Royal Crest in Belltown
2100 3rd Ave Seattle

01
The Royal Crest is one of Belltown’s original condo towers and is located on 3rd Ave and Lenora Street toward the southern end of Belltown.  Although an older building, compared to many of the newer options in Belltown, it can offer a more affordable option for those looking for views and the Downtown/Belltown location for those not wanting to spend $600-$800/square foot that might be needed for a newer high-rise condo close to downtown.  

The stats:

  • 132 units – studios, 1 and 2 bedrooms
  • Range in size from to 572 to 2100
  • 26 stories
  • Built in 1973
  • Less than half of the units have parking as there are only 60 parking spaces in the building.
  • All of the units (except 1) have storage
  • 5 units have sold in the last 6 months ranging in price from $205,000 to $532,500; at the time of this post 2 units are pending that were listedat $211,000 and $262,000 and 2 are active ranging in price from $345,000 to $420,000
  • HOA dues include: Cable TV, central hot water, earthquake insurance, on-site manager, electricity, garbage, water and sewer
  • Amenities: party room, gym, sauna and swimming pool

The pros:

  • Many units have city and water views
  • The dues cover pretty much all of your utilities including cable and electricity(except internet and telephone)
  • No rental cap currently which makes it possible to buy units as investments and/or current owners have the flexibility to keep a unit and rent it out if their lifestyle needs might change
  • You can add hardwoods in units
  • Concrete and steel construction makes for less sound traveling between units
  • The location is close to the downtown shopping area, the 3rd Ave transit corridor and the transit tunnel for commuting and/or trips to the airport

The cons:

  • A lot of the units are outdated in the interiors and have closed off galley kitchens
  • Many units do not have a washer and dryer but there aresmall laundry rooms on each floor
  • There are no dogs allowed in the building but you can have cats
  • Having no rental cap can be a con as well as it can make getting financing hard for buyers or refinancing depending on how high the rental percentage gets
  • More than half of the units have no parking


By Marco Kronen with Seattle Condo Review: A guide to Seattle downtown condos.