My New Favorite Condo Project

May. 16. 2010

Can I just start by saying, there is no worse of a feeling, than when you just get through spending some time writing something on the computer, then your finger gently glides over the keypad, taking you to some other website, then you try to go back to what you are working on–and it has been erased!!!! That is what happened to me. The only part of my draft that was saved was my title. Couldn’t have hit that button while I was progressively working on my blog I suppose. Smooth move Ashley.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that recently I saw Barton Place Condominiums. I think it is my new favorite project-of what I have seen so far in Austin. As you all know the downtown Austin condo craze is movin’ and shakin’ and people are talkin’.

Here are some of the reasons why, and you can choose to disagree with me, but hey that’s fair.

First off…I do not work for Barton Place, so don’t think I got paid to endorse. I like sharing. Barton Place is located off Barton Springs. What a location! SO CLOSE to town lake, the trail actually has a walk way leading to the back entrance of the property, to do my particularly favorite town lake loop (MoPac to S. Congress-on a good day, or MoPac to S. 1st on a not so good day-the shorter route). Anywho, while I love downtown and the ability to walk to Whole Foods, and this and that and the night life, the appeal of the “78704” zip code attracts many Austinites like myself. You can still walk/ride to whole foods and Austin night life, but now you are closer to the green stuff-and I like that. Barton Springs pool, Zilker, Chuy’s (mmm) who could ask for more?!

Another part of Barton Spring condos I liked are the floor plans. It seems as though there isn’t a ton of wasted space or hallways. All the living areas have the big open concept people seem to love so much, with entertaining in mind and floor to ceiling windows over looking the infamous Pecan Grove trailer park (Matthew McConaughey use to live there), West Lake sunset views, as well as an Austin Downtown skyline view. There are also many upgrades you can add to the already awesome appliance package (Bosch, by the way) and gigantic master bathrooms, let’s face it you must have double sinks and plenty of space in the master closet these days.

Pet friendly. As a dog lover and owner, I like how Barton Place has a place specifically for pets to run around, doggie bag stations throughout (not everywhere to where it looks tasky though) and as mentioned before close access to Zilker and Auditorium shores for letting the pets get some exercise.

Frost Bank tower tall…I don’t think so. The units go up to 6 stories, which is nice, because if the elevators were as slow as they are in some of the DT condo projects I have been to, I wouldn’t want to take the stairs, but here I could do it for exercise, just a little though, wouldn’t want to over extend myself. If you are lucky enough to be on the top floor your ceilings are vaulted in a dome like/curved fashion, creating a very big and lofty feel and letting in even more light and views over the tree tops below. Barton Place condo holds 270 units and luckily enough there is a garage for parking, and guest parking. Downtown you can have a hard time finding parking, and even when you live in a condo it can take you several minutes traveling up and down the parking garage. But here there are two floors and best of all visitors, can’t be mixed in with deeded owner spots, so your space is yours and yours only! You can also buy storage space in the garage as well if you have a lot of items that need to not be in the condo all the time-Christmas decorations come to mind for me. Some of the upgrades that can be added are wine refrigerators, glass backsplash tiling, and the color of granite countertops and wood flooring (though they are so far along in the building stage, with more than 50% of the units sold, making it FHA approved), that some of these options might not be available anymore.

Anyway, just wanted to share my new favorite project. It has a lot of good little points of interest I think a lot of people will appreciate, for example: trash chutes (unlike some DT projects where you leave your trash in the hallway two days a week-gross), proximity to ACL, the pool, and restaurant row. 104 visitor parking spaces, but gated entrances to call your cell phone when guests arrive, not like a high rise and overbaringly (is that a word) tall and still has that 78704 funk, with modern appeal and tons of floorplans to suite your needs. 1 bedrooms, 1 bedrooms with studies, 2/2s and even 3 bedrooms. They are moving fast, so if interested let me know, be happy to tell you more, set you up on a tour, or represent your next purchase and get you those appliances you like (wink face).

Thanks for reading.