Interesting 2-bedroom apts in Williamsburg possible?
Started by CLBbkny
over 17 years ago
Posts: 39
Member since: May 2009
Discussion about
I’ve been looking to buy a certain type of 2-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg, and I’m beginning to wonder if what I want actually exists. I’ve visited many of the new developments (e.g., Edge, Rialto, 80 Met, SevenBerry, etc.) and have not been impressed with any of them, mainly because they totally lack character. I would much prefer a renovated warehouse, industrial building or loft space.... [more]
I’ve been looking to buy a certain type of 2-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg, and I’m beginning to wonder if what I want actually exists.
I’ve visited many of the new developments (e.g., Edge, Rialto, 80 Met, SevenBerry, etc.) and have not been impressed with any of them, mainly because they totally lack character. I would much prefer a renovated warehouse, industrial building or loft space.
Some of the buildings I have seen and liked a little better (e.g., Smith-Gray at 138 Broadway, Gretsch) seem to be high quality and have interesting character, but they are too far south. In the so-called “prime” Williamsburg area, I’ve looked at the Mill Building and Mason Fisk, but both have strange layouts that don’t really offer true 2 bedroom apartments; they mainly have windowless home office rooms.
So, what I’m looking for is a true 2-bedroom in prime Williamsburg that feels solid, has character, isn’t cookie cutter and has a bit of a cool factor. Based on what I’ve seen, I’m going to assume that this type of apartment doesn’t exist in any kind of development, and is much more likely to be a one-off kind of sale that comes to market very rarely.
Is this a wild goose chase, or should I just be patient and keep looking? And, if something like this does exist, any recommendations for a broker or agency that is most likely to hear about it?
Many thanks.
[less]
Response by NWT
over 17 years ago
Posts: 6643
Member since: Sep 2008
What you're looking for is structurally hard to find. Two bedrooms means three outside rooms with windows, or at least 30' of perimeter. Warehouse/industrial/loft space tends to not lend itself to that kind of configuration. That's why you see all those narrow one-room-wide lofts that run deep into the building. The developer has to do something with all that interior space, and that's the best layout.
The space I think you're thinking of tends to occur in 19th-century buildings, pre-electric-light, where relatively more space is window-lit. Not much of that around.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by LookPied
over 17 years ago
Posts: 256
Member since: Mar 2009
Take a look at 14 Hope st.
There seems to be a good amount of windows. However the interior photos don't look very interesting...they are pretty generic. They had a recent price drop.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by CLBbkny
over 17 years ago
Posts: 39
Member since: May 2009
Thanks, both, for your responses. NWT, you raise an excellent point that makes be believe I'm unlikely to find exactly what I'm looking for. I guess I will have to decide wchich qualities are "must haves" and which are "nice to haves." Luckily, I'm not in a rush, so I can keep an eye on the market.
LookPied, thanks for the recommendation on 14 Hope. I've walked past the building but haven't been inside. I will check it out.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by tina24hour
over 17 years ago
Posts: 720
Member since: Jun 2008
Would you consider a house? More expensive to purchase initially, but if you're willing to be a landlord the monthlies can be the same as a condo. Not cookie cutter, and there are some on the market in "prime" Williamsburg.
Is your objection to the South side related to transportation? Because services in the area have improved mightily. I like the flexibility of the resale prices on the early conversions you cite above, and the financing should be a breeze. Also, gorgeous buildings with lots of light.
Tina
(Brooklyn broker)
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by bjw2103
over 17 years ago
Posts: 6236
Member since: Jul 2007
CLBbkny,
I would second your frustration, but NWT pretty much nails it. The "prime" Williamsburg area has essentially been spoken for (by this I mean the type of housing stock, not apts sold), so I would expect that if anything that fits your description turns up, it'll be in future conversions in areas further out (I would hope for some of the warehouses around North 14th/Wythe and that area). tina's suggestion to look at townhouses is a good one - there a few intriguing properties on the market, with more to come, I'd imagine.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by CLBbkny
over 17 years ago
Posts: 39
Member since: May 2009
Tina, I haven't seriously thought about a house, mainly because I travel a fair amount for my job, so I worry I wouldn't be able to do all the things a landlord has to do. Plus, it doesn't really appeal to me to deal with tenants. If I could swing an entire house by myself, I would.
