As a young person looking to make my first home purchase in the next year or so, I can say that I definitely am feeling no rush to purchase at this point. We feel like we can wait (hope, perhaps) for some price correction. And it seems like in developments like this, the prices have a way of falling a little after a few months. However, I was pretty surprised to see that offers have already been accepted on two of the 2-bedroom units. I feel like with the risk involved, if young people do buy condos, they are going to look to buy places with room to grow so that they can afford space-wise to hold onto the property for a few years if values drop. But maybe this is just my thinking
Little pet peeve too... no floorplans?

Posted by: rjlovie at August 21, 2007 1:06 PM in response to Condos of the Day: Maze at 447 Humboldt Street

My advice would be not to spend a ton of money on a high end renovation, but give yourself a $500 budget or so to make some small changes that will just make it look nicer. A new coat of paint, perhaps a new light fixture or mirror... you know, the kind of stuff they do on those Sell My House shows!

Posted by: rjlovie at August 27, 2007 4:14 PM in response to Should we renovate our bathroom before selling?

This is going to sound silly... but could someone please clue me in to the proper pronounciation of Cortelyou? I feel like a mush mouth every time I go to say it. Help me build by Brooklyn speech confidence!

Posted by: rjlovie at September 18, 2007 3:44 PM in response to What's on Tap for Cortelyou Road?

If I had $2.8 mil to spend on a house, I think I would love the Park Slope one.

I also really love the stair case in the Boerum Hill house.

Posted by: rjlovie at October 5, 2007 2:17 PM in response to Open House Picks

I'm lucky enough to have a spouse whose guilty pleasure is crummy chain restaurant dinners. Even he didn't like this TGIFridays. The service was terrible and it was a lot more expensive than Applebee's at the other end of Fulton Mall. We only went once.

I also agree that the fact that the mall is totally dead after 8 does not help business here.

Posted by: rjlovie at October 9, 2007 9:15 PM in response to Streetlevel: Still No Takers for Gage & Tollner Space

My partner and I visited the St. Mark's apartment last week. I thought the craigslist posting was pretty interesting, because they've dropped the rent $100 since we went to visit it.
Our impression of the apartment on the whole was fairly positive. The kitchen is nicer than you will find in most rentals, with a ton of cabinet space. The bathroom seems pretty new. The washer/dryer was huge for me. You have to walk through the bedroom to get to the office, and it was pretty small (I would guess 6x8 or so) but large enough for a desk and bookcases, or a crib and dresser I would suppose.
We felt the rent was worth it because of the location (very close to the 7th Ave Q) but in the end walked away because the living space wasn't as big as we would have liked. We wanted room for a kitchen table, plus a sofa and television. I think the bedroom is actually a little bigger than the living space. But on the whole, I thought it was really nice. Oh, and also, the wood floors seemed really old (maybe original) but in ok shape.

Posted by: rjlovie at November 1, 2007 3:38 PM in response to Rentals of the Day: Brownstone Craigs Picks

Oh... and also, we were a little hesitant about $2400 rent PLUS a brokers fee... that also shied us away a little. We ended up going for similar rent, bigger apartment by owner with no fee.

Posted by: rjlovie at November 1, 2007 3:47 PM in response to Rentals of the Day: Brownstone Craigs Picks

This guy is awesome. I wish I loved my bathroom this much. Good for you!

And for those who want a radio for their shower, you can totally buy a battery operated one that hangs from your shower head. I have one, its a sony thats am/fm and plays cds, runs on C batteries. I think it was only 30 dollars or so. I miss it when I forget to stock up on C batteries!

Posted by: rjlovie at December 4, 2007 1:09 PM in response to Bathroom Reno #9: Connected In Crown Heights

I wish this place had better signage. I don't know how many times I've gone by and thought to myself, is this a restaurant? Now I know.

Posted by: rjlovie at December 4, 2007 1:12 PM in response to Restaurant Sorrell Closing?

I'm a renter, not an owner, but I can tell you one thing... laundry facilities were a MUST in my most recent move, and it was something I was willing to pay a premium for. Just something to keep in mind.

Posted by: rjlovie at December 4, 2007 3:55 PM in response to Washer / dryer in brownstone rental

check the math on 1-2 dollars per sq ft annually

Posted by: brownstone89 at March 20, 2008 5:59 AM in response to Price-Check on Gas Bill

I just recently enrolled with MxEnergy. They are great and have no contracts on variable plans and competitive and lower rates to Con Edison. I didn't have to pay to enroll and I can cancel whenever I want without any penalities. Another thing my rep told me to look out for with ESCOs is hidden fees. A lot of companies quote a rate, lock you into a contract then charge these extra fees. This company does not do this! My reps name is Kristi Chacon. She said I could post on this her information so you can contact her directly. Phone Number is 800-480-5192 ext.3252 Her e-mail is kristichacon@mxenergychoice.com

I have so far been saving about 30% on my utilities a month now!!!

Posted by: guest at June 3, 2008 3:21 PM in response to choosing energy companies

You are trying to increase the rent by >7.5%. You should have raised it 2 to 3% each year. Such a large increase will hurt the tenant and might push him/her to look elsewhere.
Moving expenses are low compared to $1200/yr increase. A good tenant is hard to get and keep.

Posted by: guest at June 4, 2008 7:30 PM in response to fair rent increase

I recently tried buying my groceries online and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. I found all of the items on my shopping list in about 20 minutes, paid and they were at my door by late afternoon. I never even had to leave my house! I used D’agostino’s (www.dagnyc.com) online shopping but I believe there are many others. Really good idea, wish I had done it sooner.

Posted by: guest at July 7, 2008 12:08 AM in response to Got a grocery store you love--or even kinda like--in Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, or Bed-Stuy?