Realtors have hobbies, Keeping the jungle in the backyard is mine!
July 5th, 2008 Categories: NOLA Gardens
The weather in South Louisiana is great for growing things. Plants, insects and fish are all included. However I fool with the plant part. Most of the time you never have to water here with 60 plus inches of rain per year. You rarely have to worry about freezing during the day. Snow comes every 20 years or so, the most was in 1964 so its been a while.
This blog has little to do with New Orleans condos but you can grow some great plants in your condo with a little care, light and light food. These are plants in my yard in no orgainzed way. I can always find new plants when I show homes and can trade them with other backyard growers. You can always tie this in with photos to tie the hobbies togeather. Bonus points if you can name three of these!!
Read beneath the line so you too can enjoy some of my plants. When business slows there is always something to do.
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New Orleans Sparkles, Second Home Condo Market looking up!
July 4th, 2008 Categories: Second Homes
“In a national survey, Americans voted online for the most “animated, brilliant, lively and vivacious” city in the United States. The winner–New Orleans! Yellowtail Wines sponsored the survey, and the city will receive its award, given by travel authority Pauline Frommer and Yellowtail, in front of St. Louis Cathedral, behind Jackson Square, on July 1. Welcome, and sparkle on!” Sharon Keating- New Orleans Travel Blog
This is a local travel blog I read weekly. Living here we do not always know what goes on as we are doing our thing which is New Orleans real estate. This is a blog I check into several times a week to see what is happening. Its the positive spots we all need to know. I sell more and more New Orleans second homes that are condos. If you run out of things to do you should check out the blog before you come to town.
This French Quarter and the Warehouse District have been hot spots for second homes with people even looking Uptown. The French Quarter is much, much cleaner than it used to be and people are taking more pride in all the areas since Katrina. There are becoming more family attractions than ever before and that is accounting for a lot of the new business. Some of it are people living in the New Orleans Metro area that want to stay close to home and have a place to visit that has a little excitement.
These areas are a great place to entertain and visit on a regular basis. Its easy to get people to accept an invitation. It tends to go against the grain as to what is happening in other real estate markets, but then a lot of things in New Orleans tend to be against the grain. Property taxes were lowered 30% in 2008. Charter schools are the norm. The Hornets are winning, the Saints should be winning and LSU are the college football champions for the 2nd time in 5 years.
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Louisiana State Bond Money, Bond Program is on the way!
July 3rd, 2008 Categories: Julie's Mortgage Tips
Louisiana State Bond Money will be available in July. The State of Louisiana is offering help to people in certain income brackets to assist them in buying a home. Bond gives the borrower 4% of their loan amount towards the closing cost associated with the loan. I will post the rates when the new bond issue is released.
Julie Baudier
Baudier & Grace Mortgage (A Division of Standard Mortgage)
504-583-1793 Cell
This has worked for many of my clients over and over again. You just need to find out about the details as there are income and price limits. It is availaibe in all Parishes and can fit into different types of loans. It is on a first come basis and you must have an accepted contract. Details of the issue are not availiable at this time so stay tuned. The Bond money works for homes and condos.
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New Orleans Condos, How is the high cost of energy affecting condo sales?
July 1st, 2008 Categories: Condo Knowledge
The high cost of fuel, energy and Insurance has made condos a great choice for a number of reasons. Most of the New Orleans condos that I am selling are going to be much smaller than the homes of the same price. This fact alone is going to make them much more efficient in terms of energy needs.
Smaller places are easier to cool and heating is never an issue in New Orleans. Many of the Warehouse and Uptown conversions are very well insulated with thick brick exteriors. You also get the honey comb effect of being next to other units and having units above and below yours gives you a natural insulation. Many condos open onto halls and covered common condo areas. People who own condos tend to spend a lot more time on the go for the job or for fun.
