When your money's being stolen you fight back. Oh, that and the massive congestion.

Posted by: Johnny at November 19, 2009 11:51 AM in response to Brooklyn Speaks to File Its First AY Lawsuit

There was an earthquake about 10 years ago. Violent enough to wake me up (no small feat) and set off a few car alarms. Couple of tremors, maybe 1 second each.

Posted by: Johnny at November 19, 2009 11:47 AM in response to Inside Third & Bond: Week 109

I used Sessa Plumbing for a large mains-related gig. Richie. Very smart, not cheapest but for anything with an engineering-type bent, that's who I'd go with.

Posted by: Johnny at November 19, 2009 10:55 AM in response to Broken Sewer Main

EXCELLENT news. Paying Ratner to $%#$ up our borough starting to look even less likely. Aside from the $50 mill in affordable housing money we've already given him.

And love the pic btw.

Posted by: Johnny at November 19, 2009 9:25 AM in response to Brooklyn Speaks to File Its First AY Lawsuit

Are you talking about a typical brownstone setup? Gardens all facing each other? Hence only way in is through neighbor's house and garden? If so, gotta say very small risk. Bigger risk is someone coming over roof.

Posted by: Johnny at November 17, 2009 1:17 PM in response to First Floor Apartment Security?

Isn't there a distinction between repairs - immediate deduction - versus renovations which are amortized?

Posted by: Johnny at November 11, 2009 3:48 PM in response to Audit Hell

Lived on State down from prison for 12 years. Not one single problem from prison, bail bondsmen, visitors or related. Not the most aesthetically attractive business I guess but much ado about nothing to say least.

Posted by: Johnny at November 11, 2009 3:03 PM in response to StreetLevel: New Bail Bonds Office Closed Til Next Year

OP, sorry for predicament. Suggest certified letter stating the problem first. Have to appear to give LL opportunity to fix the problem. Which you've done but need to document fully.

"As stated on . . . and in subsequent phone messages on . . . . serious rat problem still exists. I am scared for my heath and well being, unable to sleep. Please fix effin' problem once and for all.

Just make sure you've got a paper trail should you decide to leave. Emails, notes on EVERY phone call etc etc. Good luck,

Posted by: Johnny at November 10, 2009 5:29 PM in response to Lease Termination Notice

Ratner gets $50 mill in affordable housing money from New York taxpayers and buys a new Bentley. His ethics are disgusting, but he's got . . . well let's keep it clean and say chutzpah.

Posted by: Johnny at November 9, 2009 12:37 PM in response to Ratner Tight-Lipped on AY Details

I saw this place before and after renovations. $1.5 seems about right. It's huge and everything needed replacing. Plus it's done pretty nicely.

Posted by: Johnny at November 6, 2009 12:41 PM in response to 85 State's Roller Coaster Ride

We brits play "football." but we do it without pads and call it rugby.

Posted by: Johnny at November 6, 2009 10:06 AM in response to Open Thread

As a landlord, I'd make it clear that you're on different pages, that you feel you've done a good job with repairs and that she always has the option to leave just as you have the option not to renew her lease - a polite warning.

And if she doesn't get the message and things stay as unpleasant as they obviously are, give her 30 days notice (more if you'd like to be nicer than situation warrants, karma and all that) and wish her well.

Good luck!

Posted by: Johnny at November 5, 2009 2:36 PM in response to Help with Demanding Tenant?

Love this stuff. Thanks MM!

Posted by: Johnny at November 5, 2009 12:02 PM in response to Walkabout: Italianates, the Ornamental Imperative

Good question. Most of what I spend my money on is aesthetic and not necessarily required. mandatory repair-type costs have generally been tolerable. Flooding in the basement cost a few thou to fix I wasn't banking on but other than that, not too bad.

Taxes are posted, and minimal relative to condo/co-op. Heating bill was the big one for me. Can be sizable in the winter.

If you're thinking multi-family, talk to an accountant. The pre and post-tax cost of ownership is very different - if you've got a good accountant ;-) Good luck!

Posted by: Johnny at November 4, 2009 6:20 PM in response to Cost of Owning a Brownstone

Bought a tree at the nursery by Fareway in Red Hook. Guess a bit on pricey side, but convenient. Knew their stuff.

Posted by: Johnny at November 2, 2009 10:23 AM in response to Where to Buy Small Tree?

A big fat disaster. If it wasn't for the fact that my tax dollars are underwriting this mess I'd laugh. Welfare for billionaires.

