HOTD: Mid-Sloper with F.A.R. Out The Wazoo

You should have seen the block/nabe 8 years ago when we moved in. It has changed dramatically. Back then we were definitely on the fringe. As the owner of 188, I appreciate the comments in this forum. Just to answer a few of the questions that have come up here: *As far as exposed brick is concerned, it has been a non-issue (we are only talking about two rooms). The gas-fired steam boiler gets all 3 floors (and the basement toasty in a hurry). Brick is an excellent insulator, poorly sealed windows and doors are more likely to be the cause of substantial heat loss (though not in this building). *The nabe is now dubbed the South South Slope. That designation unofficially extends from 3rd Ave to 9th Ave from the south side of 15th St to and following the Prospect Expressway. *I wouldn't extend the house 5 feet to the lot line. From an aesthetic and practical standpoint, it just wouldn't make sense. I would on the other hand go back 10' and up with a set back 4th floor. *As far as next door is concerned, only the guy/company that bought the place knows what's coming. Hope for the best, (that is why I am not promoting the views - from the 3rd floor: Staten Island, NY Harbor, Ports of Bayonne & Newark. From the roof: the Verrazanno Bridge, the Statue of Liberty & Jersey City, but you can and will still see lower Manhattan). Yes construction noise would be a drag, but construction is "supposed" to take place between the hours of 7-3. So if you are working this shouldn't be a huge problem. *As far as the basement and it's square footage are concerned, it isn't a dungeon, we use it. The girls play down there and I have a shop. It's also only 2 feet below grade in the rear so windows could be punched in along the side (another reason not to build there), the rear could be opened up in a great way to the yard, and/or you cloud duplex down and take advantage of the extra space that way. *As far price is concerned, I consulted with friend who as an appraiser. He took a conservative look at what numbers might be appropriate. Unlike a lot of appraisers he refuses to pump up numbers to meet the expections of his clients (it has cost him some business, but in the end he prefers to make an honest living). He did not think that $425 a sqr. ft was excessive. Corcoran on the other hand has vacilated from $1.25mil to $1.5mil over the course of two weeks...I just don't trust their playbook (their methods may work, but I personally don't like to do business that way - sealed bids, high pressure, ACT QUICKLY!?! bad karma...who wins? the broker that's who - 6% puhleeze). *Finally, Brownstoner, yes, the lot is a wonderful size, but so is the house (floorplans will be posted shortly). Stop by on Sunday and check it out. Again I thank you all for your comments and feedback. Rock on B'stoner.

Posted by: David at May 24, 2005 6:58 PM

ps: The nicest thing we encountered at our Open House this past Sunday, was the fact that everyone commented on how nice the house was, especially compared to what else was out there. Out of about 25 couples that stopped by only one remarked that price seemed a little high.

Posted by: David at May 24, 2005 7:06 PM

Tom, what you saying about bricks conducting the cold is correct, but the actual design of a brick building contains both a structural brick wall and a facade brick wall. There is a gap between the the facade and structural bricks. It is this a gap that acts as the insulator. And while some of the cold does transfer, it is substantially lessened by the second layer of bricks. I would agree with you that a third exposure could be a problem, but my boiler cranks, and keeping warm inside when 20 degrees outside has not been an issue. I would say that when we have those 5 degree nights, I would imagine any house is going to feel a bit on the cold side, but it still has not been an issue for us.

There is a woman on 13th street using a geothermal heating system, I wonder what her winter nights must be like? Cheers.

Posted by: David at May 24, 2005 11:11 PM

Tony, we have not given up trying to sell it ourselves, I am just widening my exposure a bit. I have it out as an open listing (as so much of what's out there is really crap or "needs TLC" fr only $1.295 mil...yeah right), but I am not broadcasting it to every office on 5th & 7th Aves. It just becomes a freakin' carnival of phone calls and brokers pimping and whoring for the listing...and it's a lot of work keeping the house "open house ready" on short notice (2 kids and 3 pug dogs keep us very busy on top of other small projects). I have spoken with a few brokers/offices that I have a some kind of a relationship with. As far as a commission is concerned I'm paying 2.5% (Corcoran is working me hard for the listing, and for only 5-6%...less than 6% and your listing will be flagged (read: George Costanza) and they say their brokers will pass on the lesser % listing and only show their client the 6% listing...nice way to do business and serve your clients). With amount and quality of inventory out there (along with everyone and their mother being an agent these days, I don't think pays to be too selective or greedy. My number has enough breathing room to cover it along with the dreaded transfer tax & RPS tax (total is around 2 1/8% of the sale price I believe). The Open Houses have gone very well with lots of traffic (even on Memorial Day Sunday). Anyone who appeared during those two Sundays and now shows up via a broker is free to enjoy the tour but no commission would be paid as they have already seen the house through me and my advertising. If the buyer and/or their agent has a problem with that, they are also free not to buy the property, and I prefer to deal with ethical people, so I hope this won't be an issue. My license has been with Urban View Realty for the past two years and they, unlike many in this industry have an ethical center (not everyone might agree with that statement, but they do) and will only see to it thet they earn a commission that that was in fact due them and not otherwise. All the best. David. PS: SHAMELESS PLUG: OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY FROM 1-4PM

Posted by: David at June 2, 2005 8:06 PM