Why not just get a decent plumber with experience in balancing steam systems look it over? Based on my own experience this would cost less than $400, would lead you to a solution whether you pursue it or not, and is something you want to know since the rooms are too cold for comfortable use. Any room that is uncomfortable when the outside temperature is below 40 degrees is a major problem in my opinion. Even if the ultimate solution cost a several hundred dollars, when divided between the units that seems like a better expenditure than cranking up the heat throughout the house to get something into those rooms. Don't forget, if the extension is really cold, and if it is drafty, it's sucking heat out of the rest of the house too. The age of the house is irrelevant, btw....

Posted by: raphael9 at November 21, 2008 6:49 PM in response to Help? We're cold

It's impossible to know. The last time the rate on the 10 year treasury was this low - in 2003 - the rate on the 30 year fixed conforming loan was 5.25% vs 6% today. Forget about the jumbos - the rate is so high it's clear that nobody wants to lend that money. So, history suggests that something has to give, that either the spread was too narrow in 2003 or it's too wide now. Longer term, all the money that's being pumped into the system will most likely drive rates up, but that's longer term. Before that however, I would not be at all surprised to see the rate on the 30 year fixed conforming under 5%. And of course I wouldn't be surprised to see it stay stuck where it is. How's that for clarity?

Posted by: raphael9 at November 20, 2008 6:09 PM in response to Mortgage Rates

gee, and only 9 open violations on this beauty. same developer is responsible for several other lovely projects as well, all proudly displayed on their web site. the economic meltdown may slow the infusion of new projects both good and bad, but the bad ones already built will stay where they are indefinitely. the amusing thing about this one is that it covered up the illegal lot line windows of the beauty next door. what fun.

Posted by: raphael9 at November 19, 2008 7:08 PM in response to Development Watch: 390 14th Street

nice tower :)

Posted by: raphael9 at October 23, 2008 4:43 PM in response to Future developments around Forte Condo

They're having an open house tuesday afternoon? That's odd, but what the heck. Nice stairs though....but the way I figure it those stairs account for about 700,000 of the asking price.

Posted by: raphael9 at October 20, 2008 2:55 PM in response to House of the Day: 617 8th Avenue

I agree with jnjnjn2. You don't (I might have missed it) discuss how you found your attorney or how you made the deal for the fee. I've been through several transactions, almost all of them with one extremely busy attorney, and have never had any problem stemming from my attorney. If anything, he winds up following up on things and doing things that the other attorney(s) in the deal - representing the prospective buyer or seller, or the bank's attorney - have the responsibility for. It is important to find professionals you can trust, and verify ahead of time how you know you can, by considering who made the recommendation and by doing your own due diligence. This happens with contractors too, and you hear about it all the time from people who get stuck. Unfortunately, it's all part of the learning process, where you learn how to recognize the signs of mediocre work, and how to guess that someone is up to the job. But no group of professionals are all alike, good or bad, and for some here to suggest that all real estate attorneys are of a kind is silly. Also, failing to pay your legal fees will result in you not getting your closing statement, and would be just plain dumb. Then your attorney will be on some board moaning about how all clients are evil.....

Posted by: raphael9 at October 2, 2008 5:46 PM in response to Real estate lawyer (cont)

It doesn't really matter what any of us think. Can prices in Brooklyn come down by a third of their peak? Sure. Has it happened before? Sure. Will it be different this time? Anything is possible. Does the supply of people willing to sell their houses at a lower price dry up, as it did in 1989 - 1992? Usually. Will there be sales that are significantly lower than asking prices? Yup. Will one of us be the lucky ones? Who knows. Will the potential buyers be able to get a loan? Maybe. Are most people who own houses in Brooklyn thinking of selling any time soon because the overall market is down? No. So there you have it. Supply and demand, and the ability to pay. Check back in a year or two from now and we'll know the answers....

Posted by: raphael9 at September 30, 2008 5:10 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

very nice, whatever you call it :)

Posted by: raphael9 at September 18, 2008 6:19 PM in response to Garden of the Day: Starting with a North Slope Blank Canvas

Are you kidding? Why do homeowners expect trades people to work on their house for nothing? What would be "reasonable"? $65? $25?

And you haven't done this in four years? Try every year.

Come on people ;)

Posted by: raphael9 at September 12, 2008 5:21 PM in response to Quote to 'check out' gas heater

The only thing I would add to Adam's post is that if the loan has been sold, say to fannie mae or freddie mac, the bank will then charge you a nominal fee - a few hundred - to buy it back from the party they sold the loan to.

I've done it several times, and there is nothing hard or time consuming about it. It's well worth it.

