"But meanwhile, for example, although we have tons of dentists and attorneys in NYC, they manage to float their regular fees no matter what. There doesn't seem to be much market reality with professional fee structures.

Oh, is that just my take?"

I think that is just your take. 2008, 2009, and soon 2010 are turning out to the biggest bloodbath for attorneys in NYC in decades.

Hordes of attorneys have been fired. Young attorneys have had their offers rescinded. Partners have been pushed out or demoted to non-equity. It's horribly frightening for some of these young attorneys to come out with $150,000 in student loans not being able to find a job.

http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/26/students-fret-as-big-law-jobs-disappear/

Posted by: theandrewlee at September 26, 2009 11:22 AM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20090809/SMALLBIZ/308099970#

"Shadow units cast pall over market"

Who know what to think?

Posted by: theandrewlee at August 14, 2009 3:36 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

"Not everything Goldman Sachs touches turns to gold."

...only things where they are able to place key people in Government influential positions, and change policy so that they can't lose.

Posted by: theandrewlee at August 14, 2009 9:28 AM in response to Clarett, Goldman Lose Control of Forté

I think there are two possibilities:

(1) GS believes in the long-term (5 years+) speculative potential of the area and is buying up property.

(2) GS has some inside knowledge from a Govt or Business insider about what is going to happen along "a certain stretch of Fulton Street in Bedford Stuyvesant".

I think (2) is more likely. If they were really interested in Bed-Stuy in general, wouldn't they be buying more broadly? Or as part of a larger strategic bet? Why clump it all in this spot? Maybe I'm missing something, but they are probably smarter than me. After all they convinced the Government to hamstring their competitors and insure their bets (AIG, etc.).

Posted by: theandrewlee at August 7, 2009 9:34 AM in response to Goldman Sachs Buying Up Fulton Street

We only have 3 observations of widget pricing accuracy.

Since we have no idea how the population of widget pricing accuracy will be distributed, we can't really say anything meaningful from these 3 observations. Once we get to a bigger sample size, we can say more about the distribution of sample means, and that will give us a way to test widget pricing accuracy.

But you might not need to go that far.

It's pretty well established that online polls are full of sampling error. I think the biggest sampling error here is that lots of people have an agenda. People aren't neutrally appraising these properties...

Posted by: theandrewlee at July 29, 2009 10:30 AM in response to Widget Underprices for Third Straight Time

Prices are sliding. I've been looking in the area for last 2 years, and things are coming down. I remember looking on Sterling before and not finding anything lower than $800k, and it was all crap. I think the price slide is good for the neighborhood's health because cheaper prices will encourage more homeowners who are in it for the long-term.

Posted by: theandrewlee at July 16, 2009 10:30 PM in response to House of the Day: 265 Sterling Street

Try Sterling Place on Atlantic, near Hoyt.

Unique pieces, sturdy, well-made. Sometimes antique pieces. The style is farmhouse or rustic, as opposed to modern. All at pretty reasonable prices. We have gotten a few things from there, and have been really happy with them. Everytime we near downtown Brooklyn, my wife wants to make a stop.

http://www.sterlingplace.com/

Posted by: theandrewlee at July 14, 2009 8:09 PM in response to Furniture Stores in Brooklyn?

Grand Army: As I understand things, the traffic issue will be fixed in 2012 as part of a median rebuild. To fix the problem now, it would only take a few speedbumps and a no left turn on red sign, but it won't happen for several years. By contrast, the PH historic designation and the median on Vanderbilt happened so fast. Maybe there are more stakeholders and homeowners there who pushed for it.

Posted by: theandrewlee at July 1, 2009 8:19 PM in response to Prospect Heights Landmarking: The Video

Nice video.

It's the first time I've seen Councilperson James out and about. I would love to see the same energy devoted to fixing the deadly traffic accidents on Eastern Parkway & Underhill (top of PHeights) and on Eastern Parkway & Washington (near the Museum). Apparently, dozens of letters have been written...

Posted by: theandrewlee at July 1, 2009 1:26 PM in response to Prospect Heights Landmarking: The Video

"Brownstoner - your headline is TOTALLY misleading....the NY Magazine article says nothing about the wealth of Williamsburg "hipsters" (if that has any meaning) - it simply talks about the relative poverty of residents within CB1 - which includes many people (a large majority) who are clearly NOT hipsters (Satamars for one). It is possible that every "hipster" in Williamsburg is the spawn of a billionaire - that is simply not addressed."

