Tag: Condos for Sale

Condos for Sale
05/18/10 12:36pm

Ken Lay’s Lonely Castle in the Sky Floats Down Almost 20 Percent

by
Crime, Interiors, Price Reductions, Upper Kirby
9 Comments

“How much further will it fall?” Swamplot asked back in January, not long after the list price for Ken and Linda Lay’s 33rd-floor penthouse in the Huntingdon on Kirby Dr. was marked down the last time. And now we have a partial answer: All the way to $10.25 million — for now, at least. That’s almost a 14 percent cut from the last price, but just under 20 percent off the initial $12.8 million ya-gotta-try pricing Linda Lay started with.

And really, you want to be coming down in regular increments. What numbers come next?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , , , ,
Condos
04/30/10 11:09am

Woodway Penthouse in the Almost-Round: A Late Sakowitz Sale

by
Condos for Sale, Houston History, Riverway
13 Comments

For many years until her passing this January, this Woodway penthouse was the home of Ann Sakowitz, known locally as a patron of the arts and matriarch of the last link of a once-famous retail chain. Under the leadership of her son, Robert, the Sakowitz department stores drowned in debt in the late eighties. But Ann Sakowitz gained national attention in the early nineties as the poised but distraught mother on the witness stand, taking her son’s side in a nationally publicized courtroom feud with the family of her own daughter, sparkling international socialite Lynn Wyatt.

Ah, but can’t we put all that rancor behind us now? Let’s just enjoy the wine, the views, and the early . . . uh, tusk’n interior:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , ,
Condos
03/15/10 10:15am

A 2727 Kirby Occupancy Update

by
Condos for Sale, Highrises, Upper Kirby
10 Comments

If our math holds, 10 or 11 condos have sold or otherwise gained occupants over the last 5 months at 2727 Kirby. Last October, the developers of the new 30-story highrise near Westheimer reported that 20 units in the tower were occupied.

Now the Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff reports that the building’s owners have turned over management of the building to a separate agency:

The group has hired Houston-based Association Management to take over now that the building has more residents, said Sherri Atlas, who owns the unsold units in the high-rise with another investor. Fortress is the lender on the project.

Atlas said occupancy is at about 40 percent in the building, which has 77 high-end units.

Photo: Ziegler Cooper Architects

, , , , ,
Apartments
02/18/10 12:16pm

The Numbers on Commerce Towers

by
Condos, Condos for Sale, Downtown, Highrises, Lofts
7 Comments

How has that condo conversion of the former Commerce Building at the corner of Main St. and Walker Downtown been working out?

The building has 122 finished units and a two-story-tall penthouse that has not been built out yet.

A total of 69 units have been sold, and another 25 have been leased. [Commerce Towers sales and leasing agent Susan] Speck said some of the renters are interested in buying.

Prominent Houstonian Jesse Jones built the first part of the structure in 1928, and added onto it in the 1930s, Speck said.

An entity named Premier Towers bought the building in 1999. It was redeveloped by New York-based Whitney Jordan Group with Tarantino Properties Inc. of Houston.

The first condo units were finished and people starting moving in during 2002.

Photo of Commerce Towers, 914 Main St.: Sandra Gunn Properties

, , , , , , , ,
Condos
01/29/10 11:01am

Another Pedigreed Condo in The Huntingdon Readies for Sale

by
Condos for Sale, Crime, Upper Kirby
7 Comments

That condo in The Huntingdon belonging to Ken and Linda Lay may soon have company on the market. Randi Stanford, daughter of alleged swindler Robert Allen Stanford — who’s lived in a 2,803-sq.-ft. condo in the same highrise at 2121 Kirby for the last 3 years — has agreed to vacate her unit by the end of March.

The agreement ends a longstanding dispute. The court-appointed receiver for the assets of the Stanford Financial Group will put the unit up for sale.

According to HCAD records, Unit 16NE is owned by an LLC whose address is listed as 5050 Westheimer Rd. — the former headquarters of Stanford Financial Group. Writes the Chronicle‘s Mary Flood:

A report by an accountant working for the receiver showed that Allen Stanford paid for the condo with
 $1.3 million in early 2006. It shows that at least $44,000 paid for condo maintenance came directly from company funds, and that $34,000 of that came from the certificates of deposits issued by Stanford’s bank in Antigua that are at the heart of the alleged fraud.

