Buying in Brooklyn can seem a challenge almost as complex as the borough itself is diverse: Whether first-time buyers or present homeowners, looking for a condo, co-op or house can be baffling in the face of the range of neighborhoods, price points and available properties.
“Buying in Brooklyn” is a multifaceted panel discussion developed to answer some of the most pertinent questions home hunters have about buying in one of the country’s most desirable urban communities.
Stribling brokers Dena Driver, Jackie Gill and Julie Greenspon will be joined by First Family Funding mortgage broker Melissa L. Cohn and financial planner Gina Stormont from Stormont Financial Planning Group for an informative and informal evening of questions and answers.
The panel will touch on issues such as affordability, the process and related steps necessary in buying a home, the definition of a buyer’s broker, potential challenges posed by new tax laws and how to address them, and the ins and outs of making an offer. Snacks and drinks will be served throughout the evening.
Image provided by Brownstoner
The event takes place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 25 at the Stribling offices at 386 Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Brownstoner is a media sponsor.
Tickets are $10, and the event is free to the first 50 people to register. Please register with your full name and e-mail address. To reserve your place, go here.
Can’t make it October 25? Email the panel team at BuyinginBrooklyn@stribling.com to set up a one-on-one meeting.
The highly anticipated 111 W. 57th St. condo, on Billionaire’s Row, launched sales last week, with prices from $18 million to over $57 million. It ends a rocky few years for the under-construction luxury project, including lawsuits accusing developers JDS and Property Markets Group (PMG) of diluting the stake of an equity partner, and infighting that disrupted a previous sales effort. At a launch event, developers distanced the tower, which has made headlines for its slender silhouette, from the drama.
JDS, PMG and Spruce Capital Partners — along with SHoP Architects and William Sofield’s Studio Sofield — at last presented a model of the 1,428-foot tower rising above landmarked Steinway Hall. There will be 46 full-floor and duplex homes; interiors feature great rooms with 14-foot ceilings, marbled bathrooms and floor-to-ceiling windows. Building amenities include a lap pool with cabanas, a private dining room and a triple-height gym.
Contact: Douglas Elliman Development Marketing, 212-935-5757
Renowned architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, known for restoring classic NYC landmarks, has applied its craft to a new condo next to the historic Park Avenue Christian Church with 11 full-floor and duplex residences. Extell is behind the development, expected to launch sales later this fall, with prices starting at $12.95 million and a penthouse duplex promising a whopping price tag.
Lavish amenities include a 50-foot indoor pool, a fitness center with a teak sauna and changing rooms, a screening room and a circus-themed children’s playroom.
Rockaway Beach — a longstanding community that has become a popular summer day trip — is getting new condos. The 86-unit ground-up project at 133 Beach 116th St. kicked off sales with prices from $350,000 for one-beds and from $630,000 for two-beds.
Developed by the Marcal Group and designed by Fischer+Makooi, One Sixteen has white oak floors and stainless-steel appliances.
The quiet Brooklyn neighborhood of Kensington, a narrow swath south of Prospect Park and Green-Wood Cemetery between Ditmas Park and Borough Park, is getting a new arrival in the form of 264 Webster, a 63-unit condo. The brick-and-glass building, developed by Horizon Group and designed by Kutnicki Bernstein Architects, is the largest for-sale residential project to open in the neighborhood in several years. Interiors of the studios, one-, two- and three-bedrooms were handled by Brittany Marom Interior Design, though details on finishes have yet to be released.
When sales launch in October, expect pricing to range from $325,000 to $920,000. An amenities suite will include a part-time attended lobby, a library, a residents’ lounge, a playroom, a gym, a pet spa, parking, storage and a roof deck where residents can both grill and hang out.
Contact: Halstead Property Development Marketing, 718-878-1782
The arrival of new development in the Bronx continues with Bridgeline, a 91-unit rental building from JCAL Development Group. Studio, one- and two-bedroom units will be priced between $1,694 and $3,138 a month. Leasing is expected to launch later this month for the project at 329 E. 132nd St. in Mott Haven, a waterfront enclave with a mix of industrial and residential properties that’s been increasingly eyed for ground-up projects. Unlike other additions to the area, this one won’t include an affordable housing component.
