Nice block, lots of potential here. I think price is reasonable, probably will go for just over $1 million.

Posted by: WTbound at November 4, 2009 1:22 PM in response to House of the Day: 238 Windsor Place

DH -
FWIW, I am a lawyer who makes under 100K and does not own a car. Not everything is at it appears.

Posted by: WTbound at October 29, 2009 10:33 AM in response to Brownstoner 2009 Survey Results

Very similar to the new Flatbush Junction down by Brooklyn College. I'm shedding no tears over this not happenning

Posted by: WTbound at October 20, 2009 12:17 PM in response to What Could Have Been on Flatbush

Seems like every time there is a WT house on here you guys think it is priced high! I think this is kind of ballpark for these large bay front brick/limestone buildings - a few went for 1.4/1.5-ish last year or so, so this seems relatively in the right price. The little wood houses in the area are going for 700-900s depending on condition, the larger brick places seem to go for 1.2-1.3...
The fact that this is a 3 family, I don't know if that bring down the value (seems like 2 family is perfect for these houses)
Just what I've noticed around here.

Posted by: WTbound at October 16, 2009 1:49 PM in response to Open House Picks

FWIW, Apt. 12 is configured differently (besides being a 3 BR, the whole layout is different). It is also ground level with little natural light. I think the current unit should have an easier time selling.

Posted by: WTbound at October 15, 2009 1:57 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 310 Windsor Place, #26

We did a couple FSBO over the years. Each time was successful, and each time we got our asking pretty much (we determined asking by meeting with 5 different brokers and getting as many comps as we could). Only glitch was last summer when the appraisal came back much lower than contract price, but that was smoothed over by the lawyers. We did open houses, one of us ran the open house while the other took out the kids all morning. Good luck - I think it is definitely worth trying, especially in Park Slope where there seems to be a lot of FSBO and FSBO-savvy buyers.

Posted by: WTbound at September 11, 2009 1:24 PM in response to FSBO or Not?

I think a legal BR in nyc is 80 sq. ft., a window and a closet, so this works. We had 2 kids with a 2nd BR sized 7x6, no closet. It's definitely do-able with a baby. They'll move when the 2nd kid starts walking.

Posted by: WTbound at September 2, 2009 1:03 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 56 Garden Place, #2

There used to be a restaurant in Chicago that did mashed potatoes with a gazillion mix-ins. That was the entire menu.

Posted by: WTbound at August 5, 2009 1:57 PM in response to Brooklyn Food and Drink Round-Up

That's the thing - you are assuming BC will do everything within the scope of the law and to code when their past history shows repeated violations of both. I don't even live in PS, so not sure why I keep writing other than I saw the immense stress inflicted upon BC's neighbors with their last expansion and would hate to see anybody go through this. I'm not talking light and noise, I'm talking people's homes collapsing and being evacuated, etc.

Posted by: WTbound at July 31, 2009 12:18 PM in response to Berkeley Carroll Expansion Stirs Up The Neighborhood

I know the building next to BC's athletic center and its occupants well. When they renovated that a handful of years ago, they caused that bldg to partially collapse and have to be evacuated, many families came home one day to be told they could not enter their house and had to live at a hotel for months. There continued to be issues with the building from the collapse and throughout it all BC was not co-operative. I would definitely be wary of their construction plans!

Posted by: WTbound at July 31, 2009 11:11 AM in response to Berkeley Carroll Expansion Stirs Up The Neighborhood

I think that is a fair point about WT prices never really booming (until maybe the past year, there have been some recent asks that looked bubble-y) and thus prices remaining pretty stable. Also, not a huge glut of development really, it is mostly small houses with prewar buildings along the park. And the school is good, which seems to be an important factor in real estate these days.

Posted by: WTbound at July 30, 2009 12:53 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million

The listserv I am thinking of is KWT at yahoogroups. There are lots of these very nabe-specific yahoo groups that post listings periodically, and you can always post an ISO on them.

Posted by: WTbound at July 29, 2009 12:18 PM in response to Need Renting Advice

In Windsor Terrace at least, it is a lot of word of mouth. Have you tried the neighborhood listservs? I often see owners of 2 families renting an apartment through those?

Posted by: WTbound at July 29, 2009 10:07 AM in response to Need Renting Advice

I heard this was bought by a young couple expecting their second child, kinda doesn't sound like SJP to me...

