Antiqua is not recommended at all by me. They charged a lot of money, left crap all over the front yard, the guys showed up a total of 3 days for a couple of hours at a time (for $4,500) and left without finishing the job or even addressing the cornice and flashing along the roofline-basically did nothing. Now, 4 years later, the porch is falling apart and the railing has completely detached from the column. You'd never think think this was a new porch.

When's your move-in date? What's your budget? Do you like old Victorian houses?

At first I believed it but now I agree that it's very far-fetched.
Especially the certified letter part--unless the landlord retarded, they would know that they don't have a legal leg to stand on....

No. I did the paint removal myself. Home Depot sells "Peel Away" in different formulas--numbers. I used peel away 7. You brush it on thickly and cover it for 24 hours with paper that they sell with it. Then it scrapes off and the residue is cleaned with water and steel wool. I know it sounds awful but the stuff doesn't smell or burn you skin at all. It's non-toxic. I saw some workers Hoboken removing the paint from a rowhouse in Hoboken with Peel Away. Boy did I feel sorry for them. It's something you could hire out to cheap labor--there's really no skill involved.....

C & M floors (of Hoboken or Jersey City, don't remember which) did 2 rooms downstairs in my Victorian and they used Waterlox. They have experience using it. You could hire someone to "peel-away" the lead painted floor in the other room. It's non-toxic and it would remove the paint between the gaps because it gets rinsed down with water and steel wool and that really gets into those gaps. I did this upstairs in a room in my house.

The painted floors in you 100 year old house are almost certainly lead paint. I would do both rooms at the same time and hire a dustless sanding guy. It's the only safe way to remove the paint and it's actually law now. If you wait and have just the painted floor room done separately, it'll probably cost a lot more. Your pine floors sound thick enough to not worry about another sanding down the road. My pine (or fir) I'm not sure which are in delicate condition and cannot take another sanding. They are the original subfloors, as Brewster mentioned above. but that does diminish their beauty at all, in my opinion. I don't know if you visit the old house blogs like I do but I can tell you that the subfloors were final floors when they were built and not meant to be covered like the new houses nowadays. Most people who value the beauty of an old house will restore these subfloors and enjoy as they were meant to be enjoyed and seen.

Waterlox. It's part tung oil and part resin. It's oil-based and smells a lot and takes awhile to cure but it is low-voc now. What's nice is that it's old-school, not plasticy like a polyurethane. Even more important, if it scratches, you can spot wipe with some more and the scratches will go away--you dont' have to sand the whole floor as you would to "refresh" a polyurethane. This can be important because these old floors often don't have enough surface to do another sanding.

Please make sure that this pipe isn't venting carbon monoxide from either the furnace or the water heater. You shouldn't touch that pipe without having someone professional--PSE&G-- for example, take a look at it. Carbon monoxide kills.

There's a poster up on a tree on Ogden Avenue (one block from the park toward Franklin) that says they lost their pet parrot but it's pink in the photograph. Next time I walk by there (tomorrow) I'll call them and tell them to check out the park although it seems like they probably already have since it's a likely place for a parrot to go.

Green glue is a very good thing. It's expensive but worth it. What you really need is a sheetrocker--this will be cheaper than a soundproofing company. Spend the money on materials. Use 2 layers of sheetrock with green glue in between--like a peanut butter sandwich. Use quiet rock for at least one of those layers. Buy some acoustical caulk for around the outlets and things should be very quiet.

You probably got a ticket for painting the cornice because of the new lead paint law that went into effect on October 1rst. Since it's exterior painting, you'd need to hire trained and licenced lead removal people and they'll wrap the house etc... to prevent the lead dust from becoming airborne.

Leases should be rewritten so that the security deposit includes not just damages but also bedbug infestation. This would help. There seems to be such widespread hatred toward landlords. I've always had nice landlords....Fulop should have made the tenant and landlord equally responsible for the financial costs of a bedbug infestation because it requires both parties cooperation to get rid of them and the chances are 50/50 as to who brings them in the house. (Although, I think it's more likely to be a tenant unless the landlord travels a lot and picks them up in a hotel....)

