urbanSTL

I have e-mailed them to find out the status of my punch list work. I have not heard back from them. My loan officer needs to know when I am going to close. I am not closing until they are done with my punch list. I own a construction company here in Florida. Once you close it is yours. If you are willing to go to go to court over caulking a baseboard so be it. It is your best interest not to close until you are satisfied that the punch list has been completed and corrected.

ginny wrote:It seems to me that people only feel the need to post on this board when something negative arises, but this doesn't portray this project in an accurate light. The developers aren't trying to scam anyone; they're just scrambling to get things done and get people moved into their units. Having read these boards, I walked into my inspection expecting a complete disaster. This wasn't the case at all.



This building and the units inside will be some of the best on Washington thus far. Let's everyone wait until everything is actually FINISHED before declaring it otherwise.

Just as ginny pointed out, this forum re-established her expectations heading into her walkthrough (which made her hesitant to the state of her unit)- but came out pleased with the way her unit is coming along. However, the first few people to complete a walkthrough and who did not have the luxury of obtaining other people’s perspectives, might have had his/her expectations fall short.



The Meridian, and this forum, is bringing together buyers who represent many different aspects of our community – facets we can’t easily detect or blatantly reveal in a forum such as this. We do not know and/or can’t always establish what each person’s expectations, reservations, experiences, etc.. There is not an absolute doctrine (at least I don’t think so!) which advises us collectively as to what is acceptable and reasonable regarding our units, the common areas, or even correspondence and communications between buyers and sellers. We all must rely in part, to our prior experiences or those of our friends, family, real estate agents, etc. to help guide us in this process.



I do know that I have a serious financial commitment in place. A commitment to me, which is far more impactful than placing a nominal bet on red at the roulette table or buying a can of red bull to see if you really get wings!!! (This is my attempt at humor so bear with me as I don’t even like Red Bull to begin with!). In all seriousness though, I realize this is my first walkthrough as well as my first experience with new construction. I am learning about real estate contracts and what is considered ‘normal’ or ‘reasonable’ through this process. I simply do not have the personal experiences to call upon to know when I may be overly sensitive or reacting reasonably. I am not pointing this out to say that I am expecting more tolerance nor do I see this as more of hindrance to me vs. someone who has been done this road before me. I merely am trying to say that there is merit in each person’s perspective and I am more knowledgeable and informed as a result of being an active participant in this forum.



It is worth denoting though, that as I read through the other threads and comments regarding other developments, I have noticed that all threads have their fair share and/or even conceivably a more negative than positive exchange because we all have different expectations. The Meridian, no matter how smoothly it could or would go, will undoubtedly not meet some people’s expectations. I agree with ginny, we can be hypersensitive at times in this forum, but we must remain mindful that it is an open exchange of opinions and experiences.



I am glad that ginny’s walkthrough went so smooth. For all of us in between, and the many, many more who will follow after us, I feel, will be able to more reasonably establish, reestablish and/or maintain their expectations as a result of this forum. I do feel that ginny’s experience was enriched because of those who completed a walkthrough before her and brought their issues and concerns, both big, small, and seemingly unimportant or over emphasized to the developers.



My confidence continues to grow that as this process is streamlined and as these issues and concerns are addressed that each walkthrough/closing/move in will be even better than the previous one. I am in sweet anticipation of each of our reactions when the building is 100% complete to know whether the finished product exceed our expectations in the end.



That being said, I hope that everyone will continue to report their honest and open feelings irrespective of whether your respective expectations were not met or exceeded.

ginny wrote:I did my walkthrough today. I was very impressed. Yes, there were several issues (paint touch-ups, dings here and there), but the developers who accompanied me seemed very willing to fix everything. There wasn't a single thing that I would consider "out of the ordinary" for a walkthrough of a newly-constructed residence.

Thanks for the positive news, Ginny! It's nice to hear that somebody's walk through went well.

^ Don't forget to invite your 8th floor neighbor up for the first party!

Will do. T-ravs for everyone!

