Broker with ownership interest

Check out stepables.com.

Posted by: ownhs at March 23, 2009 11:47 AM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

I know people who couldn't get this much for a ~900 sq ft 2 bdrm, 1 bath in the north slope this fall. That one had laundry in the apartment, a new kitchen, and a roof deck. I'd say that makes this overpriced.

Posted by: ownhs at February 17, 2009 2:51 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 125 Eastern Parkway, #6F

The club does not even own the club itself any more.

Posted by: ownhs at January 30, 2009 8:26 AM in response to Montauk Club observation

Was there no heat inside? It looks like everyone kept there hats and gloves on. I'm not going if it's freezing.

Posted by: ownhs at January 12, 2009 12:21 PM in response to Dumbo Flea: The Morning After

Even before the october meltdown you could not get loans over $1M without 25-30% down.

Posted by: ownhs at January 11, 2009 3:00 PM in response to Financing For Mixed Use Property

Dave, this is the north slope. Walk to the N and you are 1 express stop from Canal st. These would be very decent sized 1 bedrooms or small 2 bedrooms. You could easily rent them even now for $2200.

Posted by: ownhs at December 30, 2008 2:10 PM in response to House of the Day: 189 6th Avenue

The brokers are the owners. This century 21 group buys up SROs, empties them out, gets the CofO changed and converts them to condos. They try to sell the thing all along the way. This one has been mostly empty for at least 6 months if not a year. The guy on the garden floor was probably the last hold out and was out by the end of the summer I think.

If I recall correctly, it looked well laid out as 4 floor throughs with central kitchens and baths, bedroom(s) in back and front living area.

Generally a very good location for trains and neighborhood amenities. But there is a noisy school across the street.

Overall this is an investment property for someone looking to be a landlord. If you want to run a business, buy it. If you want a home, don't.

Posted by: ownhs at December 30, 2008 1:49 PM in response to House of the Day: 189 6th Avenue

Thanks for the thorough account of your experience and the positive review for Transcend as a GC. Who was the design/build guy who did bother to the GC part of his job? If you don't name him how are the rest of us going to avoid him? You make it sound like he does a great job of selling himself upfront, so the next person may get caught too.

Posted by: ownhs at December 11, 2008 2:03 PM in response to Our recent experience (and rec. for mason / GC)

"Can there be a discussion of the data itself, or do we have to talk about how to talk about it?"

We do have to talk about how to talk about it. I have to ask that everyone recognize that the word "data" is plural. So, it should be "data themselves" not "itself".

Sorry to nitpick, but I could see this little annoyance coming a mile away. People never seem to get it right with that word. It's particularly irksome because people tend to use it to make themselves seem educated.

Posted by: ownhs at December 11, 2008 9:58 AM in response to What the Census Says About Us

What are the cross streets?

Posted by: ownhs at December 9, 2008 10:53 AM in response to 150 4th Avenue: The Renderings

Isn't anyone going to comment on the floors? Those downstairs have clearly been replaced. I've been on the block and when you have the original floors the inlay makes it clear there was once a wall on the parlor level. The carpeting upstairs may be protecting the old wood or indicate that it's gone there too. I'd never buy a "vintage" house without the original floors in decent shape. There are a lot of things you can replace/restore, but I've never seen proper parlor floors redone well enough for my taste. I'm loving the old doors upstairs though.

Posted by: ownhs at December 4, 2008 3:41 PM in response to House of the Day: 177 Maple Street

If you really want a productive orchard you have the perfect set up with those walls along 2 sides. You could espallier (sp?) more fruit trees against those walls and get more fruit without taking up space or blocking your sunlight.

Posted by: ownhs at December 3, 2008 12:28 PM in response to Garden of the Day: Bearing Fruit in Bed Stuy

Isn't this the project featured repeatedly on the HGTV show with those DesignTech guys? It's gone very slowly. This is the evidence that if the pros can't get it done, maybe the laymen shouldn't even try.

Posted by: ownhs at November 28, 2008 3:40 PM in response to Modern on Lincoln

I think there's a garage with a for sale sign on it on sackett which is berkeley below 5th.

Posted by: ownhs at November 21, 2008 7:01 PM in response to Looking to Buy a Parking Spot

OK, to everyone saying that the house isn't small, get over it. It is. Yes, there are many 3 story brownstones and many are only 16-19', but the standard is 4 story and 20' wide. If one of the narrower shorter houses is fine for you, great. Enjoy your house, but don't claim this isn't small. And if the broker wants to sell 3/4 of a house, they need to change the ask to 3/4 the price.

Posted by: ownhs at November 18, 2008 2:10 PM in response to House of the Day: 318 1st Street

What about Ondine Karady? She lives in Brooklyn and was just one of the 3 finalists on Bravo TV's top design show.

Posted by: ownhs at November 18, 2008 11:31 AM in response to Home Decorator

Vinca, telegraph hill is in san francisco, not berkeley. There, like here, there seem to be a few different flocks in the city. Berkeley may have its own, but I do recall there was a book or newspaper articles on the telegraph hill group. A film would not surprise me.

Posted by: ownhs at November 18, 2008 11:16 AM in response to Green Parrots?