Smaller places need less things. You just run out of room. Katrina washed away a lot of things so the locals have learned to do with less. You buy less and when you do you buy something it is generally a higher quality item.
Most of the units I am now selling are in areas where you really do not need a car all that much as everything is nearly within walking distance. It give the owners more time rather than spending it commuting back and forth. Your time is worth a lot.
The vast majority of New Orleans condos that I am selling are in areas that did not flood during Katrina. Home owners Insurance is much lower for condos as the insurance pulls from a different pool and most had little damage. The entire condo fee is often times less than just the homeowners insurance on a home.
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New Orleans Garden District Condos-Historic condos and homes are all here! 2512 Magazine Street- the Livaudais House
June 29th, 2008 Categories: Historic Homes, New Orleans Condo Reviews
In the New Orleans market you have a lot of historic Uptown New Orleans homes and apartment complexes that have been turned into condos. This historic type of condo is much more like living in an old home with the high ceilings, large porches, common yards, plenty of light and large spaces. You just pay a lot less! The unit I just sold with Lana Sackett to a new medical student attending Tulane University this fall was located at 2512 Magazine Street in the Garden District.
The Livaudais House features 8 condos of varying sizes and types are located among single family homes worth millions and a block or two from the local coffee shops. its also with walking distance for grocery shopping and much more. You can walk to the St. Charles Ave. Street cars and are about 25 blocks from the French Quarter. You can be at Tulane the Med. School which is downtown in 15 minutes tops.
The 2512 Magazine condo has one very large master and a smaller bedroom on the other side of the condo which would be perfect for a room mate. The kitchen was updated, the hardwood floors and old fireplaces really brought that historic condo to life. The secure entrance and parking spot on the side of the unit was a big plus. Jogging and pets are allowed. Everything is within walking distance and viewing the nearby homes and gardens is free. Read the rest of this entry »
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New Orleans Real Estate, Colors sets us apart! Do we follow the crowds?
June 26th, 2008 Categories: New Orleans Origionals
This is part of a recent article on colors of homes in the New Orleans area and how unique many of the homes and condos are. I have added some of my photos to give you some ideas of the variety. Historic New Orleans is blessed to have many such neighborhoods. Sometimes change is not good. We should be glad to have such a colorful city.
Of course someone is going to go overboard, its like having that Uncle who listens to a different drummer and sees what others do not. They too are accepted as the norm in many areas of town.
“Basically, it’s a fairly inoffensive color, easy to paint over, makes decorating very easy and generally no one has an objection,” Sciortino said. “In my opinion, it is rather lackluster and everyone has it.”
“Whereas the colors in neighborhoods such as the Marigny, Treme and the Bywater reflect more vibrantly colored French-Caribbean traditions, Uptown New Orleans has always tended toward a more subdued color palette, based largely on the architectural styles of the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, said Hilary Irvin, principal architectural historian for the Vieux Carré Commission. But Irvin said the monochromatic trend that has won favor recently Uptown is driven more by fashion than history. Read the rest of this entry »
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2801 St. Charles Ave-The Washington Condos-Uptown New Orleans Condos
June 23rd, 2008 Categories: New Orleans Condo Reviews, Uptown NOLA
The Washington Condos are a little known association on St. Charles Ave. as there is only 10 units. It a typical 1920’s apartment house that was converted into condos in 1997. Then the developers did little in the way of upgrades. It was up to the purchaser to do his thing. In these units some have been made over and some have not.
Its Historic in Nature and you get that uptown feel on St. Charles. These could be great second homes as you are close to a lot of things and a short ride via streetcar to the French Quarter or Audubon Park. Oddly enough there have been few sales to date. The early apartment were built on St. Charles ave to take advantage of Public transportation long before every family had cars.
There is currently one two bedroom unit for sale in the building and one unit for rent. Some of the units have parking and some do not. There is a central laundry room that is not the mos popular thing these days. I would matter less to a second homer. Being on the Parade route for Carnival will get you a lot of friends and give your bathroom a lot of work. The higher ceilings, wood floors and windows are a draw for this era apartment. Entry is to a hallway and to the to the individual unit.
