Hi... OP here.

Actually, I think the balances are OK. It's the plastic caps at the top corners of the window sash that have cracked under the pressure and popped off...

Does anyone know if this is something I can fix myself?

I have around 8 windows with this problem so I'd like to keep the per-window cost down.

Posted by: stuyvesantheights at October 10, 2009 10:14 PM in response to Window Identification

I speak from experience:

You would have to be insane to move into an apartment where you know there are bedbugs. Of course, there are levels of infestation: bad, really bad, really really bad. Bad always turns into really really bad without use of very toxic chemicals.

Not only will they cause a nuisance, but getting rid of them will require use of chemicals you really do NOT want your wife, baby or 2 year old near. There is no way to get rid of bedbugs without extremely toxic chemicals. Period.

Not only will they require exposing yourself, your wife and your children to pesticides, you will most likely have to get rid of various possessions. Basically, any harborage which cannot be doused in chemicals or laundered at high heat (ie: books, delicate laundry, nice furniture, mattress/bed, etc.). It will cost you in the thousands to replace all the stuff that will be ruined.

Posted by: stuyvesantheights at June 29, 2009 1:09 PM in response to Bed Bug Question

Well, the strange thing is that the comps the appraiser chose were not exactly comparable houses in terms of upkeep, details/antiques, location, etc.

Zillow allows you to see recent sales (as recent as 30-60 days ago) as well and the data online supports a much lower price drop - more in line with the 6-7% I've heard is the case in around the Stuyvesant Heights area of Bed Stuy.

Is it just me, or is the appraisal process really pretty subjective and not very thorough?

Posted by: stuyvesantheights at May 23, 2009 7:10 PM in response to Average sales price drop?

The Corcoran listing is 411 Stuyvesant, the building on the corner and it's got an asking price of $1.2M. This is 411A Stuyvesant. The Corcoran listing is a 4-story and this is 3-story.

The block is beautiful - if I didn't already live a couple blocks from there I would want to buy this one. The location could not be better - across the street from the park and 30 seconds walk to the A train. I am so jealous of whoever buys this house.

Considering that similar sized houses on Stuvyesant Ave a few blocks up were going for well over $800K a couple years ago, this could be a very good price since prices in the area have held pretty decently (there's been a 12 month 5.7% average sales price decline in Bed Stuy verusus a 6.9% average drop for all of Brooklyn).

The final verdict really depends on the condition of the house and the interiors though. I will be stopping by to check it out for sure.

Posted by: stuyvesantheights at April 17, 2009 6:38 PM in response to Open House Picks

I don't know, but they should take into consideration the square feet and location.

Posted by: mopar at May 24, 2009 12:09 AM in response to Average sales price drop?

Why should location be taken into consideration, Mopar Does it not cost the same to build in one part of Brooklyn that it does in another? Or are you saying if I bought in upscale Brooklyn Heights the value is much higher that that of Brownsville? I might agree with you on that but there is a very important factor you have to take into consideration. As interst rates stayed too low for years the cheaper more affordable places like Brownsville and Crown Heights rose in price to match those more expensive areas. Now are you going to be the one to tell those peiople that bought a house in Brownsville or Williamsburg sorry your house is only worth 250,000 dollars because you bought in Ghetto and it will always be Ghetto?

Posted by: hannible at May 24, 2009 9:52 AM in response to Average sales price drop?

Supply and demand, Hannible. People are willing to pay more for houses in, say, Brooklyn Heights than in Brownsville or Bed Stuy. Some of it's related to the schools, the services (stores and restaurants nearby), and much of it is just historical. Comps do matter for a variety of reasons, from banks to buyers to sellers. All areas rose in price from about 2000 to 2006, and now they are all falling. But houses in Brownsville and Bed Stuy never became as expensive as Brooklyn Heights or Fort Greene. Remember a house is worth whatever a buyer and seller agree it's worth. In urban areas such as New York with finite land to build on, houses are worth more than the cost of building because the cost of land is higher. The cost of land is much higher in Brooklyn Heights than Brownsville.

Posted by: mopar at May 24, 2009 10:23 PM in response to Average sales price drop?

Yes but now it is income and rental income which dictate price. Now a home is only worth how much someone is willing to put down as a deposit. 20 percent at least, which by the way is not easy to come buy when we are talking about million dollar condos. So to adjust home prices are going to have to come down alot more for the buyers to move back into the game. No one want to catch a falling knife.

Posted by: hannible at May 25, 2009 9:10 AM in response to Average sales price drop?

Ability to pay doesn't have such a primary consideration on value of a townhouse, as say it would for the amount of a rental. Income, location, comps, condition... just because it's a recession doesn't mean that property is being given away on an ability to pay basis.

Posted by: corolla at May 26, 2009 11:49 AM in response to Average sales price drop?

original poster here.

sorry, wasn't clear. I'm moving out of the apartment with bedbugs into one without them (I hope).

what i'm trying to figure out is what I should be bringing with me and what I'm going to write off as a loss...

and didn't realize books (which I have a ton of) are a potential carrier...

Posted by: oneasternparkway at June 29, 2009 1:15 PM in response to Bed Bug Question

with something like bed bugs, i feel like the adage better safe than sorry is more than appropriate. get new mattresses - from Ikea if you have too. Or if you are buying a bunch of new ones, go to Sleepys/Rockaway, etc and negotiate. Mark ups on mattresses are incredibly high.

Posted by: gomuppets at June 29, 2009 2:38 PM in response to Bed Bug Question

Bedbugs move from apartment to apartment - if they are in your building then there's very little chance that an uninfested apartment won't be infested before long.

Listen to Act 2 of this podcast of This American Life...
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1255

Posted by: parkplacer at June 29, 2009 2:57 PM in response to Bed Bug Question

I am the owner of a small apt. building and I can add a couple of things:

Bedbugs are very difficult to get rid of. Even an apartment that has been vacant and fumigated can still become reinfested. Bedbugs are often resistent to the chemicals that are used to kill them and they can hide in places that chemicals just can not reach.

Using a sealed mattress cover is a good idea - if the bedbugs are in the mattress, and they are sealed withing the mattress cover, they will ultimately die and while they are alive (up to a year) they can not escape and infest your new home. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, bedbugs can hide in an amazing number of places but the exterminator is correct that if you only have a minor infestation, they are likely to remain near the bed, i.e. the source of food.

Especially if this is an old building, with lots of cracks and crevices, I suggest that you consider moving to another building. Bedbugs are not life threatening, not really all that dangerous but they are a nuisance and very difficult to eliminate.

Posted by: JoeBushwick at June 29, 2009 3:01 PM in response to Bed Bug Question

We survived a major infestation of bedbugs. We found them mostly in the seams of a box spring but continued to find them for weeks even though we threw out the boxspring and had an exterminator treat the apt twice. We did continue to live in the apt...dogs were out of apt overnight after the spraying. Fortunately we were moving and in the few weeks before we moved the bedbug sitings tapered off. They can be in your books, files, computer.....not just beds so unless you are getting rid of everything you own I'd say look at everything very carefully...especially seams of mattresses and boxsprings and then move and hope you don't take any with you. We moved 2 years ago and have not found any bedbugs. I also had the exterminator at the new place use the spray that works on bedbugs when we first moved. Good luck!

Posted by: parklp at June 29, 2009 3:06 PM in response to Bed Bug Question