142 BergenWe sure can pick ’em! We just heard from a reader about how the open house at 142 Bergen (last Wednesday’s House of the Day) yesterday went horribly wrong:

How’s this for an open house? We’re looking around the place–needs work, cosmetic and otherwise. We go into the kid’s room. I notice a huge crack in the ceiling and point it out to one of the brokers and she says it’s only minor thing, insisting the place is in good shape. So we proceed to the upper floor when we hear a loud crash! The ceiling caved in! It was ridiculously embarrassing and damn hazardous. We were with our 8 month old and had just been in the kid’s room–could have caved in on us. Scary. Scary still was the debris fell directly onto the kid’s beds. Covered the room in dust, debris, and who knows what else and left a gaping hole in the ceiling. This was a jammed packed open house and you can only imagine the impact this had on the buying frenzy…no pun intended. People were stunned at first then sort of giggling – everyone quickly recalculating their offer. Needless to say everyone got the hell out of there. The brokers were hilariously embarrassed. At the point $1.5 seems rather unlikely.
142 Bergen Street [Douglas Elliman]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. For a newspaper article, could anyone who attended the open house at 142 Bergen a few weeks ago, at which a plaster ceiling collapsed, please contact me as soon as possible at jfgill@nytimes.com? I’d also be interested in talking to anyone who visited the place after the open house.

    Thanks very much. I look forward to talking!

  2. WOW!

    That happened less than a block from where I used to live, 108 Dean St.

    Technically, though, I guess I’m not that surprised — on one of the other sides of my block (in the overgrown backyard gardens), the entire back wall of the block had peeled away…

    I was paying $1000/mo for rent. And there was a reason for that. Ever see Joe’s Apartment?

  3. That is a sure signal that we all need to take timeout. Not so long ago that building would have been listed at $400K to $500K. In 1998 I sold a corner in 25 X 75 footer with 2 stores and 3 apts for $275K. Listen up folks we are the ones creating the Sellers market. And a lot of these brokers were not so long ago selling shoes !! what do they know about the real value of these properties??? Only goes to show the broker had no concern for the buyers or the true condition of the property in question. Buyers beware!!

  4. Actually, we were told the owners have a number of offers, some at above asking. I’m not sure what it takes to turn buyers off these days – apparently more than walls cracking and ceilings falling into childrens’ beds!

  5. They have had offers, despite the collapse. I was there before it happened, and had already ruled it out for a few reasons–prominent cracking in many rooms among them. The place is being re-shown this week while repairs are being made. It is a frenzy indeed.

  6. We accualy were in this building for the open house but we left before it happend. I did notice a few more of cracks on the walls and i think that this problem could be more of the issue then just one hole in the celling. Who knows i am not an expert. But the point i was thinking oportunity for the moment but it was a moment only. I think i will pass on this one.