Archive for the 'Historic Homes' Category
The 1920′s New Orleans Apartment Conversions are Unique and Tend to have Great Locations
January 3rd, 2013 categories: Condo Knowledge, Historic Homes, New Orleans Condo Reviews
The conversions of 1920′s apartment into condos has always been fascinating to me. Thay all seem to have some neat features that make them ideal conversions into condos. The majority of the complexes are one bedroom with a few two bedroom units. Most of the condos are in the uptown area near or on St. Charles Ave, See St. Charles Ave. Condos. I think it was to be close to the streetcar line as many did not have cars of their own in those days.
All seem to have multiple entrances into hallways that have the units off of a large foyer. Many have 4-6 units in a pod with their own entrance. I think was happening at a time when women were beginning to work outside the home and needed places that were well protected and safe. The all have enough windows that allow for a lot of natural light. The best views are of course the views that look out on St. Charles Ave.
The one that I have pictured below are all on St. Charles Ave. but they will be scattered in the Uptown neighborhoods. They all have special details that do set them apart from each other as you can see by the variety of looks shown below.
Many now make excellent second homes and great places to be for students going to the local schools as they are close to Tulane, Loyola and the Medical Schools of Tulane and LSU. There currently almost none of these on the market right now. The student population tends to make them seasonal in nature. Everyone that bought 4 years ago will be in the plus column if they bought in 2009-2009 time frame.
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Condos on Esplanade in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Much Better than people think…
September 23rd, 2012 categories: French Quarter, Historic Homes
I have had on more than one occasion from clients looking in the French Quarter for a condo that they did not want to be on Esplanade. One client said he lived there in the 1980′s and it was unsafe and rowdy. Today it is not the case…You can get more your money in this area. Get a larger place, get a larger common area, sometimes parking, sometimes a pool. Always easy access to the interstate and all points East and West.
All these photos were shot this week in the 1000 block of Esplanade near Rampart. A lot of changes have happened in the immediate area and all for the better. There are beautiful historic homes, Hotels, and many condos. You are adjacent to the Marigny, a popular area for the locals that was more like the French Quarter of old. More people just live their full time….
The intersection of Esplanade has seen a new apartment complex, an upscale condo complex. More changes are coming with new and upgraded sidewalks and streets. The New Streetcar line will be finished next year that will intersect Esplanade as it runs from Loyola to Elysian Fields. This is a big deal that will open up the area even more and provide even more access to the area. Add in the Riverfront Park development and the area will become even more popular.
The condo sales have picked up in the French Quarter for 2012 with few new properties coming on the market. The demand has picked up as well. The market is doing better with the larger units selling quicker. Things that were on the market last Fall are not there now. There was some great buys but almost all sold in the last Fall of 2011 and Spring of 2012. I sold a couple that had been on the market for only a week. I expect the trend and demand to continue.
I do know that you get more for your money along Esplanade in terms of size, updates, courtyards, common areas. Many clients choose this area because its a quiet neighborhood yet close to all the things tourist like to do. The historic homes on Esplanade are larger and newer than many other areas of the French Quarter. That is why you get more space and have some great common areas.
Its all within walking distance and soon the streetcar can connect you to much more. For $1.25 it will be a fun ride and there may be no reason to use that car as much. This is a great area where you can bike as well.
So do not sterotype an area before looking for that condo as times and places have changed. And for the better in 2012. Maybe that is why the Port of Call is always busy several blocks away.
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The New Orleans Neighborhood Condo Versus the Condo Complex
June 24th, 2012 categories: Condo Knowledge, Historic Homes, Market Trends
One of the first decisionsa purchaser will have to make is what type of condo they desire and what type of life style does that bring. Both are good choices. Both have their positives and negatives. Lets talk about the New Orleans neighborhood condos which are primarly homes turned into condos.
They come in all shapes and sizes. Many of these style condos were once homes, doubles, four plexes and apartments that were converted into condos in the last 10-12 years. The neighborhood condo has become more popular in the last couple of years.
The doubles that have been converted into several condos generally have the features of a shotgun double. Two condo side by side with maybe a third in the rear. These are going to be in residential neighborhoods where you can walk to a lot of places. We see a lot of this style along Magazine Street and the side streets. Many times coffee shops, antiques stores, dress shops, restaurants and bars are close by.
One common conversion is old historic homes that were apartments that had been home and then apartments were later turned into condos. These have anywhere for four to six units. Some of the condos are going to have a porch or balcony. You may pay more for this but in the long run its a great investment to get the premium condo in the complex.
You will find this segment to have varying degrees of updating. Some condos will have almost everything new and the prices are higher especially when the developer tries to duplicate the time period of the home. These are the premium condos.
The next condo is where the developer did the necessary updates for the building and did all the cosmetic touches to give it a salable look. The third category is where the developer did very little but divided the home into condos. We find less than you would think of this type of condo.
