Greatest Real Estate Finds

[samhexum]

On 3/9/2021 at 5:16 PM, MysticMenace said:

does any have any other great real estate finds they can share?

 

On 3/9/2021 at 5:26 PM, samhexum said:

I found a place in England once with an open, airy floor plan, but I couldn't find a price listed for it. It was more of a fixer-upper than I wanted anyway, so I passed.

ANOTHER REASON WHY I PASSED:

[samhexum]

On 3/22/2024 at 7:16 PM, augustus said:

NYC can have earthquakes

you don't say!

[BSR]

A Manhattan townhouse once owned by Frank Sinatra just got listed.  The family who bought it from Sinatra has a fascinating story.  Photos look beautiful, but at just 16 feet wide, sounds like tight quarters.

Edited April 25, 2024 by BSR
Added a sentence

[Lookin]

3 hours ago, BSR said:

Photos look beautiful, but at just 16 feet wide, sounds like tight quarters.

Barely enough room to swing a cat.  😎

[samhexum]

3 hours ago, BSR said:

A Manhattan townhouse once owned by Frank Sinatra just got listed.  The family who bought it from Sinatra has a fascinating story.  Photos look beautiful, but at just 16 feet wide, sounds like tight quarters.

 

22 minutes ago, Lookin said:

Barely enough room to swing a cat.  😎

wouldn't that be a hep cat?

 

[samhexum]

Underground terror Creepy dungeon discovered behind door inside home for sale: ‘Something from Criminal Minds’

“There is electricity, water, and a dehumidifier set up down there. It is set up to house living things.”

[Luv2play]

On 4/25/2024 at 9:15 AM, BSR said:

A Manhattan townhouse once owned by Frank Sinatra just got listed.  The family who bought it from Sinatra has a fascinating story.  Photos look beautiful, but at just 16 feet wide, sounds like tight quarters.

My Victorian townhouse, which was the first house I owned, was 15’9” wide. It was livable. 

[samhexum]

https://www.aol.com/news/homeless-woman-living-inside-michigan-165735135.html

Homeless woman was living inside Michigan rooftop store sign with computer and coffee maker

Contractors curious about an extension cord on the roof of a Michigan grocery store made a startling discovery: A 34-year-old woman was living inside the business sign, with enough space for a computer, printer and coffee maker, police said.

“She was homeless,” Officer Brennon Warren of the Midland Police Department said Thursday. “It's a story that makes you scratch your head, just somebody living up in a sign.”

The woman, whose name was not released, told police she had a job elsewhere but had been living inside the Family Fare sign for roughly a year, Warren said. She was found April 23.

The store is in a retail strip with a triangle-shaped sign at the top of the building. The sign structure, probably 5 feet wide and 8 feet high, has a door and is accessible from the roof.

“There was some flooring that was laid down. A mini desk,” he said. “Her clothing. A Keurig coffee maker. A printer and a computer — things you'd have in your home.”

The woman was able to get electricity through a power cord plugged into an outlet on the roof, Warren said.

There was no sign of a ladder. Warren said it's possible the woman made her way to the roof by climbing up elsewhere behind the store or other retail businesses.

"I honestly don't know how she was getting up there. She didn't indicate, either," he said.

A spokesperson for SpartanNash, the parent company of Family Fare, said store employees responded “with the utmost compassion and professionalism.”

“Ensuring there is ample safe, affordable housing continues to be a widespread issue nationwide that our community needs to partner in solving,” Adrienne Chance said, declining further comment.

Warren said the woman was cooperative and quickly agreed to leave. No charges were pursued.

“We provided her with some information about services in the area,” the officer said. “She apologized and continued on her way. Where she went from there, I don't know.”

The director of a local nonprofit that provides food and shelter assistance said Midland — which has a population 42,000 — needs more housing for low-income residents.

“From someone who works with the homeless, part of me acknowledges she was really resourceful,” said Saralyn Temple of Midland's Open Door. “Obviously, we don't want people resorting to illegal activity to find housing. There are much better options.”

 

[samhexum]

 

Slice of paradise Tiny 10-foot-wide ‘spite’ house lists for $619K in Florida 

 

In the north Florida resort city of Jacksonville Beach, an antagonistically thin home with quite the backstory has listed for sale. 

