I will likely be facing this situation in Harlem soon (awaiting acceptance of a short sale). It is clear to me that you definitely need an architect + expediter involved, and the cost can be as high as $20K, and it will take months but shouldn't take more than one year if you have a cert of no harassment (which we do).

Does anyone have a recommendation for a specific expeditor + architect who has experience converting Harlem SRO's? I have spoken with a few people, but I'm not yet sold on any of them...

Posted by: el_salar at November 18, 2008 4:52 PM in response to Length of time to change SRO designation

Some other goodies from Dwell magazine:

http://www.dwell.com/daily/blog/15446966.html

http://www.dwell.com/daily/video/15279746.html

Brownstoner's forum is also excellent inspiration for before & after photos and any DIY'er!!

Posted by: el_salar at September 9, 2008 6:26 PM in response to reno pictures

I love the interiors on this architect's site:
http://www.stevenharrisarchitects.com/
Click on private => townhouses.

Posted by: el_salar at September 9, 2008 6:23 PM in response to reno pictures

Can you post a picture?

Posted by: el_salar at August 6, 2008 10:37 AM in response to custom address numbers

Great idea! Advertising your location in advance on Brownstoner is a good idea, and posting pics of your inventory online would also be very useful so that people can identify items before you arrive. Come to Harlem too!

Posted by: el_salar at July 29, 2008 2:01 PM in response to Salvage Mobile

P.S. In general, we found that houses in Brooklyn were often less expensive and in better condition than in Harlem.

Posted by: el_salar at July 23, 2008 4:57 PM in response to Brownstone Shell question

I spent a lot of time researching this issue in the past 6 months in anticipation of buying a house in Harlem, and I would second what everyone has said above. You can't get a traditional mortgage, you will need a construction loan, which typically comes with a higher interest rate. (you also might want to look into wells fargo's renovation loan program, which combines a mortgage with a construction loan into one closing)

And you definitely cannot gut renovate a shell these days for less than $500K, and that is not doing anything fancy. Plus, be sure to educate yourself on the complicated zoning issues you will also encounter concerning SRO's and certificates of no harassment, etc, which can add to the costs, timeline & effort.

You might find, as we did, that it will be less expensive in the end to find a livable 'fixer-upper' rather than a shell.

Posted by: el_salar at July 23, 2008 4:55 PM in response to Brownstone Shell question

Thanks very much for your feedback. Yes, the house is vacant with a valid cert of non-harassment through the end of 2009.

I have since spoken with an expeditor, who gave me a ballpark estimate of $10K for the full job of delivering a new C of O (including getting the drawings done by a licensed architect). That seems to be the going rate discussed on other parts of Brownstoner.com. Would you say that is reasonable?

Posted by: el_salar at July 22, 2008 4:48 PM in response to Conversion of SRO to one-family

Here is a contact at Wells Fargo per the mortgage + renovation loan package:

Marsha Morency
Home Mortgage Consultant
Renovation Specialist
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
M6534-031
75-20 Astoria Blvd., Suite 130
East Elmhurst, New York 11370
718-310-4343 Tel
866-201-5006 Fax
marsha.morency@wellsfargo.com

Posted by: el_salar at July 17, 2008 5:03 PM in response to Financing? How do you do it?

I am currently looking to buy in Harlem, and I spent a lot of time researching financing options for a house that needed a gut reno. I would recommend that you contact Wells Fargo - they have a unique product that combines a mortgage loan with a renovation loan - all with one closing. This is the only bank I am aware of with a product like this. It will be hard to get a loan otherwise for a place without a C of O. Good luck!

Posted by: el_salar at July 15, 2008 3:57 PM in response to Financing? How do you do it?

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone and particularly the Easyfloor recommendation. Did you work with a contractor to install or did Easyfloor do it? Who advised you on the best types of wood to use with radiant heating for your flooring?

Posted by: el_salar at April 2, 2008 4:29 PM in response to Radiant floors

thanks everyone for your comments. useful points about the financing part.

when i say 'gut renovation' i mean there is nothing habitable - or even salvagable - from the interior so it would need to be removed and totally done over. it is not currently safe to go upstairs, and barely safe to walk around the ground floor. i would want to make it a single family - so only one kitchen, for example, not 4 separate units.

does anyone know anything about the small building loan program offered by HPD for rehabilitation jobs?

Posted by: el_salar at March 31, 2008 5:18 PM in response to Tips before buying a shell?

If you have a certificate of no-harassment and you are not trying to convert it to a multi-family I don't think the expediter will be adding much value. Get an architect who has done this before and save yourself $10,000.

Posted by: Brownstone rookie at July 22, 2008 5:15 PM in response to Conversion of SRO to one-family

Hey all I am in a similar situation (trying to buy a former SRO). There is a cert of non-harassment but we wish to convert into a 3 family. How is this process different? Mortgage lenders recommendations? Thanks everyone and any help will be deeply appreciated.

Posted by: pierre de taille at July 22, 2008 6:20 PM in response to Conversion of SRO to one-family

P.S. In general, we found that houses in Brooklyn were often less expensive and in better condition than in Harlem.

Posted by: el_salar at July 23, 2008 4:57 PM in response to Brownstone Shell question

Thanks for all your help. Especially, daveinbedstuy. I'll check out Community Preservation Corp. Also has anyone heard of or had any experience with Harlem Funding Corp?

Posted by: ggpack at July 23, 2008 5:36 PM in response to Brownstone Shell question

Especially in this economic environment, the logic behind the banks' position is this -- if you don't have enough money to buy a shell outright, you are not a great bet to deal with the likely million dollars and up to make it habitable.
No offence to you, but most folks would agree with them.

Posted by: ontheparkway at July 24, 2008 3:36 PM in response to Brownstone Shell question

The post who recommended Marhsa Morency at Wells Fargo obviously has not had contact with her.
She does not know what she is talking about. Seems inexperienced and made comments I knew to be wrong as I have been through the process and was looking to refinance.
Would not be my first, second or third choice...not any choice.

Posted by: liaCh at July 27, 2008 4:32 PM in response to Financing? How do you do it?

Denton, I did mention that we would be in the area about a week or so before distributing flyers. Of course we will be posting here and we hope those who read brownstoner will let their neighbors know. As for the ice cream truck thing, I did that in Bayside one summer years ago and that perpetual jingle took its toll.

As for coming to Harlem, our goal is to establish a presence in Brooklyn beacuse that is where the bulk of renovation is and if things work out, rent a warehouse down there. We have a 10,000 square foot warehouse up here and it's impracticle for people to travel from Brooklyn despite the savings.

Posted by: Iknow at July 29, 2008 2:35 PM in response to Salvage Mobile

Flyers? Great, people in Brownstone Brooklyn love flyers! And menus!

Posted by: denton at July 29, 2008 7:23 PM in response to Salvage Mobile

Denton, that's it. I can charge the 200+ Chinese restaurants a fee to distribute the fliers along with our own. I realize it's a pain to keep getting those, but for those who will use the service one flier one week before is on a different level than a constant bombardment. When we distribute them here, we never put them on cars and typically hand them out with a description of our business. We have our own weekend market with about 15-20 different artisans and specialty food vendors and are always looking for new visitors. I'm still working on the jingle for the truck.

Posted by: Iknow at July 29, 2008 9:00 PM in response to Salvage Mobile

What a wonderful idea. I think you'd do very well in my neighborhood (PLG).

Posted by: Bob Marvin at July 30, 2008 8:27 AM in response to Salvage Mobile