Open House Picks

Nice to see that 14th Street house price has been reduced. It was overpriced to begin with. Still needs to come down a bit more.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:30 PM

Bed Stuy house has also been reduced. It's been on the market since April.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:32 PM

PLG house listing states that "Owner needs to hear all offers."

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:34 PM

Too bad there's apparently not a shred of detail in that Ft. Greene place. Otherwise, looks nice from the outside.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:35 PM

The PLG house is on one of the funny little cul de sac streets off the westside of Flatbush. I've never explored those streets but a chef friend said a friend of theirs has a house on one of these streets and it was cute.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:38 PM

Slim Pickins (and I don't mean the entertainer (rimshot)).

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:38 PM

Actually the FG renovations appeal to some buyers- like me. It could have used some crown mouldings or something but breaking down a lot of the interior increases the open space, which is appealing to some.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:43 PM

Brownstoner, it's 16 Willoughby, not 116.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:44 PM

Yeah, FG house is such a shame -- incredible location, incredibly cheap reno job. Can that kind of renovation ever be fixed? I mean, what do you do, gut it all over again? The electrical heaters and teeny barely-there base just kills me. Screams Mitchell Lama housing.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:47 PM

Actually, what's the real deal with Ft Greene house? Title history shows it was owned by NYC HPD, who sold it to Pratt Area Community Council in 2004. Then PACC sold it to an individual for $0.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 1:54 PM

Brownstoner, why do you post this stuff? Can you get a Mortgage for the higher price listings.Will the Bank or the Underwriter will kill the deal? Maybe you should have a story on Mortgage Guidelines. What's deals are doable and which ones are not. Maybe you can get a Mortgage Broker to do a story here (Yeah). He/she can explain to new programs and guidelines.

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:03 PM

Bed Stuy house looks like a good deal. What do you think each of those 2 units would rent for (top floor & owner's duplex, that is)?

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:25 PM

I use to live near that house. It was sold to Pratt for $0, and Pratt made the house available for a low income family through a federally funded housing program a few years ago. Another house around the corner on Clermont had the same deal. So here we have a family who just a few years ago needed federal help to obtain decent housing now have priced the same house out of reach of the very same people they once were. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:31 PM

we don't need a mortgage the what, I can afford all these homes in cash.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:31 PM

I do NOT see a second bedroom for the rental on the Bed-Stuy house. A 7'4" by 9'4" room with no window as a bedroom? Please.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:31 PM

2:31, You are right. I remember there was some kind of lottery for the house in FG.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:39 PM

Hey- The what- the new guidelines are sub-prime guidelines. I believe thatn someone with good credit who is putting down 30% or more will be able to still get a jumbo (and at a low historic interest rate...)

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 2:47 PM

The Chester Court houses never sell for much. I am pretty sure this is the highest price so far. The Tudors are cute but small (top floor isn't full depth). The block is really icky. Big section 8 apartment buildings on both Flatbush corners and the train tracks at the end. Noisy as hell in summer.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 3:00 PM

Damn Montrose, who did you piss off?...lol

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 3:03 PM

guest 2:49 PM, that's a horrible thing to say.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 3:03 PM

Horrible, 3:03, but unfortunately accurate.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 3:17 PM

Spoken like a true broker, 3:37.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 3:49 PM

In 1999, we came very close indeed to buying the house next door to 16 Willoughby. At the time it was owned by the city and a pretty motley crew of folks lived there. There was a guy on the top floor who, when he'd forgotten to take his meds, would throw open the windows and bay at the moon. There was also a woman on the ground floor turning tricks. We were frightened off and chose not to become their neighbors. The house was bought by an investor instead and is, I believe, still rented out. Back then Giuliani had vowed to take the city out of the housing business -- at least when it came to these kinds of one-off properties -- which indeed he did in this particular instance. I'm sure given PAC's scant funding a historically sensitive internal renovation wasn't possible. But I really question how it is possible for the building to become market rate in under 10 years. Surely -- having received (quasi) public funding to renovate it -- it should remain affordable housing and not enrich one lucky family?

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 4:24 PM

I kinda like the 14th street house. Any idea how much the going rent would be for that rental unit?

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 4:34 PM

14th Street Place is cute on the inside, but still seems a little lofty price-wise, no?

Whattya think? 1? 1.2 tops?

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 4:35 PM

"I kinda like the 14th street house. Any idea how much the going rent would be for that rental unit?"

