Close to the subway. Easy walk to park slope amenities. It's not so bad. I'd rather live up the hill on 7th where I am now (sometimes I take the D instead of the F and boy do I hate that walk up to 7th Ave at the end of a long day). But for someone who wants to be in the area but maybe get a bit of a discount, why not?

Posted by: Stuart at October 21, 2009 6:13 PM in response to Development Watch: 574 4th Avenue

I just rented a place in September. Had it listed with a broker for a few weeks in August with no luck. Told the existing tenant to clean up, intalled light fixtures, posted better photos, and had 3 solid applicants for the place within a couple of days. As with other posters, appearance really does matter. Only lowered the rent $50 on a place renting for $2350 in the south slope.

Posted by: Stuart at October 6, 2009 1:52 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

I thought the show was refreshing and funny. I wouldn't have guessed it was Fort Greene. I thought it was more Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens.

Posted by: Stuart at September 21, 2009 1:08 PM in response to HBO Does Fort Greene

Almondine must be going into the Flipsters space.

Posted by: Stuart at September 2, 2009 12:07 PM in response to Brooklyn Food & Drink Round-Up

Convenient location. Nice views. Low maintenance. Outdoor space. Wouldn't be my cup of tea per se, but I could see buyers thinking Jeez, my cost of ownership is close to that of renting, and when you factor in the tax rebate its less...

Posted by: Stuart at August 19, 2009 12:18 PM in response to Checking In On 378 Baltic

Check on zillow for recent sales in your area, and you can get an estimate of the value per square foot for the increase. If places are selling for $300ft2, and you added, 800ft2, then you are looking at an added value of $240,000.

Posted by: Stuart at August 4, 2009 7:56 PM in response to Adding a New Floor?

It's a side view shot. The side of the building is nothing special, that's true. I think it's pretty innocuous though. On the other hand, I think the front facades are very attractive, and the interiors are beautiful with tons of light and views of the city and cemetary. I don't get all the hostile comments on this one. If you want ugly, go look at all the new condo buildings on 16th street.

Posted by: Stuart at July 31, 2009 5:06 PM in response to 614 7th Avenue: Five Weeks Later

I doubt the bust will look anything like Miami. 5500 units is a lot for a neighborhood, but it's not enormous for a city of 8.3 million people. Manhattan is so easy to get to from Williamsburg, and at $650ft2, that is a substantial discount to what you can buy in Manhattan (these days, the price point that is needed to move units). I'm sure a lot of developers will lose their shirts (some, with better luck and timing, will break even or make some $$) but in the end the result will be an even more robust Williamsburg with more shops, more restaurants, more bars, and more apartments boasting spectacular views of Manhattan. I seriously looked into buying in that area and decided I much preferred the more established neighborhood of Park Slope - just greener and cleaner. But as the Bedford Avenue area comes of age, and after a year of riding the F train, I could almost see myself trading the slope in for this neighb. Also, I doubt you'll see much new product trading below $500ft2.

Posted by: Stuart at July 13, 2009 11:02 AM in response to The Epitaph of Epitaphs for Williamsburg's Boom

I agree with Denton. I walked through the show home and it is truly a beautiful development. They definitely did not maximize the soutfacing side windows, but I'm sure they finished product will look fine. Otherwise, inside and out, these are beautiful and in my opinion, a bargain for the $$. The show suite in particular, offers beautiful views of the cemetary, a ton of square feet, and great views of the city with ample outdoor space.

The neighborhood is a little quiet for my looking, but as a neighbor living down the street in the South Slope, I wish all the developers had the esthetic taste of this one. BK Developers, please take note.

Posted by: Stuart at June 22, 2009 3:28 PM in response to Development Watch: 614 7th Avenue

Hmmm. I love Brooklyn. Only been here about a year. It was painfull getting used to the commute. I might consider moving back to Manhattan to get rid of the commute, but it would be a trade off, that is for sure. Gotta say, the biking and walking opportunities, restaurants and park access in the Slope make where I live one of the most liveable places in the world.

