When thinking over what kind of apartment we wanted to buy in NYC invariably coops were discussed. We quickly dismissed them since neither of us were interested in running through the gauntlet of the board. Yet, we couldn’t help but notice some of the great values were coops. So we decided to look at what appeared to be an incredible value coop– 209 Clinton Avenue. Corner unit, two bedrooms, 1 bath, hardwood floors, Manhattan views, ~ 900+sqft and sunny. All for ~ $420k. Not bad.
We suspected we weren’t going to like it when we saw the complex resembled an upscale project. We grew more suspicious when we had to navigate the security guard with the wobbly eye. And Josh just about turned around when we saw that what we took for a bathroom was actually the elevator. When we got to the floor there weren’t any signs telling us which unit it was — and the doors themselves weren’t labelled, blind luck guided us to the right door. The agent greeted us in what I thought was night gown. But she seemed friendly enough. The owner was also present, and staring creepily at us as we toured the apartment.
Not to be too harsh, it still affords a great value for those who don’t mind an apartment that looks its age. It also had great light, peeks of a Manhattan view, and is located on a beautiful tree lined street that had many graceful houses.
The Queen Bee. She rules over the Flatbush Riviera. All of Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene is her domain. 
She forgot to mention that the elevator smelled like urine.