are they planning to close the park during this renovation? Because that would be a real bummer. We are there all the time!

Posted by: wishinone at November 20, 2009 1:55 PM in response to Plans for J.J. Byrne Park in the Slope Unveiled

I saw the Ditmas house last weekend. It is a nice house. Plenty of room, beautiful stained glass. Needs some upgrading in the kitchen, the floors need sanding, some carpet to rip up, etc., but it is certainly liveable (realtor said it needs a new roof, too). The biggest drawbacks I saw were a) one bath & the best place for a second bath is where that great butler pantry is; b) It is really close to some pretty busy areas and has some unpleasant views of gas stations out the back yard and all rear-facing windows; and c) the houses on its block are a bit worn, made me wonder how the area was in general (admittedly, I am not that familiar with Ditmas/Midwood as we've just started looking out there. Still, price-wise, it seems to have compensated a bit for those things.

Posted by: wishinone at November 20, 2009 1:49 PM in response to Open House Picks

We sold our small two bedroom co-op this summer because it was very tight with our two children (second bedroom was 6 by 10). We got a decent price for it, but since we'd only put down 10% when we bought in 05, we didn't clear enough to put 20% down on a larger space in our area. So, we are renting in the same neighborhood, a much larger 3 bedroom apartment with a roof deck for several hundred dollars less than our mortgage+maintenance on our old co-op.

We love this apartment. It has room to grow, it's beautiful, the roof deck is phenomenal, the location is ideal. I do wish we owned it, but we don't have the down payment. So, we are here, saving money and loving where we live. It's not so bad.

We would like to own again one day, but honestly, there is something to be said for this feeling of freedom and flexibility. Since this apartment is so right for us, we might look into buying a country house one day, or just keep saving up for a new co-op or condo. And we feel good knowing we have a lot of money in the bank should something happen with one of our jobs.

Posted by: wishinone at October 13, 2009 12:30 PM in response to To Own or to Rent?

@ennulater corrections, more:

PS 10 is in South Slope, not Bed Stuy (very popular school... growing and on the radar)

PS 107 is also in South Slope (also very popular and very much the 2nd to 321)

Posted by: wishinone at September 4, 2009 1:33 PM in response to PLG Schools and Amenities

sad that it could take 2 years though. our daughter goes to PS 39, which is without its own library, and uses that library.

Posted by: wishinone at September 4, 2009 1:25 PM in response to Park Slope Library to Close in Fall

We have seriously considered PLG, but can't stomach the school situation. We live in Park Slope and our oldest is in public school here. Our youngest is just 1 yo, so until we can secure him in a Park Slope public, or get ourselves into a charter school, we will stay. It wasn't worth the risk to us. Also of concern to us was the commute to school and the fact that our children would have no school friends in their neighborhood.

That said, many people seem to get in somewhere they like, so perhaps I am a worrywart. But I couldn't compromise on this issue.

Posted by: wishinone at September 3, 2009 1:47 PM in response to PLG Schools and Amenities

I concur with Adam. Banks have all but stopped lending/refinancing to 4 unit buildings. I just sold my unit in one and the buyer was all cash, thank goodness.

My neighbor was trying to refinance but ran into some trouble with the insurance policy. Seems the co-op's building insurance was not for 100% replacement value under current valuation. (it was like 90% or something, not sure). The bank wouldn't do it.

I would ask your mortgage broker for ALL the documentation that they are asking for. Every bank seems to have different things they nitpick on. But, if this is just the beginning of being asked for a ton of paperwork or being held to unreasonable standards that you can't meet, you may want to know what you are getting into up front, rather than waste your time.

Posted by: wishinone at August 27, 2009 2:43 PM in response to Coop refinancing requirements

Maplewood Guy, We lived in Montclair for two years and hightailed it back to Brooklyn... for a lot of reasons I won't get into on this thread. But, suffice to say, we love Brooklyn and want to raise our kids here. No suburbs for us, we've btdt, and it wasn't for us.

