The Hat Eau Claire | 28m | 7s | Cidex Group

Golfing guy said:
99% of Renters don’t care what the building looks like on the outside. Interior design, location, Amenities around it, Cost … etc are generally bigger selling features. I doubt many besides the Debbie Downers on this page will care about its Brutalliatic Exterior
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I do recall when Metropolitan was built (pictured below) someone connected with lease up posted that the units with red went first and people were showing lots of interest in getting those ones. If that's true, I imagine people do care about what the building looks like - among other factors of course:

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That said, it's always a individual, multi-variable decision, totally depends on what people value and what income they have to make choices. For me, my complaint of many of the office-conversions is the location, there's not actually much around them in amenities to enjoy - you're kind of right in the car-sewer, ugly part of downtown. But my preferences are typically about prioritizing location, rather than design. Others might choose differently or not care about the level of car-sewer-ness of their home.
 
As a renter myself I will say the price determines if it is appealing or not. If it is trying to compete with high amenity new builds it will not compete. But if the price is right, you can rent anything. Just not sure if they will price it right. I see the Flyover new build has reduced to the $1200 starting price. That makes a place with shoebox size suites a little more attractive.
 
To my point earlier. Cost does matter to a renter. If they were to completely reskin or even alter the exterior of this building it would add millions to the price tag and it probably would have not proceeded. If it did go That extra cost would get passed on to the renters. Which would limit the renter pool.
 
When I was renting my criteria was based solely on cost and location. For some it could depend on aesthetics, but based on my own experience and every other renter I've known, it's mostly cost. Location is key for some, especially young people who don't want to live in the burbs.
On a quirky note, my uncle who's a property manager told me units or addresses that had the number '8' were popular with many of Asian descent. If you had unit number or address with multiple 8s you hit the jackpot.
 
Golfing guy said:
To my point earlier. Cost does matter to a renter. If they were to completely reskin or even alter the exterior of this building it would add millions to the price tag and it probably would have not proceeded. If it did go That extra cost would get passed on to the renters. Which would limit the renter pool.
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As I stated all they would need is white paint to significantly improve this.
 
Golfing guy said:
99% of Renters don’t care what the building looks like on the outside. Interior design, location, Amenities around it, Cost … etc are generally bigger selling features. I doubt many besides the Debbie Downers on this page will care about its Brutalliatic Exterior
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I guess that puts me in the 1% of renters then. Obviously interior design, location, amenities, and cost matter a lot. I'm happy this conversion is happening even if the exterior leaves something to be desired, but to say that 99% of renters don't care about the exterior is doubtful.
 
I see people mention that this is a boring area to live in and I completely disagree. There are a ton of new builds and conversions going up in the area. It’s realistic that a couple thousand new people will move to west downtown and Eau Claire in the next few years. It’ll be one of the most desirable areas for renters when the city and developers have completed their work.

Also, I see people complaining about the exterior aesthetics of this building. They have a choice they can either spend more on recladding/painting the exterior, or they can leave it alone. Based on the age and layout of this building, I think they are making the correct call. It’s never going to compete with the luxury builds, so cut costs where it doesn’t impact the important aspects for renters who would consider this building. As long as the interior finishings are good quality, keep costs down so that rents are competitive. This isn’t Telus Sky, so don’t copy their choices of exterior finishings. I think a lot of people will rent in a mediocre looking building if it saves them a few hundred per month in rent.
 
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I love how the Herald is treating this like brand new information lol
The three residential developments unveiled Monday include a 234-unit residential community opening in 2028 at 425 5th Street S.W.; a mixed-use, 30-storey tower that will offer 315 premium rentals that will open in 2027 at 410 6th Street S.W.; and a 268-unit mixed-use residential tower that will open in 2028 at 526 4th Avenue S.W.
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Apparently, Plaza, 526 4th, and Project 54 were unveiled today. Good thing the Herald is up to date on these things.
 
Surrealplaces said:
I love how the Herald is treating this like brand new information lol

Apparently, Plaza, 526 4th, and Project 54 were unveiled today. Good thing the Herald is up to date on these things.
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I was about to ask, did they really just announce three new towers? Or is the herald just that out of date? 😂
 
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