Greatest Real Estate Finds

[Lotus-eater]

Bette Davis's "Witch Way" with spectacular views:

Bette Davis’s Former Maine Estate in Photos

ROBBREPORT.COM

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The eight-acre oceanfront property where the "All About Eve" star lived for a decade is now on the market in Cape Elizabeth for $15 million.

Edited July 23 by Lotus-eater

[samhexum]

Tenants and elected officials gathered in Glendale Saturday afternoon to protest against what they described as “displacement tactics” enforced by the landlord of three residential buildings on Clover Place — accusations which the landlord strongly denies.

Residents at 56-07, 56-11 and 56-21 Clover Pl. have accused the building’s new owners of attempting to misclassify their homes as condominiums in what they describe as an unlawful attempt to strip them of rent-stabilized units.

Tenants joined state Sen. Mike Gianaris and Assemblymembers Jenifer Rajkumar and Maritza Dávila to protest outside the buildings on Aug. 2, where they alleged that they were being forced to choose between rent hikes of up to 50% or an eviction. Advocates argued that the rent hikes are illegal under New York State’s Good Cause Eviction laws, which protect tenants from unreasonable evictions and rent increases.

[Lotus-eater]

1 hour ago, samhexum said:

Tenants and elected officials gathered in Glendale Saturday afternoon to protest against what they described as “displacement tactics” enforced by the landlord of three residential buildings on Clover Place — accusations which the landlord strongly denies.

Residents at 56-07, 56-11 and 56-21 Clover Pl. have accused the building’s new owners of attempting to misclassify their homes as condominiums in what they describe as an unlawful attempt to strip them of rent-stabilized units.

Tenants joined state Sen. Mike Gianaris and Assemblymembers Jenifer Rajkumar and Maritza Dávila to protest outside the buildings on Aug. 2, where they alleged that they were being forced to choose between rent hikes of up to 50% or an eviction. Advocates argued that the rent hikes are illegal under New York State’s Good Cause Eviction laws, which protect tenants from unreasonable evictions and rent increases.

"However, representatives of 56 Clover Realty LLC, who bought the three buildings in April, have pushed back strongly against the accusations, stating that the three buildings were never rent-stabilized and have always contained condominiums. They further argued that tenants are not protected by Good Cause Eviction laws because the law does not apply to condos...

Deeds provided by 56 Clover Realty appear to indicate that all 24 units in the three buildings are designated as condos.

...Dávila said residents can’t afford a 50% rent hike and can’t stomach the prospect of being forced to leave their long-term homes.

She conceded that the buildings may not have been officially rent-stabilized but said the previous landlord had been treating it as such by offering tenants one- or two-year leases."

If even she concedes the point, then their case is weak (landlords are free to charge below what the market will bear, but that doesn't bind the new owners when the leases are up for renewal). Judgment for 56 Clover Realty. Next case!

Edited August 4 by Lotus-eater

[Luv2play]

On 7/23/2025 at 4:52 PM, Lotus-eater said:

Bette Davis's "Witch Way" with spectacular views:

Bette Davis’s Former Maine Estate in Photos

ROBBREPORT.COM

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The eight-acre oceanfront property where the "All About Eve" star lived for a decade is now on the market in Cape Elizabeth for $15 million.

I love the location but I would want a more rustic style house on that lot. The type with gables and shingles on the walls and roof. A more weathered look with lots of dark wood in the interiors. 
Then open the windows at night and hear the ocean roar and the wind blow. Ummm. 

[samhexum]

A New York City suburb is pushing new development to lower rent

APPLE.NEWS

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Wall Street Journal reporter Rebecca Picciotto joins Morning Joe to discuss her latest reporting on how the...

Wall Street Journal reporter Rebecca Picciotto joins Morning Joe to discuss her latest reporting on how the town of New Rochelle, NY is bringing down the cost of rent.

[samhexum]

In April 2023, as a bitter debate raged between landlords, tenants and policymakers over how to bring vacant, low-cost apartments back to the rental market during a severe housing crunch, Mayor Eric Adams and city officials stepped in with a solution.

