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October 13, 2005

House of the Day: Liking This Lefferts Limestone

exterior interior
Here's an interesting comparable to yesterday Lefferts Avenue Place House of the Day. Both houses are 1,900 square feet (or are they?) and both are priced in the mid-$700K's. Today's three-story limestone has some top-notch original details (albeit in need of a tune-up) on view whereas the lack of pics from yesterday's listing suggests things may not be as pretty. It also look as if today's house is on a nicer street, though we're admittedly working with very little info here. (Can anyone ID this location?) All in all, if we had to make a choice, we'd go with the today's limestone over yesterday's brownstone.
Historical Lefferts Gardens [NYT Listings]
Lefferts Avenue Sliver House [Brownstoner]




Posted by Brownstoner at 11:46 AM | Comments (16)
Categories: Properties

Comments

Today's Leffert's Garden property is on Clarkson between Nostrand and Flatbush. One (somewhat peculiar) feature of the home is that there is no connection between the garden-level rental unit and the "owner's duplex" above. So for someone wishing to create a single-family residence, there would be some work involved. This would also present the owner with a bit of a challenge accessing the basement.

Posted by: Kathy Hansen at October 13, 2005 12:04 PM

in addition to the previous post, this home is listed as a single family which of course means that the second unit probably isn't legal. this may not be important for someone not needing the rental income from the second unit but it would be just as much money/work involved into turning it into a legal 2 family (assuming its possible of course). you could, however, choose to take that risk which its obvious many people do including the current owners of this place.

Posted by: stuy blkbuttrflie at October 13, 2005 12:33 PM

Nostrand and Flatbush? That's a stretch. What happened to Bedford and Rogers? I suspect this house is located on Clarkson between Flatbush and Bedford. If I am correct, and as much as I am a cheerleader for PLG, this is not one of the better blocks of the area. While the limestone houses on Clarkson are really quite nice, the street is not only very narrow and noisy but it is also an MTA route.

Posted by: GardensGal at October 13, 2005 1:14 PM

Here's what's really in common with yesterday's Lefferts Avenue property: sloppy brokering! Once again, we have a listing in the wrong location. That is, although this property is described as a Lefferts Garden house (which it is) all the accompanying neighborhood information is about Sheepshead Bay -- a community located miles away at the southern tip of Brooklyn. Same thing for the map -- it has nothing to do with the location of this house. Which, btw, is situated on the block between Bedford and Flatbush.

Posted by: GardensGal at October 13, 2005 1:57 PM

I saw this house a few weeks ago with my brother. They've done is a quality renovation so, no tune-up necessary and they worked hard to keep a lot of the details. Pocket doors in the livingroom, a fireplace(I think it was gas) and built-in shelves in the middle room. There's a bathroom on each floor, the upstairs bath has a jacuzzi tub. The front bedroom has built in window seats and the walk-through closets still have the original sinks. The back bedroom has a nice sized patio overlooking the backyard wich was pretty deep. I

t's a one family on Clarkson btwn Flatbush & Bedford. The apt in the walkout english bsmt would be an illegal rental, but it was very spacious.

We both really liked the house and the price wasn't too far off. However the street left quite a bit to be desired. It's what I term "a hangout block" with far too many large apt buildings for that to change anytime soon.

My opinion is that Lefferts Place is a much nicer block, but Lefferts Garden is a better neighborhood for someone with children. I voted with my dollars.

Posted by: Nativegal at October 13, 2005 2:14 PM

Isn't it suspicious that whoever is selling this is dealing with, maybe, a dozen brokers or middlemen? There are blurbs with slightly varying descriptions all over CL and none of them seem to know what they are talking about.
If someone has losers representing them, it makes me think you don't want to deal with them. You're buying a big headache.
BTW, this block is shaky and the much-discussed tudor on chester court is a much better location.

Posted by: tripster at October 13, 2005 4:02 PM

I live in PLG on Lefferts Ave and while I love my block, I bemoan the lack of essential services in the neighborhood (OK, maybe to consider a nice, sit-down restaurant an "essential service" labels me a gentrifier -- sorry, it's just that after working until 8 or so at night it would be nice to be able to come home to my own nabe to have dinner and a glass of wine instead of being forced to stay in Manhattan or get off the Q at 7th Ave in Park Slope to go to a restaurant. Ditto a clean, non-smelly grocery store open past 7, or a liquor store carrying wines other than the jug variety). The new deli on Nostrand by the Sterling St subway entrance is a big plus, with friendly people behind the counter and clean, dust- and dirt-free (for now) merchandise and floors. And Hammond's will always have the best jerk chicken (take that Negril); now if they could just stay open a bit later and add waiter service (and eventually a beer and wine (at least) license...)

