Just Listed - 559 E. Jones Street

I've listed the cleanest condominium you will ever see. It's absolutely immaculate with new bamboo flooring in the living areas, beautiful new cherry cabinets and granite in the kitchen, as well as stainless steel appliances. It's a great location at the end of tree-lined Jones Street. It has two bedrooms, two baths, and the rare off street parking space. We've priced it very aggressively at $215,000.

They Said it Couldn't Be Sold

Soon you’ll be seeing a whole new 119 East Park. This had become known as one of the hardest buildings in downtown Savannah to sell, having been on the market for years. I took the listing in November and had it under contract in about 30 days. Nice to make a sale, but even nicer to know that a derelict building on a visible corner will soon be renovated. That helps everyone. Looking for a project? Looking to sell a property? You know where to find me.

Project(s) Update

The good news is the foundation is being poured at 528 E. Duffy Street. You may or may not find the attached photos interesting, but it's all we have at the moment. Faithful readers will remember 313 E. Park Avenue which was always meant to be 528 E. Duffy's sister project. It was tied up due to some closing issues with the seller, but it looks like we should finally be able to start next week.















One project that, unfortunately, we won't be starting is 102 W. 31st Street. This came into play while we waited for the closing issues on 313 E. Park. Unfortunately, after we put it under contract we found out it had it's own closing issues (see my earlier post about title issues). Apparently these title issues will be protracted as it appears the quiet title action that the seller paid an attorney to perform was not properly recorded in the public records. The seller's not too happy about that and I wouldn't be either. If you pay someone to do a job and find out years later that they didn't do it correctly, that would be annoying, especially if it prevents you from selling your property. As for me, I still think it's a great property and we hope to build on it if the title issues can ever be rectified.

510 E. Waldburg is waiting for permits. There is a slight snag at the permitting department (notice how there is a number of "slight snags" happening at this particular time) but we expect to begin next week.















At 521 E. Charlton we'll be clearing and leveling the yard to create the off street parking this week.

414 E. Duffy Street Wrap Up

Well, maybe not a wrap up because we are hoping to have some photos of the newly furnished home, but we have closed, the buyer has returned from his military service abroad (thank you for your service) and has moved in. Our next houses will be a variation on this theme with some differences. The great room will be a little bigger on 528 E. Duffy Street and 102 W. 31st Street with a slightly smaller kitchen as a trade off. Also the new plans do not have a rear upper deck because we're moving the master bedroom to the front of the house. The owner chose some upgrades on his appliances and mosaic kitchen backsplash as well as adding a concrete parking pad and some bath tile niches, but for the most part what you see is what you get standard in our new construction homes. I should also add that his upgrades at current interest rates maybe added $25/month to the mortgage payment. So they're pretty minor in the scheme of things.

A New Renovation Project

If you’ve been waiting for a post with a little meat on the bones (not that we all don’t love This Old House’s best products of 2010), here we go. Lately I’ve started to feel like a straight-up homebuilder, considering the work on 414 East Duffy and our plans for 528 East Duffy, and now 102 West 31st Street. We’re still waiting for another lot on 313 East Park, which is tied up in some legal issues. But now I have a straight-up renovation on my hands, just like the old days. 521 East Charlton is in the Landmark Historic District, in the Beach Institute neighborhood. It’s an unusual house by the standards of the Landmark District, because it’s actually a small cinderblock cottage that was probably built in the 1940s or early 1950s, measuring about 900 square feet, with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. There is carpet AND linoleum over the original hardwood floors, a funky little addition in the back, off the second bedroom, and very low ceilings. What, pray tell, is interesting about this house, then? For starters, it’s in a great location, just one block from Troup Square. It has a great yard with what will be 2 parking spaces. And there is very little inventory in the sub-$140k range, which is where we plan to market the finished product. It will also give me a change to work on a style of house that I haven’t done yet, which is a straight-up cottage. I’m thinking beadboard in the kitchen and baths, clawfoot tub in what will be the new second bath in the addition. Plus refinishing the original floors, adding HVAC, new plumbing and electric and tearing out the low ceilings and exposing the rafters. Should be a major transformation.

Image 1: Front Exterior

Image 2: Living Room (Yes, we will be replacing that weird old heater with central HVAC)














Image 3: Floor in Living Room (Hardwoods under three layers of junk)














Image 4: Bathroom (We'll need to jack up the floor a bit, not to mention EVERYTHING else.)



















Image 5: Bedroom #1 (This will turn into a full wall of closets because the next bedroom will have a walk-in closet of its own.)














Image 6: Kitchen (Picture new cabinets and appliances and a dining nook in that right back corner.)














Image 7: Floor in Kitchen




















Image 8: Soon to be Master Bath & Closet (This is the weird addition. Picture walking through a large closet into the master bath with clawfoot tub.)














Image 9: We'll be tearing out the ceiling and exposing these rafters.



















Image 10: Backyard (The lot is about 100 feet deep and the parking pad will be about 20 feet wide.)

322 East Oglethorpe Ave. is Under Contract

Well, they say price is everything and my clients at 322 East Oglethorpe were willing to take the price plunge to $599,000. Three days later, we were under contract. We’re looking at a clean, 30-day closing, so I will keep you posted. The buyers are planning to restore the building, so even after it’s sold, I’ll probably take some photos for update purposes.

Here's a link to my earlier post about when SCAD's Building Assessment Strategies II class did a study on 322 E. Oglethorpe. Pretty interesting stuff.

