Realty Check
Tough talk on all things housing -- booms, busts, bargains and more -- from "Nightline" correspondent Vicki Mabrey
Vicki Mabrey is a correspondent for "Nightline" based in New York. She covers real estate as well as a range of national stories.
RECENT POSTS
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
Welcome to New York!
July 25, 2008 11:37 AM
"Nightline" production associate Sarah Hodd chose the straightforward approach to answering the questions. Just the way you'd expect a 29-year-old native New Yorker to respond. And if anyone could get a place for a smile, I'd bet on Sarah:
What are the hot neighborhoods in New York? All five boroughs....
Bedford Stuyvesant is up and coming in Brooklyn, and Red Hook is on its way to being hot. Although, the lack of public transportation in Red Hook could limit the number of people who would want to live there.
Do you own or rent? Have a roommate (or two, or three)??
Rent! I live alone in a tiny box of an apartment.
Where do you live vs. where would you LIKE to live?
I live on the south side of Park Slope, which used to be called Windsor Terrace. But now they call it Park Slope, just so they can charge Park Slope rent.
What places were hot but are now 'so last year?’
Williamsburg. Over it!
What kind of place do you have vs. what you would LIKE to have?
I have a fourth floor walk-up two-room studio - so there's one big bedroom, one big kitchen, and the bathroom and closets are off those two rooms. I'd sacrifice a finger to own a place with a backyard in Brooklyn.
How much would your dream place cost?
Realistically? Or in my dreams? Realistically, I imagine I'd have to spend a million dollars. In my dreams, I'd get it for a smile.
How much do you think you'd need to earn to afford it?
NO IDEA. But given that I work here - about a thousand times more than I make now.
Do you have realistic hopes that one day you'll have that place?
Not really - not in the near future, at least.
How is the news about the real estate market affecting you?
Honestly, it doesn't affect me that much since I rent and don't make nearly enough money to consider buying. But I see how it affects my family, who own the house I grew up in, in East Flatbush.
Feeling that this is a good time to buy?
Sure, if I had the money.
Do you feel you'll ever catch up with New York prices??
No! But being a native New Yorker, we're bred to live beyond our means!
What's up with the rent controlled apartments, sublets, rentals??
Rent-controlled apartments are like finding a 4-leaf clover. They're out there, but you have to be willing to dig through a lot of dirt.
July 25, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (0)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Post a comment
