Williamsburg

We hear so frequently about the players behind Manhattan’s billion-dollar real estate projects and how foreign investors are pouring a global vault's worth of currency into New York City property, often shielded by LLCs. It's illuminating to get a closer look at the city’s larger real estate landscape–one that has changed so much in recent decades–and learn who's behind the soaring property values, skyrocketing rents, frenzied flipping and veritable horse-trading that has driven the unprecedented and transformative gentrification beyond Manhattan’s rarified development scene. A recent story by The Real Deal titled “Learning and earning: Hasidic Brooklyn’s real estate machers” reveals that a huge slice of the borough’s real estate pie is owned by the Hasidic community. The ultra-orthodox sect reportedly includes some of Brooklyn’s wealthiest property owners, to the tune of $2.5 billion.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

August 25, 2016

Will a (rent stabilized) Williamsburg address make a shower in the kitchen hip?

It's always fun when yet another listing with a shower in the kitchen surfaces; 6sqft has covered versions of the quirky New York City phenomenon previously. The East Village and LES are the usual suspects, and this Bed-Stuy brownstone home makes the kitchen shower look positively chic. But once again, lovely, expensive Williamsburg draws the short straw. For a mere $1,574 a month ($1,604 for a two-year lease), you, too, can discover the joys of the shower beer. To be fair, the one-bedroom at 18 Skillman Avenue has some definite selling points. It's rent stabilized, for one, and the neighborhood is popular, convenient (except for that year without the L train) and fun.
The apartment's actually pretty cute

August 9, 2016

Tons of Sun at This Corner Duplex, Asking $1.2M in Williamsburg

One of the big perks of many duplex apartments is that the layout allows for double-height ceilings. It's a striking apartment detail, especially here at the hip Williamsburg condo 134 Powers Street. This apartment, asking $1,225 million, boasts double-height ceilings in the living room and since it's a corner unit, gets light on all sides.
Take the grand tour

Distinctive Homes

August 5, 2016

Perfume Heiress Pauline Rochas Lists Trés Chic Williambsburg Loft for $2.6M

Perfume and fashion heiress Pauline Rochas and partner Carole Beaupré, the impossibly chic and creative photographer couple who currently own this 2,082-square-foot, one-bedroom-plus-office in Williamsburg’s Mill Building at 85 North Third Street, have listed the fashionably renovated loft for $2.585 million. Ms. Rochas is the granddaughter of the late Hélène Rochas, stylish socialite, perfumer and wife of couturier Marcel Rochas; she and Ms. Beaupré run a photography studio, Coolife, that specializes in shooting still-life beauty images for brands like Chanel and Ralph Lauren, and collaborated on a line of perfumes (h/t LLNYC). The pair purchased the home for $940,000 in 2007 and have since elevated it to a level of polished north Brooklyn cool befitting their lifestyle as well as their neighborhood.
Tour this chic Williamsburg loft

Distinctive Homes

August 2, 2016

$1M Williamsburg Condo Delivers on Location, Space, Price–and a Huge Backyard

This 1,077 square-foot two-bedroom garden apartment at 206 Montrose Avenue on a convenient and colorful block in "hot, hot, hot East Williamsburg" has two spacious and quiet bedrooms with covetable closet space, plus two baths; there's an amazing amount of outdoor space in the form of a big patio and backyard. And it comes in at (just a hair) under $1 million at $999,000.
Check all the boxes...

Distinctive Homes

August 1, 2016

Two-Bedroom Williamsburg Condo With Pool Views Gets a Price Chop to $1.5M

The Williamsburg development 135 North 11th Street probably starts looking good to buyers every summer considering it boasts its own private pool, complete with lounge chairs and cabanas. This particular apartment, a two-bedroom unit, looks down upon the pool from a private balcony. The funky space has just gotten a price chop, reducing from its ask of $1.62 million to $1.495 million last week. It last sold in 2011 for $728,048.
Take a look around

July 27, 2016

13 Chances to Live in a Cool Williamsburg Rental For As Low As $722/Month

By Dana Schulz

Starting today, an affordable housing lottery is open for 13 units at Williamsburg's new rental the Brooklyn Grand. Located at 774 Grand Street, the Meshberg Group-designed building is eight stories tall with ground-floor retail and offers a total of 64 units, 20 percent of which are reserved for individuals earning 60 percent of the area median income. The units up for grabs range from $722/month studios to $900/month two-bedrooms, and tenants will have access to the building's roof terrace and fitness center and, for an additional fee, parking and bike storage.
See if you're qualified to apply

