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August 10, 2005

House of the Day: Clifton Place Move-In Ready

house This new listing on Clifton Place looks pretty nice--and is $150,000 cheaper than the similar Cambridge Place listing a couple of blocks away. This listing looks like it may not have quite as much historic detail as the one on Cambridge, but it certainly is a lovely block. Clearly this place has been renovated recently and is in move-in condition. The top floor has some design decisions we don't love, but that's just a personal thing. The house is listed as a multi-family but we have no idea whether it's a 2- or 3-family (looks like it couldn't be 4). We think $1.4 million is about market for this place, so it may have a shot at fetching the ask of $1.5 million.
Clifton Place Townhouse [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP

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Just curious - what are the public school choices like in Clinton Hill?

This issue didn't pop up in the recent bubble thread, although I've seen it raised as a reason for high prices/bidding wars in certain nabes in the past...

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 11:23 AM

Not too good. It's our sense that most recent buyers in the nabe are going the private school route--for the time being at least.

Posted by: Brownstoner at August 10, 2005 11:27 AM

I was wondering the same thing. Are people buying these houses at outrageous prices just to have to send their kids to private school? I have heard Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill have great schools, but haven't heard much on the more recently gentrified areas.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 11:28 AM

YOu will get many different replies regarding the schools here. However, PS 11 is really, really on the rise.They have an awesome Friends of PS 11 parent group. They raised money for a new science lab, have a great libray in place. It's a small community school. Very diverse. PS 11 was just recognized for significant rises in their reading & math test scores. They have the support of the councilwoman Leticia JAmes. Their teachers have partnered with those at Park SLope's PS 321. The parents just need to do a better PR job for the school.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 11:31 AM

That's very encouraging to hear.

Posted by: Brownstoner at August 10, 2005 11:34 AM

I went to the openhouse when Jerry Minsky/Corcoran had it on the market. It stayed on the market (@ 1.375) week after week after week after week...The temporary kitchen and bath thrown into the lower duplex reek of 'flipper', really bad quality.
The upper duplex didn't make much more sense -- the 'master suite', as they were selling it, on the top floor has no bathroom! There's one bathroom for the upper duplex. In short, you'd need to put a lot more time and money into making it a real $1.4 house. That house on Cambridge looks like a $1.4. This is not on that level.

Posted by: renogirl at August 10, 2005 11:49 AM

Ah, we thought we detected some flipper attributes to the reno but couldn't tell enough from the pics to come down too hard--the top floor layout looks like it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Posted by: Brownstoner at August 10, 2005 11:51 AM

That said, I love this block of Clifton Place -- although someone posted on this site recently that they live on this block but can't wait to move due to drug activity.
It actually comes up as listed at $1.5 on BHS.

Posted by: renogirl at August 10, 2005 12:06 PM

I think they got wind of this blog and just took the pictures down...

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 12:19 PM

layout just makes no sence, we looked at this place whan was listed by corcoran for 1.375
It has garden rental, butchered parlor rental and upper duplex. it is a mess.
Probably made to contract but now is back for so reason with differnt brooker.
1.4 would be good if it would be decent garden rental plus triplex. It is kind of annoying to pay this money and be forced to deal with stupid fllipers renovation.
acha, it looks like they stage it this time.
(they put the bed in the top open floor)

Posted by: malymis at August 10, 2005 12:20 PM

The pics are still up on BHS. Problem may be your connection

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 12:35 PM

Can anyone clarify? When it was listed lower by Corcoran, did it sell and is someone now trying to flip it, or did it not sell through Corcoran and BHS is now trying to sell it at a higher price?

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 12:53 PM

just to address the school posts- I am going to check out ps 11- i did hear it was gaining head way.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 12:54 PM

Does anyone know the exact address?

Posted by: Brownstoner at August 10, 2005 12:57 PM

does friends of ps 11 have a website or contact info?

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 12:58 PM

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=419+WAVERLY+AVENUE,+BROOKLYN,&ll=40.686244,-73.966548&spn=0.012474,0.019916&hl=en

http://www.nycenet.edu/Templates/Schools/Regions/School.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fOurSchools%2fRegion8%2fK011%2fdefault%2ehtm&NRNODEGUID=%7b4E0D8954-7724-4EAD-9989-C44426C932D5%7d&NRCACHEHINT=Guest

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 1:11 PM

Thanks, but we meant the exact address of the house--sounds like we could use a little Property Shark info about now...

Posted by: Brownstoner at August 10, 2005 1:14 PM

Yeah, it was listed late winter for 1.375. I thought it was over priced then, as compared to 92 St. James, 200 ft away (remember, 'Stoner? I think we discussed this house after we looked at 92 St. James) which is smaller, but much nicer with a better (read: more family-friendly) layout (3 over 1). I don't think it's a flipper. My guess, from the location and the layout, is that it was owned by a childless art professor at Pratt. Used the wide-open top floor as a studio; lived in the spacious 1 bed apt below it; rented the cheap, poorly laid out apartment on the parlor and eng. basement levels to students who wouldn't give a ----.

