Dirty, poorly managed building
Pros
Location - 2 streets away from Broadway station Decent-sized one bedroom apartment
Cons
Very dirty building - staircase, hallways and lobby is not regularly cleaned (even during the pandemic) Lots of roaches - there are often dead roaches flipped over on the staircase. Had a large roach enter my unit. Noise - the former super was a nice person, and she was always prompt to help me, but her family is noisy. There was an incident where her daughter was screaming fire during a domestic dispute and I’d thought the building was actually on fire. Cops arrived shortly after. Stolen packages - the main door is always unlocked/open and packages are often stolen. It’s possible the tenants are stealing the packages as well. Cameras - they only have cameras on the 1st and 2nd floor. Kitchen, bathroom - some units have been updated, but not all. Windows - need to be replaced completely, windows keep slipping down on their own even after the window guys came to fix it.
No frills, no hot water
Pros
Extremely convenient area. Steps to Broadway. 2 blocks from Broadway stop and 5 blocks to Steinway. Apartments are a decent size. Super was friendly and responsive.
Cons
Water heater was constantly breaking. Package theft very common, and could never have anything delivered to the building. Homeless people used to take shelter in the lobby. Pretty sure there were mice in the walls and one got in my kitchen once. Super’s family was extremely disruptive and the police were called often for domestic disturbances relating to them. Windows in stairway overlooks an alley of the building’s garbage and pigeons constantly would fly into the building. Very busy street with constant traffic and double-parkers. No laundry room. Kitchen appliances were cheap and cabinets constantly fell apart. The adjoining building on the other side of the front stoop seemed considerably more taken care of.
Advice to the owners
This property has a lot of potential, and if you invested more into your units and the happiness of your tenants, you will retain higher quality tenants and be able to charge more. Put modern touches in your kitchens and bathrooms to make them more attractive. Replace that water heater ASAP.