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May 1, 2008

House of the Day: 41 Howard Place

While this house at 41 Howard Place in Windsor Terrace is far from a steal on a per square foot basis, we suspect its charm and (relatively) unimposing price tag of $1,350,000 will lure a buyer fairly quickly. (That, and the bragging rights of your block having been featured in a Jack Nicholson movie.) Another reason for optimism: the almost identical 19 Howard Place sold for $1,370,000 last September.
41 Howard Place [Brooklyn Properties] GMAP P*Shark

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Comments

your link says 266 berkeley.

goes to correct link though...

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 1:22 PM

"Jack Nicholson movie"

Departed? (most of it was shot in NYC - i.e. Bronx golf range)

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 1:26 PM

I thought As Good as it Gets was filmed on Fuller, not Howard. But maybe Im getting it confused with Angie?

Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at May 1, 2008 1:27 PM

Now that's a well-presented house! Super clean and tidy. Fresh paint. That's the way to do it. Buyers will certainly change a lot in this house, the kitchen and bath and basement, but still, it's so important to showcase the house in its best light. Weird how many sellers refuse to recognize that.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 1:36 PM

What a pretty little house!

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 1:40 PM

1:36, I agree about it being well presented and doing the most with what they have. I think the pink and turquoise sinks, toilets and tubs are pretty groovy.

Posted by: Biff Champion at May 1, 2008 1:44 PM

Only in the movies -- a waitress supporting her son and mom, living in a $1.35 million house! Anyway, it's very overpriced, but nicely staged.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 1:45 PM

1:45, I can see it. House wasn't worth that much when the movie was made. Also, could have been her mom's house and in family for generations, which is, or at least was, fairly common in WT.

Posted by: slopefarm at May 1, 2008 2:00 PM

Is it really something to brag about to say that you live on the block that was chosen to portray how pathetic the life was of a single mother waitress, exiled by poverty to the hopelessly out-of-it and inconvenient outer boroughs...?

ha ha - little do they know. Of course this is a charming block, neighborhood and house. But not I would mention the movie...

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:08 PM

Cute, cute house and nice interior detailing. I don't know about the price, $1.3mil for a house where I would instantly want to update both the kitchen and one of the baths? But, I've been surprised before; I'll be surprised again.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:09 PM

as per usual in NY the yard looks like some white-trash dream.

Rest of the house - very nice.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:13 PM

Super cute house. Sort of agree with 2;13 about the yard - a shame there's nothing green left, esp since it looks like it would get plenty of sun.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:15 PM

Hilarious. So true that those all-cement yards are very white-trash Brooklyn.

Container gardens are great, though, if the containers are high-end and well chosen and are the larger stone and ceramic kind. I'm surprised with how well staged the house is that they didn't put even one nice large planter in back with an array of annuals or tulips.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:25 PM

I'm waiting for the yard photo when we see a BVM in a bathtub!!!!

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 1, 2008 2:33 PM

These houses, however cute, are very very small, especially the bedrooms. I am surprised that they go for this price given the size and location, no matter how charming the block is. I know it is close to the park and subway, but it is still a tiny house in windsor terrace which needs new kitchens, baths and extensive work in the garden.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:42 PM

I disagree that this house needs new kitchen + baths etc. They look just fine. This looks like a good basic house. I don't know the market in Windsor Terrace, so can't comment on the price.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 2:55 PM

Won't get more than 1.1 trust me.
I own few in the area.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 3:03 PM

I always find it interesting to compare the prices and popularity of these attached row houses vs. free standing detached houses in Victorian Flatbush/Ditmas Park. Take a house from Ditmas Park, cut off the top floor, cut the width by a third, take away windows on 2 sides, throw away the driveway and garage, shrink the front and backyards and presto... more attractive. There are probably 20 listings of victorian homes around the corner of the park that are priced at or below this home. Now Prospect Park West offers more than Cortelyou Road anyday... but by the same token... the Q certainly trumps the F. Go figure.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 3:11 PM

I have a friend on that block, been in the house a million times. Houses are sweet, but tiny. Rooms upstairs, i.e. the bedrooms, are teeny tiny.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 3:30 PM

1.3 million is a relatively unimposing price? That's a sh-tload of money! Crazy money! How can anyone who didn't buy six years ago (like me) afford to live in the city. It is just too much. Too much.

