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Is there a way to speed up the construction of the house next to mine?

hellbient — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:30:34 -0800

Is there a way to speed up the construction of the house next to mine? The city-owned house next to mine (attached) has been under construction for over a year. The contracting company is apparently notorious for these long affairs, and judging from the other houses in the neighborhood that have their signage, there's no end in site. And the property is getting worse - every week there's more trash in front and on the side of it, windows are getting broken and the plywood covering some of the windows is slowly coming undone. I'm calling the company (and 311) as much as possible to complain about rats, open doors, racoons, etc. to try to set a precedent, but I'm not sure it's going anywhere. The house goes for weeks/months without ever being worked on. I need it finished before a crackhead sets it on fire (which would take my house with it), and so I can get some new awesome neighbors. Plans/schemes to get the ball rolling? I'm in Brooklyn.

Tips on buying condo in New York?

Malad — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:41:33 -0800

For purchasing a 1- or 2-bedroom condo in NYC: tips and links to how to search effectively, evaluate wisely, and get a great deal and wondeful home? Ideas (or links to forums) about which neighborhoods and types of condos are the best values, broker recommendations, etc.?

Finding the elusive, decent Brooklyn apartment?

condorman — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:15:04 -0800

How do you find a better-than-decent apartment in Brooklyn without having to spend two weeks working on it full-time, and without paying a ridiculous broker's fee? So I've been in an Upper West Side sublet for about 3 months now and its time to move. A friend of mine is moving in to town and we are looking for a 2Br in Brooklyn for around $1600-$1800 to move-in Sep. 1st. I know there have been previous posts about apartment hunting in Brooklyn, but times are changing and new neighborhoods are popping up. I have tried going to a realtor but they are consistently showing me dark, cramped spaces in neighborhoods I feel scared to walk through.

i also try Craiglist, but I end up spending way too much time searching online, then even more time travelling to brooklyn, and even more time trying to find the place when i get there. I've heard apartment hunting in NY is hell, and now i'm knee-deep. HELP?

A deposit on an apartment we didn't move into has gone missing. Am I screwed?

GilloD — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:09:07 -0800

NYC real estate Q: We put a deposit on an apartment that became uninhabitable before we signed any forms or agreements. We decided to see if it was fixable, but in the meantime we found a new place to live. Now the owner doesn't want to give our deposit back. Are we screwed? A full, gripping narrative inside. So my wife and I have been apartment hunting for about two weeks. Last Wednesday, the 9th, we found a beautiful apartment for a good price. They sold it as a new construction, no problems except for a spot of water damage on the one ceiling. I take a picture, we agree it'll be in the lease. We toured the place, made sure everything worked and then put down a deposit (500$) on the space around 3 that afternoon. We returned around 6 to do a final tour and fill out some paperwork. While we were there, it began to rain. And then the bed rooms and downstairs flooded. I don't mean a trickle, we're talking full on flood, pouring from the recessed lighting, from the walls, inside the closets. The place was no longer fit for living in, the downstairs bedroom areas were ruined.

We called the broker who said he'd call the owner, find out how severe the problem was and get back to us Thursday morning. In the meantime I very stupidly let him hold on to the deposit. Thursday morning comes and goes and no word from Broker. I call him in the afternoon, around 12, and he says he has nothing to tell me yet, but keep looking at apartments. My deposit, he says, is safe with him. I inquire about getting it back, he says it won't a problem, he won't pass it to the owner.

Thursday passes, Friday passes and Friday evening he calls to say, "No word yet, but hold in there, I'll call you on Sunday, give you an update and you can decide whether or not to proceed". Sunday comes and goes, no call, but it was my sister's birthday so I wasn't 100% on point.

I call him Monday morning and leave a voicemail. Monday afternoon we find a beautiful apartment with a wonderful owner in a bigger space for less money. Great! I call Broker and he doesn't answer, so I leave a voicemail. I call again in the evening, but don't leave a voicemail.

Tuesday, I call Broker and he acts like his voicemail is broken and he never got my message. In the meantime he says he gave the Owner the deposit. He hems and haws a bit, goes ice cold on me and says he'll call back, that he has to talk to his boss. That evening his boss calls my wife, leaves a voicemail, but doesn't answer our return call. I call Broker, leave a voicemail.

Today I call Broker in the early afternoon he says that the Owner sent in a crew, he's not sure if he can get the deposit back. I tell him I never consented to giving the deposit over and reminded him that he said he'd check in on Sunday. He says he'll have to call his boss and see what can be done.

He calls this afternoon and wants me to talk to his boss. Before I do this, I want to see where we are legally speaking. Yes, we handed the deposit to him, but with the assurance that the deposit would not go to the owner without our consent. We DID NOT sign ANYTHING. No application, no lease, no contract, no agreement. Dumbdumbdumb, I know. But what's the status of a deposit in this case?

Almost certainly a crew we have to be sent in to clean up regardless. The space would surely have been illegal to rent in the shape it was in. Are they just looking to make this hard or am I well and truly screwed? Help rescue my money!

Reliable property value information?

undercoverhuwaaah — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:11:29 -0800

I'm looking for a resource to find current information on the price of housing in the NY metropolitan area. Specifically looking for reliable measures of market rent (scouring ads has proved fruitless), average apartment/house size, property values, etc. preferably with historic numbers as well. Is there perhaps a one-stop shop on the web for this sort of information?

