See this story at BrooklynPaper.com.<\/p>\n
By Lauren Gill<\/p>\n
Brooklyn Paper<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I’m going to say two words to you. Just two words.<\/p>\n
“Parking spaces.”<\/p>\n
There is a big future in parking spaces and now’s your chance to get in on the ground floor according to one real estate agent who claims the value of a hard-to-find spot to store your sports utility vehicle is destined to go up, and if you’ve got $185,000 to spare, you can invest in a condo your car can call its own in upscale Cobble Hill.<\/p>\n
“I sell a lot of townhouses and one of the first question people ask is ‘Where am I going to park my car?’ ” said Lindsay Barrett, who has 130 spots to unload for the new Parking Club on Pacific and Court streets. “People don’t want to pay $6 million for a house and not have anywhere to park their car.”<\/p>\n
The hefty price tag includes a deed to the one of the guarded garage’s spots and membership to valet service Luxe, which brings people their cars within a coverage area that includes Park Slope, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Boerum Hill, surprisingly, and up to 125th Street in Manhattan. <\/p>\n
The valet service opens up the garage to people who live in other tony neighborhoods nearby but can’t be bothered to make the trek to their cars, said Barrett. <\/p>\n
“It would make this garage is an appealing amenity for somebody who lives in Park Slope or Dumbo,” she said. “They wouldn’t say this garage is too far away.” <\/p>\n
Along with pick-up and drop-off service, Luxe membership also includes such Porsche pampering as refueling, washes, monthly maintenance, and yearly registration inspections.<\/p>\n
Drivers must pay taxes on their spots, between $800 and $920 a year, and pay a common charge of $140 per month, just like condo owners. <\/p>\n
But all the money is being well-spent, according to Barett, who says cash-rich car owners are making a sound investment that will only go up over time, as parking becomes more and more difficult to find in a city whose population is exploding. <\/p>\n
“You are gong to get the escalated value of the parking spot,” she said. “Parking is a scarce resource that’s getting scarcer everyday.” <\/p>\n
There’s already a luxury parking garage in Park Slope, but the Cobble Hill iteration is the first in the city to offer valet service. Prices start at $185,000 for a spot, but can go up to $230,000 for one of the garage’s coveted ground-floor spots because, as they say in real estate, “Location, location, location.”<\/p>\n
So will you think about it? Will you think about it? Shh. Enough said. That’s a deal.<\/p>\n
Reach reporter Lauren Gill at lgill@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260–2511. Follow her on Twitter @laurenk_gill <\/p>\n
Comment on this story.<\/p>\n