The recent bust of two small time crack rings operating out of the fried chicken place at Nostrand and Sterling may help things, but it looks like they're up to their old tricks again as of a few days ago. Thank goodness that crack is no longer so expensive as to inspire violence.

Despite all this I am amazed at what houses are selling for -- it's really nuts, but it's mostly Seventh Ave brokers in Park Slope trying to create a PS East by sending all their little priced-out buyers over here. And Clarkson is really far south, although there are more businesses along Nostrand in that area (a CVS).

In short, I think this neighborhood is overpriced (even the beautiful deeded one families in Lefferts Manor), but so is everything else in this city, and the area does have more possiblity than some others, but it's going to take some time.

I haven't been by the Q entrance on Lincoln Rd in a while -- did the space that A&H was plugging as perfect for a cafe ever rent?

Posted by: Larabelle at October 13, 2005 5:44 PM

Hey Brownstoner! Why isn't Prospect-Lefferts Garden included in your list of the Voice's neighborhood profiles?

Posted by: Nativegal at October 13, 2005 8:41 PM

Not sure, but pretty sure all those links aren't working anyway!

Posted by: Brownstoner at October 14, 2005 9:09 AM

"Not sure, but pretty sure all those links aren't working anyway!"


LOL! That's an answer worthy of a politician.

Here's a link to the Prospect-Lefferts Garden profile. Even if you can't get it to work, can we at least be on the list?

http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0413,pareles,52201,15.html

Posted by: Nativegal at October 14, 2005 10:43 AM

Give Bstoner a break NativeGal. But thanks for the info.

Posted by: Anonymous at October 14, 2005 11:29 AM

We set those up 11 months ago and haven't touched them since. No conspiracy going on, don't worry.

Posted by: Brownstoner at October 14, 2005 2:16 PM

Thank you Nativegal for the Village Voice link!!
Lefferts Manor also has a Yahoo Group (called Lefferts) and a website
http://www.leffertsmanor.org/

Posted by: Anonymous at October 14, 2005 9:52 PM

Word has it Corcoran has this listing

Posted by: Jer at October 17, 2005 8:26 PM

I have lived on Lefferts Avenue for 29 years. I was just informed of violations that were mailed out by the landmark association regarding my home. They stated that they wanted me to change my front door, remove the paint on my steps, remove my gate and change my windows to wood.
Now, my gripe is that I paid for this house and if i wanted to paint my steps, I should be able to do so. Do we have any rights to our own property! I realized you own nothing in this country, they need to pass rules and regulation to keep you in control...Soon, we will not have the right to sit on our stoops to catch a little sun......

I dont mind making my neighborhood a little better, but I havent seen any crime or killing in this area for years, the only unpleasant sight is that building 150 Lefferts Ave, It has become a place of hoodlums and homeless people living in the basement, the majority of tenants living in the building have been there for over 20 years, and they are warm loving neighbors. Its the those hoodlums and homeless people living in the basement that has been causing the block to sky dive to garbage. Over the summer I have seen the police come to that building on numerous occasions. People sitting on the steps at night fighting and cursing. Thank God the summer is over!
The owners(Bumbart) has not been upkeeping the building. I have contacted him regarding the superindent responsibility about the upkeep and he just brushes me off, also I contacte him regarding so much police activity in the building basement, and he has not taken any steps to remove the problem. Hey, if you pay cheap labor, you get cheap and worthless labor.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Myrights

Posted by: Ms.Jones at October 19, 2005 9:37 AM

I lived in Prospect Lefferts for years...sixteen (16)to be exact 1989-2005. This neighborhood in my opinion, has gone from not too bad at all to horrible. I owned a coop in the neighborhood; My block was lovely and so was the apartment and building, but I just could not take the neighborhood. It was too crowded, people were negative and not nice at all, the supermarkets are horrible and yes where is the nice sit down eatery, gunshots, guys on the corner all the time, crowded Flatbush ave..ugh!!the only good thing is I was close to my hair dresser..I always felt tense and not comfortable in my own neighborhood, A lot of people just did not care about the neighborhood, they are just living there...I am out and the only reason I return is to get my hair done..Now I have a nice larger apartment and a wonderful quiet neigborhood and neighbors so far..

Posted by: Anonymous at November 15, 2005 11:10 AM

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