Cheap new construction trends in Brooklyn
I went to two open houses today and it just pains me to see what type of cheap inferior construction is being perpetrated in the name of new construction condos that are going for upwards of half a million duckets.
Case 1 - 481 Prospect Place
There are 930 sq ft apartments going for $435K up to 1400 sq ft duplexes for $610K. Granted these are in Crown Heights between Classon and Grand, but do you really have to put in gold door handles on the cheap pre-hung doors? The bathroom fixtures are cheap and the toilets aren't even American Standard (which is the bare minimum one should have). The kitchen appliances are Frigidaire stainless steel. What's being passed off as stainless steel these days is just pathetic. It's given every cheap developer/sponsor the right to say that they have stainless steel appliances, but what does that really mean for the buyer today? Not much.
Case 2 - 222 Park Place
Equally pathetic: 925 square feet 2 bed, 2 baths for $575K. Bedrooms are absolutely tiny and there is barely any closet space. Again, cheap doors, and while the bathrooms are a step up from the ones above, they are still cheap for what you pay for. Again, they had gold door handles. Who's outfitting these - Vinny from Bensonhurst? Cheap, tacky, cheap. And in a frightening trend, the washer/dryer closet has a regular 120V 3 prong outlet. Folks, let's start putting in some 240V 4 prongers so we can put in Miele, Bosch or Asko. The clientele looking to buy in Brownstone Brooklyn are sophisticated people who happen to enjoy the finer appliances in life. So please please, don't try to assuage me by saying, it's GE Profile, so it's good stuff.
While I was in 222 Park Place, I was glad to see some equally frustrated potential buyers walk in, ignore the broker's entreaties to 'please sign in,' (why sign in when the end result is the broker calling you up to show you equally small and overpriced apartments two weeks later??) do a 30-second walk through of the small-ass apartment and leave in a huff. Maybe the brokers will now start to realize that buyers aren't stupid and expect at lease some semblance of quality.
The Washington Condos at Underhill and Dean may have (no one knows yet) equally crappy fixtures/appliances (God, I hope not!), but at least you get large spaces, ie 1475 square feet, for the half-million plus you're shelling out. But I hold out some hope because they are promising a minimalist interior Japanese garden (who cares that right next door in the empty lots, there are 3 vicious mutts patrolling it), a steam/sauna room in the gym and potentially a high tech security system.
2 Comments:
greendogtwo, thanks for reading and commenting! on the contrary, aguayo and huebener, specifically peggy aguayo, has often been consulted on by the developers/sponsors in building, designing, picking out finishes, etc on many a new project. i know for a fact, because peggy told me herself. in addition, i am pretty sure that the real estate broker has quite often told a seller that they are mispricing their properties and that it won't get a sale. by the same token, they will often tell someone that you are lowballing yourself and that you can get more money.
i should, though, quality my statement by also saying that perhaps developers, seeing how long their properties go unsold, will come to their senses and realize that this market is not THAT hot that people are rushing to buy anything out their at a premium.
and at the park place open house, i did tell the broker flat out: there's no closet space. they are so tiny. it's ridiculous. and i did point out that i was unhappy that there was only a 3 prong 110volt outlet in the laundry hook up.
and you're right, no one's forcing me to buy. and in many cases, i have laughed at what they're offering. and when i find the right thing, i will buy. but it's also my prerogative to complain about all that's injudicious about apartments.
at prospect pl. 3 are sold and 3 more under contract......
6/8 aint bad if they were on the market for 2 months..... (as seen on thedevelopersgroup.com
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