A Video Peek at the "Dirty Dozen"- NYC's Worst Landlords
amNewYork presents a video look at NYC's most f**ked up landlords- otherwise known as the "Dirty Dozen." Technorati Tags: video, NYC, landlords,
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February 07, 2007
February 04, 2007
An ARTvertisement from the LoftNinja
I spoke to the LoftNinja yesterday. He's been traveling a little bit..."clearing his mind of real estate whoas," he said. Nevertheless, he's apparently headed back this way and will (as always) be enthusiastic about helping all of you artists out there who are feeling the effects of a retarded real estate market.
He did mention that he's managed to help a few of you guys out while away, somehow... I guess that's just how ninjas do it. Look him up if you need a not-so-brokerish agent type, with experience, ripe. He puts the "i" in realty.By the way In other news, both the LoftNinja and I (justiNYC) received a warm slice of press today from our mutual blog buddy, Frances Flynn Thorsen- the newest (and greatest!) managing editor over at RealTown blog. On behalf of myself and the Ninja,I'd just like to say thanks and that we sure appreciate the ways you appreciate us. Hope to run into you soon Fran...we have loads of art (and real-i-ty) to discuss.
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January 23, 2007
Pleasing the Beverly Hillbillies on Roebling and a Field guide to Williamsburg
So, Williamsburg made it into Gawker yesterday- they published a "field guide!" For the most part, its pretty accurate.I suppose this means the Burg has finally arrived. Brownstoner linked it up, along side a few listings from my buddy LoftNinja.
Meanwhile, over at Gowanus Lounge, there's a bit of talk today about the "Roebling Oil Field" at 223 N. 11th Street. Forget black gold and texas tea, its a bonified slick fest over there! The Beverly Hillbillies could certainly be a gang of potential buyers, if someone tracked them down....
Technorati Tags: Gawker, Williamsburg, links, field guide,
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January 17, 2007
The Cover of the Latest L Magazine "Fitness Issue" and justiNYC Shot It
Be sure to swing by one of those orange bins, located on just about any corner in NYC and pick up the newest copy of The L Magazine. I, justiNYC shot the cover shot!
I find it very interesting (albeit, very NYC) to use a photograph of street art to demonstrate the "Fitness" theme that The L is going for this time around. Even moreso, the irony of this particular piece (by internationally known UK artist, Banksy) on this particular North 6th Street wall (currently slated for development) is especially interesting. To be precise, this Banksy work is gone already. [Curbed] First, it seemingly had a new tenant, then it was gone.[Test of Will] It just goes to show, everything in NYC does start and end with real estate-even cover photos on entertainment guides.
Few might see it this way- but could it be said that Williamsburg is "shaping up?" It is a fact that many (if not most) of the Burg's blocks are "losing weight," yet only to double, triple or even quadruple in size in the places where pounds are being shed. Hmmm... a little real property philosophy to ponder. Don't lose any weight over it.
As many of you may know, this isn't the first time justiNYC has had the pleasure of decorating L Magazine covers. The thrill of having around a hundred thousand New Yorkers carrying around your photograph in their back pocket is enough to feel all warm and fuzzy inside....well, maybe not but one damn sure feels as though they have "made it" in NY when it happens. Here are a few of the other covers and stories I've worked on with the L Mag:
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Put one in your pocket- The L Magazine knows whats up!
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Big Ass Crane Still Gone, Finger Building Goes Black
Why does it always have to be a black thing? At least its better than a crane thing, i suppose. The in-famous Finger Building on North 7th continues to stay in flux, as the exterior gets covered in black-ness. Now that's HOT!
Finger Building Getting Hip Black Exterior [Curbed]
Technorati Tags: Finger Building, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, black, crane
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January 10, 2007
Panoramic Spaces in NYC
Above you will see a Picasa slide show of some of the spaces and places that I've photographed panoramically in the past couple of years. As a real estate agent, you can imagine the stuff that i get to see. Well, now you can let your imagination rest. If you are interested in more, write me. I have hundreds. I just thought i might try out this little Picasa hack i figured out.
