I find it rather odd that I have not seen much advertising for this, but I just found out that on June 13, 2010 from 12-4 PM there will be a Summer Stroll on the Midtown Mile. "It will be an event focusing on the music, sights, food and shops on Peachtree Street from North Avenue to 15th Street. The program will feature a neighborhood market, food tastings at various Midtown restaurants and activities for children. At the 15th Street Plaza, live music and local sidewalk artists will perform throughout the afternoon. Visitors can also join the condominium open houses while getting a taste of the area through the various activities offered."
There will be:
*Bounce House at Colony Square
*Cupcake Decorating at 999 Peachtree*
*Story Telling at the Margaret Mitchell House
*Puppet Factory with the Center for Puppetry Arts
*Carnival Games at St. Mark United Methodist Church
*Roaming Magicians, face painters and balloon twisters
*Community Mural Project at the Woodruff Arts Complex
*Arts and Crafts projects at Utrecht
*Live country rock concert at the North Avenue Presbyterian Church
*Live music and plein-air artists at the 15th Street Plaza
*Sidewalk sales at Drew Lewis, Yes Home, My! My! My!, Ligne Roset, SCIC, Pedini and Space
*Seasonal Market and Cooking Demonstration at the 999 Plaza
*Free Giveaways
*Raffle Drawing
*Free parking at 1010 Midtown, 999 Peachtree, Viewpoint and Spire
(information and exerpt from Saint Mark United Methodist Church).
Monday, June 7, 2010
I can't believe it's been so long ....
I guess I have been pretty busy now that I noticed I haven't put anything on this blog since last year. It's already June! Jeez! I need to do much better here in the future.
Perhaps too, besides looking at so many lofts for buyers, I have been spending a lot of time on Twitter. I really enjoy it. I also have fun on Twitter posting a lot of the decorating features regarding furniture, fire places, stairwells, and so many things that would look great in a loft. Perhaps in the future, I will post those here too.
As Arnold says .... I'll be back!
Perhaps too, besides looking at so many lofts for buyers, I have been spending a lot of time on Twitter. I really enjoy it. I also have fun on Twitter posting a lot of the decorating features regarding furniture, fire places, stairwells, and so many things that would look great in a loft. Perhaps in the future, I will post those here too.
As Arnold says .... I'll be back!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
FHA loans - New guidelines
Many of you might not know that the FHA provides a lot of loans to buyer's who are not in a position to put down 5% to 20% of the sales price. Thus, FHA has been an integral part in getting many homeowner's into their homes.
As of November 2, 2009, due to the crazy mortgage market, the FHA is issuing new guidelines. Unfortunately, for condo purchasers, this will make buying a condo a lot more difficult.
To begin with, FHA requires that the condo you are purchasing be FHA approved. In some instances, a developer or condo association will get the entire development approved. However, the vast majority has not. In the past, even though the development was not FHA approved, FHA would do what is considered a "spot approval." In essence, they would approve the one condo being purchased provided it met various guidelines. This allowed a homeowner to purchase in a development that was not entirely approved by FHA. However, the new change will be that there will NO LONGER be spot approvals. That being said, it means that a condo you might want might not be FHA approved and you will not be able to get financing from them. The only recourse is for the condo association or developer to go through the approval process for the entire development. If they are smart, I expect many will start to do that.
You may not think this is a big deal, but it is. For all of the wonderful complexes in the Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead areas, only a handful are FHA approved. I was amazed at how many developments were NOT approved. If you are wondering which complexes are approved at this time, check out this link:
https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm
The other changes that are planned are:
There now will be a maximum of 30% of all units in a complex that can be FHA financed. Previously, there was no cap. What this means is that you could decide to buy a condo in a particular complex, only to find out you are not approved because over 30% of the homeowners were financed with FHA. That could be not only a problem, but a big disappointment.
At least half of the units in a development must have been sold before you can get FHA financing. This can be a problem for new developments that have yet to reach this sales quota.
