Open House Picks

Anyone going to the open house in PLG shoud DEFINATELY look at this house. It is WAY underpriced. IT has a gorgeous garden in the back

http://www.brooklynhomesales.com/homepage.htm?in_listing=5328199&in_brokercode=XCOM01

why is the ft greene house so cheap? what gives?

Hasnt ft greene house been on the market for a long time?

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing, why so cheap? Maybe needs some serious Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing upgrading.

Fort Green house way underpriced. So strange

"Or are we, as a society, so imbued with a sense of entitlement to instant satisfaction that anything but rapidly attainable perfection is just totally unacceptable?"

YES.

"Why? Why must we always assume the worst about others?"

Lol!! Stick around this blog for a while, 1:59PM, and its posters will show you why.

I for one adore "significantly sagging floors." These houses are 100 years plus old--they settled somtime around the turn of the last century and, unless you do something stupid like remove a bearing wall, they really shouldn't settle anymore. And yes, I am an engineer. Sagging and sloping and other forms of settling are the hallmarks of an older home--if you don't appreciate them, go buy a place in One Prospect Park.

Hey are you guys talking about the 292 Parkside Ave property? I went to that Open House last weekend and it seemed to be a pretty good deal. Hardly any work at all... Did anyone else see it?

The ft greene house must have rent control tenants in one or probably more of the 3 small apartments in the top two floors.

The broker should disclose this on the website, not just omit "delivered vacant" from the listing.

2:19 -- Can a 3 family be rent controlled?

Anyone posting on this board should DEFINITELY know how to spell DEFINITELY. If you find this difficult check out http://www.d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y.com for assistance.

Well it sounds like this particular house does have structural problems. Obviously, when buying an older home you need to get a good home inspection, ideally from a structural engineer. But people should not equate sagging with serious problems--90% of the time it is simply beams that sagged 75 years ago and that are now stable.

I went to PLG open house and the house is well priced and in move-in condition. I can't see how a serious buyer with a 800K budget could over look it. With these prices you have to be able to move in and work as you go. I live on the block and have 2 small children. Maybe we're just a little to practical for all the high-rollers out there but this is the type of value that made me relocate our family here from Park Slope, Works for me!

Maybe the name should more accurately be Cater-corner to Prospect Park.

"I can't see how a serious buyer with a 800K budget could over look it."

Well, because not all of us are willing to live in that area. I know it has many plusses and I know some people are happy there, but it really isn't the place for me or my family. My point being that the fact that a house is nice and "well-priced" does not automatically mean that everyone in that budget range should want it.

For those who adore "significantly sagging floors." - what about your closet doors the you have to plane down so they can close. What about the moldings around the closets that are visible uneven - this is somehow much worse than the floor which I don't notice so much.

"...what about your closet doors the you have to plane down so they can close. What about the moldings around the closets that are visible uneven..."

You plane down the closet doors. As for the visibly uneven moldings, you learn to love them. Sorry, I just don't understand people who buy old homes but who want them to be perfectly flush. It's unnatural. I have two old homes, one in Brooklyn and one in the country. Both have sloping floors and ceilings and uneven door and window frames. That's part of their beauty and I wouldn't dream of changing them.

I know someone that lives on Albermarle Place and their house is great. But this house is overpriced by about 65K.

Th Parkside side house is featured in the Sunday Times RE for sale round-up. Got a very positive write-up and looks good. Bet the open house will be jammed.

Sherman Street house looks underpriced compared to the house another agency had on Sherman recently. What gives? I think the other one was listed at either $1.8m or $1.9m

Why is 1.7 million for a Fort Green brownstone considered "underpriced"? Why is everyone convinced there must be a rent-controlled tenant? 1.7 is alot of money, not some bargain -- I'm not convinced all those 2+ million homes really sell at that price, or perhaps they are in pristine condition and this one is not (perfectly fine, but not in condition for someone who thinks nothing of shelling out 2 million for a house).

$1.7m is definitely the wrong price for this house. Either it needs tremendous work, or they are trying to generate a bidding war, or they have problems with their tenants like RC. Unless they are just going for a straight up bidding war it would be nice if they disclosed the problems with the house. This agency knows the value of houses in this area. They do not co-broke though so most agents around town won't have a chance to sell it only their agents. Although perhaps they tell sellers they co-broke?? They really never let anybody show their listings.

Oops, I take back the above comment. Just looked at the layout of the Fort Green house and the 3rd floor is divided into 2 studios, and the 4th floor is a 3rd apartment. The duplex isn't configured very well for family living either. I think this would take some work to get it into shape, and 1.7 is high, even if it is delivered vacant.

Sorry, Anon 8:35am and 8:29 are me, and someone posted in between. I was adding to the 8:29 remark.

Enough with your AY ranting. If you have a point (not sure) why don't you try to speak clearly about it instead of just whining like this about AY all the time? AY is a mess. But it's not FG's mess. It's Brooklyn's mess. And the issues most people are concerned with are not their housing prices plummenting. They are concerned with traffic throughout the borough, safety for pedestrians at major intersections around the arena, eminent domain's unlawfulness, the way the politicians ignored the public, the fact that the entire borough needs more schools, the fact that city and state taxpayers are underwriting a project to get a company rich at the expense of landowners who will be pushed out, and so on. Obviously if a developer is going to put up housing he thinks he will make money. And that's why housing prices are not the issue. I would argue the opposite is true. There is already a lot of displacement of poor people in and around Prospect Heights and the addition of luxury housing will only translate in to higher sales prices and higher rents. This is an actual major concern of AY opponents. You rich people will do just fine. But still please oppose AY because it's wrong for the city and wrong for the state.

