When The Music's Over, Turn Out the Lights
While existing homeowners have received most of the attention in the media’s coverage of the sub-prime mortgage fallout, there’s another effect that’s going to haunt neighborhoods like Bed Stuy and Bushwick for years: The spectacularly ugly and cheaply built spec homes that short-sighted developers slapped up on in-fill lots. Take this pair of three-family homes,…
While existing homeowners have received most of the attention in the media’s coverage of the sub-prime mortgage fallout, there’s another effect that’s going to haunt neighborhoods like Bed Stuy and Bushwick for years: The spectacularly ugly and cheaply built spec homes that short-sighted developers slapped up on in-fill lots. Take this pair of three-family homes, one for $739,000 and one for $629,000. Who’s gonna buy this crap? No one. They’ll just sit there and atrophy, gradually attracting trash, loiterers and probably worse. Huge bummer.
$739000 Gordeous 3 Family Bldg in Bushwick [Craigslist]
$629000 Great New Construction 3 Family in Bed Stuy [Craigslist]
With reasonable maintenance these homes will easily last 200+ years
Preservationista – everyone of the problems you describe happen in new homes constructed at every price point AND in resales as well.
One advantage that a new home buyer might have is that their is a common law warranty on new homes that (while it could be difficult to go after an unscrupulous builder) makes the builder liable for these repairs.
Tinarina and Preservationista;
I do not agree with you about this “quality” issue. All new construction has issues the first two years of a buildings’ life, as it settles into its foundation. I live in a 3 year old high-end condo development in Park Slope, full of successful folks, and I can ensure you that we have had our share of issues with the building.
Moreover, NYC has one of the toughest building codes in the country, which is one of the reasons that housing is so expensive here. In fact, the building code was recently streamlined precisely to try to lower the cost of construction. What specifically are you advocating, therefore? Laws that specify the level of cabinet and counter-top finishes?
I also do not agree that these buildings will not hold up well over time, in terms of residents, resale value, etc. Thousands of these buildings have been built in areas like Canarsie, Bensonhurst and East Flatbush over the past 30 years. Reslae values in these areas have gone up quite nicely.
Benson
“Red headed step child” is not a bigoted comment.
It refers to the child’s biological father, as opposed to the father of record, who probably built these houses.
I bid $100 plus an unlimited ride 1 month metro catd for both.
Zach you are on the money – People here just call anything ugly/new = “crap” construction. Meanwhile the houses here are basically just cinder-block construction with only 3 sides even exposed – compared to most older houses, the upkeep on these will be cheap. Sure the possibility exists that the roof sucks (but interestingly the roofs shown here are pitched – which means that even if it is the worst quality ever it will be easier and cheaper then your typical flat roof brownstone).
Are these particular homes overpriced – probably but the idea that if sold at a more affordable price they are a “rip-off” because they are going to fall apart is patently ridiculous. Further while they might never be as sought after as a classic Brownstone, there are plenty of houses of similar architecture and design in Cobble Hill and Carrol Gardens and you know what – they have been occupied and have resold for decades.
I have a friend who is a Bed Stuy area contractor. Most of their clients are people in these brand new homes, who have had them less than a year. They’ve fixed leaky roofs, badly installed windows, crumbling foundations and cement walks, badly installed flooring, both wood and tile, and inexpertly installed and/or incredibly cheap lighting fixtures, hardware and plumbing fixtures. Also misaligned hollow core doors, paper thin sheetrock, a couple of toilets that lost their seals, and numerous leaks around pipe joints.
What else is there to a home? Not all of this happened to one house, but please, this is absurd. If the developers were doctors, they would have been killing people with work this shoddy.
A great deal of the “affordable” in affordable housing, is not having to shell out thousands more to fix something that shouldn’t need repair for years. Not that $799 is affordable to begin with.
Preservationista
ugly ugly ugly ugly ugly ugly ugly ugly ugly …………… ugly ugly ugly ugly ………………………..
“The masses will accept whatever scraps are thrown their way as long as it provides shelter and they have access to sufficient bread and games.”
What???!!! Polemicist please turn off your computer.
The is the high point of malinvestment. For years they gave money to any asshole with a plan (many bad ones at that). Now the chickens are coming home to roost. Now people will pay for their folly. That money could’ve been invested in affordable housing for the middle class but, it was given to asshole to spec to property. I remember lots was going for 60,00 then 120,00 then 300,000 then for 400,00. Remember folks these abandon and foreclosed homes will be havens for Drug Deals, Squatters, Hipsters (LOL) and any other dreck I forgot. This bring back Urban-Blight and bad neighborhoods. The consequence will be lower home values and redlining to marginal neighborhoods. Bring back the 70’s.
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
knock these houses down!