Open House Picks

The washington park house is lovely, not sure about the cosmic yellow lights in the sitting room though. Great deck.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:21 PM

Re: the West Midwood house: I like Hunter green as much as the next guy, but come on.

For $895K, I could live in Larchmont or Maplewood and be able to complain about the taxes.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:26 PM

I knew Midwood was a little far out there, but never realized it was located in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa. (Click on the view map on the listing if you don't believe me.)

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:32 PM

What is this Washington Park thing? I know Victorian Flatbush pretty well, including South Midwood, and have never heard of Washington Park.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:41 PM

The lights above the moldings in the living room of the Washington Park house are weird. "Cosmic" as 1:21 says. Definitely a very suburban reno done in this house. But it's a nice house, huge lot (which can be a downside for those who don't like yardwork) and it seems a realistic price. Got to love a wraparound porch.

Okay, Clinton Hill house realtors - one crappy pocket camera snapshot of the exterior and you want people to show up to see a 2-story house priced at $1.3MM in a neighborhood getting attention for increased crime right now? Hire a professional photographer. Get a floorplan done. Like you know, the professional brokers who are more successful than you and for a reason.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:41 PM

WRONG ADDRESS for the Midwood House. It's not Washington Park!

In my post at 1:41, I was referring to the Midwood house. As was the other person, regarding the lights in the living room.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:44 PM

$1.43 for South Midwood?

I don't know. There have been a few attempts to get this kind of cash over by Brooklyn College, but I don't know what the houses in question actually fetched. Anyone know?

You could plunk down $100-200k less and get a slightly less over the top house but, for my money, far better situated home in Ditmas Park West or Beverley Square West.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 1:47 PM

I feel sorry for the 2.05 guy.

Could any psychiatrist care to step in and suggest what is wrong with the poor blighter?

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 2:08 PM

Please get rid of those annoying SPAM posts!

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 2:08 PM

So tired of listings showing only the front of the house and the staircase. I assume the house has stairs and a front. I don't anticipate bathing on the porch, tucking my kids into the foyer at night, or serving Thanksgiving dinner on the stairs.

Kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms, please. We'll decide whether or not the work on them is worth it. Sheesh.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 2:09 PM

I have a friend that lives on Carlton, it's about a 10-15 min walk from the Q. Not unbearable, but not that short on a cold day.

[shelltoe]

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 2:42 PM

I walk from Washington Park to the Q everyday - 8-10 mins max. 5-7 mins to the C

its not bad at all

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 2:54 PM

it is a twenty minute walk at least.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:08 PM

what about this 3family in south slope?

http://www.ahrlty.com/H-397X/H-387X.html

good? bad?

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:16 PM

Google maps says it's .6 miles from 166 Washington Park to the intersection of Flatbush and Dekalb (where the Q train is). If it takes 15-20 minutes to walk a mile (at normal pace), it should be about a 10-minute walk, give or take, depending on your mileage.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:17 PM

What about the houses?

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:20 PM

Discussing ease of transportation for each house IS talking about the house, 3:20. Subway options are a key consideration. Plus the open houses are Sunday not today. Nobody's seen them yet.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:27 PM

Talking about it ad nauseum... is well, self explanatory.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:31 PM

Those two Corcoran agents selling the Midwood house never learn! They have a house on Stratford that they over-priced at 1.595 and a month later, they've had to reduce it by 250K. Now they're doing the same thing here. If they priced realistically from te beginning, they'd be much better off.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:37 PM

Stop already...if it's more than 10 min it says more about you than the distance. I do it everyday from a little further out in 10. If you don't like to walk you won't like it, but it it takes you 20 you need the exercise.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:46 PM

As for the walk to DeKalb, I live on Clinton Ave (another 5 blocks east)and it's 15 minutes tops.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:47 PM

Washington Park listing is a 4-family. Facade needs work. Houses on both sides of it are in crummy shape. BP should take a look at the other comps on Wash Park that are not selling, and realize that the one that sold last year at $3 million was a 1-family, museum-quality perfect restoration and renovation.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:53 PM

Sorry 3:16, you are not allowed to slopejack this thread. Especially not with such a sad looking little dump.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 4:16 PM

East 24th Street is beautiful, and double lot too. How is that area? Is it a historic district? Can imagine it will cost a boatload of dough to heat and maintain that house.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 5:26 PM

"Stop already...if it's more than 10 min it says more about you than the distance. I do it everyday from a little further out in 10. If you don't like to walk you won't like it, but it it takes you 20 you need the exercise."

Must be nice to be young and healthy. Some of us aren't and some of us are smart enough to realize we won't always be.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 5:40 PM

"slopejack" is my new favorite word.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 5:42 PM

I live on Lafayette near Carlton.

