Open House Picks: Six Months Later 7/27/07

Funny. The previous week's "6 months later" did not get posted. Of course, 6 months ago, only 1 of the 4 houses actually sold.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 12:57 PM

Yeah, super funny, 12:57.

Go back into your cave, troll.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 12:58 PM

I don't get it.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:01 PM

So, somebody who happens to point out the the truth is called a troll?

Go back to your bubble, troll.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:01 PM

oh, I got it.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:07 PM

Yeah, I find 12:57s info interesting, not trollish.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:07 PM

biscuits or coffee cake anyone?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:07 PM

You don't find it troll-like to go back into the archives from July...pick out the week before this one, then look up all four properties to find out if they sold or not???

Assuming that's what happened, I don't believe it and I'm certainly not doing that amount of research while I'm at work...

Anyone care to actually confirm that only one property from July 20th has actually sold?

Or we are just going to believe him/her because it was said?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:11 PM

If these houses were in Park Slope. They'd be worth every penny.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:12 PM

How bout that markdown on the Carroll St property, 14% off ask!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:13 PM

It's not trollish. It's research. It's just pointing out that for every bunch of homes that sell, another bunch do not.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:13 PM

Now THAT, I will agree with, 1:12!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:14 PM

Park Slope is soft now, let's not forget.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:15 PM

Is it based in fact though, 1:13????

This is an anonymous blog riddled with brokers and renters who are pissed off.

I don't think we can accept things like that at face value without links to said properties saying they are still on the market.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:15 PM

Ok...so basically two of the properties have been pulled so alreay the "one out of four has sold" comment is inaccurate.

That's what I'm talking about.

So I stand by my assertion that 12:57 is a troll.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:19 PM

Well call me an uber Troll. I've tracked every open house since Jan 06. I'd send the list to Brownstoner, but he probably wouldn't post it. The record is not so good.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:19 PM

If these houses were in Carroll Gardens, they would have sold for 65% over asking, totally. And they would have been worth every penny.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:19 PM

When listings disappear or are pulled, and there is no further information or record of sale, it's usually because they were taken off the market.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:21 PM

1:19....

You do realize that 4 homes selected each week by Brownstoner for open house picks does not a reasonable sampling of the Brooklyn Brownstone market make.

Even with your stats from Jan. 2006, four homes each week isn't really going to give us accurate information on what has and has not sold across the area.

There is no record. Without a larger sampling, I'd say it's practically useless info.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:22 PM

"When listings disappear or are pulled, and there is no further information or record of sale, it's usually because they were taken off the market."

Actually I just tried clicking on the Cobble Hill listing, and there is no longer a link.

And it looks like it sold to me. Not "taken off the market" as you say.

Any more theories?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:24 PM

I saw that mews house and I'm surprised by sale price. It was a very "unique" renovation. But you only have to find two people to love a place to get a bidding war. (I really preferred the other mews house on the market right before this one -- also a bidding war)

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:27 PM

You are so right 1:21...Those comments are HILARIOUS!!! EVERYONE was talking about how 1.1 million was absurd. And it sold for 750K OVER ASK!!!! FOOLS!!! All of you!

An especially good comment from back in July.....

"The Mews house is basically smaller than stacking three FEMA trailers on top of one another. Anyone who pays $1.1mm is insane."

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:27 PM

1:24---Brush up on your reading comprehension skills. I SAID "AND there is no further information or record of sale." And which Cobble Hill listing are you referring to??

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:28 PM

"And it sold for 750K OVER ASK!!!! FOOLS!!! All of you!"

No dude, you are the fool. It sold for $75K over asking. Not $750K. Calm down.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:29 PM

"And it sold for 750K OVER ASK!!!!"

75k.

Fool.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:30 PM

ok 75K over ask.

My bad.

Doesn't really matter though either way, now does it?

You all said it was overpriced at 1.125

You sound like Bush trying to weasle your way out of something.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:35 PM

It WAS overpriced. But as someone said, you only need 2 people to really love it. They got two midgets who really dug it and outbid each other. That's all.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:40 PM

"It's wild that the owner of the "muse" paid 770k last September...that's a 50% return. Insane for a "house" that's 11 feet wide."

- from july

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:40 PM

By definition, 1:40...it is NOT overpriced if not one, but TWO parties (at least) were interested and bought the home.

For well over the asking price, mind you.

You need to learn the definition of the word overpriced.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:42 PM

The mews houses are rarely on the market and there are very few of them. That's why it sold, and that's why it sold over asking. They're unique.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:42 PM

Give me a double espresso and a jelly donut.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:42 PM

Yes, I agree...the Mews homes are quite unique.

I'd rather have a small home like that for 1.2 million than some of the Manhattan 1 bedrooms I see for that exact same amount.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:47 PM

I heard Smurfette was outbid by Gary Coleman for the Mews house.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:57 PM

"Without a larger sampling, I'd say it's practically useless info."

I disagree. OH Picks are random samples and very representative as brownstoner has no idea how they'll fare in the future when he selects them. So when he follows up on them with sales data, it's a very fair and representative cross section of the market. And right now it's not looking too good when compared to the good times of 2005-06.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 1:59 PM

proof please, 1:59....

Brooklyn Real Estate appreciated at 8% in 2007 overall.

