mrkknox--that sounds cool, will have to try.

Apparently I had the wrong link for the SSS (so my avon lady gets credit). Try: www.tinyurl.com/avonsss

Posted by: brooklynblondie at September 11, 2009 7:46 PM in response to Mosquitos

I own property in Greenpoint as well.Had to lower the rent 13% before anyone was interested. Also, the only people that were looking, were looking over a month ahead--so my Sept 1 rental was rented in July, giving the tenants time to give their landlord notice. None of the fresh-out-of-college kids are moving right now, which is affecting the entire market.

Also, no one seemed to want to pay a broker's fee--but craigslist was okay.

Maybe try changing the move-in date to Oct 1?

Posted by: brooklynblondie at September 1, 2009 4:09 PM in response to Question for Landlords

Nothing works better than good old Avon skin-so-soft (for a double dose, use the shower gel in the shower, than reapply the bath oil before you go outside.)

Our Avon lady keeps us well stocked. Here's the website; if you use code FSWER there's free direct shipping:
http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?src_page=product_list.aspx&level1_id=300&level2_id=303&pdept_id=344&dept_id=416&pf_id=7460&repid=9023156
or
youravon.com/tsheridan

Posted by: brooklynblondie at August 17, 2009 4:44 PM in response to Mosquitos

We've found AJ Madison to be cheaper and quick with delivery, etc, for appliance purchases...

Posted by: brooklynblondie at August 10, 2009 3:36 PM in response to Refrigerator Repair/Replacement?

Same thing happened in front of my house, in Greenpoint. No way it was critters, sadly.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at June 7, 2009 9:32 PM in response to Stolen Plants

Haven't used them, but this place seems to be the go-to non-toxic folks:
http://www.sternenvironmental.com/index.php

Posted by: brooklynblondie at May 5, 2009 2:49 PM in response to non-toxic BED BUG extermination?

You can look up your trash pick-up days on the Dept of Sanitation website:

http://gis.nyc.gov/gisapp/sn/sanitation.jsp

Your landlord IS required to provide a trash area, but if you push him on it, that's probably a sure-fire way to make sure your lease is not renewed when it comes up.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 21, 2009 4:01 PM in response to Storing Garbage in Rental Unit

Hi Dave,

Yes, there are a ton, but all are way too big. 26" is apparently a non-standard size these days...

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 21, 2009 3:57 PM in response to baluster/stair spindle help

Yes, no joke. It's ridiculous. Any way I could get those, again, without leaving the house?

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 21, 2009 3:53 PM in response to baluster/stair spindle help

You also may want to put a sensor in their apartment to see what the temperature really is. If they're on the top floor and the roof isn't insulated, it might really be HUGELY colder on their floor.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 6, 2009 2:00 AM in response to Tenants Driving Me Crazy

They REALLY don't like to do that. The DOB rejects these all the time--they don't like to go up in units. The ceilings have to be at least 7' tall, if not more. You'll need an architect to do the paperwork.

If you are living in it, though, you probably can just live there. It's illegal to rent out most basement apartments, but since you own the space, you can do what you want with it.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 6, 2009 1:39 AM in response to 2 Family to 3 Costs, legality

Lisa Brier Urban is AMAZING. We love love love her. She's super thorough and an amazing, hard-core, no nonsense negotiator. For us she usually charges by the job, not the hour. Very reasonable, not sure what her hourly rates are.

http://www.bdulaw.com/LisaBio.htm

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 6, 2009 1:30 AM in response to Looking for a Real Estate Lawyer

I wouldn't offer to buy them out. Once you name any figure, people go crazy and say they won't move unless you pay them (crazy figure here). My mom offered to pay moving expenses for her tenant to move out one month early, and the girl then refused to move for less than $40,000!! For one month, on a non-stabilized apartment. We had to go to court, and she totally lost, but it was such a hassle, and she never would have thought about trying to milk my mom out of $$ if a buyout was not brought up.

It's hard to smooth things over with complainers like that--you need to let them know that YOU are in charge, not them. DO NOT SPEAK TO THEM. Do not answer the phone when they call. If they ring the bell, you are not home. A lot of times these people just want someone to complain to. That is not your job. They can put complaints in writing, and you can just ignore them, since you are more than fulfilling your obligation to them. Also, let them know that you'd be MORE than happy to let them out of their lease. Say, nice as can be, "There's no point in living somewhere that makes you unhappy! If you're not happy here, of course I can let you out of your lease, no penalty." That almost always shuts people up. Memorize that and repeat that for every unreasonable complaint. Hey, they might take you up on that and move out early!

