Comments on: Tour of the Marlborough

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:11:08 +0000

I have toured this building, including the penthouse, when everything was stripped down to the studs. With new plumbing, wiring and windows I would hope that it does not turn out to be a money pit for the HOA.

I was impressed that they thought to put a single unit washer/dryer in the kitchen. I still thought the place was way overpriced and even finished units looked like old apartments with 10 coats of paint on the walls. I wouldn’t buy a unit at 1/4 the price they are asking, even then I would want to see a huge reserve fund established by the developer for when those old elevators poop-out.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:04:44 +0000

By the way, I should also say they did have an awning with a drive through ramp for pick ups/deliveries. I think they it took down during construction. They’ll propbably put it back up when they’re done with the exterior.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:02:08 +0000

I used to live in this building during the time it was purchased by the developer. It’s ridiculous how much money they want for these units. The rent on the unit #307 that is listing for $325,000 was $850 a month from 2006 to 2007. Even if you estimate 20% down with a simple interest loan at 6% that’s ~$1560 a month mortgage payment, not to mention HOA dues or insurance. I’ve got to say, new paint, flooring and appliances isn’t worth that for this building. It was nice enough for an old building that wasn’t kept up well over the years, but it isn’t worth $500+ per square foot. Especially with no parking included.

By: Eric K

Eric K — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 01:35:39 +0000

They probably put the washer/dryer in the kitchen so they didn’t have to put in separate hot and cold pipes for it in the closets. In a concrete building like that, adding new pipes is tricky and expensive.

I bought that LG fridge for my small galley kitchen 4 years ago and really love it. It has the fridge on top and it has enough room for plenty of food and frozen items.

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:10:30 +0000

“…and the proximity to the hospital complex will attract older folks downsizing.”

A coffin would be the ultimate downsizing.

By: Matthew Warren

Matthew Warren — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:59:50 +0000

MMMMmmmmm…margarine floors.

By: c

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:54:20 +0000

Thanks for doing this! One typo: the flooring is *parquet*. “Parkay” is margarine.

By: Nic

Nic — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:29:02 +0000

The building seemed to be in line with the details/features that Live Historic has implemented in their other projects.

Positives: lobby looked nice – classy. The new windows appear to be dual pane if not laminated: even on the first floor you couldn’t hear the traffic on Boren. General fit and finish in the renovated rooms was good.

Negatives: They still are putting the all-in-one W/D in the kitchen, which is odd in this building because there are huge closets in most of the units (unlike the buildings in lower queen anne) The radiator steam transfer pipes in the closets were un-insulated and cast off a decent amount of heat. Also given the amount of space available the small range/stove was unnecessary.

Overall, good buliding, fine location, fairly priced for the market of today (though perhaps not tomorrow or next year given the economic trends) however I’m probably not going to follow up on this one. (And I’m currently watching the market for a possible purchase)