Escala instead of the Condo Expo
I was a little too hungover to make it to the condo expo today (though CrazyAboutCities was there and has a report.) I’ve found that putting on a smiley face and bullshitting with sales associates requires a certain level of mental dexterity, a level I was not possessing today. I did manage to make myself some what presentable in order to go check out the just opened Escala sales center before it closed at 6pm. Had I opened either my snail mail or read my e-mail I would have found an invitation to some VIP champagne event last Thursday but I had to settle for slumming it sans-champagne this afternoon.
They definitely win the award for the largest sales center. In fact their model unit is 3000 square feet with private foyer and mock elevator. It is also very opulently decorated and targeted at the empty nesters moving in the from the suburbs (gold frames just aren’t my style.)
I was pleasantly surprised that they do have units in my price range of under $600k. ‘Residence B’ at 909 square feet definitely caught my eye and at $577,000 for a 7th floor east facing unit isn’t a bad deal all things considered at $634/square foot. HOA’s are $0.79/square foot but include membership to Cielo the private club.
I don’t think Escala is for me because while the exterior architecture of the building is striking the interior of the units feel like all the other units in the same price range. I’m looking for a nice looking building with distinctive interiors. The other things is that with so many million plus dollar units I don’t think I would really fit in. I’d go to dinner in at the club ($250/month minimum charge) in my jeans and t-shirt only to find that everyone else was thirty years my age and all dressed up (granted those are $200 jeans and a $100 t-shirt.) I think Gun Club is much more my style and doesn’t impact my HOA dues and no monthly minimum spending requirements. Though the idea of a truly private club is rather appealing to my inner-Manhattan. Hopefully Ashley buys there so I can wrangle an invitation now and then to dine amongst Seattle’s urban elite.
It’s also time that Urban Living bought me a new camera for my field trips. Here is a very blurry photo that gives you some sense of their sales progress to date:
Sounds like 137 of the 275 units have been reserved and of those 137 around 50 have converted to purchase and sale.
Sales center battle: SLU vs. Escala
Going back to Sales centers cost how much!? now that Escala’s has opened – if we pitted the two sales centers against each other Escala definitely wins on size but I like the organization and flow of the Discover SLU more which still gets my vote as best sales center in Seattle.
