Value Views are a Thing, with some Caveats

Parkview at Vancouvercenter offers some view condos particularly when facing west towards Esther Short Park. These park facing units tend to carry a premium price. The east facing units suffer from a severe case of urbanitis peekaboois. (Uh oh, is Rod losing his mind?) No I am not losing my mind. These units face other buildings in virtually every direction. But the end units can peek between the buildings and sometimes yield a nice picturesque views. This is the case with unit 603 currently listed by Berkshire Hathaway. 

Photo created by Urban Living in the Couv

I have been in this unit a couple of times, including recently to show it to a prospective buyer. The unit is on the 6th floor of 7 in the building. This is a type one all concrete and steel structure that is well insulated against noise. The patio is spacious for a mid rise condo and offers some decent mid day sun. Many units in Parkview facing east have little natural light especially on the lower floors. This unit is much better than most. 

RMLS Photo

The caveats are basically that the traditional "views" are of the peek-a-boo variety. The rest of the patio has the dubious distinction of looking into a lot of high-rise and mid-rise windows. And even though these units do not face the park, access to the park is identical. You are still literally right on the park.

I doubt anyone will buy this unit because of the view, it ins't a great view. They will buy it because it is in one of the best urban locations in the entire region. Esther Short Park is the centerpiece for Downtown Vancouver and features one of the best Farmer's Market experience in the region as well as a ton of amazing festivals, concerts, and events. The convention center is just across the park along with City Hall and a lot of restaurants, breweries, clubs, and shops. The location is described by walk score.com as a walker's paradise. 

RMLS Photo

The unit does have peek-a-boo views from every room. Including a very nice Mount Hood view looking between Vancouvercenter 3 and 4. Again the views are just simple little peeks, but they are better than no view. The unit is priced at $361,900 and features 2 beds and 2 baths with 879 square feet of space. The building features secure underground parking for $125 a month and HOA dues are $815. The HOA may seem a bit high but it does include heating and air conditioning. Owner does not pay for HVAC energy or maintenance. 

This article is intended as information on view property in Vancouver. The author is a licensed agent and is available for consultation on this or any other property in Washington State. This property is not listed by the office of the author of this article.

Give Realtor® Rod Sager a call and arrange for a showing.

15650 NE 4th Plain Blvd. Suite 101, Vancouver, WA 98682

360-737-4600

2024 Trends Looking Good

If you are looking to upgrade your view this year trends are suggesting that conditions for buying may improve as we roll through the first half of 2024. Interest rates seem to have stabilized recently with some favorable drops in typical rates as well as an outlook for mild improvement. That will help buyers and sellers will enjoy modest pricing improvement as we progress through the year. 

View property is almost always sold at a premium but typically view property will hold its value a little better than properties without a view. Clark County offers view opportunities and just about every price range from $400,000 to $17 million. There is just about every kind of view from lakes to rivers, to hills and mountains, and cityscapes. We have the view for you!

Kirkland Nearly Topped at Palisades

Google Earth 2023

Kirkland's The Ledges is a large 7 floor condo and apartment project on the bluff at Columbia Palisades is nearly topped out. With a two story concrete podium and five levels of wood frame units above this is the largest project to date in the former quarry. It follows a townhouse development that completed last year on the same bluff. Perched up over the former quarry and SR-14, these two projects will offer spectacular views of the Columbia River and the bright twinkling lights of Portland and East Multnomah County. Columbia Palisades has seen a slowish start but the East Vancouver neighborhood that straddles the city line with Camas is likely to see some increased activity as more commercial development is built to support the area. So far Vancouver Clinic has build a location in the development and there are plans for a lot more. I would imagine that some additional residential will need to complete to support the new retail businesses.

Meanwhile on the west side of SE 192nd Avenue, Hurly is working on the HQ development that will bring housing and retail to the other side of the former quarry. These two developments will likely feed off each other and form a bustling east side urban center with excellent highway access to SR-14 and I-205. This will be a great neighborhood and you can already buy units at Boulder Ridge on Ascension Drive.

What ever you do, enjoy the view!