This 1,547-square-foot, 10-foot-wide two-bedroom house was completed earlier this year on a leftover lot, namely a small parcel of undeveloped land within a developed area. 

Generally, local zoning boards will give developers permission to break with building code and construct larger-than-technically-allowed abodes — but not in this case, Business Insider reported.

“In this particular neighborhood, which is typical of beach areas or areas of high density, you’ll get some areas of smaller lots,” Ryan Wetherhold of Oceanside Real Estate, who holds the listing, told the publication. “What you can do on these smaller lots is you can go in front of a board of adjustment, and they’ll allow you to build more than the building code is allowed.”

However, a next-door neighbor who had been using the 1952 Horn Street parcel as a garden persuaded others to complain about its development at a public hearing vote, and the board was successfully convinced to disallow adjustments. 

The developer took this less as discouragement than a challenge. 

“[To] be honest, the builder almost built this out of spite just because of that fact. ‘Oh, you don’t think we can build, hold my beer,'” Wetherhold said.

Despite the home’s narrow look, the lot is 140 feet deep, which is deeper than others in the area.

Also, to make up for a normal house’s amount of space, this residence has built-in seating, which helps for saving space — as they’re designed specifically for the property’s dimensions.

It could also be a perk for a buyer in search of a home with little maintenance required.

The property hit the market this March, but has yet to sell — although since being featured on the Zillow Gone Wild account last month, interest has been through the roof. 

“omggg she’s on ozempic,” commented one person. 

“I mean for that price you’re better off buying an RV,” wrote another.

“Finally a new construction single family home in a great area of South Jax Beach for a reasonable price!” reads the listing, which promotes the two-story, three-bathroom compound as having a “unique build,” “room for a pool,” a garage and a backyard.

editorial comment left by developer:

Edited May 14, 2024 by samhexum
to ensure maximum delight for the reader!

[BSR]

18 minutes ago, samhexum said:

 

Slice of paradise Tiny 10-foot-wide ‘spite’ house lists for $619K in Florida 

 

In the north Florida resort city of Jacksonville Beach, an antagonistically thin home with quite the backstory has listed for sale. 

This 1,547-square-foot, 10-foot-wide two-bedroom house was completed earlier this year on a leftover lot, namely a small parcel of undeveloped land within a developed area. 

Generally, local zoning boards will give developers permission to break with building code and construct larger-than-technically-allowed abodes — but not in this case, Business Insider reported.

“In this particular neighborhood, which is typical of beach areas or areas of high density, you’ll get some areas of smaller lots,” Ryan Wetherhold of Oceanside Real Estate, who holds the listing, told the publication. “What you can do on these smaller lots is you can go in front of a board of adjustment, and they’ll allow you to build more than the building code is allowed.”

However, a next-door neighbor who had been using the 1952 Horn Street parcel as a garden persuaded others to complain about its development at a public hearing vote, and the board was successfully convinced to disallow adjustments. 

The developer took this less as discouragement than a challenge. 

“[To] be honest, the builder almost built this out of spite just because of that fact. ‘Oh, you don’t think we can build, hold my beer,'” Wetherhold said.

Despite the home’s narrow look, the lot is 140 feet deep, which is deeper than others in the area.

Also, to make up for a normal house’s amount of space, this residence has built-in seating, which helps for saving space — as they’re designed specifically for the property’s dimensions.

It could also be a perk for a buyer in search of a home with little maintenance required.

The property hit the market this March, but has yet to sell — although since being featured on the Zillow Gone Wild account last month, interest has been through the roof. 

“omggg she’s on ozempic,” commented one person. 

“I mean for that price you’re better off buying an RV,” wrote another.

“Finally a new construction single family home in a great area of South Jax Beach for a reasonable price!” reads the listing, which promotes the two-story, three-bathroom compound as having a “unique build,” “room for a pool,” a garage and a backyard.

editorial comment left by developer:

If the house sells for close to asking, the realtor should give the photographer a bonus because those photos make the 10-foot width look decently spacious, not cramped at all.