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January 01, 2007
The End of 2006 and the beginning of Lucky '07
As 2006 comes to a close, I, justiNYC would like to both thank everyone for all of their nice comments and participation with the blog and share a few of the Flickr albums and concepts that I've devoted to change. Currently, I am down south working on the organization of a book that I will be publishing sometime early in the new year. I am very excited about the book project and cannot wait for all of you to see it! Also, I intend to begin my final stretch of school in the up and coming year. It is my hope that sometime within the next 3 years, i will acquire a "Dr." in the front of my name. Urban anthropology and gentrification have become an obsession and a passion which I cannot ignore. As a real estate agent, I have had the rare opportunity to participate and observe while applying anthropological methodologies, hitherto unexplored in such ways. As an artist, I have come to appreciate the ways in which change can be expressed and the effect that visual representation can have to those far removed from the process.
I have learned a lot about change in the past year and even more about the effect that real property can have on families, culture and neighborhoods. In Brooklyn, situations become different so fast, that it is hard to imagine anyone being able to totally keep up. In many ways, I have purposely kept up with the ways that streets and landscapes get altered, by matching them (to the best of my ability) with the intentions of developers, landlords and the tenants that are in a perpetual state of shift. I have mindfully captured instances that reflect the alarming rate which change can alter the dynamic relationship shared between people and buildings. I hope that so far, all of you find that i have done a somewhat adaquate job of doing so- yet, it will not be until you have the book in your hand that you will see the full scope of what i have set out to do.
In the real estate industry, the "active deal" makes it quite difficult to broadcast certain information to the public, as a real estate agent's paycheck will most always (at least in NYC) depend on that information remaining confidential and only shared among priviledged minds. When you have no system of MLS to shared across professional platforms, the deal hinges on the fact that such information remains confined to the buyer, seller and the broker. I am (as most of you are aware) far from being your average real estate agent. Believe me when i say that if i could tell you everything about every deal i have been in the middle of, i would. However, my own shelter and diet depend on a certain amount of secrecy. In other words, if i could just be an anthropologist, i would.
Over the past five years, I have focused on cultural change in North Brooklyn, brought about by gentrification. I have had the privilege to work with many of the very artists who made the areas of Williamsburg, Bushwick and Greenpoint desirable- enough to excite affluent Manhattanites on high enough levels to where they would finally leave their blessed borough and explore a side of New York City that (for the most part) had hitherto never been appealing for reasons other than saving money and survival. Now, Brooklyn has become widely recognized as an epicenter of cultural assent- a place of color and an extension of the New York City that non-natives are no longer warned about, but rather encouraged to hunt.
Goodbye to 2006!
We have seen the fall of the Old Dutch Mustard building at 80 Metropolitan Ave, in Williamsburg
Pass the Hot Dogs [Cuozzo/Post]
· The Final Days of Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard [Curbed]
· Dutch Demolition Porn: The Money Shot [Gowanus Lounge]
· The Rubble That Was Old Dutch Mustard Building [jUSTINYC]
condomeant [Brownstoner]
Curbed Found out Old Dutch Sold [justiNYC]
A Peek Inside Old Dutch Mustard Building [justiNYC]
Condomeant Buildings- Hold the Cheese [URbanfoto]
Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard Building- Inside and Out [Curbed]
The conversion of many of the war age buildings along the waterfront in Williamsburg and Greenpoint due to rezoning plan.
The 10 alarm fire at Greenpoint Terminal rocked the very foundations of the waterfront as we knew it. It dem
· Greenpoint Burning: End-o'-Day Rumor Wrap [Curbed]
· When Smoke Clears, Greenpoint Towers Set to Rise [Curbed]
A few albums for you to check out from my various explorations throughout North Brooklyn:
2881 photos
361 photos
343 photos
Happy New Year New York!
