Open House Picks

The homes look good this week...

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:21 PM

This is the second try for 398 Bergen. It was an Open House Pick in September 2007 (see link below). They're using the same photos.

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/09/open_house_pick_141.php

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:30 PM

I saw 209 Dean at its first open house 2 weeks ago. Nice and fancy reno, but nothing extraordinary.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:31 PM

Oops, sorry, link too long. Here's the shortened link for 398 Bergen-Sept. 2007 Open House thread:

http://tinyurl.com/2gdle9

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:37 PM

Is Madison Street house close to the G or the AC train?

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:38 PM

wish the CH house parlor floor did not have short windows

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:39 PM

Bergen St. house is between 4th & 5th Aves.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:43 PM

Bergen ST. Easy convert to a 2 family??? I don't think so.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:50 PM

"This is the second try for 398 Bergen."

I thought those photos looked familiar.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:58 PM

Dean Street house looks great in the pictures. I like the fact that they kept the kitchen and dining room in their traditional spots on the garden level, thereby allowing a double parlor. (I'm sure others will be quick to disagree.) This should be as pure a test case you can find to see if Boerum Hill will support that price.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 1:59 PM

You know what's sad. All over CNBS, CNN and other news outlets the topic has been on the upcoming crash. They are not trying to hide it any more and I see more negative news stories everyday. But Brownstoner and other people in denial are pricing their property at 2005 prices. This Mutant Real Estate Bubble is over and we will pay a high price for it. No access to capital. Urban-Blight and empty houses. Get a clue, stop the insanity. 2.1 million for a house on St. James???!!. I don't fell sorry for the dumb Broker or Agent who took the listing, they should stave to death.

The What

Someday this war is gonna end..

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:01 PM

what channel is CNBS?

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:07 PM

The above post by The What, I beleive to be an imposter.

He didn't use idiotic phrases...the only one that came close was "dumb broker"

What happened to you 'The What"?????????????

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:09 PM

Dean street seems to have added a $1M because they filled it with a pottery barn set. They have weird fake plastic looking medallions on the squat low ceilings. No one should spend $3M+ in Boerum Hill. Certainly not because a seller has some decent looking furniture they're going to take with them.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:11 PM

Agreed, it sounds like one of the pseudo-Whats, quasi-Whats or neo-Whats.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:12 PM

2:11, what it has is a 5th floor.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:16 PM

"2:11, what it has is a 5th floor."

At that price it should have at least another five on top of that.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:32 PM

I dunno, 2:01 shares the tWhat's mastery of syntax.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:32 PM

If stated dimensions are correct, St James is asking $472 per sq. ft. I'd have thought that was consistent with comps for a place with those details? Willing to be challenged.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:35 PM

"2:11, what it has is a 5th floor."

Dean Street house DOES NOT have a 5th floor. It's 4-stories.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:36 PM

Wow I love looking at the old Boys High School. It is the best looking high school in NYC.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:40 PM

If Bergen St is 2100 sq. ft. (3x20x35) they're looking for $833 a ft.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:41 PM

398 Bergen is a lot of Pesos considering the location, between 4th & 5th and the fact that it's not in a prime school discrict.

And I think technically the its Boerum Hill, but I call this "no man's land"

Moreover, for those prices, shouldn't we have working fireplaces and maybe a little more finshing.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:47 PM

Madison has perhaps one of the ugliest kitchen & baffoom renos ever. And its cut up like Kraft Singles.

Its OK if you want to rent it, but not the best plan for a live/rental.

People/flippers, the general public either wants a very quality renovation, which we're willing to pay for, or just leave it crappy and take some money off the table. c'mon already...geez

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:50 PM

"What happened to you 'The What"?????????????"

Nothing, I'm trying to get the message across. We are is some serious trouble, But if i have to go off, I will.

The What

Someday this war is gonna end....

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:51 PM

"what channel is CNBS?"

CNBC= Cable News Bull Shit

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

BTW Watch CNBC The Crash is all over the place. LMMFAO!

