July 17, 2008: Vol. 31, No. 28
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From crack house to your house; drug bust will lead to auction on 93rd
The Brooklyn Paper
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del.icio.usCops closed down two Bay Ridge crack houses last month, but the 93rd Street drug dens might remain the best places in the neighborhood to get a deal.
In a community where housing bargains are rare, the quaint homes on the tree-lined block between Third and Fourth avenues could be a steal when they go to auction — if would-be buyers can get over the stigma of their past use.
“I don’t think that it would be much of a problem to sell,” said Kathy McCall, a broker with Velsor Realty. “Bay Ridge is a popular place to live, there are certainly buyers for those properties.”
In fact, the sordid history is the very thing that makes these homes a bargain.
“If it’s going to auction, it [will be] below market value,” which is roughly $1.5 million, said Sal Prividera, spokesman for the New York State Association of Realtors.
The homes were a bane to the block for the past three years, bringing fear, intimidation, violence and even prostitution to the quiet residential street.
After the auction, brokers in subsequent sales will not be legally required to disclose that the houses were once drug dens.
Even with the stigma surrounding the homes, some Ridgites are eager to move-in — after a thorough scrubbing.
“I’d still live there, sure,” said Ray Utierra, 48. “Those are nice houses on that block. Clean it up a little bit and it’s like a brand new place.”
For others, living in a former crack house would be something to boast about.
“In five years, no one’s going to remember that those houses were drug factories,” said Brandon Pierce, 23. “Plus, you’d have an awesome story to tell if someone asked about your home.”
But Suzanne Lawrence, 37, would not consider living where six former residents ran a heroin, crack and prescription pills ring, cops said.
“I wouldn’t want to take it over after having the police raid it,” she said. “It would be weird. I’d always be a little paranoid about who’s knocking on my door.”— with Emily Lavin
©2008 The Brooklyn Paper
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