Photo of The Huntingdon: HAR

, , , , , ,
Condos for Sale
01/27/10 10:36am

A Look Inside Ken and Linda Lay’s Lonely Highrise Castle Retreat

by
Houston Architects, Interiors, Price Reductions, Upper Kirby
34 Comments

Now that photos have been posted — and the asking price has been chopped a full 7 percent — the whole world gets to peek inside the full-floor condo in The Huntingdon that belonged to Enron founder and CEO Ken Lay and his wife Linda. The buildout on the 33rd floor of 2121 Kirby Dr. was designed in the late nineties by Houston architect Leslie Barry Davidson, who’s proven herself versatile in many historical styles that pre-date highrise construction. But the listing photos show what looks like a glum castle retreat for a king and queen who’ve lost their jester.

Oh, but those 360-degree skyline views of Houston! And really, with angry investors and Californians likely to approach from any direction, you’d maybe want a hideout with 4 good corner balconies, just so you can assess the risks:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , , , , ,
Condos
10/19/09 5:14pm

2727 Kirby: Refunds Are on Their Way

by
Condos for Sale, Highrises, New Construction: Residential, Upper Kirby
20 Comments

The Chronicle’s Nancy Sarnoff, after a tour of 2727 Kirby:

Developer Jerry Brown said 20 units are occupied in the 78-unit building.

The least expensive floor is priced at $575 per square foot, he said, and the average unit is about $2 million.

Maintenance fees are 65 cents per square foot.

While Brown said he’s seeing more traffic these days, there have been some snags.

I recently came across some lawsuits against the developer filed by buyers who canceled their contracts, but didn’t receive their earnest money back like they were promised.

“If they’re entitled to their money, they’ll get their money,” Brown said.

Photo of 2727 Kirby: Ziegler Cooper

, , , , , , ,
Condos for Sale
09/23/09 1:03pm

No, You Can’t See Ken and Linda Lay’s Renaissance-y Highrise Condo

by
Highrises, Interiors, Quicklink, Real Estate Marketing, River Oaks
27 Comments

NO, YOU CAN’T SEE KEN AND LINDA LAY’S RENAISSANCE-Y HIGHRISE CONDO The storied full-floor unit on the 33rd floor of the Huntingdon at 2121 Kirby is at long last on the market . . . for $12.8 Million: “The condo sale is being handled privately by Beau Herrold, Linda Lay’s son from her first marriage. Tours are by invitation only . . . When a Chronicle reporter expressed interest in seeing the condo, so as to best to describe the Italian renaissance decor and ‘villa-style living’ touted in a real estate flier, Herrold had only one comment. ‘I bet you would.’” [Houston Chronicle]

, , , , , , ,
Condos
09/18/09 3:13pm

Red-Hot Bachelor Pad of the Month

by
Condos for Sale, Downtown, Home Decor, Interiors, Midtown
17 Comments

Ah, the single life! This one-bedroom, 625-sq.-ft. take at 2016 Main appears to have every necessity in place, down to that single toothbrush artfully placed next to stainless-steel counter bowl. Ax the giveaway Downtown and Midtown views, and wouldn’t this have made an excellent candidate for Swamplot’s weekly Neighborhood Guessing Game?

Asking $129,750 — since mid-ish July. Maintenance fee is $510 a month.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , ,
Condos
09/16/09 4:15pm

Condo Spies in the Night: Investigating Sales at 2727 Kirby

by
Condos for Sale, Highrises, New Construction: Residential, Real Estate Marketing, Upper Kirby
33 Comments

Sure, we all want to know how well the condos at the newly completed 30-story 2727 Kirby tower have been selling. But a couple of dedicated readers decided to investigate on their own:

[We] have been musing that 2727 Kirby looks awfully dark for a building for which the Chronicle proffers “all but 18 units have been sold”

Well, we put on our trench coats and went parking garage climbing to find out exactly how many souls live in that wraithlike monument to a bygone era.

These scary night pictures were taken on a Tuesday evening at around 8 pm. This was a prime time for at least a sampling of residents to be at home among their new Imported Stone Flooring and European Cabinetry. The night photos were taken from atop the parking garage on West Alabama that is the home of Fleming’s and from the Parking lot on Westheimer that serves Taco Milagro/Downing Street.

