Hill, The

[ljbab728]

Bricktown to me feels touristic. It looks that people just come to bricktown to have a good time, and go back to where they live.

That's because Bricktown is touristic in feel and few people live there. Deep Deuce with it's plentiful housing is within easy walking distance though. You'll find that the vast majority of visitors are local. Would Bricktown seem more authentic to you if it was like it was 30 years ago and nobody would dare set foot there after dark? Don't paint all of downtown or central OKC with the same brush because of a perception about Bricktown.

[city]

Spartan,
Will you pay $295k for a 1300 sq ft at the central villas or $275k for 1100 sq ft at the Maywood wood park? I just want to have an idea how much money people are willing to pay for a condo.

Gosh I wouldn't! Are Maywood Park townhomes being subdivided? Are you talking about the Maywood lofts. The villas and the lofts; I am not sure what you are paying for for $228 to $250 a sq ft. That is more than The Hill a sq ft and not comparable. I think they are worth south of $200 a sq ft.
I'd look elsewhere in the downtown area. I have been told you can build in SOSA for about $200 to $220 a sq ft. I 'm not sure if that includes the lot.

[Spartan]

Spartan,
Will you pay $295k for a 1300 sq ft at the central villas or $275k for 1100 sq ft at the Maywood wood park? I just want to have an idea how much money people are willing to pay for a condo.

I think you mean the Lofts @ Maywood Park (red brick block-long bldg on 2nd St) because the Brownstones are much more than that. And yes, if I were in the market, I would make a competitive offer on a Central Avenue Villas unit.. I believe that the 1,450 sf units sold for 250 (not that I have that kind of money right out of university)?? I would not pay ballpark for a unit in the Lofts bldg, however... if that makes sense... the amenities in CAV are much nicer, the architecture is bolder. The architect actually resides in his own building there.

[soonermike81]

There are indeed many affordable homes with close access to the CBD. I definitely wouldn't recommend Classen Ten Penn, but there are some nice bungalows in Gatewood nearby for 150K or less. Pretty much all inner northside neighborhoods have appreciated nicely over the past few years; from a percentage perspective, far more than most new suburban areas.

Where is exactly is the Classen Ten Penn neighborhood? Lived in the OKC metro area most of my life and never heard of this.

[LandRunOkie]

The area between Classen and Penn and 10th and 23rd. My old stomping grounds.

[mcca7596]

The area between Classen and Penn and 10th and 23rd. My old stomping grounds.

I thought it only went to 16th, that between 16th and 23rd was Gatewood?

[LandRunOkie]

Gatewood is a fabricated district to me. It all feels the same compared to other parts of the city.

[shawnw]

Gatewood is technically a historic neighborhood, isn't it?

[LandRunOkie]

Its all historic and its all going to stay that way unless people start building new construction. Not that it makes sense financially. Meaning, its all semantics.

[soonermike81]

The area between Classen and Penn and 10th and 23rd. My old stomping grounds.

Got it, thanks! So the area where the Plaza District is located. Are the homes in that neighborhood being bought up and restored on the same level as other historical neighborhoods in the city? Just curious, as my wife and I are relocating back to OKC soon and she likes some of the historical homes like Mesta Park, Cleveland, Crown Heights, etc.

[heyerdahl]

Classen Ten Penn is only south of 16th. Gatewood is north of 16th. Gatewood is more gentrified than Ten Penn, they are very different neighborhoods. Ten Penn is picking up steam though due to Plaza District.

[Urbanized]

Wait a minute...Gatewood feels the same as Classen Ten Penn? Have you actually BEEN to either neighborhood?

[LandRunOkie]

The area between Classen and Penn and 10th and 23rd. My old stomping grounds.

They have a very aggressive neighborhood watch so I knew I would ruffle some feathers when I said that. Oh well...
But back to the topic of the thread, they really need to repave that RR crossing by the Hill. Its probably the worst I've ever seen.

[Spartan]

Gatewood is a fabricated district to me. It all feels the same compared to other parts of the city.

Huh? Gatewood is a very long-standing historic district. St. Francis of Assisi is there, a real community pillar - my grandparents once nearly bought a house there in the 70s, when HP zoning was first instituted and right before that area really nosedived.

Classen-Ten-Penn has some real bargains and that neighborhood has an incredible upside to it.. Buy Buy Buy!! as Jim Cramer would say. The city is about to do some major upgrades in CTP. The decorative signage just went up last year. Maybe the Tenth Street Peace Park will actually be realized soon, the streetscape along there is fantastic.

Gatewood is one of the city's nicer historic districts. My favorite street in all of OKC is Carey Place or "Scary Carey" at Halloween, great community vibe. The Plaza District just a block away is a major perk. Very walkable area. Safe. CTP has some work to do, and I wouldn't necessarily walk around at night per se, but I see no reason why it won't be similar to Gatewood in 10-15 years. It might be a bit premature for me myself to invest, if I had the resources...

TODAY I'd put money up and down NW 16th between the Plaza and Classen. I think that's the hot buy you'll regret not jumping on tomorrow...that and the residential streets around Paseo (ie., land along NW 24th) is starting to get hot. I heard from a good source that we may see some decent urban development in Uptown, utilizing that land. My belief is that a few actors are waiting to see how serious streetcar expansion talk is...

[ljbab728]

My belief is that a few actors are waiting to see how serious streetcar expansion talk is...

We heard it from Spartan first. Brad and Angelina may be moving to OKC soon.

