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January 19, 2007

Open House Picks

house Park Slope
598 2nd Street
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday 12-2:30
$3,450,000
GMAP P*Shark

house Brooklyn Heights
42 Willow Place
Corcoran
Sunday 1-3
$1,700,000
GMAP P*Shark

house Sunset Park
471 51st Street
For Sale By Owner
Saturday 1-3
$1,100,000
GMAP P*Shark

house Crown Heights
1561 Park Place
Fillmore
Sunday 1-4
$659,000
GMAP P*Shark

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Comments

gotta love the yearly taxes on the brooklyn heights house! $745 a year!!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 11:58 AM

Is the guy in sunset park kidding me? does not even look like a brownstone , it looks brick. Should be priced closer to $800k get real

Posted by: ron at January 19, 2007 12:08 PM

At $1.7 million, I think it's highly likely Brooklyn Heights houe has rent controlled or rent stabilized tenants.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 12:11 PM

per propshark the taxes on BrklynHts/Willow St. are over $7000 annual.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 12:11 PM

Sunset Park pricing seems way out of step with recent sales. I agree with 12:08 that 799K sounds about right for this one.

PS house is quite a stunner. I wouldn't want to live in it, but wow.

BH house is only for a true Heights-lover who wants a modern box, since it'll require a total gut.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 12:13 PM

The Willow Place description scares me, that it has been reinforced with steel beams! BQE vibrations much?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 12:13 PM

12:11, I was thinking the same thing. Or maybe it's priced that way because it'll cost a lot to convert this place to a 1 or 2 family? The backyard looks nice!

Posted by: Emily at January 19, 2007 12:13 PM

Is it really possible that the Sunset Park building has a rent roll of 75K per year?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 12:31 PM

I own a three family frame across the street from 471 51st Street. It gets really noisy in the summer from the large apartment building across the street. If they get anywhere near that $1.1m asking price, I will eat my shoe.

Posted by: Shahn Andersen at January 19, 2007 1:10 PM

While I agree that the Sunset Park house is high, it is not that way off. Three floor brownstones on the nice blocks are now going for over $900K. This house is a a four floor house and it is definitely a brownstone - there are a number of four floor brownstones on that block on the top of the hill, north side of the street. Comparing this to other recent sales in the neighborhood, and that fact that it doesn't need a gut reno, a price of $1 million is totally within reason.

Posted by: Brian at January 19, 2007 1:14 PM

I agree with 12:11 -- 1.7mil for BH and and on Willow? There must be a hitch.

Posted by: chopper at January 19, 2007 1:32 PM

I live on 46th between 3rd and 4th. The house on the corner of 3rd (about 10 feet from the elevated bqe), a two story plus basement, in bad shape needing a lot of work, just went for almost 700.

Posted by: big D at January 19, 2007 1:41 PM

Remember, its Willow Place between State and Joralemon, not Willow Street up near the promenade. Still, its a lovely neighborhood down there. Was looking at the front of four condos at 51 Columbia Place a block away last weekend and thinking about giving the broker a call to check them out(anyone know about those? All been dropped about 200K each in the past 6 months!) and the BQE noise isn't bad at all (I currently live right off the trench and know BQE noise).

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 1:41 PM

Brownstones are brick underneath. Is it possible to take a brick-faced building and make it brownstone?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 1:49 PM

"Brownstones are brick underneath. Is it possible to take a brick-faced building and make it brownstone?"

Absolutely, but the SP house in question is DEFINITELY an original brownstone.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 1:55 PM

Of course Anon 1:49. There are only 10,000 contractors in Brooklyn that specialize in such things.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 1:56 PM

Someone paid 700K to live under the BQE? Wow.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 2:05 PM

not all brownstones are brick underneath. Some actually are stone all the way through. It depends on the building. Anyway, who cares, i think the term was used to refer to a stone or brick rowhouse, and this one looks to be brownstone.

Posted by: lp at January 19, 2007 2:13 PM

On willow place, the broker wrote "A legal three family, it is set up as two large one-bedroom floor-through apartments, and two small one-bedrooms"

but the floorplans don't bear this out...can someone explain?

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 2:17 PM

Look closer at floor plans. Top floor is 2 smaller 1 bedroom apts. and other 2 floors are 1 apt each.
But not legal 4 family.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 2:22 PM

ignore my floor plan question...i see it.