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:53 PM

2:47 - Bergen between 4th and 5th is Park Slope (or North Slope). I live down the block, and couldn't ask for a better location - right next to all the best of 5th Avenue, yet within an easy walk to the Atlantic Terminal.
I'm not an expert on brownstones, but I haven't seen many 4-story single family homes in prime areas for under 2mil...
If I had the money, I'd be interested.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:57 PM

I don't think the kitchen and bathroom on the madison st house is the end all of this house... I think the kitchen was done cheap so it could be ripped out and something better put in... Most kitchens designs are personal for most people.... Your not going to get a 50K kitchen in a house that cost 890K in brownstone brooklyn anywhere.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 2:59 PM

2:57: 398 Bergen is a 3-story house, not 4. And yes, the location is great.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:04 PM

3:04:
3 plus a full-floor basement - which could be storage or converted. Most of the houses in that block have basement apartments, don't see why this one couldn't as well.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:12 PM

bergen between 4th and 5th is actually pretty awesome and right next to the pacific street stop.

however that house is expensive.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:13 PM

a basement does not count as a floor, even if it's finished. It's completely underground.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:15 PM

when buying brownstons i like the 4 story ones better.. they seem to make more of a statement.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:16 PM

Then buy the one on Dean Street, 3:16.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:17 PM

I rather buy the Madison Street one 3:17

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:24 PM

"bergen between 4th and 5th is actually pretty awesome and right next to the pacific street stop."

Yep, mere steps to the multi-year construction pit of AY (if it ever gets off the ground). No thanks.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:25 PM

There was a house on the market on this block of Bergen in 2006 (when I was looking to buy) for around $1.5 with Brown Harris Stevens. The block is great but I remember being shocked at the price for a 3-story. So they're now asking $200 more 2 years later? This one may have a nicer kitchen but the other one was in very good shape, as I recall.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:34 PM

Here is my first page slam for the year. get your heads out from your asses!

The What

Someday this war is gonna end...

Credit-Card Pinch
Leads Consumers
To Rein In Spending
By ROBIN SIDEL, SUDEEP REDDY AND JANE J. KIM
February 8, 2008

America's love affair with credit cards may be headed for the rocks.

Credit-card delinquencies are rising across the nation, a sign that some Americans are at the end of their rope financially. And these mounting delinquencies, in turn, have prompted banks to tighten lending standards, keeping people who have maxed out their cards from finding new sources of credit.

The result could be a sharp pullback in consumer spending that would further weaken the slowing U.S. economy.

Such a pullback may already be taking shape. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve reported an abrupt slowdown in consumers' credit-card borrowings. In December, Americans had $944 billion in total revolving debt, most of it on credit cards, a seasonally adjusted annualized increase of 2.7%. That was off sharply from seasonally adjusted growth rates of 13.7% in November and 11.1% in October. And it reflects the volatility in consumers' spending habits as economic growth sputters.

Sinking home prices have made it much harder to convert home equity into cash for living expenses. At the same time, plastic has pushed into every corner of American life, making new inroads that worry some economists and card issuers.

In past economic downturns, Americans used credit cards mainly for discretionary purchases, such as furniture, appliances and jewelry. Now, however, many of them regularly whip out plastic to pay for groceries, gasoline and other everyday necessities. Credit-card issuers won't disclose exact figures, but they say it is evident that a growing percentage of card volume is for basic purchases. Many issuers even dole out extra rewards for such transactions.

Evidence is mounting that the plastic-fueled spending spree won't last. In December, an average of 7.6% of credit-card loans were either at least 60 days delinquent or had gone into default, up from 6.4% a year earlier, according to research firm RiskMetrics Group. The analysis includes a broad swath of more than $200 billion of credit-card loans that are sold off to investors by major card issuers like Citigroup Inc., Capital One Financial Corp., American Express Co. and J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Card delinquencies are ticking up from historically low levels, but the trend is sending shudders through lenders already reeling from the subprime-mortgage tumult. As a result, leery card issuers are bulking up their reserves against future card-related losses -- and getting so much tougher on borrowers that some consumer are reining in overall spending.