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Technorati Tags: 2006, 2007, New Year, Old Dutch Mustard, Greenpoint Terminal, rezoning
December 12, 2006
The old Casket Factory
This building on Kingsland Avenue once sat right where the BQE runs through Brooklyn at Kingsland Ave- pretty much in the exact locationwhere one can purchase a happy meal (if one were so inclined). A close friend of justiNYC's- Carl (age 78) once bought this buildingfor 15 cents per square foot, waaay before Sex and the City officially deemed Brooklyn as a cool place to live- [yes I blame Sex-City for many of the housing ills in Bk]. He acquired it by way of quick claim deed [example] and in those days, lived with his family and ran the factory. Nevertheless, when Robert Moses began to rule urban planning throughout the
boroughs, the Brooklyn Queens Expressway was built right through the middle of where this old bugger sat, so it was dismantled and moved up Kingsland Avenue a few blocks.
This area isn't jam packed with yuppies and the so called hipsters yet, in part because its to damn far from any train- hence, Greenwick. However, there are lots of development properties springing up in the area and it won't be long before the adventurous begin to find it on a map.
In many ways, this building is kind of like a casket.
Here are a few of the other sights one might come across in this neck of the woods:
Amazing display of Shoefitti on Kingland Ave at Jackson
Greenpoint Hospital Outpatient Department
(apparently with no emergencies)
Directly across the street (Maspeth Ave) from the old Greenpoint
Hospital you will find these odd ducks. Looks like some interesting
balconage occurring on the corner at Olive Street
behind the old Casket Factory, some local Flava
Ill, Hellbent, I Spy and more...
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of rapidly changing Kingsland Avenue.
a quickr pickr post
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December 05, 2006
Enequist Chemical Factory No More
A few weeks back Brownstoner posted a flick i took of the Enequist Chemical Factory, out in Bushwick. Yesterday, while roaming over around that ghost town of a wasteland I noticed that the building had been knocked the hell down. So, if you happen to live anywhere near the corner of Randolph and Porter, in Bushwick (and for the life of me, i can't see why you would) and you find yourself short of breath or begin seeing space fairies and flying whosywhatits, perhaps it isn't a dream at all, but rather your body reacting to brain eating toxins that have been set free as a bird. can hear the children of Eastern Williamsburg chanting now....The chemical co. no more, no more- ding dong a ditch instead. Well, something like that, maybe. Just thought you may be interested.
I suppose someone is cleaning up Bushwick afterall.
Let us only hope there are no plans for a public pool.
a quickr pickr post
Technorati Tags: bushwick, brooklyn, buildings, brownstoner, linkage
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November 14, 2006
Hipster Demolition Experts and Who remembers the Party
Well, apparently Curbed found the demolition hipster bit amusing, but the hipsters on the Williamsboard seem to find it most amusing (as many of them were at this party). And as it turns out, justiNYC had forgotten that he actually walked into this party on the night that it was going down. "How could someone forget attending a rager like this?", you might ask yourself. I guess i didn't stay long enough to get to hold the sledge hammer.
As it turns out, I did take a short video:
and some pics:
a quickr pickr post
I bet somewhere I should be able to find pics of the apartment before these guys moved in....i'll take a took and get back to you guys...
hahah, everyone who reads curbed now knows Rich Hall has no balls. [Williamsboard]
Hipster Tenants Offer Demolition Services [Curbed]Technorati Tags: curbed, linkage, hipsters, williamsburg
New way to demo a property- hire your "hipster" tenants
This is what happens when you tell your tenants that A) they have to
move out of their $5000+ per month Brooklyn "loft" because B) you are
planning to tear the building down to make way for space elevators and
starbucks.
Sure, it costs a lot of money to demo a building these days (brick by
brick), but it looks like with a little help from the hipsters, you
might be able to get off pretty cheap. Perhaps Gutman should have
just hired the "Hipster Wrecking Crew"...