Posted by: Stuart at May 11, 2009 9:56 AM in response to Brooklynites Jumping Ship to Manhattan?

I'd love to find out who the architect is and what it cost. The architect did a very nice job.

Posted by: Stuart at April 23, 2009 11:44 PM in response to A Modern Upgrade in Williamsburg

Brownstoner, you posted about doing a 2200ft2 addition to a 3 story townhouse in Carroll Gardens. Did you ever get the project off the ground? If so, I'd love to chat with you about it.

Posted by: Stuart at April 9, 2009 1:49 PM in response to House of the Day: 316 Cumberland Street

fyi, the calculation is by county, not city. For high cost areas, the maximum for a single family is $729.75K. For a for family, it is almost double that.

The CY2009 basic standard mortgage limits for FHA insured loans from Fannie/Freddie are:

One-family Two-family Three-family Four-family
$417,000.00 $533,850.00 $645,300.00 $801,950.00

High cost area limits are subject to a ceiling based on a percent of the Freddie Mac Loan limits The ceilings for CY2009 are:
One-family Two-family Three-family Four-family
$729,750.00 $934,200.00 $1,129,250.00 $1,403,400.00

see: https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/hicost1.cfm

Posted by: Stuart at April 9, 2009 11:26 AM in response to Manhattan Housing Prices Take a Dive

Any idea what the square footage is? Property Shark says 4416, but that doesn't make sense (20.5 x 42 = 861 x 4 =3444).

Posted by: Stuart at April 1, 2009 1:47 PM in response to House of the Day: 213 Berkeley Place

I like the look of the outside. Modern touch that fits in with a more classic neighb. Some nice finishes inside too. The attic's on the fourth floor are real attics though. Gotta be careful or you're going to knock yourself out walking into the ceiling.

Posted by: Stuart at March 8, 2009 7:26 PM in response to Checking In On The Classic Modern

Looked at the map. It's on the other side of the expressway. It's in Greenwood Heights. That's an ambitious asking for a townhouse in Greenwood Heights. On the plus side, there are a row of houses between it and the expressway.

Posted by: Stuart at March 4, 2009 3:02 PM in response to House of the Day: 216 17th Street

I'm new to the area and consider myself a South Sloper. Am I wrong to think that everything between 9th street and the expressway, 4th avenue and Prospect Park South constitute "South Slope"?

Naturally, within that wide area, some areas are substantially nicer than other. This block does have charming brownstones, which I believe face the expressway.

Posted by: Stuart at March 4, 2009 2:46 PM in response to House of the Day: 216 17th Street

Did you ever get your project off the ground? I'm interested in doing a similar type of project (1100ft2 addition) to a 3 family townhouse. Banks don't seem to want to finance these type of projects these days...

Posted by: Stuart at March 2, 2009 11:40 AM in response to Architect Wanted for Condo Development

dogs pee and poop outside outside. unfortunately cats pee and poop indoors and it's very difficult to get feline poo mist particles out of woodwork, tiles, etc. i guess dogs can have accidents tho. but generally landlords clean an apartment before someone new moves in so you probably shouldnt have to worry about any of this.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at October 6, 2009 3:21 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

"What about that older generation that is not so computer savey? Is their cash no good|? or are they too stupid for you?"

Hanible, if you're of th pre-PC generation, you'll hardly want to live in a 4th floor walkup.

To the OP, pix suck, and the kitchen ain't much better.

Posted by: denton at October 6, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

when i was apartment hunting 3 months ago I can't tell you how many places I saw with drop ceilings. I don't care how cheap or big or convenient the apartment is, drop ceilings are a DEAL BREAKER. The landlords would ask me, why don't you want this place? I'd say, I might as well sleep at my office.......

Also FWIW, acoustical lay-in tiles are odor sponges. So any pet smells, or cigi smoke etc will live in that shite forever.

Posted by: bowl of dicks at October 6, 2009 3:40 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

quote:
"What about that older generation that is not so computer savey? Is their cash no good|? or are they too stupid for you?"

