What Happened to All Those Sunday Open House Discussions?

but manhattan is different .....riiight

I miss the "next big neighborhood" threads, as if the march of gentrification was manifest destiny every bit as the march to $5000psf average prices.

Good times, good times.

I miss spunky.

I miss West81st's descriptions.

I miss hfscomm1

and columbiacounty

Me too.

West 81st now does them for a living. ;)

Others have tried, but the momentum's gone. Shoes too big to fill. I hate change....

"that used to go one for hundreds of detailed posts about each and every open house there was, and how those marble countertops were worth that extra hundred thousand?

I kind of miss those - I laughed at the first several scores I read. "Sure this place is worth $3,000 per square foot!""

I think you're remembering them wrong. But whatever makes you laugh.

I have a clear memory of them, bjw! Clear.

Should I find any post on 15 CPW?

How's this article for sycophancy?

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/09/centralparkwest200809

September 2008: HAHAHAHAHA!

"I have a clear memory of them, bjw! Clear."

Please post a few stating things like "marble countertops are worth $100k" or "this place is worth $3k psf." Please. As for 15 CPW, I believe many of the original purchasers made out like bandits on their flips. I don't think anyone's taken a loss - if so, they're clearly in the minority. Heck, the latest sale got 11% over ask. Furthermore, to even enter the discussion on buying here, you have to be impressively wealthy, so I'm not really sure what you're laughing at. This might be the worst building to pick for that.

@stevejhx You crushed the hopes and dreams of so many of us. No one has it in them to wax poetically about Manhattan real estate. (;

"West 81st now does them for a living. ;)"

please explain! 1st west81st is a man, and now, he doesn't give us the gift of his analysis cause he's getting paid? what a loss!!!

"I believe many of the original purchasers made out like bandits on their flips." - therein lies the root cause of the housing bubble. Whatever happened to owning and living in a HOME, not a house to be flipped? For shame. :`(

and i still remember west81st saying "oh my god, i don't even have appropriate clothing to enter the lobby"... so yes, i believed he was a she... what a good actor!

*blush* was the best.

"therein lies the root cause of the housing bubble. Whatever happened to owning and living in a HOME, not a house to be flipped? For shame. :`("

pulaski, to some degree I agree with you - I have to think though, that in their shoes, once I saw the kind of returns, almost immediate, that were generated here, even as other properties in the city were seeing declining values, I would feel more than tempted to do the same. And the fact that properties are still trading at insane levels shows the demand for this particular product is still there, for a fairly exclusive set of people anyway. To me, they're obviously lovely apartments, but you could be just as happy elsewhere, and when you're making that kind of money for the trade-off, it's hard to find much blame to go around.

Sure, bjw, you can follow the $3000 psf links starting here:

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/7100-in-contract

Re marble countertops, follow the buy v. rent threads.

Apology accepted.

I miss the foreclosure auctions of the early '90s, and the condos selling for less than half their original asking prices. But I'm patient and optimistc, so I'll keep waiting. One thing that has not changed is the feeling that a cool million is no big deal as a sticker price for an apartment. True, no one is asking for a cool million for shoebox one-bedrooms on Park Avenue South at the moment, and the discussion is over Classic 5s, 6s, convertibles, etc., but it's still a number bandied about casually. NBD.

Steve, that thread said nothing of the sort - you're essentially making things up. What would I be apologizing for anyway? And I need more than a vague passing reference for evidence of people claiming marble countertops are worth $100k.

bjw, you got your $3,000 psf link - it's in the idiot's thread, quoted in the shorter one.

"And I need more than a vague passing reference...."

That's your need, not mine. But if you want to see the premium people claimed owning was worth over renting, you can go here:

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/13527-hey-bears-what-you-going-to-do-now

And a zillion other places.

"*blush* was the best."

HA! AR, that one got me too. That whole thing was really, really, funny.

I personally like the story of the 900 sqft rentals that were sold as 1200 sqft. What a scam!