[samhexum]

1 minute ago, BSR said:

If the house sells for close to asking, the realtor should give the photographer a bonus because those photos make the 10-foot width look decently spacious, not cramped at all.

There are multi-million dollar townhomes in NYC that aren't much wider.  With a lot that size, you make make all the rooms long and moderately wide.

[samhexum]

Off the southern coast of mainland England, floating in the Solent straight about a mile from the Isle of Wight, two eye-catching former military forts are drifting to auction. 

Known as the Solent forts, the circular granite islands were constructed in the 1860s to defend the city of Portsmouth from the French and have, more recently, been renovated into lavish nautical hotels, Mansion Global first reported.

Now, after 12 years under the same ownership, the extensively built-out parcels are set to hit the auction block on June 18 with a guide price of $1.27 million each.

The larger of the two, No Mans Fort, features 99,000 square feet spread over four floors containing 23 ensuite bedrooms, crew quarters, multiple bars, restaurants and a spa. There’s an “entertaining space including laser battle” on the lowest level, and hot tubs and a fire pit on the roof deck.

The second is Spitbank Fort, with approximately 33,000 square feet spread over three floors offering nine guest suites, staff accommodation and event spaces such as the 60 Covers Restaurant and Crows Nest Function Suite. It’s slightly closer to the mainland and, like its counterpart, is also equipped with self-sufficient power and water sources, a fire pit and a hot tub. 

While No Mans has a helipad, Spitbank is only accessible by boat.

As of the present, both are currently being used as hotels, but press materials suggest a buyer could also utilize them as a vacation home, for medical research, a casino — or a prison. 

“Throughout my career as an auctioneer I’ve seen several sea forts hit the market that have achieved impressive prices as buyers have sought to pursue these trophy assets,” said Savills head of auctions Robin Howeson, who holds the listings. I anticipate there to be a global interest from multiple buyer types looking to take the forts into their next chapter, whether that’s as a new commercial venture or residential home.”

 

 

Residents of a town outside Dallas have scored a major victory — forcing a developer to scrap plans to bulldoze lush farmland and replace it with a shopping center.

The Haggard family, one of Plano’s most prominent clans, aimed to transform a 13.5-acre slice of their historic farm into a retail destination featuring a Sprouts grocery store, retail space and 33 townhomes.

The Fairview Farm Land Company, run by a Haggard family member, petitioned Plano officials to rezone the land, sparking a fierce backlash from locals. Residents flooded the city with hundreds of messages, NBC Dallas Fort Worth reports.

The overwhelming opposition led to an unexpected twist: Fairview Farm Land Company requested to withdraw its rezoning application. “While we were hopeful that our proposed development would be seen as a positive addition, it is clear that is not the case and we don’t want to proceed with something that does not have full community support. Thank you for your consideration,” the company conveyed via a proxy.

Christina Day, Plano’s director of planning, noted the rarity of such a withdrawal. “It’s not unheard of but it is rare,” she told the outlet. “It doesn’t mean they can’t bring a new case forward at some point.”

The land is already zoned for single-family homes or townhouses, allowing the Haggards to potentially propose a solely residential development in the future.

The Haggard family has a history of selling and developing parts of their land. In 2021, Plano approved a large mixed-use development on 124 acres of Haggard farmland along the Dallas North Tollway, despite massive community opposition. This project, currently under construction, includes a hotel, a restaurant, commercial buildings and housing.

Day emphasized that Plano’s policies aim to limit retail sprawl.

“We’ve long had policies to limit retail zoning and retail development where possible in the city and that’s because we realize that we have three times the national average of retail,” she said.

Edited May 18, 2024 by samhexum
to ensure maximum delight for the reader!

[marylander1940]

On 4/4/2024 at 5:31 PM, nycman said:

Two things you never want to find when doing construction…. artifacts or ruins.

 

On 4/4/2024 at 6:23 PM, samhexum said:

or skeletons

Groundwater (spring). 