LOL! you really do NOT want to rent to anyone over 65 tho because it's legally IMPOSSIBLE to get them out if you had to.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at October 6, 2009 3:50 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

ugh. psychic vision of me at 65 years old frantically looking for a place to live and having the doors shut on me.

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at October 6, 2009 3:51 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

The rent of $1400 is about right for an apartment that size in that location. However, you should clean up the place and apply a coat of paint. Additionaly, get rid of the drop ceiling if you can.

I have 6 apartments in your area (all 1 bedrooms) and when a tenant moves out I always make sure its cleaned out really well and a new coat of paint put on. Additionaly I have tall tin ceilings and I would never in 100 years put drop ceilings.

When you take pictures make sure there is lots of light in the apartment. Light colors on the walls make the space look larger.

If done right there is no reason why you would not be able to rent the space in a weeks time at the most. your building is in prime park slope and although the market is down there is still a huge demand for your area.

good luck.

Posted by: landlord at October 6, 2009 7:28 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

Lots of good suggestions here. Take talknerdytome's advice on the ad copy, and I agree about the dropped ceilings -- they would be a definite NO for me and probably others. Only one thing to add: once the tenants are gone and you get the place spiffed up, TAKE SOME GOOD PICTURES of the apartment, empty on a sunny day, for use in the future. Then you'll never be stuck using pictures of tenant clutter again.

Posted by: casacara at October 6, 2009 7:30 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

I went to your Craigslist ad pretending that I was in the market for a studio apartment. I ignored the furniture because let's face it, sometimes having furniture in an apartment can't be helped, and it's not that cluttered that you can't see the bare bones of the unit. Things I saw immediately and liked:

* Beautiful front windows with lots of light

* Nice amount of shelving and closet space

* Hardwood floors (yay!)

What made me go hmmm...:

* No bathroom shot. Even though it says it's big and beautiful in the ad, the fact that there's no image supporting this automatically makes me suspicious.

* Kitchen shot is cropped. Once again, people are more interested in what's omitted than what they see. Is there a place to put dishes? Groceries?

Those things are all things I might be able to live with. Here are the dealbreakers:

* That godawful drop ceiling. And the fact that it's a drop ceiling in a brownstone fills me with GOTDAMN BURNING ANGER. I prefer living in older buildings for the wonderful high ceilings, and I think most people who like vintage prefer that as well.

* Absolutely no dogs. I'm a responsible pet owner. I also realize that some people aren't, and often bad experiences make landlords prefer not to rent to people with pets. Therefore, if I'm looking at apartments on CL I always make sure I have the dog and cat checkboxes checked before I start searching. If I were really conducting a search I would never see this ad.

IMO, one of the best thing you could do is remove the drop ceiling. It's especially important in this case because it's a studio (as opposed to only having it in areas like the kitchen or bathroom) and the entire living area has it!

Posted by: Kaonashi at October 6, 2009 8:03 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

I would bet money that 99% of the commenters on this thread have not rented an apt. in Brooklyn in the last 3 months. The market is WAY down. I just rented 2 and it was HARD and I took almost a 10% price drop. What rented last year in 3 days took me 3 weeks and with 2 price drops. They were on Craigslist with gorgeous pics, empty, with no dropped ceilings and brand new everything. I consulted w/ 2 agents, one from Corcoran and one from Halstead and they confirmed that things are sitting empty for months even after significant price drops. The agent from Corcoran said that he has two 2 bedrooms that rented in just 3 days last year for $3,600. This year the price is $3,000 and they've been sitting empty since July. He has another 600 sq. ft. 1 bedroom, no fee that has been on the market for 2 months empty. The market has tanked and it's taking longer and prices are lower. People are not looking for a deal they are looking for a steal....hopefully it won't stay like this for long.

Posted by: mamaday at October 6, 2009 8:58 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market

well i rented a place w/i the last 3 months and i gave the LL his ask and all n all i'm pretty happy with the deal,,,,,,,,,,, SO THERE!

Posted by: bowl of dicks at October 6, 2009 10:38 PM in response to Advice on Rental Market