I agree. The article is totally misrepresented. There are a lot of poor people in Williamsburg and Greepoint, and the vast majority of them are not hipsters. I doubt the soup kitchens mentioned in the NY Mag article were visited by hipsters.

Posted by: theandrewlee at June 23, 2009 5:03 PM in response to Williamsburg Hipsters Aren't All Rich Kids After All

That is a great photo, NOP.

A few years back, I used a photo of the front of 201, during Winter with snow hanging on the trees, as the cover of our Christmas Card.

"Apartment 1M may be a "hive" of drugs and prostitution, but a building Web search identifies at least one artist, an independent art gallery, and a dentist in the building."

The following professions are also represented: Pastry Chef,
PBS Producer, The Owner of a Successful Clothing Company, Marketing Director, Several Accountants, An Attorney, NY Times Website Designer, A few Actors, A Fashion Photographer, A Shadow Writer, A Music Licensing Manager, A Singer, A sidewalk Bookseller, A Set Designer.

The fact that something like this is on Brownstoner probably means that gentrification is moving further down Eastern Parkway. Because if this happened in a deli on Utica, people on Brownstoner wouldn't even notice.

Posted by: theandrewlee at March 31, 2009 10:35 AM in response to Death at Eastern Parkway Drug Den

I have a view of the museum from my window too, and it is quite nice at night, all lit up.

The best subway stops are also right there.

There are pharmacies / laundry / bars / delis / groceries on Washington Ave. You just have to be comfortable with shopping with black people.

Anyway, I think the apartment is a bit overpriced, mainly because of the high maintenance. But Turner Towers is a beautiful building, and it's a solid community of people. Quite a few artists, weirdly enough.

In any case, we can't all live off 7th Avenue in Park Slope.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 22, 2009 9:04 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: Turner Towers Two-Bedroom

I think I omitted something from the earlier post.

I don't really see any huge movement on the lower end brownstones / buildings in the areas I'm looking at. I'm not sure if Crown Heights is subprime or not.

I've seen a few scattered declines. But not whole sale. People are still trying to get $700-800k for old brownstones that need to be renovated. Those prices don't seem to be coming down, except for slightly at the margins. (One place did foreclose for like $450k, which I posted on this site). Honestly, while I might make an offer that is 10% off asking price, it's not even worth it at these prices. I know we have nothing to lose by making a low ball, but it's got to be a low ball that I feel has a chance of going forward. I'm starting to learn more about finding foreclosed properties.

The weird thing is that there are not many new listings these days where I'm looking.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 18, 2009 8:58 AM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

@mopar and cw:

Who are in the same boat as me, I think...

New condos in the 500k to 900k range don't seem to be going down. Street Easy gives the closing prices, and the most they come down in a building is like 3-5%. Someone explained that the newer condos cannot offer huge price cuts without angering those who bought pre-bust.

Old condos -- some are going down. But it's spotty.

But yes, the lower end market has not declined like the high end market.

We wait and see.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 16, 2009 10:20 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

I'm not tired of hearing that you're buying a house.

Do you mind if I ask how much you paid, and what shape the house is in?

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 11, 2009 1:02 PM in response to How big a cushion?

Here is what is happening to 1139 Dean Street.

http://www.markdavidny.com/townhouses/prospect.heights/27063TH

Pre Foreclosure/Short Sale. $450K.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 11, 2009 12:47 PM in response to Open House Picks: Six Months Later

"What you all fail to realize, especially the doomsayers, is that as long as the economy remains weak (which is what most of you are projecting), then interest rates will remain low and a lot of these loans will fix at some decent, historically low 30 year rate that these people can afford."

True and False.

According to the article, many of these resetting mortgages have paid zero interest and/or have not made any payments toward principal.

When you reset, you have to (1) start paying interest and (2) start paying off the principal. Although a homeowner might reset to a possibly decent interest rate, payments will still skyrocket because principal will have to be paid off.

It's all in the article. They actually said that if the economy improves, then it could be a better outlook.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 8, 2009 1:12 PM in response to Trying to Throw His Arms Around the Housing Crisis

"but it is still incomprehensible,
what is the deep yellow "Alt -A"?
what is the grey "Agency"?
is there a key somewhere I'm missing?"