Bridgeline will tout a 24/7 attended lobby, a furnished roof deck with city views, a residents’ lounge, a fitness center, outdoor parking and bike storage. Apartments, designed by Aufgang Architects, feature airy interiors with floor-to-ceiling windows, plus in-unit washers and dryers.
Contact: Citi Habitats New Developments, 212-685-7777
Flushing’s mixed-use Tangram development — which will include a 207-key hotel, a food hall, a beer garden and offices — is finally coming together. Now, the 13-story, 130-plus-unit condo Tangram House West is prepping for a late-fall sales launch. Half of the homes will have views of the city skyline, while the other half will face east with views of the development’s courtyard. All will have in-unit washer/dryers. (Pricing isn’t yet available.)
Building amenities include valet parking, a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a 60-foot indoor lap pool, an outdoor tennis court and a 3,800-square-foot pavilion with lounge space.
This 1908 landmarked private school on the Upper West Side is soon to begin its next life as a luxurious 13-unit condo. Developer and architect Tamarkin Co. finagled the building’s unique interior into spacious apartments with some quirks: There’s a unit called The Library, born from the school’s actual library.
Ceiling heights are so impressive that Tamarkin custom-designed library ladders for the kitchens to enable residents to reach the top cabinets.
The 13 residences range from three to five bedrooms, with no more than two apartments per floor. The sales launch is expected for later this month, with prices starting at $7.9 million. As for amenities, they’re on par with any classic Upper West Side residential building: a 24-hour doorman, a fitness center, a rec room, a stroller valet, private individual storage rooms, and additional cold storage and bike storage.
Contact: Sotheby’s International Realty and Stribling & Associates, 212-316-0555
ML House
Evolution Ventures
Want a rental apartment on a park block without schlepping uptown? The fall-launching ML House at 1050 Sixth Ave. is the only new luxury rental building to rise overlooking Bryant Park.
Skyline Developers is joining forces with architect Gene Kaufman for the 62-unit project, which ranges from studios to two-bedrooms. Pricing will start at roughly $3,500 monthly for a studio.
ML also has an indoor lounge, a fitness studio and an outdoor terrace.
Contact: Citi Habitats New Developments, 646-484-7808
Developed by Hudson Companies, this tower is about to debut on the site of the old Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Public Library branch. Its 36 stories hold 133 condos — from one-beds up through five-bedroom penthouses — with prices starting at $1.08 million.
Marvel Architects designed the limestone facade inspired by area brownstone neighborhoods.
StudioDB designed apartment interiors with white oak flooring and large windows.
A retail space will feature rotating food vendors curated by Smorgasburg. One Clinton will also, of course, house a state-of-the-art library branch.
In the typical New York way, a long-standing icon is being replaced by a condo. The Financial District’s popular J&R Music World, which closed in 2014 after decades in business, is giving way to the 110-unit 25 Park Row. L+M Development Partners, along with J&R owners Joe and Rachelle Friedman, teamed up for this project, which ranges from one- to five-bedrooms.
It launches sales this fall, and pricing begins at an estimated $1.65 million. Every home has views overlooking City Hall Park. Amenities include a 65-foot swimming pool, a landscaped dining terrace and on-site parking.
Fall is bursting with events for everyone—culture buffs, sports fans, foodies, families, music lovers and those who simply can’t wait for the holiday season. Enjoy the return of annual favorites like the BAM Next Wave Festival, the Met Opera’s newest season, the Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival and the Village Halloween Parade. Later in the season, take in holiday celebrations like the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden, The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet and the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Must-see exhibitions this season include an Andy Warhol retrospective at the Whitney, a look at the magic of Harry Potter by the New-York Historical Society and Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color at the Museum of FIT. For details on these and many other happenings, read on.