Posted by: raphael9 at September 9, 2008 5:12 PM in response to Mortgage Tax on a Refinance

The advice to withhold rent is bad advice and would definitely bring an action on the part of any landlord who's paying attention. The court outcome isn't that important, if you get a judgment against you it will harm your ability to rent the next apartment you apply for.

That doesn't mean the landlord is right, and from your description it sounds like a game of chicken.

There is no question you should file a claim in small claims court; document everything, bring your video, bring as much to support your case as you can. Sue for the amount withheld, plus any costs you incur, legal fees and otherwise. Go before a clerk, you'll get heard quicker and you can always go before a judge if you can't settle. Let the landlord state his case first, take notes, present your case, and refute what you heard as it fits. Get some advice from a landlord/tenant lawyer on the laws governing security deposits.

Also, if there are truly illegal renovations that were made, report them to the dept of buildings.

Posted by: raphael9 at September 8, 2008 4:30 PM in response to Security Deposit

I might have one. Can you post a picture of what you have?

Posted by: raphael9 at September 3, 2008 7:18 PM in response to pocket door bottom track???

There could be another wrinkle to the public/private property discussion. If you check the survey of many properties with high stoops, you will find that that part of the stoop and the front yard area are actually not within the bounds of the property. In some cases the line leaves about half the stoop out of the property boundary. Wonder how that plays into the argument concerning the gate given by the officer. :(

Posted by: raphael9 at August 30, 2008 3:34 PM in response to Is Your Stoop Private Property?

531 11th was most certainly built as flats - the whole cluster of houses that this is part of was, as were almost all the houses on the block of 10th st between 7th and 8th ave. The house seems over/under valued much the same way most other houses at the moment are. Time will tell, and whatever it sells for is what it's worth to somebody at the time of sale. Money is going to have to get easier if sales are going to get easier, but eventually it will. Did anybody see the house? What condition were the rentals in?

Posted by: raphael9 at August 11, 2008 4:03 PM in response to House of the Day: 531 11th Street

here's what I do:

disconnect them and have them taken off site to be stripped. there are plenty of people that will do this.

then spray paint them with high heat paint - it does come in white, not sure what else.

Posted by: raphael9 at August 7, 2008 5:23 PM in response to painting radiators

great looking job, and great color on the wall. if you don't mind me asking, how did you resolve the issue of the water coming from the adjacent back yards?

Posted by: raphael9 at August 7, 2008 5:21 PM in response to Garden of the Day: Gardening Through Weather Woes

This place has been on the market on and off for almost a year, with the same renovated kitchen, same plain vanilla bathroom, same small dark bedrooms on the ground floor on the street. Actually, the rental metric is valid, and you will find kitchens of this caliber in small two bedroom apartments for 2800 or thereabouts, and slightly larger, on side streets even, that are quiet. We can argue the price until it sells, and then we'll know, but so far it hasn't sold. Speaking of which, mortgage rates just ticked up today by 1/4 point, which isn't going to sell this particular place any faster. Oh, by the way, if 50k is a good deal to renovate that kitchen, then I have a bridge to sell you...

Posted by: raphael9 at August 7, 2008 4:23 PM in response to Condo of the Day: 1405 8th Avenue

Marino Tile in williamsburgh.
Swan Tile on college point ave in flushing.

Posted by: raphael9 at August 5, 2008 4:50 PM in response to Tile shops in Brooklyn

why not structure it as a loan, at a reasonable interest rate for both. you could write a note that would allow you to pay down principle at set intervals during the term of the loan, thus lowering your interest payments, while not surprising your investor with too much principal back at one time. there would be no gift tax implications to you as it is a loan. keeping it as a loan might circumvent disputes and hard feeling over ownership and appreciation issues later, such as what you might need to do to allow your investor to cash out at a time when you don't want to sell; or who shares the expenses of selling down the road; or how to apply the appreciation to the house vs any improvements you make over time.

Posted by: raphael9 at July 29, 2008 5:20 PM in response to How to pay back family investor for downpayment contribution in 20 years?

For those who insist that landlords won't want to deal with court, I'd like to share my story.

I'm currently involved in a small claims suit with my former landlord over a $3,500 security deposit. I vacated the apartment over 4 months ago, filed the suit about 2.5 months ago, and I'm still not any closer to getting my money than when I began. The landlord used her legal option to defer the first court date (each side can do this once with no explanation), and I'm going to head back next week. I have a feeling she'll also use her option to request a judge (instead of an arbitrator), which means the date could be rescheduled several times as the judge only sees a small number of cases per night. Once I make it through that and win (there's no question that she's in the wrong - she never even attempted to get me a list of damages or an explanation for keeping the money), then I still have to fight to actually collect the money.

