i watched this thing fall apart from down the street for over a year-- all of this is projection, but the guy who seemed to be acting as the contractor also seemed to be the seller. they worked on that thing forever, and i was shocked when it listed as a shell. i can't imagine how much money he put into it, since workers were there every day for months. that said, if the buyer has to put in minimal work (i.e. install kitchen & bathrooms, finish walls, etc--say $200k or less of work), it seems like a reasonable deal for this block.

Posted by: ms_boerum at November 19, 2009 2:21 PM in response to 150 Bond Finally Sells—For a Loss

Sorry, one other thing-- The mortgage broker I went through didn't blink and eye when I said the down payment was a gift from my mother and simply asked for her bank statements to prove she had the $.

Posted by: ms_boerum at October 1, 2009 5:06 PM in response to Downpayment as a Gift

re: gift tax-- I was just looking into this today (for other reasons). Though the annual limit on gift tax is $13k per year per person, your parents won't necessarily have to pay taxes over that amount if they gift you more. Rather, there is a $1 million lifetime cap on gifts (so, lets say they give you $50k and you can claim it as $26k between you and your spouse--that means they've used up $24k of their lifetime gifting...).

All this said, when my mom gave me money for the down payment on my place (which I subsequently paid back when I sold), we put her name on the property. That way, if something happened to me (or in this case, you and your spouse), the property reverted to her. It sounds like your parents are less worried about getting the money eventually back and its more like a true gift, though!

Posted by: ms_boerum at October 1, 2009 5:02 PM in response to Downpayment as a Gift

yes, brooklyn is a big place-- just thought i could help on what the prior rent was if it was the place in the slope. good luck!

Posted by: ms_boerum at August 12, 2009 10:55 AM in response to Renovated Rent-Stab Question

hmm, this apt wouldn't be in park slope near the key foods, would it?

Posted by: ms_boerum at August 12, 2009 10:47 AM in response to Renovated Rent-Stab Question

"us peasants"? really?

they announced at the beginning of the show that those donations for the gala and the corporate sponsorships raised $250k for celebrate brooklyn. we all enjoy free (its a suggested donation, so you don't even have to pay the $3--though you should!) concerts, not to mention the movies and other events for children they put on. i have no problem with there being a gala fundraiser to subsidize the general public getting to enjoy an entire summer full of fun. also, byrne performed for FREE, so all the money raised went towards programs.

Posted by: ms_boerum at June 10, 2009 3:56 PM in response to Pay Concerts in Prospect Park

lechacal wrote: The Bond Street house is a short block from some projects that can be very dangerous at night (I have a good friend who lives very close to this place and I have heard shootings, have been threatened by groups of people out looking for trouble, etc). I frankly don't think I would agree to live there for free, but that's just my own personal view.

are you kidding me? "very dangerous"? really? your description is insane. this property is just two blocks off of the bergen stop of the F train, across the street from a bodega that's open 'til 11pm, and a block from a beloved neighborhood bar that is busy until 4am. aside from smith or court, i find bergen from court to bond to be one of the safer blocks in the neighborhood to be walking alone at night because of the sheer number of people around.

i know i'm beating a dead horse, but the attitude about any property within blocks from the projects on this site is outlandish.

Posted by: ms_boerum at April 10, 2009 2:57 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

visually, the location isn't much to look at, but it is only two blocks off of smith. that said-- yuck! i went to the open house a few weeks ago and was unimpressed. aside from the sketchy "storage areas" that they claim can be made into an additional bedroom or office (even if you pulled out the platform in several units you wouldn't have been able to stand in there if you were over 5ft tall). the bathrooms are also awful. there are some units where the bedroom ceiling must be 20 ft high-- fine except how do you cover those windows? and the floors in nearly ever unit were coated with dust and dirt--you could see that you would be constantly cleaning them. all of this is the exception of the model unit which is, of course, the most functional. if they had only made all of the units that way...i sense they'll be able to sell the ones that have some sort of rational layout and the others will fester.