Regarding this timing of walks to the subway.

It takes me 1.5 minutes to the C at Cumberland/Greene/Fulton and maybe about 6 to 7 minutes max from the front door to the platform of the Q at Atlantic.

So, yes, it's probably 8-9 minutes at a decent pace from the east side of Fort Greene Park to the DeKalb Station at Flatbush Avenue.

Listen, much of FG is VERY near transportation...ANDDD the thing is, you've got just about EVERY TRAIN in NYC that comes through the neighborhood, even the G if you need it...AND, you've got the LIRR...Hop the train right near home and go all the way to Greenport for the Shelter Island Ferry...piece o' cake.

Transportation from FG is EXCELLENT...about as good as it gets for transportation from Bklyn to Manhattan. From stoop to desk at the WFC it used to be about 15 mintues TOTAL if the C arrived immediately...had it timed...it stuck to the schedule. Now it's about 30 minutes stoop to desk in Midtown.

If you're in Clinton Hill, it's a different story. More walking or you end up taking a the bus to the train depending on where you live and other issues...

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 7:07 PM

These are all lovely houses but if they wish to attract middle-class buyers other than hegde-fund managers and stock fund executives they need to seriously rethink their asking prices.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 9:27 PM

How can you say that about the Wellington Court house? That's a relative bargain.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 11:39 PM

The Wellington Court house is nice, but the price reflects that fact that it's on a cul de sac that backs up to the train tracks.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 7:39 AM

Washington Park house has an Ikea kitchen, and I'm not talking about the one in the rental unit. For 2.75 million bucks I'd expect a much nicer kitchen, not one with particle board cabinets, even if they do "look like" cherry and the front doors are real wood.

I doubt this place will sell for over 2.25 million in this market. Personally, in that price range, I'd much rather be closer to Prospect Park anyways.

Fort Green is cool, but it ain't THAT cool.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 9:18 AM

"When we listed our apartment with BHS, the broker told us that Brown Harris considers itself an old white-shoe firm and some of the senior people there find bathroom and bedroom pictures to be...indelicate."

We were told the same thing! That was about 2 years ago. SO funny. What if a bathroom was very beautifully done? I'm a BHS fan, I do think they're the best of the big firms and they offer the most service for listings like professional photography and floorplans -- but this policy about not photographing bathrooms, while fine for Manhattan shows cluelessness about Brooklyn brownstones. The Brooklyn brokers need to educate their Manhattan bosses on this. The Brooklyn historic coops and houses are being renovated or will still need renovation. Part of what buyers consider when deciding what to go see, is getting a grasp on how much renovation work is required. A very basic bathroom reno is $10,000 minimum, a beautiful high-end bathroom renovation is $20,000 minimum. That times two or three for each bathroom in a coop or house is significant money.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 1:51 PM

I don't think that's why the Wellington House is low. It's not near the tracks (three houses in) and cul de sacs are relatively desirable because they're so tranquil.

I think the house must need a fair amount of work. No pix of kitchens or baths, which is always telling. And if the owners haven't done kitchens and baths, it's unlikely they've done the REALLY expensive work - new wiring,plumbing systems, etc....

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 1:59 PM

Hey Corcoran - do some work for that commission and fix the map feature on your listing in Midwood at East 24th Street. It's still showing this house as located in the ocean off West Africa, as someone pointed out.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 2:47 PM

To "hey Corcoran" if you want to be heard about your issues speak with them. Why go on Brownstoner no one buys on brownstoner. Jonathon Butler takes all the money from advertisers but the market here is worthless...and thats before AY comes.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 3:48 PM

Everyone always comments on how much the homes in Victorian Flatbush are to heat. I have owned both and it is true that a freestanding large home will be about 20% more to heat than a Brownstone but this was not a deal maker or breaker for me or most of my neighbors.

Although I loved my old neighborhood (Bed-Stuy), because we had a rental, I didn't have enough space in my unit, once I had kids. When the kids started school, I couldn't send them to the local public school. Parking was kind of hard and I had to rent a small storage room to hold camping equipment, bikes and the like. I didn't have a large yard with grass or sunshine streaming in from all four sides of my house. I am not knocking Bed-Stuy or Brownstone living but Ditmas Park was the obvious choice for me because I couldn't stomach moving to Jersey or Staten Island. I got the best best of both worlds.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 3:52 PM

3:52 here,

Forgot to mention that I can now entertain in my home. I have friends over often for cocktails, birthday parties, bridal showers, etc... no parking tickets because there is plenty of parking. This would not be possible in a smaller place. I must admit that many of my friends from Park Slope and Fort Greene find my home accessible enough by train from their neighborhoods and Manhattan but they also say that the area is seriously lacking in ammenities. I'll take the higher heating bills and make my own ammenities.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 5:33 PM

3:52:

What are the public schools like in Ditmas Park? What district is it? Is it the same school and district as Prospect Park South? The schools don't seem to really come up in discussions of Victorian Flatbush, and I am very curious. I love the area, but couldn't afford the giant houses AND private school (can't afford private school period!).

