Highrises.com Condo Blog

Although it would be appropriate if FHA made their new motto, “Making homes less affordable,” due to over doubling of monthly mortgage insurance premiums in the past 2 years.  The most recent changes, which take effect on April 1st of this year, are doing very little to negatively affect borrowers.  The new change actually adds just $8.33 per month per $100,000 borrowed.

The biggest change is that the mortgage insurance is on for the life of the loan. Now before you let this get you too riled up, currently FHA loans the mortgage insurance doesn’t automatically drop off for about 9 years anyway. Most people don't typically keep their home that long more or less their actual mortgage.  So, although paying more is not better, this single change

The Highest Penthouse in the USA is for sale!

Who will be the buyer for the highest penthouse in the Western Hemisphere?  

The Trump Tower in Chicago is 1178' above ground and has 360 degree views of the city & lake from floor to ceiling with 16' high windows throughout.   

Whoever is crowned King or Queen of this lavish penthouse will be able to custom design it.  Possibly Chicago resident Oprah Winfrey will create “O” shaped doorways.  Maybe it will be billionaire and Chicago resident Ty Warner of Beanie Babies who will dine in house at the world renowned “Sixteen”.

Whoever ends up with this jewl will be the envy of all Celebrities and Executives.  As far as we know, there is not another residential high rise with this height planned.

Green Alliance just released a toolkit for high rise living.  In this excellent 50+ page document it shares some ways you can live a greener life and benefit from:
– warmer homes
– lower energy bills
– lower water bills
– stronger communities
– greener, more attractive neighbourhoods
– better, healthier transport options
– a healthier local environment
– access to cheaper fresh fruit and
vegetables through local food growing
– less crime and anti-social behaviour

These tips are a must read for the environmentally conscious home owner and also a great document to send to your property manager to see what can be implemented with little to no cost.  When you buy a highrise condo, this list can also be useful in evaluating the strength of the

We usually only highlight high rises, but we thought we’d share some examples of churches being converted into condos in the United States. Our first example is the most recent conversion in Watertown, Mass., where owner Brian Badrigian spent $9 million rennovating a late-19th-century Baptist church in Watertown, Mass., into eight condominiums.

Another example is the Sanctuary in Seattle.  Once a Christian Science Church building, in 2012 it was converted to 12 townhomes.  The ceilings are a sky high 30 feet and the colorful stained glass windows tower above dinner guests at 20 feet. 

A month after buying most of the remaining condos at CityCenter's Veer Towers, East Coast investors are putting 100 units back up for sale Thursday.

Executives with Ladder Capital and Pordes Residential Sales & Marketing plan to sell their 427 condos in phases, said Las Vegas broker Jim Navarro, who is overseeing the efforts at the Strip complex. It will take about three years to sell the entire portfolio, he estimated.

Navarro and six sales people will work out of a 30th-floor suite in the development's west tower. 

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There is more great news for Nashville as global media powerhouse Forbes names Nashville “Nowville”.  This is the second time this month that Nashville has received major media attention with New York Times naming Nashville the nations “it” city.

With a blend of traditional and modern values Nashville presents a song of opportunity and a smile of success for residents who are buying homes in Nashville.  The combination of career opportunities and less expensive housing is luring new energy into Nashville.  If you are looking to buy a high rise condo in Nashville, you should contact our Nashville Highrises.com specialist, Lisa Peebles who will help guide you to find a home in “Nowville”.

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The election, Sandy, the Mayan claim to the end of the world…you don’t have to listen too carefully to be consumed by negativity these days. These naysayers, however, have failed to do their homework. The economy is actually getting better. Below is the data that proves, despite fabricated reports to the contrary, our fiscal situation is improving.

• Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Indices rose by 6% this year. These are the first “real” price increases we have seen in five years and bodes well for the real estate sector and economy as a whole. (Yes, I realize home prices increased when the government offered the first time home buyer tax credit, but those number were inflated because of that credit so cannot be counted for real

A new high rise will soon be reaching the clouds in Seattle’s north west sky.  After being on hold for five years due to the economy The Fifth and Columbia Tower’s will be breaking ground this summer.  As the tallest building in 20 years constructed in Seattle, this 43 story high rise designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects (ZGF) features unique asymmetrical  reflections creating a mirrored reflection of it’s surroundings at different angles.

A change in occupancy type is planned for Fifth and Columbia Tower to have floors 2-15 a hotel and 16th Floor and above for office spaces.The Fifth and Columbia Tower is expected to be completed in 2016 and will reach heights greater than Seattle’s iconic Space Needle. 

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Great news, only four units remain at the new Seattle highrise, Fifteen Twenty One.  With 143 units soaring above Pike Place Market, Fifteen Twenty One offers incredible views.  The building amenities include a 24-hour concierge, fitness center, meeting room, sky lounge, wine storage and assigned parking in a secure garage.

Fifteen Twenty One has received the National Association of Home Builders silver finalist for Project of the year and is LEED Certified.  This luxury highrise condo has been featured in Seattle Times, Urban Ash, Builder, Daily Obsession and Sotheby's.  It also won two awards in Opus "Best of the West" development competition.  Highrises.com loves the views and access to urban living at this new highrise and we think these