Posted by: ms_boerum at March 11, 2009 1:50 PM in response to Checking In On The Satori

I think you've got some wiggle room-- I would take the advice of an earlier poster and tell your landlord what you realistically afford to pay. I know someone who recently told their LL they were moving out at the end of the lease, because he'd also lost his job and couldn't afford the rent. The LL had already been having a tough time finding a renter for the upstairs unit in the building (in carroll gardens), and offered to lower the rent by $500/month. Anyway, my point is, if you're a good renter and pay on time, it's possible the leap from $1495 to $1000 would be acceptable to your LL, who probably would rather avoid leaving it vacant for several months. One thing my friend did, was take on some of the super's activities (putting out the trash, etc), which I think saved the LL some cash on that end...

Posted by: ms_boerum at February 27, 2009 12:57 PM in response to Renegotiating with Landlord?

ooh, sorry, one other thought-- links to bars near the restaurant (or bar reviews started?) would be great. though i know what's what in my neck of the woods, i don't always know a good place to check out after dinner in other neighborhoods.

Posted by: ms_boerum at February 26, 2009 12:01 PM in response to Help Design the New Restaurants Section

i don't see merit in a print version, since most people i know turn to nymag or yelp (which i consider highly unreliable-- i only use for addresses and ambiance, not to size up the food) rather than zagats at this point. also, print is so quickly outdated, particularly in this rough economy.

i agree on a feature that would make it searchable by zip code-- its so frustrating to go to nymag's restaurant site and be reduced to looking at a large swath of the neighborhood, rather than, say, a few streets. same goes for menupages. i like how brooklynnow has neighborhood maps with businesses marked on each street that you can zoom in on, though its ridiculously incomplete.

what sets apart brownstoner's restaurant page is you get a nice mix of sources--excerpts from reputable reviewers (time out, nymag, etc), and thoughts from people on the street. in my mind, the more input, the better!

Posted by: ms_boerum at February 26, 2009 11:58 AM in response to Help Design the New Restaurants Section

nah, he pretty much lives here now (he's already in the neighborhood), and I live alone in a pretty sizable 1.5 bdrm. We're quiet, and don't bother him with repairs, etc, just take care of those things myself. I'm particularly annoyed that I wasn't given a lease from the outset, because legally, if I had a lease, I'm allowed to have a SO or relative move in without the terms of hte lease changing. Also, its crazy 'cause a couple lived in the apt before me! I think he sees it as, well, two people live there now, so you can pay more.

Posted by: ms_boerum at February 10, 2009 5:27 PM in response to Right to Sublet?

on a related note: my landlord neglected to give me a new lease when mine was up in october. when paying my feb rent, i told him my boyfriend is moving in, and suddenly he is coming up with a new lease, and a $300/month increase on the rent. its less than a month's warning of the price hike, and i'm in a similar position as verovee: looking to buy a place, but acknowledge it'll take a few months to find the right apt and then close, so am worried about signing another one-year lease.

is there anything anywhere about how much notice a landlord must give about a rent increase upon renewal of a lease? its now feb 10, and i don't have a copy of hte new lease in hand-- do i need to pay the increased price for march? i know, i know, this site is about buyers, but maybe owners who rent out apts (my landlord lives in the building) have a notion?

Posted by: ms_boerum at February 10, 2009 4:35 PM in response to Right to Sublet?

just to add to the unexpected cost and timeline for selling questions (and perhaps these are obvious if you've read the buying a house for dummies, but just in case): when you are looking, be sure to find out what the rules and regulations of the co-op are when it comes to renting and selling. some places are extremely restrictive and if you're having trouble selling, but want to move to another city, you may need to rent it out for a period--find out the policy. also, many places charge a flip tax-- find out how much it is, because in this market, it may erase whatever modest profit you might make in two-three years time.

other questions to ask in the "unexpected cost" category: find out when the last time the roof/boiler/etc were replaced, whether assessments have been made in recent years, if any are expected, and be sure to have money in reserve to pay one if it happens. in other words, if all you have is $40k, i woudln't plan on putting it all into the down payment. they'll show you the financials for the last two years, and i'd pay special attention to how the reserve has changed in the last year-- i know multiple people who are dealing with suddenly jobless residents in their co-ops/condos who aren't paying their share, causing the reserve to be drawn down until it can be resolved. not good!

