MrHancock's Profile
Author's Posts
April 5, 2008
PLG vs. Bed Stuy
Which area is the best value and best potential for growth? Im looking at a property at Ocean ave & Woodruff and another on Decatur at Throop (both just outside the historic districts although both are worthy of it)
March 31, 2008
What the scoop on Holy Rosary School on BS?
Anyone know whats going on with the holy rasary school on bainbridge in bed stuy? How long has it been bricked up?
March 14, 2008
Question for an Architect
Im purchasing a 8 family building to convert to 12 units. Currently there is a fire escape (1 front, 1 rear) which would be accessible to each of the 12 apartments. If I'm getting a new c of o will a sprinkler system also be necessary? I'm also looking for an architect to work this project as my old one has retired and moved south.
March 11, 2008
question for landlords
Renting a floorthough apt in my private brownstone. Potential tenant wants a 3 year lease from the start. Would you give a 3 year lease to a new tenant or should i start off with a 1 year and take it from there once the tenant has proven to be a good one?
January 18, 2008
How much for Demo ?
Anyone get a complete interior demo (leaving only joists and studs) recently? How big was your house and how much did you pay? Just trying to get a ballpark figure before getting bids on a job.
January 8, 2008
Yet another ? for Master Plumber
After originally considering the Peerless Pinnacle and Burnham Freedom for a 3 family rental property, I've decided to go with individual boilers and hot water units for each apartment. The building is small (16x40 on 3 floors) and attached on one side (soon to be 2). I'm looking for a recommendation for small gas boilers and hot water heaters. I'm looking for
1. reliability
2. cost (both acquisition and installation)
3. efficiency (distant 3rd as the tenants will be paying)
Thanks in advance. I'm planning on keeping the building for a long time (20+ years) so i'm trying to make the best decision possible.
January 4, 2008
Architect or expediter question
I own a 3 unit building with a retail store on the first floor (pretty undesirable area for retail). It currently has a roll up gate and glass storefront windows. I’d like to remove all this and have a brick wall built to turn the area into a private art studio. My questions are
1. Is this a job for a architect or expediter. I already have a mason who’s done this type of work. Just need the permits to keep it all legal
2.What would it cost? Ive already got a estimate for the construction which I plan to manage myself. Just need a ballpark figure as to the cost of permits.
December 21, 2007
How much does your handyman charge?
I have a great handyman who helps out when Ive got too many projects at once. He charges $25/hr, which I think is fair, but he's always busy! Its hard to get a hold of him and his phone rings all the time when he's on the job (he doesnt answer while working).Just wondering what others are charging for jobs which are too small for a contractor, plumber etc but too big for a homeowner to take on.
December 19, 2007
Question for an Architect
Im purchasing a 2 family brownstone in brookly on a 40x100 lot (R-6 zone). The house sits on one side occupying 19’ with a 21’ lot with small garage on the other side. The brownstone is well under FAR for a 19x100 lot and id like to divide the property for possible future sale. How difficult would it be to do this? Whats a ballpark price to get this done?
December 11, 2007
Gas Boiler question
Anyone have experience with the Peerless Pinnacle series or Burnham Freedom series of boilers? Looking for service and reliability as well as ease of installation Vs. a traditional gas boiler.
Author's Comments
http://www.bellmarc.com/search/profile.asp?list_num=BS119507W
This one is in the same building in PS and sold for only $329
Posted by: MrHancock at November 28, 2007 4:54 PM in response to Condos of the Day: Price Cuts at 192 Spencer
Id rather have this 2 bedroom in PLG
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/rfs/492434058.html
and yes, i am the owner
Posted by: MrHancock at November 28, 2007 5:22 PM in response to Condos of the Day: Price Cuts at 192 Spencer
re: 7:10 How long did it take to rent? What is the size of your building?
Posted by: MrHancock at November 30, 2007 7:52 PM in response to Anyone renting in Bed Stuy?
rh, Whats the $100 maintenance discount for? Does the tenant take out the trash?
