Rental of the Day: 170 Fenimore Street 1BR
We initially thought this one-bedroom apartment at 170 Fenimore Street in PLG was pretty cute, and cheap to boot. But then something seemed a little off. First is the broker’s comment that “The kitchen is nice in that all the appliances and cabinets are white.” Okay? Then it took two months to rent, and then…
We initially thought this one-bedroom apartment at 170 Fenimore Street in PLG was pretty cute, and cheap to boot. But then something seemed a little off. First is the broker’s comment that “The kitchen is nice in that all the appliances and cabinets are white.” Okay? Then it took two months to rent, and then eleven days for it to come right back on the market after being rented! Dunno what’s up with this one, but maybe it doesn’t live up to the monthly rent of $1,100. It looks nice on the surface though.
170 Fenimore Street [Lifestyle Realty] GMAP P*Shark
thanks for the detail babs.
The days of $950 1 bedrooms in PLG are over. The going rate for a rent-stabilized one bedroom apartment, even in the less-nice buildings, is $1100 minimum. I wouldn’t say that there’s so much a shortage of apartments in PLG, just a shortage of nice ones, due to the prevalence of absentee landlords, indifferent maintenance, and various social problems, including drug dealing and gang presence in certain buildings. A good number of buildings (including Patio Gardens) are managed by one firm, Abba Realty, that does not co-broke (ie, you must go through them directly to rent an apartment). While they take reasonably good care of the properties (although don’t get me started on the elevators at Patio Gardens!) and have decent tenants, their application standards may be described as capricious, at best (8 x monthly rent? Really? Most landlords I know look for 40x annual income to one month’s rent (ie, $40K for a $1K apartment) – at 8x, you’re looking at $96K in income, which is insane – seems to me that they didn’t want to rent to you for some other reason, but an artificially high income requirement is a good legal out, as long as it’s not challenged – maybe the state should send them some testers to see what they tell other people). Several other buildings, including some on Lincoln Rd., Midwood Rd., and Beekman Court, are owned by a hedge fund and managed specifically with the goal of “maximizing return on under-performing real estate assets” (from their web site), which translates into making life as intolerable as possible for both “new” and “existing” residents – and while the new ones have the choice of moving on (and allowing the owner to get another vacancy increase and maybe some MCI on the path to that magic $2000 number, when the apartment comes off stabilization), others have no choice, and just have to put up with it, or move farther out (and Flatbush/Ditmas is no longer an option, for the same reasons – we’re talking ENY, Brownsville, and Canarsie). In PLG I will deal with only 1 rental building, which is exquisitely maintained, has a live-in super who’s a doll, and a clean and modern laundry room in the basement. Apartments there aren’t often available, for obvious reasons, but one bedrooms go for around $1195, studios for $995, and two bedrooms for $1400 and up. Thus far, all are stabilized and the owner isn’t greedy, just goes by the legal rent (and sometimes takes even less). I also deal with private homeowners, mostly in the historic dictrict (but not Lefferts Manor, of course, because those are deeded one-family houses) – but these apartments are larger and more expensive – $1400 – $1750 for 2 bedrooms, plus home office, dining room, EIK, and living room (more if it’s the garden level).
@Quatparkside If you were a smart landlord instead of a greedy one you would do that. A friend lives in Patio Gardens and talked another friend into contacting the exclusive agent for the place because she had relocated and her job started immediately. Patio had a vacancy and then the agent started to rattle off that she and her husband had to make 8 times the rent per month blah,blah blah.
She wondered why, if she made 8 times the amount of rent per month , would they want to live in Patio? So she could rub elbows with those who clearly don’t make as much and conduct themselves in the most annoying ways possible. The smell of weed in the hallways,speakers in windows and saggy pants every where.
She decided to pay a broker fee with Cochran and got a place in Carroll Gardens. It cost more and has less sq ft ,but her neighbors support a better quality of life.
Just out of curiosity babs, why is there a shortage of apartments in PLG? Is there a lot of demand from people working at the medical center? Seems like it would make sense to live in the apartments in Flatbush and ride the Church Ave bus, but then I guess you’re no longer walking distance.
I live nearby. I gotta say these prices do nothing for me. I think a so-so 1bd apt in PLG should NOT top $1,000. The neighborhood SHOULD be cheaper…affordable housing should be the PLG trademark. Recent college grads are moving in and pushing the price point. But the area is pleasantly ungentrified, and I hope it remains a nice livable option for the person making under $40K.
I don’t mean to shortchange our neighborhood. But 950 should be the going rate, and if I were a landlord, I’d be looking for friendly, honest working people who will pay their rent on time and add value to my building. And for that I’d offer a reasonable rent. Anybody listening?
Oh c’mon. Anyone who checks the rental listings will see the same apartments over and over. It’s bait and switch.
sounds like bedbugs to me as well… look the addy up on the bedbug registry? i dont know. it’s under 1200 bux so that’s a nice sweet spot for most people.
upon second perusal it looks like it has parquet floors in the kitchen. that’s just vile.
*rob*
Per the HPD’s website, building has 21 open violations, but none seem that serious, and no mention of vermin of any kind – maybe they’ve cleaned up their act.
This is one of the apartment buildings in PLG I won’t touch after a few bad experiences. Don’t know about bedbugs (it’s been a while), but there were cockroaches and mice, as well as one tenant I had to relocate because she was harrassed by a building resident, who was also known for vomiting and urinating in front of the entrance. The LL does emphasize keeping the rents affordable, but he does this by neglecting renovations. Very nice super (don’t know if it’s the same one), cute black and white tile lobby, elevator in OK shape – but this all dates from 3 years ago, the last time I dealt w. that building. However, given the scarcity of decent apartments in PLG (I can only recommend maybe 5 buildings, one of which you need to be referred by a resident to get in), it’s not the worst choice out there.