Posted by: ms_boerum at January 27, 2009 1:30 PM in response to First-Timer Questions

i'm surprised the one on smith st. has survived this long. though i have netflix, i like the option of the last-minute, between-mailings movie. at the same time, EVERY SINGLE TIME i get a rental from video free, it skips. i've overheard other customers make the same complaint, with no refund offered... hmm... not really a viable business model...

Posted by: ms_boerum at December 11, 2008 2:35 PM in response to Streetlevel: Free of Video Free Brooklyn on Fifth

it's truly bizarre to me that people are under the impression south slope--if we can even consider 9th south slope at this point (i realize geographically it is, but people seemto think of south slope in a more socio-economic way)--to have such a dramatically different demographic than north slope. i know many, many people living between 9th and 20th st. that would LOVE to see a trader joes or something useful move in. i think the difference is they are primarily single people, not families, which if you really think about it, just means they probably have more disposable income.

Posted by: ms_boerum at October 18, 2007 4:58 PM in response to What's the Rx for the Old Eckerd Space on 9th Street?

I guess my question is, what makes someone feel more or less safe on a given block? Even on the most bucolic of streets in the toniest of neighborhoods, it can feel pretty desolate at night. I feel I'm at an advantage because I live on a lovely tree-lined block in Boerum Hill, but there's also a bar on the corner-- in other words, people are usually milling around outside until 4am, which is good when I'm walking home late at night. The trade off, however, is hearing the people who are, well, milling around outside until 4am, from my bedroom, which faces the street...

Posted by: ms_boerum at October 8, 2007 11:27 AM in response to Darkness on the Edge of Town

i seem to remember looking at this house when it was up for sale in 2004--at around $700k (though i could be misremembering the price--maybe it was $799k?). it was on the market for awhile. its cute inside-- not huge, but the yard is nice. what the photo doesn't show is the bodega two doors down. though its one of the few places i think you can still get a $1 20oz soda, the noise from the guys who like to hang out outside to me would be an annoyance. that said, all this talk of the projects-- whatever. god forbid you should be reminded that not everyone is as privileged to own a house. its no more or less safe than just around the corner on tree-lined bergen, you also are a short walk to almost every subway, and on the corner of bergen & nevins you'd have a laundromat, car service, cafe, and around the corner, a rather awesome clothing store.

Posted by: ms_boerum at September 19, 2007 7:01 PM in response to House of the Day: 158A Nevins Street

4:50-- if you're looking for a better cupcake in the neighborhood, try nascent on bergen and nevins. they have treats from baked (in red hook) and decent coffee.

as for the bank issue: i am in no way advocating any more banks open on court or smith, but i do find it incredibly annoying that i have to walk quite a ways to get to a chase ATM. there are probably five chase branches within a four block radius between montague and state, yet none 'til the one several blocks past union on court. annoying.

Posted by: ms_boerum at September 19, 2007 10:28 AM in response to StreetLevel: Atlantic Earns Some Bread

The one thing you didn't mention is just where in CG you are-- if you're just off Smith or Court towards the Carroll stop, I think you could easily get higher (especially if all the utilities are included and there's a backyard), say up to $2300, and still have a reasonable number of prospective renters to choose from. If you're talking CG closer to the 9th st. stop or on the BQE, I think you're about right. I'm basing this on knowing a lot of renters of one bedrooms in CG (and living myself just down the road in Boerum Hill).

Posted by: ms_boerum at September 17, 2007 4:28 PM in response to Did I undervalue my Carroll Gardens rental?