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"Furthermore, I feel that the cost of a coop is FAR too inflated consider it is ONLY an apartment without any real ownership.
It is unfathomable to live in an apartment... even with kids. After all, I have lived that way my whole life.
But I happen to think that it is a dumb investment. 10 years ago, when you could pick up an investment of a 1 bedroom in Briarwood for $40K, while, a good price, it is a lousy investment in terms of quality. Sure, if you are in it, only to build up equity fine. I'd do it in a heartbeat at this juncture in my life... if it were under $150K. But at $250 K and more, in neighborhoods that are undesireable, I believe it is a crappy investment in terms of quality of life.
Let me put it in terms that you can understand.
I grew up in the East Village around an eclectic bunch of people: literarti, hippies, artists, academics, homosexuals, poly-glat religions and races. The heart of what makes NYC NY.
Now if you are living that life style, it is certainly worth it.
But if you are living in Briarwood, or Richomond Hill, or Ridgewood, or Parkchester... you aren't living that lifestyle. You are basically living in small provincial towns bereft of higher culture."
OK--where were the middle class living back in the day? The northwest Bronx for one, which was considered a substantial step above Manhattan living. Where did most middle class folks live? Outside of Manhattan (including the suburbs) as soon as they could afford it. That's one reason Manhattan was affordable back then--cramped spaces, unsafe 'hoods, not child-friendly.
As far as coops, I doubt that Manhattan coop dwellers (virtually the only type of home ownership available in the borough) feel that they don't "own" their very pricey coop apts or that they are a bad investment.
If you were middle class back in the day, you moved out of Manhattan. Those who stayed in their "crappy" hoods and bought in can now reap the substantial rewards. Overpriced? Perhaps, but that's a good thing for those who lived in these areas when they were "dumps" and stayed put.
That sounds good scat. I am not a big fan overall of Parkchester, however it does have alot of amenities within walking distance, and lots of greenery. It is definitely a working class nieghborhood but it is working hard to shed that image with new retail like Starbucks, etc. The area is definitely on the upswing.
Nahh..just normal people trying to improve their communities and taking action to make those changes...which some may call dreamers. I call them "NYers".
Talking nonsense about communities on the internet doesn't help anyone. Sorry but your no knight in shining armor.
You want to help out the low income communities of NYC?
-Donate time and service to homeless shelters.
-Serve food in soup kitchens.
-Mentor ghetto youth. Give them a positive example. Teach them right and wrong, many do not have that figure to tell them right.
-Encourage community help programs. Build community gardens. Encourage the development of new schools to ease overpopulation. More clinics for the sick.
That is how you help these communities if you honestly care. The Bronx is not just a bunch of old rotted buildings, it is the people that live in them. Those are the people I care about.
Real estate is GREED based. That is why the national housing bubble collapsed. People trying to make a quick buck. Pricing homes well above their worth. They screwed up.
Gentrification is displacement. Higher rents mean more familes struggle to survive. Many are not going anywhere. They double and triple up. Eventually though, it just becomes to much a burden and they leave. Affordable housing keeps these communities alive but unfortunately, minus the Bronx, the city is seeing a severe shortage. It's no coincidence.
If you really gave a **** about the area you live in, you would work with the community to help improve things in the ways you could. Not post bull**** on the internet.
Me I do what I can to help the people where I work. Sometimes you want to give up, but I have no problem serving an individual with a problem who honestly needs help. Screw those who take advantage of the system or continue to be a menace to society.
I also by posting on here, I am trying to prevent others from falling into these "trap" neighborhoods that bring you down. The ghetto is good for no one. I would rather recommend someone to live in a decent area, then lie and convince them to live in some ****hole I know will not change any time soon. City is a rip off as it is.
Better to be an involved dreamer and make a difference than only dwell on negativity. Besides I am sure we have all heard the saying one man's trash is another's treasure. LOL Smile NYC is great! Good and bad it's still a great place to live. With so many people here the amount of issues we have aren't so overwhelming. Nothing is perfect.