Eating Out Less

After J.P. Morgan doubled the interest rate on her credit card to around 30% and lowered her credit limit in December, Jennifer Campion, a 39-year-old computer-software instructor in Chandler, Ariz., decided to eat out less often and to forgo her daily coffee at Starbucks so she can pay off her outstanding card balances. "Our whole lifestyle has changed at this point because of this strict budget we're on," says Ms. Campion, who has a total of about $7,000 in credit-card debt.

Yesterday, card issuer Discover Financial Services said 49% of consumers it surveyed in January plan to reduce their discretionary spending this month. That was an increase of five percentage points from its December survey and a 10-point jump since September.

Consumers typically increase their borrowing in the early stages of an economic downturn as they try to maintain their living standards amid a weakening job market and slowing wage growth. That trend seems to be holding true to form so far.

For consumers who are in financial distress, paying for basic needs with plastic "is the easiest way out of that box," says Bryan Derman, a partner at Glenbrook Partners LLC, a Menlo Park, Calif., consulting firm that specializes in the payments industry.

Cut in Credit Line

After American Express and Barclays PLC's Juniper Bank cut his credit lines recently, 54-year-old Marv Hedrick, of Spring Hill, Fla., cut back on his purchases of DVDs and electronic gadgets. But Mr. Hedrick, director of finance for an auto dealership, still uses a credit card to buy groceries and gasoline. His household expenses, including his cellphone, cable and utility bills, are automatically charged to his credit card every month.

"I cannot tell you the last time I've written a check or used a debit card. I never carry cash on me," says Mr. Hedrick.

Indeed, many Americans are so dependent on their credit cards for basic needs that about 25% of the clients walking into Margo Mitchell's credit-counseling office in Tulsa, Okla., have opted to pay their monthly credit-cards bills before their mortgages. "The credit card is a means for them to supplement their income and becomes a cushion to buy groceries," she says.

But when recessions hit, consumer borrowing typically drops off substantially as consumers, facing the mounting threat of job losses and lower household income, can no longer keep up with their card payments.

"Many Americans don't realize the direct correlation between the need to change their behavior and their income," said Bill Druliner, a credit counselor for GreenPath Inc. "The longer somebody maintains that lifestyle, the bigger the crash is when it finally comes down to earth."

In the past decade, card issuers have made it easier than ever for Americans to put more of their spending on plastic, in part through juicy rewards programs. At the same time, banks persuaded more merchants to accept cards, touting data showing shoppers often spend more when paying with credit cards, rather than cash.

McDonald's Corp. started accepting credit cards in 2003, and some utilities have started letting customers pay with plastic. Cards emblazoned with the MasterCard logo now are accepted at more than seven million merchant locations in the U.S., up from 4.3 million in 2001 and 2.9 million in 1991.

As a result, three out of four American families have credit cards. Their balances averaged $5,100 in 2004, up 16% from 2001, according to the Federal Reserve.

Debit-Card Use

Much of the card industry's growth has come from debit cards, which aren't included in the government's revolving-credit data because they immediately draw funds out of purchaser's checking account. Still, credit-card portfolios managed by card-issuing banks are growing at single-digit percentage rates each year as consumers put more small payments and everyday purchases on their cards.

This isn't the first time changes in credit-card usage have affected consumer borrowing. In 1980, then-President Carter sought to cut back consumers' use of credit cards, blaming them in part for the nation's runaway inflation at the time. Consumer spending tumbled as a result.

Politicians have also turned to credit cards as a way to spur the economy. In 1991, as the economy rebounded from a recession, President George H.W. Bush, the current president's father, tried to urge banks to lower interest rates in order to propel consumer spending.

Write to Robin Sidel at robin.sidel@wsj.com

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12024332....

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:43 PM

bergen house is my favorite.

with all that cool shit opening on 3rd, the location can't be beat.

plus, bergen and 5th is literally the BEST of 5th avenue.

and all those cute shops opening on bergen between flatbush and 5th look awesome.

i love the location and the house. wish i could afford it.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:44 PM

The only way 209 is worth it is if the Mrs., who is the ultimate definition of a MILF, dumps Mr. Smarty Pants for the chump willing to plunk down an extra million for that house.