As to the location of South Williamsburg, yeah, it mainly is the distance to the subway. I commute into midtown Manhattan every day for work when I'm not on the road (I guess I'm part of the dreaded wave of gentrification coming to the area!) and I worry that the walk will get old. I know I'm spoiled where I am now in Brooklyn Heights, just two blocks from a subway, so maybe I should just suck it up and deal. I would be curious to hear from others who live in these building about their experiences living in South Williamsburg, if anyone cares to share.
bjw, Occasionally, I look at some of theose warehouses in the N. 14 area wistfully and think how great it would be to live in one of those, if it were converted and renovated. But I know that is at least 5 years off, if not more given the glut of housing inventory coming onto the market today.
Thanks again for the very helpful commentary!
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by Splot
over 17 years ago
Posts: 35
Member since: Apr 2009
I have lived in the Grestch for over 4 years and love it. It's a solid building, and personally I think it's the best in the neighborhood. The subway walk is longer than being further North, but I don't mind. You can also catch the bus on the corner of Berry and Broadway, and it will take you right up to the L. Same for the reverse commute. The water taxi is another option (which I take) to East 35th Street. Right now it just runs during commuter hours, but in 2010 should be subsidized by the City running 7 days a week/all day/with more stops.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by ctrlaltdel
over 17 years ago
Posts: 43
Member since: Aug 2008
i really liked this building, though the bedrooms aren't huge (you'd need to build closets in the second)
CLBbkny, I'm looking for exactly the same thing. Most real lofts are long and narrow, windows front and back, if you're lucky. The only new construction I liked was 80 Met, when I saw it last year... featureless but in a clean, adaptable way, I thought. The Gretch Building corner apartments are gorgeous but I've worried about being so close to the trains going by on the bridge. I'll look at 14 Hope too. Any more suggestions gratefully received - and CLBbkny, I'll happily share.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by bjw2103
over 17 years ago
Posts: 6236
Member since: Jul 2007
80 Met has a few townhouses, no? I believe you pay common charges on those, but not sure what that gets you? Anyone have insight there? The apartment units are nice enough, but not distinct enough from other buildings in the area to justify the extra cost. The building itself is lovely, but I don't think it's alone there either (though there are quite a few ugly ones around).
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by SouthWillyB
over 17 years ago
Posts: 1
Member since: Dec 2007
From the corner of Bedford/Broadway to L Bedford stop is about 10-min walk vs. 5-min walk of "prime Williamsburg". The question is what's more important? saving 10 minutes a day on commute time? or living in a cookie-cutter box for next 10 years? The corner apts for both Gretch and Smith Gray have great views. You don't really hear the trains when windows are closed. The lofts in these building have true 2 or 3 bedrooms, not home offices, and great lighting.
Ignored comment.
Unhide
Response by CLBbkny
over 17 years ago
Posts: 39
Member since: May 2009
It's good to hear the commentary from residence of those two buildings on Broadway. Keep 'em coming, if there other lurkers out there.
Yes, I know it's not that big of a difference between a 5-minute walk and a 10-minute walk. I'm just being picky, I suppose. In the end, I agree that the quality of the apartment and the building is more important, as long as it isn't TOO far away from everything!
What you're looking for is structurally hard to find. Two bedrooms means three outside rooms with windows, or at least 30' of perimeter. Warehouse/industrial/loft space tends to not lend itself to that kind of configuration. That's why you see all those narrow one-room-wide lofts that run deep into the building. The developer has to do something with all that interior space, and that's the best layout.
The space I think you're thinking of tends to occur in 19th-century buildings, pre-electric-light, where relatively more space is window-lit. Not much of that around.
Take a look at 14 Hope st.
There seems to be a good amount of windows. However the interior photos don't look very interesting...they are pretty generic. They had a recent price drop.
Thanks, both, for your responses. NWT, you raise an excellent point that makes be believe I'm unlikely to find exactly what I'm looking for. I guess I will have to decide wchich qualities are "must haves" and which are "nice to haves." Luckily, I'm not in a rush, so I can keep an eye on the market.
