Austin: Demo units at The Sabine

[priller]

Last Friday my wife and I got to see the new demo units at the The Sabine building. We bought a unit there when they first went on sale and we've been itching to see a finished unit ever since. They were just being finished up that evening (in fact, not quite finished) and our agent said we were the first customers to see them. They had just started moving in furniture, but it was still sparse and the walls were plain white and not decorated, so they still looked a bit plain.

Overall the rooms were quite nice. The best thing about them is the 11.5' ceilings. So much roomier feeling than the 9-10' ceilings in most places. I really liked the large arched windows, too.

One demo unit was a 1br on the south side, 870 sq ft. It was nicely open and airy feeling and didn't seem small at all to me. The other was the SW corner 2br unit, about 1400 sq ft. It was very nice! It also had "coffered" ceilings, which they are offering as an upgrade option. The south facing unit has a great view of the Shore, and of course the big Hilton looms large on the side. The SW room had a wonderful view of downtown, looking right down 5th street on one end to a clear view of the capitol on the other.

About the only thing I saw that I didn't like were the bathroom cabinets. They seemed awfully cheap and apartment-like to me. Not something you would expect in an expensive condo. The rest of the bathroom was very nice, however.

The rest of the building has a long way to go. We were originally told they would be ready to move in around October, but now they're saying "November-ish" and we're thinking December or January is more likely.

I did take some pictures but they didn't turn out well at all. We only had about 30 minutes before they turned the power off, so I was kind of rushed, and I didn't have my flash, which was desperately needed.

I know the Sabine is not one of the cool new towers, but it's one of the most affordable new condo buildings downtown. In fact, it was the ONLY place we could afford with the size unit we wanted and still be downtown.

[jmanh]

The Sabine seems to have a good number of positive attributes. I heard somewhere that the best real estate choice is to buy the most affordable place you can find in a desirable area. I guess that the logic is that the less expensive places have the highest potential upside.

I'm interested in how that part of Downtown will evolve as more people move down there. I know that an overarching concern of many of the posters on this forum is the Austin skyline, but I'm more interested in what things will be like on the streets (where I tend to be.) There are many restaurants and, of course, night spots galore down there but not much retail currently. I can see that a surge in residents should provide momentum for the expansion of the 2nd St. retail all of the way to the Convention Center. Maybe, the additional residents will help move the development of Waller Creek forward as well.

[mcjilton]

Originally Posted by jmanh

The Sabine seems to have a good number of positive attributes. I heard somewhere that the best real estate choice is to buy the most affordable place you can find in a desirable area. I guess that the logic is that the less expensive places have the highest potential upside.

I'm interested in how that part of Downtown will evolve as more people move down there. I know that an overarching concern of many of the posters on this forum is the Austin skyline, but I'm more interested in what things will be like on the streets (where I tend to be.) There are many restaurants and, of course, night spots galore down there but not much retail currently. I can see that a surge in residents should provide momentum for the expansion of the 2nd St. retail all of the way to the Convention Center. Maybe, the additional residents will help move the development of Waller Creek forward as well.

I couldn't agree more. While I'm enjoying watching all the construction and the visual impact on the skyline, as a downtown resident for the past three years I'm very excited about all the new neighbors because of what it will mean for the neighborhood. More business targeted specifically at residents and not just our friends who come downtown to eat/drink, are sure to follow this wave of residential development.

[priller]

A few photos:

Currently in the process of replacing all the windows with new double-paned windows. The entrance at the bottom will be redone. And balconies are supposed to start appearing soon.


Like I said earlier, they've just started decorating, so it's a bit plain looking, but note the high ceilings. This is the smaller south-facing unit.


Out the window. That's the Shore in the distance:


Another view out the window:


Bathroom:


View to the west, from an unfinished room:

[MichaelB]

I think places like the Sabine and Bazos conversions bring an important texture to the downtown living scene. Personally, I think there is a danger in having too many things built at once. A city ends up feeling dated in a few years if there is a huge boom and then long period of bust. Austin had that dated look for 10 years when we were dominated by 80's brown towers. ( and empty parking lots!) I think they actually look better now that there is contrast nearby. I think a large part of what make a skyline/downtown interesting is all the texture and variety.

[KevinFromTexas]

I like those windows, a little bit of character there. The only thing I'd worry about is how good are the views and amount of light? Of course this isn't the kind of property that will have long lasting views, heck, it's already pretty close to several other buildings to the north with the two Hiltons.

[priller]

Yeah, Kevin, if the building boom continues, I don't expect the Texas Lottery building next door to last too much longer. I can definitely see something big there in the future.

