Have you been to the Atlanta Botanical Garden lately? I have lived here for quite a long time and I haven’t ever explored the gardens before. I was quite surprised how expansive the grounds are and how absolutely gorgeous every space is. When I was there, I felt like I wasn’t even in the city anymore. Plan on spending an afternoon there because it will take you some time to go through all the outdoor and indoor spaces. You can even grab a bite to eat!

Pictured above is the award-winning Levy Parterre Formal Garden. It is comprised of boxwood-edged beds arranged symmetrically around an Italian limestone fountain featuring artist Dale Chihuly’s dazzling blue and white glass sculpture. The day I went to visit was brilliantly sunny and the light coming through the sculpture was breathtaking. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

Watershed restaurant opened at The Brookwood, a 219-unit, mixed-use condominium community located on Peachtree Street in the heart of the historic Brookwood neighborhood. The eatery, owned by Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers, has received awards and rave reviews on both local and national levels for over twelve years. Watershed’s Chef Joe Truex, a native Southerner, has designed a new menu of Southern-inspired dishes using the freshest ingredients (think local organic growers). Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

Remember the One Museum Place project a while back? Well the prime Midtown site at 1301 Peachtree Street is about to get a new owner, and some new life.

The nearly 2-acre tract of land is owned by John Wieland of John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods Inc. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Weiland has two offers for the property and expects to have a deal as soon as 30 days. Fantastic, because we are running out of new condo projects and units (I don’t know if you have been looking, but inventory is tightening up very quickly).

On April 9, 2010, I let you know about one of those potential buyers, Alvin D. James, who was interested in building yet another hotel/retail/office/condo project. His revised $150 million plan includes a 30-story mid-rise tower with a 5-star, 150 room hotel, 70 luxury condos and 24 penthouses (along with high-end retail and 3 restaurants). Oh, did I mention there may also be a performance hall, spa, pool and meeting space? All in a 650,000 square foot tower. With two potential bidders, James may not even see his plans come true, but lets hope so!

Could the luxury hotel brand be a Peninsula Hotel or Shangri-La Hotel? We already have most other luxury hotel brands scattered in Buckhead and Midtown.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with the land and what they are actually going to build.

Remember back in January when I first broke the story about Crescent Heights purchasing the unsold units at The Atlantic? Fast forward a few months later and we have 324 less condo units in our inventory. As many industry insiders expected, the new owner converted the remaining units in the building into rentals. What does this mean for existing owners in the building? At least two owners have decided it’s time to sell and move on, and two more putting their units into the rental pool (competing with a huge amount of never-occupied units).

“This truly is a unique opportunity,” said Tomer Bitton, Principal with the Crescent Heights(r) group of companies. “We are responding to the trend of leasing vs. buying in the marketplace. The Atlantic is, without a doubt, the pinnacle of urban living in Atlanta, unparalleled in design, views, amenities and location. And based on the overwhelming initial response we’ve received, these homes will not be available for long.”

There are 324 never-before-occupied homes available for lease starting at $1,650 a month. The Atlantic offers a choice of six unique floor plans with over 50 options to suit every kind of lifestyle. Residences range from one, two, and three-bedroom layouts to two-story, 3,000 sq. ft. penthouse condos. Needless to say there are plenty of choices!

On the trend of leasing versus buying… I’m seeing the buying market come back strong – in a huge way. Many of the buildings that were having trouble are now selling quite well and hat includes the luxury market. Condos over $1,000,000 are selling again at a good pace. I think had ST held out a bit, they could have probably sold the remaining units at The Atlantic.

Given the lack of quality rentals in Atlanta right now, I suspect the project will be a huge success.

*Update 5/16 The Urban Market is no more. My source has told me there will be something else taking its place. Ill let you know once I have more information.

My good friends over at the Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta told me something you might want to check out. Each Friday evening from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm they are going to be setting up an Urban Market in the Resident’s Lobby. What can you find there? Try local, seasonal and artisanal items including produce, homemade specialties, bakery items, beverages, flowers and more.

If you have dined at Park 75 before, you probably have heard chef Robert Gerstenecker has taken the upper terraces planters and turned them into a private garden. He has done some great things to bring Atlanta foodies their farm-to-table wishes.  He produces his own honey, pickles, preserves and even grows herbs and produce on-site (lemon verbena, basil, sage, bay leaf, mint, oregano, vine-ripened tomatoes, rare peppers, edible flowers, lettuce, zucchini, radishes and much more). Check out this video where Chef Robert takes you on a tour of the rooftop garden.

Now you can take home some of those fresh items and share them with friends and family. Head over to the atlantaSKYrise Facebook page to see some photos from the Urban Market.

Chances are if you are going to my condo site (http://www.atlantaSKYrise.com) and blog, you are probably looking to view property listings and get as much detailed condo information as possible. I know there are numerous websites you can use to get information and search properties, but my goal is to have a content rich site where you can do everything you need, all in one place.

My site is updated throughout each and every day with the newest properties to hit the market, so it will show every single property available in Atlanta and the surrounding areas – provided they are listed in the MLS. For newer condo buildings, please contact me to find out what is available. Sometimes the developer/seller will only put a handful of listings in the MLS, while there are still a good number available to purchase.

Highlight updates include: Full Screen Mode, Search Active, Backup/Contingent and Pending Listings, Radius Search Option, Birds Eye View of Property Location, Similar Listings Tab, Multiple Listing Price History, Add RSS Feeds for Easy Viewing of New/Updated Property Listings, Include Just or Exclude Pre-Foreclosure, Short Sale, Bank/Lender Owned Properties.

Click the link to right to continue reading the post. Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature

These are the sales I have compiled over the course of the year noting the 40 highest luxury condo sales for 2011! Sovereign and the Ritz-Carlton appear most often on the list, along with some additional new construction buildings (and some resales too). I kept track of the 40 highest closed luxury property sales, which resulted in $55,344,507 in sales. It’s probably not as high as we would like it, but the market has picked up significantly and this year has started off with a bang!

This is the list, ordered from the highest sale to the lowest: Click Here for More Photos & the Rest of the Feature