At least half of the units will have to be owner occupied. For a vast majority of the complexes in the metro Atlanta area, that is not a problem as the HOA normally has a cap of 20-25% rentals allowed. However, there are a few developments in metro Atlanta that do not have any caps. If you are interested in buying using FHA financing, I suggest you find out which complexes will not meet FHA requirements.
I realize that the mortgage industry needs to be tightened up. However, some of these FHA restrictions will make it more difficult for many great homebuyers to achieve their dreams of a condo.
Pat Mistretta
Copyright 2009
Follow me on Twitter: LoftsInAtlanta
As of November 2, 2009, due to the crazy mortgage market, the FHA is issuing new guidelines. Unfortunately, for condo purchasers, this will make buying a condo a lot more difficult.
To begin with, FHA requires that the condo you are purchasing be FHA approved. In some instances, a developer or condo association will get the entire development approved. However, the vast majority has not. In the past, even though the development was not FHA approved, FHA would do what is considered a "spot approval." In essence, they would approve the one condo being purchased provided it met various guidelines. This allowed a homeowner to purchase in a development that was not entirely approved by FHA. However, the new change will be that there will NO LONGER be spot approvals. That being said, it means that a condo you might want might not be FHA approved and you will not be able to get financing from them. The only recourse is for the condo association or developer to go through the approval process for the entire development. If they are smart, I expect many will start to do that.
You may not think this is a big deal, but it is. For all of the wonderful complexes in the Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead areas, only a handful are FHA approved. I was amazed at how many developments were NOT approved. If you are wondering which complexes are approved at this time, check out this link:
https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm
The other changes that are planned are:
There now will be a maximum of 30% of all units in a complex that can be FHA financed. Previously, there was no cap. What this means is that you could decide to buy a condo in a particular complex, only to find out you are not approved because over 30% of the homeowners were financed with FHA. That could be not only a problem, but a big disappointment.
At least half of the units in a development must have been sold before you can get FHA financing. This can be a problem for new developments that have yet to reach this sales quota.
At least half of the units will have to be owner occupied. For a vast majority of the complexes in the metro Atlanta area, that is not a problem as the HOA normally has a cap of 20-25% rentals allowed. However, there are a few developments in metro Atlanta that do not have any caps. If you are interested in buying using FHA financing, I suggest you find out which complexes will not meet FHA requirements.
I realize that the mortgage industry needs to be tightened up. However, some of these FHA restrictions will make it more difficult for many great homebuyers to achieve their dreams of a condo.
Pat Mistretta
Copyright 2009
Follow me on Twitter: LoftsInAtlanta
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Some cool things to decorate your Loft with
I am always searching for things that I think will be really cool for lofts. I always post them on Twitter (twitter.com/loftsinatlanta), but thought it would be fun to list them here too.
Here is something that is called "Digital Wallpaper." Although it is not wallpaper in the truest sense, it is rather interesting and different. I can only imagine what the musicans can do with it knowing they can figure out a way to coordinate their music with movement of the digital colors. Wouldn't that be fun?
http://www.homedit.com/digital-wallpaper-by-strukt/
Another thing is the use of concrete. For those of you familiar with lofts, concrete plays an important role in a lot of them in floors, ceilings, countertops and sinks. Well, here is another use for concrete in "Concrete Shelving." I only imagine that it would be expensive to ship, but it could give you ideas on making your own molds:
http://www.homedit.com/low-cost-design-concrete-bookshelves/
Last, but not least, is an idea of "Glass Curtains." Actually, these are pretty cool and can be used not only as curtains, but as room dividers.
http://www.homedit.com/modern-glass-curtains-design/
So, keep checking back, as I will continue to post some great finds. Again, you can also follow me on Twitter.