Posted by: anon at January 19, 2007 2:22 PM

The Sunset Part will sell close to the asking price. I've seen this house. The renovation was done really well and it is a four story building with great rental income. Plus it's in move in condition!

Posted by: Rick at January 19, 2007 2:33 PM

Crown Heights house is really in what most people think of as Brownsville. There's not much out there as of now that would attract most people who read this. Seems to be a boring, period stripped, but decent, lower end reno job. I think the price is way too high. For that amount of $$, I've seen similar houses in Bed Stuy, PLG, and Crown Hts proper, that have more charm, and are closer to downtown Brooklyn.

I'm surprised not too much discussion on the priciest house in Pk Slope. Beautiful detail, and I would love to have my back yard look like that. Kitchen rather disappointing. Price is in fantasyland for me, I have a hard enough time imagining that kind of money. Ah well, looking is free.

Posted by: Crown Heights Proud at January 19, 2007 3:19 PM

i would hate to live in the park slope house. WAY too much detail, feel like i'd suffocate in their. looks more like a museum then a house. i agree it should n ever be destroyed, but i can't imagine living there ir the ft green expensive park house. kitchen is ugly too

Posted by: anon at January 19, 2007 3:43 PM

I could live with the Park Slope details! I don't like the kitchen cabinets, but is that the original floor tile? If so, I'm in love.

Posted by: yente at January 19, 2007 4:04 PM

Off topic: Does anyone what it's like to live in Sunset Park right on the park? Is it loud - do people hang out in the park late? Is it possible to park a car? Considering looking at a house there...
Thanks!

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 4:14 PM

I live three blocks from the park and I like the distance because it can get loud in the Summer. 5th Ave can get loud too. However, I can be really picky, the ice cream trucks alone make me nuts. The park is really nice with a giant public pool. Anyway, it is a safe area but i would think twice about being right on the park. There are lots of nice brownstones in the area. Check it out.

Posted by: Rick at January 19, 2007 4:30 PM

Love Sunset Park, but you need to walk around at day and at night to see if it suits you. It can get loud--Fifth Avenue is very busy, lots of traffic--but the other sides of the park are quieter. It's a nice park, but all parks, even the prestigious Prospect Park in Park Slope, have, besides their good points, a downside--noise, kids hanging out, crime, parking pressure. Don't rely on anyone else's opinion--look around, spend some time and be true to yourself.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 4:47 PM

Right around the park is definitely safe. The area just north of the park along fifth ave (37th-41st)is ground zero for undocumented mexican workers. they're mostly male and they live many to a room, so they spend very little time in their apartments, which means they hang out outside a lot, especially from march to october. I've been to three community board meetings and two featured complaints from multiple residents about dudes drinking, fighting, passing out in the park and pissing everywhere. It's not a safety issue (as a rule they generally only knife and shoot each other), but a legit quality of life one.

As to the houses on 46th and 51st, I've seen them both several times (from the outside) and rest assured, the 1.1 mil house will sell for that price or higher by Valentines Day. Offers will be made tomorrow. However the person who paid 700,000 for the house on 3rd and 46th was not only robbed, they were raped. And no lube was used.

Posted by: Sunset Parker at January 19, 2007 5:05 PM

I saw this SP house too. Whoever thinks it will sell for 1.1 is wack. It's a nice house, but the areas is not nearly at that level yet. I considered offering in the low 900's, but even that seemed steep.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 19, 2007 5:33 PM

To Crown Heights Proud: the fence in the backyard is probably illegal. Last time I looked into this, the highest for solid wall was 4 feet and the highest for a nonsolid wall was 6 feet. The fence they've built looks more like 8 feet and unless it is against another building then I believe it is illegal, but anyone who knows the city rules for this, please chime in.

Anon re: not being able to live in the Park Slope house, understand how you feel, but strip off the wallpaper, paint that wall a light color and do some contemporary furniture and rugs and it changes the whole place, yet the beautiful details remain and they are truly irreplaceable.

Posted by: cc at January 19, 2007 11:17 PM

cc, you are probably right on the height of the fence. I have to admit, I barely noticed it, I was too busy having steel deck and stairs envy.