And they show . . . ?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , , , ,
Condos for Sale
08/24/09 12:25pm

Swamplot Price Adjuster: Woodlands Waterway Faux

by
Home Prices, Price Adjuster, The Woodlands, The Woodlands Town Center, Woodlands Waterway
21 Comments

The Swamplot Price Adjuster needs your nominations! Found a property you think is poorly priced? Send an email to Swamplot, and be sure to include a link to the listing or photos. Tell us about the property, and explain why you think it deserves a price adjustment. Then tell us what you think a better price would be. Unless requested otherwise, all submissions to the Swamplot Price Adjuster will be kept anonymous.

Location: 1 Waterway Ct., Unit 4-E, The Woodlands Town Center
Details: 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths; 4,314 sq. ft. in One Waterway Lofts
Price: $1,990,000
History: Just listed over the weekend.

The nominator of this property writes:

Who says the real-estate bubble is long gone? Right on the Woodlands Waterway, here’s a faux Venetian condo in the Waterway Lofts. Can’t you just feel the theme-home synergy? Anyway, it looks like there are some great views of a lot of new office buildings from the windows, and if you look down you can see the Waterway and pool.

Is all that wine included? That might help explain the price tag. That and the fact that the county tax assessment for the loft just about doubled between 2007 and 2008. Montgomery CAD has it at about $1.56 million, which still seems too high.

To be fair though, there are several other overpriced lofts currently for sale in the same building.

In a just world, this condo would rent for maybe just twice its $2,062 monthly maintenance fee, all those Disneytalian finishes would peel off, and you could return all the fixtures to Expo for a refund.

So . . . what would be a better price?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , ,
Condos
07/13/09 8:12pm

Studying Those Sales Reports for 2727 Kirby

by
Condos for Sale, Upper Kirby
12 Comments

Sales have been “a little slow” at that 2727 Kirby condo tower, the developer tells the Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff. The 30-story tower across from West Ave near Westheimer should be complete by mid-September. Only 8 out of 78 units have closed so far.

Jerry Brown of MDA Holdings tells Sarnoff that “all but 18 units in the building have been sold” — but that “just a few units have fallen out of contract.” The wording makes it a little difficult to determine how many more than those 18 units have no deposits on them.

Photo of 2727 Kirby: Ziegler Cooper

, , , ,
Condos for Sale
06/11/09 10:32am

Pine Village North Open House Welcome

by
Crime, Foreclosures, Pine Village North, Public Health
37 Comments

What happens when an investor who owns 200 out of 500 units in a north Houston condo complex defaults on his loan, leaving many of his properties vacant? Reporter Allison Triarsi visits Pine Village North, just south of Hamill Rd., west east of the Eastex Fwy.:

“It’s just an open house for gang members to come. Anybody can come,” said homeowner Ann Loyd.

Walk inside any one of the open units and you could find anything from gang graffiti and dead roaches, to the bones of animals.

“I don’t know if what I’m standing in [is] some kind of mice droppings or rat droppings,” said Loyd, while escorting 11 News through a vacant unit.

In addition to debris, there were pink pills on a counter, and clothing and blankets on the floor where people have either left them behind or kept them there in case they needed a free place to sleep.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , ,
Airports
05/08/09 11:32am

Fort Bend County Condos for the Small Plane Set

by
Arcola, Condos, Condos for Sale, Fort Bend County
11 Comments

Why would a couple of Bellaire Realtors want to build new hangar condos out by the Houston-Southwest Airport in Arcola? Because the hangar rental market there sucks, apparently.

With an option on a 60-year ground lease with the airport — near the intersection of Almeda and Highway 6 in Fort Bend County — owners Curtis Lawson and Ryan Dodds of CityLife Realty are now marketing 27 units in the Southwest Executive Hangars, featuring “75,000 square feet of hangarage” in 2 box-shaped buildings.

But this place isn’t just for storage and maintenance. There’s also that hangar condo lifestyle:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , ,
Comments
04/03/09 6:21pm

Comment of the Day: Living the Wildlife at Mosaic

by
Condos, Condos for Sale, Hermann Park, Highrises, Quicklink
1 Comment

COMMENT OF THE DAY: LIVING THE WILDLIFE AT MOSAIC “It’s a Damn shame about those nesting rare birds but look on the bright side, if these condos keep selling like they have there will only be rare birds living there and trees growing up through the lobby anyway!” [james cianci, commenting on Mosaic Avoids Foreclosure, Files for Bankruptcy]

, , , , , ,
« Previous Page Next Page »