NYC broker recommendations

twoporedomain — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:29:26 -0800

NYC broker recommendations and resources The boyfriend and I are hoping to move within Manhattan soon, and are in the uniquely advantageous position of having a flexible end-date to our current lease, having the budget to afford an apartment in our ideal neighborhoods, and having most of the moving and brokerage costs reimbursed by his company. This last point, combined with our laziness, means that we want to go through a broker. I’ve read previous threads about renting in New York (1, 2, 3, 4), and understand that there is a strong anti-brokerage firm sentiment here. But given that we’ve already decided to use one, can you help us out with the following:

1. Recommendations for (or against) a particular firm or agent? We are especially interested in brokers that cover Chelsea and the West Village areas. Personal recommendations or anecdotes are appreciated, as well as links to helpful forums.

2. I’ve read that late summer/early fall is the worst time to look for apartments. How true is this? And does going through a broker mitigate this at all?

3. How long can we expect this process to take, given that hopefully most of the legwork will be done by someone else?

Thanks all!

Broker/agent recommendations for Jersey City rentals, please!

cyrusdogstar — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:07:35 -0800

Looking for some specifics and some general advice: broker/realtor/agency recommendations for finding a rental in Jersey City, and/or links to general resources for someone new to real estate/apartment hunting. This is a semi-followup to my earlier JC-related question, for what it's worth. In addition, from perusing other such threads, I've already bookmarked Del Forno Realty and Armagno Agency. However, if possible I'd like recommendations for other such groups, or specific individual agents who specialize in Jersey City.

As with the other thread, please do not mention New York City or Hoboken resources unless they also deal with Jersey City, and yes, I have heard of that quaint little "Craig's List" WWW thingy, thanks :) And we've heard the "no brokers, they suck" argument ad infinitum, and have taken that viewpoint into account.

New York rental agent referral?

saffron — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 10:43:20 -0800

New York rental agent referral. My recently single, now-homeless coworker's current residence is my couch, and that's not OK for yet another week. Recently single person needs to move SOON. He's hesitant to work with an uprofessional real estate person, and is having great trouble finding someone professional. He needs a 2-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, price range is $5000-$8000 a month. He has no contacts in the city, and is not currently living there. There must be firms with very professional agents that find people new apartments ASAP all the time, but online all things rental look shoddy/sleezy, regardless of price point. Any help? (if you'd like, email to nyrental@gmail.com)

How to avoid paying an insane broker's fee when renting a Manhattan apartment?

Afroblanco — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 13:41:04 -0800

How to avoid paying an insane broker's fee when renting a Manhattan apartment? My roommate and I are looking to move into a 2-bedroom apartment on Sept. 1.

All of the brokers that I found on Craigslist say the same thing - "You're moving at the worst time of the year, and our fee is 15% of annual rent."

There don't seem to be too many non-broker options.

What are some strategies for getting around this? As far as I see it, Craigslist has already failed us.

How to find an apt in brooklyn

kensanway — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 08:13:19 -0800

Looking for advice about apt hunting in brooklyn and about how to construct rooms in gigantic ballroom-like lofts. I know this has been posted about before. But most of the posts are more manhattan-specific. I'm looking for a 2 bedroom for under $2000, ideally in the williamsburg area.

(1) Do you know if there are any services that might be helpful? For example, the ny times, village voice, rent direct, and most of the other newspapers or rental services are very manhattan-specific. I've looked at places like the L Magazine or Billburg.com but they're not very helpful.

(2) Are there message boards or forums for this kind of thing?

(3) I don't really want to get a broker. Should I change my mind?

(4) We're turning up a lot of lofts that look really good but don't have any rooms. How hard is it to build rooms? How much does it cost and how long does it take? How would I hire someone to do this?

Who were "Bing & Bing"?

TNLNYC — Thu, 12 May 2005 08:58:29 -0800

I live in a "Bing and Bing" building. People seem to think it's a big deal so I tried to Google them: the only thing that comes back is expensive apartments for sale in New York highlighting that they are in "Bing and Bing" buildings. Does anyone know who "Bing and Bing" where (I'm assuming they were real estate developers)? Why their building are considered so interesting/important? What is their history? I'm also assuming that they disappeared from the scene sometimes between the late 20s and today? What happened? Were they wiped out by the great depression? Any New York historian out there willing to help?

Finding a Property

edlundart — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:00:23 -0800

My fiancee and I want to find and buy a small property in NJ or NY, and build a house. I am clueless about how to begin the process of finding a property. I'd need to commute to Manhattan from the place, which means we're talking about areas that are popular -- which means there's probably not a lot of available residential property, and what there is might be way outside our budget. We're looking for a rural type area with some green grass and stuff.

I'm looking for general advice here. How impossible is this? What's a good way to find a property? What kind of prices should I expect?

I've done some searching via Google and real estate sites but I don't find much of anything. I'm not sure if that's because there are literally no residential lots available, or because I'm looking in the wrong places. I've lived in rented apartments all my life.

Shiny, tiny new apartment in Manhattan or affordable charm in Brooklyn?

hsoltz — Wed, 19 May 2004 09:25:02 -0800

Another NYC Real Estate Question: the SO and I, who have always lived in charming smallish walk-ups with leaky tubs/peeling paint in Queens-like proximity to 'the big city,' have been seduced by the siren song of new construction downtown. With their pre-opening rent breaks, brand-new appliances, and convenience to both work and play, these "luxury buildings" appear to offer a whole new standard of living at an attractive price. However, ... [mi] ...we're slightly paralyzed by the thought that the same rent, or less, could land us a spacious yet locationally-challenged loft in Brooklyn. (Everything we're seen is far from a subway.) So which sounds better to you: "location, location, location," or the ability to inhabit opposite ends of an apartment without being able to hear each other?