druzhok's Profile

This is stunning! Can't believe AT readers can wax poetic about an accent pillow and not see the beauty of this.
And I bet it is no less safe and comfortable than any dorm room bunk bed ladder.

I have art commitment issues, so while not necessarily seasonal, but we rotate artwork a lot.
We have a wall of double glass frames that serves as a backsplash in the kitchen (easy to clean, livelier than tiles). We rotate prints and photographs year round, for the summer we swapped out black and white abstract photos for colorful limited edition prints by artists inspired by singles from our favorite bands. Prints and photographs are very easy to store away and it is nice to have a changing display.
We also have larger pieces of art that we rent through artsicle, which is a lot of fun because large scale paintings drastically change the mood of a room and we get to try everything from very minimalist pastels to completely over the top oil pieces. It is interesting to see how it feels to live with different works of art and to challenge your senses from time to time with something unusual.

jplee - don't buy! We just bought in Brooklyn and here are my two cents
1. There are many many more expenses than just the mortgage. Even if you don't need the nice new furniture or renovations there will still be a million things that add up. Cheaper housing will require more fixing unless you want to live in the worse environment than where you rented.
2. Did you calculate the closing costs? Those will carry a punch, especially if it is new construction.
3. You are unlikely to secure a mortgage in the current environment if you don't have savings/retirement account left after you buy. Banks won't lend to a risky buyer.
4. You will not be better off buying anywhere in Brooklyn, unless you qualify for income restricted housing (which is much cheaper). Use this calculator and adjust ALL the parameters honestly, i.e., don't estimate the annual home price change to be more than 1-2% if even, don't overestimate inflation.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/business/buy-rent-calculator.html
You will most likely see that you will break even at best in 5-10 years. Is it worth it?
Unless your mortgage is offset by the tax payback it is very unlikely to be worth it to buy in NYC. Most NYC coops can't increase the rent more than 3-5% annually, get it spelled out in your lease and live happily in a rental and save yourself the money, the headache and the disappointment.

Caiti - bake/buy cookies and go knocking on the neighbors doors in the evenings after dinner. Ask for 2 minutes of their time, say you are considering buying next door and would love to hear their opinion and that you have cookies to compensate for their time. We did this to poll neighbors about the problems they had with the building and the developer so we could guide the inspection better, but you get a pretty good read on people that way too, so you get to know your neighbors before you move in.