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

Good going, Montrose. Your series is a real contribution to Brooklyn scholarship. When the publishers come calling, your material will be all ready. The Brooklyn section in Barnes & Noble is only getting bigger...
I remember when the St. George Hotel had bronze Art Deco plaques (gazelles, men, women, sunbursts, etc.) in the lobby. They were stolen, and later turned up for sale at some antique show. This was back in the '70s. I regret not being even older, so I could have swum in the original pool.

Posted by: casacara at September 2, 2009 1:35 AM in response to Walkabout with Montrose: Lux Living: Apartment Hotels

Thanks, Brooklyn Chicken, for the shout-out. As others have pointed out, whether it's a good idea to buy and hold a townhouse at this time all depends on what it costs, mortgage terms, condition of house, etc. - but I'm here to tell you it's not as easy as in the past to find tenants for a 5BR, 3 bath brownstone. Not easy, but possible! Six real estate brokers couldn't do it, but a post on my own blog did: I've just rented my Cobble Hill house to a European family with FIVE kids. They're coming to New York for the dad's work, to learn English, and have a 'family adventure.' (They had searched on 'townhouse for rent by owner' and came to my blog)
Still, I sweated for a while and lost about a month and a half's rent before these folks came along. Also, I lowered the rent - am getting the same as I got 3 years ago. My previous long-term tenants were also a European family, for what it's worth.

Posted by: casacara at July 20, 2009 10:12 PM in response to Renting Out Entire Brownstone?

It's a leftover from the 1970s (white Formica, etc.) The homeowners have plans to renovate it...someday.

Posted by: casacara at April 23, 2009 4:52 PM in response to Thursday Blogwrap

Mopar, please post that question on my blog, and I will get the designer/homeowner to answer it. I'm sure others would like to know too.
http://casacara.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/brownstone-voyeur-small-space-big-ideas-in-cobble-hill/

Posted by: casacara at April 16, 2009 4:57 PM in response to Thursday Blogwrap

Lovely reminder of the richness in detail right here in our own neighborhoods. Thanks for getting out there, Montrose. Looking forward to seeing what else you come up with!

Posted by: casacara at April 7, 2009 2:10 PM in response to Walkabout with Montrose - Wrought Iron

My inclination is to say, 'Don't mess with success.' No one is forced to read the comments, and if someone is too timid to add to the discussion, that's not your problem, Mr. B. You're doing a great job. Let it be. (That said, I've never looked at Open Thread, and now I don't think I'll bother.)

Posted by: casacara at March 27, 2009 12:58 PM in response to Let's Talk About Commenting

When was the last time any townhouse in Boerum Hill (and it is Boerum Hill) went for less than a million? And it doesn't have to cost 300K to renovate (smaller the house, the cheaper the fix-up!) And that's actually a good family block. Wish it was wider, true, and that that disgusting social services or rehab place on Nevins with its sidewalk denizens wasn't there (or anywhere in the universe), but I think the building is cute and has huge potential and someone will be lucky to get it for whatever they eventually get it for. Better than an apartment for half the price.

Posted by: casacara at March 25, 2009 4:13 PM in response to House of the Day: 442 State Street

Hey, the guy has decent taste and apparently good intentions. I availed myself of the free wine and cheese, and took some pictures, which are up on my blog today. You can see the merchandise on http://casacara.wordpress.com and decide for yourself. It's more substantial than thingies, which I agree nobody needs.

Posted by: casacara at March 23, 2009 5:06 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Boutique Opens on Court Street

In 2005, I bought a "nice Federal brick in a really nice area of Philly" (Queen Village) for 400K, so if what Dave in Bed Stuy says is true, I've done all right.
I also bought an 1840s brick row house in an up-and-coming (not shitty) area of Philly in 2007 for 135K, so if what Santa says is true, even better.

Posted by: casacara at March 16, 2009 1:53 PM in response to A Successful Buy-and-Hold Strategy on Hoyt Street

Wouldn't you rather be YOUNG than old enough to have bought a brownstone in 1973 for a pittance? I think I would.

Posted by: casacara at March 16, 2009 12:28 PM in response to A Successful Buy-and-Hold Strategy on Hoyt Street

Denton, I linked to sources solely for the convenience of readers who might want to know where the stuff came from. casaCARA is wordpress.com, which doesn't even allow advertising, and that's fine with me (for now).
Insert, the nylon curtains you like are from Mxyplyzyk on Greenwich Ave in the Village (didn't mention it initially because i was too rushed to check the spelling).
Witchdoctor, trust me, it won't be ALL mid-century. We're gonna mix it up.
Anyway, sounds like most of you like the new feature.
Every Thursday!!!

Posted by: casacara at March 5, 2009 7:05 PM in response to Closing Bell: Brownstone Voyeur

Nothing is a good idea in that space. It's been one failed restaurant after another for the past two decades. The space is dark and subterranean. And 4,000 square feet sounds like a lot. But I'm not a habitue of either Tea Lounge (too many strollers), so what do I know?

Posted by: casacara at March 3, 2009 9:50 AM in response to Tea Lounge Coming to The Heights?

