Dandrej

Dandrej (noun) don-d-ray

1 : a combination of the names Dana and Andrej

2 : the amazing and hard-working superintendent couple of the 140 East 2^nd Street Coop

<Dondrej’s downstairs working in the rec-room>  <thankfully, Dondrej was there to clean up the aftermath>

“You could eat off these floors,” said our new managing agent, Linda during a recent visit to the building. She’s always impressed by the cleanliness and by how much our staff cares. Linda tells me that this is one of the cleanest buildings her company manages, with among the most pleasant and hard-working staff. Our managing agents are just figuring out what we’ve known for years—that we win in the superintendent department!

Dana (pronounced Donna) and Andrej have been our staff for almost a decade, having lived here even longer than that. I’ve heard spooky stories from both shareholders and longtime renters of the state of this building when they inherited it from the last super. Disrepair and dirt from top to bottom. When they took over, they started cleaning right away and have been hard at work ever since.

Brancaccio’s Food Shop

I have been stalking the old Maki Sushi spot for roughly four months. Peeking between cracks in the window covering. Emailing the owner of Maki Sushi (she’s out of the country.) Trying get a hold of the space’s new owner through every source possible. Finally! Today, as I walked by not only were the lights on– the door was unlocked! Poor folks didn’t know what hit them.

Welcome to Brancaccio’s Food Shop– a prepared food market, with pretty high end options if you ask me. They officially open their doors this Thursday afternoon– to show us what they’re made of and hopefully knock our socks off.

Chef Joe Brancaccio, formerly of Agata & Valentina (a quick google search of this guy will impress you) plans to offer items such as Pot Roast with Porcini Mushroom, Roasted Chicken, Poached Salmon and various Pastas. Just to name a few. There will not be a strictly set menu, as dishes will be designed around what’s fresh and good quality. You have to respect that.

Joe recently wrapped up a project in Manhattan called KidFresh. A healthy organic ready-made food shop for up-town kids and their on-the-go parents. When asked if he plans to offer any of those options in his new shop, he answered “I don’t do just healthy anymore.” Hey– that works for me!

I was given a hefty taste of the freshly made caponata– unbelievable. Seriously good stuff. It wasn’t sour like the dish can some times be. As well, the pot roast with mushrooms and onion was exactly the savory dish you imagine, but can never quite create on your own. Delish. Nothing heavy handed or over done about anything I tried. Everything I put into my mouth was well prepared, good quality and yummy.

Stop in later this week on your way home to welcome Joe and his crew– and to grab some pretty fabulous dinner.

Located on Ft Hamilton Between East 2nd Street and East 3rd Street.

Phone: 718-435-1997
Sun 10-5
Mon 10-8
Tues closed
Wed-Fri 10-8
Sat 10-7

Rec-Room for Families!

Click on the image to see it larger!

For years there has been talk of wanting a rec-room in this building. What a great amenity. What a wonderful draw for new families looking to buy. What a relief to parents with kids (and those who live around them.) Well, it took some determination and work, but we’ve got one!

When starting this project a great deal of research went into insurance coverage, the overall safety of the space and how to make it a low cost project. It turns out the insurance was a no brainer- we’ve always been covered for this and it cost us nothing extra! The space itself took some serious volunteer elbow grease.

Recent Sale

A recent sale in our building? The available studio on the first floor closed in early December. Apartment 1U went for $84,200 which is $65,800 under the original asking price of $150,000.

Why so low? I am told it was a cash sale, which may have helped the buyer in negotiations. I’m also told that the buyer is a local man whose family has lived in the area for generations.

I looked at the space in person when it was first offered. Although a very nice size for a Brooklyn studio, It’s pretty small for a purchase. What I mean by that is– Apartments of that size seem more like something you rent than something you buy. I’m guessing the sponsor was willing to deal knowing that another offer might not come in any time soon.

Apartment 1U opens into a nice sized foyer, which I think would make a great space for clothes storage and a desk. The bathroom is the expected size, but is in classic sponsor-bathroom disrepair. The living/sleeping space is a similar size to most of our living rooms but with a tiny alcove kitchen attached. Nice floors, front facing.

To give you a sense of what a steal this sale is, let me tell you about the studio I bought just over two years ago. Mine is roughly 150sf bigger than apartment 1U making it pretty big for a Brooklyn studio. It has a large separate kitchen (similar in size to the kitchens in the O and B lines). The deal went down at $183,000. Yes– that’s almost $100,000 more than apartment 1U. Ouch– that smarts!

Personally, I’m mixed about the sale price of apartment 1U, but leaning toward the positive. There is no denying that it’s low. We all know it casts a bit of a shadow on sale prices. That said, if this is a sign of the sponsor’s willingness to continue being more reasonable in his negotiations and thus selling off his shares– I am all for it. I think we can afford to ride out low sale prices in this market. It’s not like it’s a good time to put our places on the market anyway, right?

Seasonal Giving

It’s the gift giving season– and finances are a little tight for a lot of people this year. The subject of tipping building staff came up in a conversation recently and it got me thinking. Every year it feels complicated and confusing. Research this topic and you’ll come up with numbers ranging from $20 to $500 and a trip to the Bahamas.

Obviously, our staff are not expecting an all expenses paid vacation. But– a little something to let them know you appreciate the work they do might be nice. If they did something extra for you this year, now might be a good time to remember that. Maybe you were locked out at 3am and woke them up to let you in. In my case, a leaky kitchen faucet was driving me insane.

All else aside– if you’re feeling the constraints of the times we’re in, don’t feel like you need to break the bank. Sometimes, just knowing you thought of them makes all the difference.

…..
Full time emplyees:

Our Super’s name is Donna
Our Porter’s name is Derrick

Enjoy the winter holiday everyone!

One More for Sale…

Apartment 2J is for sale by a shareholder. This apartment is a front facing one bedroom.

The apartment opens into a huge foyer. It can easily house a dining set for 6 or 8, with room to spare. The living room and bedroom are also a nice large size. Good sized kitchen and bathroom. This is an enviable layout– largest of the one bedroom layouts available in this building. I have been in this apartment and can vouch for what a great space it is.

Asking: $310K.

http://hotpads.com/search/listing/5612960_VLSHomes#lat=40.6484&lon=-73.9793&zoom=20&previewId=5612960_VLSHomes&previewType=listing&detailsOpen=true&listingTypes=sale,newHome,foreclosure&pricingFrequency=once&loan=30,0.0525,0&visible=new,viewed,favorite

For Sale at 140

This time around the Sponsor did not want to give his prices. Perhaps he likes an air of mystery.  To help give a sense of what I think he will start at, I have provided estimates based on his most recent offerings.

When you contact the Sponsor, please be willing to provide comps to aid in negotiations. You can find them on trulia.com and propertyshark.com. Remember the comp should have sold in the last six months and be located within a one mile radius of this building.

Also, haggle haggle haggle!