Co-op of Wasted Potential
Pros
- Easy access to transportation; the building is directly across the street from the B/Q subway station, right off the Belt Parkway (with a municipal lot across the street as well for paid parking), and multiple bus lines - Reasonable unit sizes - Comparatively low monthly maintenance fees - Sublets permitted from day 1 - Cats and small dogs allowed - Shared Laundry (pay per use) in building
Cons
- Undependable Property Management - Co-op board has aspirations of mediocrity - Unreasonable delays (or noncompliance) for most processes (addressing violations, health hazards, water penetration, insurance claims, etc.) - Lack of transparency (maybe 2 shareholder meetings in a 7 year period) - Package theft issues - 20lb weight limit on dogs (monthly pet fee for subletters)
Advice to the owners
Best is the enemy of good, but you can still aim higher than the bare minimum (which somehow is often still not reached).
This building used to be nice, but it all changed.
Pros
This building was mismanaged. Things turned around, and the last two years or so, everything went down again. The only pro is that the floors have been cleaned after two years of the floors building a film on them. There are a few great people, and neighbors that i know. The water pressure is decent, the apartments here are nice and roomy, and the neighborhood is very quiet on the weekends.
Cons
This building was great for many years and recently the CO-OP board changed. The building owners got another management company that brought on new people. That's when things just fell apart as new management came on, and old super was axed for whatever reason. Mice are out of control, roaches are everywhere. Management just hired a new exterminating company, and it is doing nothing to fix the pest problem. Packages started going missing, basement smells like garbage, garbage piles up in the incinerator, etc. We have not had a super in the building since the last guy left/fired. Repairs now take forever to get handled. We recently have had maintenance hike of over 20%, and assessments, but quality of service has dropped significantly. I am considering moving, but been here so long. I am not happy as an unit owner here, but politics play a role in this building. You should be very aware before buying here.
Advice to the owners
I think we need a new management company, and some of the board needs to be replaced as its all talk, and poor action. Again, some good things happened, but on the whole it is a huge failure. The handyman we have now does not speak English. We should have someone who can communicate in English, and not only in Russian. The building CO-OP ownership needs to hire new management, and people that can run and manage the building properly. Telling people you are doing a remarkable job doesn't mean things are good here.
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