Admittedly, I've been as hard as anyone on these developers, but I was very happy with my walk-thru. I pointed out problems, and the developers seemed happy to take care of them. I was aided in my walk-thru by someone with a VERY discriminating eye, someone who has literally done HUNDREDS of walk-thru's, and his opinion was that the condition of the unit was average for walk-thru's of this sort. He didn't notice anything particularly wrong with my unit or the building.

I'm also happy to report that my "dispute" over certain issues with my unit was taken care of. In fact, the final resolution exceeded my expectations.

I believe that I have maintained all along that we should wait and see how the developers deal with walk-thru issues and how they handle our complaints, and it seems like they're coming through. Certainly, as I've mentioned, no one should close until they're happy, but I didn't get the sense that the developers would want that to happen.

I have many friends who live in many different lofts downtown, and I agree with ginny that when this project is finally complete, it will be one of the nicest buildings down there. I'm excited to move in and meet everyone soon.

Question on staining your concrete floors. I know some of you have opted to stain your floors (which will look fantastic). Just curious to if that was a standard choice or an upgrade. And if it was an upgrade, anyone care to share what the per square foot cost was?

cbroy2544 wrote: I do feel that ginny’s experience was enriched because of those who completed a walkthrough before her and brought their issues and concerns, both big, small, and seemingly unimportant or over emphasized to the developers.

I agree with you and please understand that the developers are learning as well. Aimster and others on the upper floors will have a much smoother process overall as a result of all the things that the developers are learning from those of us on the lower floors. I have also found them to be very receptive to comments and have a genuine willingness to make us happy buyers.

irocktheparty2000 wrote: Just curious to if that was a standard choice or an upgrade.

I'm sooooo excited about the stained floors! The process began yesterday. I can't wait to see how they turn out. The staining was never an official upgrade option. It was a customization that you could request if you wanted it. I don't remember the price per sq ft (it's just lumped in with my other customizations) but I know the GC tacked on an additional percentage even though the developers did not.

We ended up at $4.50/ square foot for staining the floors and sealing the bricks.

shelbyelyse wrote:We ended up at $4.50/ square foot for staining the floors and sealing the bricks.

Great Price! You'll get that back and then some at resale. Usually it's a bit more than that so looks like your developer kind of hooked you up.

And ultimately we have you to thank for it. Those of you who have arranged to have your floors stained at the Meridian should know that it is irocktheparty2000 who took the time out to show us his stain job so that we could get the Meridian hooked up with Master Crete. I think it is going to be beautiful. We are really excited!

shelbyelyse wrote:And ultimately we have you to thank for it. Those of you who have arranged to have your floors stained at the Meridian should know that it is irocktheparty2000 who took the time out to show us his stain job so that we could get the Meridian hooked up with Master Crete. I think it is going to be beautiful. We are really excited!

Ahh, don't thank me. I just hope you are as happy with your floor as I was with mine. What a difference it makes! Maybe you can let me sneak a peak at the finished product?

Absolutely. I chose a really dark stain so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

I've seen some MasterCrete stained floors before - they look awesome!

I'm sure you'll like how yours turns out.

shelbyelyse wrote:Absolutely. I chose a really dark stain so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Did you do the staining throughout your loft? Any timeline on when is your staining to be completed?

I did staining throughout. Marvin is doing it now and it will be completed by Wed Aug 2.

chad wrote:1. Caulk around pipes and conduits

2. Touch up paint where wall meets ceiling

3. Install backsplash behind sink

4. Caulk countertops

5. Cover screw heads inside cabinets

6. Adjust cabinet doors

7. Caulk store front window

8. Sprinkler head dripping

9. Caulk tub

10. Caulk vanity top

11. Fix loose glass stop on doorAdjust sink stop

12. Remove sharp edge trim under washer/dryer.



There were lots more

Was this a preliminary walk through? Or were they wanting you to close with these items unattended to? Most if these items don't sound that out of the ordinary for a few days before closing. They wont take that long to fix. Good luck!

I must say, I drove by last night at about 11, and there were several windows with lights on, it looked great. Really livened up the street.