Posted by: wishinone at July 22, 2009 3:14 PM in response to House of the Day: 176 Bainbridge Street

thanks for the comments about the neighborhood. i feel we are pretty open... i am not particularly tolerant of drug deals going on in front my kids, so I guess I do draw the line somewhere. :-) we will have to go check it out and spend some more time there.

we aren't necessarily interested in this property (if we were, we'd convert to a single family), but I am interested in good areas of BS, good proximity to shops, parks, the A train, and of course, I want details. We'd renovate kitchens/baths, move things a bit, but not a total gut job.

Posted by: wishinone at July 22, 2009 2:54 PM in response to House of the Day: 176 Bainbridge Street

Is this a good area for a family? We are renting in Park Slope, having sold our small co-op here. We are beginning to search for a larger place to live, and would love a brownstone. My daughter is starting kindergarten in Park Slope this fall, and I know once you are in, you're in...so school is not as big of an issue (and our little one is just a year old, so we would deal with his schooling down the road) just a matter of getting there in the morning. We've been to BS a couple of times and it seems beautiful in many spots, but we don't know it very well yet. We are open to all neighborhoods, provided they are safe and friendly.

Posted by: wishinone at July 22, 2009 1:49 PM in response to House of the Day: 176 Bainbridge Street

honestly, I would take this opportunity to leave the building entirely. bedbugs are very, very hard to get rid of, can live for a year without eating and can move from apartment to apartment pretty easily. i would not want to be within a mile radius of this situation. good luck...

Posted by: wishinone at June 29, 2009 1:07 PM in response to Bed Bug Question

ours is wrapped tightly in jute rope. It works well.

Posted by: wishinone at June 23, 2009 4:06 PM in response to heat pipe wrap

saw the 15th St house a couple of months ago, at the same price. There are a lot of sweet things about the house, but it's just too tiny for a family with 2 kids. If you were possibly willing to blow the entire interior out, relocate the stairs, add a floor, a couple more bathrooms... then perhaps you'd have something liveable. But who wants to do all that when you can find something more inhabitable from the get-go?

Posted by: wishinone at June 21, 2009 5:55 PM in response to Open House Picks

I'd be interested in why the mortgage is high... did they need to take out a loan for repairs? Also, probably makes the maintenance pretty high.

I wouldn't be too concerned about it if the reason it is high is legit, unless the reserves are low, or if the co-op is losing money every year and dipping into reserves to cover it.

Posted by: wishinone at June 9, 2009 1:18 PM in response to Building mortgage-what's normal?

I saw the house on 15th between 6/7th Aves a month or so ago. It is TINY. It really isn't that renovated. The kitchen is OK, but the counters are used up butcher block, faded and stained. The cabinets are pretty dated-looking.

The front room is so small it can't really function as much more than a formal living space that no one uses much. The back area with the dining room, kitchen and den area is the nicest part.

The hardest part about that place is the upstairs layout. There is one decent-sized bedroom, and then you walk through another bedroom to get to the one bathroom in the house, then there's another tiny bedroom on the other side of the bathroom. It's essentially a one bedroom + a couple of itty bitty rooms you could use as offices. No room for kids (of which I have two, so it was a no-go for us).

The basement needs some help as well. All in all, I really wanted to like it. It's got fabulous curb appeal, in a good location, zoned for a school we like. But... it would never work for us with 2 kids.

Posted by: wishinone at June 9, 2009 12:45 AM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street

yep, love Red Horse's iced coffee. They also know to brew it stronger so that it doesn't wimp out with the addition of ice. (I drink decaf, and they don't do decaf iced coffee cubes, but the coffee is strong enough that it still tastes good. I am very picky about iced coffee, and I will avoid other places in favor of Red Horse or Get Fresh on 5th Ave and 6th St (they brew Stumptown and Intelligensia, both terrific coffees)

Posted by: wishinone at May 10, 2009 7:30 PM in response to Streetlevel: New Coffee Place Opening on 7th Ave.

actually, we are currently in that position. We are a unit in a 4 unit building, on the market, and will probably take it off soon if the credit market doesn't open up.

What your friend heard is basically true. Fannie and Freddie are not backing 4 unit coops right now. According to my agent, and a couple of brokers, there are one or two banks willing to work with 4 unit buildings right now, and they both require a 25% down payment, at least.

