230 Ashland Place "Forte"

230 Ashland Place "Forte"

230 Ashland Place "Forte" is a 30 floor condominium with 108 apartments. From the modern glass design by FXFowle Architects, you can see that apartments here get amazing light and views. Aside from this, residents enjoy concierge service, a fitness room, a rooftop deck, and a courtyard.

The location is very close to projected new developments like The Hub and the 32-Story development by Two Trees. There are also a number of new buildings from BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) that are expected to be built over the next few years, so property value in the area is set to increase drastically.

101 North 5th St "NV"

101 North 5th St "NV"

101 North 5th "NV" is also registered under 154 Berry St and is a 6 floor 40 unit condominium on Berry St and North 5th street. Built in 2008, the building is a low-rise with an elevator, garage, health club, lounge, rooftop deck, and private storage. It was designed by Karl Fischer Architect with glass and brushed jade aluminum and sponsor sales were overlooked by MNS.

The 1Brs start at 670 sqft and the 3Brs offer as much as 1,435 sqft (see picture). The location of this building is truly amazing with the train 2 short blocks away and a wealth of restaurants, stores, and bars. Also quite close to Night Hawk movie theaters and the future location of Whole Foods.

475 Kent Avenue "Illegal Apartments"

475 Kent Avenue

The Williamsburg from the long forgotten past (of 8 years ago) used to be a destination for artist and musician types who sought a unique and gritty lofted space to call home at a discounted rate. In today's Williamsburg, that's mostly vanished, however, there are a few fringe buildings that endure and deserve mentioning. 

475 Kent Street is an eleven-story converted factory building that has anywhere between 100-300 residents who are living in what has been deemed an illegal conversion by city officials. It has been written up for a number of violations over the years from inoperable sprinkler systems to blocked exits to illegal grain storage silos and a factory in the basement of the building (!!). Apparently the owner of the building, Nachman Brach, chose not to fully stop his commercial use of the building when he began renting the apartments. Due to the commercial status of the building, tenants have had to pay about $300 per month for their own satellite dish, which pepper the building on all sides.

On a cold winter day a few years ago, the FDNY raided the building and forced all residents to evacuate. They had to stay in hotels and with friends and family for a few months until they were allowed to move back in. This is an example of the great risks involved with finding a unique space. Before signing on any lease, renters should do their homework and make sure their building is up to code and safe.

214 N 11th St "Warehouse 11"

214 N 11th "Warehouse 11"

Large enough to take up two addresses (214 & 216 N 11th) and positioned only 4 blocks from the Bedford L train and 1 block from McCarren Park, Warehouse 11 is a 6 floor, 120 unit condominium that was built in 2008. The building offers a number of amenities that are uncommon for the area: a 24 hour doorman, a business room/billiards room, 4 common out-door spaces (including a 360 degree roof deck that spans the length of the building), a fitness room, a children's room, and a bicycle storage room.

The original buyers in this building purchased their units during a "fire-sale". This was a risky maneuver that saved the building from a financial cliff and also offered buyers at the time significantly lower prices. There haven't been a large amount of resales, but from the few that have happened, it's clear that they made a great return on their investment.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

34 North 7th Street "The Edge North"

 The Edge is comprised of two buildings consisting of a total of 575 condominiums, 22 North 6th St (South Edge) and 34 North 7th St (North Edge). The taller of the two is the South Edge, which is 30 floors and 352 apartments. The North Edge is half the height at 15 floors and 205 apartments.

The amenities of The Edge are greater than any condo in New York City. There is (big breath) a Health Club, Spa Services, a Courtyard, a Basketball Court, TWO Pools (and a waterfall), Sauna, Steam Room, Facility Kitchen, Nursery, Playground, Lounge, Billiards Room, Virtual Golf, Video Game Room, Party Room, Rooftop Deck, and Cinema Room. Also a 24 Doorman!

275 South 1st Street "Soleil Condominiums"

275 South 1st Street "Soleil Condominiums"

The Soleil Condominiums is a 10 floor condominium low rise with 20 apartments. They units are all 1 beds and are about 650 square feet. The building opened in 2008 and features an elevator, laundry room, outdoor parking, and roof deck with cabanas.

The location of this apartment lends itself well for great resale returns from the initial buyers. Located near the BQE highway between Marcy Ave and Havemeyer st, there are few condos around and definitely none that are this tall. If a resale comes on the market, they would easily turn a 6-8% return on their investment. Lots of buyers roaming around Williamsburg would be pumped to have huge balconies like these with unrivaled North and South views.

60 Broadway "The Gretsch Building"

60 Broadway: The Gretsch Building

One of the first condo conversion buildings of Williamsburg, 60 Broadway "The Gretsch Building" is a 10 story, 200,000 square foot building with 130 loft condominiums. Due to the location of this building, there are great views of the Williamsburg Bridge, the East River, and Manhattan. This is the cool-looking building that any J,M,Z train commuter is eyeing.

The building was originally built in 1913 and was the factory where Gretsch guitars were made for many years. Once the building was purchased, Andres Escobar was commissioned to design the interior layout. The building maintains a library/media room that's reflective of it's history. There's also a 24 hour doorman, garage, rooftop deck, storage, and bike room available. There is a J-51 tax abatement that's in place until 2016.

20 Bayard "The Bayard Views"

20 Bayard St

20 Bayard "The Bayard Views" is the tallest building in the immediate vicinity of McCarren Park. All of the Bayard St condominiums were built before building air rights were reigned in and new constructions were only allowed up to 6 levels. This 18-floor building has 62 apartments and offers a wide array of amenities such as a 24 hour doorman, garage, fitness center, lounge, rooftop, and storage to name the basics.

The building was designed by Karl Fischer (same as 30 and 50 Bayard and the Gretch Building in South Williamsburg, to name a few) and all front facing apartments have a great view of the McCarren Park track and the Manhattan skyline in the distance. This stretch of Bayard ave is know locally as "Karl Fischer Row" or "Hot Karl Row".

467 Keap Street "Ainslie Tower"

Ainslie Tower

Ainslie Tower at 467 Keap Street is a mid-rise condominium building that was designed by Gilman Architects and opened in 2012. There are 10 floors and 17 units. The building features a doorman, garage, and elevator.

Located right around the corner from the Metropolitan-Lorimer G and L train stop, you can stroll up and down Union or Broadway for an array of small boutique stores, restaurants, and bars.

174 North 5th St, "The Williams"

174 North 5th St "The Williams"

The Williams, located on North 5th between Bedford and Driggs, is an 18 unit low-rise condominium in Williamsburg that was introduced to the sales market in 2011. Corcoran oversaw the original sales of this 4 story building that was beautifully designed by Rothzeid, Kaiserman, Thomson, and Bee Architects.

One Hanson Place

One Hanson Place

Originally the Williamsburg Savings Bank, this 35 story building was the unrivaled tallest building in Brooklyn for years. 

Built between 1927-1929, it was declared a historic landmark condominium building in 1977. Residents of the building enjoy a Fitness Center with terrace, Sky Lounge with terrace, two additional common terraces, Conference Center, Individual Storage, Children's Playroom, Bike Room and Stroller Storage.

The building features a gilded copper dome; carved lions, turtles and birds on the exterior; and a marble banking hall on the ground floor with 63-foot (19 m) vaulted ceilings, 40-foot (12 m) windows and elaborate mosaics; and two abandoned public observation decks with signage describing the Battle of Brooklyn.