Let me sit down...

Posted by: Putnamdenizen at May 1, 2008 3:38 PM

Nobody is commenting on the fact that last September and today are different markets. This is $20K less than last September (the same house sold for that price) but sentiment among buyers is different - a lot of potential buyers are pickier, and/or afraid to commit in this uncertain market. With my own property, the same broker priced it lower in the past few months last summer, to reflect market changes. I think if they priced this below 1.3 they'd have much better luck. As a buyer myself (we are trading up), I would not pay this much for this property, even though I have the money to - I'd rather wait for the price to drop or else for a better house to come along since one is small and not in the greatest location.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 3:55 PM

I think it's a fabulous location right down the block from the subway, 1.5 blocks to the park, around the corner from PPW shops and Pavilion movie theater. But it is a tiny house for that much money.

Posted by: Flatbushwhacker at May 1, 2008 4:01 PM

3:38 beat me to it, damn. It gives me the hives to think that 1.3 million could be considered only "relatively imposing" Each posting on this site makes me wonder where all the teachers, district attorneys, police and firefighters are going to live? You know, "the little people" that we need. Sweet Jesus.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 4:25 PM

Anyone care to comment on the public schools in WT. Just curious.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 4:41 PM

I was at the 19 Howard Place open house. From what I can tell it was nicer than this one. Tons of great detail, nicely finished basement (with a sauna?), and a pretty nice job on the back yard. I think the upstairs bathroom may have needed an update. I don't recall that the bedrooms seemed small to me.

I've been to a few open houses in the area recently and I believe prices are continuing to climb.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 5:42 PM

$1.275 million in the first month.. any takers?

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 5:53 PM

19 Howard was recently renovated before it was sold and in unbelievable condition. Everything was perfect. Back yard was grass and nice garden. Basement was renovated. I am still so envious that I could not afford it. This is nice but would need a couple hundred thousand invested to get it in the same shape as 19. I would guess 1.1M as a likely sell price.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 5:54 PM

19 did have a sauna in the basement. New zoned hot water heating system too that was awesome.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 6:05 PM

4:25 - that's easy: Nassau or Jersey, which is where they all live now.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 6:10 PM

This house is an example of how a house should be shown but despite its obvious staging, it simply will not sell for that price in todays market. True there are bigger homes in the Victorian Flatbush neighborhoods for less but some people just can't afford to buy a huge house. Although if someone could afford to buy this house at this price point, I am thinking that they could afford a bigger home and would prefer Victorian Flatbush.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 7:44 PM

All of these houses on Howard Place (and Fuller) have significant issues with noise and vibrations from the F trains which run underneath them. I just don't understand how they are getting the money that 19 sold for and what they are asking for this one with this issue. The trains run constantly and the noise and vibrations are constant. I have spent the night at one of these houses and did not get a wink of sleep with the vibration and noise from the trains!

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 7:51 PM

I've been told public schools in area are not bad; my daughter goes to the Catholic school right across the street, Holy Name, and it's a great bargain ($4K/year)if you don't want the roughness and bureaucracy of public school but can't afford private. No luxuries but a good basic education, very caring staff, safety, values and diversity (racial and economic)--I call it "The Bells of St. Mary's" meets "United Colors of Benetton." And before anyone flames about the abuse crisis, Catholic schools now have an abuse prevention and background check program in place more rigorous than just about any other (and, for the record, this school was untouched by the nastiness). About 20% of the kids aren't even Catholic, the parents choose it for the warmth and the discipline (not a paradox at all).

Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at May 1, 2008 8:07 PM

But if it's a private school, anybody can go there and they do. It's not just for WT homeowners.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 8:32 PM

We live in WT and our 2 kids go to 154. They're very happy - so are we. The school benefits from a very active parent body and PTA - which we appreciate since we don't have much time to give ourselves. We had a hard time moving out of 321, but no regrets (seriously)! More affordable and bigger house, less stress about finances, smaller classes, and more representative of larger society (at least w.r.t. social class).