The legal system in NY is very easy on landlords for withholding security deposits - there's really not any incentive for them to give you the money back. If they sit around and wait, they probably get to hang on to the money for 6 months and if you have the time and energy to fight it, will probably face almost no punitive damages for doing so. Some states charge double or triple damages, but NY is not one of those states.

Just keep it in mind. I'm not advocating skipping your last month's rent, but beware that landlords have no reason to fear a letter from the court.

Posted by: tp314 at October 23, 2008 10:29 PM in response to Security Deposit

I also recommend Nemo Tile. The showroom is kind of a pain and they are always swamped... but for more basic things like small glass tiles or slate tiles, etc., I go to their warehouse which is just around the corner and they have the basics on display. They will sell you individual tiles if you need a few more tiles. As opposed to the Complete Tile Collection that sells you an entire box of tile if you need only a couple of additional tiles and if tiles arrive broken, they insist you did it because it's sidewalk delivery and therefore you can not prove that it arrived that way. I also agree with the poster above that Nemo is honest. Fast delivery and fairly priced.. next day if it's in stock.

Posted by: janeinteriorsnyc at October 29, 2008 10:58 AM in response to Tile shops in Brooklyn

I'm sorry to hear that so many of you had bad experiences with your RE Lawyers. Mine was fantastic, worked really hard for us and was honest. He might be more expensive than others but he came recommended so I didn't shop around.
If you want to change lawyers or will need someone for the next time around try Carlo Zacchia, Zacchia Law Group, 441 Lexington Avenue, NY NY 646-472-1893

Posted by: premadas at November 13, 2008 12:41 PM in response to Real estate lawyer (cont)

You are fucked! Fuckey fuck fucked!!!!!

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: Return of The What at November 20, 2008 7:27 PM in response to Mortgage Rates

Susan,
I too am super curious about the 5.5% rate you were quoted for "developing communities like BedStuy." I am purchasing a home in Crown Heights and my mortgage expires Monday - they are still sorting out title issues. aarggh. I was locked in at 5.875% and thought that was good! The next best rate I can find is 6.2%. My email is queenie78@rocketmail.com
Cheers + thanks!
Queenie
PS. Thanks also for posting the info on how to find tax photos and for posting the Elkins House pic. stunning.

Posted by: Queenie at November 20, 2008 7:40 PM in response to Mortgage Rates

I think what you are referring to is a CRA product. CRA for Community Renewal Act. There are different ways to qualify for this product. If you live in a low to moderate Cenus tract you can qualify for it. It was orginaly designed to spur activity in lower income areas. Some banks still offer this program but some have already phased it out.

rates are going lower and lower IMO. Flight to quality is driving down interest rates. You should be able to get 5.875% with no points on a Vanilla conforming loan and par pricing is down around 5.5%

I'm busy as hell these past few weeks. Ton of refinances are coming across my desk.

Posted by: Adam Dahill at November 20, 2008 10:29 PM in response to Mortgage Rates

Adam, How low do you see this going? Should one have jumped on 5.875 yesterday or keep floating?

Posted by: Cantaffordcarroll at November 21, 2008 12:42 PM in response to Mortgage Rates

Re: pipes: if it's a steam system, unsure that could be the problem, steam is like cockroaches and sneaks in fast. Changing radiator air vents is a 1 minute job (if it does not stick.) Vents come with different-sized holes to let our air, so a larger size (D for ex) will vent faster and steam will fill radiator sooner.

If you have a hot water system, you don't have air vents anyway, and the pipe size might/will make a difference as it affects the liquid flow and heat, in which case you're stuck.

Also: storm windows?

Posted by: cmu at November 21, 2008 6:49 PM in response to Help? We're cold

If your walls are definately cold. You don't have the insulation inside. You could find a company that will spray foam inside. Your only other choice is to take out the sheetrock and put insulation inside and sheetrock again. If you would like a quote, you can reach me at RickLaddBrooklyn.com

Posted by: Rick at November 21, 2008 6:56 PM in response to Help? We're cold

Fortunately, if it is a hot water system, there are ways of dealing with the pipe size issue, too.
Repiping that riser in the cellar to its own pump and relay to thermostat, for instance, will independently allow for a more desirable run time.
If the heat requirements of that portion of the building are so out of sync with the rest of it then it may never work with a single thermostat.

If it is steam, it may be well served by one or two main vents cut in to the top of the extension riser.

Thermostat location is something to consider, too.

Posted by: Master Plvmber at November 21, 2008 7:36 PM in response to Help? We're cold