Cool.

Posted by: ownhs at November 17, 2008 5:59 PM in response to plywood stair risers?!

If it was someone who was highly recommended on the forum, please name them here. It drives me crazy that people don't name those contractors with whom they've had problems. You've posted in the past and people will take your word as a warning and appreciate it.

If you are concerned about retribution, then wait until they are done with the work and then post about the whole thing.

Posted by: ownhs at November 17, 2008 3:58 PM in response to plywood stair risers?!

Doh! I never look in that section of the page as in my little brain that's just ad space. Sorry.

Posted by: ownhs at November 10, 2008 12:24 PM in response to Brownstoner Restaurants Now More Searchable, Sortable

This is 100% crown heights and in no way prospect heights. That should be reflected in the price. CH costs less than PH. Don't let a real estate agent try and tell you otherwise. Compare it to other CH properties in price.

Those apt buildings across from the garden always looked intriguing to me. If you could get a garden view and know nobody would ever build in the way of it, that would be lovely. What's the place like inside?

If I remember correctly I saw on the news in the last year that a woman was murdered by someone breaking into one of those places. It was a case of stranger violence, not someone she knew. There are such cases in many areas that cost plenty. I'd still want to know.

Posted by: ownhs at November 10, 2008 11:58 AM in response to prospect heights/crown heights

Why isn't there a google map attached to all the posts like there is for everything else on the site?

Posted by: ownhs at November 10, 2008 10:55 AM in response to Brownstoner Restaurants Now More Searchable, Sortable

Playa is the restaurant that goes with the tiki bar around the corner. Owned/opened by the people that have Barrio up on 7th.

Posted by: ownhs at November 7, 2008 10:44 AM in response to New Restaurant for 230 Fifth Avenue

Rose of sharon is a hardy hibiscus. Jamaica is made from a non-hardy hibiscus. I still have tomatoes on my roof. No hard frost yet.

Posted by: ownhs at November 6, 2008 4:58 PM in response to Closing Bell: Late Bloomers

Seemed like everything in the 7th ave place was 20% off this weekend. It made me think the recession might just bring all the shops full of 'stuff you don't really need, but might like' into the reasonable range. If so I'll be spending more not less this holiday season.

Posted by: ownhs at November 4, 2008 2:29 PM in response to Streetlevel: No Life at Living on Smith

I agree too Nokilissa. Funny how nobody is saying that everyone invested in the stock market was just being too greedy when they expected to keep a higher return on those investments.

I saw the prospect pl listing at one of the 1st showings and the broker said the owner was the owner of the Dean st listing. This was an investment property. That was their home.

ks8000, many on the market for a house have just as much as they did before last week because anyone intending to spend that much should have moved the downpayment/buildout money out of the market and into short term investments upon making that decision. The issue is that it is much more difficult to get credit than it was 6 months ago so there is less competition among worthy buyers.

The Park pl broker was willing to negotiate from the start and initially changed the price of the house to differentiate the 2 listings that are next door to each other.

The post 911 crash actually started with the bursting of the tech sector bubble in the 1st week of March, 2000. It spread from there and then did further nose dive after the attacks. That, however, was the start of the current nightmare because the fed cut rates and any idiot thought they could/should be able to buy a house.

Posted by: ownhs at October 13, 2008 12:19 PM in response to A Pair of ProHi Price Cuts

I have to agree that the policy doesn't seem "fair" to me either, Master Plvmer. If someone has a major renovation job to do, they are going to want to interview several "professionals" to get different proposals and different bids. Do you really think a responsible customer should have to pay each several hundred dollars just to get a bid on a big job?

I am also a professional and work in a service industry. I do spec work on proposals all the time. It does cost time and therefore money and I don't win every job. That's part of the cost of doing business.

Posted by: ownhs at October 9, 2008 2:41 PM in response to rec's for oil to gas conversion (plumber?)

In the 3rd photo, what's the plant in the green pot to the left of the hellebores in the whitish pot?

Posted by: ownhs at August 15, 2008 12:07 PM in response to Garden of the Day: A Decade in Coming

I'm with kensington gal. A 50 ft tree is completely oversized for a 20 ft wide lot. Assuming someone is going to pave over the yard or build an extension after they cut down the tree is what's really idiotic. Maybe the OP wants some sun to grow some vegetables. If you want shade, plant your own tree, buy an umbrella, or go inside.

Posted by: ownhs at August 5, 2008 11:30 AM in response to Tree removal

You guys are leaving out a major fact in the favor of the deck owner. The DOB can't issue a ticket if they can't gain access to the deck. When they show up you can refuse access. They need a warrant to enter your property. They usually show up twice (at most) and if you don't let them in, they tend to just let it go.

Posted by: ownhs at July 31, 2008 9:22 AM in response to Real Risks of Building Without a Permit?

Hi new neighbor, I can see that place from my deck. I can also see many, many others and there are no vent pipes sticking 6 ft above the roof lines on any of them. None.