I agree you shouldn't pay twice as much to buy something as it is to rent it. Just wait for market to go down more. It's likely to cost somewhat more to own verses rent but twice as much is bubble-land prices still. Owner-occupied two-families and 3-families can certainly tell their tenant they need to leave. They have to give them adequate notice or simply don't renew their annual lease. I don't know the law for larger apartment buildings but banking your security on the owner in today's " just walk away from your mortgage" environment, I would think, does create any feeling of long-term security for a tenant.
I think if you're really really underwater, it makes sense to walk away. I'm going to hang in there because I don't think it'll take 30 years for me to break even and I've put a lot of work into the house. So far as the property tax reevaluation, if you bought at the height of the market, your taxes should stay the same and if they raise them, then you appeal. A lot of people have been successfully appealing.

Rent plus utilities should be roughly the same as a mortgage payment in a non-bubble market. If this were the case, it would make sense to buy rather than rent. Rents will always increase over time. Mortgages decrease overtime (slowly at first because it's all interest which is also tax deductible). By the time I'm 65, I'd pay off the mortgage and be left with a few hundred a month for property taxes verses a few thousand...Also, when you own, as long as you cough up the cash every month, nobody can make you move. With a rental, you're at the mercy of the life decisions of your landlord--"You have to move because I'm selling the house" or "My cousin needs a place to live so I'm renting him your place. Sorry." If you own a dog and 2 cats (like I do) and need to suddenly find a new rental--that's a stressful situation. I'm also the type of person who cares deeply about wall colors and decorating and "nesting." I realize not everyone is so invested emotionally in their home.

I like the atmosphere here and my boyfriend likes the fries and burger but I have tried to order the omelette 3 times now and been told it's not available.They should buy some eggs or remove it from the menu. This kind of stuff should not be happening with a new restaurant. I almost ordered the crabcake appetizer but the waiter warned me that it was a very small portion for $12.00 and that I would probably be disappointed. Again, make the crabcakes a little bigger so the staff doesn't have to apologize for them.

Crime may be everywhere but the stuff I described above all happened in a 3 week period and within a 3 block radius from my house. There are many other muggings and robberies of chinese food delivery men etc... that happenend as well in the last several months. I used to joke that at least I don't hear gunfire at night in my living room. No longer the case.

I've lived in the Heights (in the "East Village" area) for 7 years and I used to feel like it was safe but in the last few weeks, there have been 5 incidents nearby. A guy was beat up and mugged at 10 pm on Hancock and Griffith; a girl was mugged at 5:30 am at Palisade and Griffith; gunshots were fired on Hancock and Bower 10 pmish. A guy was shot in the back while driving his motorcyle on Central near Reservoir; Another shooting occurred on Congress and Sherman Avenue...These are only the ones that come to mind. Maybe it's a delayed reaction to the economy or there are more gangs in the area now (I heard that some housing project closed and everyone moved up here) but I don't feel as safe anymore. And I'm not the alarmist type. I hope things get better because I can't sell anytime soon with the market the way it is.

I had lunch there on Saturday with my boyfriend. We were excited about the opening because we used to enjoy having brunch outside there weekends. My boyfriend is extremely picky about his hamburger (too many Chef Ramsey television) and he was very pleased with the burger (cooked perfectly) the fries (fresh potatos and crispy) and the roll (fresh but not as good as the Embankment's burger roll). The service was perfect. I was disappointed in the lobster roll because I was expecting a traditional version (ie, melted butter or mayonnaise with lobster) so even though it was fresh and plentiful it was also very "salad-like" with cherry tomatoes, lemon flavor and guacamole. I think it would help to have a brief description in the menu for items like this that have different interpretations.

OK. I take it back. I just read about someone in Rhode Island who bought a firehouse only to discover that the mortar between the bricks was made from beach sand (seashells included) in 1902 and had turned to DUST. Gravity alone was holding up the building. They dissassembled and reassembled the entire building--brick by brick. Nightmare!

$500,000?????
That number is suspiciously high. You need a structural engineer to give it a look. We'll see who shows up to bid next week.

I'm not happy about these muggings at all. I always felt safe in that area--until now. With summer coming, it's only going to get louder and more dangerous. I'm thinking that if it's the same 3 dudes it may not be a trend for the hood as much as a temporary problem. At least, I hope.