Posted by: MrHancock at December 1, 2007 10:14 AM in response to Anyone renting in Bed Stuy?
Mind sharing what kinds of rents you got for the junior 1 bedrooms? Was it hard to find good tenants? Did you use Craigslist?
Posted by: MrHancock at December 2, 2007 1:35 PM in response to Help me if you can I'm feeling down
Claw foot tub full of water + 108 year old floor joists = ...
Posted by: MrHancock at December 6, 2007 4:56 PM in response to Antique Clawfoot Bathtub w/o Overflow
Gates and Quincy near Tompkins park are very nice streets.
Posted by: MrHancock at December 9, 2007 5:54 PM in response to Which blocks in Bed Stuy are the nicest?
greasey hand print? that aint no grease my friend.
Posted by: MrHancock at December 10, 2007 4:10 PM in response to Video: Fixing a Clogged Drain
Thanks for the reply master plumber.
Whats tricky about the plumbing? Have you done any service on the unit?
Im trying to choose between one of the above units Vs. a more traditional boiler. I have a pretty good understanding of the older model burnham units (both instalation and service), but these new 93%+ eff. models are alien to me.
My major concerns are reliability, cost (purchase), ease of service, and efficiency in that order.
Posted by: MrHancock at December 11, 2007 9:56 AM in response to Gas Boiler question
Responses to Author's Forum Comments
I know this thread is ancient, but I just wanted to say ... you probably get the idea.
You don't always get what you pay for, people get scammed all the time at both ends of the scale of shelling out. Get a couple of bids, check references, and monitor the work closely. Don't be afraid to ask questions about how the bill will be broken down.
Posted by: amanda at May 7, 2008 3:44 PM in response to Are these estimates ridiculous?
I can't resist a follow up post (I originally posted on March 23 at 8:27):
In my post, I wrote about a house that was listed across the street from us by a reputable Park Slope brokerage for $1.65mm, then reduced to $1.525mm four weeks later. It is now May 10. That house is still on the market. A couple of weeks ago, the brokerage firm lowered the asking price to $1.485mm. We'll see how much longer this dog sits on the market.
Clearly, brokers have no "magic" pricing formula nor any unique ability to close deals.
But wait... there is a funny continuation to this story:
In April, this exact same brokerage firm got another house listing in our neighborhood one block from us. Unlike the listing I talk about above (which is a house in need of some renovation but the broker still decided to price it at a premium), this new listing was for an absolutely pristine house: 4 bedrooms, original details, dining room, front porch, completely renovated house, modern kitchen, back yard, etc. etc. They asked $1.45mm for it. We went to the open house, and it was a property that was "drop dead" gorgeous. No surprise: The house was immediately snapped up and put in to contract.
In this case, the exact same brokerage "UNDER" priced the new listing ... while their original listing still sits on the market gathering dust.
So what is the funny part?
Well, this brokerage firm clearly has an inflated sense of what its role was in selling House #2 (which was pristine and underpriced) .... and
has conveniently forgotten their role in ensuring that House #1 is still languishing on the market 4 months later with no offers.
How do I know this?
Because the brokerage firm is so pleased with itself for selling House #2 that they drafted a letter that they slipped through the mail slots of everyone who lives in our neighborhood proudly trumpeting that they sold House #2 for a "record amount", and declaring that they are the "best and most qualified" broker in all of Park Slope, and that if the homeowner at this address was interested in a free "appraisal" and a "presentation on why their brokers were the best," they would gladly set up a time with us to sit down and talk. Of course, in their letter, they completely ignore what a crappy job they have done on trying to sell House #1.
Total chutzpah.
So what is the lesson? In Brooklyn, great houses/apartments and low-priced houses/apartments sell themselves and brokers are complete imbeciles.
Posted by: guest at May 10, 2008 3:15 PM in response to WHY BROKERS DO IT?
Thanks for the info John. So the way I read it as long as the building is less then 3 floors you can use PVC, even if its a 4 or 6 family building?
Posted by: MrHancock at November 28, 2007 4:22 PM in response to Plumbing question re: PVC