Look at the vents for the other roofs in the photo. That's what most look like or they have a curved top. I can't think of any others that are PVC, but whatever. Just make sure to put some kind of mesh over it or do the curve because it's the perfect size for some yahoo to drop an empty beer can down. I have never smelled any type of sewage smells. It was my understanding that it was needed to avoid a vacuum.

Posted by: ownhs at July 30, 2008 10:21 AM in response to Sewer venting through roof deck

Thanks all for the comments. I've spoken with another lawyer who says something very similar: they do the contracts (including title/lien searches) and closing. They don't tend to get involved in the offer negotiations.

The additional investigation I was looking for involved the multi-family status, the violations with various city agencies, the cost of getting c of o and converting to 1-2 family, etc. Architects say this is the lawyers job and lawyers say it's the architects and both end up paying an expediter. I don't want to deal with the city bureaucracy either if I can avoid it, but it seems the only people who do are the ones in the mix who didn't get an advanced degree.

Posted by: ownhs at February 28, 2008 4:06 PM in response to Broker with ownership interest

Read carefully 12:11. It's not MY broker. It's the sellers' broker and the lawyer is an idiot who people on brownstoner highly endorse. Next comment please.

Posted by: ownhs at February 28, 2008 12:17 PM in response to Broker with ownership interest

Most large pieces of wood furniture have metal or plastic protectors on the bottom (like large thumb tacks). Remove these, add as many washers to the low end legs as needed to even them out, then put the feet back on. That is a little less noticeable than matchbooks etc.

Posted by: ownhs at February 28, 2008 9:49 AM in response to Leveling furniture on sloping floors

So here I am a few months later, and after hearing from another person who is having a similarly awful experience with the design build firm I referred to above, I feel compelled to name them in case someone else down the line is searching for a rec about them. It's Clinton Hill Design Build. And by the way, the every last detail I was waiting for back in December? Still not done satisfactorily. It's been eight months. At this point I have given up, frankly, and the last bits are small enough details that I would rather do them myself than have to talk to another person from that place...

Posted by: tanner at March 16, 2009 11:57 AM in response to Our recent experience (and rec. for mason / GC)

You would be wise to wait until at least April 15, which is the frost date in this area. Planting small plants before that date may result in transplant shock as the nights are still too chilly for plants that were probably grown in a greenhouse or down south. Nurseries at this point really don't have a lot of stock in yet to choose from, either.

I agree with eman and vinca- those nurseries are nice. If you have a car or a friend with one, check out these:

Tony's in Westchester (Scarsdale, I think). Large selection, plants in good shape.

Sprainbrook: http://www.sprainbrook.com/ Large selection. Plant stock kept in excellent shape. Some unusual and difficult to find things.

Martin Viette : http://www.martinviette.com/ Some real specialty items here. Helpful staff. Not cheap but they often have things I don't see elsewhere.

As far as the ground cover as lawn, you can do it but you really can't have kids or dogs running back and forth on it often or before it's really established. It does tend to work out better if you have stepping stones or a clear path to take the bulk of the foot traffic. Most of the "stepable" ground covers will not hold up as well as grass because they don't have roots that form that tenacious mat like grass does so having kids running on it and serious back and forth foot traffic would have to be a relatively occasional thing.

Posted by: kensington gal at March 23, 2009 8:13 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

perhaps what you want is fake turf make of postconsumer recycled product. before you react vehemently I urge you to read up on it, it's actually come a long way.

Posted by: eamus_catuli at March 24, 2009 3:35 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

I think ferns are amazing and totally under used.

Posted by: Argyle Road at March 24, 2009 3:52 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

Moss! check out http://www.mossacres.com/ and there was a pretty interesting article about moss in the nytimes about a year ago worth trying to find.

Posted by: 11216 at March 24, 2009 4:14 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

Is there a type of ground cover that likes full sun?

Posted by: bmfesq at March 24, 2009 4:16 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

I have a north-facing shady back garden and was lucky enough to have glechoma hederacea naturally occurring. I have given over the lawn area to it. It has small dark green leaves about the size of a quarter, is fragrant, can be mowed like a lawn but if left alone tops out at about 4 inches. It has a history of medicinal uses and is available from several mail order nurseries.

Posted by: hancockone at March 24, 2009 9:11 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

if you are willing to go the mail order route, a really interesting nursery is sunshine farm in west virginia...
http://www.sunfarm.com/

Posted by: eman1234 at March 24, 2009 9:16 PM in response to Ground cover for shady backyard

I realize that this is a somewhat old issue, but I am going through it right now. I am the stair builder in this case. The issue is a difficult one. Yes, the oak is compromised if it is dinged up. And, yes, plywood is a more stable product over the life of the stair. As the stair builder I find a quandry when the customer is looking for the best product for the lowest price possible. If the other guy bids at lower price and says all the same things I do, but he uses ply risers while I charged more for solid oak, he gets the job and can wrangle the issue after the fact.
Any one who swears by one and completely refutes the other is not giving the issue its due dilligence, and, therefore, probably has other issues thatwill cause problems in the future.
If you have questions about stairs of any kind, there is always a passionate and qualified person to answer if you call the Stairway Manufacturers Association, Stairways.org.

Posted by: billthomas at April 7, 2009 8:32 PM in response to plywood stair risers?!