[this place is/was 3 blocks to Bedford L train in Williamsburg]
Technorati Tags: demo, williamsburg, hipsters, brooklyn, real estate, nyc
November 06, 2006
The Rubble that was Old Dutch Mustard Building
What you have before you is the site where the Old Dutch Mustard Building once sat.
Technorati Tags: old Dutch mustard, photography, rubble
November 04, 2006
Terrific Ventilation on Kent Ave
The Scarano Project (?) on Kent Avenue and North 1st is shaping up-sike! I guess they are gonna just leave these window open for the birds and..uh, hipsters? I suppose some of us "aren't in the know"... but we're living.
I love these cement columns...this building is hardcore!!!
[previously in the blogosphere...]
[Brownstoner] Light and Air on Kent (but for How Long?)
Technorati Tags: williamsburg, development, building
November 02, 2006
Real Estate Roundup: DestructaCon Edition
Giving the Finger Building the Finger [Curbed]
CurbedWire: The Neighborhood That Ate Brooklyn [Curbed]
Domino Decision Not "Either-Or" [Brownstoner]
New York Scores Well in Report on Safest Cities [NY Sun]
If it Seduces the Builder [NYTimes]
New Williamsburg Development Site: All of Keap Street [Curbed]
Technorati Tags: real estate roundup, real estate, NYC, development, construction, building
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October 30, 2006
Mapping NYC's Artists-In-Residence
Ever see those [A.I.R] signs that hang atop the front door of every loft building that you wish you could live in? Well, that's where you'll find some of the 150,000 some odd (pun intended) New Yorkers who describe themselves as working in the arts living. These folks make up a surprisingly small 4.3% of the total working class. The map above shows the density of these artists in the 5 boroughs and as Gothamist reports, "more than a fifth of residents in Chelsea, the Village, SoHo, Tribeca, Dumbo and Williamsburg are engaged in creative pursuits."
Gothamist asks a very important question that i would like to extend to you: What can be done about artists' contradictory role as both catalyst and victim of gentrification?
Technorati Tags: A.I.R., artists in residence, NYC, map, art
October 24, 2006
This is what $750 per month will get you in NYC, if you are lucky
This is what $750 per month will get you in NYC...with no lease, illegal basement conversion (that's below ground), damp and flood prone, 10 minute walk to train and 4 months up front. In Greenpoint Brooklyn, no less- a place that only 2 years ago was "too far from the Bedford L train" for most people looking to move to Brooklyn. So for all of you starry eyed, "under $1000" folks out there, don't get your hopes up! This one rented 5 months ago in about 30 minutes. The landlord was an asshole and I barely got to snap off these shots. That's all I wanted really....was to capture all of the greatness that can be had in a 385sf illegal basement converted studio. Sorry for the stitching job, but i already helped this picture out waaay too much by making it somehow seem bigger than it is- not that I was trying. You can't shine a turd and call it gold- although many of my fellow realtors would like to believe the converse.
I just wanted you guys to know, so you can maybe get real about your apartment search. The only reason i was able to even see this one is because i live down the block. Times are tough in NYC real estate. And its getting cold. LoftNinja refused to even go take a look. As it turns out, he's afraid of water.
Technorati Tags: apartments, real estate
October 18, 2006
You Cannot Separate an Organism From Its (his) Environment
In the above slideshow, you should be able to keep yourself entertained, as I certainly have, with a nice collection of self portraits taken by The fotoUR/ justiNYC over the past couple of years in NYC. As a real estate broker, I have had the chance to visit some of the most interesting places throughout the 5 boros- buildings that no longer exist, vacant lots now filled with buildings, rooftops and basements, you name it!
This is my New York City. I have found that the hardest city in the world is really quite simple to understand. It ends up becoming whatever you think of yourself...it is whatever you allow it to be. You cannot separate an organism from its environment. Fortunately, I learned how to use a camera so that I could demonstrate this to all of you. Enjoy!