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 9:31 PM

Is that a closet or a bedroom? It looks like they put a bed in a closet. Cute house but the rooms are too small. I think price needs to come down.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 9:39 PM

"Container gardens are great, though, if the containers are high-end and well chosen and are the larger stone and ceramic kind."

--a tacky yuppie, proud of his "Tuscan" lion's head stone planters that he overpaid for at Smith + Hawken, filled with ugly evergreens

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 10:05 PM

don't be so mean, 10:05 - there ARE nice and tasteful container gardens in the city. And the simpler the container, the better.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 10:41 PM

though I would, of course, break up that cement and plant in dirt. but a container can bring some greenery 'til one gets around to that.

Posted by: guest at May 1, 2008 10:43 PM

The block was in the movie, NOT this house--Helen Hunt's character lived at #1, and I doubt #41 got any screen time.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 12:06 AM

3:55 - you took the words right out of my mouth. We are looking to buy but have basically stopped considering WT because the asking prices are so out of line with the quality of the neighborhood and quality and size of the houses. A lot of people appear to be listing their houses for silly prices and nothing is selling.

This is a cute house but very small - I have been in these. You also have a direct view out the front of the imposing (and 4 stories high) yellow brick side of the Holy Name School building, so no charming view of the lovely houses of Howard Place unfortunately. I would potentially be interested in this house at $1.1 or below - at $1.3 it makes no sense to us and we won't even be looking at it. Agree with whoever said if you have that kind of money, ditmas/kensington/PPS area gets you a real house which may need work but is going to feel far more comfortable and be on a better train line.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 11:19 AM

another agency -- Betancourt? -- has one of these identical houses, from what i can tell, for $1.5 million. riddle me that, batman.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 12:08 PM

ain't no one gonna pay $1.5 mill for that Betancourt house - it manages to be the only ugly house on that pretty block, as well as being small etc. If I could pay $1.5 mill for my small single family home, I'd be looking in Park Slope.

I think WT sellers are having delusions of grandeur...this is not the moment to be jacking up prices in your nabe. Predict lowest sales volume ever for WT in 2008.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 12:16 PM

The broker site says:
According to The Brooklyn Daily
Eagle, these "Top 'O Brooklyn" (highest ground in the borough)...

I thought Sunset Park was the highest point in Brooklyn. Even parts of Greenwood Cemetery seem much higher than Howard Place. Am I wrong?

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 12:48 PM

It's Mrs. Limestone's fault for WT prices so high...LOL

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at May 2, 2008 12:53 PM

Uggg. that price is pretty shocking. We've been looking for a while and it really seems as though prices in WT aren't moving or going up, when the rest of Brooklyn is beginning to inch down. totally agree about the white trash garden--that concrete must get baking in the summer.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 12:56 PM

11:19 AM, but would it get you the same quality of public school?

The comparison that boggles me is not WT and Kensington/Ditmas but btwn WT & South Slope.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 1:14 PM

Friends of mine made it to the end of the bidding war on the first Howard house and are still heartbroken that they didn't get it. It was apparently owned by a couple of Scandanavian designers, the renovation was pristine and the details unbelievable. Taking away the ludicracy of comparing prices from before the credit crisis, to say a similar house sold for the same amount is a flat out lie. I hate when people rag on you when you created this site we all enjoy, but I must say, sometimes you really do sound like a broker. In this market, if they get in the 900s they'll be lucky.

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 2:26 PM

I live in WT and walk buy these houses everyday. While I think the price is quite high, I have a feeling it'll go fairly quickly and for near asking. I've seen my share of these "small" houses in my hood go quickly... and yes, even in todays market, this will be no exception.

THE OnE

Posted by: guest at May 2, 2008 5:23 PM

What did I tell ya!

The house is in Contract... roughly 1 1/2 weeks after hitting the market.

http://www.brooklynproperties.com/house108.htm