I don't know exactly what Alt-A and Agency are, but they look like types of mortgages. I think mortgages are divided up based on risk and who issued them. Alt-A I think is risky. Agency is Government Agency I think. But that's not as important as the volume.

Take 2 years. 2011 and 2015.

Look at the yellow labeled Optional Adjustable Rate.

In 2011, the graph shows that each month about $30 Billion US of Optional Adjustable Rate mortgages (which are a type of ballooning ARM, I think) will reset to a higher interest rate.

In 2015, it's about $5 Billion US per month.

I'm not an economist, but it looks like in 2011, lots of people will be facing new higher mortgage payments. In 2015, mortgage payments will be more stable.

The author is arguing that although subprime tapers off, lots of non-subprime borrowers will also reset, and that will hurt housing.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 8, 2009 1:02 PM in response to Trying to Throw His Arms Around the Housing Crisis

"can anyone make heads or tails of that ridiculous graph?"

The graph shows that the subprime / mortgage crisis in not over until 2012.

Resets are when current low interest mortgages are reset with higher interest rates.

So the graph shows that through 2012, a high volume of mortgages are going to reset at higher interest rates. This will crunch numerous homeowners, and cause defaults, push down prices and kill consumer spending. Many people bought houses with mortgages that deferred payments to later years of the mortgage, on the assumption that housing values would rise enough so it wouldn't matter. That assumption was wrong.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 8, 2009 12:25 PM in response to Trying to Throw His Arms Around the Housing Crisis

Thanks for the Info.

How did you do this analysis? Did you use the list on nyc.gov? Where did you get this info?

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 8, 2009 7:40 AM in response to 2008 house prices

If the owner is a Wall Street type, his or her smartest move in 2007-2008 was to take money out of securities to buy a house in Brooklyn Heights at the height of the RE market, take out a massive fire insurance policy on the house, and then have the house "accidentally" burn down.

FIXED

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 5, 2009 12:09 PM in response to Fire Guts Newly-Renovated Townhouse at 67 Cranberry

My guess is that there are bugs living in the sink drains. I don't know what kind -- maybe roaches or beetles.

If they were bigger and you found them near the sinks, I would say they are coming from somewhere else. But since they are small, I think they probably crawl up and out of your drains at night. If you see them mostly in the mornings, then that would be a sign of where they are coming from.

Over the years, in various apartments I've had a similar issue with bugs in the sinks, and ice cubes have always gotten rid of them. Hope it works for you too.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 3, 2009 4:35 PM in response to Bug ID

I don't think it's a waterbug, or a termite.

Try this. Before you go to bed, empty a tray of ice cubes into the kitchen and bathroom sinks. Refill. Repeat this every night.

Make sure you empty the dishwasher right after it's done, and leave it slightly ajar, so that any sitting water can evaporate.

Posted by: theandrewlee at January 3, 2009 8:35 AM in response to Bug ID

It looks better on the website than in the photo you posted.

It looks earthy.

I'm not sure modern and simple will work because the floor already has a complexity of color - reds, yellows, etc. If your furniture is all monotone and simple, your eye is going to go straight to the floor. I agree that you should not add any lines to the floor, but don't be too cautious with the rest of the room.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 31, 2008 5:10 PM in response to What do you think of this concrete floor?

If finance people do not contribute to society... if they just give us "usury, corruption, wars and materialism," then I don't see why are they allowed to continue doing what they do. I mean you can make money by stealing too, but we outlaw that.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 31, 2008 11:07 AM in response to National Prices Fall 18%, New York Further to Go

"Many many NYCers who have nothing to do with Wall St. also live on bonuses, especially those in sales, marketing, advertising, even food and retail."

Although people outside of finance may earn year-end bonuses, they do not "live on bonuses" since non-finance bonuses are typically a small percentage of annual compensation. A free turkey at a Christmas is a bonus. Living on a bonus is a Wall Street thing.

"i dont think people should get millions of free dollars for pushing papers."

They do more than push paper for those big dollars.