I kind of miss weaselboy too.

Oh, Juicy, there you go again. If you want my apartment to be 900 square feet, then in your mind it will be! Don't know how I fit all this furniture in it since I moved from a 950 square foot apartment had had to buy a bunch more, but there you go.

Really, we're going to have to start writing limericks about you, too!

I miss EddieWilson

"*blush* was the best."

HA! AR, that one got me too. That whole thing was really, really, funny.

-----------

what was that about? men, went out for a few months and missed a whole lot!

admin, you ought to suffer for your absence, but i'll relent:

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/10679-se-in-the-nyt

"bjw, you got your $3,000 psf link - it's in the idiot's thread, quoted in the shorter one."

Uh, no - what I "got" was a quote saying that 15 CPW and Superior Ink wouldn't drop 50% in value. That is NOT what you were claiming was said.

"That's your need, not mine."

You made the claim - I asked you to back it up, and this is your cop-out for not providing any. Nice work.

"But if you want to see the premium people claimed owning was worth over renting, you can go here:"

Way to change the subject. But yes, there should be a small premium for owning over renting, all other things equal.

But even if we ignore all the above, your claim was that all these mythical statements were made in the open house threads - where are those?? Steve, this has got to be one of the more pathetic attempts at a thread - it's actually quite an achievement!

Apparently, bjw, you can't read: "Are you telling me that prices at 15 cpw or West Village townhouses, or thew Superior Ink building, which is going for 3,000 a foot is going down 50%?"

That is quoted from the idiot's thread. "Nice work."

"there should be a small premium for owning over renting, all other things equal."

Actually, no, because 1) it's riskier, so it should be cheaper; and 2) if your "theory" were true, no one could buy a property and rent it out to make a profit (or even break even).

Talking about "pathetic attempts": one more realtor's pathetic attempt at trying to justify property prices at the current levels, even if they are 25% below peak.

They still have another 50% to fall.

Steve - I think his point was that you said you missed the OH threads where people waxed poetically about $3,000/sf prices and you haven't been able to post a link for an OH discussion that had any of that in it. You posted another conversation, but not an OH thread.

"Apparently, bjw, you can't read:"

No - you just twist the meaning completely. The quote does NOT say that they are worth $3k psf, but that they are won't go down to $1.5k psf. Which is still true thus far.

"Actually, no, because 1) it's riskier, so it should be cheaper; and 2) if your "theory" were true, no one could buy a property and rent it out to make a profit (or even break even)."

Except I think most people would choose to own a place instead of renting it, all other things being equal. Preference (or a superior good, if you will) leads to a premium. As for the renting-it-out to make a profit, you're a) assuming that every property will trade at exact market value, which is rarely true in individual transactions, and b) ignoring the fact that the vast majority of apartments here are co-ops, so buyers are overwhelmingly looking for a place for themselves.

"one more realtor's pathetic attempt at trying to justify property prices at the current levels, even if they are 25% below peak."

If you're calling me a broker, and that's your best defense, I think my point is made.

And waverly is spot on - where are the OH threads you're claiming exist?

I miss malraux. Bring up Damien Hirst and that guy would spin for hours.

Does the jerkstore close early on Fridays or is it open normal hours? I need to buy a gift for a "friend".

"Except I think most people would choose to own a place instead of renting it"

Which is why 70% of New York City residents rent, right?

And why the national average of homeownership is around 60%, not that much different from renting, considering all the advantages given to owning.

Really, bjw, you need better arguments.

"Which is why 70% of New York City residents rent, right?"

Yikes, that's like saying that because most people don't drive a Ferrari, they don't prefer it. Really, steve, you need better arguments.

Clever argument, bjw. Stupid, but clever by your standards.

How is it possible that with all that's happened, realtwhores are still spinning the spin?

Steve, you are a pathetic loser who spends way too much time to prove how right he was and how wrong everybody else was. It reminds me of that book The Corrections - the women's husband is about to die, and all she can do is sit there and stew about how right she was and how wrong she was. What a waste of a life ...