Posted by: WTbound at July 2, 2009 2:33 PM in response to Sarah Jessica Parker to Slope?

Broker is right about WT house - it went quick. Great street, park block, great lot, smallish house (no finished basement, 2 small floors) but with some updating could be cute.

Posted by: WTbound at June 25, 2009 12:03 PM in response to Brooklyn Sales: Under a Million

Ikea's butcher block is unfinished reclaimed wood and you apply tung oil to it - super cheap, super easy, no offgassing

Posted by: WTbound at June 11, 2009 9:15 AM in response to eco alternative to formica?

By the way, this is all kind of moot. Originally I was thinking of a house between 3rd and 4th Ave. and saying it was not as nice a location, to me, as 16th St. near the park. I wasn't originally even talking about air pollution, just everything about living near all that industrial activity - less trees, not as good for kids playing, no playgrounds over there, etc.) That's all.

Posted by: WTbound at June 8, 2009 8:06 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

Sam, you have no idea where I live, but I do think trees help combat air pollution and I live on a street that has a ton of trees, gets maybe 3 cars an hour, and no FD trucks. It makes a difference. I don't get that crazy black soot on everything that I got living in Manhattan and on 7th Avenue, or by the BQE, in years past. There have been studies of air quality at playground along highways and they have measured higher levels of particulates. There are other issues along the gowanus/3rd Avenue corridor as well, besides air pollution. But whatever. There are documented areas of the city that have more toxins than others - and I'm not saying any part of Brooklyn, or for that matter, the US, is clean. Some of the worst pollution is in rural (farming) areas. But I still don't get why developers put up luxury hi-rises on 4th Ave, an industrial truck route, or the BQE. Maybe it's just me.

Posted by: WTbound at June 8, 2009 7:51 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

Sam -
I am a city dweller, have been for 20+ years. Also an environmental policy wonk. I don't know why people choose to live right near major truck routes and build playgrounds on the BQE. I don't get the appeal of living in industrial sites. There is pollution everywhere, yes, but more of it on major highways, on streets with tons of idling cars, and in industrial areas. Plenty of Brooklyn is zoned residential with streets with trees and not on major highways.

Posted by: WTbound at June 8, 2009 5:31 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

Oh okay, I was thinking of another place then. Yeah, that's a nice block, I agree.

Posted by: WTbound at June 8, 2009 3:21 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

Isn't that WL place btw. 3rd and 4th Aves? On 14th or something? If so, I think the WT location is worlds better. I can not for the life of me understand why people would want to live so close to major industrial activity and major traffic routes.

Posted by: WTbound at June 8, 2009 2:51 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

We like 154 - it is small, great teachers, good principal (not sure what the "interesting issues" are above?) Many of our friends like 10. Community Roots (lottery) in Ft Greene is great too. But the poster above who mentioned Brooklyn New School is wrong - that school is getting harder to get into, this year they had over 400 people on a kindergarten waiting list AFTER the classes were filled!

Posted by: WTbound at June 4, 2009 1:31 PM in response to Best Public Grade Schools in BK?

Love the look/vibe of this place, but maint is ridiculous and shared patio outside my BR is a dealbreaker.

Posted by: WTbound at May 28, 2009 1:00 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 80 Poplar Street, #1R

We paid about $350/sq.ft in Park Slope, 2001.

Posted by: WTbound at May 26, 2009 2:53 PM in response to Finding Historical Price Per Sq?

We did most of our floors last year with water - we left the living room and dining room, which had been done about 10 years ago in 3 coats of oil, by hand. You really can't tell the difference between the two except the LR and DR are slightly yellower. Extremely slight though. Finish feels the same and I have had no issues. We also had small kids at the time of the reno and I used all products with low off-gassing (no-VOC paints, water-based stains, etc.) I am happy with it all. I think we used AFM Safecoat? Something from Green Depot. Good luck.

Posted by: WTbound at May 22, 2009 8:07 AM in response to Oil versus Water Based Finish

I have a built-in thingy (a Prius) that works as a GPS...is this the same? I always remove my EZPass and any other things in my car but I wondered about that built-in screen.

Posted by: WTbound at May 21, 2009 1:24 PM in response to more theft lately?