If property owners were willing to renovate worn-out, rent stabilized apartments that were sitting vacant, the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development would reimburse them up to $25,000 as long as they agreed to lease the units to low-income tenants with housing vouchers.

The Unlocking Doors program was billed as a way to address the “warehousing” of empty apartments that landlords say are too expensive to repair after longtime tenants leave because they can’t make enough back in monthly rent to cover the costs.

But nearly two-and-a-half years later, just one property owner has completed an Unlocking Doors application — and then opted not to go through with the process to get the money. Another submitted an incomplete application before dropping out, according to city data.

City housing officials say the lack of participants is proof that warehousing of vacant, rent-stabilized apartments isn’t as big of a problem as some have made it out to be — despite claims to the contrary from landlord groups and some tenants who say they live in buildings full of empty apartments. Landlords say the program comes with too much uncertainty and will lock them into unprofitable rents for years to come.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development, or HPD, is now sweetening the deal by doubling the potential reimbursement to $50,000 in hopes of finally enticing some owners to put the units back on the market.

NYC will pay landlords to fix up empty apartments. No one has taken the offer. - Gothamist

GOTHAMIST.COM

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The city will reimburse some landlords up to $50,000 to repair and rent out “warehoused” apartments...

 

Edited Monday at 06:06 PM by samhexum
but he can't really explain why

[samhexum]

Residents at Rochdale Village, one of the largest Mitchell-Lama co-op housing complexes in the country, staged a protest Sunday against proposed rate hikes that could rise as high as 30%.

Residents on Sept. 7 gathered at the Rochdale Park basketball courts against the backdrop of the Rochdale Village Annual Fall Festival to voice concerns about “draconian and unjust” rate hikes at the massive affordable housing complex, which is home to roughly 25,000 people.

Rochdale Village is a relic of the state’s Mitchell-Lama program, introduced in 1955, which provided affordable housing for middle-income households by placing income caps on those who can purchase homes and by limiting how much a unit can be sold for.

At Rochdale Village, residents typically pay a purchase price of up to $23,000 before paying average monthly maintenance costs ranging between $1,000 and $1,800, according to a June report in Gothamist.

But the 5,860-unit complex, like many other Mitchell-Lama complexes in the city, is currently facing a myriad of financial problems, including rising debts and insurance rates as well as mounting upkeep and maintenance costs.

Residents attribute the rising costs to the complex’s all-volunteer board and Summit Property Management, the private company that oversees the Rochdale Village complex.

Gothamist reported earlier in the year that the sprawling complex is facing an $11.4 million shortfall next year, with the volunteer board approving a 22.3% rate hike in January 2025 to combat that shortfall.

Residents now say New York State’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), which reviewed that decision, has proposed between 22-30% increases in charges.

They also alleged that the agency floated a rate hike of up to 57% but said this was a worst-case scenario rather than a formal proposal.

Residents, meanwhile, have blamed Summit for failing to pay water bills dating back to late 2020, leaving residents facing almost $17 million in unpaid water bills. They further accused the property management company of providing “sweetheart” commercial leases to banks and supermarkets and said there is a $195 million “predatory” mortgage that has ballooned debt at the complex.

On Sept. 7, a few dozen residents gathered to protest against touted rate hikes, holding signs such as “30% hike = Lack of Oversight” and “The Math Ain’t Mathing = Send Summit Packing.”

However, protesters expressed frustration that more residents did not turn out for the event given the “significance” of the issue.

Some protesters also criticized elected officials for failing to appear at the event after organizers invited Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, State Sen. James Sanders Jr. and Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani to attend the rally.

Rodney Reid, a 40-year Rochdale Village shareholder and a former chairman of the volunteer board, took aim at elected officials for failing to join Sunday’s demonstration and called for a more vocal protest against a potential 30% rate hike. He argued that a 3% hike for the city’s rent stabilized apartments is met with more opposition and concern than a potential 30% hike at Rochdale Village.