[samhexum]

• 

  Saudi tycoon slashes price of never-lived-in NYC penthouse by $64M — initially listed for $169M

[samhexum]

https://nypost.com/2024/06/07/real-estate/london-unit-lists-for-rent-in-post-written-by-landlords-cats/

Finding a reasonably priced rental in pricey London can be a Herculean task. So when a listing recently popped up asking just $1,272 a month, it caught a lot of attention. But there’s a catch — a “cat-ch,” so to speak.

This peculiar offer has surfaced on Facebook, in which a homeowner is seeking a working professional or a student to share a ground-floor flat in the Kensal Green neighborhood. The twist? The new tenant will sleep in the living room and care for two cats.

The ad, amusingly written from the cats’ perspective, describes a cozy setup: “We are a couple of cats that live in a large one-bedroom ground floor flat with a private garden on a quiet street in a great location with great access.” The playful ad continues, “We live with a lovely couple of humans that take care of us, they think the place is theirs, but it’s ours.”

The ad explains that the living room, which will be the tenant’s domain, has high ceilings, a single bed and a couch that can be converted into a double bed. There’s also a desk for those who work from home. Shared amenities include a bathroom, a dining room and a kitchen.

The cats’ “voice” in the ad adds a touch of humor: “Like we said, the male never uses it, so it is your private space which we only hope you’ll be cool to let us cats hang in there if we choose sometimes.”

Reactions online have been mixed, ranging from amusement to disbelief.

A tweet by @EloiseHndy showcasing the ad has garnered more than a million views. “If you didn’t already know that the London rental scene is the wild west, here is a post written in the voice of two cats, offering someone the chance to sleep in a living room for £1,000 a month,” she wrote.

Commenters have voiced their surprise and skepticism. “It starts with ‘we are two cats’ and somehow only gets worse from there,” one person remarked. Another questioned the practicality: “How private is private if the cats are in there? Is the door always open or does the living room door have a cat flap?”

Despite the odd setup, some pointed out that the price isn’t entirely unreasonable by London standards. “£1,000 all-inclusive for a large and airy room in London is nowhere near as shocking as you think,” one commenter noted.

Still, the ad has left many wondering about the lengths they would go to find affordable housing in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

 

Edited June 8, 2024 by samhexum
To maintain the incredibly high standards I have established here

[samhexum]

Zillow hacker lists couple’s home ‘for sale by owner’ for $10,200

[samhexum]

Some interesting real estate 'finds' made the news this week...

'Blockbuster discovery' found at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate

June 15, 2024

Archaeologists at George Washington’s Mount Vernon have discovered dozens of glass jars filled with fruit preserves in the cellar of the historic Northern Virginia home that “likely haven’t seen the light of day since before the American Revolution.” 

Twenty-nine of the 35 bottles remain intact, and all contain either cherries, gooseberries or currants, the home and museum of the first U.S. president revealed in a press release Friday. 

“Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine this spectacular archaeological discovery,” Mount Vernon President & CEO Doug Bradburn said in a statement.

“We were ecstatic last month to uncover two fully intact 18th-century bottles containing biological matter. Now we know those bottles were just the beginning of this blockbuster discovery.”

Bradburn called the discovery an “unprecedented” find, adding, “nothing of this scale and significance has ever been excavated in North America. We now possess a bounty of artifacts and matter to analyze that may provide a powerful glimpse into the origins of our nation, and we are crossing our fingers that the cherry pits discovered will be viable for future germination. It’s so appropriate that these bottles have been unearthed shortly before the 250th anniversary of the United States,” which will be in 2026.

The discovery comes two months after two bottles were found that contained a “mysterious” liquid, along with cherries and pits. 

Experts believe that the bottles were originally filled with cherries.

The glass bottles were placed in the ground between 1758 and 1776 to refrigerate food.

“For whatever reason, these were left behind, and they were in pristine condition, and that’s why this is such an extraordinary find, because you just don’t find 18th-century food remains, intact, outside of things like animal bones, which are pretty durable,” Mount Vernon principal archaeologist Jason Boroughs said. 

Skeleton unearthed at NY construction site, sparking mystery for investigators

June 11, 2024 

The grim find Monday in Woodbury's Eagle Rock Apartments is under investigation by Nassau County police, cops said.

My friend used to live a few blocks from there; it's a nice area.