LookPied, thanks for the recommendation on 14 Hope. I've walked past the building but haven't been inside. I will check it out.
Would you consider a house? More expensive to purchase initially, but if you're willing to be a landlord the monthlies can be the same as a condo. Not cookie cutter, and there are some on the market in "prime" Williamsburg.
Is your objection to the South side related to transportation? Because services in the area have improved mightily. I like the flexibility of the resale prices on the early conversions you cite above, and the financing should be a breeze. Also, gorgeous buildings with lots of light.
Tina
(Brooklyn broker)
CLBbkny,
I would second your frustration, but NWT pretty much nails it. The "prime" Williamsburg area has essentially been spoken for (by this I mean the type of housing stock, not apts sold), so I would expect that if anything that fits your description turns up, it'll be in future conversions in areas further out (I would hope for some of the warehouses around North 14th/Wythe and that area). tina's suggestion to look at townhouses is a good one - there a few intriguing properties on the market, with more to come, I'd imagine.
Tina, I haven't seriously thought about a house, mainly because I travel a fair amount for my job, so I worry I wouldn't be able to do all the things a landlord has to do. Plus, it doesn't really appeal to me to deal with tenants. If I could swing an entire house by myself, I would.
As to the location of South Williamsburg, yeah, it mainly is the distance to the subway. I commute into midtown Manhattan every day for work when I'm not on the road (I guess I'm part of the dreaded wave of gentrification coming to the area!) and I worry that the walk will get old. I know I'm spoiled where I am now in Brooklyn Heights, just two blocks from a subway, so maybe I should just suck it up and deal. I would be curious to hear from others who live in these building about their experiences living in South Williamsburg, if anyone cares to share.
bjw, Occasionally, I look at some of theose warehouses in the N. 14 area wistfully and think how great it would be to live in one of those, if it were converted and renovated. But I know that is at least 5 years off, if not more given the glut of housing inventory coming onto the market today.
Thanks again for the very helpful commentary!
I have lived in the Grestch for over 4 years and love it. It's a solid building, and personally I think it's the best in the neighborhood. The subway walk is longer than being further North, but I don't mind. You can also catch the bus on the corner of Berry and Broadway, and it will take you right up to the L. Same for the reverse commute. The water taxi is another option (which I take) to East 35th Street. Right now it just runs during commuter hours, but in 2010 should be subsidized by the City running 7 days a week/all day/with more stops.
i really liked this building, though the bedrooms aren't huge (you'd need to build closets in the second)
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/building/550-grand-street-brooklyn
CLBbkny, I'm looking for exactly the same thing. Most real lofts are long and narrow, windows front and back, if you're lucky. The only new construction I liked was 80 Met, when I saw it last year... featureless but in a clean, adaptable way, I thought. The Gretch Building corner apartments are gorgeous but I've worried about being so close to the trains going by on the bridge. I'll look at 14 Hope too. Any more suggestions gratefully received - and CLBbkny, I'll happily share.
80 Met has a few townhouses, no? I believe you pay common charges on those, but not sure what that gets you? Anyone have insight there? The apartment units are nice enough, but not distinct enough from other buildings in the area to justify the extra cost. The building itself is lovely, but I don't think it's alone there either (though there are quite a few ugly ones around).
From the corner of Bedford/Broadway to L Bedford stop is about 10-min walk vs. 5-min walk of "prime Williamsburg". The question is what's more important? saving 10 minutes a day on commute time? or living in a cookie-cutter box for next 10 years? The corner apts for both Gretch and Smith Gray have great views. You don't really hear the trains when windows are closed. The lofts in these building have true 2 or 3 bedrooms, not home offices, and great lighting.
It's good to hear the commentary from residence of those two buildings on Broadway. Keep 'em coming, if there other lurkers out there.
Yes, I know it's not that big of a difference between a 5-minute walk and a 10-minute walk. I'm just being picky, I suppose. In the end, I agree that the quality of the apartment and the building is more important, as long as it isn't TOO far away from everything!
splot,
Is the Gretsch 100% occupied?
CLBbkny - new listing on 60 Broadway
http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/412705-condo-60-broadway-williamsburg-brooklyn?email=true
Not my listing, just sending it along.
Tina
(Brooklyn broker)