They are leveraged to the freaking hilt on that house. They don't sell it now, they'll be begging in a year to walk away from it in a year without eating the debt.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:45 PM

everyone who thinks houses in ft green and clinton hill are over priced need to know that the house on Washington park that was lambasted for 2.995M went in a bidding war over asking. just fodder for thought - people with a lot of money are not hurting like the rest of us who rent and cannot get a mortgage now- those people have cash and they are not wanting to put it into the stock market.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:45 PM

What's with the covered-iover fireplaces in he Bergen Street house? This "mod" renovation....stinks.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:46 PM

yeah the fireplaces look a little crazy

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 3:52 PM

3:45--don't know which house you're referring to. Provide listing, AND sale information once the deal is closed. Until then, reports of bidding wars are pure rumors.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:08 PM

Saw 209 Dean at open house. The renovation is pretty sterile. Definitely looks like a Pottery Barn catalog. Too hotel-like for my taste.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:09 PM

"The financial devastation that followed the tulip bulb crash lasted for decades, crippling Dutch commerce. The price of tulips at the height of the mania was $76,000; 6 weeks later they were valued at less than one dollar! The only people who prospered from the insanity were the smart money who liquidated at the top."

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:20 PM

This just in: The What's bunker being seized by eminent domain for AY.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:33 PM

"everyone who thinks houses in ft green and clinton hill are over priced need to know that the house on Washington park that was lambasted for 2.995M went in a bidding war over asking. just fodder for thought - people with a lot of money are not hurting like the rest of us who rent and cannot get a mortgage now- those people have cash and they are not wanting to put it into the stock market."

LIAR

BROKER

LIAR

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:39 PM

If anyone goes to Bergen open house, make sure to check out the awesome M&M collection they have in one of the upstairs rooms. I hope the broker didn't make them take it down.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:42 PM

The Dean house is terrific. Just gorgeous.
I don't get the posts who say its nothing special. That's assinine. Everything about it looks pretty special to me, of course for that price it should be. I really like the rear garden.
I think some folks just don't like houses that have been fixed up by someone else. Maybe it's jealousy or ego-centrism. I can't understand not appreciating a really nice renovation.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:46 PM

Memo to The What:

Dumping an entire article in your post does not force people to read it. Also, makes you look even crazier. tinyurl is your friend.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:53 PM

you don't live inside a daffodil bulb.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 4:56 PM

http://www.stock-market-crash.net/florida.htm

"Market crashes always occur in the same manner. Regardless of the market, the same simple psychological underpinnings are always at work. People who are caught up in a bubble never look back for historical examples. For this folly, they become paupers."

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 5:00 PM

Completely agree with 4:46. The people who say the Dean Street renovation is "nothing special" or "sterile" don't know how to buy a house, and will remain renters forever. All of the original detail is there in the living areas. Use an ounce of vision and try to imagine the space without the furniture you find so objectionable. Obviously the kitchens and bathrooms have been updated, and if not to your taste, do them over. That's to be expected. You're never going to find a kitchen/bathroom renovation that looks perfect, except for the one you do yourself.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 5:25 PM

"All of the original detail is there in the living areas. Use an ounce of vision and try to imagine the space without the furniture you find so objectionable. Obviously the kitchens and bathrooms have been updated, and if not to your taste, do them over. That's to be expected. You're never going to find a kitchen/bathroom renovation that looks perfect, except for the one you do yourself."

No way is all the detail there. The problem is they want the seller to overpay for the house like they overpaid for their designer furniture.

Obviously you are the one who doesn't know how to buy a house. You do not buy a place priced a million dollars over what it should be only to rip out the high end kitchens and baths to redo them the way you want. You buy a place priced right with the kitchen and bath reno you like or priced less knowing you have to keep money to redo the old kitchen and baths.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 5:39 PM

Sitting up here in Albany reading this is a hell of a lot of fun.

Three plus million for the place on Dean? Hell, Ill sell you a 45K sq ft 91 unit apartment building for 6. Great location, If you have a good swing you can hit the state capitol with golf balls.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 6:20 PM

Hi Albanian! How's it goin'?
Family there have told me that prices have been flat for years. Is this true? Is the Lark Street area still gentrified?

