Brooklyn Real Estate Q&A and Info

One of the first things I did when I moved to Clinton Hill, Brooklyn was get a parking ticket.  I got another a few days after that, and my car was completely towed away one bright and sunny Monday morning when I parked my car the night before near St Joseph’s College on Vanderbilt Avenue and didn’t move it by 11:00 am.

Well, here’s some good news for anyone who has a car who is looking to move to Fort Greene or Clinton Hill (and for people who already live here).   The DOT is reducing alternate side parking from 4 days a week to only 2 days a week.   Hurray!

In preparation for the new regulation,  starting Monday, May 18, 2009, Street Cleaning/Alternate Side Parking Regulations will be temporarily suspended in the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill sections of Brooklyn’s Community District 2 for approximately six to eight weeks while  2,000 new signs are installed with the new reduced regulations.

The area that is getting the new regulations are within the borders of the following:

North: Flushing Avenue (included) from Navy Street to Classon Avenue.

East: Classon Avenue (included) from Flushing Avenue to Fulton Street.(the true border of Clinton Hill and Bedstuy)

South: Fulton Street (not included) from Classon Avenue to Flatbush Avenue.

West: Flatbush Avenue (not included) from Fulton Street to Myrtle Avenue; Myrtle Avenue (included) from Flatbush Avenue to Navy Street; Navy Street (not included) Myrtle Avenue to Flushing Avenue.

This is another great reason to call Clinton Hill and Fort Greene home.  DOT, myself and my soon to be purchased Caddy CTS thanks you.

An article in Crains New York Business shows that “The median sales price for the market fell to $490,000, down 7.5% compared to the same period (fourth Quarter) of 2007.”

On a bright note, it was reported that Clinton Hill and Fort Greene saw an increase in prices.

One thing that the 2008 real estate sales statistics for Brooklyn New York show is that despite the downturn in the market and the economic recession, houses, condos, coops and all types of property are still being sold in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn New York 2008 Sales

One Family Houses Sold – 1,516
Two Family Houses Sold – 2,791
Three Family Houses Sold – 1,043
Buildings With Three Or More Families Sold – 871
Condos Sold – 3,282
Coops Sold – 2,421
Others Sold – 941

Total Properties Sold – 12,865

Of couse I can’t not show the statistics for my three favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene and Bedford Stuyvesant.

Clinton Hill

One Family Houses Sold – 3
Two Family Houses Sold – 22
Three Family Houses Sold – 5
Buildings With Three Or More Families Sold – 19
Condos Sold – 45
Coops Sold – 70
Others Sold – 17

Total Properties Sold – 181

Fort Greene

One Family Houses Sold – 3
Two Family Houses Sold – 12
Three Family Houses Sold – 9
Buildings With Three Or More Families Sold – 11
Condos Sold – 133
Coops Sold – 55
Others Sold – 9

Total Properties Sold – 232

Bedford Stuyvesant 

One Family Houses Sold – 32
Two Family Houses Sold – 241
Three Family Houses Sold – 146
Buildings With Three Or More Families Sold – 83
Condos Sold – 125
Coops Sold – 0
Others Sold – 76

Total Properties Sold - 703

These statistics are compiled from data from the NYC Dept of Finance and exclude zero dollar transactions.

If you are looking to sell your house, coop or condo, give me a call at 917-544-2662 for exceptional service with a smile and get it sold.

According to an article in the Brooklyn Eagle, Mayor Bloomberg signed legislation on Tuesday, 12/30/08, that establishes the Fulton Street Business Improvement District (Bid).  The Mayor stated that the BIDS budget for the first year of operation is $300,000.

This is good news for property owners in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene.  The improvement of the commercial corridor along Fulton Street between Rockwell Place and Classon Avenue will help make Clinton Hill/Ft Greene even more desirable to live in (which helps to increase property values) and will hopefully give us a cleaner, more attractive street with more stores and restaurants to patronize.

For more info about the BID, click here.

Here’s a little article posted in the New York Times about the proposed Fulton Street Business Improvement District (BID).

The BID will run along Fulton Street from Rockwell Place all the way to Classon Avenue which passes through both Ft Greene and Clinton Hill. Business that are located in the BID will be required to pay a fee. The fee covers extra security, street cleaning and holiday decorations as well as marketing efforts and other items to improve the area.

Opponents of the BID, particulary in the Clinton Hill end of the mile long stretch the BID covers, are worried that the cost will cause their already failing business to totally collapse.