[CuriousByNature]

12 hours ago, samhexum said:

Some interesting real estate 'finds' made the news this week...

'Blockbuster discovery' found at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate

June 15, 202

Just wait till they find the VHS tapes!

[BSR]

The legendary Dakota (co-op that has been home to celebrities such as John Lennon, Lauren Bacall, Judy Garland, Leonard Bernstein) is designated a landmark by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.  But if you buy one of the units, apparently you can do whatever da heck you want to the interior as long as your renovation doesn't change the external appearance of the building. 

This penthouse unit's interior is ultra-modern, in stark contrast to the building's 19th century exterior.  It was bought & sold in 2015 and again in 2022.  I don't know which purchaser did the renovation, but I gotta give him a big ol' golf clap for getting the co-op board's approval for such a radical transformation.

[samhexum]

talk about real estate 'finds'...

For more than a century, this quaint seaside enclave in California has clung to its whimsical ways, shunning street addresses in favor of charming directional descriptors and fanciful home names.

But now, the beloved tradition is set to become a thing of the past.

In a contentious 3-2 vote earlier this month, the Carmel-by-the-Sea City Council decided to break with tradition and assign street numbers to all buildings in the town of 3,200, reported the Los Angeles Times. Proponents argue that this move is crucial for public safety and necessary to comply with the state fire code, which mandates building numbers.

“Do we need to wait for someone to die in order to decide that this is the right thing to do? It is the law,” said Councilmember Karen Ferlito, who cast her vote in favor of the change.

Carmelites have cherished their unique navigation system. Instead of street addresses, locals have long relied on directional cues — City Hall is on the east side of Monte Verde Street between Ocean and 7th avenues — and property names like Sea Castle and Faux Chateau.

But as online shopping surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, so did frustrations with the town’s lack of street numbers. Residents struggled with lost packages, utility setups and medical deliveries, and some feared for their safety in emergencies.

“This is a life-and-death situation in my life and my family,” said Deanna Dickman, a concerned resident who spoke at the City Council meeting. “I want a street address that people can find on GPS and get there, and my wife can get the medication she needs.”

Dickman’s wife requires a refrigerated shot delivered by mail. A previous delivery was tossed over a fence and ruined.

Susan Bjerre recounted a similar ordeal when she needed oxygen delivered for a hospital discharge. “I will be in the street. I will wave you down,” Bjerre said.

Opponents of the change argue that assigning addresses will erode the town’s cherished character.

“We are losing this place, day by day and week by week, from people who want to modernize us, who want to take us to a new level,” said Neal Kruse, co-chair of the Carmel Preservation Association. “We want to stay where we are.”

Artist and longtime resident Alice Cory voiced concerns that addressing the town would strip it of its signature appeal. “Let’s keep the sweetness of this little town, because people know Carmel for a reason,” Cory said.

City administrative analyst Emily Garay highlighted the practical necessity of the change. “While local authorities might be familiar with Carmel’s unconventional navigation, other emergency responders might struggle to quickly locate residents,” Garay explained.

Andrew Miller, Chief of the Monterey Fire Department, supported the move, stating, “If the question is, ‘Is it more advantageous to have building numbers identified?’ Yes, absolutely.”

Some residents worry that the new addresses might lead to home mail delivery, potentially jeopardizing the town’s beloved post office where residents head to collect their deliveries.

However, David Rupert of the US Postal Service told the publication that the post office, established in 1889, has no plans to close.

The post office’s lobby was recently red-tagged after a car crash, adding fuel to the fire of concerns.

Before casting his dissenting vote, Mayor Dave Potter expressed concerns “about the fact that we’re kind of losing our character of our community along the way here.”

But Ferlito countered that addressing concerns is about more than preserving the character of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

“If we’re saying we will lose our quaintness because we have an address, I think that’s a false narrative,” she said. “This is more than quaintness. This is life emergencies.”

'quaint' is nice; being able to have an emergency vehicle find you is even nicer.

[mike carey]

Being Carmelites, I'm not surprised they were having none of it for so long.