Prices seem to be extremely reasonable. I inquired about a 4-foot-tall wrought iron chandelier that looks like it's from the 1940s. $75! Couldn't believe my ears. Wish I had higher ceilings.

Posted by: casacara at February 24, 2009 12:56 PM in response to Architectural Salvage at Lowe's (Parking Lot)

Oh boy, is that a sore thumb. It it were ON Fourth Ave, OK, but Dean between 3rd and 4th is a rare and unusual block with quite a few old wood-frame houses. Crying shame, if you ask me.

Posted by: casacara at February 11, 2009 8:39 AM in response to 357 Dean Street Hits the Market

You're precisely right. The Dutch lost control of New Amsterdam after only a few decades; the English took over in 1664 and re-named it New York. But the Dutch culture, especially insofar as architectural styles, persisted at least into the early 19th century, in this area and all the way up the Hudson River.

Posted by: casacara at February 9, 2009 12:26 PM in response to Inside the Stoothoff-Baxter House

I agree with those who say it sounds about right. My most recent gas bill for a 4-story, 25'x40' house (32 days, late Dec-late Jan) is $655. That's heat and hot water; actual, not estimated. The tenants who control the thermostat seem to keep the place pretty hot, unfortunately, but I'm not there to keep pushing it back down.

Posted by: casacara at February 2, 2009 4:22 PM in response to $600 Gas Bill Normal?

True what Sam says about Carroll Gardens -- only a couple of blocks have landmark protection. Shocking, isn't it? You'd think the whole neighborhood would easily qualify.
I think individual buildings can be landmarked (if they are very important architecturally), but Historic Districts have to be contiguous, which is why some of them are so oddly shaped - they can't be marred by anything un-historic. Carroll Gardens was named in the 1960s, yes, for real-estate purposes. Before that it was called South Brooklyn or even Red Hook.
Montrose, thanks for your kind words about my old-house blog, http://casacara.wordpress.com. My orbit is Brooklyn/Philadelphia/Hudson Valley/North Fork, but my base is Brooklyn. I lived in Cobble Hill for 20 years and now live in Boerum Hill, so there will always be a huge dose of Brooklyn content.

Posted by: casacara at January 26, 2009 3:48 PM in response to Parts of Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens Vulnerable

Years ago, my mother had great success renting her extremely beloved house in California to an academic family from Japan while she temporarily relocated to Texas for her husband's job. They left the place spotless and in perfect condition. Though I suppose the Japanese professors are few and far between in Brooklyn.

Cara, love your blog!

Posted by: mopar at July 20, 2009 10:35 PM in response to Renting Out Entire Brownstone?

You can afford to buy a Townhouse apt in Downtown Brooklyn but you are going to hold on to your "affordable" rent stabilized apt. Maybe you can afford to pay someone to give you advice.

Posted by: Crownlfc at July 20, 2009 11:17 PM in response to Renting Out Entire Brownstone?

You'll "make" hundreds of thousands of dollars (by paying a much lower price) if you wait a few more years for the market to keep correcting downwards.

The fact that there's no way you can even come close to covering your costs by renting a newly purchased market rate townhouse in Brooklyn is the clearest evidence in the world that the market still has a long way to fall.

As a landlord who hates rent stabilization, I see no problem with your continuing to take advantage of your great rental deal. As you state, it's the idiotic laws that are the problem, not the fact that you happen to have been lucky enough to score a deal back in the day.

Rent stabilization should obviously only be allowed for folks of low and moderate incomes (not to mention it should be subsidized by the government -- not private landlords), but changing the rules to the detriment of tens of thousands of high income "voters" like yourself is something that will never happen in corrupt New York City.

How would a local Democrat get elected if he didn't promise to take something from one person and give it to another?

Posted by: IronBalls at July 21, 2009 7:08 AM in response to Renting Out Entire Brownstone?

"I see no problem with your continuing to take advantage of your great rental deal. As you state, it's the idiotic laws that are the problem, not the fact that you happen to have been lucky enough to score a deal back in the day."

So if it's legal it makes it morally o.k.?

Taking advantage of a broken system is still taking advantage and pretty heinous.

But hey, that's just me.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at July 21, 2009 9:24 AM in response to Renting Out Entire Brownstone?

I agree with you Ironballs. Gov Patterson has a rs apt, so does rep Rangel, if they haven't made 175k for two cons years and it's their primary residence, then good for them and the same for the poster. However, if this guy is earning over the legal limit (after all, you can't buy a townhouse in dt Brooklyn with out making $$) and still plan to hold on to his R/S apt, then shame on him.

Posted by: Crownlfc at July 22, 2009 6:47 PM in response to Renting Out Entire Brownstone?

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

"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."

Well, maybe if the agent from Corcoran lowered his $4400 fee the places would rent a bit faster...

Posted by: northsloperenter at October 7, 2009 9:57 AM in response to Advice on Rental Market

Exactly, Northsloperenter. The notion brokers are telling landlords to take huge cuts in their rental income so the brokers don't have to lower their fees in this new market is absolutely absurd. Landlords should be negotiating fees down with brokers and if they can't get a good deal for their prospective tenants don't use a broker at all.

Posted by: traditionalmod at October 7, 2009 10:20 AM in response to Advice on Rental Market