Affordable Housing

July 16, 2016

First Look at Williamsburg’s Tallest Building Not Planned Along the Waterfront

By Ondel Hylton

"Avid church and factory convertor" Yoel Werzberger and Watermark Capital Group are building a 19-story, 230-foot residential building in the heart of Williamsburg at 321 Wythe Avenue, reports CityRealty.com, and it'll be the tallest tower in the neighborhood not along its waterfront. The site was formerly a parking lot and single-story church owned by the Parish of Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, who also owns an acre of property on the block between Wythe and Berry Streets. The struggling church entered a long-term lease deal with Watermark last year that will allow them to erect a residential tower while making payments to the Parish that begin at $2.1 annually.
More info this way

July 15, 2016

Looming L Train Shutdown Already Causing Williamsburg Condo Prices to Dip, Says Expert

Since word broke that the L Train would be shutting down for upwards of a year, many have been wondering just how this would affect real estate prices in the immediate term. Well it looks we may finally be getting a taste. As DNA Info first reports, The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) released their quarterly findings this week, and REBNY found that although the number of condos sales were up in Williamsburg by 43 percent this last quarter over the same time last year, the average sales price dropped a considerable 13 percent to $937,000. To put this further into perspective, for Brooklyn as a whole, REBNY recorded a nine percent rise to $923,000 over the same period; Manhattan condos by comparison grew by 21 percent to an average $2.843M.
is there anything really to this?

Real Estate Trends

July 12, 2016

$1.4M Williamsburg Apartment is Surrounded by Greenery and Outdoor Space

This Williamsburg apartment at 16 Monitor Street is perfect for summer, as there's views of greenery pretty much everywhere you look. As the listing says, "Whichever window you look out of, you see lush foliage and flowers." The two-bedroom duplex spans about 1,500 square feet and is decked out with modern finishes and a very impressive walk-in closet. It's been renovated into a bona fide entertainment space, assisted in no small part by the 200 square feet of barbecue and lounge space outside.
Check out the inside and outside

Distinctive Homes

July 8, 2016

TBD Design Studio Converted a 19th Century Williamsburg Firehouse Into a Live/Work Haven

By Dana Schulz

When a photographer recently bought this 19th century firehouse in Williamsburg, its interior was in a complete state of disrepair, though the historic facade was intact. To transform it into a live/work home, the owner brought on Josh Weiselberg and Selin Semaan of TBD Architecture + Design Studio, who turned the garage into a ground-floor photo studio and gallery, created a second-floor residence, and added a rooftop penthouse, lounge, and terrace (h/t designboom). The result is an open and airy haven that's sensitive to the original firehouse, but is also functional for its modern use.
See the entire home

Architecture And Design

July 7, 2016

$15,000/Month Firehouse Offers a Sprawling Live/Work Space in Williamsburg

Check out this 5,000-square-foot live/work space at 246 Frost Street, a former 19th century Williamsburg firehouse. While the historic facade remains intact, the interior has pretty much been transformed into a lofty, two-floor apartment with plenty of exposed brick to go around. And it's full of bonus space: a finished basement, an extra sleeping loft, a deck, parking garage, recording studio and fully-functioning dark room. For all that, it'll cost a cool $15,000 a month.
Take a look

Distinctive Homes

My 1200sqft: Inside Summer Rayne Oakes’ Williamsburg Oasis Filled With 500+ Plants

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Summer Rayne Oakes’ plant-filled Williamsburg loft. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

June 21, 2016

My 1200sqft: Inside Summer Rayne Oakes’ Williamsburg Oasis Filled With 500+ Plants

As far as multi-hyphenate models go, Summer Rayne Oakes may be the most impressive we've come across. More than being a cover beauty, Summer is also a writer, businesswoman, activist, chef (she's working on her first cookbook), and an ecologist by training (she graduated from Cornell with degrees in Environmental Science and Entomology). Unsurprisingly, this overachiever's multifaceted talents touch ever corner of her life, including the space she's called home for the past 11 years. On the top floor of an unassuming Williamsburg building is a 1200-square-foot loft that's been transformed into a veritable jungle with over 500 plants (and 150 species) and a handful of exotic insects, including African millipedes and Madagascar hissing cockroaches (they're confined to a terrarium, if you're wondering). While her home at first glance appears to be dominated by plants, Summer's space is also decorated with dreamy touches, carefully curated vignettes, and furniture she's built with her father using wood found on the street. Ahead Summer takes us through her unique loft and gives us some insight into the work she's done, her perspective on her changing neighborhood, as well as some tips for raising plants in the city.
Inside Summer's unbelievable home this way