To see the benefits of a BID, you just have to walk a few blocks over to Myrtle Avenue. When I first moved into the area, Myrtle was not a very inviting place to shop, and I would typically either go to Downtown Brooklyn, or Manhattan to buy what I need. Now, Myrtle Avenue is well lit and cleaner with many new shops and restaurants.  I can now say I shop on Myrtle Avenue weekly.

The Myrtle Avenue BID helps merchants get new signage and provides other benefits that, from my consumers point of view, has only helped to make Myrtle Avenue more vibrant, which in turn must have helped merchants make more money.

Time will tell whether or not a Fulton Street Bid will help do the same for the ailing portions of Fulton Street that the Myrtle Avenue BID has done along Myrtle Avenue.

US News and World Report has published its latest list of the top 100 Public High Schools in the nation. They compiled the list by examining the data from 21,069 schools from the 2006-2007 school year. They used a three step process to determine a schools eligibility for the list, and the schools ranking. For a detailed explanation of the criteria they used, go to usnews.com.

Eight High Schools in New York City made the list, one right here in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Technical High School in Fort Greene Brooklyn ranked #67. The other New York City Public High Schools that made the top 100 are as follows:

#23 – Stuyvesant High School – New York, NY 10282
#29 – High School of American Studies at Lehman College – Bronx, NY 10468
#31 – Dual Language and Asian Studies High School – New York, NY 10002
#32 – Staten Island Technical High School – Staten Island, NY 10306
#33 – Bronx High School of Science – Bronx, NY 10468
#48 – Queens High School of Science of York College – Jamaica, NY 11451
#67 – Brooklyn Technical High School – Brooklyn, NY 11217
#71 – Townsend Harris High School – Flushing, NY 11367

The inclusion of so many New York City Schools on this list, 8 out 27,000 schools nation wide, is a big accomplishment and shows that the city’s public school system, though not perfect, does have some bright spots.

Fort Greene Brooklyn has a number of spectacular places to live, but none outshines University Towers Cooperative Apartments.  The co-ops complex consists of three sixteen-story apartment buildings located at 122 Ashland Place, 191 Willoughby Street, and 175 Willoughby Street. 

One of the things that I’ve found most impressive about the complex is the 5 1/2 acres of beautifully manicured lawns and stately trees that are accented by a charming gazebo.

The apartments are quite spacious with wood flooring and large windows that let in a lot light.  Take a look at the many amenities that the co-op provides, and you’ll see why University Towers is a great choice for fine living in Fort Greene.

1. 549 Apartments
2. Huge cash reserves of 6 million dollars (in 10/08)
3. 75% Owner Occupied
4. Hardwood Floors
5. Laundry facilities in the building
6. 24 Hour Security
7. Fitness Room
8. Onsite Parking Available
9. Playground
10. Barbeque Pits for residents use
11. Two blocks from the Dekalb Avenue Station
12. 5 minutes to Metrotech, Polytechnic and Long Island University

With prices that are still are very reasonable for Fort Greene (a 1 Bedroom/ 1 Bath apartment was selling for $473,000 in 10/08), University Towers is a great place to get a good bang for your buck and still enjoy high-end amenities.

View Larger Map

If you would like to find out more about the apartments for sale in University Towers, please give me a call at 917-544-2662 or 718-338-3380 or click here to email me.

When you’re a parent, one of the first things you look for when you’re planning to move your family to a new neighborhood is the location of the schools.

This brief little article which will help take the guess work out of finding the local schools in the Clinton Hill /Fort Greene area.

Elementary Schools

P.S. 20 Clinton Hill School
225 Adelphi Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Phone: (718) 834-6744
Public School
Pre-K to 5th Grade
P.S. 20 Website

P.S. 11 Purvis J Behan School
419 Waverly Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718-638-2661
Public School
Pre-K to 6th Grade
M.S. 113 Website

P.S. 46 Edward C. Blum
100 Clermont Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
718-834-7694
Public School
Pre-K to 5th Grade
PS 46 Website

Queen of All Saints Elementary School
300 Vanderbilt Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
718-857-3114
Private School
Kindergarden to 8th Grade

Junior High Schools

M.S. 113 Ronald Edmonds Learning Center
300 Adelphi Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
718-834-6734
Public School
6th – 8th Grade
M.S. 113 Website

High Schools

Benjamin Banneker Academy
71-77 Clinton Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718-797-3702
Public School
9th – 12th Grade
Benjamin Banneker Website

Brooklyn Technical High School
29 Fort Greene Place
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-804-6400
9th – 12th Grade
Brooklyn Tech Website

Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School
357 Clermont Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
718-857-2700
Private School
9th – 12th Grade
Bishop Loughlin Website