I feel like broken into is one thing, my cars have been broken into (one time they took half of my tapes - yes this was quite a few years back - and left others. They left Elvis Presley and Indigo Girls, I remember). But stolen outright is creepier, IMO. Ah well, maybe time to get the club or something - or do those things not work?

Posted by: WTbound at May 21, 2009 1:22 PM in response to more theft lately?

I have never understood why people use brokers in NYC. First, they rarely get access to FSBOs which, IMO, are a lot of places in brownstone Bklyn. Second, why not just look at the NYTimes and go to open houses or call to set up showings, and ask any deal-breaker questions on the phone. Seems like not a lot of work to me and then you get to see everything plus not have to waste your time going to this broker's places he is trying to sell.

Posted by: WTbound at May 20, 2009 1:25 PM in response to Expectations of Realtors?

My son's preschool class saw 2 in North Slope the other day on their nature walk. I thought it was a bit troubling too.

Posted by: WTbound at May 20, 2009 9:44 AM in response to Dead Birds in Clinton Hill

Seriously, under 200K? We were looking in WT in 2000 and things were at least 400K then! When exactly did this bubble start?

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 8:33 PM in response to House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

smatlantic is right - the Ft Hamilton stop has lots of exits and there is one 1.5 blocks away at Reeve and Prospect. And it drops you right by the train, no long tunnel or anything. I live around the corner from this house and take the train every day.

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 2:17 PM in response to House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

I agree with everyone else here...more info, pics, floorplan. It seems priced a bit high for what comes off as quite a bit of reno. needed. But maybe it is in better shape than you let on? It is also skirting the bounds of Windsor Terrace, so not sure about the price. Try listing lot size or square feet or something, hard to get a sense of it.

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 1:34 PM in response to How Much to Pay a RE Broker

You know, the realtor put a huge sign high up on the side of the house advertising it for sale and her realty company. Made me wonder if you could pimp that big yellow wall out for advertising to help cut the mortgage? Not that I would ever do it, but seems like a possibility?

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 1:29 PM in response to House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

tybur6 -
I love WT, but it certainly doesn't have the same feel as 90 PPW - that is heart of Park Slope, grand buildings, other subway lines, a gazillion more restaurants, etc. The house, again, I love, but it is 100% F train, Windsor Terrace. I think 90 PPW is overpriced, but it really isn't fair to call it the same neighborhood.

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 1:25 PM in response to House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

I love this house - I saw it with a friend when it sold in 2005 and we still refer to it fondly, "the yellow house on the park." Not sure what it will go for, but mid-900s seems good. Nice location and seems to be a well-maintained house (I walk by it often).

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 1:19 PM in response to House of the Day: 161 Prospect Park Southwest

FWIW - I know about 15 people who are interested in a Windsor Terrace house, mostly young families from Park Slope. Can you post it on PSP or KWT listserv too? Or here? Although we bought our house off Craig's List, many people don't think to look there or are a bit afraid of it! Good luck - where is your house?

Posted by: WTbound at May 19, 2009 12:10 PM in response to How Much to Pay a RE Broker

Sunflowers and mustard greens actually help leach the lead out of the soil so sometimes people recommend planting those first and then plant your tomatoes or whatever in the same area. We do raised beds for our greens, my backyard in sleepy, non-industrial Windsor Terrace, near the park, tested high for lead and cadmium. My kids play in the backyard without worry though...

Posted by: WTbound at May 14, 2009 2:39 PM in response to Brooklyn Ground Zero for Lead Soil Problems

This happened to us in August - we were FSBO and the appraisal came in 80K lower than contract price. I have since learned that brokers often smooth this over with appraisers (not legal or ethical, but maybe one advantage to using a broker that never occurred to me). Anyway, after a stressful 5 days we were able to negotiate with our buyers - they got an extra 7K off the contract price in order to qualify for the mortgage and deal was done. In our case, the appraiser was from upstate (was a small upstate bank - incidentally the President of the bank was the buyer's dad!) and the appraisal report was horrible. We were on President St. btw. 6th and 7th Aves. and the comps were from Windsor Terrace and Gowanus. We had a private 500 sq. foot legal and landscaped roof deck, none of the comps had outdoor space, etc., etc. We considered paying for another appraisal but in the end it was easier to just negotiate the contract price a little and be done with it, as the economic situation was worsening by the minute in late August and I just wanted close ASAP. Good luck!