My recommendation would be to talk to a mortgage broker or two to get a better lay of the land. If she is in Brooklyn, try Universal Mortgage in PArk Slope. Manhattan Mortgage is useful as well. All said though, it does not look good.

Posted by: wishinone at April 17, 2009 6:44 PM in response to mortgage for a 4 unit co-op?

Dear Vinca,

I will try to answer your questions directly, I suppose because it is a more interesting task than those awaiting me at my job:

“Of course there are people with extreme points of view on the list serve, people whom I wouldn't want to stand behind in line for coffee, let alone take their parenting advice.” You mean this board is devoid of people like that?
[wishinone: no, and i never said or implied that. in fact, i would rather not stand in line behind you given what a hot head you have.]

You mean the singles and parents on B’stoner are somehow less opinionated, more involved (but in a good kind of way), more charitable and altruistic, less entitled and/or self-absorbed?
[wishinone: no, i never said or implied that. I think there are plenty of nutjobs on this board as well. One person's nutjob is another person's savior. To each their own.]

You mean that before PS Parents came into existence the streets of Brooklyn, especially the working class neighborhoods, weren’t filled with swarms of parents with swarms of children and carriages? (If that’s your position, than you know very little about 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation families that populated the borough not even 50 years ago, let alone before that.)
[wishinone: no, I never said or implied that. I am a bit confused and I have no idea where your anger is coming from. I've lived here since 2002, have friends who were raised here, friends who bought brownstones here in the 60s, and friends who moved in just a few weeks ago. They are all members of PSP and I consider them all to be decent people.]

Did your mothers not breast-feed you or push you in carriages?
[wishinone: sure, i was pushed in a carriage and nursed. Not sure how it applies to my feeling that there are extreme opinions everywhere, including PSP, including Brownstoner, including those standing in front of me in line for coffee. My frustration (and the POINT of my posting earlier) is with the NY Post's reporting of a sliver of drama in the long life of a list serve that comprises a much more complex demographic than what is often reported and ridiculed on these and other boards.

I hope you are able to relax and go on with your day.

Posted by: wishinone at April 8, 2009 12:09 PM in response to Wednesday Links

What a ridiculous article re: PSP. I can't believe that stuff passes for reporting, but then, it is the Post.I think it is ridiculous that they just *had* to bring up the hat incident, which happened TWO YEARS AGO. By and large, the list functions very well for having a lot of opinionated members with loose fingers on the keyboard. Of course there are people with extreme points of view on the list serve, people whom I wouldn't want to stand behind in line for coffee, let alone take their parenting advice. But I think the vast majority of members are just normal people, trying to make a living, do right by their children and find some support in a hectic urban environment. But then, I suppose those people don't sell newspapers.

Posted by: wishinone at April 8, 2009 9:45 AM in response to Wednesday Links

second the nod to brooklvin. great wines, nice atmosphere, delicious little plates.

Posted by: wishinone at April 6, 2009 2:31 PM in response to good wine bar in Park Slope area

no bank is doing co-op loans with less than 80% financing. talk to a broker to see if that has changed, but as someone who is trying to sell my co-op (my building also takes 90% financing), it's been an uphill battle.

Posted by: wishinone at April 6, 2009 2:26 PM in response to I am looking 90% financing

also, i should add that most places we looked at were in better shape than you'd see in brooklyn. a lot of renovating in CA. cheap home equity money, i guess.

Posted by: wishinone at March 23, 2009 11:21 PM in response to House of the Day: 465 13th Street

I grew up in the Bay Area, whole family still lives there. We have seriously considered moving back a couple of times over the last few years, but have decided not to for a couple of reasons. One is price, the other is schools.

Since we wanted to retain something of the pedestrian scale life we love in Brooklyn, we narrowed our searches to Berkeley, parts of Oakland and San Francisco. There are some places in the peninsula you might find something similar, but not really. Our experience with home shopping there is that if you want a 3 bedroom home in an area with good public schools, walking distance to restaurants and shops, and close to BART, you were looking at about $750-$900K in Berkeley, more in the nicer parts of Oakland such as Montclair or Piedmont(Shopping as recently as a year ago). This is pretty comparable to Park Slope, where we live now. You'll still need a car, and the BART is not the same as the subway. In SF, the public school system scared us away.