As for schools, this house, I believe, would send elementary age kids to PS 56. I wouldn't send my kid to PS 56 if it was free. Oh, wait, it is free. And I'm not sending my kid there. (Go ahead, let the hating start.) PS 11 is reported to be on an upswing and does have some fantastic familial involvement. I think it still needs a bit of a wait and see approach, though. It will probably be a great school in 4 or 5 years. PS 56 will hopefully/probably follow the same direction of PS 11 - lots of great family involvement will start to pull it up.

The moral of the story? Somebody needs to buy this house for a low-ball offer and start getting involved at PS 56!

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 1:21 PM

No website, but a listserv-friendsofps11 at mindspring dot com, that is:
friendsofps11@mindspring.com.

There is also a pretty active Fort Greene/Clinton Hill Yahoo group for the neighborhood parents:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FGKids/

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 1:44 PM

Here's a good website for school information:

http://www.schoolmatters.com/

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 2:01 PM

No hating 1:21 poster. Butgot to give props to the peeps who are working to make 56 & 11 better. You can't just move into a neighborhood and expect greatness without any work. I'd encourage people reading this thread to join the Fort Greene Assn, Clinton Hill Society & other local orgs to help make a great neighborhood greater.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 2:02 PM

don't forget
http://www.insideschools.org/fs/school_profile.php?id=379

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 2:05 PM

If my memory serves me correctly the house number is 18 Clifton Place. Also, the house was taken off the market to change the certificate of occupancy from an SRO. I called after it was off the market and the owner was very confident that it would sell (hence the 1.5K price tag). I herd there were accepted offers when it was at 1.375K.

BTW - I posted about the drug activity a few weeks ago. I live on Clifton between Grand and Classon.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 2:16 PM

This *is* 18 Clifton and they did take it off the market because their sales were stalling due to the houses c of o not matching the layout. We came very close to bidding on it. It's a beautiful reno if you like a balance between detail and more modern elements but the layout and garden level are a problem. They're not flippers. The owner is an artist and he did use the top floor, which has amazing light, as his studio and they lived below and rented out the first floor and parlor seperately. It would work better as a 3 over 1, and the garden apt. needs to have the kitchen moved to the middle but that's a major hassle and it's at the back because that's where the original kitchen in the house was. It's essentially move in condition with tweaks needed to make it what you'd want and was more than we could comfortabley afford but it's realy lovingly maintained. The owner even did some impeccable restoration to the mantles on the parlor that you'd never be able to detect if you weren't told about it.

Posted by: combustiblegirl at August 10, 2005 3:13 PM

We saw 18 Clifton Place in the late fall of 2004, when it was listed with Corcoran (Jerry Minsky) at 1.375 m. As other posters have noted, it is a strange but meticulous renovation by an artist/sculptor who now lives with his wife in another house (quite notable) in the neighborhood. Two problems with the house when we saw it: the newly installed parlor floor kitchen is awkward and cuts up the space considerably; there is no access to the garden from that floor (the only access is from an exterior staircase on the bedroom floor or through the ground floor apartment); there is no privacy on the bedroom floor (the entire space was opened up and the staircase goes through it) and the top floor, literally an open artist's studio, has no bathroom> in short, it's a very well done, personalized space for a like-minded buyer. But--and here's what may have been cleared up since then--two firm accepted deals fell through because of the sro status.
As for 92 St. James Place--adorable, with a terrific center staircase making a very narrow house seem much larger--that basement apartment was not rented but--according to the owners-- lived in by a family member. Because it is below grade, it is not a legal rental. It just closed in June , btw: 1.325m.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 7:13 PM

The point about the c-of-o not matching use may serve as a warning about the consequences of not filing work with the DOB.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 10, 2005 8:36 PM

What do you guys have against flippers? I'm a flipper and proud of it. Of course, there are flippers who do crappy cheap renovations and flippers like me who renovate a place as if it were my own home.

Long live flippers with good taste!

Long live the bubble!

Posted by: the man at August 10, 2005 9:58 PM

Jerry Minsky was selling this before (for a couple of hundred less) ... wasn't too long ago.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 11, 2005 10:17 AM

I've seen some horrible flips in my nabe in the past (Ditmas Park), but recently there have been some very meticulous jobs, including a house that had a fire last year, and which flipper (his first house in Brooklyn) should have on the market in the fall. Amazing attention to restoring/preserving period detail. Great location on Ditmas Avenue in Ditmas Park Proper. The house will be a great asset to the neighborhood. I am not a realtor, just a resident who is pained when beautiful, historic homes are bastardized.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 11, 2005 10:21 AM

This is a great house. Will probably sell quickly. The block is very beautiful and quiet and near subways and playgrounds.

Posted by: Anonymous at August 12, 2005 10:59 PM

Friends of PS 11 doesn't need to do a better PR job. They are already WAY overselling that school. Do hope it gets better though.

Posted by: anonymousse at August 15, 2005 3:03 PM

« Did Bob Dylan Really Live In Brooklyn Heights? Peace Out: Hippie With a Van »

August 10, 2005

House of the Day: Clifton Place Move-In Ready

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