The second home market has taken off in recent months and its the two bedrooms that seem to be in demand. I did a search very quickly for a client and found only about 8 units that would fit there basic needs. This is not a lot for sale in Uptown New Orleans. There was only two such condos in the Warehouse District priced under 250k with two bedrooms. Last year it was the demand for the one bedrooms that were keeping us hopping.
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Warehouse District Condos New Orleans-825 Lafayette Street Condos
June 22nd, 2008 Categories: New Orleans Condo Reviews, Warehouse District
Quintessential Warehouse Living at its finest. The large spaces, over-sized windows, polished concrete floors, lots of light, plenty of storage space, with large bedrooms make these a nice choice if you need space . The 825 Lafayette Condos are located on a quiet street in the New Orleans Warehouse District. The complex is half a block from Barone near the old Civic Theater which is now apartments.
The 12 unit 5 story building was an early conversion in this area. The first floor is all garage parking with secure entrance on Lafayette Street. The condos in this area tend to be larger units with fewer units as the type of buildings change from those nearer the Mississippi River. More storage and office warehouses and less manufacturing such as the Cotton Mills, Fibre Mills, and the Bakery.
The units are very large for the Warehouse District and are a true warehouse look with concrete floors, exposed beams, brick walls giving you that rustic warehouse look. The units range in size form 1500-2000 sq. ft. of living with each unit having at least one parking spot in the garage. Each has at least 2 bedrooms and 2 baths. The bedrooms are large with plenty of storage with large closets. Read the rest of this entry »
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New Orleans Warehouse District Condos-1000 St. Charles Ave Condos-They face Lee Circle
June 21st, 2008 Categories: New Orleans Condo Reviews, Warehouse District
These condos are unique for the New Orleans Warehouse District for several reasons. All the units are at least 1300 sq. ft. and all are two bedroom and two bath units. The views from the extra large windows are outstanding as the units face St. Charles Ave and Lee Circle. There is garage parking on the first floors. The four story building house 12 units which makes it one of the smaller complexes in the area with some of the bigger units. The building was converted into condos in 2003 and turnover has been small since that time.
The units feature open floor plans with 13 foot ceilings, old pine floors, plenty of storage, granite counter tops, stainless appliances, brick walls in each unit and large bathrooms. The garage entrance is on the side street with an elevator to the floors. The buildings is about 100 years old but looks to be well maintained. Here you get the Warehouse Feel and lots of space with nice updates. The St. Charles Street Car line is at your front door.
There are 2 units for sale in the building now. One is 399k and the other is 349k. The 349k one should be selling any day now as both are very much alike in terms of size. I had better get busy and find a buyer.
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Warehouse District adds Audubon Insectarium, it adds value to the area!!
June 18th, 2008 Categories: Art , Music , Parks, Warehouse District
The new Audubon Insectarium opened up last week. What does this have to do with New Orleans Condos? The Warehouse District where the Insectarium just opened up is between the New Orleans French Quarter and the Warehouse District. The Warehouse District Condos area is the “trendy location” for condos in New Orleans Downtown . Each time another Museum or venue opens it attracts more people to the area.
People get exposed to the area that do not know what the area offers. People spend money and the area develops businesses to take advantage of the people. It becomes more of a family destination and builds on itself. People take notice and begin to consider the area for a second home. Its family friendly and you can walk everywhere for unique experiences. This may not be in Houston where you drive 50 miles to get a sno-ball.
Museums such as the Insectarium, Aquarium of Americas, and the World War II Museum are changing the landscape and the values of the area. Its positive for the future growth of the area and the tax base. Jobs follow these developments and people like quality of life developments. This is new for New Orleans but a natural as we will see. As per a recent Gambit Article you can see below.
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