If things get really bad, copy the NYC heat guidelines and tell them you'll lower the temp to 55 at night (which is your right). If they install a heater, write a letter saying it's a violation of their lease (hey, you might be able to evict them!). Same with the noise--that's a violation of their lease too. You might get lucky and be able to evict them for lease violations.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at January 6, 2009 12:50 AM in response to Tenants Driving Me Crazy

A few years ago I found that ifloor.com was the cheapest by far, even though they were shipping from California.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at December 15, 2008 2:08 PM in response to Can anyone please recommend the cheapest place or way to buy hardwood flooring?:

I've also had great luck with HomeAway.com -- our short-term renters have been quiet, responsible, paid in advance and also gave us a security deposit. Great experience.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at December 2, 2008 4:01 PM in response to how to sublet 5 bedroom brownstone

30-45 days is usually what has been held up in NY courts. I'd write a NICE letter (as a landlord, tenants who are polite and understanding are more likely to get what they want, especially quickly, then those who are like "WHY HAVEN'T YOU FIXED THIS YET I CALLED YOU 1 HOUR AGO!!!!").

So, a nice letter, stating you really need the deposit back, hate to bother her, but you'll need it by such-and-such, and that you haven't heard from her, but if you don't get it by that date, your lawyer recommends going to small claims court, which you really don't want to do, of course, but you're really worried about following the proper procedure or something.

If it doesn't work, go to court, but being nice is always more effective, as there's always SOMETHING landlords can deduct that they would usually not even notice, but won't if you end up in court (dirty oven, hallway damage on your moveout, cracked tiles, unreturned keys, etc...).

Posted by: brooklynblondie at October 21, 2008 2:41 PM in response to Deposit return ???s

I have the simplest and cheapest method, given to me by an exterminator.

We had regular roach visits that didn't seem to be doing any good. The exterminator said that roaches don't need any food (they'll just eat each other) but the one thing they can't live without is WATER. Get rid of their water supply and the roaches will go somewhere else.

He said to pour a capful of that Mistolin stuff ($1 at the dollar store-it's a floor cleaner in Vanilla or Lavender or Apple or other assorted scents) down all our drains after each use (I keep a bottle in the bathroom and a bottle by the kitchen sink). And don't leave any water out (so no soaking dishes, no glasses of water on the counter, etc). Within a week we saw a noticible difference. After a month the roaches just stayed away.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at October 21, 2008 2:32 PM in response to i'm so sick of these roaches

Sam the Glazier has helped me with mirror and glass replacements on several occasions: (718) 452-4451

Posted by: brooklynblondie at October 13, 2008 12:15 PM in response to mirrors cut to size

Sean at TDY Construction is awesome. He's pretty inexpensive and has done great work for me on every aspect of my house. His assistant, David, can be reached at 917-293-0410.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at September 28, 2008 11:36 PM in response to bathtub wall water damage

ebay is amazing. I've had amazing success there.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at September 24, 2008 10:10 PM in response to Lighting Fixtures

I had a good experience with Bedford Sewer... I think someone else recommended them here as well.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at September 24, 2008 9:53 PM in response to sewer co. recommendations

The same thing happened to me. Someone at the manager's office decided we were doing "illegal" renovations, even though she had approved all the kitchen renovations earlier, and stopped work, and added a $3000 illegal renovation fine. Just because she felt like it. We had to go to the management company and talk to her boss, and brought all our documentation. That did seem to end things with her. We sold shortly thereafter. I think they were happy to see us go as well--and we were even happier to be rid of the place. Now own a 3-family, and it's so much lovelier to decide you want new kitchen cabinets one day, and just put them in.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at September 22, 2008 4:55 PM in response to co-op harassment

stay away from Tudor Management. Their staff is rude, super-aggressive, and vindictive.

Posted by: brooklynblondie at August 12, 2008 5:57 PM in response to Management Companies

Whoops, Denton forgot to log out and log back in with his alter ego.