Finance people contribute to society by making sure that resources are allocated to their most efficient uses and not wasted on things like, say, internet bubbles or speculative housing markets.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 31, 2008 10:01 AM in response to National Prices Fall 18%, New York Further to Go

It looks awful because it's next to that greenish floor. The green brings out the pukey elements of the new slab. Are they supposed to be the same color after they dry? Or will the green floor be covered up? It also looks a bit streaky on the upper portion of the photo as opposed to the bottom of the photo.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 31, 2008 9:39 AM in response to What do you think of this concrete floor?

"You could never get a duplex in a brownstone for less than that anywhere!"

This appears to be a false statement.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/abo/972450645.html

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 30, 2008 10:08 AM in response to RENEGOTIATING THE RENT

I think you should move if you can.

The burning out of the next door building has probably flooded your place with chemicals. If you can smell the smoke, then you are inhaling particles from the burned building. If you have kids, it's even more of an issue.

I don't think there are any real comps here. You won't see an ad on craigslist that says:

Charming Duplex next to burnt out building infested with rats and crackheads.

I would find the lowest priced duplex on craigslist, then subtract $500 for health and safety, which will probably bring you to around $1000 - 1200 a month.

Brooklyn is a big place -- for $2095 you can get something better.

* * *

"But since you've got the rodent crack addicts next door I'd propose 1800 and be happy if you settle below 2000. This is New York after all. Rents going down?!? OMG!!"

Don't listen to this.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 30, 2008 9:35 AM in response to RENEGOTIATING THE RENT

"Sellers expect offers 10 to 15 percent off list, and I have had at least three real estate agents run after me when we weren't interested in a property and disclose that the sellers (often the bank) are willing to take almost 20 percent off list. (For example, a house listed at $520,000 would really be $430,000.)"

I have been using free services to find comparable sold properties. And the list prices are usually in the same range (perhaps slightly higher) as some of the recent (late 2008) comparable closing prices.

Before the housing market went South, we had made an offer on one or two homes, and always lost out. We always offered slightly lower than list.

Is it true that sellers now expect 15% off list? I guess my question is how does someone approach that?

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 26, 2008 9:16 AM in response to Home Sales in November Fell at Faster Pace Than Expected

From what I've seen, Crown Heights has fallen just slightly, maybe 5%.

Brownstone (868 Lincoln @ Nostrand). Listed at 799k, fell to 750k. Broker called to notify of price drop. Not sold. Love to buy if it fell to something reasonable.

2 Family (Union btw Rogers and Nostrand). Relisted at 700k, with a price drop from 740k or so.

Brownstone (1240 Carroll near Nostrand). Listed at 638k. Read that it was in contract, but the original listing was at 680k I think.

Condo on St. Marks near Franklin. Broker called offering price reductions up to 50k.

Condos on Washington Ave (PH/CH border) have all had significant price cuts, if not on the listings, then the seller says they are open to negotiation.

...

Outside the city, affordable suburbs I have looked at have fallen like 10-15%. E.g., Maplewood, Orange, Pleasantville.

We'll see what happens next year.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 23, 2008 4:17 PM in response to Home Sales in November Fell at Faster Pace Than Expected

I vote Prospect Lefferts. The Ocean Ave spot is a good guess. But there are number of empty lots.

My understanding is that the other deal fell through because of cost. Park Slope is cost-prohibitive.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 23, 2008 1:51 PM in response to Co-Housing Site Likely "Near Prospect Park"

I'm reading CW.

Where will prices be in 2 years? Flat or lower, but how much lower, I have no idea. If you are buying as a long-term home, then it's not as much of an issue.

But how well do you know that area? I've walked around the blocks between Flatbush and Nostrand down there. That far down, Nostrand at night feels unsafe to me. And I wouldn't be comfortable having my wife walk alone. You have to consider that.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 21, 2008 9:05 PM in response to Open House Picks

Following up on CGFan and Montrose:

I've been looking for houses in CH, and yes, you can barely get a rundown 3 story for $600K. That is a lot of money, especially if you start to compare prices to nearby suburbs.

Maplewood, NJ is a great example of a small suburb town with good schools. 30 Min commute to Penn Station. Beautiful renovated houses within a 5 minute walk of the train station are going for $400K - 500K. They have fallen from about $600-700K. (Of course, property taxes are a few thousand higher than Brooklyn.)

Those prices are also too high compared to rents. Rents in CH are low. Even renovated apartments command a fraction of apartments elsewhere.