Posted by: Johnny at November 2, 2009 10:20 AM in response to Uncertainty, Skepticism Around Arena Bond Offering

Think landlord's approach is probably legal, but still douchey. A tenant that's no bother and pays rent on time deserves to be treated decently.

Posted by: Johnny at October 30, 2009 11:53 AM in response to Shifty Landlord or Poor Planning

Not sure if it's my rose colored glasses or your logic BHO.

My house goes down 50%, I'm still living in a nice house and paying very little for it, no? Look forward to next pretty, but ultimately pointless graphic.

Posted by: Johnny at October 29, 2009 3:16 PM in response to House of the Day: 902 Union Street

I used the high price for the apartment I sold to buy a house that, let's face it, might've also been overpriced based on historical norms. And have a (relatively) low mortgage as a result. I fail to see the ponzi scheme.

Posted by: Johnny at October 29, 2009 2:12 PM in response to House of the Day: 902 Union Street

It's essentially illegally reserving a parking spot. See 10th street bet 3rd and 4th. I'm no fan of cars, but I'm even less of a fan o that type of selfish behavior. Ticket the owners.

Posted by: Johnny at October 27, 2009 10:24 AM in response to 97 St. Marks Avenue Update

Not wishing to be a downer, but sometimes the "beautiful red brick" under the paint aint so beautiful.

But personally, I like a little exposed brick. Kinda cool in right setting. My house has too much so I'm the villain painting/dry walling it over ;-)

Posted by: Johnny at October 26, 2009 2:36 PM in response to Removing Paint from Brick Wall

Wouldn't the quarterly water bills show directionally what's going on? Assuming roughly same number of residents in apt?

Posted by: Johnny at October 23, 2009 3:22 PM in response to Tenant Leaving Water On

Have similar problem with my 3 story. Top floor radiators cool while downstairs toasty.

Crank the heat, check which radiators go on. Air goes to highest point and can block the heat from top radiators. Mine just needed bleeding and worked fine shortly thereafter.

Even when running perfect there's a bit of a lag for heat to make it to top floor, but only a few minutes.

Posted by: Johnny at October 16, 2009 11:33 AM in response to Unbalanced Heating in 2-Family

Sorry, listening to Jim Rogers is slightly worse than listening to Larry Kudlow. Both make Kramer look intelligent.

J-t-B's correct. Unemployment at 10%, business lending incredibly low and Rogers is screaming about inflation? A few good years as a Hedgie and a right wing political agenda does not an expert make. Read Fooled by Randomness. He's the poster child.

Posted by: Johnny at October 15, 2009 10:15 AM in response to Elliman Q3 Report: Better Than Q2

LOVE these writeups MM. Thanks!

Posted by: Johnny at October 13, 2009 11:20 AM in response to Walkabout with Montrose: Historic Bedford, Brooklyn

All good advice. Look at any at all even remotely comparable properties in a broad area around the neighborhood and bid ONLY when you've got a good sense of relative worth.

And also bid after the last scheduled open house ;-) Else you're just doing the seller a favor. Good luck! Stressful process but prices and mortgage rates decent so it'll work out well in long run.

Posted by: Johnny at October 12, 2009 4:49 PM in response to Offer Advice for 1st Timer

Just curious, you guys see a noticeable difference in heat bills as a result? Does it also slow heat absorption in summer or is that just wishful thinking on my part??

Posted by: Johnny at October 12, 2009 12:40 PM in response to Blown In Insulation

Thanks guys,
CHIPS only collects during week but donation bins at Lowes worked nicely.

Posted by: Johnny at October 10, 2009 10:35 AM in response to Clothing donations?

Right - it's like watching a burglar rob your house. No big deal. Yawn. Whatever.

Our apathy just lines Ratner's pockets with our tax dollars.

Posted by: Johnny at October 8, 2009 11:47 AM in response to Omissions and Lies in Atlantic Yards Study

Income higher, sure. And that's a personal call.

But theoretically, with d-d config, don't you always have an internal stair problem and thus a lot less actual space? Plus if tenants below, have outdoor space problem mentioned. If tenants above, then - duh - the tenants are above and who wants that.

Posted by: Johnny at October 5, 2009 1:07 PM in response to Double Duplex vs 3-over-1

Believe that's correct - contingency in contract, not offer. NEVER take RE agent's lawyer recommendation.

Good luck. Stressful process but prices and rates are low. Good will come from all of the heartache!

Posted by: Johnny at October 5, 2009 11:56 AM in response to CoOp Offer Subject to Financing?