[austlar1]

I think the Sabine looks like a great deal. If the units are generally as spacious as the model shown, it would seem to be offering a lot of bang for the buck. The window shape and size is also kind of special. Since I am convinced most downtown residents plan to drive to the grocery, etc., I don't think the location is particularly disadvantageous, except perhaps on weekend nights when traffic gets ugly around there.

[priller]

Re grocery store, my wife was planning on driving to the nearby HEB's, since she is very cost-conscious and will barely set foot in Whole Foods. However, she did discover that the silver Dillo stops right outside our building and goes straight down 6th to Whole Foods, and she actually seemed excited about that.

[OfCourse]

looks good

[Talon]

I like the look of those units, thanks for sharing the pictures priller. One question: Where is the parking for residents? Do they have an agreement with the hotel or a private lot somewhere?

[priller]

Originally Posted by Talon

I like the look of those units, thanks for sharing the pictures priller. One question: Where is the parking for residents? Do they have an agreement with the hotel or a private lot somewhere?

Parking is at the Hilton Garden Inn next door. There's a covered walkway between the two buildings.

[priller]

They finally told us that our move-in date will most likely be in January. They said the top floors may make it in by December, but we're on the 5th floor, so it will be January for us.

[tildahat]

Originally Posted by priller

Re grocery store, my wife was planning on driving to the nearby HEB's, since she is very cost-conscious and will barely set foot in Whole Foods. However, she did discover that the silver Dillo stops right outside our building and goes straight down 6th to Whole Foods, and she actually seemed excited about that.

You can actually save a lot of money in the bulk food section of Whole Foods if you are doing your own cooking, we use that a lot. But yeah, in general if we bought all our groceries for our family of four at Whole Paycheck or Central Markup we'd add $300-500 a month to our expenses.

Not to get off topic.

[TDoss]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

I think places like the Sabine and Bazos conversions bring an important texture to the downtown living scene. Personally, I think there is a danger in having too many things built at once. A city ends up feeling dated in a few years if there is a huge boom and then long period of bust. Austin had that dated look for 10 years when we were dominated by 80's brown towers. ( and empty parking lots!) I think they actually look better now that there is contrast nearby. I think a large part of what make a skyline/downtown interesting is all the texture and variety.

That is a good observation that I hadn't ever considered.

I think that the Sabine is going to be a home run. I think that people who buy units in that place will be very happy with the appreciation they will experience.

[urban77]

I just purchased a unit in the Sabine, and there is a bunch happening in that neck of the woods. The new Alamo Drafthouse is about to open at the Ritz! There is a website for anyone who is interested. http://www.thesabine.com

Waller Creek Redevelopment
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A497023
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/st...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

I-35 Makeover Project
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A453485

Austin MetroRail begins at the Convention Center
http://allsystemsgo.capmetro.org/cap...etrorail.shtml

[Saddle Man]

Once the Waller Creek tunnel is done, there will be a lot more possible near The Sabine.

[priller]

Howdy, neighbor!

The Waller Creek redevelopment stuff was a big reason behind us buying there. Plus, it was about the only place we could afford for the size we wanted. But yeah, having the Drafthouse nearby, Stubbs just a few blocks away, all the downtown activities nearby, my wife can walk to work from there, my office will then be close, etc, etc. So many good reasons to make the move. We can't wait!!

[M1EK]

Originally Posted by urban77

I just purchased a unit in the Sabine, and there is a bunch happening in that neck of the woods. The new Alamo Drafthouse is about to open at the Ritz! There is a website for anyone who is interested. http://www.thesabine.com

Waller Creek Redevelopment
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A497023
http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/st...ml?jst=b_ln_hl

I-35 Makeover Project
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrob...d=oid%3A453485

Austin MetroRail begins at the Convention Center
http://allsystemsgo.capmetro.org/cap...etrorail.shtml

I'd shy away from the area because of the I-35 rebuild project myself. Nobody knows yet what will happen - but I tend to see-saw between "nothing" and "cheap-ass ugly rebuild", either one of which would be bad for the property in the long-run. I don't think we're ever going to get the best-case done (depress I-35 and build more/better bridges across) given the long-term economics.

As for MetroRail, you are close enough to walk, which is good, but there's no real reverse commute options - they may or may not even pick up passengers even though they have to run the train back up there anyways (they claim no reverse-commute support in some early materials; hard to say now what they'll do). Your options on what to go to on the other end are basically IBM (within walking distance) - there will be no real shuttle-bus circulators anywhere farther out, and the closer-in stuff doesn't have much that you couldn't reach better by a normal city bus.

[jread]

I just wanted to say that I'm very jealous of those who have bought a unit there. Even this complex is way out of my price range so I doubt I'll ever get to live downtown.