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 6:40 PM

5:00,

Excellent site. I've been posting information from there for years. Everybody should check it out. Many bubble stories and characteristics to learn from (or not). History always repeats itself.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 8:08 PM

"The only people who prospered from the insanity were the smart money who liquidated at the top."

A rare voice of reason.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 8:12 PM

I'm pretty sure the Dean Street house was on the market when we bought on Dean 5ys ago. approx $695K - it was a SRO, total mess. The sellers buy and flip houses for a living. It's nice but there are 2 other homes on the street for less but need work.

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 8:14 PM

luckily, there is a lot of "smart money" out there...

Posted by: guest at February 8, 2008 10:56 PM

I am not a broker but also heard that the expensive FG townhouse lambasted recently for being priced at close to $3mil indeed had several offers over ask. My observation is that the market is softening mainly on lower-quality properties in less desirable locations. But if you have a beautiful property that's a decent size (whether a 3BR apt or well-done brownstone), and it's on a good block in a nice neighborhood, it's holding value and in fact, likely to go over ask (assuming it's priced in the right ballpark) since inventory is so low...

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 1:02 AM

Had to post this for you Open House Heads.

The Rise of the Mortgage 'Walkers'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120243369715152501.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

The What

Someday this war is gonna end..

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 4:17 AM

So it was quasi-rational exuberance, then? If it goes up, sell or heloc, when it goes down, walk!

For those who doubt whether The What who has returned is really The What ... I say if The What didn't exist, we'd have to invent him.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 11:04 AM

1:02am said:

"My observation is that the market is softening mainly on lower-quality properties in less desirable locations."

You speak as if all people easily have the option to pay $3 million for a house in Park Slope. People keep saying this and yet in our neighborhood which some would call "less than desireable" compared to the blue-chip ones such as Park Slope and Cobble Hill, the houses up for sale recently similar to ours have sold for $200K more than we bought our house for a year ago. We did get an especially good deal. However, even if we'd spent $100K more to buy it, the recent comps are still $100K more than we paid.

The ONLY thing affecting house values, is whether people keep wanting houses not coops/condos, and whether people are staying in Brooklyn or going out of the city to the suburbs. The trend that started well over a decade ago to stay in the city not go to the suburbs, is still holding strong among middle to upper income whites.

One would assume those people would start to lose interest in buying entire houses during a market downturn with the cost of investment in them, but ironically enough, the tiny rooms and crappy construction in newly built condos has helped boost the house market big time. People go to look at what they get for a $1 million to $1.2 million in a condo in "desireable" neighborhoods and you know what? They go for the house in the "less desireable" neighborhood. There aren't fewer people at the open houses in these neighborhoods, they just want to pay less. And that's fair. There certainly are some houses asking too much. But those particular overpriced houses sitting on the market too long, do not mean there's no interest in those neighborhoods. Not at all.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 12:57 PM

For most sane people the house is secondary and the neighborhood is primary. It's the old location location thing.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 1:27 PM

Not if you need at-home work space, 1:27. Like a LOT of people in NYC. Tons of mothers and fathers are freelancers who want to work at home so they can raise their child themselves. Or work a couple days in the office, a couple days at home.

People we know who live in coops and condos who need a home office have living spaces that are so cluttered they hardly ever have people over. And then what happens when their kids are teens and want space for their own hobbies and work?

It's not insane to not want your home piled with crap all the time and feel like you're falling all over each other. Our living space affects how we feel, and our productivity. I'm super sensitive that way. A cluttered undisciplined space makes for a cluttered undisciplined mind. There's also the appeal of having a yard. It's having a yard that personally keeps me sane in an urban city. Lastly, I get "building sickness" in coop and condo buildings and office buildings. I feel 100% better in a house. Environmental allergies and sensitivites are hardly rare, either.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 2:24 PM

We saw 398 Bergen last weekend. It is completely overpriced. Should be interesting to see what happens to these prices over the next few months.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 4:06 PM

We saw 398 Bergen at an open house last weekend. The house is completely overpriced. Should be interesting to see what happens to these prices over the next few months.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 4:07 PM

i like living in a clean, small organized space.

it's super efficient, and there are a lot of things you can do design-wise to make a nice, small eco friendly pad.

i've seen prices in studios in park slope go through the roof.

in 2001, you could find one for 70k and now these same places are going for a little over 300K.

not a bad investment for someone with a smaller budget and who doesn't want or need a whole house.