I'd say $2000 tops. It's nice, but only 1BR and in an area that only the truly generous would consider Park Slope.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 4:44 PM

Bob, the square footage for Chester Court includes the basement. The interior of these houses is 16 by 40, with a small kitchen extension but only a half-floor on the top. Real square footage is about 1,800 square feet. I've been in three and I find them sweet but small and a bit dark. But that's a question of taste I suppose. I'd bet the same house on Rutland would be in the 900 to 1M range, depending on how close to Flatbush it is. And the condition of course. Generally they have sold for a bit less than the 2 story brownstones in LM.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 4:44 PM

That Bed Stuy house looks like a great deal! The area around the Utica stop is really nice.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:14 PM

1:47 PM explained:

"Yeah, FG house is such a shame -- incredible location, incredibly cheap reno job."

Shameless Plug: I am selling condos on Ft. Greene Place and they should be ready for open houses at the end of January. I have been rehabbing, restoring and renovating for over a year. All the details remain and all utilities, kitchens and bathrooms have been beautifully renovated! It is gorgeous and priced to sell. More info to come!

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:41 PM

The What isn't an Asshat, he's a Fucktard. Get it straight!

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:44 PM

"4:44 - Just wondering what the "Un-generous" people would call this neighborhood?"

Slippery Slope.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:52 PM

5:41 -- BRING IT

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:52 PM

actually the bedstuy house is not in a good area. its too far east. as you get east of stuyvesant by about half a block the neighborhood changes dramatically. i think the house is overpriced for the location

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:54 PM

bedford stuyvesant house looks really cute for me and the price seems nice. I think I want to check that one out this weekend...

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 5:56 PM

I keep hearing mixed things about bedford-stuyvesant but when I walk around the area I see nothing wrong with the place. To tell you the truth it seems like old NYC. Some blocks are so beautiful that I had pick my jaw off the ground.. But I did some blocks that could use a makeover or at lease some trees. First time I saw kids playing outside in NYC and the people there seem ultra friendly...

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 6:08 PM

4:24-under the deal the City and Pratt put together...the family had to agree to stay in the home for three years before they could sell.But you are right.There should have been some restrictions on this house that allowed others to be able to afford it just as this family was helped.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 6:12 PM

So that's it. I was wondering why this property in FG has a tax abatement. Now, not only the family who got a break from the city is selling at market rate, but the buyer is now gonna benefit with a tax-break from a program that was designed to assist the poor. I am with you 2:31, GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 6:18 PM

I don't understand how this City-PACC program works. I assume the City part of it is taxpayer funded, right? So my tax dollars subsidized it. So a family buys it, lives there for the minimum required timeframe, and now sells it for market-value at a humongous profit? How is this worthy of my tax dollars?

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 6:36 PM

The Bed-Stuy house is near a project.

The area just to the west and noth of this property are nice and the locals are mighty friendly.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 7:30 PM

Corcoran is misleading about the tax abatement with this FG house. I might be wrong but I think the abatement was set up for as long as the house belong to a qualifying family. Once the ownership changes to a non-needy family the tax situation will change with it.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 7:33 PM

All overpriced as usual. Oh, and everyone watch out for that slippary slope!

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 7:48 PM

or maybe 14th Street is an example of mortgage fraud?? That makes no sense.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 8:52 PM

Re: Bed Stuy house:

Everything good-looking in Brooklyn seems to be near a project. All of Fort Greene is near a project. What matters is what kind of project and how close, and what the rest of the neighborhood is doing.

Yes, east of Stuyvesant is much less delightful than west of Stuyvesant. But this is really close to a really nice area, and is already renovated.

I think this compares favorably to my house, which I paid the exact same amount on.

I bought a place between the J train and the A train but closer to the J off Stuyvesant. A much, much nicer block than the Bainbridge house, notorious for community awareness and high home ownership, much easier to declare "safe." But my house needed a complete gut--much structural damage. Both two-families, mine has much more original detail intact and is a brownstone instead of brick.

But honestly, to be so close to that gorgeous Stuyvesant/Lewis stretch of mansioney homes (and attendant amenities and slightly more useful train) in a house that didn't require an extra 100K in renovations?

I'd definitely walk around at night and see if I couldn't handle the project at that price.

And then I would get a good structural engineer and make as sure as I could that the renovation isn't a cover-up job.

And then I would make a decision.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 9:04 PM

for $1.15 mill I might be interested in that 14th St. house - looks like a nice reno, though a small house and not exactly the nicest or most convenient part of the Slope (not really in the Slope at all, some would say). At the current price it's a joke. Someone is very greedy. And whoever said you could rent out that small 1 BR in the basement for $2K, on that block - sorry but very unlikely.

