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Tuesday, May 9, 2000
Loft living comes to downtown Corpus Christi
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| David Pellerin/Caller-Times |
| Richard King stands in the living area of an apartment in the Weber Building on Mesquite Street. Ceilings were ripped out to expose the structural beams and windows were widened. Hardwood floors and track lighting were installed throughout the building. |
Old telegraph company building will have 10 apartments when the work is completed
On Sunday mornings, Richard King can hear the sound of the Corpus Christi Cathedral and catch the bay breezes from his window.
King and other professionals who live at the Weber Building are discovering one of the newest twists in downtown living - lofts.
The top floor of the former Western Union Telegraph Co. building at 319 N. Mesquite St. has the urban polish and spaciousness that have become hip to downtowns in larger cities. King likes the apartments' proximity to his work as a mortgage broker and the club downstairs where he can entertain guests.
The Weber Building was gutted last year to create the lofts. The ceilings were ripped out to expose the structural beams and the windows widened. Hardwood floors and track lighting were installed throughout the building. Some of the original accoutrements were salvaged, such as the stairwells, elevator and some of the oak doors, and embellished with a modern edge.
The top five lofts on the third floor and a martini bar on the ground floor called 21 are completed. Another five lofts on the second floor are expected to be completed by the end of the month, said Dr. Keith Rose, one of the three developers of the building.
The apartments, designed by Slattery & Story Architecture in Houston, include a gas fireplace, an alarm system and a 100-square-foot storage area elsewhere in the building.
The apartments range from 1,100 and 1,500 square feet. Rents start at $1,200 per month and work up to $2,000 per month.
MLS listings on the Web
Homesellers who list their house on the Multi-Listing Service will get more than a yard sign in front of their house. The Corpus Christi Association of Realtors, which maintains the site, has been adding the home listings to web sites. They've added two in the same number of months.
Here are the six places where local MLS listings are found, their sponsor and what can be found there besides houses:
www.cyberhomes.com (VISTAinfo) - information about school and an option to have homes meeting search criteria e-mailed.
www.homeadvisor.msn.com (Microsoft) - information about neighborhoods and financial calculators.
www.realtor.com (Home-store.com Inc.) - Information from the National Association of Realtors takes a buyer step by step through the process of buying a home.
www.coastalbendhomes.com (Caller-Times) - has a calendar of open houses in the area as well as links for job searches and information about quality of life.
www.reimall.com (Stewart Title of Corpus Christi) - includes searchable services that will be needed after closing, such as landscapers and painters.
www.homeseeker.com (Computer House) - notifies agents when prospective buyers are inquiring about a property.
The association was the second organization in the state after Austin to start listing the MLS on Internet sites, said Foster Edwards, CEO of the Association of Realtors.
The web exposure increases the group's access to more potential buyers, who are increasingly using the Internet as a tool to weed out prospective homes.
"It's electronic advertising," Edwards said. "If it's good to advertise in one place, then it's good to advertise in several places."
Business reporter Andrea Jares can be reached at 886-3678 or by email at jaresa@caller.com. On Real Estate is published every other Tuesday in the business section.
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