urbanSTL

you are still entitled to use a buyers agent...whether they use an agent or not they will be looking out for their interests...someone should look out for yours at closing.



you should use an agent or an attorney and they are entitled to half of the real estate commission. THese developers want to keep that for themselves, whihc is why they dissuade you from using an agent.

a friend of mine is an agent, so he has been helping me out. i'm not sure all the help he's given is worth the commision he's getting. but hey, he's doing his thing, and deserves to get something out of it.

We used an agent. This is why.



We were looking at a bunch of lofts down there, thinking we wanted to move in right away, so we weren't looking at new developments at first. Our agent was really good and worked her ass off trying to find us a place. We ended up deciding we wanted to look at some new developments, but wanted her to get paid for the work she had done. I don't know if she was paid a normal commission, but I did hear them say she would get her "fee".



Worked out well for us because we didn't see an increase in price to cover her commission. So, basically...why wouldn't we?

just wondering if pyramid would negotiate the price more if you weren't using an agent because they wouldn't have to pay the commision fees.

spamandreeses wrote:just wondering if pyramid would negotiate the price more if you weren't using an agent because they wouldn't have to pay the commision fees.

Maybe it's just me, but I have yet to find any new construction where you could negotiate the price on new construction. I thought that if you did not use an agent and the only agent was the seller's agent, their agent got the commission. I'm not sure what happens when the sole agent is an employee of the selling company.

HonestBusinesMan wrote:

spamandreeses wrote:just wondering if pyramid would negotiate the price more if you weren't using an agent because they wouldn't have to pay the commision fees.

Maybe it's just me, but I have yet to find any new construction where you could negotiate the price on new construction. I thought that if you did not use an agent and the only agent was the seller's agent, their agent got the commission. I'm not sure what happens when the sole agent is an employee of the selling company.

I've found that they will negotiate new construction at the end when only a couple of units remain. They will not negotiate pre-construction prices. And the commission they pay to realtors is only around 1.5 or 1.7 percent, at least that is what I have heard.

Interesting. We were wondering how much she made from us including her. Even at 1.5%...not too shabby.

I spoke with Stirling yesterday. He said the new Bankers Loft web site should be up and running in a week if not sooner. He also said unit 301 will be open by the end of the month and unit 305 will take a little longer.

Has Charter been finalized?

merch_man wrote:Has Charter been finalized?

Do you mean Charter Cable? I know a decision was made to go with them. I assume since cable is being run through the building that a contract has been signed, but I haven't heard that.

Does anyone know height wise, are the second floor units as tall as the third- sixth, or are the ceilings higher? From looking at the buildings and the windows, they appear to be taller.

I believe the ceilings on the second floor are 14' and the rest are 11'.

STLChristy wrote:I believe the ceilings on the second floor are 14' and the rest are 11'.

I believe you are correct about the ceilings.



Also there are new progress pics up dated 3-16.



Is anyone's unit pictured? I know someone who recognized their unit in the pictures, but I can't remember who it was.

i would guess that the unit pictured with the fireplace is 206 (take a look at the 605 floor plan - http://bankerslofts.com/loft-detail.html?unit=605). when i was in there last, they showed me that unit because it was the furthest along.



if it's not 206, it's definitely the second floor because the columns are different on the second floor than they are on the other floors.

I have a question.



Do we get to choose interior wall colors...or do they all come standard with white paint?

STLChristy wrote:I have a question.



Do we get to choose interior wall colors...or do they all come standard with white paint?

I have heard of no option other than white. Would you really want to pay them to paint though?



Oh yea, I finally scheduled my walk-through. I go next Tuesday morning, March 28th!



Yes, this will be my first time in the building.

I wouldn't want to pay them...I just figured if they have to paint it white, they might as well paint it another color just as easily. I was just curious. I don't mind painting anyway!



Sweet. We need to get ours scheduled.

The paint Pyramid used at Railway was your typical white, flat builder's paint. It's intended to be "high hiding" so make sure you inspect the walls and point out any issues. I would even go as far as taking a flash light (or similar) with you (even on a bright day). We had some issues that were fixed only because we pointed them out.

STLChristy wrote:I wouldn't want to pay them...I just figured if they have to paint it white, they might as well paint it another color just as easily. I was just curious. I don't mind painting anyway!



Sweet. We need to get ours scheduled.

If you don't mind painting, I might have a favor to ask





It wouldn't surprise me if you got contacted soon. I got an email from Laurie Eisenmann about scheduling the walk-through. She seemed like she wanted me to get done sooner rather than later because it "would help the construction schedule." I told her I would be glad to help out any way I could, even if it meant putting on a hard hat and getting to work.

Can someone run through what is included in our condo fees again?



Gas

Internet

Cable

Use and upkeep of gym, roof top decks, etc.



Anything else?

STLChristy wrote:Can someone run through what is included in our condo fees again?



Gas

Internet

Cable

Use and upkeep of gym, roof top decks, etc.



Anything else?

Building Maintenance and Insurance are other big ones.

When insurance is included, what all does that cover? Will I need to get any additional insurance for the place? Also, what are the criteria for raising the association fee? Is it set for a certian period of time, or can they raise it as much as they want when they want?



Sorry for all of the questions.

spamandreeses wrote:When insurance is included, what all does that cover? Will I need to get any additional insurance for the place? Also, what are the criteria for raising the association fee? Is it set for a certian period of time, or can they raise it as much as they want when they want?



Sorry for all of the questions.

Don't be sorry, they're good questions. I do know that the building's insurance will not cover your personal property and you will need seperate insurance to cover that. From what I'm told it's like renter's insurance, but obviously, we're not renters.



The association fee is your percentage of ownership in the building multiplied by the total budget. That's the yearly fee, divide by 12 and you have your monthly answer. The fee raises as the budget raises. The budget is determined by the Homeowner's association.

TheWayoftheArch wrote:I think that is a litle confusing-



The condo fee generally isures the building structure (flood, tornado, earthquake, roof, exterior, common spaces, etc.).



What you need is something like renters insurance to cover your personal property and interior finishes of your unit.



What the fee insurance actually covers is a variable that you should find out, and then seek out additional coverage after you clarify that.

I'm assuming its similar to Pyramid's Railway project - we were responsible for insuring from the"wall studs out" to include cabinets, fixtures, interior walls, etc. The quotes I got were anywhere between $300-500 a year.