June 20, 2016

Nine L Train-Adjacent Affordable Apartments Up for Grabs in Williamsburg, From $882

Starting tomorrow, qualifying New Yorkers can begin applying for nine brand new below-market pads in hipster Williamsburg, right off the G/L Metropolitan/Lorimer stop and in proximity to neighborhood standbys like Union Pool, Mccarren Park, and that bagel shop that birthed the cragel and rainbow bagel. Located at 11 Jackson Street (also known as 15 Jackson Street), affordable units are being priced at $882 for a studio, $945 for a one-bedroom, and $1134 for a two-bedroom. Currently, there aren't any market-rate units available (the last rented out just days ago) and it's worth noting that no-fee two-bedrooms have been going for upwards of $3,250 a month—meaning these are some very nice apartments.
find out if you qualify here

Affordable Housing

June 16, 2016

One Month Free at 76 North 4th Street, Steel Factory Turned Rental in Williamsburg

For the renter looking for a balance between Williamsburg's old warehouse buildings and its newer luxury development, the Lewis Steel Building beckons. This 83-unit rental was co-developed by Cayuga Capital and Jake Toll, the son of the developer behind Toll Brothers. They transformed a 1930s steel factory into modern apartments while keeping the 13-foot ceilings, exposed beams and factory-sized windows intact. Leasing launched last year and there are now six apartments left, ranging from a $3,117/month one-bedroom to a $5,683/month three-bedroom. And for any renters who pick up the remaining apartments, they're getting the first month of rent free.
Take a look around

June 14, 2016

$1.4M Williamsburg ‘Penthouse’ Has On-Trend Finishes, Two Terraces and Skyline Views

With its pretty, rustic-meets-modern kitchen, tons of outdoor space on two levels and glass accordion doors framing gorgeous city views, this 956-square-foot condo at 150 Richardson Street has the makings of a smart little home in a coveted Williamsburg spot. A $1.425 million ask for the top-floor walk-up is likely based on that location, in a neighborhood that has become one of the borough's–if not the city's–priciest. Let's take a closer look at what you get with your prime 'burg pad.
Outdoor space, views, and smart finishes this way

Distinctive Homes

June 14, 2016

One-bedroom With Shower in the Kitchen Wants $1,850/Month in Williamsburg

Yep, it's a real one-bedroom, separate kitchen and all. Which is a good thing, because that's where the shower is. It seems as if we just got done marveling at that Lower East Side pad with a similar setup; now, Real Estate Weekly informs us, we're invited to behold this red hot value of a listing at 255 Powers Street. Let's take a look at what's included in that sounds-too-good-to-be-true rent in the L train-friendly environs of East Williamsburg.
Get a look

June 7, 2016

Brooklyn Design Firm Creates Dramatic Living Spaces Inside a Williamsburg Loft

Loft apartments have naturally good bones for dramatic living spaces, with those big windows and high ceilings, but the renovation of this 1,300-square-foot Williamsburg pad truly resulted in some breathtaking spaces. The work is by Greenpoint-based design and architecture firm Space Exploration and general contractor Tristan Warner Studios Inc. According to Brownstoner, Space Exploration was initially hired to create a wall-length book shelf for the living room, where the ceiling surpasses 18 feet. The success of the bookshelf -- which was built by a high-end millwork firm in Brooklyn -- inspired the owner to “go forward with the full monte,” said founder of Space Exploration Kevin Greenberg. His full reno enlarged the lofty mezzanine space, while decked out the interior with truly unique custom design touches.
Take a look

May 20, 2016

Apply for Four Affordable Apartments in East Williamsburg, From $947/Month

Starting Tuesday, four brand new affordable apartments will up for grabs through the city's Housing Connect program. Located in quickly hipsterfying East Williamburg, the building at 30-42 Orient Avenue is sited kitty corner to Cooper Park and is made up of two constructions housing a total of 18 units. For those who qualify, there are two one-bedrooms available with a rent of $947/month, and two two-bedrooms going for $1,072/month. The building is also conveniently located just few blocks from the Graham stop on the L Train, and the B24 and B43 buses also serve the area.
more details here