Posted by: Bklyn Fire Alarm Guy at June 7, 2009 10:18 PM in response to Stolen Plants

My neighbors have mentioned it as well. Yes, people are stealing them to resell them. People are willing to pay a huge premium to own a plant stolen from Bed Stuy. It makes them think thjey're no longer an Asshat. :)

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 8, 2009 8:51 AM in response to Stolen Plants

In addition to the less than ideal growing conditions they have to suffer, plants in urban front yard gardens are vulnerable to theft and vandalism. Ya gotta be a tough plant and gardener to make it in this city!

These recommendations for front yard plantings are from Linda Yang's "The City Gardener's Handbook".
Bolt portable containers to the sidewalk or wall, securing root balls of shrubs and small trees prior to planting and anchoring these with weights hidden beneath the soil. Use plants with natural barbs, making their removal painful (thorny roses, thistles). You can also plant commonly found inexpensive plants making their loss and replacement less costly.

I'd also suggest keeping the front area well lit.

To prevent critters from rooting around in the garden use plants that are inedible (poisonous) such as Daffodils, Crocus, Foxglove, English ivy, Lily of the valley, Azalea, Datura. Keep in mind that these are also toxic to children if ingested.

Good Luck and thanks for helping to beautify Brooklyn.

Posted by: GinoinGreenpoint at June 8, 2009 9:26 AM in response to Stolen Plants

I had a topiary bay stolen that I'd worked on for 8 years - they took pot & all even though it had been chained to a railing. The only solution is to plant banal rubbish.

Posted by: Arkady at June 8, 2009 9:40 AM in response to Stolen Plants

I had an opposite and extremely strange experience today. I came out of my house this morning and someone had planted a ton of begonias in my tree pit. I was in and out all day yesterday and they weren't there. Kind of nice, but also a little creepy. And I really don't like begonias AT ALL. I was planning to plant other stuff in the tree pit and now I don't know what to do.

Posted by: geekspice at June 8, 2009 1:12 PM in response to Stolen Plants

I never thought I'd feel this way about an appliance but I LOVE my refrigerator. It's a Conserv that I bought used in 2001. Several competitors have come out with a similar model - just be sure it's the height you want. Here's a link to a Summit that's exactly like mine: http://www.ajmadison.com/b.php/Summit%3BBottom+Freezer%2CCounter+Depth%3BWater+Dispenser%3A+No%3BRefrigerators/N~26+4294966340+4294966346+4294966260+4294967269

Posted by: the_why at August 10, 2009 4:40 PM in response to Refrigerator Repair/Replacement?

As a landlord who has been replacing and sometimes fixing refrigerators for years, I suggest buying a new one too if it's in the $500 range or less. After the service call fee and the parts fee, you're likely talking a couple hundred bucks at a minimum, and something else usually goes wrong within a year, in my experience.

I ordered a couple refrigerators online recently from Home Depot and had no problems. They were running a free delivery promotion too -- though I'm not sure it's still going on. The delivery guys were much nicer than the guys from PC Richards who rush out so fast, you don't have time to check the appliances thoroughly for damage.

If your getting a mid-refrigerator, I'd recommend GE over Avanti, and I'd stay away from Summit if possible too.

Good luck

Posted by: IronBalls at August 10, 2009 6:19 PM in response to Refrigerator Repair/Replacement?

This year is the first year I've been able to be outside any time of day or night without having to use repellent. I've done 3 things in combo:
1) Put mosquito dunks in all of your outside drains (base of basement/under stoop stairs). This has a dramatic effect within 3 days.
2) St. Gabriels Mosquito barrier - hose end application. Works great, and is all natural.
3) Thermacell torches. 2-4 in your yard, depending on size, at dusk/night, just to keep away any buggers who don't get the message with #1 and #2. I use 2 on my deck (16x16) and one further out in the yard. Not cheap, but totally worth it.

I've been absolutely amazed at the difference - we use our backyard every evening for dinner, etc., and no issues.

Posted by: wyckoff at August 17, 2009 5:26 PM in response to Mosquitos

i ordered the thermacell. thanks.

Posted by: wine lover at August 17, 2009 7:57 PM in response to Mosquitos

I have the same problem. Since I rent and do not want to invest in a mosquito magnet, I tried the following:

http://www.diyhappy.com/quick-and-dirty-mosquito-trap/

Pretty clever. Just make a few of them and place them around your yard.

Posted by: mrkknox at August 18, 2009 9:47 AM in response to Mosquitos