119 E. Park Ave. - "The Green Monster"

The 100 East block of Park Avenue only has six buildings and this will be the third in which I will have an active involvement in renovating. I personally renovated 115 East Park, and my clients are currently working on 105 East Park. 119 East Park, though, is a different story. In a nod to my undergraduate days in Boston, I’ve dubbed the building “The Green Monster,” after Fenway Park’s famous left-field wall. Frankly, the building has become an eyesore. It’s been in pretty much the same state since I started work on 115 East Park about four years ago, and in fact, has deteriorated due to shoddy work and some water intrusion. There’s a long, sad story behind the Green Monster, a morality tale, actually, about all that went wrong in the great real estate bubble a few years back, but for now, we are looking forward. The current owners are selling the property for pennies on the dollar, listing it for $150,000. The building is six units, about 4600 square feet, and is in a terrific location for SCAD rentals, or for anyone looking to live downtown. It’s 300 feet from Forsyth Park and projected rents are $800 per unit. It’s a project, no doubt about it, but no more so than 416 E Duffy, which my investors renovated and transformed. It’s hitting the MLS today, and I already have interested parties, but nothing is signed yet, so if you’re interested, let me know and I can share the budget. This one is going to be fun!

115 E. Park Ave - Before and After pics


Blogger Matthew Allan is a specialist in Savannah Real Estate, focusing on Savannah's downtown historic districts, including the Landmark Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Thomas Square Historic District, Starland Historic District, Baldwin Park, and Ardsley Park Historic District.

Top 13 American Murder Houses

In the spirit of the upcoming Halloween weekend, what better way to mix real estate, Savannah, and spooky ghost tales than a story about the Top 13 American Murder Houses? Savannah is well known for its ghostly history and makes an appearance three times on the list with such Historic Downtown locations as the Mercer Williams House, the Conrad Aiken house and the famous Pirate's House Restaurant. Check out the link below to This Old House's slideshow of the 13 homes. http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20151524,00.html?xid=hinewsletter-101026-murder

New Construction Victorian District Update

Those of you keeping your eye on the new home at 414 E. Duffy Street will be happy to know that the exterior color has been selected by the purchaser and the painters have done the first coat. In case you were curious, the color is Sherwin Williams' "Cocoon." I'm including again the picture of what the property and its neighbor looked like about a year ago -- just a little different. They're working on tile inside and by next week I should have some new photos of the interior.

Before:
















After:





















Blogger Matthew Allan is a specialist in Savannah Real Estate, focusing on Savannah's downtown historic districts, including the Landmark Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Thomas Square Historic District, Starland Historic District, Baldwin Park, and Ardsley Park Historic District.

Skinny House Savannah Style

Well, my investors are in the process of acquiring land for 3 more skinny infill houses in the Victorian District of Historic Downtown Savannah. They will be versions of the house at 414 E Duffy, which should be painted by the end of the week, so keep your eyes open for new photographs. The lots we work with are anywhere from 21 to 30 feet wide and about 100 feet deep. But there is a boxy little lot that is currently available and it got me thinking once again of the 9 Tsubo House (see earlier post). I’d really love to do a 9 Tsubo House on that lot. Any takers? Here’s a refresher on the minimalist Japanese-designed house: http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2010/06/02/9-tsubo-house/



http://www.smallhousestyle.com/2008/12/21/small-house-living-is-in-in-japan/

Blogger Matthew Allan is a specialist in Savannah Real Estate, focusing on Savannah's downtown historic districts, including the Landmark Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Thomas Square Historic District, Starland Historic District, Baldwin Park, and Ardsley Park Historic District.

Great presentation of 322 E. Oglethorpe Avenue

On Tuesday, I was privileged to be invited to a presentation by SCAD's Building Assessment Strategies II class on my listing at 322 E. Oglethorpe Avenue. (http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?t=2192251&prt=10003) The class of 14 1st and 2nd year Historic Preservation Grad students, led by Professor James Abraham, conducted the assessment over the last school term. The presentation included dozens of photographs and full architectural elevations and plans of each room in the entire house. It was a 2 hour presentation, which I won't attempt to recap in a quick blog. But the detail--and discovery of details--was impressive. The class figured out which plaster moldings were original, where original entry doors were, some of the elements of the 19th century rear garden, etc. One of the most interesting elements was learning the home you see from the street, a three story 1880s Italianate residence, actually started its life sometime between 1799 and 1809 as a two-story Federal style building.

To quote from the history section of the assessment:
"William J. Spencer acquired Lot 37 in the Columbia Ward in 1799, constructing a two-story frame house by 1809. By 1811, the property was put up for sale, advertised in The Republican and Savannah Evening Ledger.

'Lot 37, Columbia Ward joining Mr. Rodman's and a convenient and well finished 2-story house with a kitchen and all other outhouses complete, at present occupied by Mrs. Clark; and a small tenement house joining the same, with a brick foundation, on the front 1/2 lot, 56 feet long, 20 feet high and 1 story high.'"

Kudos to Melanie Markowicz who presented the history portion of the assessment. She, Preston Martin and Professor Abraham also got under the house to discover the original foundations. Very cool stuff and a great reminder of why I'm interested in historic preservation. Thanks again for having me.

Blogger Matthew Allan is a specialist in Savannah Real Estate, focusing on Savannah's downtown historic districts, including the Landmark Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Thomas Square Historic District, Starland Historic District, Baldwin Park, and Ardsley Park Historic District.

Virtual Historic Savannah Project

Savannah College of Art and Design has played a major role in revitalizing Downtown, mostly through renovating and re-purposing about 70 structures. There's also a historic preservation degree program, and of course the thousands of students, no matter what their course of study is, have energized Downtown. Just on a cool note, they have created this Virtual Historic Savannah Project site, which I'm going to leave in my permanent links as well.

Blogger Matthew Allan is a specialist in Savannah Real Estate, focusing on Savannah's downtown historic districts, including the Landmark Historic District, Victorian Historic District, Thomas Square Historic District, Starland Historic District, Baldwin Park, and Ardsley Park Historic District.