No. It isn't the Park Hamilton. It's in the heights. I sold my condo and put part of the profit into escrow for the buyers to cover the assessment for them. It hurt to give up the money but I'm glad I'm not there anymore even though I LOVED my place. It was-and is--a beautiful loft but I imagine there's a lot of negative energy swirling around the building over this assessment especially with the housing market and economy the way it is now.

I know. It's crazy. I was SHOCKED when that number came in. We assumed the assessment would be around $5000.00 per unit. It's a 28 unit building--a former factory built in 1901 which was converted to condo in 1988. They added a penthouse level at that time (probably incorrectly) and the roof has been leaking and patched and patched again for the last 20 years. Finally, they hired Falcon Engineering to do core samples etc... really probe what's causing the leak. The solution is not only a new roof but also repointing of the brick. The charge just to have the engineer on-site to make sure it's done right is $35,000.....I don't live there anymore and it's an ongoing problem because people can't afford the assessment. I shudder to think what this recent weather has done to the affected apartments there.

Usually the inspection is done sooner so that if there are problems you can either back out of the deal or negotiate with the owner for lower price or fix the problems. You shouldn't take this lightly. Also, with condos, you need to be aware of the condition of the whole building-especially the roof or you could face special assessments. Hopefully you've looked at the minutes from the board meetings and you know the building has a reserve fund etc... I don't mean to sound doom and gloomy but my former condo passed an assessment of $20,000.00 per unit (depending on size) for roof leaks.

I live in the heights, right near Riverview Fiske park and that area of Ogden is wonderful with a community garden etc....However, the further south you go, starting as close as Franklin Street, the more sketchy it becomes. Having lived in Hoboken, I'm sure you've used the light rail elevator. If not, you'd be amazed how easy and safe it is to walk down to Hoboken from Ogden and Congress. It' packed with people and takes about 5 minutes to get to some cute uptown Hoboken restaurants.

It's funny that the interest in this thread is about who delivers food that late at night to Jersey City. While I'd like to know as well, who delivers that late, I'm also concerned because I live a few feet from the "incident" and I used to feel that the area was pretty safe, relatively speaking...Any opinions on whether the crime in the heights has gone up with the recession?

Can anyone recommend a local (Jersey City or Hoboken) CPA who is familiar with depreciation. I bought a 2-family last year intending to rent one floor but have not been able to refinance and thus pay for some basic work that needs to be done before I can rent it. I've heard depreciation deductions can be great but I'd like a CPA who specializes in landlord and real estate matters.

V. dramatic headline. I'm sure most people assumed the break-in occurred at 3 am or some other ungodly hour in the middle of the night. Still, the landlord should have called you earlier to arrange the exterminating thing in advance. I don't know the whole story about what the violations are etc...but I'm surprised that you're so APALLED by the drop-by visit. I definitely would be annoyed with the landlord but it's pretty clear to me that she procrastinated re: the violations and at the last moment is finally addressing them before the next day's inspection. If the situation is that bad in the apartment maybe you should have let the exterminator solve the problem while he was there. Again, I don't know the history but I would always try to solve an issue with the landlord directly and if it didn't work then I would just move rather than report them to the authorities. It's just not worth it. I don't want to live a war zone.

Umm, he was within inches of snarling, growling and angry dogs who would have attacked him if they could have. No wagging tails here.

Umm, I consider that a close encounter. Do the teeth have to penetrate the skin for it to be a close encounter for you because it that's it' no longer a "close encounter" it's an actual "encounter."

Just wanted to add my 2 cents here regarding fear of pit bulls vs. fear of glass coffee tables. Even if the odds of being killed by either are equal, I believe that people have an inbred/primal fear of being "eaten alive" or mauled etc..that's hardwired in us from our caveman days. Hence the popularity of the movie "JAWS!" whereas the movie "GLASS COFFEE TABLES!" had low
box office. : )

My boyfriend works for UPS and has had over 4 close encounters with snarling and aggressive dogs in the last 5 months. Luckily they were leashed or behind doors but if anyone has ever experienced an angry dog (I have) it is a frightening experience. If I were walking down the street and I saw some dude with an unleased pit bull, I would cross the street, go home and report him to the cops. Not that they'd actually show up.