distressedproperty

Glenwood Motel

2007-10-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

Truly amazing experience. We went to investigate what seemed like an interesting sales opportunity. Incredible as it sounds there was a 126 ROOM hostel for sale in the hipper quarters of South Williamsburg for what seemed to be a bargain price of 2.9 million (hard to imagine anything being a bargain at that price but trust us given the market conditions, what a quot unquot room should command around there, it was a bargain and then some). So we quickly roused up one of our regular developers clients who we knew would be intrigued. He was. The other broker listing the deal, told us we could simply go inside and ask the woman on the second floor for a tour...

Mama. Upon entering the scene it seemed by all accounts to be a normal funky youth hostel, cheeky memorobilia ont he walls, bright yellow and pink splotches of paint, old tennis raquets, posters, requisite big dorm style couch and table. A quaint if unremarkable tableaux.

That is of course until we headed back to where the "rooms" were located. Somehow, the owners of this bizarro funhouse had literally built out close to 150 human-sized cubby holes, little cheap plywood sukkah boxes, probbaly about 6.5 feet high 4 feet wide and maybe 6 feet deep (please keep in mind your avergae prison cell is roughly 7 x 10 or larger) packed into large open loft floors with requisite circulation around the perimiter and one lane down the center. I can't recall ever having seen living quarters arrayed quite like this (except for maybe in India where I got a glimpse of construction site work camps and got to explore, briefly, several of the raging slums in Mumbai but thats another story for another day). Of course our host, the lovely woman who worked there and acted as a desk manager/counseler/"mother hen" to the assorted multitudes, made the most poigniant comment of the trip when she noted with considerable enthusiasm that this was so much nicer than the "nasty chicken wire roofs you see in so many of those 'other places.' this is just much more generally nicer, I think"

It would be one thing if this quirky little bed farm were simply filled with the cute backpackers, travellers and lets go tourists seeking the gritty, authentic Williamsburg experience. It turned out, however to be an altogether different thing. Filling these tiny quarters (and they were filled almost to a cube) were every manner of hard luck traveller, recovering addict, teen runaway, vietnam vet, grizzled old trucker, welfare mother, migrant worker and perhaps a european tourist or two thrown in for character.

Each box contained roughly the contents of a quarter life on the go, small packages, bundles, cigarattes, scads of old clothes, the occasional guitar, towels, figurines, tarps and small cigar boxes filled with trinkets.

Many of the doors were open and walking past these cubes, one after the next was like watching a film reel of tiny disjointed lives, one spliced after the other, each face haggard, slightly surly, tired yet unphased at the parade of three gentlemen in suit coats walking past with curiosity and astonishment. The rooms each crammed so full of detritus it looked like the whole affair was about to swallow the occupants whole, as though they had each rented a tiny windowless storage locker packed it to the gills with all they could carry and packed themselves in like one more fixture in the sardinelike mis-en-scene.

After walking past 30 or so cubes a haggard although not unattractive young woman nevrously approached us asked if we were planning on moving in? We told her no and asked her a few simple questions, how long she'd been there, how she liked living there, what her plans were, was it noisy, dangerous etc? She cagily responded "bedbugs" which seemed both to her and to us about as detailed a commentary on the experience as one could hope for.

Piranesi

2007-09-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Interesting article in the Times this morning about Piranesi, I'd never heard of him although I have certainly seen his fantastical etchings in passing. He drew from classical motifs and added a layer of fantasy and grand scale all his own.

Check out Cooper Hewitt Exhibit Here

Glorious Ruin

2007-09-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

So there's been a bit of excitment with NY Magazine recenty. It seems them have decided to publish a story called "Glorious Ruins" or "Glamorous Ruins" or something to that effect about...you guessed it, Glorious Ruins. So by some stroke of luck we managed to get a property included in their little piece a pretty stunning derelict olf sewing factory (they all area around here) out in Ridgewood, Queens. I have no idea as to the nature of the content other than a forum for people to coo and ogle unusual pieces of NYC's industrial heritage AND actually have a shot at buying it.

We're pretty excited. The property is located at 1563 Decatur Street and is now featured on our website. Newly launched and always improving. www.kriegerbatchelder.com

Check it out why doncha. And keep your eyes peeled for the article, it comes out this monday in NY Mag.

why stress? its distressed!

2007-02-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

hola lovers distressed property coming back atcha with some real estate magic. It is in the heart of this bleak winter that we revive our real estate ramblings and drag you allo along for the ride.