If you want the high ceilings, wood floors, large windows, natural light then the neighborhood condo may be more for you. You will have more responsibility as there are fewer owners and each has to take an active part in the upkeep and manitaince of the building and the grounds. Some condo associations do a great job and some do not keep up the property as they should. In the end this decreases the value of the real estate.
Almost all will like the life style of walking the neighborhoods. We find this condos mostly in the Garden District, Uptown New Orleans, French Quarter and even Lakeview where the cost of homes prices many people out of the single family homes. But with a condo you can live and walk in the areas. Riding the street cars, biking and walking to places is the norm…
Both styles are easy to rent if that is in your plans. The neighborhood style is not going to have the amenities that a complex will. There will seldom be a pool, gym, guard, on site manager, or large courtyard. The condo fees will generally be less as there is less to take care of. The residents do have to take an active role to make sure things are maintained on a regular basis. These are not carefree but can be a very enjoyable lifestyle…..
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Historic New Orleans Condos are becoming more popular!!
January 29th, 2012 categories: Condo Knowledge, Historic Homes
Historic New Orleans Condos are becoming a popular option in New Orleans. Most of these condos will be found in the Lower Garden District, Garden District and Uptown. These condos were once a home or multi-family residence. They come in all sizes and shapes. They come in all prices as well.
The complexes are generally small so most do not have a lot of amenities. Most do have locations where walking is great and they are close to the streetcar line, shops, coffee houses, bars and restaurants. The best ones have all the historical features left in tact.
The one difference you will see is how the developer finished the unit and how much was done to the entire building. Some developers will do the basics when turning it from a rental unit to a condo. Others like this one pictured below will put much more into the entire package.
This one has a newer roof, updated electrical, gas stove, brick walk ways, freshly painted, great windows that all open, nice wood floors, fireplace, new heat and a/c and as many details left as possible. Few fire places are actually working as they were coal burning in the day. The owners would bring hot coals from the kitchen and put them in the small fireplace for the night. We normally only have 30 such nights in New Orleans. Often they are found in every room.
The way the condo is finished should be reflected in the price. The bargain today may turn into a money pit down the road. You should treat the inspection of these condos more like you are buying a home. Check out the entire building and review the upkeep of the building. Many times residents think nothing needs to be done until it is broken. Best to have someone in the association that knows that it is better to fix small things before they become bigger. It sound like common sense but then again……
It always pays in the end to get the best unit which is the balcony and porch units as those hold their values better. Most people want the premium condos when it comes to resale. Its very hard to put a price on a balcony or porch but you will surely enjoy the time you spend on them. Kinda of like priceless…
You tend to find more people living in these historic condos on a full time basis as they are in great locations and have more room. This however makes it great for a second home person knowing that someone is there all the time. They are also easy to rent as well. Lets walk down the street and grab a bite to eat…
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St. Elizabeths was a Boarding School, an Orphange, Anne Rice’s Home, and now its Premium New Orleans Condos
September 9th, 2011 categories: Historic Homes
St. Elizabeth Condos located at 1314 Napoleon has had a long history of being something else. It remains once of the best condo conversions in New Orleans. The historic character could not be duplicated. Its 47,000 square feet and features galleries front and rear.
St. Elizabeth’s was built as a boarding school in 1865, Converted to a girls orphanage in 1870, Closed in 1989 as an Orphanage, Bought as a home by Anne Rice in 1993. Converted into Upscale condos in 2004. Now that is some history. Seeing the units is even better.
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Neigbhborhood Condos in New Orleans! An often overlook segement that can be great choices!
April 23rd, 2010 categories: Historic Homes, Uptown NOLA
One segment of the New Orleans condo that is often overlooked are these small condo associations that are scatted through out the city. Most of these units in Uptown, Garden District and Mid City. This condo association is in mid city in a great historical neighborhood. Its two four plexes that started out as apartments then were converted into condos. They just blend into the residential neighborhoods of New Orleans.
The interesting comment is that most of these are in residential New Orleans neighborhoods rather than on main streets or around commercial properties. The turnover in these style units tends to be less than in the larger complexes.
There have been several in and around Tulane and Loyola University which are suited for students, residents and other first time home buyers. Many will not have parking but street parking is easy and this does not bother many.
The resales have been good so long as the condos are well maintained. The developers of these types of units are a key factor in future values. Many are just thrown together and while others are well thought out.
Most of the buildings were once small apartment complexes that were built in the 1920′s or 1930′s. Many were large homes that were divided into apartments many years ago. The zoning allowed this in those days. Most of the complexes are in the more historic neighborhoods of New Orleans.
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New Orleans Garden District Homes, Condos still selling in Garden District.
August 29th, 2009 categories: Garden District, Historic Homes
The condos in and around the New Orleans Garden District have maintained their value thur the latest downturn. I think the main reason is that they are hard to duplicate and expensive to duplicate. When you have high home prices in an area the only way to start may be with a purchase of a condo.
