq.-ft. floor plan, which places the sleek, luxury kitchen toward its center:
The route to the master retreat maxes out the northern light:
A glass barn door fronts the suite’s closet:
As with the windows, the shelving runs to the ceiling . . .
as does the tile, which appears in a variety of styles, finishes, and sizes . . .
including . . . mosaic:
A secondary bedroom’s view takes in the development’s south tower apartments:
The third bathroom caters to the remaining, camera-shy bedroom:
Mosaic makes another all-over appearance in the half-bath:
A balcony makes the most of its corner perspective:
The penthouse comes with a $1,680 monthly fee. Shared amenities include:
and
- 5925 Almeda Rd. Unit 12809 [HAR]
- Mosaic and Montage coverage [Swamplot]
Aren’t we finished with these salad bowl sinks yet? God those are stupid looking.
Why would you buy an expensive condo when you can buy a nice house for the same price range without all the hassles (and expense) associated with a condo?
Wei,
Foreign nationals will use condos like this to move liquid assets out of their country. Russians, Chinese, various South and Central Americans, and Middle Easterners view places like Miami, New York, and Houston to buy condos they may or may not ever use.
I would pick a house too but condos have their own pluses… The view for one. You also get to use the pool, the gym, the meeting rooms like an extension of your own unit, there’s no any kind of maintenance which you do have when you own a house. And to me a very important factor of security, especially if you travel a lot. There’s full time security, doorman, etc. and hard access and always people around would theoretically deter criminals.
Yes and thinking like that is what got Miami thousands of unsold condo units and bankruptcy’s galore. This building has been thru bankruptcy itself! Great views tho…2 million is nuts, it’s on the wrong side of the park…heller?
Both legitimate points… I guess my biggest complaint is the elevators and parking situation that goes on in these types of buildings.
I wouldn’t say no.
$2m to live in a condo next to where we buy apt buildings for $20k/unit. Awesome deal.
I was up in this unit before its interior was built out the first time. The views are indeed grand, but yeah highrise condos are not good investments. Just conceptually speaking, improvements are a depreciating asset and a highrise exposes its owner to disproportionate potential for depreciation. And when functional obsolescence occurs (and it will, over time), it’s a whole lot more difficult to cure it in a highrise, especially one with a condominium regime.
Foreign buyers are quite used to the condominium model, I know, and some are perhaps not cognizant of that there are better ways to park their money. Its not all foreign buyers, though. Consumers really are just that gullible; but hey, there are also some new subdivisions out in the suburbs where the property taxes are so high that they should result in significant demand destruction — and don’t. Enough consumers aren’t as price sensitive to fees that are separate from the price as they really should be that there is a market for that sort of subdivision and this sort of condo highrise.
I lived in a corporate unit in this building for a while. I loved it — great views, responsive staff, great gym and pool. All clean and well-maintained. Security was very good. Parking was not an issue at all.
But $2 million? It’s a stretch.
It’s truly fabulous, and definitely gets a wow. In Houston today 2 million is about right…the same would be over 10 million in New York. A foreign investor, rich Houstonian or monied transplant from the East or West coast will snap it up.
If anyone buys this and needs a stay at home maid/butler/nanny/whatever give me a call. Those views!
Get real, nobody will “snap” this up at this price point. If they don’t significantly come off this price it will languish I assure you and pleate don’t compare Houston real estate to NYC, it’s assine, the cities are so completely different.
Wei, you make it sound like houses have no problems or expenses. People who travel frequently tend to love condos. When I toured the Mosaic years ago, they offered floor-specific security (i.e., you can’t go onto floors other than your own, amenity deck, and levels where other residents have granted you access). Valet parking is part of the deal, so you can just drop off your car at the ground level and leave it there. Condos are a niche market for sure, but I see this being picked up for $1.5M perhaps.
For that kind of scratch the condo should come fully furnished.
For $2 million why wouldn’t they completely update everything prior to advertising? I can’t help but wonder.
I live in a high rise and love it. The car is valet parked – no hassle. Packages, groceries, baggage, etc. is brought up by a porter. No lawn, roof, painting, security, etc. Dry cleaning and laundry is delivered to my door. I enjoy a pool, sauna, tennis, racquetball, social events, etc. without ever having to deal with maintenance. Very secure, lock and leave convenience. Compared to other units in Houston, $2MM doesn’t seem unreasonable.