I agree that the interior finishes of the L-Haus are very nice but the location is questionable.  The easiest way to get there from the rest of the neighborhood is by walking under the Pulaski which looks pretty scary at night.  Maybe the developers should install extra lighting and make it more enjoyable to walk under the bridge.  I thought DUMBO did a great job by installing lighting under the BQE that serves its obvious purpose of illuminating but it is also an art installation at the same time.

http://dumbonyc.com/category/prospect-street/

Interesting discussion about the comparison of renting vs. buying.

There are actually some free calculators online which do the numbers quickly. One just has to know the numbers for rent, maintenance, taxes, interest rate, down payment, etc. .

This one is from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/business/2007_BUYRENT_GRAPHIC.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=rent%20vs%20own%20calculator&st=Search#

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/415703-condo-5-09-48th-avenue-long-island-city

buyer paid $796,990, mortgage is $717,291 and latest asking price is $720K.  looks like this will be a short sale.  is anyone tracking short sales generally in the neighborhood?