Tiptoe's right. I'm a landlord and no way would I expect my tenants to have an open house at my convenience. Not sure of legal situation, but it's a tad impolite to expect the unsupervised access of your space via open house. A little notice when posisble also reasonable. Good luck!

Posted by: Johnny at October 2, 2009 10:58 AM in response to Right of Entry

I've always used a broker and have had good luck. But after reading tinarina's comments, may not do so next time.

Typically used one of the decent-sized realtors in my nabe. More foot traffic. They do a decent job of checking and then I do a meeting if they sound good on paper.

Posted by: Johnny at October 1, 2009 6:25 PM in response to Advice on Finding Tenant

A lot of banks will see the large dollar transfer in your account and want a letter stating that it is in fact a gift and not a loan. No biggie, it's just that if it were a loan they'd factor those payments into their affordability calculations.

Posted by: Johnny at October 1, 2009 4:06 PM in response to Downpayment as a Gift

Phew, thanks DIBS ;-)

Posted by: Johnny at October 1, 2009 9:55 AM in response to Exposed Brick Blues

What if my brownstone's got a modern industrial kinda feel? Is that OK OP? Now I'm worried you won't like my design choices.

Posted by: Johnny at October 1, 2009 9:17 AM in response to Exposed Brick Blues

I trained for the marathon by running over that bridge a few thousand times. Love that place.

Aside from the high speed stupidity of a pretty significant number of cyclists, why should a small number of cyclists get the same amount of space as 5-10 times more pedestrians? Yep, I have counted.

Close a road lane to cars. Give pedestrians and cycles both more space and let the cars wait. And in meantime, maybe the cyclists could slow the $%#$ down.

Posted by: Johnny at September 29, 2009 1:31 PM in response to Bikes and Bodies on the Brooklyn Bridge

It's not 30 days. It's 30 days from month end.

Give notice Sept 30, it's Oct 31. Give notice Oct 2, it's November 30.

Posted by: Johnny at September 29, 2009 1:16 PM in response to 30-Day Notice Req'd?

This galls me. 12:30 on a Sunday is ridiculous. I like this place, but not going any more.

Posted by: Johnny at September 28, 2009 12:03 PM in response to Noise Recourse?

Not sure I understand logic in some of these answers. if inflation is running at 5% and, say, I'm getting 3% on my cash, then how am I better off with cash? My purchasing power erodes more every day.

Even if the hard asset I'm purchasing stays flat, that part's the same regardless of where I put my money, no?

Posted by: Johnny at September 16, 2009 2:46 PM in response to Pay Back Mortage or Not?

I see your point Havelc but respectfully disagree. It's my money that's building this. I get an opinion.

Posted by: Johnny at September 15, 2009 9:48 AM in response to Atlantic Yards Arena: Subject to Change

Beg, borrow, steal. If that doesn't work, ask about a HELOC to bring the amount down to 417. Works in some situations. Like mine ;-)

Good luck on your purchase!

Posted by: Johnny at September 14, 2009 6:28 PM in response to Conforming or Jumbo?

I've used Allstate. Have no experience on issue, but the price for my slope b-stone was considerably lower than others firms listed in my case. No doubt will pay for that at some point. Hopefully not soon ;-)

Posted by: Johnny at September 14, 2009 11:56 AM in response to Good/Bad Insurance Cos?

It's not acceptable. Procreation doesn't give someone the right to make your space uninhabitable. I was up at 6 am for two years because of two hyperactive kids above me. Occasionally indoor soccer games. And the neighbor's baby would wake them up by throwing toys it's toys out of the crib onto their hardwood floor several time a night. Unfortunately their hardwood floor was my ceiling.

One, being polite certainly a good start. Two, ask them nicely to keep it down when it's occurring - especially early in the morning. Three, ask them to pop down while the kids are running so they can hear how bad it is. Four, any condo rules on carpeting? 80% requirement usually in the regs somewhere.

Good luck!

Posted by: Johnny at September 8, 2009 11:21 AM in response to Running Child Upstairs

Anti-AY has never equalled anti-development. That's just the label the pro-corporate welfare types have given us to justify their bizarre claims of jobs and affordable housing.

On affordable housing, Ratner's land grab and PR was paid for by $50 million in affordable housing dollars. Number of affordable housing units built - zero. Number actually slated for development - zero. They're all in the "optional" last stage of development.

On jobs, at what cost? $2 billion in tax payer money goes to Ratner for his stadium. Sure there'll be jobs as it's built. But the cost to the city far exceeds the benefit of any jobs. And the cost to the city doesn't include future tax breaks that we'll have to give Ratner (or next owner) to delay the inevitable relocation of the team out of Brooklyn.