Here is something that is called "Digital Wallpaper." Although it is not wallpaper in the truest sense, it is rather interesting and different. I can only imagine what the musicans can do with it knowing they can figure out a way to coordinate their music with movement of the digital colors. Wouldn't that be fun?
http://www.homedit.com/digital-wallpaper-by-strukt/
Another thing is the use of concrete. For those of you familiar with lofts, concrete plays an important role in a lot of them in floors, ceilings, countertops and sinks. Well, here is another use for concrete in "Concrete Shelving." I only imagine that it would be expensive to ship, but it could give you ideas on making your own molds:
http://www.homedit.com/low-cost-design-concrete-bookshelves/
Last, but not least, is an idea of "Glass Curtains." Actually, these are pretty cool and can be used not only as curtains, but as room dividers.
http://www.homedit.com/modern-glass-curtains-design/
So, keep checking back, as I will continue to post some great finds. Again, you can also follow me on Twitter.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Think you can't paint vinyl floors? Think Again!
If you are like me, you probably think you cannot paint vinyl floors I always thought that to be the case. However, one day ....
I was sitting in my apartment looking at some really old vinyl floors in my kitchen. I was glad my then landlord gave me free rein on doing whatever I wanted. I knew I wanted those floors changed, but I also knew that I did not want to put any money out on new flooring considering I did not own the place.
Out of desperate measures on not wanting to look at this golden brown floor any more, I figured anything would be better than nothing. Since it was one of those older style vinyl flooring that had raised areas, I figured they were going to be my biggest problem as far as wearing down first. I decided to take some light sand paper and gently sand down the floor. No major work or elbow grease as I did not want to wear it off. Once that was done, I took a clean rag and wiped off all of the dust from the sanding, making sure it was all removed.
I then painted two coats of white primer paint. This primer paint was not made for floors, but for walls, doors, etc. I figured I had nothing left to lose but my time and a few dollars. I edged out the floors with a hand brush and applied the remainder with a roller. I was absolutely amazed how much just the white paint alone brighted up the entire kitchen!
I then looked at this white canvas and decided what kind of a design I wanted. Since I enjoyed seeing some white, I decided to paint my own black and white squares. Actually, what I did was just mark off where the black would be, using the white primer as my white portion. To add a little flair to the floor, I put in sporadic shapes as in circles, diamonds, rectangles, etc., all being a different color.
Once everything was totally dried, I applied 5 coats of clear polyurethane. I then held my breath not knowing if it would peel off from walking on it once it was dried. Guess what? It didn't! Yahoo!
The floor looked great and I was so pleased. Every time I washed the floor with a mild detergent, I just finished it off with another coat of polyurethane. It lasted for years!
So, if you have vinyl flooring and want to change it with just a minimal amount of money and more time ... go for it!
It works! Check the photo out.
I was sitting in my apartment looking at some really old vinyl floors in my kitchen. I was glad my then landlord gave me free rein on doing whatever I wanted. I knew I wanted those floors changed, but I also knew that I did not want to put any money out on new flooring considering I did not own the place.
Out of desperate measures on not wanting to look at this golden brown floor any more, I figured anything would be better than nothing. Since it was one of those older style vinyl flooring that had raised areas, I figured they were going to be my biggest problem as far as wearing down first. I decided to take some light sand paper and gently sand down the floor. No major work or elbow grease as I did not want to wear it off. Once that was done, I took a clean rag and wiped off all of the dust from the sanding, making sure it was all removed.
I then painted two coats of white primer paint. This primer paint was not made for floors, but for walls, doors, etc. I figured I had nothing left to lose but my time and a few dollars. I edged out the floors with a hand brush and applied the remainder with a roller. I was absolutely amazed how much just the white paint alone brighted up the entire kitchen!
I then looked at this white canvas and decided what kind of a design I wanted. Since I enjoyed seeing some white, I decided to paint my own black and white squares. Actually, what I did was just mark off where the black would be, using the white primer as my white portion. To add a little flair to the floor, I put in sporadic shapes as in circles, diamonds, rectangles, etc., all being a different color.
