I lived in Mosler Lofts for over a year, and rented the entire time. Overall, it's a beautiful condo building, the people are nice, and the concierge service is excellent. It's in a great location (just outside the hectic areas, but close enough to walk to everything), has high ceilings, lots of modern amenities and I really miss living there. It is probably one of the coolest places I have ever lived.
So, why the 1-star review?
Here's the deal: If you are planning to BUY a condo here, ignore the star review (in fact, for buyers I would rate it a "5"). However, if you plan to LEASE a unit, think really hard before you do so. The HOA needs to approve every unit to be rented, which means if your lease is up and they don't approve it then you're kicked out. Or, if you have a legitimate reason to terminate your lease early (regardless of what your lease says) it still needs to be approved by the HOA before it can be re-rented, which mean you could be stuck paying rent for several months on an empty unit. (And they don't allow sub-leasing, btw.) The HOA takes zero consideration of the tenant's situation and only considers the "hardship" of the owner of the unit (your landlord), which means you are basically treated as if you don't exist. Trust me, I have first-hand experience with them, and they only look at me as a "name on a piece of paper" instead of a person who could use a little bit of compassion.
So to sum it up: If you want to buy a unit, go for it. It's an excellent place to live in Seattle. If you want to rent, however, you may want to look at other nearby apartment complexes, especially if you want to stay longer than your initial lease (min 1 year, max 2 years) or have an unpredictable life that may change without warning. read more