New York City, NY · Member since 2013 · 6 posts · 0 votes
Hi guys,
I'm looking to purchase my first investment property in Bushwick, Brooklyn. This property is directly beside the above ground subway and whenever the subway passes the sound is pretty loud in the living room. Do you guys think this is a big negative? Are there solutions to this problem like windows which blocks sound and if you have experience with this how much would that cost?
Omg, don't forget the thunderous vibrations that tenant will have to endure all times of the day and night year around when they are trying to sleep in order to get up and go to work to earn enough money to pay rent... Yea I guess someone is going to live there but geez, my imagination must be in overdrive here, lol.
I'm a huge fan of train stops however being right on the line is a different story. In this case it could be a negative however I would find out from existing landlord what the rents were over the last three years by looking at what his actuals were from their tax return. If it shows it doesn't sit vacant or constantly rent below other units in the area then go for it.
Don't believe the subway is a major factor. You can try to change the windows on the street facade which is a very expensive endevour (approx. $800 - $2500 per unit). Another option could be to call a company like WindowFix to give you an estimate to re-gasket/weather seal all the windows (approx. $200/unit). There are hundred of residential buildings along the above ground tracks in Brooklyn. The great thing about this market is that there is no shortage of tenants.
Dyrol what kind of windows are you referring to are they effective? The owner is proposing building another set of windows on top of the existing one. He probably wants to save money by not switching the old windows for some good ones or maybe building another set of windows would block the sound better? What do you guys think?