Buying a condo in Leavenworth this year? Here are 5 things to consider:

Do you want to use your condo as a vacation rental? In the city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary of Leavenworth this means the condo needs to be zoned for commercial use.  Condominiums in residential areas may be rented on a monthly basis, but not nightly or weekly.  Condominiums at Granite Court, along Whitman and Prospect Streets, and up Titus Road all fit into the category of non-commercial condos.  Without looking at a zoning map, you can safely assume that any condo located North of Highway 2 in Leavenworth is not zoned for commercial use. If you want to a condo as a vacation rental good options include Aspen Suites at Icicle Village, Haus Wunderbar or the Amadeus Suites. 

Do you want your condominium on a golf course? In addition to golf, in Leavenworth this means xc skiing in the winter on the golf course. There are two courses in the Leavenworth area with nearby condos. Kahler Glen, near Lake Wenatchee has the Kahler Glen Condos and also the Natapoc townhouse units. The Leavenworth Golf Club  also has condominiums nearby at the 17th Fairway and Summer Green.

Do you want to walk into downtown Leavenworth from your condo? Options would include the River Park Homes in downtown Leavenworth, Amadeus Suites, Aspen Suites at Icicle Village Resort or Haus Wunderbar.  The condos at Kahler Glen are 30-45 minutes away and the Leavenworth golf course condos are a short drive too.

How much room do you need in your condo? In the past the majority of condos sold in Leavenworth were 1 or 2 bedroom units averaging about 1000 square feet. With many of the new projects going in we are seeing units in the 1500 square foot range and more bedrooms.  Expect to pay a premium for more than 1000 square feet and more than 2 bedrooms.

For the first time condo buyer parking can be a real issue. If this is going to be a primary residence, you may not have the three car garage you are used to. Single car carports are more common and there may be much less storage than you are used to.

New or Used? 2007 is going to be the "year of the new condo" in Leavenworth. New construction projects can be found all over town - Titus Road, River Park Condos, Aspen Suites, the long awaited Haus Wunderbar, Alpensee Strasse.  For more budget conscious buyers there will also be a few existing condos that come on the market throughout the year.