The trouble with the Bay Area, as mopar said, is that prices don't go down that significantly the farther you get from the city. The BA work situation is that companies are spread out all over the place, and there is no one single "destination" such as Manhattan. Therefore, prices can get driven up by an insular local market that just wants to live next to Google or Cisco, or whatever. You truly do have to spend 2+ hours in your car each way to find something that's really, really cheap. It's much easier to do that in NYC.

My 2 cents.

and fwiw, this HOTD would be a dream place for us. Love this area, we are a small family. No can do price-wise.

Posted by: wishinone at March 23, 2009 11:06 PM in response to House of the Day: 465 13th Street

We are selling our unit as well, and even though our building accepts 10% down, our realtor told us that no one is getting 90% financing in this lending climate, and to say we require 20% on the listing to avoid the hassle of your same experience. My conversations with mortgage brokers confirm this - that for 4 unit co-op buildings ESPECIALLY, no bank is allowing 90% financing. I find this ironic since we put down 10%, but it was a very different time.

Intersloper, was your deal for a co-op in a small building? This seems to be the crux of the issue, from my understanding. Also curious about your deal for personal reasons: we are unlikely to come out of our deal with more than 10% down for our next place.

Posted by: wishinone at March 11, 2009 6:34 AM in response to Possible to only put 10% down?

The PS house looks nice, but it's between 3/4 Aves. The block is probably OK but not very pretty and far from the heart of shopping/etc in PS. I'd rather be in WT for that price.

Posted by: wishinone at March 6, 2009 1:42 PM in response to Open House Picks

Splenda, where did you move? I can't imagine what we'd do with 4,000 square feet. Do you lose your kids inside? :-)

Posted by: wishinone at March 5, 2009 9:05 PM in response to If we sell, can't afford to buy

Adam, we would finance the whole loan via the seller, at least, if I am understanding the process correctly. It seems like if the terms were amenable to both parties, the buyer could later refinance with a traditional lender. Thanks for your perspective owner12. May I ask how you approached this scenario with your seller back in 99?

Posted by: wishinone at March 5, 2009 3:56 PM in response to Seller financing

Our daughter is in pre-k at PS 39, and we have been happy there. I also really liked PS 10 and PS 107. I didn't tour 321 since it's already overcrowded and wasn't going to apply as an out-of-zone.

I do know a couple of people who've gotten younger sibs in at 321, even though they no longer live in zone. I figure if 321 can make it happen, the rest can, too.

I hear you on the sleeping arrangements, lesloaf. We had to kick our #2 out of our room because he was keeping us up all night. He sleeps through now and it is such an amazing difference. What's more, even if he does holler, his sister sleeps right through it (even if we don't).

And WTbound, I am glad you found a place to put down some roots. We would love to do the same, and who knows, maybe one day we will also be WTbound. ;-)

We are definitely not suburb-bound. We love Brooklyn and will try to find a way to stay, even if it is not in our much-loved Park Slope. I think as long as we can be walking distance to the park, I will be OK with it. We have a car so we can drop off at school in the am. My husband is much harder to please in terms of neighborhoods, and he commutes to midtown (west side). I WAH, so I just need a little corner of a bedroom and I'm set.

Posted by: wishinone at March 5, 2009 3:35 PM in response to If we sell, can't afford to buy

Thank you for all of your thoughts, everyone. I agree that we do need to look at other neighborhoods. We live in Park Slope now, and my daughter goes to our zoned pre-k program. I think once we are secure with our kindergarten registration, I will feel more open to looking at other areas to buy. I want to look at Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Ditmas Park and Bay Ridge. I might consider Prospect Lefferts, as well, but I am not sure it is as family friendly.

My gut tells me to list it and see what happens. I'm definitely expecting low offers, but I think that if we can't make enough to get our down payment out and pay off the realtor, then we will know we need to stay put and explore ways to make our place work for us. I like the idea of a trundle bed (although our son is just 11 months, so it will probably be a while before we can pull that off), and we can also look at stuffing our bed into the little room and giving them our bedroom. Both good ideas. And, if we are able to sell for a decent price, then we will go find a bigger rental in our area and plan to stay there and save up and continue our search for a home we can really live in for a while.

