Home Renovation Adventures

Happy Thursday to the followers of my needy rowhouse posts. At this point, I’m not only counting down the days to the arrival of Spring (which we’re probably all on the same page with that), but personally I’m counting down as to when I can close on my needy rowhouse. That being said, I wanted to just bring you up to speed as to where I am on the journey, and hopefully pass along a bit of information and knowledge to those considering a house purchase in Newburgh in the near future too.

Seems the boiler was installed sometime in the mid 2000’s (around 2006), which is a good thing and a permit was issued by the City to the heating contractor for the installation work to be done. Here is where the lesson comes in. In the City of Newburgh (and most cities), there is not only a need to have a permit issued, BUT then the completed work has to be recorded with the City, so a certificate of compliance can be issued. Also in Newburgh, the attorneys share a checklist of “the municipals” before the closing is set. Part of the checklist includes any outstanding violations and believe it or not, not having the final paperwork “recorded” for the completed boiler work falls into that category. And even though it was all done and inspected at the time a property cannot convey until that paperwork is recorded.  So readers, that is where it is right now. But when all is said and done, it’s a good thing that this is part of the process to protect a new owner.

Secondly, and this is important, when a property conveys, a title insurance policy is issued to cover a lender (bank) as part of the customary financing process. But a new buyer has the option to purchase an owner’s title policy (which I highly recommend). Just to clarify, a title policy is a standard part of the closing cost process and required by the lender HOWEVER, that only protects the lender, if a title issue arises after closing. Unless you purchase a second owner’s policy also, you (as the new owner), are not protected if a title issue comes up. The good news is that if purchased together before the closing (lender and owner policy), then the owner’s policy is discounted.

Now here is the interesting part. With historic rowhouses, the attorneys are looking to see how the language is covered in the title policy regarding ownership of “party walls” (the walls that are common in- between the properties.)  Currently there is no language included in the policy that explains that. The attorneys are making sure the correct language is in place prior to closing. Again, it is something that legally protects you as the new owner and trust me, with purchasing a needy rowhouse, you’ll have enough on your hands so you  don’t need any issues challenging that to surface.

Lastly readers, it was brought to my attention that there was some confusion (by a reader) regarding why I am buying my needy rowhouse and I kind of had my integrity challenged as to my intentions for it. So let me take this opportunity, again, to clarify that here (though I did mention it in previous posts). I am purchasing my rowhouse as an “investment property”.  The needy rowhouse is a compact two family currently and will STAY a compact two family. I’ve always dreamed about having a 2 family  historic rowhouse from as early on as my days living in Brownstone Brooklyn. There I owned a coop in Park Slope in the early 1980’s,and sold that about a decade later. I then purchased another coop in Fort Greene in the early 2000’s, as I was so taken by the beautiful architecture and wonderful diversity there. I thought it was perfect for my son and future daughter in law to live there and learn and enjoy the dynamic of the city and it also allowed them to finish their education and start their careers. In those time frames, I also had the thrill of seeing those neighborhoods flourish, both with owner occupied buyers and with investors believing in being part of a bigger picture to make things better. That being said, I am also a smart investor and feel (as I’ve said before) that Newburgh’s time is NOW!

I personally (and with the help of good neighbors), want to make my historic 2 family rowhouse along with the Heights neighborhood part of the solution in delivering a strong message of hope and not be part of the problem in causing despair. I currently live in Binghamton, NY and am extremely involved in the revitalization there. I write a monthly column entitled “I Believe in Binghamton….Downtown Rising” (check out my facebook page). It is also that energy that I most definitely want to pay forward to help restore hope in Newburgh.

Let’s face it, Newburgh is a city that needs all of our concerted efforts and attention no matter where geographically we may be bringing it from. That is the beauty of a blog and the internet. There are so many ways now to be integral participants of the revitalization, whether personally purchasing a property there or even praising it from afar, as long as it is genuine and from the most important destination, our hearts. In closing as I always say in my Needy Rowhouse posts, until the next time….I HEART Newburgh!

Dear Diary…It’s now been a week since my last entry and I secretly have to admit that even though I have so much on my day to day plate,  my mind seems to drift at times  to thoughts of Newburgh and my new found NEEDY Rowhouse.   I am at a point where all of a sudden a visual of the simple yet ornate carved mantle in its first floor apartment pops into my head, and just the thought makes me smile.   Or  I can be deeply involved with work and in a flash the image of  its ornate cornice  puncutates the moment.  And it’s at these times that I realize… YUP…I’ve found the needy rowhouse…THE ONE,  I’m going to put an offer to purchase on!  However, along with those periods of euphoria come the normal and customary deep pangs of angst that one musters up with regards to buying a late 1800’s home.  (But I have MORE than enough time to concentrate on those thoughts diary at a  later date LOL)

Back to the subject at hand… finding THE ONE was not just about selecting a tangible  hunk of  historic  brick and mortar.  Don’t get me wrong, that was paramount, but my search also involved the more abstract too.   Choosing “a sence of place” where THE ONE is located  within the myriad of neighborhoods that make up the city seemed to be just as (if not more) important.   It’s great that  Newburgh nabes all have names or descriptions (like SOBRO, NOBRO, WASHINGTON PARK, GRAND AND MONTGOMERY DISTRICT and THE HEIGHTS), where each  generates an urban vibe as it rolls off the tongue.