12 years ago you couldn't walk through Ft. Greene without getting a basketball sized gunshot wound in your chest. Now look. Better get on those PLG houses cause in another year or two they'll be over the top. And who in the world thinks $1.7M is a decent price to pay for a house? Wake up. If your making that much $, buy a couple houses somewhere else! I love Brooklyn as much as the next guy, but get real.

Better buy in Marine Park before summer or you'll never get in for less than 1M. And if you wait until next year, there are some 1M condos in downtown Glens Falls that'll be 2M.

Of course 1.7M is chump change for a house, isn't everybody making 800K now? And next year they'll be pulling down 1.3M. Every last reader of this blog, no doubt.

This is all very funny ... but what will be funnier still is what these folks will do after emptying their bank accounts and buying a fixer-upper with a liar loan at 10X income -- when prices go down 50%.

I'm not sure I understand why, but these AYE posts are growing on me. Maybe it's because all the otherwise or previously sane people have drunk the kool-aid.

Nobody is saying anything about Windsor Terrace 2-story being nearly $1.4 million. Isn't that close to Park Slope prices, for per square foot? I knew people liked Windsor Terrace but jeepers, that's higher than I thought WT would be.

Re: Windsor Terrace--a smaller but very beautiful house on Howard Place (great block but maybe not as nice as Sherman because it fronts the school)just sold for $1.4 million, while there's another very lovely Sherman Street house down the block from this one for sale for over $1.8 million (bigger yard and has an apartment upstairs to defray mortgage, tho not by much).

the fort greene house is across the street from the church proposed halfway house. a little scary for a family. could be affecting the price which started way higher almost a year ago. i saw the property and needs work, updating , configurations, etc.

Bob, the Parkside house in the NYT is on the web--hit On The Market. PErsonally, I'd say this was a very bad press day for PLG. The woman's description of people hanging out on the corners is a mjor turn-off. And, put together, the 2 articles give the definite picture of PLG as a very cheap fringe neighborhood.

Ft Greene house - is very large, and has lots o'details. I have seen many other houses in Ft Greene, Prospect Hgts, Clinton Hill. This one is in good shape.
The interior needs to be painted with prettier colours and it would sell for more.

did anyone go to the ft greene house? I'm dying to know what's wrong with it - that price seems a little unreal or perhaps the greed of people selling houses recently has left me jaded to the intentions of a *reasonably* priced home. I just feel like there has to be a catch, especially if its been on the market for a while. maybe the bidding war theory or one of the apartments has a ghost in it or something?!?!

Did anyone go to either of the open houses at 84 Fenimore Street or 292 Parkside Avenue in PLG? If so, please share your thoughts. I wonder if there was a lot of turn out because of the NY Times coverage.

I agree with Bob, that wasn't "negative" in the PLG article to point out how one gets initially turned off by the dudes hanging on the corners. Because it's true! Those dudes are the first thing you see when you step off the subway in PLG. You have to walk past Flatbush before getting to the blocks of historic houses. And we all know what a lovely street Flatbush is. I think it's positive to show even the biggest fans of PLG aren't thrilled about Flatbush.

As for diversity being "negative" to point out about PLG, that's something every individual has to examine about his/her own values and world view.

Where is Park Slope/Prospect Heights can I get a great steak that isn't $30 for just the steak?

I've been to Moutarde many times and never had a problem with the service, or the food -- love their food.

I had a very spooky experience at Moutarde once. I was in their ladies' room, which is on the basement level below the dining room. While I was washing my hands, I could very clearly hear a woman moaning right outside the bathroom door. I was thinking, Yikes, someone is about to lose their dinner. So I hurriedly finished my hand-washing and drying, skipped the lipstick application and opened the door to let the person in . . . but there was no one there. (and no, the person had not gone into the men's room). It was spooky. But I still like Moutarde.

Lots of people at 84 Fenimore, but not because of the NY Times...mostly because of THIS WEBSITE

definition of a loser is sonmeone who doesn't have anything better to do than write 47 posts on this thread. I know because I'm feeling a bit like a loser for posting just one.

I am trying to keep this place a secret. But if you want a basic steak dinner you can try Snooky's on 7th. Snooky's itswhat Park Slope used to be. The service is great, the beers are cheap, the wine is bad but the steak special is good. 200 Fifth also has decent steaks, but it can be a bit loud.

12th Street Grill on 12th and 8th Avenue has a great steak, and I am picky about steaks I don't cook myself. Comes with great onion rings -- can't remember if there's a veggie.

The poster above is right - 12th Street has a dee-lish steak with potatoes and onions. Comes with sauteed spinah too and is under $20.

As wary as I am of adding anything to what has probably been one of the most unpleasant and tedious (not to mention strategically/surreptitously redacted) threads in the history of Brownstoner, I'm afraid Mr./Ms. 3:15 needs to get out more: "secret" Snooky's went out of business about six months ago.