Does anyone have a list of the remaining units, their pricing and square footage. I am looking specifically for 2br 2ba units and their prices. Thanks.

I closed yesterday (yea!) and the final product definitely met my expectations! There is a few touch up spots here and there that remain but I was very excited to note that the contractors had addressed virtually all of my punch list items prior to close and the unit looks awesome!



One thing I did denote however, is the credit/adjustment for city property taxes by seller and the required reserves for the city property taxes that I had to pay for Jan - Aug at closing. As is typical, I expected to pay for August + 2 months forward at closing since that is the month in which I took possession and receive a credit for the first 7 months but there is a rather large difference in what the developers calculation is/was and what rate my assessment is at so I ended up having to pay about $2500 for taxes at the closing! This figure was not disclosed to me prior to the closing so I had no idea where it came from or why. Further, the mortgage broker didn't do a very good job of explaining it and hence the reason I'm looking for more clarification. I realize this is not the best way of handling this question so I hope I'm making some sense?!?!?



Anyway, I was just curious if anyone who has either already closed and/or is familiar with the prepayment requirements for buyers on new development and how/why those differ from typical sales.

What do you mean? Your loft was assessed at a higher value than the purchase price and thus the discrepancy? If this is the case, what price did you purchase at and what was it assessed? How much correlation is there normally between assessed and market values?



I was interested in a lift as parking is limited downtown and was told months ago that it would be about $12,000. Now it's down to the nitty gritty as I should be closing this month and they say the price is $15,000. That's a 25% increase over their initial quote! Is this at all competitive?



(And no, I don't care to hear anyone questioning why I'd want a lift because I should be using public transportation.... I don't work downtown and maybe I'll want a wife someday who'll have a car and need a place to park.)

cbroy2544 wrote:I closed yesterday (yea!) and the final product definitely met my expectations! There is a few touch up spots here and there that remain but I was very excited to note that the contractors had addressed virtually all of my punch list items prior to close and the unit looks awesome!



One thing I did denote however, is the credit/adjustment for city property taxes by seller and the required reserves for the city property taxes that I had to pay for Jan - Aug at closing. As is typical, I expected to pay for August + 2 months forward at closing since that is the month in which I took possession and receive a credit for the first 7 months but there is a rather large difference in what the developers calculation is/was and what rate my assessment is at so I ended up having to pay about $2500 for taxes at the closing! This figure was not disclosed to me prior to the closing so I had no idea where it came from or why. Further, the mortgage broker didn't do a very good job of explaining it and hence the reason I'm looking for more clarification. I realize this is not the best way of handling this question so I hope I'm making some sense?!?!?



Anyway, I was just curious if anyone who has either already closed and/or is familiar with the prepayment requirements for buyers on new development and how/why those differ from typical sales.

innov8ion wrote:(And no, I don't care to hear anyone questioning why I'd want a lift because I should be using public transportation.... I don't work downtown and maybe I'll want a wife someday who'll have a car and need a place to park.)

Only an idiot would question why you need a lift. If you feel you need one, then get one. I am. We don't need to explain it to anyone.

It's a shame the world isn't idiot free. I take it you're in the Meridian too? Do you feel 15k is competitive? Have you looked around at all or talked with others? If price isn't in line with the market I'd rather wait until the Association takes over and work the lift at that time.

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:

innov8ion wrote:(And no, I don't care to hear anyone questioning why I'd want a lift because I should be using public transportation.... I don't work downtown and maybe I'll want a wife someday who'll have a car and need a place to park.)

Only an idiot would question why you need a lift. If you feel you need one, then get one. I am. We don't need to explain it to anyone.

innov8ion wrote:It's a shame the world isn't idiot free. I take it you're in the Meridian too? Do you feel 15k is competitive? Have you looked around at all or talked with others?

Yes. I don't know. No and no. But if it's anything like I envision a lift would be, $15K doesn't sound outrageous. I could be wrong, of course. And remember, it's not just the lift - the electric has to be run, it has to be anchored (I would assume), etc...