Open House Picks: Six Months Later
Comment: It took 15-20% mark-downs to get these deals done, and they were pre-Lehman. Open House Picks 9/5/08 [Brownstoner] Previous Six Months Later Posts [Brownstoner]
Comment: It took 15-20% mark-downs to get these deals done, and they were pre-Lehman.
Open House Picks 9/5/08 [Brownstoner]
Previous Six Months Later Posts [Brownstoner]
Sure, I’ve thought about moving to San Francisco as a passing thought. I’ve had a handful of people I know move there as well.
All have returned to NYC.
The running theme was that they missed the energy and vibrancy of NYC.
And as a gay man the thing I hear time after time about living in SF is that it’s nice if you are coupled up and 50. The singles scene in SF is nearly nonexistent. What there is of it sounds like not my thing at all.
We all have different factors for living where we do.
The sheer fact that Boston has 600,00 people, SF 800,000 and NYC 8,000,000 should tell you a little something about desirability, however.
“Last I checked, Brookline was not in Boston proper. It’s a suburb.
And last I checked, Brooklyn was in NYC proper.
So no, they are not equivalent.”
Brookline is next to South End and 4 blocks from Back Bay–and it has excellent public schools. So it is actually far better than Brooklyn, from a practical perspective.
“Given what a much more vibrant city NYC is compared to either of those cities (in my opinion) I think it deserves to be a bit more expensive. I’ve never heard Boston or San Francisco referred to as the capital of the world before. ”
Well, if it worth it you…
The obvious comparison is between places where people can usually get jobs in similar fields. Many of us who work in NYC could–theoretically–get jobs in Boston or SF.
And you can hardly get a cab in Boston. Awful. San Francisco, slightly less of a problem.
Vinnie,
I don’t claim that prices drop quickly and am fully aware that we’ve still got a ways to go here.
But people who make it seem as though it’s “cheap” to live in San Francisco or Boston simply don’t know what they are talking about.
Given what a much more vibrant city NYC is compared to either of those cities (in my opinion) I think it deserves to be a bit more expensive. I’ve never heard Boston or San Francisco referred to as the capital of the world before.
Boston is gorgeous but it’s also BORING AS HELL!
11217,
Prices don’t drop that quickly. If these properties were bought recently at a high, owners are typically reluctant to sell at a loss, unless they must move. This is why real estate prices aren’t as volatile as stocks or commodities. This is going to take years to sort out.
Vin
Last I checked, Brookline was not in Boston proper. It’s a suburb.
And last I checked, Brooklyn was in NYC proper.
So no, they are not equivalent.
“Equivalent” Look it up in the dictionary. Not the same as “similar to.”
“Well, considering that Nob Hill and Back Bay are the equivalent of the West Village and Carnegie Hill in Manhattan, yes, those are very shocking prices. If you want a comparison to Brooklyn, look in Brookline or Charlestown or the Western Addtion.”
*
Well considering that the entire city of San Francisco is made up of 799,000 people and Boston 608,000 people, I’m really not sure I’d compare either of them to anywhere in the 8.3 million people in the city of New York (or 1.7 million in Manhattan, if you rather).
Ever been to Nob Hill or Back Bay?? They are great, but they have a ton more in common with Park Slope than they do with the West Village.
At the Windsor Terrace place, iirc, the previous owner had suddenly passed away and was a serious DIY hobbyist (maybe even ex-construction trades guy). There was a basement FULL of power tools, unbelievable woodworking, construction, and other supplies. Seriously, it was like the inventory of a small hardware store. My understanding was that all came with the place.
That sunroom also felt awesome in the fall, and it was very easy to imagine yourself growing tomatoes and flowers in the winter in that sort of greenhouse just beyond it. Also, everything about the place felt perfectly done. Just, you know, that feeling that someone had taken real time and care to make sure edges lined up and everything was done just right. And yep, the yard was large and very actively gardened; there were planted beds and lots of pretty things.
That said, the place had been renovated and decorated with a VERY specific taste, as the pictures barely begin to indicate. The floors in the entryway were all large black marble tiles, and I think some of the bathrooms were floor-to-ceiling marble.
Still, I think someone will be very happy there, and I’d be shocked if they had any kind of maintenance problem, the place felt so well-maintained. Even though IMHO, they overpaid.