I still think 1094 is an amazing house. But if it does go for 999K, maybe that will ripple down to other less desirable properties and force price cuts, which could only be good for the area.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 20, 2008 9:02 AM in response to Open House Picks

Er... In defense of 1094 Park Place, this is a unique historical property.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Brower family lived in the home. And the building has a covered driveway, and is enormous in size. It has one of those massive curved stairways in the atrium.

This was never a "middle class" home. It was the home of the most prominent family in that area.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 19, 2008 2:26 PM in response to Open House Picks

1094 is on a nice block. It's between a beautiful old Synagogue (now housing a Baptist congregation) and brownstones. And it's kitty-corner from Brower Park which is next to the Children's Museum.

Still if you had $1.3 M to spend nowadays on single family residence, I don't think you would be living this deep in CH.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 19, 2008 2:15 PM in response to Open House Picks

If you're a Corcoran RE agent, Park slope extends all the way to Smith Street. There's North Slope, South Slope, Gowanus Slope...

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 19, 2008 1:34 PM in response to Open House Picks

I think the Pacific Street listing cut happened a few months back.

Still waiting for real price cuts on the condos in the Prospect Heights / Crown Heights border.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 19, 2008 10:34 AM in response to Brooklyn Bargains? This Week's Condo Price Cuts

I'll play. Without any research, I would say $1.1-1.2 M right now. Sounds like a nice place.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 18, 2008 6:51 PM in response to House value question

"It's partly the fault of people eating in, but more the fault of greedy landlords who have raised the price of rent for commercial spaces like this to a level that businesses just cannot support in a flat or down economy."

Can the landlords afford their mortgages, taxes, building maintenance without charging such rents? Seems like the whole point of this downturn is that people overextended themselves. So if you need a certain rent to make your loan payments, then you have to get that rent.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 10, 2008 7:53 PM in response to Streetlevel: Miriam on Court Doesn't Make It

I was on the subway the other day, and I overheard a conversation about a couple who were leaving the city for Austin, TX. I would have thought nothing of it, but then 10 minutes later, I learned a friend of a friend (in finance) was leaving because his company restructured to New Jersey to save costs.

Are we a growing or shrinking city? A few years ago, it seemed like everyone was moving into the city. But I don't hear so much chatter any more. Only anecdotal of course, I bet soon the NYT will have some article that investigates whether people are leaving or moving to NYC.

Posted by: theandrewlee at December 5, 2008 6:56 AM in response to New York City, After the Boom

I took a look.

I think the +1s are 459k. The second room does have a window, but the lot next door is empty so you might be looking at brick soon. The space in the apartment is tiny.

I really liked the bigger duplex units on the top floor. They have balconies facing the back and a roof deck. These actually felt like a good deal, at 700 or 800k, assuming you think Brooklyn prices are not going to dive.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 24, 2008 9:29 PM in response to Checking in on 660 Bergen

"Why is Crow Hill, a swath of Crown Heights running roughly between Franklin and Classon and Atlantic and Eastern Parkway, called Crow Hill?"

I think there is an error here. I think "Crow Hill" is between Franklin and Bedford.

Look at the map.
http://www.crowhillcommunity.org/

The photo of Row Houses does not look like any of the streets between Franklin and Classon.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 18, 2008 8:59 PM in response to Tonight: Crow Hill Reaching for Landmark Status

"So again i guess this begs the question, williamsburg or downtown brooklyn?"

Downtown Brooklyn. From what I've read there is a condo glut in Williamsburg. Downtown Brooklyn may also be overbuilt, but has better transportation, etc., and is not as developed. Also, imagine yourself 4 or 5 years down the line, married -- does the scene in Williamsburg seem as appealing?

It looks like you are set on buying, but renting and stashing cash ain't so bad either, especially if you are not in Brooklyn for the long haul. I defer to the economics people on this board, but everything tells me that cash will look good for the next year at least while people deleverage and asset values deflate a bit. If you do buy, extract some major concessions! There are price protection clauses floating around now, but I don't know how effective they are.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 17, 2008 8:49 AM in response to Williamsburg Edge v. Toren (Downtown brooklyn)

At the margin the $300 per month can be a big deal. It depends on how much cottontop's financial wiggle room is.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 16, 2008 5:03 PM in response to bought a house with 10% down

Oops... I think that's the wrong P.S. number. I think it's 107... not 124.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 15, 2008 4:43 PM in response to bought a house with 10% down

oopps.. I think i got that P.S. number wrong.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 15, 2008 4:39 PM in response to bought a house with 10% down

Congratulations. Sounds like a great price. Best of luck!

