Frinjc wrote:
You mean that the tax would skyrocket AFTER the abatement expires right? If this is the case then Dixon banked on the delayed reval to keep taxes low for a while but it should not prevent their properties from being reassessed and them paying a higher rate right post-reval. They could refuse to have their properties visited and argue out of partial renovation paperwork (if they did so) but I am sure it would backfire considering they have rented many of them and people know what's inside. The goal for Dixon as part of the HCA maybe to cool people down post-reval and get as much info on people's properties to do the right appeals if they can. At this point my position on them has turned to neutral.

MDM wrote:
Dixon did a partial gut - rehab (twice because the 1st contractor didn't do such a good job), including a tear off / replace of the roof on the property next to mine. This was a house previously occupied by a hoarder with 30+ cats. My block no longer smells like cat piss. So personally, I have no negative issues with Dixon.

As for abatements.. 1-4 unit buildings are eligible for a 5 year abatement for major renovations, regardless who owns them (owner occupied or investor). You don't report rent income on units 4 or less to the city since they are not rent controlled and are taxed as residential (tax assessment based on comparison sales.. not rent income). So what exactly is this 'special' abatement that Dixon is getting?

SRhia wrote:
Sad, but I must agree true.

However, it's still nice to have some ball park figures though. Neither my parents, nor my husband's parents ever owned a home in USA (we're both 1st generation immigrants). And we currently own a condo. So the cost structure is very different between the two, and I honestly have very little idea/knowledge what it takes to own and maintain a brownstone.

I always like to know as much as I could before jumping into anything. And the way I approach if/when we can "upgrade" to a brownstone is to begin with how much we can afford every month (say $x) to spend on all housing related costs. From $x, I'd deduct all the fixed/known expenses such as: heating, Water/sewage/property tax/insurance/average repair per month. And whatever's left would be how much mortgage we can afford, and from that I can calculate how much "house" I can afford.

It's been good to hear everyone's input. I'm a bit surprised to hear that a couple making $400K/yr could not afford a brownstone with ease. That's very sad.

RUinHamiltonPark wrote:
Quote:

dtjcview wrote:
Quote:

radryan03 wrote:
It's simple - people shouldnt be using Erie as a pass through street for their commute. I am all for making it painful to drive through Hamilton Park and any other neighborhood in JC. Even with the stop signs... I am regularly rushed by cars at the stops and would gamble I'm not the only one.
...

Totally agree. I think the City needs to close that entire block during school hours.

At the very least, force all traffic right on Erie and Pavonia - those using Erie as a cut-through to the Holland Tunnel need to be inconvenienced as much as possible.

So I should be later for work leaving the city where I pay taxes for what reason again?

No one is crossing at Pavonia. They're crossing at 8th and 9th to go to the PATH. 8th is where the trouble is. Yet there is no bump heading up to that lethal intersection. Pavonia doesn't even have oncoming traffic. This is just a bunch of whining from the neighborhood association. If someone told them a 6 story building was going up or there was a kale sale they'd forget about it.

This will just ADD more cars on MORE streets.

The whole problem is that what Fulop has been doing is letting the neighborhoods determine traffic flow instead of engineers. I trust engineers on this stuff more than yoga instructors.

mikerush wrote:
Is way to big. Ive seen a dozen cars mess up there front ends hitting it. Also. there are 2 stop signs 300 feet from each other, why do you need a freaking speed bump.
Someone please explain why this oversized hidden unnecessary speed bump exists?

jeeper275 wrote:
Anyone have a good experience with pre-natal yoga in Jersey City? Or a studio they prefer which also offers pre-natal? Thanks!

Monroe wrote:
Isn't one advantage of buying in JC (everything else being the same) the 3.5% sales tax?? One way or another I'd use that as leverage if dealing with an out of area dealer.

1stStGuy wrote:
On a (somewhat) related note: can anyone recommend some good public courses that don't require any township/county residence cards to reserve tee times?

Anywhere in the Hudson, Bergen, Essex counties would do. Possibly even Union County.

HPYC wrote:
This time I think we need to pass a requirement that the Chief of Police actually live in the city he/she is tasked with protecting. We've got no more use for officials who use the city as an ATM but don't really care how safe or clean it is because they and their families don't live here.

MattSchapiro wrote:
Baker Doors -- 201-988-0524

Worked with Jeff Baker more than once and recommend him highly.