Posted by: guest at January 4, 2008 9:18 PM

"Does anyone remember how the What claimed 2008 was going to be a "Fuck You Year!" I laughed my ass off with that one.

CBS Marketwatch BULLETIN: Nasdaq ends first week of 2008 off 6.3%; Dow falls 4.3% and S&P 4.5%

The What might be an Asshat, but so far that prediction at least is coming true. "

Hey Brooklynnative, I very worried now. If the institutional investors run for the exits, we are going to be in a world of shit. The employment numbers sucked and you had the Asshat In Charge saying "every things OK". Yeah I feel fine (Right).

Sunday night is going to be very interesting. Japan and China go Red, I think we could have a Black Monday real soon. Pray for the best. Have a good weekend enjoy it with the family.

The What

Someday this war is gonna end..

BTW Im a Asshat!

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 1:23 AM

I just looked up the Chester Court house on Propertyshark. I think this property represents a good value. It is a small block that appears to be turning over. In the last two years 4 houses have sold for prices higher than the ask for this one (one may have been slightly less). These are sweet houses. I remember loving the charm when I looked at one of them a couple years ago. We ended up buying a house in the Manor, but given that the apartment buildings around this area are also getting populated with young professionals, I might have gone for one of these if I were looking now.

I remember the top floor front bedroom being large, very cool, with great ceiling slopes.

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 10:58 AM

The Chester Court Tudors are lovely and I'm tempted by them on an aesthetic level, but the truth is you couldn't pay me to live in one. They are very cut off from their lovely PLG neighbors, hemmed in by Flatbush Avenue, Section 8 high rises and the subway cut. Location wise, it is the absolute worst PLG has to offer.

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 11:57 AM

The Bed-Stuy house looks gorgeous The block is no beauty but the surrounding area is quite good. I'm going to check it out at that price!

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 12:28 PM

SO transparent--I love it when realtors and sellers write shit like "I'm going to check it out AT THAT PRICE!" Are you serious???

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 12:37 PM

I already have more than enough house, and I am tempted to walk down to Bainbridge and check it out...

...at that price.

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 12:45 PM

Ughh! Giuliani sucks big time.

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 3:03 PM

The problem with 10:58's argument for the Chester Court house is that the apartments along this stretch of Flatbush are not being "populated with young proffesionals" at all. That is true of some buildings on Ocean, Lincoln, and the one on the corner of Flatbush and Maple. But the buildings on the west side of Flatbush and those on the east side by Rutland, Fenimore, Hawthorne etc are mostly section 8 units and are still very much crime-ridden. Music blares from them all summer and there are often large groups of people hanging out late into the wee hours in front of these buildings. While they may eventually change, that is going to take a really, really long time.

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 6:53 PM

The South Slope house does seemed overpriced. Even if it didn't, I would never buy something listed with Townsely and Gay. I know many of us on the site find most real estate agents somewhat distasteful, but the guy who works there is doubtless one of the biggest pricks in Park Slope. He lives on my block and has had unprovoked altercations with several of my neighbors, not to mention the perpetual sour look he has on his face which can dampen your mood in an instant. Even the smiling faced golden retriever he owns does nothing to mitigate the effect of his toxic personality. It's like living near Schleprock. Wowsie wowsie woo woo.

Posted by: guest at January 5, 2008 11:27 PM

Carrie M, on what counts am I wrong? I go by those buildings all the time and I see who lives there. I see the cars parked in front blaring music and the people going in to buy drugs. I see the people hanging on the stoops all night. I do in fact know what I'm talking about. As I said, some of the nicer apartment buildings in the area are changing--but those on the corners that I mentioned are not.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 1:16 AM

219 (across street not next door) - is woodframe and sided house not inrenovated condition and not very attractive.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 9:41 AM

Hey 1:16: Maybe Montrose Morris can invite the drug dealing losers to his nabe, since he seems to think they have every right to co-exist with the hard working people who are trying to make a difference and improve things in Crown Heights. Then Carrie M's delusions of a safe nabe will come true sooner rather than later.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 11:33 AM

