Canadian developer to build “Solo Lofts” condo building in Ballard

It’s time for some more development news in our neighborhood. Canadian developer InHaus announced this week that they are set to build a 20 unit building dubbed “Solo Lofts” at 2018 NW 57th St. The condo building will be 7 stories high and developers are shooting for a BuiltGreen 4 star rating.

Solo Lofts was designed by Chris Pardo Design of Seattle and will be built by Absher Construction. Both construction and pre-sales of the units are set to start early next year with prices starting in the mid $200,000s. The building is scheduled for completion at the end of 2014.

The development project is set to feature units from 500-1200 square feet (eight one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom units, and four penthouses) with exposed ducting, floor-to0-ceiling windows, and the classic shared rooftop garden space. The building will also feature 10 underground parking stalls. In terms of reaching the Built Green 4-star rating, InHaus are aiming to utilize resources including sustainably sourced construction materials, solar panels and efficient lighting.

Marketing for the condos will be taken care of by Seattle-based Redfin Builder Services, a marketing and listing service offered by Redfin online real estate brokerage. According to an article on GeekWire, “Builder Services” was only released by Redfin on Wednesday. This new service allows builders and condo developers to widely advertise their properties for sale on Redfin’s website and mobile apps.

According to GeekWire, Redfin had a trial run with the Builder Services offering at Atlanta’s Vannoy Park community. Their test was deemed a success when all 26 units in the development were sold in less that 10 months at the developer’s target price.

So in terms of Solo Lofts, Redfin will have the potentially lucrative job of handling all unit sales for InHaus. GeekWire contacted Redfin spokesperson Kafia Hosh who declined to comment on the percentage of commission that Redfin is taking as an agent for the seller, but did confirm that a buyer’s agent will get full commission.

Hosh also confirmed how the search process will work for potential home buyers who seek out Redfin’s website to look for condos to buy. “The listings for Redfin Builder Services will be visible and searchable on Redfin.com alongside all other homes for sale on the MLS. The search process will be the same; Redfin.com users will be able to see the units on the map, and search by address, price range, or floorplan,” says Hosh. According to Hosh, builders could not previously sell properties in this way on Redfin.

According to an article on the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce website, Dave DeBruyn, co-owner of InHaus with Peter Kefalas, also mentioned plans to start another 39 unit condo project mid next year in Ballard. Reportedly, DeBruyn declined to give further details.

This announcement is sure to be met with mixed opinions from local residents who are adjusting to the increase in condo developments in Ballard over the past few years.