Open House Picks: Townhouses

The last post was the broker.

Keanu Reeves has been spotted shopping at the new Choice Market @ Grand and Lafayette . . . HBO star lives on that block.

Gee . . . what is really going on over there?

I wonder what this means for real estate values?

Agree with above poster. Owner and agent are way out of line in posting here. The owner is trying to sell something for 1.5MM dollars. The agent is trying to make a 6 percent commission off of this. We’re supposed to take what they say seriously? And as for the agent identifying a potential buyer on this board, well the agent should be fired for this unprofessional behavior. Unbelievable.

I remember speaking to you and your family at length about the house and to your parents about where they live in Richmond, VA. I thought you guys were so nice. I told you that often the city records don’t have the exact dates the houses were built and that I could check on this and get back to you if I found out the exact date. I told you when houses of this era were built generally in the neighborhood though. You hadn’t signed in to the open house sheet though because you said you weren’t really interested in buying a place, you and your extended family just wanted to look around and you did for quite some time as I recall, you even wanted to see the tenant’s apartments and it was only when you were upstairs checking out their apartment that you told me that you didn’t really have any interest in buying a property you just liked keeping an eye on what’s on the market and so I didn’t realize that you really needed this additonal information. Next time if you have questions about a property I would of course be happy to help you further with any additional information. I know your father, or was it your father in law, from seemed very interested in history of homes in general and we talked for a bit about where they live. I don’t think the lack of knowledge off-hand about the year a specific house was built illustrates lack of concern about somebody’s significant investment though. I’m sorry that you feel otherwise. Often times the only way to find out the very exact date a house was built is to do a great deal of extensive research based on ancient city tax records and tax lot maps from centuries ago. At least that is my experience. The city records usually just dump out generic dates for some reason or other. I guess I could have just given you that simplistic answer, but I gave you the honest and complete answer about homes in this area.

I lived on Clifton near that very corner. My honest opinion is as follows:
1. The only way to eliminate the drug trafficking is buy replacing some of the residents on or near that immediate location. There are families that have lived there for many generations that will not be going anywhere. I am sorry but the 88th is not going to improve the situation beyond ensuring that the number of shots fired or killings decrease. Outside of that ….all Hale to the Weed Smokers as smoking in public seems to be encouraged.
2. From purely a financial perspective I think the property value will significantly climb in the next 5-10 years as the number of people desiring the Clinton Hill area increases, public transportation remins very accessible, and its mere proximity to downtown. It’s far enough away from downtown yet close enough to walk, bus, or take a short train ride too.
3. From a family perspective I think it is a great location as it is sandwiched in-between Bed Stuy and Clinton Hill proper or Fort Greene. It would be a perfect situation for someone who desires a diverse neighborhood and does not want to be completely subjected to gentrification to feel like your neighborhood is safe place to live. At the moment, if you observe the corner of Grand and Clifton on any day for 3 hours you will definitely see upstanding citizens who represent a positive transformation of the neighborhood and those who are the definitely the cancer of the of teh movement.
Okay 1 may ask…Why did U move. The answer is simply:
1. I moved because I could not stomach the chaos that unfolded before my eyes every day. It felt like entering a war zone as soon as I came out of the Classon Ave. train station. If I decided to take the train to Clinton Ave. the walk home was okay until I hit the corner of Grand and Clifton.
2. Financially I determined that my monthly obligations did not match up to the quality of life my family and I were experiencing. As a new proud owner of a brownstone surviving an extensive renovation project I simply lost it. Every day I came home from work I witnessed the nonsense that transpired on these blocks and immediately thought to myself DAM….I spend endless hours at work to pay for this…ah Hell No…its not worth it.
3. My dream of seeing the neighborhood turn around in 2+ years was just that …A DREAM. After attempting to thwart the nonsense by personally talking to some of my neighbors i.e. the drug dealers, the users, and some of the youth…. I quickly came to the conclusion that this environment is not going to change in the very near future. After witnessing/participating in the Tish talks, frequently calling and visiting the 88th precinct, and personally coaching some of the offenders…the result for me was to simply get out of the neighborhood when the first opportunity presented itself. As a result, my initial long term investment which made my stomach turn each and everyday ended up in me taking advantage of the housing market and getting the hell out of dodge.
Bottom Line – If you can stomach the non-violent crimes i.e. drug use, the endless noise and traffic on that corner during the summer, the crack heads constantly asking for change, the occasional burglary once or twice a year (hope you are not the victum..as I had 2 very bad experiences)..I say lay down 1.1M – 1.3M on this property and hope for the best. If your objective is to make money I think you are safe. If you have a family note that your offspring can go 1 of two ways…they can grow up to become a upstanding citizen to society Or become a recipient of government programs like rehab, subsidized housing, public assistance, etc. Be advised that your kids will be influenced by those in there immediate surroundings because they will not be in the house 24/7. Everyone gets to know who you are as you will frequently be walking and patronizing some of the establishments in the neighborhood. The guy you will end up saying hello to everyday (believe me there is going to be someone out there everyday or night as you pass on your way to work, to your car, or the store) is going to ask u a million questions like…I am glad u moved in the neighborhood, where r u from, anything to make small talk before he asks you for change… may have a brother, sister, niece, or nephew who is going to sell/offer drugs to your kid …or your kids friends…or will rob someone who came to visit you sooner or later. Remember these people have occupied this area for generations….they are not going anywhere unless govt. subsidies are revoked. Race does not matter in this case. These folks slogan is …U leave me alone and I will leave U alone. We can co-exist just fine if you obey these simple rules. If u don’t expect hell to break loose. To me hell was already there everyday…… I didn’t obey the rules….and after too much I lost the battle by leaving because I refused to deal with it anymore. I could not stand living in that environment.