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 9:52 PM

"Those two Corcoran agents selling the Midwood house never learn! They have a house on Stratford that they over-priced at 1.595 and a month later, they've had to reduce it by 250K. Now they're doing the same thing here. If they priced realistically from te beginning, they'd be much better off."

How can you immediately blame the agent for the pricing? Did you ever think that the SELLER has some input into THEIR asking price. I'm a realtor, and I hate when people say the AGENT overpriced the house.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 10:14 PM

The fact that you can send your kids to the local public schools in Ditmas Park trumps the fact that it's relatively speaking lacking in amenities.

IMO, Ditmas Park is by far the most family friendly of all the so-called "fringe" neighborhoods.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 10:28 PM

if i spend 2 million plus, i want to be near prospect park and have lots of amenities near my house. i'd take a smaller place in park slope over a larger one in another neighborhood any day. it's so lush, green and filled with things to do and see. very urban feeling to me. i walked through there yesterday and it just felt like such a wonderful, vibrant neighborhood. all the tree gardens, the beautiful architecture and people eating outside in restaurants. i really had no idea it was so nice.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 10:45 PM

DP is the most family friendly of all the o so-called "fringe" neighborhood, and the only one where you can actually send your kids to the local schools. IMO, if you've got kids, this trumps the relative "lack of amenities" any day.

Heating bills are not so horrible if you keep your thermostat on one of those timers and keep it low at night and while you're at out of the house. Also, keeping doors to unused third floor rooms will really make a difference. Mine is only about $2800 a year.

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 8:02 AM

Can someone explain why any house in Ft Greene should sell for over $1.5m?

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 9:53 AM

The only neighborhoods in Brooklyn which are worth over 1.5 million are brooklyn heights, cobble hill, carroll gardens and park slope.

If you pay more than 2 million for any neighborhood other than those, you are a FOOL.

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 12:39 PM

Caton Park, Prospect Park South and Beverley Square West are the Victorian Flatbush areas, commonly referred to as Ditmas Park, closest to Prospect Park being only one to four blocks away. All of "Ditmas Park" is a short walk or bike ride away. I would personally put my money into a larger home for all of the reasons previously mentioned, even if it is surrounded by fewer ammenities. Living near so many ammenities has its drawbacks, like parking and noise. I love eating and shopping in Park Slope which is very close to Ditmas Park but I prefer the quieter slower pace of Ditmas Park to live. Also more of an ethnic mix and the people are very friendly. I was out riding my bike today and saw people out sitting on their porches and I swear everyone that I passed and made eye contact with said hello.

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 1:35 PM

i agree that ft. greene is terrific and lovely. but unless ft. greene park expands by another few hundred acres, it ain't going to be park slope anytime soon.

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 3:37 PM

If Prospect Park expands by a few hundred acres, then we could finally be rid of Park Slope.

Btw, 3:37, Park Slope is not the only neighborhood that abuts Prospect Park, so your comment doesn't help the PS vs. FG thread here.

Fort Greene is much better than Park Slope. You can walk to the Slope for the good things it offers, but go home to avoid the crazy trash that lives in Park Slope.

Now, no more slopejacking!

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 5:23 PM

ft. greene may indeed be "better" than park slope in your mind, 5:23, but the fact that park slope homes routinely sell for more $$ than those in ft. greene, the market would say otherwise...

but who cares about those silly little facts...right?

Posted by: guest at June 1, 2008 8:33 PM

Did anyone actually see the houses?

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

9:53 here. Actually, given current rents and construction costs, I don't understand how any house in Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens or Park Slope (except perhaps on the park block of a name street) could possibly be worth $2m. If it costs 50% less to rent, why buy?

Posted by: guest at June 2, 2008 10:04 AM

To the poster who inquired about schools in Ditmas Park: the schools in the area such as 139 and 217 are good and getting better. We're zoned for 217 and plan to send our kids there.

Posted by: guest at June 2, 2008 12:39 PM

Did anyone see any of these houses?

Posted by: guest at June 2, 2008 3:14 PM

There's also a great elementry school over by Brooklyn College.

In addition to Manhattan districts 2 and 3, note that 22 still has the largest number of kids who qualify for gifted programs.

Posted by: guest at June 2, 2008 3:30 PM