Dumb to buy a gorgeous pre-war apt with no view?

Depends on what your budget is. Quiet is good so facing a courtyard or internal is not as bad as you think!
I can email you an amazing 2 bedroom with beautiful views of the city (watched the fireworks from my apartment last nite!). prime park slope and no work needed. send me an email address to contact you and we can go from there.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 7:44 AM

Why don't you compromise in the area instead of the apartment. Get something south south slope or greenwood heights (ok maybe not greenwood heights) or windsor terrace (especially windsor terrace) is just as liveable but your money will go further.

And you have the satisfaction of knowing that 1000s of people will go through the same process and end up buying in your area over the next few years and the value will at least hold and maybe appreciate.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 9:34 AM

It sounds as if you yourself will be very happy in that apartment. The only reservation I would have is how the lack of light/view affects your ability to resell the apartment should you need to.

I'm someone who doesn't need alot of light and like you, often keeps my blinds closed. But I have friends for whom lots of light (not necessarily a view) is a requirement and if the apartment seems dark, will not buy it at any price. So the lack of light could eliminate some portion of buyers for whom light is an absolute requirement.

As long as the resale isn't really an issue for you (since you plan to stay a long time) it sounds as if you would enjoy living in your new space.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 11:10 AM

lack of light isn't that big a deal.

you can find creative ways to use lighting to make up for it.

i have very little light and LOVE my place....

also in the slope.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 11:18 AM

I also live in an apartment with mediocre light and no view, and I love it. The truth is, I'm never really home during the day, so I don't even notice the absence of natural light. I have a great view and light at work, where I spend most daylight hours. And during the weekend, I don't want to spend the day inside looking out my windows.

As great as a view may be, after a few days, it will become just as boring as an interior courtyard.

Don't worry about resale. If you love the apartment this much, someone else will too.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 4:13 PM

Perhaps you can use it is a negotiating point?

I personally never have the blinds close, and my apartment has great sunlight in every room, but that's what I need. If you love the space and don't need that much light, I think you're just coming here to hear what you already know.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 6:57 PM

Funny, 4:13, you're so right. A view is nice but unless one has a big outdoor space for entertaining nobody sits and stares at the view all the time. Plus there's no guarantee a view to say, across the street would be all that picturesque all the time. You could end up staring at a laundromat. Plus can we talk about street noise? It's the worst.

I had an interior courtyard view apartment, my first on my own after college, and I always carry such fond memories of it. I never lacked for light, and I loved the uniqueness and the privacy of it.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 7:26 PM

I would definitely go for the apartment. As another poster mentioned, you could do some creative things with lighting to make it appear more natural. As for resale, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Good luck!

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 8:23 PM

think that you should continue to look. park slope is not the be all end all. also, prospect heights will be affected by the AY development.

after looking for almost 2 years moved from ps to williamsburg to a beautiful place full of light in what has turned out to be an amazing location and very convenient to the city. have to say that i do really enjoy an open sunny place.

it's also surprisingly terrific neighborhood for our kid.

not saying that williamsburg is for you, just that there are other hoods.

Posted by: guest at October 15, 2007 10:08 PM

is this apartment "K"? don't want to give more away, but if it is, it is advertised./

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 10:27 AM

I'm not sure what your concern is. If it is "will I like living there?" only you can answer that. I am one of those people who needs lots of light, and would never, ever live in a dark place. (I stopped even looking at garden apartments, because they were all too dark for me.) But then, I can't imagine living with great light and views and keeping the blinds closed. I don't even put up window coverings except in the bedrooms usually, because I like the light coming in.

If your concern is "will it be harder to sell when I want/need to?" the answer is "yes, it will" because many apartments (most) in the slope have light and pretty street or backyard views, even if they aren't high enough to have an actual "view." So your pool of buyers will be smaller - my best guess is, like, 60% smaller.

If you aren't comfortable with compromising for either of the above reasons, keep looking. One month is not really a serious search. (I know it sounds like it is, but with this old housing stock, it isn't.) I know what you mean about the lousy layouts, apartments needing work, and ridiculous spiral stairs. I saw tons of them, and walked on out. If I didn't like being in a place, I didn't consider offering on it.

I think you are answering your own question by posting here - if it was OK with you, you'd be happily getting into contract now. If you have a concern now, it will only get bigger once you live there.

I'd say keep looking - you just have to let brokers know what you want, and see the good stuff as soon as it gets on the market so you can get an offer in quickly. You can learn to ask the right questions to avoid wasting time seeing yucky places. I looked for a long time, and I got an amazing place - extremely light. (I never regretted taking my time, though prices were rising - I'd just go home to my beautiful P.S. top-floor brownstone rental after a Sunday of slogging all around the neighborhood looking at (mostly yucky or sterile) apartments, and watch the sky as the sun set above the trees and ask myself "would I give up this for anything I just saw?" and the answer was usually "no." You can always rent a really nice place to live in P.S/P.H. - which is the financially better alternative now, anyway, til you find a place worth buying.

Posted by: guest at October 16, 2007 5:37 PM

The view Punko describes having in his home represents about 1% of the views in Brooklyn homes! It's a rare privilege, that kind of view.

From what was said, the OP is not shopping for a luxury property in Dumbo, they can't afford that. So the views they'll be weighing against each other are a view of the coop building or restaurant/bar across the street, or a view of an interior courtyard. They're not saying they're trying to decide between a view of the Manhattan skyline, and a view of the courtyard.

Posted by: guest at October 17, 2007 12:31 PM

I agree with 12:31 - but you if you like light at lot, there is a huge difference between (1) lots of sun light and a view of the coop building across the street (brick and brownstone is quite pretty at that distance, especially with sunlight on it) and (2) little light in an apartment with a brick wall relatively close by out the window across a (relatively narrow, I'm assuming, if there isn't much light coming in the windows) courtyard.

Posted by: guest at October 17, 2007 3:17 PM

We are living in a very similar situation in Brooklyn Heights -- great apartment facing inner courtyard on the first floor. Very quiet, but be very very honest with yourself about your need for sunlight. My significant other is fine with the low light, but after a year and a half with only a 1.5 hours a day of direct sunlight, my mood is really suffering. 20/20 hindsight I suppose. I still love the apartment, and compromised for the sake of good value, but would not personally buy another apartment without decent light. And FYI, if you are facing a courtyard, check to see if you have pigeons! I never minded them until I discovered that they were roosting outside the window -- because of the brick walls, they sound like they are cooing through a megaphone! Now need a white noise machine to sleep past sunrise...

Posted by: guest at April 4, 2008 10:21 AM