[samhexum]

 

Big Apple bargain Huge Midtown office building sells at auction for a 97% discount after receiving just 1 bid

The half-block behemoth at 135 W. 50th St., which sold for $332 million in 2006, garnered just $8.5 million at auction this week.

 

[samhexum]

Apartment space in Queens among most costly in United States: report

[samhexum]

Inside a $22B plan to transform an airport — runway and 11 hangars included — into a city for 55,000 residents

Toronto’s former Downsview Airport is getting a $22 billion facelift that will turn the historic airfield into a bustling, new community for 55,000 residents.

But this isn’t your typical suburban development — this one comes with airplane hangars, a mile-long runway and enough retro charm to make it a must-see.

Forget bulldozing the past, too.

Northcrest Developments, the masterminds behind the colossal project, is betting that preserving the airport’s original infrastructure will give the neighborhood an irresistible edge.

“It’s hard to make a planned community seem authentic when everything is brand new,” Derek Goring, Northcrest’s CEO told the Wall Street Journal. “So we really decided to lean into the aerospace legacy.”

The result? The project’s first neighborhood, a 50-acre hub packed with 2,850 homes, will be anchored by those massive hangars. These structures, relics from another era, are expected to become a magnet for residents and visitors alike.

Meanwhile, the old runway will morph into a lively pedestrian promenade, complete with trendy shops, eateries, patios, schools and even a library.

In total, the massive redevelopment will create more than 28 million square feet of residential space, 7 million square feet of commercial property and 74 acres of parks, The Journal reported.

Spanning seven distinct neighborhoods, this ambitious build-out will unfold in phases over the next 30 years, making it one of the largest real-estate ventures in Canadian history.

Northcrest is taking inspiration from high-profile projects like New York’s High Line, where an old rail line was reborn as a bustling park. Goring is confident that Downsview’s unique features will set it apart.

The hangars and runway “will make this place unlike anything else, and from a developer’s perspective, that’s like marketing 101,” Goring explained. “This is something no one else can really offer.”

But not everyone’s convinced.

Turning a derelict airport into a thriving community isn’t cheap. David Dixon, an Urban Places Fellow at Stantec, warned that repurposing old infrastructure can rack up costs quickly.

Dixon pointed out that it only works if the result justifies the price tag. With all the hype around self-driving cars, people have even talked about converting parking garages into housing.

“These conversions will be more expensive and less competitive in the marketplace than purpose-built housing,” he told The Journal.

The airport, which opened in 1929, has a storied history. It served as an air base during World War II and later as a testing site for Bombardier before being sold in 2018 for a whopping $635 million.

While Northcrest initially considered demolishing everything, they realized that keeping the site’s history intact could be the key to its success.

“We quickly came to the conclusion that that was not a good idea,” Goring said.

Local residents were also adamant about preserving the site’s role as a hub for jobs and economic activity. The hangars, constructed between the 1950s and 1990s, are more than just relics — they’re ready for a new lease on life.

With their massive dimensions and soaring ceilings, the spaces are tailor-made for film shoots, light manufacturing and the clean-tech industry, Goring said.

“There’s an opportunity to attract companies that actually want to be here but can’t because they can’t find these types of locations,” he noted.

The redevelopment of midcentury industrial sites is becoming increasingly popular as once-overlooked structures are now being celebrated as pieces of history.

Downsview is part of that wave, joining other projects like Berlin’s Tegel Airport, where a 5,000-home community will repurpose the existing terminal buildings for startups and university labs.

Northcrest isn’t waiting for construction to finish before putting Downsview on the map.

They’ve already hosted “Play on the Runway,” a public event that turned the tarmac into a giant playground for skating and dancing.

And more is on the way, with plans to roll out temporary sports fields and performance venues as the development progresses.

Looking at the grand plans for Downsview, Dixon mused, “It makes me wonder what we’re going to save 30 to 40 years from now. Don’t knock down all the big box stores!”

[BSR]

On 5/21/2024 at 3:28 PM, samhexum said:

• 

  Saudi tycoon slashes price of never-lived-in NYC penthouse by $64M — initially listed for $169M

Given all the problems that plagued this building, even the new "discounted" price seems awfully optimistic.

Edited August 15, 2024 by BSR
Wording