Portland Condos and Lofts

Portland Condos & Lofts Real Estate – Homes for sale

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Loft living is an integrated part of the Portland real estate market these days, although it hasn’t always been that way. The trend set by artists and musicians of seeking out open air live/work space in once forgotten neighborhoods is now enjoyed by people from all walks of life. The transformation of Pearl district real estate from a neglected industrial tract to a glitzy metropolitan neighborhood is one of the finest examples of re-purposing an urban space in the US. This phenomenon is not unique to the Pearl District of course but did work particularly well there.

Lofts can be broken down into two general categories; industrial conversions/retrofits or new construction. The exposed beams and soaring ceilings associated with lofts are almost always found in conversion properties whereas the steel and glass towers are new construction. Conversions are generally old warehouses divided up many times over into loft condominiums. The Marshall-Wells building was one of the first warehouse conversion in the pearl district and is a great example of a building that retained some of it’s antiquated industrial charm. The Irving Street Lofts are another fine example of warehouse conversion.

Luxury new construction buildings have advantages as well. What is lost in ceiling height and character is made up for by modern amenities, building efficiency and less maintenance problems. The Pinnacle (1255 N.W. 9th Avenue) is a 14 story beauty of steel and glass. It is home to some of the finest condos in Portland. The Elizabeth (333 N.W. 9th Ave) was completed in 2005, it has high end finishes throughout and is another example of the Pearl’s finest.

There are other loft buildings throughout Portland, notably in Inner NE and to a lesser extent in Inner SE. Keep an eye on the industrial area North of OMSI – Buckman for new projects (probably live/work in the beginning). The zoning is still predominantly warehousing and industrial but there are numerous artist studios, several good restaurants and even a couple galleries in the area, all leading us at M Realty to believe that we might be seeing the next metropolitan loft neighborhood forming on the Inner SE side.

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