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October 2, 2007
Neighbors maintenance of their place
How much does the neighbor's maintenance (or lack thereof) affect your property if you live in a brownstone? We are looking at a place that is nice in and of itself but the 2 brownstones on either end are in relative disrepair. On one side, the neighbor just can't afford a facade renovation but it's not in as bad shape. On the other side, we don't know the story but the facade is really in bad shape.
I'm just wondering how this affects your property. Are there any structural issues related to general disrepair of neighbors places? How does it affect curb appeal and marketability of your place?
(Many other places on the block look great by the way - it is really only a few that bring it down).
Comments
While you can't do much about the neighbors, the appearance absolutely impacts the value of your house. If the street was immaculate it would be worth a lot more than if it was a wasteland. You are somewhere in the middle. Don't pay a price that reflects improvements which haven't been made and may never be.
Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 7:57 AM
Yeah, the standing principle is it's better to buy the worst looking house on a great block than it is to buy the best house on a crappy block. You can improve your place, but there's not much you can do about the crack house next door.
Posted by: Rehab at October 2, 2007 9:48 AM
i have an idea of what block you might be talking about.
you could also offer to buy one of those fixer upper homes and possibly get a good deal...
Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 11:23 AM
Be realistic. In all but the most gentrified brownstone neighborhoods (Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, parts of Park Slope), there are many dilapidated houses around. While buying into a pristine block will probably cost you a premium, the converse is not true. Don't expect a discount just because you may end up living next to scruffy neighbors.
Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 12:35 PM
If you and your family don't want to live next to scruffy neighbors, don't buy the house next door to them.
Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 2:57 PM
OP here- wow, you last 2 posters are seriously TOUCHY!
What I originally asked is:
"I'm just wondering how this affects your property. Are there any structural issues related to general disrepair of neighbors places? How does it affect curb appeal and marketability of your place?"
I'm trying to get an assessment of what impact it would have on our property.
(Thanks to you all who made actual useful comments, like 7:57, 9:48, and 11:23).
Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 3:35 PM
If you buy into a scruffy, poor-ass neighborhood and put in sub-zeros and thermodors up the wazoo, you still live in a scruffy, poor neighborhood. No affluent person will want to raise their children there. On the other hand, if you buy into a prestiguous, well-established neighborhood but happen to live next door to a slob, then it will not effect your values so much. There are slobs in every neighborhood. The important thing is the overall quality and character of the area. Are 90% of the houses well kept or not? Is it hype or is it real?
Posted by: guest at October 2, 2007 9:48 PM
it really depends on the area that house is in. like the other poster said. if its in a crappy area avoid it. in good area buy it.
Posted by: armchairwarrior at October 4, 2007 1:50 AM
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