The whole set (over 700 shots) can be seen here
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btw. I crossposted this on URbanfoto as it is the blog from which justiNYC spawned. If you have REAL time on your hands, search through the archives and see what North Brooklyn looked like a few years back, when i...uh, was doing what i'm doing now- hunting space and hating real estate (secretly..shhh)
Technorati Tags: justiNYC, fotoUR, self portraits, NYC, slideshow
October 10, 2006
Non-Profit Real Estate Group GMDC Buys Factory Building East of Williamsburg
Last week, Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center bought this beauty at 221 Mc Kibbin with a $4million grant. GMDC plans to tranform it into at least 25 spaces for small manufacturers, creating more than 100 jobs for local folk. They hope to be finished with this big boy in the latter part of 2007. The Brooklyn Borough President's Office is even pitching in- a cool half million! Gotta love help from the pres...
[Real Deal] Williamsburg Factory gets $4M grant
[Crains] East Williamsburg Plant gets $4M grant [I love how Crains made this rhyme..haha]
Technorati Tags: GMDC, East Williamsburg, Bushwick, real estate, deals, non profit, jobs, brooklyn
The Future Home of Cinema in Williamsburg
Thats right...movies! 136 Metropolitan Ave [between Metrop. & North 1st] will soon be the premier place to go
and (after taking out a mortgage on your hole in wall in NYC) afford (maybe) a descent flick in the theatre. It doesn't look like much now, but it is destined to be BIG, expensive and (as Curbed promises,
"indie"). As to exactly how big....its hard to say, considering the fact that the building is already 2,108sf over F.A.R [link].
It won't be hard for Wburgers to remember this building as it currently is, as the gigantic FOR SALE sign has been dangling out front since before Bushwick was a place to move to. Even harder to forget will be the sign that came after if was sold, as I believe it must've been the crowning achievement in that agents life- the SOLD sign still hangs to this day. For a while, a few of us in the hood have wondered whether he might take private little walks over to the building in the middle of the night, just to see if it was all a dream. Ahhhh...real estate and its hidden pleasures.
[Curbed] Storefronting: Time for a Name Change?
a quickr pickr post
Technorati Tags: Wiliamsburg, movie theatre, new, brooklyn
Old Dutch Mustard Gets the BIG "D"
Curbed (finally) reports that the Old Dutch is being demolished. It is. That netting is to keep the mustard dust off of the tourists and those so called "Hipsters" I keep hearing about. Here are a few of my shots:
...in Williamsburg, D stands for ....D E M O L I S H
For the record, asbestos was removed from Old Dutch 30 yrs ago, according to a reliable source. Nevertheless, she will be missed.
Here are some links to cry to:
[Curbed] Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard Building, Inside and Out
[URbanfoto] A Peek inside the Old Dutch Mustard Building
· A Peek Inside Old Dutch Mustard Building [Urban Foto]
· View from Old Dutch Mustard Building [UrbanFoto]
· Old Dutch Mustard Building on Block for $25m [Brownstoner]
Salvaged Items from Old Dutch Mustard [Brownstoner]
[Curbed] The Most Expensive Mustard Ever
[justiNYC] Old Dutch Mustard Building Ready for the Ball
and finally, A Flickr Set by justiNYC Old Dutch Mustard Reveiled
a quickr pickr post
Technorati Tags: old dutch mustard building, williamsburg, brooklyn, demolition, real estate, links
October 05, 2006
Are you paying out the ass for your rent?
Probably. But this tool will tell you if you are paying to much...or rather, more than others in your hood. Rentometer gives you a visual representation of your rent versus the regional median. How snazzy is that? Well...justiNYC predicts that it could be a pretty useful tool in NYC, if they made it work in about 30 different languages and steered clear of information taken from brokers.