So I don't agree with you at all.

The bad year/s will be 2008 and beyond.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:02 PM

The open house picks are a sampling of 4 homes in a borough of 2.4 million people.

How can that be a good statistic for a sampling of the market, 1:59?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:04 PM

By the way, notice the closing date on Warren Place - only a month after the open house. Sure sign of an all-cash deal.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:07 PM

That's impossible, 2:07.

People on Brownstoner don't believe that anyone has any money anymore.

It's all VANISHED!!!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:09 PM

Somebody got a serious deal on that Carroll Street house.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:16 PM

Wrong, 1:57--Verne Troyer and Emmanuel Lewis snuck in with a last second bid of gold bullion and stole it!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:18 PM

To the posters claiming they know the little people who bought the house: that's incorrect. While all those midgets did in fact tour the place, it went to my rich gay uncle, who will use it as a walk-in closet for his brownstone across the street. He needs space for his shoes and hummel dolls.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:23 PM

So you say, 2:23--but the thing about when little people tour an open house... is that there are plenty of places to HIDE. might want to check that closet before you arrange those hummels.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:26 PM

Can I offer anyone a cream puff?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:30 PM

"This is an anonymous blog riddled with brokers and renters who are pissed off."

It is?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:36 PM

1:11 -- As you don't have 4 minutes to do the leg work, here's the data on the 7/20 picks:

52 Berekeley -- Not sold and still on market. Was listed at $2.75M, now listed for $2.4M.

490 E. 24th St -- No sale recorded with city as of today. Fillmore does not list the property anymore on its website, and the link to a NYT ad is dead.

515 45th St -- No sale recorded with city as of today. Link to a Craigslist posting is dead.

696 Halsey -- Deed transferred in December 2007. Final sale was $675K (down from $690K listed in post.) FSBO website is dead.

So we have one confirmed sale, one confirmed still on market, and two listings that do not appear to be listed for sale anywhere and no recordings of sale with the city. Unless they closed in the last couple of weeks (unlikely given the holidays), I think it's fair to assume the original commenter's assumption that they did not sell and were taken off the market is accurate. Obviously, if there was more info about the actual broker, people could do more leg work, but I think the assumption is fair.

Does anyone with knowledge of the Brooklyn College area or Sunset Park know more about the status of these two properties?

And, BTW, it is far from troll-like to provide accurate data that is relatively on-topic to the post.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:36 PM

what would be really troll-like is if somebody asked a good riddle.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:40 PM

How about a chocolate covered cream puff, then? They're from Beard Papa's.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:51 PM

Whats black, green, purple, orange, and yellow, and sits on my porch?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:56 PM

How about a chocolate covered cream puff, dipped in dulce de leche, deep fried, spread on a chocolate covered biscotti, dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with raspberry coulis and sprinkled with shaved white chocolate? And a beer, please.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:56 PM

When are we getting a Beard Papa in Brooklyn, is what I want to know....!!!???

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:58 PM

"Whats black, green, purple, orange, and yellow, and sits on my porch?"

Jerry Minsky in an ugly sweater?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 4:15 PM

Prime Park Slope is not soft. We put our apt. on 3rd st. up for sale in October and had an offer in 4 days at ask.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 4:23 PM

The gays don't collect Hummels. Unless they're really elderly gays.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 4:32 PM

The gays collect $$

Anyone knows that.

You want to know how to get rich? Ask a gay guy.

They are wealthier as a set of people than any other group I know of.

Except maybe Asians.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 4:41 PM

4:15 - You win!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 4:42 PM

I was going to denounce 4:41 for making generalizations, but then I realized that the wealthiest person I ever dated was a gay Asian.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 5:09 PM

"The gays don't collect Hummels. Unless they're really elderly gays."

Yep, my rich uncle is an elderly gay man.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 5:53 PM

Park Slope is as soft as a baby's butt.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 6:08 PM

Park Slope is as soft as my belly. I'd like to eat Park Slope. Get in my BELLY!!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 6:21 PM

Baby butts will be worthless once AY is built.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 6:22 PM

"proof please, 1:59....

Brooklyn Real Estate appreciated at 8% in 2007 overall.

So I don't agree with you at all.

The bad year/s will be 2008 and beyond."

Proof: The nabes that matter, the historic brownstone districts, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed Stuy, Prospect Heights, etc., all posted double digit gains from 05 to 06 (source: hastead.com, Market Reports). Compare that to your 8% for 2007 and you'll agree that it's getting worse. Rate of change is dropping significantly. I do agree with you, however, that 2008 and beyond will be even worse.

Posted by: guest at January 20, 2008 1:28 PM

"The open house picks are a sampling of 4 homes in a borough of 2.4 million people.

How can that be a good statistic for a sampling of the market, 1:59?"

What's the significance of a 2.4 million borough-wide population? Are all these people in the market for a brownstone (the children too)? I don't give a Bruce Ratner's ass about Canarsie and Gravesend (no pun, just making a specific point about Brownstone nabes). The cumlative reporting of these OH picks are good stats for this narrow brownstone market because where they go is where the market will go and vice versa. It's not that big of a market especially when you factor in the accounts by many shoppers that inventory is slim.

Posted by: guest at January 20, 2008 1:38 PM