Smith
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| 05/05/2007 5:38 PM |
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| Had a chance to do a walkthrough of Aloft at Cortez Hill today.
Here's my thoughts:
I liked the design/decor and layout of many of the units. This is a very city/urban feel and not a cookie cutter complex like a lot of what's out there.
Very nice pool, hot tub and fire pit. This could be a nice place for the residents to hang out and meet each other.
The units had an inexpensive feel in terms of cabinets, flooring and appliances still they seemed well positioned for the building itself which is also a lower to middle market property in my view.
The HOA fees are relatively low at ~$300 per month.
The sales person said they were 30% sold. That's very low and rivals nearby Solara Lofts which is said to have only a handful of buyers.
Overall it seemed like a nice city condo building, it's worth a look if you want to see something a little different. |
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Anonymous
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| 05/06/2007 11:47 PM |
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| I saw this project too and thought it was pretty nice. I liked to pool. A lot of the units do not have balconys which I didn't like very much. |
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Anonymous
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| 05/07/2007 4:14 PM |
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| I visited Aloft and thought that the price for the square footage was not a very good deal. To me, most of the layouts are not done very well. The common areas and decor are very nice and a plus. Great location, but overall, it doesnt seem like they used great interior materials, or that it was planned out very well. Seems like they tried to cram a lot of units into one place. |
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sperly
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| 05/07/2007 7:04 PM |
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I also had mixed feelings about the project.
Things I liked:
1) Overall look & feel of the exterior & common areas.
2) Location atop Cortez Hill.
3) Low-rise style
Things I didn't like:
1) Most of the floorplans had an awkward flow, except for some of the corner units
2) price/sq. ft is exceedingly high for the area
3) underground garage has lift system that seems to be a pain in the ass at best....unsafe at worst |
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guest
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| 05/09/2007 3:41 PM |
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After visiting Aloft for a "hardhat" tour a few months ago, I was not impressed at all by the unusual floorplans, very tiny size, and high prices. The interior finishing and cabinets / fixtures were all very, very cheap plastic laminate and I doubt even a discount retailer such as Ikea would stock such fixtures.
Aloft is not a good value, at all. |
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firesale
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| 05/09/2007 4:44 PM |
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| I have been to aloft twice, once during construction, and once for a sales tour. I agree about the cheap cabinets and poorly done kitchens. Electric stoves? Yikes. However, I was more concerned about the "loft" style of the rooms which gave them the feel of being in a college dorm room or institution of some kind. I think the floor plans would make a great type of college housing or apartments. The studios were very small and you would need some type of miniature furniture to furnish them with. Loved the garage hydraulic system though, very New York City. Final thought: make sure you do your homework before you buy at aloft. There are better buys. |
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lookingforahome
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| 06/07/2007 4:39 PM |
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| I thought that Aloft was a well designed condo with very unique and practical units. However, they are overpriced! Yes, the construction is quaility but not worth the price they are asking. I think that they are going to try to stand at their listing price and do not want to budge; hoping some suckers will buy into their expensive property. I attempted to place an offer but their counter was only 5,000 less than what they were selling. I know that they will eventually come down in price. |
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guest
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| 07/05/2007 10:17 AM |
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I visited the complex last week. I really like the location. It's close to all that downtown offers, but seemingly none of the negatives, i.e., traffic congestions and homeless people.
The HOAs are cheap compared to other developments. But, as others have mentioned, the quality of the finishings is suspect.
I viewed a platform loft (studio) with a listing price of $289900. It seems like a good price, but I'm not sure. I'm ready to make an offer, but do you guys think I should wait or lowball them?
AJ |
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Anon
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| 07/05/2007 2:33 PM |
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| I would wait - this building is mostly platform lofts and I get the feeling they have had trouble selling these units and they have lots of them left. I would give it until at least the end of this year and see where the prices are then. |
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Anon
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| 07/06/2007 11:52 AM |
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| I would be waiting as well if I were Mr. Smith. I have been reading that there will be about 5000-6000 units coming out of downtown SD. Does anyone know where this figure comes from? I have seen this figure at various blogs but just dont know if this is true or not. Can someone shed some light on this figure? Thanks |
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Angie
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| 07/07/2007 8:14 AM |
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| Does anyone know how much sun the pool gets? |
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heffster
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| 07/07/2007 10:43 PM |
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ccdc.com has a list of all upcoming downtown projects, maybe that's where the 5000-6000 figure comes from? I'm not sure how many of those will actually make it to completion though, for example 'the elle' in little italy was cancelled...
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anon
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| 07/08/2007 8:40 AM |
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heffster,
The library might got cancelled as well according to the sales agent! |
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Anonymous
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| 07/08/2007 11:45 AM |
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Considering the dire financial situation of the city, I don't think it's prudent to construct and operate an expensive library. As a taxpayer, i say cancel it. Also don't give a penny to the Chargers. Let them decamp and bid them adieu.
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Anon
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| 07/08/2007 11:52 PM |
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to anon 11;45 AM
I meant the Library Tower, a condo project in east village! |
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Mr_Brightside
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| 07/09/2007 10:42 PM |
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| I still see a lot of new projects being proposed on CCDC's site. Since projects like Discovery were built only 5-6 years ago for 30-40% less than today's prices I do think that new condos will be going up albeit at a reduced rate. It's all about how much the dirt costs (less today than two year ago, more than five), labor and materials all which presumably are going down in cost. Should remain interesting for awhile. |
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Brian
Posts:2647
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| 04/30/2008 11:19 AM |
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I like Oliver McMillan's buidlings. I do like the college dorm feel because I'm a college student at heart. ;) I love minimalist practical living. Mid-century with a 21st century twist is my style.
But it's very overpriced. They need to price those at basic apartment prices.
You can rent in many of their other buildings for about $1400.
There's not been any closing since Oct 2007.
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Aeneid
Posts:53
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| 04/30/2008 9:24 PM |
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| I visited Aloft last weekend. The place is way overpriced. It seems to be more expensive than Aria, on average. Aria is clearly way better. The sales person kept on touting how low the HOA is. While that is true, you get what you pay for. In addition, Some of the common areas already show its age. |
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anon66
Posts:37
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| 07/19/2008 5:12 PM |
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| another project resorts to leasing units.
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/apa/761539649.html
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Brian
Posts:2647
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