[Link via Lifehacker]
Technorati Tags: rentometer, tool, rent, NYC, real estate
September 12, 2006
New Hi-tek Storefront Sales office for "North 8th Condos" spotted in the Burg
Storefront for "North 8th Condos" (seriously, what a creative name!) spotted on Bedford Ave last night. Can we say 'Bling Bling'?
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Technorati Tags: williamsburg, condos, slideshow
September 11, 2006
The NY Times closed their real estate blog- "Walk Through"
Thats right. Good night from the Walk Through. I wonder what this means for real estate blogs everywhere. Probably nothing. The new real estate magazine that they are putting out looks kick ass so far though. Its called Key - give it a turn.
The Observer's Media Mob tipped us off.
Technorati Tags: NY Times, blog, walk through, closing
Technorati Tags: NY Times, blog, walk through, closing
LoftNinja's Newest ARTvertisement
LoftNinja sent this in regarding a 4750sf warehouse space that he has
available in Greenpoint for $1sf. This price is pretty much unheard
of these days in the area, as you might know. Its perfect for an art
gallery, according to the Ninja and would be perfect for galleries
which have large pieces that must be loaded and unloaded into a
separate room.
LoftNinja continues to make real estate into an artform... if you are interested in more of his gig,
check out these sites:
Space Inquiry
Commercial Update
List Your Property with LoftNinja
Technorati Tags: Loftninja, artvertisement, links, art, real estate art
August 26, 2006
Deal with Real Estate Stress: Make a Ninja Star and Throw it at your Broker
But be careful, he just might have a few of his own. If you have a little time on your hands, try making a few paper throwing stars for the next time you go on the real estate hunt. Chances are youl want to throw them at a few brokers or owners before settling with something. And if you get the chance to hang out with the LoftNinja, you could be in for a little fun as he will (more often than not) be more than happy to join you in your war.
Folding Diagrams for the Traditional Shuriken
(Two-Piece Throwing Star -- All 22 Steps)
Weekend Project: Ninja throwing stars for the office [LifeHacker]
Technorati Tags: ninja stars, LoftNinja, real estate, tips
August 25, 2006
The Onion Takes a Stab at Creating a Better Brooklyn
Sometimes I Feel Like I'm The Only One Trying To Gentrify This Neighborhood [Onion]
A little Stoop Culture phenomenology from the Onion:I mean, I don't want the people here to leave. I just want them to stay inside more. Especially if they're not going to do anything to bring this community to life. But they're always out on their stoops, just playing dominoes or talking. I like talking, but I do it inside, where it was meant to be done. It makes me uncomfortable to have people watching me all the time. Not that I think they'd do anything, but I just like to be a little more private.[via Brooklyn Record]
Also, their dogs stay outside and bark all day. I like dogs just fine, but why can't their dogs be smaller and more nervous?
Technorati Tags: gentrification, onion, brooklyn, NYC, nieghborhood
August 18, 2006
How to find a Roomate in NYC without Craigslist
This topic came up today on Ask Gothamist. Its an important topic to cover considering that LARGE amount of people who can't afford to live alone in NYC. justiNYC has a tip: Make friends with a brokerand get in their head. We are always running into people who can't afford what they are looking for and must resort to rooming with a stranger. The good thing about this is that a broker will at least know who is qualified and who pays their bills (provided the relationship got as far as a credit check.). Gothamist suggests an article in The New York Times that goes into detail on this subject. Good Luck!
Technorati Tags: roomates, real estate, nyc, shared, advice
August 17, 2006
Are 28 new shiny towers planned for Williamsburg?
Well, according to OnNYTurf it is so. The developer Quadriad is trying to plop 28 brand spankin new towers in the middle of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Community Meeting anyone? Anyone up for a good old fashioned protest?
...and here we have one of several maps created by OnNYTurf to show the scale of the project. More maps here
Supersizing Williamsburg [Curbed]
Technorati Tags: williamsburg, zoning, development, real estate, maps, towers
Are you sure you can afford to buy property in NYC?
