Has anyone ever lived at the 2502 Live Oak Lofts near downtown? (Howe: condominium, mortgage)

[RedWolfeXR]

The gas filled windows are for energy efficiency not for quiet. If you want a quiet apartment you shouldn't be looking in a downtown metro. That said the inner (courtyard) units and especially those near the alley should be a lot quieter than the ones on the outside. No view, but that view is where the noise will come from.Open a window and see how much difference it makes. I don't hear my neighbors except when they are in the hall.

[jtltke137]

Looking at Realtor.com there are some units that are pretty cheap.


2502 Live Oak Street Unit: 306 Dallas, TX 75204
$99,999
1 Bed, 1 Bath | 681 Sq Ft

2502 Live Oak Street Unit: 121 Dallas, TX 75204
$109,000
1 Bed, 1 Bath | 804 Sq Ft

2502 Live Oak Street Unit: 237 Dallas, TX 75204
$124,900
1 Bed, 1 Bath | 804 Sq Ft

Is there any way to tell by the unit number which units face the courtyard and which face outward? Which ones face north, south, east, west?

How has the noise from the DART train been so far?

What about car break-ins for people who have to park on the street?

[Dallas native]

The 681 and 804 sq.ft units were built as studios. It's possible that a previous owner might have added a wall to create a separate bedroom in any of these units, but be aware that they could just be large studios. Also be aware that the garage is on the ground level, so unit 121 is actually on the 2nd floor, 237 is on the 3rd floor and 306 is on the 4th floor. As I recall, even numbers face out from the building and odd numbers look into the courtyard. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe these are the views:

Unit 306 faces north and has a pretty good downtown view.
Unit 121 is an inside corner unit facing NW with views of the courtyard and pool.
Unit 237 is an inside corner unit facing SE with views of the courtyard and pool.

The prices of these units are about the same or perhaps a tad lower than they were 5-6 years ago when the building was being marketed as condos (it was a rental building when it was built in the late 90's). That's not really a surprise though as condos have taken a bigger hit than single family during the housing crisis. Ultimately, I think that this is a very well located building and there will be lots of growth around it once the economy rebounds. Having the new DART station just one block away bodes well too. The DART trains are pretty quiet, so I doubt you would hear them unless you bought a unit on the east side overlooking Good-Latimer. Don't know about car break-ins on the street, but each unit has at least 1 dedicated space inside the gated garage.

[jaime_mac]

I don't understand why people would spend that much money on such little space when you could buy a house for about that much right now, and not have to worry about noise!

[Dallascaper]

Originally Posted by jaime_mac

I don't understand why people would spend that much money on such little space when you could buy a house for about that much right now, and not have to worry about noise!

I lived in Rhome for a while, and enjoyed the quiet suburban life, except for the 11 trains that passed through every day, the neighbor's dogs barking all night, the motorcycles blasting, the lawn mowers, the kid playing his drums in the garage, the loud music...

[jaime_mac]

Originally Posted by Dallascaper

I lived in Rhome for a while, and enjoyed the quiet suburban life, except for the 11 trains that passed through every day, the neighbor's dogs barking all night, the motorcycles blasting, the lawn mowers, the kid playing his drums in the garage, the loud music...

Obviously there will be noises everywhere, what I meant was neighbors walking on the floor above you who sound like they weigh a ton, waking up to your neighbors alarm clocks because the walls are so thin....things that you would experience in an apartment.

But seriously....600 sq ft for almost $100,000 is a bit ridiculous when you could buy a house twice the size for that these days.

Don't get me wrong, I love the city. I love being close to most everything, and the urban feel. I live off of Greenville Ave and get to listen to my landlords dog bark when he runs the fence, my neighbors dog bark all day because he's left outside on the porch while he goes to work, sirens from the old folks home across the park, people yelling at each other at 3am because their drunk....all those lovely city sounds lol

[lh_newbie]

600 sq ft for 100K "ridiculous"? That's $166/sq ft. That's not really bad, especially in a downtown with such a promising location and proximity to a DART station. Many of the homes in Lakewood and the M-Streets have a higher price per sq ft.

Brian

[jaime_mac]

Originally Posted by lh_newbie

600 sq ft for 100K "ridiculous"? That's $166/sq ft. That's not really bad, especially in a downtown with such a promising location and proximity to a DART station. Many of the homes in Lakewood and the M-Streets have a higher price per sq ft.

Brian

I would rather buy a house with more than 600sq for $100k. But that's just my opinion, plus I have two dogs that need a yard.

[codytravers]

$100k is nothing, go for it if you like it, good time to buy

[Dallas native]

Originally Posted by jaime_mac

I don't understand why people would spend that much money on such little space when you could buy a house for about that much right now, and not have to worry about noise!

It's because different people have different priorities. Real estate is all about location, location, location.... You can't get a decent house for $100k in a safe 'hood that is as close to downtown as Live Oak Lofts. If you are single or a couple who doesn't need a house w/yard, then $100k is a great deal considering where it is. It's not much more than renting. I would much rather live downtown at LOL than at some $100k tract house in the 'burbs. But others would prefer to be in the 'burbs for their own reasons.