Affordable Housing

May 10, 2016

400-Bed Designer Dorm Headed for Williamsburg

When you spend your student years living in an architect-designed former car radio button factory in the ultra-hip Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg, face it, you’re just going to be a little spoiled for everything else. And it should come as no surprise that, thanks to a developer specializing in student living, students in de facto hipster sister city Williamsburg will be getting a similar opportunity to live in architectural bliss rather than institutional semi-squalor. New York City-based real estate development company Macro Sea piloted the design-friendly dorm—outfitted with found furniture and slatted ladder-style stairs–in Berlin's Kreuzberg district last year. FastCompany quotes company principal David Belt: "Most people build student housing and they want to build it as cheaply as possible and the furniture to be as rugged as possible, because they think that students will wreck it." Diverging from this idea, Belt's company "sought to create an environment that treats students as savvy global citizens rather than wards of an institution."
Student housing or co-living for adults, what's the difference?

Real Estate Trends

May 9, 2016

Williamsburg Unsurprisingly Tops List of NYC’s 15 Fastest Gentrifying Neighborhoods

By Dana Schulz

Williamsburg has become the poster child for the hipsterfication of Brooklyn and NYC gentrification in general, but behind the beards and beet smoothies are actual facts to back it up. NYU's Furman Center released a report that identifies the city's 15 gentrifying neighborhoods, out of 55 total, and finds that Williamsburg/Greenpoint comes in at number one (h/t DNAinfo). Of course, it's difficult to define gentrification, but the study looks at areas that were relatively low-income in 1990 (among the bottom 40% in the city), but experienced higher rent growth over the past 20 years than other neighborhoods, a trend that the Furman Center feels is of "greatest concern in lower-income neighborhoods." Williamsburg and Greenpoint had a startling 78.7 percent jump in rent over this time period, followed by Central Harlem at 53.2 percent and Chinatown/Lower East Side at 50.3 percent.
See the full list here

May 2, 2016

Two Buildings and a Central Courtyard Make Up This $2.6M Williamsburg Property

It's a two-for-one deal at a Williamsburg townhouse property at 164 Ainslie Street. The lot holds both front and back buildings separated by a large, south-facing garden courtyard. They've been broken up into apartments with a total of 20 rooms, 11 bedrooms and six full bathrooms. And there are still some great historic details preserved inside, like fireplaces and carved wood mantlepieces.
Take a tour

Distinctive Homes

April 29, 2016

Lovely Williamsburg Loft in a Former Guitar Factory Seeks $1.55M

This apartment at The Gretsch condo building, at 60 Broadway in Williamsburg, is a loft lover's dream. For $1.55 million you get 1,150 square feet of space with 13-foot ceilings, big windows looking out from the sixth floor of the former warehouse, and a totally open living, dining and kitchen area spanning nearly 24 feet.
See more of the loft

Distinctive Homes

April 28, 2016

New Williamsburg Condos Tout Parisian Style and Industrial Craftsmanship

By Ondel Hylton

Near the corner of Union Avenue and Conselyea Street in East Williamsburg, a modestly sized six-floor condominium is underway. Addressed 476 Union Avenue, the project is designed and developed by the Meshberg Group, who purchased a four-story, walk-up building formerly at the lot for $2.4 million. Rising from the structural bones of the prior building, the 8,650-square-foot development will offer nine condos that the team proclaims are where "Parisian style meets industrial craftsmanship."
More details ahead

April 21, 2016

First Domino Sugar Refinery Tower at 325 Kent Avenue Now Rising Above Williamsburg

By Ondel Hylton

After breaking ground last spring, the first tower of Two Trees' three million-square-foot Domino Sugar Refinery Master Plan has finally lifted out of the ground. Addressed 325 Kent Avenue (Site E), the 400,000-square-foot building rises one block inland from the East River waterfront and the remaining five parcels of the master plan. The future 16-story, 189-foot-tall project covers three-quarters of its block bound by Kent and Wythe Avenues and South 3rd and 4th Streets. All in all, the two-winged tower will hold a whopping 522 rental units, making it the second largest residential building in Williamsburg after the also-in-construction 2 North 6th Street.
Find out more about the development

April 14, 2016

LAST DAY to Win a ‘Burgopoly’ Board Game, A Williamsburg-Themed Monopoly!