As you know Diary,  having my roots in Brooklyn and  ironically finding a neighborhood named  “The Heights” in Newburgh  immediately made me think of  breathtaking Brooklyn  Heights (and its place of recognition  as the quintessential historic downtown Brooklyn address),  I  figured, how cool would it be to say in social conversations, with glass of chardonnay in hand to announce…I have a historic rowhouse in THE HEIGHTS. 🙂

However, I came to learn in a very short  time that even if you didn’t know anything about downtown Brooklyn and took the time to drive, walk, Google map search, Birdseye tour and research information  available about The Heights in Newburgh…you would ALSO have a reason to say with pride….I HAVE A HISTORIC ROW HOUSE IN THE HEIGHTS!   I have happily discovered  that there is a passionate sense of community in the Heights, with dedicated neighbors who are continually working on making it a better place to live.  Also Diary, there are long time residents and more recent arrivals (many of them ex-pats from my beloved Brooklyn)  who have been  painstakingly renovating, restoring or even just plain sprucing up the historic needy rowhouses and Victorians that line the streets and Bluffs.  It seems that  this revitalization effort  started during the last decade and has  ramped up even more so in the last couple of years.

And Diary, the AFFORDABILITY of  my NEEDY ROWHOUSE  (especially with its prime location that offers river, mountain and downtown Beacon views) is nothing short of astounding.   I am lucky to have found out  that The  Heights is like a “best kept Newburgh secret”. (oops my bad lol) a historic peninsula so to speak,  where you can find a wonderful balance of  inexpensively priced needy (waiting to be loved)  row houses next to wonderfully restored ones and also co-existing on blocks with vintage Victorians both grand and ones needing care by a new owner , and what this prized location offers are VIEWS to either covet in your own home (or stroll along on Bay View Terrace),  that are nothing short of  spectacular along the Bluffs.   Plus it boasts a walkability to the Ferry (for easy and picturesque access to trendy Beacon and the train to NYC) only within minutes.  And then there’s Washington Park with the burgeoning Liberty Street Commercial district just a few short blocks away.

And being my needy rowhouse is located close to  the Liberty Street commercial corridor,  Well…Dear Diary,  I can’t help but feel a comparison to when I purchased my newly converted coop on Garfield Pl/6th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn in the mid 1980’s.   And my inclination is also to compare walking along Liberty street to doing so to my 10 block walk  along the 5th Ave commercial/residential district in Park Slope to and from the subway to my office in Manhattan.    And though there were examples of revitalization in the 1980’s (a cafe here and boutique there) on that journey, 5th Ave also had  three or four blocks that were landscaped by boarded up and cinder blocked windows in sad (rescue me) types of buildings.   To many who are probably reading this, the thought of that visual of 5th ave as compared to the now bohemian /uber chic version of the same  5th Ave would   seem like an improbable post apocalyptic movie set to them (lol).  But I indeed walked along those blocks day after day in the mid eighties and stared at those historic monoliths that made the street sometime seem like a dismal cave and felt both fear and hope.   Yes…fear for my safety,  but also fear that it would never get any better and even fear that it would change too much.

But that fear was ALWAYS trumped by my stronger feelings of HOPE that would fill  me each day that I saw a home along the way starting to be restored or a commercial building being renovated  or simply, a neighbor sweeping their stoop or placing a pot of brightly colored  flowers  to beautify their garden.   And one by one those sad buildings started to have the cinder blocks chipped away,  like wounds finally healing.

And in closing Dear Diary…it’s THAT HOPE I feel for Liberty Street, for the Heights and for the entire city of Newburgh.  I am by far not alone in my hope,  (like I know was the case in Park Slope).   I have not arrived first with hope and that hope will be building in Newburgh, long after I depart.  But before I sound like a guest at a party who is leaving before they even take off their coat (lol)…I’m looking to enjoy the revitalization party  (so to speak) as more guests choose to arrive.  And with any party it only becomes as  festive as you are open to and what you make it.  And remember Diary…. for a party to reach the HEIGHTS….getting there is half the fun!!!  Till next week ….I “HEART” Newburgh!