I live in PLG and love it, but yes, some of the buildings on Flatbush are gritty. The area around this Chester Court house is not the greatest. As for safety though, the people to ask about actual crime stats, not blog rumors, are the 71st precinct. There are clear signs the slow but sure and steady changeover to 20-something artsy professionals in those rental buildings and coop buildings is happening. We're seeing it with our own eyes; their numbers are growing on the subway platform, in the restaurants, on the sidewalks. We've only been here a year and we see as many as 2 or 3 times more young hip renters now as we did when we moved here. I'm just pointing it out as an observation, for those curious about those buildings. And of course it would make sense that young people are venturing into more affordable neighborhoods. There are plenty people who graduated 10-15 years ago with decent jobs who can't afford the rent in Park Slope or Cobble Hill. Rent in those neighborhoods has just about doubled since I moved to NYC in 2004. Nuts. Don't know how the young people do it, especially on top of huge tuition cost increases over the years. It's why I've started to think this is why we'd never move to the suburbs - simply so our kids would have a free place to live when trying to get established professionally after college.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 1:03 PM

The Chester Court house is the only one here that intrigues me. Yes, you're on a cul-de-sac, with all the pluses and minuses. I'm not familiar with the immediate area, but I'd say in the long run anything near a park is going to be a decent place to live. I do know the southern end of PP very well, and it's seen a lot of development recently -- for good and ill, but I think the good outweighs the ill. No reason the east side of PP won't follow suit. Whatever you might say about PLG, the housing stock is just great.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 1:11 PM

PPS and PLG are walking distance to the park, the zoo, the new ice skating rink, the Lefferts Homestead where they have free storytelling for kids, the south entrance to the Botanic Gardens, and a bit further up the Brooklyn art museum. The more Prospect Park improves what it offers on that side of the park, where they intend to spend millions of dollars, the greater appeal to families.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 1:23 PM

Montrose: Your backhanded attempts to be holier than thou ring very hollow.

People who engage in criminal behavior only have rights to the extent that they have the right to a trial by jury. Otherwise, they have no other rights because they foreit them with their behavior.

Get off your high horse. You do not have more to lose than me. What a snotty, obnoxious thing to assume about anyone. You want to nail yourself to a cross, please do it sooner rather than later and spare the rest of us.

And while you are at it, feel free to thank the rest of us who have moved into these crappy nabes - Crown Heights included! - and made life better for people like you.

And before you show your true racist colors, I am not some yuppie white person coming in to save you. (I know that is exactly what you were thinking after reading the last paragraph since you assume that another person of color could never see the world in a way that differs from your out-dated view of the world.)

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 2:47 PM

The question here is specifically about the apartment buildings along the stretch of Flatbush south of Midwood street and how pleasant (or not) it is to live near them.

1:03 says: "There are clear signs the slow but sure and steady changeover to 20-something artsy professionals in those rental buildings and coop buildings is happening." That is not at all true in the buildings we're talking about. Those buildings are just as they were 10 years ago--section 8 residents, welfare residents, drug dealers. The noise, loiterers, and flow of drug buyers hasn't ebbed at all. There are simply no young artsy professionals in those buildings. Living within earshot of those apartment buildings (either on the east or west side) simply isn't a pleasant experience. Which is why anything close to Flatbush on Rutland, Chester, Fenimore, Hawthorne, etc. is a lot cheaper than other houses in the area.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 2:48 PM

lol

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 4:29 PM

Seems like MM finally conceded that things are not as he seems.

Thank you for backing down MM so that the rest of us can get back to house prices.

Let's leave the stupid comments for The What.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 4:46 PM

Bob, all I can say is that I haven't seen any new middle class residents in those buildings. I have in other buildings, but not in those. I do go by those buildings regularly. As for Lime, I assume it will draw from all of LM/PLG and PPS.

Posted by: guest at January 6, 2008 5:45 PM

You people are crazy. Chester Court is a dead end street. I grew up and still live in PLG on a prime block so I know what I'm talking about.

Posted by: guest at January 7, 2008 10:52 AM

10:52, Who said Chester wasn't a dead end street? That is pretty much the point--you're bookended by the subway on one end and the nasty apartment buildings on the other. The discussion did also include the buildings on the other side of Flatbush as well, but everyone knows that Chester is a dead end. Try to pay attention.

Posted by: guest at January 7, 2008 11:16 AM

It's never middle class family homeowners or renters who improve amenities. Middle class families tend to stay home and seldom go out to dinner much less go out drinking. Restaurants make their most money from alcohol. Not food delivery. So it's low to middle income young hip renters who improve amenities. And that's exactly who is moving into these buildings in PLG.

Posted by: guest at January 7, 2008 12:19 PM