I agree that performing all of those community activities are wonderful, and that is a strong way to help communities, no doubt. And the perception we are trying to give is that the Bronx is not just a bunch of rotting buildings, but full of good people. I am glad we agree on that also..I suspect every reasonable person here will agree as well.
I do not believe that Real Estate is based on greed, it is in fact based on supply and demand, as are most things in this country. Because the demand has grown substantially, and the supply limited, prices have increased everywhere, not just in NYC, but in the vast majority of the country (but not by as much as many coastal cities). If the housing market is out of balance, as you claim, it will rebalance itself, that is how the market works. The demand will subside, supply will increase, and prices will adjust appropriately. However, because so many people choose to live in the city, and continue to move here everyday, prices here will nto adjust to the cataclysmic levels that many claim..but that is just my 2 cents. Prices will remain high (although pause), and will continue to appreciate, just not at the dizzying rates of the past few years. (again, my 2 cents)
What is occuring in the city, and the Bronx, what you call "gentrification", is the natural cycle of the city. The city prospers, people move in, some move out, waves of 100,000 people flood the city and take over swaths of the city (displace the residents), then the neighborhood improves and new people move in, others move out, and on and on. Now that it ***seems*** that in this cycle we see wealthier people moving in, all of a sudden it's a problem? It isn't, because tomorrow those same "wealthier" people who moved in may be displaced by 100,000 Costa Ricans fleeing their country. That is the ebb and flow of NYC.
And what I do by posting here is to give an accurate portrait of the city, and the Bronx in particular. The Bronx is not a war zone, nor is it paradise, but it is a place that is improving, investment is increasing, and it is now quite liveable. As more people continue to move to the city, buy, renovate, open businesses, and invest in the community, the improvement will happen faster, and the new and old residents will all benefit.
The answer is not to keep people away, or scare them from the Bronx. The past 25 years of abandonment has proven, without a doubt, that that strategy doesn't work. As more people continue to enter the Bronx, the more it will improve.
Hustla, there are people doing the things you mentioned to help the community. They are even more likely to do this in many cases if they are residents of the area. Do you ever pick up the Norwood News? They give a balanced account of the Fordham/Bedfood/Norwood area--the good and the bad. Many stories and items about community programs offering educational enrichment; seminars on homeownership; volunteering to clean up the riverfront; a state of the art library erected; the Kingsbridge Armory scheduled for commercial deveoopment; and many many other positive examples. But they also are the best source of crime in the direct area.
People moving in who are more used to having their voices heard are probably more likely to get involved--to go to community board meetings to try to fight for their neighborhood and schools. This benefits all the residents. The new head of the coop board in my building is a black professional who has worked in the community extensively. She knows the ropes, and has proven it.
All I can say is, if you live here and read the Norwood News and other local and online publications, you have a much more accurate view of what's happening. I devour the N News--I am very interested in what's going on day to day here for real rather than making scathing back-seat generalizations.
If you want advice on how to play basketball, become a musician or artist or writer etc--who would you listen to--someone who claims it's "hopeless" to try, or someone who has actually succeeded and...well...actually "beaten the odds" by working hard and perservering?
Hustla obviously doos not live in a great area, but refuses to admit that the Bronx isn't one big slum because then he might have to realize that people have a responsibility to act positively to effect change for themselves and others--not just play the victim card and wait for "others" to come in and rescue them, just because it's tough. Far easier to say living here is hell for you because you refuse to invest in your area, and imply that the poor's lot is hopeless and endless. Blatantly false.
The irony that if he really is a cop, he is trying to help the community. But essentially, being a cop is a brutal job--like being a prison warden. You generally deal only with criminals, and are in danger of being killed every day. If you defend yourself, you may get jail time for your trouble.
But far as I know, cops generally stay put and live where they can afford to. The opportunity for advancement (to detective, for example) is lucrative.
Hustla, any reason you don't see yourself becoming a detective at some point if you don't cut and run? And please don't tell me there are no minority detectives in NYC. We have an African American mayor here, remember?
really? we had a mayor who either immigrated from africa or whose parents immigrated from africa? i didn't know that. what country was/were he/they from? oh....you mean black. oh, ok. yeah, we've had a black mayor. and, yes; he sucked.
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