“The city went up in arms over a 3% increase for rent-stabilized apartments,” Reid said at the protest. “Nobody is saying nothing about a 30 percent increase. We need to come and collectively have our voices heard.” 

Reid added that residents are calling for any potential hike to be frozen until “full accountability” is introduced at Rochdale Village. He called on the State’s Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), which oversees DHCR, to conduct a forensic audit of Rochdale Village’s finances.

“We can’t trust this management company with any more money. They misuse it,” Reid alleged at Sunday’s protest. 

John Ferretti, a resident at Rochdale Village, said proposed hikes would put a “huge hole” in his budget but insisted that he and his wife would “find a way.”

“What I’m really more concerned about is the people who won’t find a way, the people who are already falling behind on the carrying charges that we currently have,” Ferretti said. 

Celeste Reed, who moved to the Mitchell-Lama complex in 2013, said she has just recently lost her job and said she would be “priced out” of Rochdale Village if the proposed increases went into effect. She said a 30% increase translates into an additional $378 per month in fees.

Reid said she has struggled to find a new job due to her age and added that a job paying $25 per hour would just about cover her current expenses at the complex. A 30% increase would effectively displace her, she said.

“I would be priced out of this place, and where am I going to go?” Reed said. 

Fellow resident Cynthia Horner said many people who moved to Rochdale were under the impression that they would eventually be able to leave their home to their children, describing the Mitchell-Lama complex as a resident’s “definition of generational wealth.”

However, she said proposed increases would displace many residents who currently call Rochdale Village home.

“They’re not going to have that (generational wealth) because first of all, many of these people are going to have to move,” Horner said. “There is absolutely no way that some of these people are going to be able to pay (30%) more a month on a fixed income.” 

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, whose district covers Rochdale Village, said the complex has served as an “affordable housing and homeownership hub” for Southeast Queens for decades.

“Like other Mitchell-Lama developments across New York City, Rochdale Village is facing severe financial challenges from accumulating building capital and maintenance costs that threaten affordability for residents,” Adams said in a statement.

Adams, who was not specifically invited to Sunday’s protest, noted that Mitchell-Lama is a state program, with developments requiring interventions from the state to resolve their financial challenges.

However, she said she has fought to secure City Council funding and assistance to support Rochdale Village and other Mitchell-Lama developments, including $7 million in funding for facade restoration and $17 million for local parks, school  and public safety infrastructure.

Meanwhile, a HCR spokesperson said Gov. Kathy Hochul remains “laser-focused” on making New York more affordable, stating that the Governor has included “much-needed relief” to Mitchell-Lama developments. That relief has included measures such as cutting Mitchell-Lama shelter rent taxes in half and banning “discriminatory practices” for affordable housing insurance premiums, the HCR spokesperson added.

“Additionally, the state advocated to remove tax liens and enter a payment plan with the NYC Water board to allow arrears repayment over 10 years,” a HCR spokesperson said. “Rochdale Village is a privately-owned and managed co-op and is governed by a board of directors that are elected by its cooperators.”

Sanders, who has not yet returned a request for comment, did not appear at Sunday’s protest but has previously met residents in his Albany office about the issue. The State Senator expressed anger and frustration about the financial crisis facing Rochdale Village and said the proposed hikes would make the complex “unaffordable.”

“I did not come here to lose Rochdale,” Sanders said in June. “These people are too good of a people to have out in the street. We are not going to see that happen.”

Summit Property Management did not return a request for comment.

 

[samhexum]

The 'incredible, bananas story' of artists living in a mall for four years

APPLE.NEWS

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The documentary 'Secret Mall Apartment' follows a group of artists in Providence, Rhode Island who...

The 'incredible, bananas story' of artists living in a mall for four years 

The documentary 'Secret Mall Apartment' follows a group of artists in Providence who took up residence inside of a hidden area of a popular mall for a number of years. Director Jeremy Workman and Executive Producer Jesse Eisenberg join Morning Joe to discuss

Edited 19 hours ago by samhexum
just to be able to say that he was productive today