Anonymous
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| 06/16/2007 3:24 PM |
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Had a recent discussion with a sales rep at Solara. It's 10% sold.
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downtown fence sitter
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| 06/16/2007 3:36 PM |
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| They have sold signs on the outside of the building on the units balconies. Dont know y because there arent to many of them and it just has the opposite of what they are trying to portray. |
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swimjet
Posts:18
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| 06/16/2007 4:43 PM |
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| Yes, so that's like seven or eight units. hmm. Still considering the building but has anyone else noticed the lack of venting in the bathroom? I didn't remember to ask about that the last time I was there. I know the dryer isn't vented, but isn't that bad for a bathroom with no window? |
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Jon
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| 06/16/2007 5:24 PM |
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Isn't a lack of bathroom venting against building codes?
Did they many an exception for Solara?
That sounds very odd to me. Perhaps someone in building construction could answer this one for us.
I'll call the building code people at City Hall on Monday.
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Jon
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| 06/16/2007 5:25 PM |
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| How high are the ceilings at Solara? |
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Smith
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| 06/16/2007 5:28 PM |
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Regarding the lack of venting in the bathroom I would be very concerned about this as they may have chosen to systematically regularate the water temperature so that steam buildup isn't a problem. The result here would be people who can't get the shower hot enough and also laundry would be an issue.
I'd go into the unit and crank up the shower and see if it gets hot enough. I take really hot showers so maybe I'm strange, my girlfriend doesn't like it but I'll tell you I'd really be annoyed if the day after I move in and want to take a hot shower and it's not hot enough.
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Mateo
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| 07/11/2007 10:58 PM |
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I'm very interested in this project and hope to enter negotiations soon.
I believe that the ceilings are 9 feet according to the website, but they seemed higher to me when was last there.
I also got confirmation this week that they are 10% sold. I'm really concerned about what might happen to values if the remaining units are rented out or if the bank takes over and cuts prices dramatically. Is the Price Protection Plan still be used at Solara? |
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Smith
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| 07/13/2007 12:39 PM |
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I think the top floor at Solara has higher ceilings.
I'd ask the sales people about the price protection plan. |
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Anonymous
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| 07/13/2007 1:41 PM |
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| Wow 10% sold!
That leaves 90% unsold. |
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anon66
Posts:37
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| 07/13/2007 5:31 PM |
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yes 90% unsold, still. Not too surprising, really.
The incentives, etc. that others report from their discussions with the sales office are all different from what I was told. I think they are, generally, willing to do what they have to for a sale. I suppose a good deal is a subjective thing but I think it's smart not to lose focus of the sales price. I like the units, but a couple of things are holding me back. One is the washer dryer situation. We do a lot of laundry and I'm not sure how that would work for us. Those combos are quite different from standard units. Also, I didnt notice any venting in the bathrooms. I didnt get an answer from the sales office when I inquired about that but I understand that building code requires venting. If you visit again, I would check into that. If you do find out, I'm sure we would all appreciate a post here. Also, I would have an easier time deciding on purchase if I knew the Solara towere was actually going to happen. Excluding the church, of course, the buildings on that block are not so nice. |
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Anonymous
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| 07/13/2007 5:43 PM |
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When I remodeled my old house, the city required bathroom vent/fan. So I think that it's code. However, could they have made an exception for Solara? And if so, on what basis?
Can anyone here with building construction experience clarify this issue?
The combo washer/dryer is very, very hot. That super heat is required because there's no venting. And also the drum is smaller than a regular dryer drum. So your clothes will be very twisted hard. So if you use one of those, be sure you only wear sturdy cotton clothes otherwise they'll all be ruined.
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anon66
Posts:37
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| 07/13/2007 5:58 PM |
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| yes, your clothes can be ruined. When I last dealt with one, I ended up hanging everything to dry, except for towels. It would be an OK tradeoff for me if the sales price was right. The venting thing,... I know the dryer isn't vented so I"m wondering if, in fact, the bathroom isnt. Doesnt make sense to me not to. I think that would be a deal breaker for me. Someone else suggested that maybe they intend to control the wather temp as no to produce steam (moisture). But I don't think that would allow an exception to code for them. When I inquired via email with the city about code, they said absolutely venting was necessary and wanted to know the address of the property. I didn't tell them of course. But I, as I mentioned, I never got a response from Solara about that. |
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Dave
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| 07/13/2007 6:24 PM |
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I was looking at rentals recently and noticed that Allegro Towers downtown has some units with good washers and some with the bad ones like are being discussed here.
If you don't get a response from Solara then I'd ask the city for help. No response is not a good sign of course. |
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Anonymous
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| 07/14/2007 6:56 PM |
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Interesting topic here.
Another issue is what happens when the washer breaks and needs to be replaced. What if they don't make such kinds of combo washe/dryers in the future anymore?
I went to Depot and Lowes and Best Buy and those stores do not sell such washers. No one knew what I was talking about. |
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DirtyLaundry
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| 07/14/2007 7:40 PM |
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Does anyone have the make and model of these appliances? It would be very interesting to find replacement prices online as well as reviews by people that are using them.
I hang all my shirts to dry but would want to dry everything else. It's a major pain if this stuff doesn't do the basic wash and dry that you would expect. It's surprises like that which can lead to some major buyers remorse. |
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anon66
Posts:37
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| 07/14/2007 8:01 PM |
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| I believe the units are made by LG. I lived in a building (Allegro Tower) that had a small LG unit. The first one was bad. They replaced it when it kept shorting out. The second one was a different LG model that worked better but they are just different. I've looked up ratings on these combo washer dryers and found lots of reviews. I didn't investigate servicing them. I would do that before deciding on a purchase. |
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Bridget
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| 07/16/2007 4:50 PM |
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| Mateo, I heard you mention that you are interested in possibly buying here. Just curious why this particular development as oppposed to the others? What others were you considering? |
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mateo
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| 07/18/2007 6:12 PM |
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Two parking spots (side by side) for even 1 bedrooms, the Plan B comes with 220 sq. ft balcony. I like the loft style vs. typical condo look. I liked the location, i.e. walk to Little Italy and Gaslamp easily. Away from the ballpark traffic.
I was considering Aperture too, but it only came with one parking spot and there were zero amenities. |
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Lotsfofexperience
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| 09/22/2007 2:18 PM |
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There really are some things to like about this building. Having spent enough time in this building to get a feel for it. Here are some of the good things I noticed.
The building has a real substatial feel to it. It's "Robust" in enginering terms.
Three industrial grade elevators.
Built in racquette ball court. No other residential building in San Diego has that.
Pretty good downtown location.
Because it is a converted office building there is plenty of parking available in the building.
Granted it's not for everyone but it should be attractive, interesting & good addition to downtowns housing option |
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Mold_Growth
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| 09/22/2007 2:51 PM |
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Not venting a bathroom or dryer makes no sense. Forget about not being able to get the shower hot enough, you will have serious mold problems if you don't control the humidity. Consistent RH above ~60% with little airflow is condusive to mold growth.
Go search it online. Lots of articles and references. |
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