Once everything was totally dried, I applied 5 coats of clear polyurethane. I then held my breath not knowing if it would peel off from walking on it once it was dried. Guess what? It didn't! Yahoo!
The floor looked great and I was so pleased. Every time I washed the floor with a mild detergent, I just finished it off with another coat of polyurethane. It lasted for years!
So, if you have vinyl flooring and want to change it with just a minimal amount of money and more time ... go for it!
It works! Check the photo out.
Copyright - Pat Mistretta
2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
90 Fairlie Lofts
Nestled in Atlanta's Historic Downtown district is 90 Fairlie Lofts. On a side street surrounded by restaurants and shops, as well as area attractions, this wonderful loft building is a quiet secret. Although it does not have all of the bells and whistles as some of the newer loft developments with amenities, it has its own uniqueness and charm.
I had the opportunity to view one loft in this building the other day. Being a loft lover, I can say I usually like most lofts. However, the one I saw was very impressive. The size alone (2,600 square feet) was an attention getter. Add to that a gigantic circular kitchen of beautiful cherrywood cabinetry and top of the line stainless appliances, and I was immediately drawn into wanting to see more. Being an end unit, it had a wall of windows in it's large living area and master bedroom with various views of the City. Although there was no exposed ductwork, it did have the staggered cement ceilings to remind you that you were in a loft. Hardwood flooring throughout which made this already expansive space appear even larger. Cherrywood cabinetry continued through the bathrooms and the master bathroom had a very large walk-in shower with an added bonus of it's own private sauna. How cool is that?
The rooms in this unit were of a generous size, adding to it a dining area, as well as a divided space that would be perfect for an office.
I did wish that it had a balcony that you could sit out on. That would have just made it perfect! It did have a Juliette balcony, but I was hoping for an outdoor space. Time constraints preventing me from checking out the roof decktop, but I am sure that makes up for any lack of personal balconies.
Two things of my own personal taste that I would do to this unit. I would restain the flooring to the cherrywood. I have a personal love of that color for it's richness and quality. Second, I would add red bricks to the entire wall of windows. I have a fondness for red bricks, especially in lofts, and I feel that would not only enhance the windows, it would create an even greater loft feel. Again, it is all selective and that is just my own personal tastes.
I have to say, this unit impressed even me! I would even consider buying it. I am anxious to go back and check out more units, as well as the rooftop deck. I'll update my post with more info after I do that.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Studioplex Lofts
I had the opportunity to view Studioplex Lofts on Auburn Avenue and I have to say, I am impressed! What a great combined living space they have. Fantastic retail space/loft combos, as well as indivudal lofts.
It appealed to me because it has a very artsy feel to it. I guess because you start out with a fantastic hand blown glass store right up front. Great work in there and I had a nice chat with one of the owners.
There is an appealing courtyard where you just want to take a stroll and see the shops. Many people live in their lofts with their living accommodations behind their storefronts. How perfect it would be to have your own art studio, shop or business in the front and your living space behind a wall or curtain.
The second floor lofts have wonderfully high ceilings with skylights. Dave and Chuck of my office (Morris & Raper) are quickly selling the last of the units and I can understand why. It is one of those hidden gems tucked away. However, once you discover them, you are thoroughly enchanted.
To add to the flavor of the development, they have an Artists Walk every second Wednesday of the month. From what I hear, their following is getting stronger and stronger with each event. Their last event brought in between 300-400 people. Berlin, the property manager, takes great pride in the development and maintenance. He is a sweetheart.
Aside from the residences, they have the glass gallery, Jack's Art Gallery, salons, interior designers, musicians and so much more. Even SCAD has a space on the outer perimeter with regular art showings.
For anyone looking to live in a unique development that is far from a cookie cutter, then you really should consider Studioplex. Mere minutes from downtown and midtown, it is fast becoming a neighborhood of new developments.
I was thoroughly impressed. It is definitely worth checking out for either your next residence or a unique place to have your shop.
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