Posted by: Johnny at September 8, 2009 10:40 AM in response to Times Endorsements Spark Debate

Completely agree. Safety sure is same as in other units. But noise/vibration/weird buzzing noises would be something to be checked thoroughly. Probably OK, but worth double-triple checking.

Posted by: Johnny at September 2, 2009 11:13 AM in response to Garden Apt. Safety Hazards?

"Small" stuff aside, your inspection has uncovered a pretty decent sized issue with the facade. Of the solvable kind, but not one you should have reasonably expected. I think you're within your rights to ask for some kind of adjustment.

Or walk. It's $750 down the tubes but part of the process. Good luck!

Posted by: Johnny at September 2, 2009 8:59 AM in response to Post inspection...advice needed!

They'll waive any fee if you complain. Just did Wells refi. Timeline kinda typical.

Posted by: Johnny at September 1, 2009 12:36 PM in response to How Long to Refinance?

Ironballs is right. This aint TV. Judge will side with OP in heartbeat. Ask prior tenant for a short letter, signed and with his/her contact info. With their emails as backup.

I'm a landlord, but wtf. This is sleazy.

Posted by: Johnny at September 1, 2009 9:40 AM in response to Park Slope Bedbug Disaster

Alex Figalo fixed my broken pipe a few years back and it went well.
The city gives out three day notices that the homeowner has to jump to fix or get fined.
Alex came around in an hour, gave me a price, took my credit card and there were a team of workers on the job with all the permits the next day.
ConEd and the City gets in on watching the the digging and bothering the contractor, so it takes a capable foreman to keep on track and keep everyone happy.
The price is high but you need the experience and resourses to get this done right and quickly.
I was very happy with their work and hope that I don't have a need to use them again.

Posted by: oldtimer at November 19, 2009 12:12 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

I used Alex Figliolia several years ago to replace the main sewer. He came (in a chauffered stretch MB) wihin an hour, followed up with an estimate, and started the next day. They were expensive, but very much worth it. Extremely professional, the quality of the work excellent. I had to use them again, 2 years later, to replace the water main, and had the same positive exeperience.

Posted by: bklynbks at November 19, 2009 12:37 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

"I used Alex Figliolia several years ago to replace the main sewer. He came (in a chauffered stretch MB)"

I am totally in the wrong industry!

Posted by: brooklynstyle at November 19, 2009 1:16 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

Well, we all know that one of the nicest homes in Brooklyn heights was owned by a plumber in Moonstruck.

He was able to buy furs for the mistress and take her to see LaBoheme at the Met as well.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 19, 2009 1:42 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

Happened to me about 7 or 8 years ago. They had to dig up front garden, remove railing and dig part of sidewalk. It just took them the day. I used Harris Plumbing on Atlantic Ave and paid them $8,000. harriswatermainandsewers.com
K

Posted by: HurricaneKate at November 19, 2009 3:50 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

I just used Figliolia for a new water main and they were quick and very professional. They coordinated with the City and took care of all the paperwork. It cost $4500 which was one days work for three guys. This seems exceedingly expensive but they were highly recommended by my regular plumber and they did exactly what they promised.

Sometimes its worth paying top dollar to get something done quickly and with minimal headaches.

Posted by: JoeBushwick at November 19, 2009 4:23 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

OMG, Brenda, you have my sympathies. Thank goodness we have no trees on our street.

Posted by: mopar at November 19, 2009 4:58 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

Yes, Figliolia lives large as he was busted a few years back for extorting the city. That said, we used him on our water main replacement and they did a great job. Sewer main, I can't say.

However, a house on our block had a serious sewer problem last summer and Main Man was on the scene for days with little progress ( It was also one of those situations where city utilities were affected and it was probably more problematic than most sewer line upgrades). Main Man mostly had a bunch of guys standing around doing very little. After about ten days Figliolia took over and it was done very quickly.

Posted by: tinarina at November 19, 2009 8:55 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

i prefer harris water main
2600 Atlantic Ave # 1
Brooklyn, NY 11207-2415
(718) 495-3600

Posted by: eman1234 at November 19, 2009 9:28 PM in response to Broken Sewer Main

Alex Figilioa Water and Sewer did my father-in-law's sewer main about 30 years ago, and they did ours last year. Very professional, I can recommend them.

Posted by: elizabethJane at November 20, 2009 12:28 AM in response to Broken Sewer Main