What sets condo transactions apart
Buying a condo is buying into a community and a financial structure — not just walls and floors. A beautiful unit in a building with deferred maintenance, low reserves, or a pending special assessment can be a terrible investment. A modest unit in a well-run building can be a great one.
What Heather looks for in HOA documents
- Reserve studies. Is the building setting aside enough money for upcoming work?
- Special assessments. Past, current, and projected. These can run tens of thousands of dollars per unit.
- Pending litigation. Lawsuits against the HOA or developer can make a building unwarrantable, which affects financing.
- Rental restrictions. Some buildings have rental caps, minimum lease terms, or outright bans on short-term rentals.
- Pet policies. Weight limits, breed restrictions, fees.
- Owner-occupancy ratios. Higher owner-occupancy generally means better-maintained buildings and easier financing.
Seattle condo neighborhoods Heather knows well
Heather works actively across downtown Seattle (Insignia, Spire, Continental, Cosmopolitan, the Olive 8), Belltown (Escala, Fifteen Twenty-One, Cristalla), South Lake Union (The Martin, Stratus), Capitol Hill (the Stack House, the Joseph Arnold), and First Hill. Each cluster has its own personality, its own price-per-foot dynamics, and its own quirks.