I don't disagree that there was a misplaced optimism about real estate - which hurt a lot of people who honestly wanted to buy a home and not become millionares overnight.

And want to talk about stupid? Saying "the national average of homeownership is around 60%, not that much different from renting, considering all the advantages given to owning."

That doesn't even make any sense. You can't strip out the "advantages given to owning" as false. That's acting like the benefits - tax breaks, etc. - are artificial. They're real (although often overstated, especially for high income earners who are hit with AMT). That's like saying "nobody would live in Florida if it weren't warm" - while that's not doubt true, the weather is a major part of the equation. Talk about stupid.

Actually, the fact that 60% of people own homes does show that people want to own homes. As bjw2013 pointed out, a lot of people don't own not because they don't want to, but because they don't know where they'll be in a few years, don't have down payment money. The fact that 60$ of adults in the U.S. own homes is a very significant statement on the desirability of home ownership.

Not disputing the premise that NYC real estate was and probaby still is overvalued. Just your pathetic arrogance.

> admin, you ought to suffer for your absence, but i'll relent:

thanks AR. i totally missed W81 confession. is he a real*hore now? with which company? pretty efficient guy, getting all those comments in the blog spending only a couple of hours per week... ok. that i don't buy.

no, not even close (reat*hore comment, just think about it, has w67th ONCE attacked w81st, and it's not just the neighborhood). he just doesn't have the time to do his in-depth OH reports, as he is now still doing his full-time job while also devoting a tremendous amount of energy to his other job. but he is a bit of a tart, for leading us on like that.

he's with the excellent keith burkhardt, blazing (doing their damndest to do so, please support them) the way toward a new model for real estate broker fees.

lol, w67th never attacked me either (or not that i remember, which is the same thing for practical purposes). does that mean i belong to a tiny and very selective group?

> "please support them) the way toward a new model for real estate broker fees."

sure i'll support w81 as unconditional love forces me to... but what new model is that? any specific details so that it doesn't sound like obama-speak?

"Clever argument, bjw. Stupid, but clever by your standards.
How is it possible that with all that's happened, realtwhores are still spinning the spin?"

Cool, steve, keep calling me a broker if it makes you feel better about your statements - yours are pathetic arguments, by any standards. Still waiting for those mythical OH threads...

keithB, this is another opportunity for shameless self-promotion. you're being asked to do so!!

Bjw, you crack me up! The only reason I'm bothering to answer is b/c I got a new touchscreen monitor yesterday, & it's fun.

Just go to "search" and type in "open house":

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/search?search=%22open+house%22&commit=Search

See how many you come up with. Average 2 a week a year ago.

"you are a pathetic loser who spends way too much time to prove how right he was and how wrong everybody else was."

Let's break this sentence down, R2, into it's component parts.

1) Thank you for your opinion of me.
2) Thank you for telling me how I should spend my time.
3) No need to "prove" I was right - I was!

"And want to talk about stupid? Saying "the national average of homeownership is around 60%, not that much different from renting, considering all the advantages given to owning." That doesn't even make any sense...."

It makes perfect sense if you read it.

AR: Wow I almost missed it! Been taking care of a sick wife while simultaneously, single handily(sp?) changing the real estate landscape!!! http://nycrentrant.blogspot.com/ (;

"See how many you come up with. Average 2 a week a year ago."

Not denying they existed - I'm denying that they said what you claim they said. Not to mention, most of them were the brainchild of West81st, who's now in the business, so...

Well, bjw, I don't care who started them. They've gone from "mythical" to "Not denying they existed."

Perhaps you can go unicorn shopping later today, wind up with a Minotaur?

You're as flexible in your "analysis" as LICC & JuiceMan.

Dismissed!

Steve, really, you're about as daft as they come - you started this thread claiming the OH threads said all these things that they don't say. It's nuts! Why so stubborn? Really tough to take anything you say seriously anymore. Oh well.

Where did w81 go?