Posted by: WTbound at May 13, 2009 10:00 AM in response to Low Appraisal: Any Recourse?

I'm at that playground pretty much every day. It is a very crowded playground so yes, it is loud Many daycares/preschools use it during the school day too so I would assume it is always loud. The other thing, which would frankly concern me more, is that at night it gets used for less wholesome activities. My son and I were often the first ones there in the morning and there was evidence of the unsightly activities still lying around, before the playground supervisor got done cleaning. Also, there is always an ice cream truck parked/idling/playing music on the south side of the playground. Not to say I wouldn't live there, but those are some facts about that particular playground. Friends of mine live directly across, on the 3rd floor, and their apartment isn't too loud, but their bedrooms are in the back.

Posted by: WTbound at May 10, 2009 8:56 AM in response to Berkeley playground loud?

We had some trouble when we bought our wood frame house last fall in Windsor Terrace - ended up with Liberty Mutual, they were the ONLY company that would insure us. So far so good, although I do feel like the system is a bit screwy and basically Liberty can charge what it wants b/c we have no other options.

Posted by: WTbound at May 10, 2009 8:51 AM in response to Trouble getting homeowner's insu

Vinca -
Thanks for the link - it sounds like we should call DEP and they are responsible for any repair (our meter is sheltered and no new construction or anything). By the way, I noticed the same sound from a fire hydrant up the street - could there be a problem with the pipes or something? It sounds kind of like rushing water, but nothing in my house is on - the meter is toward the front of the house, under a crawlspace accessed from inside.

Posted by: WTbound at May 5, 2009 11:55 AM in response to worrisome noise from water meter

Our neighbors just had their soil tested in Windsor Terrace and it came back 500 ppm for lead and cadmium. We have a 2 foot high raised bed with no barrier and are growing everything in there - and some tomatoes/strawberries in pots. Said neighbor has been growing berries and tomatoes in her ground for years, with 5 kids, and all the kids have low lead levels. I am generally a bit neurotic about chemicals and heavy metals with my kids, but I think a raised bed is enough of a precaution - and my kids play in the dirt all the time, we just wash hands after. Happy growing!

Posted by: WTbound at May 4, 2009 5:16 PM in response to reality of city gardening

A friend of mine just lost an apt in Park Slope b/c of this - they had signed the contract, sellers sat on it and had one more open house, took a higher offer. I was amazed, in this market, but it apparently still happens. Until seller signs, nothing is set and people have no sense of ethics anymore.

Posted by: WTbound at April 27, 2009 11:26 AM in response to Open House Post Signed Contract?

All of the carpenter bees I have ever seen are fat and fuzzy, this thing was long and skinny, with 2 distinct body parts connected in the middle (like an elongated hourglass)? I have not seen any more since this afternoon - and I have been watching. No signs of nests visible. It is our first spring in this house. If I see another one I guess it is time to call an exterminator.

Posted by: WTbound at April 23, 2009 10:19 PM in response to Wasps in the kids' room!

Hmmm, thanks. I looked around the outside of the window where it was flying and couldn't see anything. There are probably holes though, it is shingles and they are kind of old. So if they are nesting inside the window frame - any way to get at the nest? Or is it just seasonal annoyance?

Posted by: WTbound at April 23, 2009 3:16 PM in response to Wasps in the kids' room!

Michaelem -
How do you know Intelligentsia? I used to work there back when it was one little store and roasting works in Chicago. I'd be psyched to drink it again, hope it is there!

Posted by: WTbound at April 22, 2009 1:49 PM in response to Brooklyn Fare Launching Today

Dude, she bought it 8 years ago. That's not my question. My question is, if NO BANK will mortgage a 4 unit co-op, no matter WHAT the price. It isn't even on the market yet, but seeing as how she has 3 kids and it is a 1 BR, she was thinking about selling.

Posted by: WTbound at April 17, 2009 4:20 PM in response to mortgage for a 4 unit co-op?

Call Green Depot in Greenpoint - we got stuff from them years ago - maybe Safecoat?

Posted by: WTbound at April 15, 2009 9:51 AM in response to Water Base Floor Varnish?

Crossroads or Oak & Iris in Windsor Terrace? Taci's Beyti on Coney island Ave?

Posted by: WTbound at April 13, 2009 12:02 PM in response to Nominate Your Favorite Restaurants