Keep posted. Distressed is back in action.

insane property

2006-09-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

Some serious distress here.

delicasies of horse flesh

2006-09-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

this website is really really amazing - you have to check out the recipie section - distressed digital property - www.kz

From the carcass of the slaughtered horse the ribs with flesh are cut off and the blood is let trickle down for 5-7 hours. The guts are washed well and kept in salt water for 1-2 hours. The slightly dried up kazy are cut in strips along the ribs: the brand kazy are cut in narrow strips and the narrow ones - in broad strips. The interrib tissue should be cut with a shapp knife removing cartilages and without crumbling the fat. Then the meat is salted and peppered, finely cut garlic is added and the meat is wrapped up in a napkin for 2-3 hours.

2006-08-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

volume game

2006-08-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

Ararat

2006-08-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

So God says to Noah..."I am going to put an end to all people,
for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely
going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an
ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch
inside and out."

FOR RENT

STUNNING SPACIOUS QUONSET HUT! Mint Mint Mint, weathered etruscan stone facade, barrel vaulted ceiling. GORGEOUS. Perfect for small planes and watercraft. This is a MUST SEE...................seriously

pipe dreams

2006-08-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

The diversity of the built environment never ceases to amaze. It reveals the contingencies that dictate the ebb and flow of life.

counter terrorism?

2006-08-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

You know when i was a boy we didn't need all these new fangled spying services private deeetectives, audio recordin's and all such hooha. No sir, just a rifle and a fist full of cayanne pepper usually did the trick. Its real simple, Knock knock, hello? WHOOSH! once they open the door, you throw the pepper right at their eyes and fire off a few rounds of buck shot over their head. No vacancy my gourd. You never seen anyone vacate the premesis so fast. Teach the supreme court a thing or two about eminent frippin' domain. Yessir.

judgement day

2006-08-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

Priced at $665K (crazy) clearly it would seem, this adorable parcel of land - two tiny houses, one in front one in back, sharing a courtyard between - is being sold as a knock down for a major development. I have nothing against development. I'm not a preservationist. But I do believe these are the cutest houses I have ever seen in my entire life. 12 Catherine St. I can't help it - I've become obsessed with this odd little piece of East Williamsburg real estate.

Since I'm not in the market to buy - I plead on behalf of this housing duet. Someone make an offer. Someone buy them! I'll help you negotiate a sale price. I'll find you designers to fix them up. I know someone who can landscape the garden for you.

My perscription for 12 Catherine St:

1) Keep the outside the same - maybe tidy up the facade (but not too much).
2) Landscape the little courtyard between the two houses.
3) Gut reno the interior to make them minimalist palaces of good design. For this I recommend the likes of architect & designer Page Goolricks. (see Grammercy Park Apartment)

Am I crazy? Should they be knocked down? Leave a comment and make your case.

homeless haven + leafy enclave + used hypodermics + lazy city employees + golf carts =

2006-08-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible flyer
i've been noticing around the east village. Could it be the work of a wild band
of renegade park employees? An elaborate coded flash mob? A manifesto against
sloth? Fact is it doesn't really matter, I love it dearly.

limited edition print : mounted : hewlett packard ink on paper : $20 : inquire here

a citizens guide to housing in america

2006-08-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

"I AM A HOUSE"

www.drawahouse.com

toile be damned

2006-08-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.thibautdesign.com/

priority

2006-08-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

There is a moment prior to revelation when everything goes blank. I enter a mental void. My mind grasps for answers but can provide none. Just before I discover some unknown, I mentally fall into the infinity of the possible outcomes. It happens to me more and more now that I work in real estate and especially with distressed property.

I mount the steps and ring the buzzer, “Hi this is Chris. I’m here to see the building” – “OK, I’ll be right down.” Then it happens. My mind starts to race over the possibilities. Who is going to meet me? What will he/she look like? What kind of space am I going to see inside this building? Will my clients like the space? My brain hits critical mass. It computes the impossibility of knowing that which is unknown; but, because this is such a compressed experience (maybe 30 seconds) it is more visceral feeling than cerebral understanding. I experience the contingency of that delayed moment like a point from which anything might pivot.

Maybe you’ve had the same experience. Perhaps waiting for someone to answer the phone or for your email to load. Maybe not. You won’t experience it if you’re preoccupied with other things. Before you know it you’ll be engaged, in a split second the unknown will be the present situation in which you are responding, give and take, parry and thrust, - that is being in the moment, an entirely different experience.