Posted by: Crown Heights Proud at January 20, 2007 12:43 AM

I live directly across the street from Sunset Park. There was a problem several years ago with amplified concerts in the park -- very loud. But the parks department seems to have decided against amplified sound permits for the park, as there have been no concerts the past three summers or more. I rarely get excess noise from the park itself. The bigger noise issue is from car stereos and the cultural practice of some neighborhood residents to sit outside playing the radio. There are a couple of tenement type rental buildings on my block, and I have sometimes been bothered by radios/car stereos in front of those buildings in the summer.

I've lived in Sunset Park for over a decade and I have always felt safe. I park a car on the street, walk home from the subway late, no problems. It's a very family oriented neighborhood. Yes, in warm weather you will see a couple of drunks sleeping in one corner of the park. But I run in the park regularly in the evening after dark and no one has ever bothered me. The park is well-utilized for dog walking, soccer, volley ball, basketball, and tai chi. The park is well patrolled by police cars in the evening. I do not see people hanging out in it late at night or at least if they do, they're quiet about it.

I think the noise problem on any particular block is going to depend on the culture on that block. Some blocks are very noisy due to partying and some people in my apartment building whose apartments face the interior of the block say they are quite bothered by backyard parties on the weekends. As we face the park, we don't have that problem.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 20, 2007 4:07 PM

That Sunset Park house is renovated to its bones, without losing what detail it had--and it's very efficient. Simple (it's done as rental now), but really nice. Totally move-in condition. And 3-story brownstones on slightly nicer blocks are going for $950, so an extra floor on a decent block, two blocks from the subway? I'd say it's a deal.

I heart Sunset Park.

Posted by: anonymous at January 20, 2007 6:46 PM

The problem with Willow Place isn't BQE vibrations (though it is very close to the BQE). A friend lived on a building on Willow Place and whenever a subway would pass by his floors and appliances would rattle somewhat violently. This was true for every floor of the brownstone. I don't know how effective steel beems are at preventing rattling but it should be a consideration...

Posted by: Willow Pl is nice but... at January 21, 2007 4:06 PM

42 Willow is close to State St. not Joralemon end where subway tunnel runs.
Steel beams most probably used because - hey - these old houses sagged and steel beams keeps the floors level.
The armchair critiques know very little and almost see everything in negative light. Why they even live in Brooklyn I sometimes wonder - because everything is either too close or too far from something.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 21, 2007 8:20 PM

Anyone care to estimate what the "between 4th ave and 5th ave" premium is these days over the "between 4th ave and 3rd ave" (considering the raised highway) in South Slope thru Sunset Park?

Posted by: SSlope at January 21, 2007 9:16 PM

regarding the "premium" for properties on the east side of 4th Avenue, I can only ask why on earth would you want to live less than a block from the Gowanus Expressway? Between 5th and 6th seems to me to be the ideal location, as even 4th Avenue isn't exactly a strollable residential street.

Posted by: chuck at January 21, 2007 10:24 PM

I checked out the 51 columbia place condos..very small for wht they are asking and I think the work was shoddy. LR will barely fit a couch and a tv, bedrooms barely a bed! another lick em and stick em greedy developer/owner.

Posted by: m at January 22, 2007 8:08 AM

To 'm' - Thanks for the reply on 51 Columbia Place. While reasonably priced for a 2-bed, I was put off by the floorplans only including vague measurements, and it only looks like 700 to 750 sq feet for the whole floor. So sick of shoddy construction as well, seems to be the rage in new construction in the Heights and BoCoCa. Saw apartments in Tiffany Tower (20 Tiffany Place) and 60 Tiffany and its the same thing - overpriced crap.

Posted by: Anonymous at January 22, 2007 12:57 PM

The crown heights house is NOT in brownsville...it is in weeksville, crown heights and around the corner from the Weeksville Heritage Center one of brooklyn's finest historic house museums.

Weeksville was the first free African-American community founded in 1838 by a man named James Weeks. The Weeksville Heritage Center owns three historic houses from the time period that are decorated in the styles of the 1860's, 1900's, 1930's.

It is a fantastic place and a gem of Brooklyn.

Posted by: redbone at January 22, 2007 6:05 PM

42 Willow Place sold for $1.85M in April 2007

Posted by: guest at November 8, 2007 8:14 PM

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January 19, 2007

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