[Spartan]

Eh, I think we'll have to have a worse natural disaster than wildfires to bring Brad Pitt back to his birth city..

Maybe an earthen ramp or House of Bedlam would start the conversation

[ljbab728]

Well, actually it was Shawnee, but that's close.

[CaptDave]

I was able to tour the last unit sold in The Hill over the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by how well built it was. It was on the expensive side of the price scale, but it had an elevator which was around a $35000 option. This one without elevator would have been $220/ft2. These homes definitely fill a niche for people looking for a home to transition from the suburbs to downtown living. It definitely had the feel of a "normal" home, was very nicely appointed, and has all the advantages of living adjacent to the CBD.

After seeing the interior and the overall plan for the development, I honestly do not understand all the harsh criticism and fussing over it a few years ago. The development doesn't meet the strictest interpretation of new urbanist design, but given the location it isn't a horrible compromise if it gets more suburbanites thinking about moving downtown. It is good to have a choice such as this available as OKC tries to attract more people to move downtown. I will definitely consider them when I start looking seriously for a downtown home.

[Good_lance]

I was able to tour the last unit sold in The Hill over the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised by how well built it was. It was on the expensive side of the price scale, but it had an elevator which was around a $35000 option. This one without elevator would have been $220/ft2. These homes definitely fill a niche for people looking for a home to transition from the suburbs to downtown living. It definitely had the feel of a "normal" home, was very nicely appointed, and has all the advantages of living adjacent to the CBD.

After seeing the interior and the overall plan for the development, I honestly do not understand all the harsh criticism and fussing over it a few years ago. The development doesn't meet the strictest interpretation of new urbanist design, but given the location it isn't a horrible compromise if it gets more suburbanites thinking about moving downtown. It is good to have a choice such as this available as OKC tries to attract more people to move downtown. I will definitely consider them when I start looking seriously for a downtown home.

CaptDave
Yes I saw the last unit that was sold too. It is very nice. Very very nice I think. I wouldn't say it is on the expensive side. Perhaps in OKC. I rather buy the hill at 350-375k than the 2 bedroom condos at the Maywood lofts at 275k. I am still not sure why a lot of people on this forum don't like the hill. I agree for a downtown something like block42 would have better placed in the Hill. I sincerely think that block 42 is probably the best place to live around the neighborhood in terms of design and style. I saw a two bedroom and 1 office condo in person at block 42, while it is very nice, I wouldn't buy it at 350k the owner was asking for. It sold about 2 months ago for 320k. Compared to the other pictures of other condos I saw at block 42, the one that sold didn't even come close in design. With all these said, I think the hill is a good buy for the money.

The floor plans for the new buildings just came out. I get the impression they want to go cheap, but sell high. Even though I didn't like it that much, I might have no other plan to buy if I want to live in downtown and don't want to waste money.

[betts]

The floor plans for the new buildings just came out. I get the impression they want to go cheap, but sell high. Even though I didn't like it that much, I might have no other plan to buy if I want to live in downtown and don't want to waste money.

I wouldn't pay what they're asking per square foot for stick built at the Hill. I do think there's a little bit of lipstick on a pig there. I haven't been in any of the Central Ave. Villas since early in their inception. They, however, are build-block and steel construction and I think the prices are comparable. You get an apartment rather than townhouse style, but don't have to worry about termites.

I don't know why, but I'd always worried about termites with my previous houses. Besides the obvious energy savings, one of my favorite things about build block is the fact that termites don't like concrete.

[CaptDave]

I would like to get a look inside a Block 42. I like the exterior looks of it very much. I also think The Hill is pretty nice, if priced a little too high. I really liked the floor plan of the last unit sold, but $499,000 is too high for around 1700 ft2.

[betts]

I would like to get a look inside a Block 42. I like the exterior looks of it very much. I also think The Hill is pretty nice, if priced a little too high. I really liked the floor plan of the last unit sold, but $499,000 is too high for around 1700 ft2.

I think the townhouse style at Block 42 is great. The windows that look south are huge and the layout is nice. For me, we needed one more room for a study than was provided, but I thought it looked like a very comfortable place to live. I thought the finish-out on the smaller apartments at Block 42 was a lot less upscale and appealing than the townhouses for some reason.

[Good_lance]

I wouldn't pay what they're asking per square foot for stick built at the Hill. I do think there's a little bit of lipstick on a pig there. I haven't been in any of the Central Ave. Villas since early in their inception. They, however, are build-block and steel construction and I think the prices are comparable. You get an apartment rather than townhouse style, but don't have to worry about termites.

I don't know why, but I'd always worried about termites with my previous houses. Besides the obvious energy savings, one of my favorite things about build block is the fact that termites don't like concrete.

I saw the last 3 units a the central Ave. I saw a two bed at $295K. While I like it, it will still be a tough sell for me. The view was nice, and the floor plan was better than the maywood lofts. But I think at $295k is a bit much for 1300 sqft.

[Good_lance]

Block 42 is really nice. If you are 50 and above, you might not like it because it has a very yuppy feel to it.
I don't think the selling price was that high. I forget now, but the total sq ft is around 2700. The one next to it sold for $395k. I believe the owner made a profit of $20K in 6 months.
I think the selling point of the hill is that a lot of people thinking buying a townhouse is a better investment than a condo. The condo at block 42 that sold was on the market for almsot a year. If I want to spend $295k on a condo, I rather spend 100K more for thing I know it is going to sell once i put it on the market

[Good_lance]

Betts,
Have you been to the Hill before? I think you should. Or perhaps you are just very scared of termites