It’s been a long road, but Luxe has managed to nearly sell all of the remaining inventory. The only two units left are a Penterra home on the 6th floor for $729,900 and a 2-bedroom condo on the 7th floor for $499,900. In our current market, price is king and location is key. I believe these are the reasons why the project has been so successful.  I speak with many buyers who are still searching for amazing deals, but with our condo inventory dwindling, the incredible deals are getting harder and harder to find. If you have been on the fence, you had better get  moving. Click this link for Luxe Listing in the MLS.

The Residences at the W Atlanta Downtown recently unveiled two new model homes on the 18th floor to kickoff the new sales relaunch. Each home is tastefully decorated and, in this go-round, they decided to go for more comfortable surroundings instead of the hard contemporary feel from last year. It works so much better and I think buyers will relate to project. (We all know the modern aesthetic doesn’t fare so well in Atlanta real estate.)

Each residence has 10 foot ceilings, solid core interior doors throughout your unit, pre-wiring for every technological convenience, electrical outlets near ceiling for automated draperies/shades, large floor-to-ceiling windows, open floor plans, coat closets, recessed lighting, separate laundry rooms in some units, large walk-in closets, and some larger units even have a service entrance.

I particularly love the W condos because of the kitchens. The standard appliance package is so much better than anything I have seen before in Atlanta. Yes, we always see Viking®, Thermador and many other high-end appliances, but when do we see Gaggenau? And have you even heard of this German, high-end appliance manufacturer? They have won all kinds of awards for their design and innovation so be sure to check them out. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

The Residences at the W Atlanta Downtown has relaunched their sales campaign, this time with even lower pricing than before. These units have been reduced roughly 60% from their original prices. Pretty amazing. With only 74 units in the building, I think we’ll now see some movement in this project and have some really great condos in the downtown area to call home.

The units are spectacular, with premium finishes throughout each and every unit. Homeowners have access to all amenities and services of the hotel, including Whatever/Whenever®, the W brand’s 24/7 service philosophy; preferred access to Bliss® Spa, BLT Steak®, the Living Room,
DRINKSHOP and WETBAR; use of WET® heated pool, Sweat Fitness®, Pet Services, Private Helipad, Housekeeping, Wheels® Valet services; and Starwood Preferred Guest® Gold Membership, among other exclusive owner benefits. The on-site residents concierge can handle all of your  desires, as long as there legal.

The new pricing makes living at the W more affordable than ever. One bedroom condos now start at an astonishing $199,900, two bedrooms from $299,900, three bedrooms from $859,900 and stunning two-story penthouses with huge walls of windows from $1,282,900. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

I’ve been very patiently waiting for my absolute favorite sushi restaurant in Atlanta (TOMO Japanese Restaurant) to open at the new Ritz-Carlton Residences Buckhead. And finally we have some solid news regarding the transition from the current, soon to be previous, Vining’s location. Looks like we can expect a late October opening at the new location. Awesome!

This is the best kept secret for sushi in Atlanta. Everything TOMO serves is ultra-fresh, delicious and looks like a work of art (including their desserts). They have a really terrific saki menu as well, including a wonderful organic bottle which I have tried many times.

The last day you can dine at the Vining’s location is October 1st, so make sure you go before then. After TOMO moves out, a new owner will take over the space and open his own Japanese restaurant.

Check back here for updates!

Condo living has its challenges when the buyer is looking for significant outdoor space. There are very few condominiums in Atlanta that offer decent outdoor space, let alone massive spaces. Spaces big enough to have an outdoor kitchen, hot tub, covered areas and outdoor dining/lounging areas. Look no more. This huge terrace can be found at Aqua Midtown at Penthouse 2301. We took a look at the inside space a couple days ago, so today we’ll explore the outside. Hopefully you will see why this penthouse is one of my favorites in Midtown. Above is the stunning Downtown view from one of the terraces. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

There aren’t too many penthouses in Atlanta where you can find just as much exterior space as interior space, but this penthouse at Aqua Midtown has both. Best of all, it has never been occupied so you don’t really have to deal with any “mistakes” the previous owner has made. This particular penthouse was supposed to have been the developers personal residence, but he has since moved on. There were some changes made to the space (definitely good ones) so this isn’t your cookie-cutter plan.

You enter the penthouse from a private elevator foyer. The space is round and features a trey ceiling and a hidden door leading to the service area. There is also a media room with a screen that drops down from the ceiling. The entire condo has been pre-wired (which cost over $50,000) for anything your heart desires. You can have total home automation, including remote controlled shades. There are a large amount of windows throughout, so the space is always bright and sunny. Major rooms open directly out to the terraces. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

Starting October 1, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cut the size of loans they buy from lenders. What does this mean to you if you are purchasing homes in the luxury market? Loan limits will drop (to $625,000) and it may end up costing buyers more to purchase the home you want, especially if you are already under contract to purchase. The reality is future borrowers may be pushed into the more expensive, hard to get jumbo loans.

Our condo market inventory is shrinking. Many condo buildings (Luxe, Viewpoint, Paramount, Twelve Centennial Park, Terminus, Serano and Gallery) are either completely sold out or nearly sold out. Other projects like Aqua, The Ritz-Carlton, Sovereign, 1010 Midtown and The Atlantic are closing condos at a brisk pace. At Luxe, they only have two units left to sell and both are priced above $700,000.

You can check out the article in USA Today here.