You guys have been great at helping me clear up some of my thinking. I appreciate it.

Posted by: wishinone at March 5, 2009 11:53 AM in response to If we sell, can't afford to buy

BHO, that is exactly what we wanted to do... list ASAP and rent a duplex. I've looked at rents and they seem pretty reasonable and we can get much more space for our same mortgage payment. Though, we will probably have to spend less to account for the tax benefits of owning.

As for list price, we would like to at least keep our original dp intact. I hope that is possible in the current environment. We bought at the end of 05. Two recent appraisals (within the last week even) in our building for refinances have come in pretty high, which was surprising to everyone.

It feels sort of lousy to go from renting to owning, but if we are going to stay in our area, that seems to be the best option for us. I would hope not to blow our entire savings on the next place, and maybe renting will give us a clearer picture of whether we can afford to stay in our neighborhood.

Posted by: wishinone at March 5, 2009 7:26 AM in response to If we sell, can't afford to buy

Denton, that is what we were thinking. That we should try to get out now before things go further south and we are in this place for much longer or lose even more money when we do decide we can't put off selling any longer. We like our apartment, but the second bedroom is 6 by 10, and we can barely fit a toddler bed and crib in there. My daughter really needs a regular twin bed and it's going to be another 1-1.5 years before we can do bunk beds, so I don't know how that is going to work.

I do think we can save up enough for a full 20% down payment (assuming we are able to sell this place and get our original down payment out of it), but it could take about 2-3 years.

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. I appreciate it.

Posted by: wishinone at March 4, 2009 9:51 PM in response to If we sell, can't afford to buy

so, if they overpaid, what do they do now? Bring a check to closing? Stay there indefinitely? I agree that the apartment is pretty blah, on an avenue, etc., but they aren't trying to do anything but cover their costs for a realtor and taxes from the sale.

Posted by: wishinone at March 3, 2009 1:18 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 344 6th Avenue, #2

not that I want to buy this place, but we are definitely feeling the 20% down payment pinch. We can afford the payments on this with our income, but will probably only generate about 12-15% down payment with the sale of our co-op. We are basically stuck if we want to trade up to something larger. vent over.

Posted by: wishinone at February 18, 2009 1:20 PM in response to House of the Day: 55 Cambridge Place

Do you people live in NYC? Parking?? Who has parking in their building in NYC? I am thinking about all of my friends who are raising families in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Only a couple families have two bathrooms and none have an elevator. And absolutely no one is poor. If you want to live in the nicer neighborhoods in Brooklyn, that is the reality of life... and the thing is, we all love living here and our kids seem to have a good time, too. I live in a two bedroom with a dining room (and just one measly bathroom, tho quite a nice one) with two kids. I have a neighbor who used to rent in our building before it went co-op in the 80s. Nice, Irish woman who lived in our building in the 50s and 60s. She raised seven kids in the 4th floor apartment. Now that is a bummer.

Posted by: wishinone at January 21, 2009 9:19 PM in response to Co-op of the Day: 310 Windsor Place

I agree that the kids would be fine sharing a room for a couple more years, and that we could make some changes to our place that would make better use of some storage. There are a few other factors influencing my desire... we live on the 3rd floor, we would like a yard, have a desire to feel "settled" into a long term living situation, but those aren't "mandatory" reasons to sell.

Gemini10: your place sounds interesting, especially with the rental income so high. can you access the yard being in the upper duplex or is it for the tenants? Curious: if you were to sell your place would you be open to a contingency bid (like we have to sell to close)? I assume it would be your last resort? If you want to talk offline, you can reach me at wjshewmaker @ mac.com

Posted by: wishinone at December 26, 2008 8:45 AM in response to Are we stuck?