This does not mean all the condos are a good buy but its a great place to look to find that condo that has all the ingredients that people will want. It is no surprise that most want the same things. The historic features of wood floors, high ceilings, large windows, lots of natural light, porches, balconies, old woodwork, brick fireplaces, and the location are things all people want. Oddly enough these features can be found in all price ranges.
Most fireplaces are not in working order but its a nice feature to have. Many condos will have more than one.
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New Orleans Garden District, Unique and certainly Historic !
February 23rd, 2009 categories: Historic Homes, New Orleans Origionals
Little did we know looking at New Orleans today that a mere 180 years ago New Orleans was very famous city. It was a much richer city on the banks of the Mississippi River than it is today. The odd thing is that New Orleans had the largest population of Free blacks in the the nation before becoming a state in 1820. Many of the homes in the Garden District were built in this pre-civil war period.
New Orleans was captured early on in the Civil War and was not burned down like some other Southern Cities. Maybe because General Sherman was the first President of LSU. He was not involved in the capture of New Orleans at that time.
” The population of the city doubled in the 1830s, and by 1840 New Orleans had become the wealthiest and third-most populous city in the nation. It had the largest slave market. Two-thirds of the more than one million slaves brought to the Deep South arrived via the forced migration of the internal slave trade. The money generated by sales of slaves in the Upper South has been estimated at fifteen percent of the value of the staple crop economy.”
” The slaves represented half a billion dollars in property, and an ancillary economy grew up around the trade in slaves – for transportation, housing and clothing, fees, etc., estimated at 13.5 percent of the price per person. All this amounted to tens of billions of dollars during the antebellum period, with New Orleans as a prime beneficiary.” From New Orleans Wikipedia , read the rest of the story.
The great thing about the area is you can spend 1/2 day walking in the area viewing the historic homes and its free. Just do a little homework so you will wander by the correct homes. You can take a streetcar to make the trip even more enjoyable. Guided tours are available for those who do like homework. The Garden District will give you camera a workout. These were just random shots that I took on a Spring like day in Jan. 2009
The area is like a Garden so its good to get the home photos before everything starts growing again.
Garden District Condos- Homes can be expensive in the area- You can however get some great condos in the area where you can get the feel of the area at a much lower cost. The historic condos have been one of the strong points in the New Orleans market. They are hard to duplicate and the nice buys are still rather hard to find. Its an area that is worth checking out if you like the feel.
New Orleans Luxury Condos-St. Elizabeths Condos-1314 Napoleon Ave-Plenty of history here.
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New Orleans French Quarter, Bright Historic Shotgun Faces! Where ya at?
November 27th, 2008 categories: French Quarter, Historic Homes
Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone is full of turkey and had a good time with family and friends today. You always eat too much! That is easy to do in New Orleans. Just wanted to share some of my recent photos using www.picnik.com to do some fun things. The initial version is free and only $25 for the fancy version. I use it weekly so its a good buy.
The New Orleans French Quarter has been here since 1718 but these shot guns came much later and were not mansions. Just wanted to call to the attention of detail with the Victorian gingerbread work that became popular from 1830 to 1910. The owners of these shotguns could dress them up with the style of the day which was Victorian Gingerbread work. They could also be very creative with the colors not of American but those of the West Indies. I guess you could say they were works of art since they are found in few places beyond the New Orleans area that I know of.
The New Orleans French Quarter and the historic homes brighten the streets and the lives of the people living and visiting the area. Its a mixture of Creole, West Indies, Italian and Irish who settled in in these shotgun neighborhoods. Much of the style is dictated by the hot humid climate in which we lived before autos and A/C. My guess is most of these shotguns were built around 1900.
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Garden District Condos-1627 Conery St.-Historic Condo Renovation! What do you get for $192,500?
July 23rd, 2008 categories: Condo Listings, Historic Homes
This exciting condo at 1627 Conery Street in the New Orleans Garden District is a new listing of mine. This is a great example in how we in New Orleans love to keep these old buildings and reuse them. The developer really has gone the extra mile to leave the old fireplaces with the exposed brick, wood plank floors while at the same time giving people what they want. This is what we like about Historic Renovations.
The unit was renovated down to the studs meaning new electrical, new a/c-heater, new water pipes and much more. At the same time people want new kitchens, new baths, crown molding and lots of windows. I would guess this building was about 80 years old.
This Garden District condo has two bedroom and one bath and is in a great location. You are within half a block of St. Charles Ave. and public transportation via the New Orleans Street car line. There is no parking but street parking in front of the unit does not seem to be an issue. Most people living here would love to park and walk.
The Condo features include 12 foot ceilings, crown molding, recessed lighting, renovated windows that work, under counter lighting, ceiling fans, custom cabinets, travertine tiles, upscale granite counter tops, new stainless steel appliances, and windows that still work. Whenever you have windows with natural light and high ceilings the unit lives much larger than the 753 sq. ft. of living. The condo fees are reasonable at $187 per month. This cover insurance, flood insurance, water and up keep. The building has never flooded. Read the rest of this entry »
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