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 4:16 PM

Me too, 4:16. I love a well-organized, efficient, small space.

But once you partner up, you don't always end up with someone as organized as you! I know some of you know exactly what I'm talking about ;/

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 5:09 PM

"A cluttered undisciplined space makes for a cluttered undisciplined mind."

"If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?" - Albert Einstein

Posted by: guest at February 9, 2008 9:17 PM

"The Rise of the Mortgage 'Walkers'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120243369715152501.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries "

Good story, The What. Although difficult to swallow at first thought, walking away is the right decision for a lot of underwater/f@*#'d borrowers and counting. That picture in the article showing the couple happily walking away and tossing the keys behind themselves is priceless. I can hear that old Morris Day and The Time song in the background, "It's called the walk...the walk...just let yo' body talk...".

LMMFAO

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 2:37 AM

COULD NOT AGREE WITH YOU MORE
WE ALSO LIKE ALL THE NEW PLACES AROUND 5TH AND 4TH5 AVE
OFFER ASKING PRICE WELL BELOW THE CRAZY 2 MILLION + MADNESS / CONVERT TO 2 FAMILY MAKE SOME $$
WELCOME TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 11:05 AM

Bergen's interiors are depressing and oppressive. The house was certainly not built for upper income people back in the day, like the houses on the fancier landmarked blocks. When there is so little detail and what's there is blah, I'd do a totally modern interior and rip it all out, frankly. Also, just a feeling - check the mechanicals because a new kitchen doesn't mean a full, gut reno was done. Might be why it's priced relatively lower.

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 11:17 AM

I see Bergen house is between 4th and 5th. Yikes. I've seen that block once on the way to look at a condo a year or two ago that was on Bergen between 3rd and 4th, where the moronic Aguayo realtor kept insisting it was in the PS 321 school district! And we kept saying, no, we live in Park Slope unlike you, and this is not in PS 321.

Anyway, Bergen between 4th and 5th is okay, but 4th Ave right there is scary with weird dudes hanging around, and it's industrial with some businesses like a big taxi garage that I wouldn't bank lots of money on changing all that much. People have to realize not ALL the businesses on 4th Ave will just go away once condos start arriving. It's going to be like areas of Manhattan such as the meatpacking district or other west-side areas. Fancy condos mixed with gritty industrial buildings and manufacturing businesses and auto repair shops. Which is fine for people who move to NYC for the NYC experience not a suburban experience! But for those who want a picturesque Brooklyn brownstone experience, being near 4th Ave ain't it.

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 11:27 AM

IT'S STILL A TOWNHOUSE IN PARK SLOPE FOR UNDER 2 MILLION

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 11:33 AM

In re Dean Street house, a house on Pacific Street on the same block (Bond/Nevins) that was wider, but not so nicely renovated, went for $2.3 million ($200K over ask) just a few months ago. The Dean Street house is definitely nicer, but $995K nicer?

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 11:47 AM

All of Park Slope is not the same, 11:33.

There are some blocks in up-and-coming neighborhoods that are already becoming nicer than the gritty blocks in the blue chip neighborhoods. NYC is like that.

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 11:48 AM

11:05 = owner or broker. Give me a break- anyone who offers asking price in this market is NUTS!!

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 12:01 PM

11:27 Picturesque Brooklyn brownstone experience, I have it already thank you and I live on Bergen Street between 4th and 5th and we "live" in Park Slope

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 4:51 PM

i project bergen will go for 1.5-1.6 seems like a wacky flip to me.

Posted by: guest at February 10, 2008 8:40 PM

RE 398 Bergen:
I wish the kitchen wasn't on the garden floor.
I wish that the 2nd full bath was.
I wish that all the bathrooms weren't a fantasy/nightmare in black marble.
I really wish the bus didn't run down this block every 10 minutes.
I wish I had a better idea of what the impact of AY will have on this place.

Alas, It's a decent house on a decent block, but i'll wait to see if the price drops or something else comes up.

Posted by: guest at February 11, 2008 11:33 AM