building at 236 Livingston Street

Went there this weekend. It's pretty standard as far as luxury rentals go. For me the big plus is the location. It's located literally on top of the Hoyt-Schermerhorn stop and within a few minutes walk to a slew of other trains. There is a Brooklyn Fair grocery directly across the street and if you walk 5 minutes around the block you are on Atlantic Avenue... a charming area of new retail and small restaurants.
Right now the big draw back is that it's SO new that it feels like a ghost town and not all of the building features are finished. I was told the courtyard will be soon to come and then the residents' lounge will follow some time this summer (or was it the other way around?). The gym looks really decent... couldn't see the laundry room this time around but I am sure it's much like the ones at other buildings. Currently you only pay a one time $50 fee for the common area amenities... I wonder if that will change once they are all open and available for use. Also the seller is paying 1 month towards your broker's fee. All in all it's a good building in a great location.

*Brooklyn Fare

Check out http://www.commoncharges.com for a lively downtown brooklyn discussion forum. There is a new board for the Addison.

The block has felt like a ghost town for years. There's a ZipCar location in the garage which brought some foot traffic in, and Brooklyn Fare brings in a good amount of traffic. But it's, in my opinion, a fringe neighborhood and is unlikely to change much in the next few years. I might buy in the neighborhood but don't generally believe in renting in such neighborhoods unless the rent is dirt cheap or something really unique.

I actually think it's a pretty good location. Granted, the block itself isn't the greatest, but it's right across the street from Brooklyn Fare, a coffee shop and another nice apartment building. Just a couple blocks away from tons of great restaurants, bars and shopping on Smith, Atlantic and Court. Only a couple blocks further to Montague as well. Lots of trains within very few blocks. It's a good point buying vs. renting, but there is a lot around that location right now, no?

I agree with Chester. Schermerhorn St. is definitely on it's way up and isn't a bad place already, especially between Smith and Bond. In addition to Brooklyn Fare, there are a handful of new apartment buildings, a ballet school for little kids, and a pre-school coming soon to the retail space at be@schermerhorn.

Went there the other weekend to look at a 1 BR. The guy who showed me the apartment was a total scumbag, I knew within a minute of meeting him that he was completely untrustworthy. First of all, I put the price on the craigslist listing as the max price on the form and the guy came out of his office with the intention of dismissing me without showing me the apartment because "he had nothing in that price range." He didn't even tell me his name when I shook his hand. So rude. I came from the city and waited patiently in the waiting room for a while, I wasn't going to go back without at least seeing the apartment. He knew very little about the apartment, was clearly making sh*t up as he showed me. Total stereotypical "salesman" douche, all smiles and no substance. The apartment was tiny, on the 3rd floor and overlooked a bus stop on Livingston Street. Don't waste your time unless you have a lot of money to spend and a high tolerance for burnt out ex-frat boy scumbag brokers.

P.S. I'm not some super cynical trash talking guy, this is my first review of anything online. It was just that terrible an experience that I figured I'd warn you....