By total coincidence, I was on 15th street the other day. Seems quite nice to me. And my nieces go to PS124, which is a pretty good school I hear.

"My wife and I have moderate incomes, with credit in the mid-high 700's. No debt."

Similar situation to my wife and I, though I am curious about what constitutes a "moderate income". Like mopar, I think you are probably talking about $150K combined income.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 15, 2008 4:35 PM in response to bought a house with 10% down

This quote from the Bloomberg article is interesting:

``As both hedge-fund managers and fund of funds scramble to meet client redemptions, one thing is clear: the industry is going to shrink substantially over the coming months, perhaps as much as 50 percent in terms of both assets under management and number of funds,'' said Kostas Iordanidis, head of hedge funds at Geneva-based Unigestion Holding SA, which invests $3.2 billion in hedge funds worldwide.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 13, 2008 11:48 AM in response to Hedge-Fund Assets Shrink by $100 Billion! That's why everything has gotten cheaper. No more Hedge Funds driving up prices!

"when i lived on the LES i was subletting from someone who had a rent CONTROLLED apartment. i was able to reduce my rent my 50 bux (from 750 to 700) and she agreed to pay the utilities in the apartment (i think because she wanted to make sure she kept getting mail to the place tho)."

Rob: Last I checked, overcharges in an illegal sublet are subject to treble damages and grounds for eviction. Could have added up to thousands of dollars, depending on how much she was overcharging the subtenant.

Posted by: theandrewlee at November 12, 2008 11:42 AM in response to Asking for rent reduction?

I think FInd is great as well. Worth noting is that they were 20% off everything last month and yesterday it was 30% off. So while the original prices didn't keep them on our short list, now we're reconsidering some things.

Posted by: jland at August 19, 2009 10:17 AM in response to Furniture Stores in Brooklyn?

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Baxter & Liebchen [http://www.baxterliebchen.com]in DUMBO. Great mid-century [Danish primarily] furniture at not exactly cheap but reasonable prices. Unfortunately, the ABC Carpet store [also in DUMBO] is defunct!! There's a DWR on Montague in the Heights though I don't quite know "who's reach the designs are within"!! Haven't been on Atlantic for awhile but there "used to be" quite a few antique shops btwn 4th Ave. & Court Street. There's IKEA, of course. Also worth a mention are the Ft. Greene flea market @ Lafayette & Vanderbilt [on Saturdays] and the Brooklyn Flea Market under the Brooklyn Bridge [on Sundays].

Posted by: blkchrome at August 28, 2009 3:15 PM in response to Furniture Stores in Brooklyn?

You Can visit this site also for your reference http://www.copiaclassica.com/

Posted by: wagenfeld01lampe at September 12, 2009 4:32 AM in response to Furniture Stores in Brooklyn?

Yllebdael said: "Nova Zembla sucks. Bought a custom made piece from them. It was delivered damaged. A big chunk came out from one of the legs. The owner would not give a discount. He's a stupid man. Zero idea how to treat customers and a complete moron. Buyer beware."

I went to Nova Zembla for the first time as a result of this thread and am compelled to offset this. We saw great stuff, bought several right then and there, special ordered another (with legs moved to accommodate our vents) and had a first class experience. Delivery (that day) was inexpensive, especially considering it was three large HEAVY rosewood pieces up three flights, and done with extreme care and professionalism. Everything is high quality but not expensive. We are thrilled to have been able to get so much stuff made for urban spaces rather than suburban houses. We spent an inordinate amount of time in the store making decisions and were treated extremely well the entire time. I especially appreciated that the owner gave us all information and zero sales shtick. I know that if we hit an issue he'll deal with it to our satisfaction. I've hit countless furniture places this month and the only two that spoke to me were Sterling Place and Nova Zembla.

I will return and recommend highly.

Posted by: jland at September 19, 2009 10:45 PM in response to Furniture Stores in Brooklyn?