Experiencing and anticipating the unknown is one of the pleasures of working with distressed property. Each new property I visit is a micro-universe complete with a unique geography, history, politics and government. One day I’m looking at a modern prefab coffee roasting warehouse, the next day an old prewar down-feather processing building. Sure, it can be dizzying at times, but the diversity of these properties is a wonderful testament to the contingencies that make up human experience within our society.

meeting

2006-08-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

1. Witch: WHEN shall we three meet again
In thunder, lightning, or in rain?
2. Witch: When the hurlyburly’s done,
When the battle’s lost and won.
3. Witch: That will be ere the set of sun.
1. Witch: Where the place?
2. Witch: Upon the heath.
3. Witch: There to meet with Macbeth.
1. Witch: I come, Graymalkin!
2. Witch: Paddock calls:—Anon!
All. Fair is foul, and foul is fair;
Hover through the fog and filthy air. Exeunt.

Act1 Scene 1 Macbeth

pictures credits:
1 - from nrec.org (nablus)
2 - from msn.com (bagdhad 2003)
3 - from ic-creations.com (jerusalem)

middle east?

2006-08-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

untitled #1

$8/sf
$1.5mm
17,600 sf

Christopher Batchelder checking in.

wasted?

2006-08-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

I sat upon the shore
Fishing, with the arid plain behind me 424
Shall I at least set my lands in order?
London Bridge is falling down falling down falling down
Poi s'ascose nel foco che gli affina 427
Quando fiam uti chelidon - O swallow swallow 428
Le Prince d'Aquitaine à la tour abolie  429
These fragments I have shored against my ruins
Why then Ile fit you.  Hieronymo's mad againe. 431
Datta.  Dayadhvam.  Damyata. 401
Shantih shantih shantih 433

$15/foot * 5000sf

look if you dare!

2006-08-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

Tucked away amidst the shops and hustle of canal street this loft marches to the beat of its own drummer. Raw features make the space come alive, vibrant colors grace the walls, look for the tiny jolly roger motif on your next visit, the ceiling is thickly painted gold. Perfect for the artist in all of us. As with anything worthwhile in life, you get out what you put into it.

stats:
1250 sf
$3200
long term lease
live/work

livable loft

2006-08-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

amazing little loft in tucked away in an unsuspecting tenament in emerging quarter of les. chinatown streets and small vendors mix among chichi restaurants, bars and old synagogue and warehouse facades.

$3750
1300 sf
floorthrough
roof access

monkey business

2006-08-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is a quirky little discovery from the nether regions of the oh-so-low LES. Amazingly vibrant corner building with great light on all sides. Bursting with raw character. This is an unrestricted one year lease (with month to month afterwards) where you can have the unfettered freedom to do as you please.

STATS:
1250 sf
$3000/mo
1 year lease
live/work

to live or to work (fortunately not a question)

2006-08-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

quite contrary

2006-06-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

chris and I in our rambling dialogues about the future of real estate have stumbled on the notion of contrarian real estate or a contrarian set of property values that celebrates potentiality above a glossy veneer and explores the politics of forgotten places. I think ultimately it will tie back into a core belief in sustainability, repurposing and adaptive reuse. Our urban landscapes are littered with too many beautiful ruins to be ignored.

the pan

2006-06-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

The ever brilliant Mica Scalin proceeds apace with THE PAN a mind blowing video feed that draws on all 6 senses and those yet to be discovered. Includes elements of video montage, music video, comedy, archival footage, pornography, war footage, video confessional, children's programming, video art and dada...like squeezing diamonds from coal.

thirtysevenfifty

2006-06-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

My good friend and colleague Chris Batchelder has entered the fray with his edgy real estate portal, thirtysevenfifty (thirtysevenfifty.com) documenting the subtle search for real estate with a soul. Check him out! An excellent curator and critic both.

welcome back

2006-06-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

hello loyal constituency, been a while. I am officially turning the handcrank, ginning up the engine and strappin the old dibfibrulator to the lumbering beast that is DISTRESSED PROPERTY. In addition to the videos you all know and love I am going to be enhancing the site with occassional written thoughts and commentary, consultative services and unbridled linkage to things that stop me in my tracks.

roode scholar

2006-02-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

hoek line & sinker
(click image to watch video)

the good earth

2006-02-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

c-4
(click image to watch video)

white elephant

2006-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

the end?
(click image to watch video)

string instruments

2006-02-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

lower

(click image to watch video)

punto verde

2006-02-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

it's not easy being green
(click to watch video)

dolce noctorium

2006-02-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

sleeping
(click image to see video)

furnitorium

2006-02-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

laying low for winter
(click image to see video)

welcome to distressed

2006-01-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

We hear nothing here but of distress bazaars and the high price of hay.

- 1826 SYDNEY SMITH Memoir (1855) II. 272