Dear Diary…My passion for Newburgh all started late last year, when my brother Dominick from Portland, Maine was coming to visit me in New York.  It actually was right around when Hurricane Sandy was going to hit (I should have realized something BIG was brewing from then.) Dom and I had remained close over our decades and DECADES of our life journey.  Part of our bond is that we have ALWAYS had a common thread of LOVING real estate, discovering historic neighborhoods, investing and checking out neighborhoods that have had new life breathed into them.

Again, decades ago, we both had bought coops and lived in Downtown Brooklyn’s historic Park Slope neighborhood.  After a few years, Dominck had sold his adorable studio coop at Garfileld North, which was one of the first substantial gut renovated, restorations in all of Park Slope. In fact , he literally was  the first occupant in that newly restored building in the early 1980’s. He had then opted fto find his dream project, a row house to renovate (on Baltic St between 4th & 5th Ave) further down from the comfort of what was already developing as “trendy” 7th Ave. Anybody that is familiar with Park Slope (especially back then) knows that the further down from the Park you traveled , really MEANT the further DOWN (physically and figuratively) you were going. But the excitement for he (and for I) was that the “idea” of down only gave us the thrill and hope of seeing things progress upward. Needless to say, watching my brother’s hard work and beautiful renovating of his original needy row house and the transition of his home over time and how his efforts (plus those that preceded) and  those that had followed, affected the entire block and neighborhood’s physical and social appeal, was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

OK Diary….back to his “fateful November visit”… Well it didn’t take he and I much time to hit the ground running with our conversation centering on REAL ESTATE and what is the latest on “Brownstone Brooklyn” . As you know diary, both his life and mine took many different and exciting paths to other locations since our days in Brooklyn, so part of our amazement is how our old Park Slope neighborhood (in addition to those like Williamsburg, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Prospect Heights, Bedford Styvesant and others) have and continue to grow in popularity, urban appeal and did I mention PRICE!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, “can we talk”!!!
In the next breath of our Brownstone Brooklyn conversation, my brother interjects… “What do you think of Newburgh”?   Now, the truth is I have to admit, I was always intrigued by the “idea” of Newburgh,  but only like someone who was watching a theater production in the last row of the balcony.  In addition, I had taken to “media mind-control” and how when Newburgh was mentioned in news etc. , the buzz seemed to always focus on the “M” word and how it had gained notariety across the state because of that (especially in 2010).

But further into our conversation, my brother started to mention the NEWBURGH RESTORATION blog/website.  And it was he, who introduced me to touring (the blog/site) it with him during what I will continue to refer to as that “fateful November visit”.   I was intrigued,  engaged actually smitten with all the posted details.  My reaction to reading that Newburgh indeed is the 2nd largest historic district in NY State, and the amazing blog posts, stories, accomplishments and efforts made me want to find out more, See More, READ MORE.   And MORE and MANY (words I will use over and over again describing Newburgh) times I did, coming back to “absorb” every post of what was going on in this city.   Also I researched about the  ONGOING efforts of law enforcement that had made tremendous inroads in quelling the “M” word drama, and though not perfect, it was definitely becoming better. Truth is…Newburgh IS A CITY…life happens more in an “in your face” way when you live in ANY city and when you are dealing with a city in particular that has had “issues” it takes time to resolve and be able to see tangible benchmarks of resolution after so many years of ills.

So Diary, since the “fateful November Visit” I have traveled to Newburgh a number ot times.  I have toured around and taken some amazing photos of some of the most interesting, promising, decaying, restored. jaw dropping and needy historic properties with each visit I’ve made. Each time, a pact I have with my brother is to send the pictures to him and in his words each time I send them, he is “insatiable” for MORE. That kind of sums it up for me too regarding Newburgh, “Insatiable for MORE”…MORE interest by others, MORE restorations, MORE people realizing the amazing potential it has.

In my visits, I have discovered a city that actually is MORE PROMISING than I had ever realized and yet MORE SAD than I had realized at the same time.  It is a city where MANY uber talented and devoted individuals have already discovered, nurtured, restored and brought back from the dead hundreds of amazing homes to pay the “inspiration message” forward.   But it is also a city where perceptions need to be diminished over time. And that I have found out to be true. even in my own city of Binghamton.   Efforts, restorations and sweat come first (and LOTS of it) and then the patience that hopefully  the negative perceptions will chip away.

DEAR Diary….I’m signing off for now, but I wanted to close by saying that since the “fateful November visit” and since my website absorbing, blog reading, trulia checking, 2.5 hour road tripping butt has devoted to this all… I think I have found “THE ONE”!   Yes diary…the one, the “needy” row house that  I have only dreamed about the possibility of owning (but PRICED OUT of in Brownstone Brooklyn a LONG time ago.)…Yes diary… I’m heading towards an investment in Newburgh.   I will write my experiences in you diary as I move along on this journey. And until next week,  I have to say …YES….I  admit it, even at my ripe “older” age…I “HEART” Newburgh!!