Well, you can do the math at HouseMath. Its a "detailed, no bull-shit look at what it takes to buy a home in New York City." Give it a whirl....then throw your computer across the room.
they even have a blog..
Technorati Tags: house math, condo, co-op, buying property, calculations
August 15, 2006
"Trendy Micro-Ass Nabe Names" and Google Maps Has them
Thanks to Curbed for pointing out that Google Maps now has NYC neighborhood names indicated when you zoom out a little bit. Apparently there are a few who are none too excited for this technological development. Maybe we should just make Brooklyn a neighborhood and Manhattan a neighborhood and call the whole thing good...right? I suppose next someone will try to tell me that Greenwick isn't micro-trendy. Nonsense! Its just not trendy.
Technorati Tags: google maps, neighborhood names, Greenwick
August 10, 2006
Old Dutch Mustard Building ready for the Ball
The Wrecking ball that is... A couple of days ago justiNYC noticed the windows had been taken out of Old Dutch. That could mean two things: either a very motivated hobo got hot and took them out to ventilate...or else its just that time. It'll be sad to see her go.
For other posts regarding 80 Metropolitan Ave (aka Old Dutch Mustard Building in Williamsburg Brooklyn), check these out:
condomeant [Brownstoner]
Curbed Found out Old Dutch Sold [justiNYC]
A Peek Inside Old Dutch Mustard Building [justiNYC]
Condomeant Buildings- Hold the Cheese [URbanfoto]
Williamsburg's Old Dutch Mustard Building- Inside and Out [Curbed]
a quickr pickr post
Technorati Tags: Old Dutch Mustard Building, Williamsburg, building, photography
August 03, 2006
Real Estate Roundup and Cool Looking Heat Map
As Curbed points out, not the kind of heat you're thinking of sitting in. Its a map of the property values as priced by square foot across the five boroughs. Interested? Well you might also like to know that (according to the Walk Through and NY Daily News), the average price of a Manhattan apartment is at a new record high-- $1,386,000 The Gods We must be crazy!
July 18, 2006
Loft Living in the City and How Not to Pay Rent
A brilliant piece of literary magic from the Village Voice this week highlights the illegal loft living situation in NYC (Brooklyn, in particular) and the many woes of the landlord who rents out space for residential use when the zoning folks say otherwise. Real Deal liked the article too. Who wouldn't? Its informative and it gets right to the heart of one of the most interesting housing issues in NYC history. Living illegally is risky, but lets face it, many if not most of the people attempting to live living in this city cannot afford what is considered to be the "reasonable rent" for desirable space. As a real estate agent who works almost exclusively with artists, believe me- i know. In fact, there's only one guy who may know this more than I and that's the LoftNinja. These days, he's even gone missing- most likely for reasons pertaining to not being able to find affordable space for his charished clients (nor reputable landlords whom he would feel comfortable helping a complete stranger bind themselves to contractually.) It is not uncommon for a landlord to ask the full "reasonable asking rent" for some concrete commercial hole without windows or walls, unconverted and illegal while having no intention of even making minor repairs-in Williamsburg, it has become such and so. [Example: try 1300sf ground floor concrete box with barely running water for $3500 per month, in Williamsburg. This is what the market is, presently.] If you want to read how a rare few have beat the heat of rent (while endangering their own health for the sake of affordable living), read this article. Hats off to the Village Voice this time.
In NYC, nothing is free except for a hard time so don't get any big ideas...well, any REALLY BIG ones anyway. Rent-free living is not guaranteed for tenants of illegal diggs. For that matter, if you think anything in this city is guaranteed, think again. You should be writing fantasy, if so because you are not here.... you may be hanging out in some ethereal 99 cent store of the mind. I don't know....just please, don't get it twisted.
Technorati Tags: NYC, housing, illegal dwellings, lofts, article, link, brooklyn