We redid our bathroom with subway tile and ann sacks penny tiles, and restoration hardware sink, fixtures, etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dualpupil/195540864/

(PS, this is a before and after pic following a fire in our apartment a few years ago)

Posted by: wishinone at December 25, 2008 2:14 PM in response to bathroom reno--style advice needed

Interesting idea about putting in contingency bids. We definitely can't get stuck with 2 mortgages. That would be really awful. We want to sell in prime Park Slope and find a house in Windsor Terrace for no more than 1.1-1.2 million. We don't mind doing some work, or living in it while we slowly renovate. We just need something that has good bones, a good layout and a yard, preferably in PS 154. I wonder if Windsor Terrace will soften more than Park Slope and we could get a good deal there? Our co-op rates will be better than what we are looking to buy since we will be in a jumbo category with the house, though it depends on what they do with the FHA loan limits next year in NYC metro area.

Thanks for your perspectives...I don't feel as freaked out now. I think we could go on the market and see what happens. After all, if we get lousy bids we don't have to take them.

Posted by: wishinone at December 23, 2008 10:03 PM in response to Are we stuck?

oh, this is my dream house... it is perfectly sized for a family of four with a home office (which we are and I wah, and need private office space).

if only i were not a1M+ short of the asking price!

Posted by: wishinone at December 15, 2008 1:56 PM in response to House of the Day: 419 Union Street

i can think of at least 2 3 bedroom apartments I've been to in park slope recently (last couple weeks) that are priced at $1 million and they both have one bathroom. I just don't think everyone is that concerned about having one bathroom. Personally, I think it's nice to have 2 bathrooms, but not a necessity. I care more about other things. But hey, to each their own.

Posted by: wishinone at December 9, 2008 7:37 AM in response to Condos of the Day: 502 1st Street

plenty of people. our downstairs neighbor did just a few months ago.

Posted by: wishinone at December 9, 2008 12:20 AM in response to Condos of the Day: 502 1st Street

oops, as i was typing...

Albemarle Terrace looks like a nice place, though I'd have to see the area. But I don't think it matters since we purchased a 2 bedroom coop in Park Slope in 2005 and it's probably not worth what we paid for it and we'd need the money from the sale to put down on the next place. Guess we are going to be hanging out here a while!

Posted by: wishinone at October 10, 2008 3:02 PM in response to Open House Picks: Price Cut Edition

to me, these are very different properties and it is tough to compare them. I'm a big fan of small, brownstone buildings with lots of charm and the President street place really appeals to me in that way. The facade of that building is gorgeous. And the remodeling looks nice. That said, the floor plan is definitely not as appealing as the Lincoln place. Lincoln place looks like a terrific 2 bedroom layout...nice foyer space with closets, spacious bedrooms, nice remodel as well. Plus, Lincoln Place looks larger. But, I tend to shy away from large buildings for some reason. I like the intimacy of a brownstone, I suppose. My guess is that the President street house is priced with 321 in mind, even though a family would quickly outgrow this space, particularly if there is more than one child. As a parent, I would choose neither, simply because I already have two kids (making President too small for us) and Lincoln is not in my preferred school district (which is 107 or 39). All that notwithstanding, I think Lincoln is a better deal - for size, remodel, and for people who like a large building, this one looks well-kept.

Posted by: wishinone at October 7, 2008 1:46 PM in response to Co-ops of the Day: Head-to-Head In The Slope

Rookie, is this the 8th Street place?

http://www.twotreesre.com/search/qsearch/?id=153&form_display=30

Looks like it was listed at 3.1. Looks amazing.

Posted by: wishinone at September 30, 2008 1:20 PM in response to Last Week's Biggest Sales

stopped in here yesterday, and had a pleasant experience. They recommended a terrific bottle of Cabernet and were very friendly and open to suggestions. Not a ton of selection, but seemed highly curated for various price points. I usually go to the Prospect Wine Shop, but I'd be happy to shop here, too.

Posted by: wishinone at August 28, 2008 1:01 PM in response to Streetlevel: A New Wine Shop on 5th

My husband and I make 300K a year and would love to be able to afford a house in Windsor Terrace. I don't think we'll make enough from the sale of our coop to get a big down payment, though.

Posted by: wishinone at August 21, 2008 3:12 PM in response to House of the Day: 540 16th Street