House of the Day: FSBO on Argyle

I think it's priced too high. New owners will have to put in security system which it doesn't look like this house has. The kitchen is awful; to my taste anyway. I don't see any original stained glass, not much woodwork inside & what is there is painted. It's pretty and will probably sell at asking but it won't be my money.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 12:27 PM

12:26, where did you buy? We are buying there too, on 16th & Ditmas

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 12:36 PM

"New owners will have to put in security system which it doesn't look like this house has."

wow. the jealousy on this site is hilarious sometimes.

this house is beautiful.

a security system costs what, $500-800 to install? the price may be too high, but a security system is a total non-factor. if that's one of your big beefs, then this house must be pretty good.

and for the kitchen, big deal. you bid $50K under asking and earmark it for a new kitchen. and yes, you can put in a very nice kitchen for well under $50K.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 12:43 PM

Interest in the area is understandable because that area in general is fantastic. It's one of my favorite spots in bklyn. It comes as a surprise because you don't expect to see houses like those anywhere near manhattan or downtown bklyn. You have the best of both worlds.
It has a quiet, leafy, suburban feel and is filled with charming detached, victorian houses.
The lot sizes are generous (by nyc standards) and you're a quick bike ride to the stores on flatbush or a subway ride to downtown brooklyn and manhattan.
If you're feeling adventurous or interested in playing local tourist, you're a quick walk away from the middle-eastern stores and restaurants that line Coney Island Ave.
I've always been amazed at how the local Hasids and Arab Muslims live side by side peacefully in neighboring commuities off Coney Island Ave.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 1:44 PM

They bought this house from a speculator, that's why it has a cheep kitchen and bath. I saw this house and it was on the market for some time and was of very poor quality work..
They decorated it nicely..

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 3:43 PM

Jeremy I think PPSer was serious, actually. (why? who knows) An alarm system would be a whopping $2K investment, which is what Protection One would probably charge for a house this big. As for a new kitchen or not, that obsession is what seperates the amateurs from smart buyers. If you want a good deal, you buy a house in which you have to install the kitchen. That said, for $1.4 million yes this house should have had a new kitchen in it. UNLESS they did a top of the line update of the mechanicals instead. I'd rather buy a house with all new plumbing and electric any day, ANY DAY, than a house that looks fabulous and has a new kitchen but has old rotten mechanicals. My critique of the FSBO listing is only that with all the photos, lots, which is great (realty firms should learn something from this seller about the appeal of nice photos) it's too bad the foyer and living room look so spectacular and then the bedrooms and kitchen are so so cluttered. Too cluttered. A cluttered appearance psychologically makes buyers feel like it's not enough space, for day to day living. Or that there's not enough storage in the house. Whether that's the case or not, that's what clutter communicates. So they need to take the stuff off the kitchen counters, take the cruddy little TV out of the master bedroom, and take the crib out of there too when they're showing the place. The master bedroom is a key room in any house. It needs to look good. It needs to be focused on in the same way they focused on the living room and foyer.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 5:48 PM

Yeah I'm looking at those pictures again and the kitchen and master bedroom look terrible. The baseball cap next to the TV, the bathrobe tossed on the sofa in the master BR. The tons of stuff stuck to the fridge in the kitchen, all the stuff on top of the cabinets and countertops, the rug. Get rid of it all.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 5:54 PM

I'd bet my bottoms that PPSer was joking. There's this thing we have here in NYC...it's called sarcasm. Get used to it, people!!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 5:55 PM

I don't think it was sarcasm. The rest of PPSer's post was completely serious.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 6:14 PM

I am the original poster who mantioned the alarm system and what I was getting at is that many of the little things you'd expect to find (alarm system - which in a house with that many windows & doors would be a few thousand) and some big ones (stained glass) I'm bet there are some big things missing too. I was also rushing to reply because I just bought a house around the corner (with an alarm system but also with a dreadful kitchen) and am happy to see an interest in my new nabe.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 7:42 PM

FYI, a new roof on these home and when I say a new roof, I mean taking all the layers off could cost you $30,000 to $40,000 depending on how large your roof is...
For those who live in the area may have notice over the past few years every one is getting new roofs and thats because of the ages of these homes, they all have at least 3 to 4 layers already...

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 7:51 PM

I saw this house in 2005 as well. It was a flipper job. Lots of heavy painting over the woodwork, none of it stripped. Floors were not in good condition. No stained glass. Home depo kitchens and baths... The flipper left the previous tricolor siding (pink, white and I think yellow - very nasty), the new owners have given it a new paint job. It does have central air and all new systems, to its credit. But if this house is worth 1.5, my house, in the same nabe is worth 1.75... And I don't see the crown jewels in PPS getting that yet...

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 7:53 PM

If you click on the slide show of the front of the house, it has a shot of the lawn with 2 of those Alarm signs. Maybe it has an alarm system already.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 8:36 PM

What?! UMMM, Jeremy, yes I'm a native, and WTF are you talking about "sophisticated image"? I grew up in Brooklyn (when it wasn't desirable), not on Park Ave. I'm not trying to establish anything other than the fact that NYers have a sarcastic sense of humor that some non-natives don't get. "Sophisticate" this!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 8:56 AM

This is an OK house, for the area. It is well staged, and appears "lovely" in the pix. I met the couple who bought this house during the open house when the flipper had it. The woman said she really wanted to live in Forest Hills, but couldn't afford it. Maybe they're trying to stump up the cash to get there now. In any case, the house is not worth 1.5 million. If it was, Mary Kay's two PPS jewels would have sold for their 2 million plus asks, and they're both still sitting there...

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 10:19 AM

This reminds me of the FSBO on Beverly Road in BSW a while back... It sat there at around 1.5 (maybe 1.6?). Finally, it was surrendered to Mary Kay Gallagher who lowered the price by several hundred thousands of dollars and promptly found a buyer.

$1.2 seems to be the going rate in BSW for a house with a new interior reno, and a so-so exterior. BSW is extremely convenient to Cortelyou Road (the best local amenities in Vic. Flatbush), neighbors tony PPS, and is a short walk to the Parade Grounds/Prospect Park. I think higher prices in BSW are partly due to location, location, location. They sell because they are smaller than those in PPS, and therefore cost less to buy and to also to maintain.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 10:56 AM

I think that house being FSBO had more to do with having an extended family living there and the owner running open houses with most of the family still inside the house. Most realtors will require you not have any occupants and pets in the house during the open house and this may have been a concern for the owner (who couldn't see to get one relative even out of the bedroom and had several elderly aunts wandering about the place during the open house).

Note to owners, having the house filled with any of the following is a real turnoff to buyers:
Eccentric family members
Yapping pets
Rambunctious 1/2 naked kids

And yes I have seen all that and more while attending open houses and scheduled showings when was house hunting.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 1:26 PM

I dont think this house enough detail to warrent the price. I also respectfully disagree with others...this area is great..I live in it...however, i dont see the prices going up that high.....1.25/1.3 is the highest it would go. Dont get me wrong..great house great local

Posted by: Anonymous at January 23, 2007 8:57 PM