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July 15, 2008

Co-op of the Day: 15 Clark Street, #2C

15-Clark-Street-0708.jpg
We suspect that this Classic 6 at 15 Clark Street is one of those apartments that would have benefited from a little spruce up and staging prior to listing. It's got a nice family-sized layout, but the combination of the 2nd floor location (read: lack of light) and rather dreary interior decoration makes the asking price of $1,699,000 a little hard to take. We know, we know, it's the Heights and this is about what you'd expect a 1,675-square-foot pad to go for but still. Anyway, what do you think this'll end up going for?
15 Clark Street, #2C [Harvey Bernstein] GMAP P*Shark




Posted by Brownstoner at 12:43 PM | Comments (27)
Categories: Brooklyn Heights, Co-ops

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Comments

Far be it from me to nitpick but I don't understand that isolated "dressing room" and the 3rd bath that you have to go through the dressing room to get to.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 15, 2008 12:59 PM

hideous.

Posted by: gkw at July 15, 2008 1:01 PM

Agreed, they should take a few $K and stage the place. At least that would give them a shot at $1000/sq. ft. Location is excellent (of course).

25% down too (not outrageous, but a good deal of cash).

I also wonder what the maintenance covers and how much of it is deductible.

Posted by: JLater at July 15, 2008 1:26 PM

I used to live in this building. The people, including the live-in super, are really nice, and the building is well kept. The price is high given the market conditions, previous sales in the building, and the condition of this apartment. At 1.1 or 1.2 million, maybe 1.3, it's a good deal.

Posted by: commenter3 at July 15, 2008 1:30 PM

also it isn't true that there is not a lot of light. It's south-facing. It's practically sun-drenched.

Posted by: commenter3 at July 15, 2008 1:33 PM

This looks like a fine apartment. 3 bedrooms and 3 baths is rare in a pre-war like this. It looks like it has been lived in by the same family for decades so of course it will need its upgrades. I think if it were in move-in condition it would go for 1.8 or 1.9. In the "estate" condition it is in, I would say 1.4 - 1.5 is more like it.

The kitchen and the baths will need re-dos, the floors should be sanded (the parquet pattern in the dining room looks gorgeous although it is mostly hidden by an ugly rug). An apartment like this is pretty hard to find in the Heights so I think it will go quickly if the sellers are negotiable. The exterior of the building is very elegant although I do not believe there is a doorman. that is a definite minus. Nice apartment buildings in Brooklyn Heights should have doormen.

Posted by: sam at July 15, 2008 1:34 PM

This co-op is nothing special and is definitely not worth $1.7m. I would like to see the houses and apartments in these areas of Brooklyn adjust in price. The rest of the housing market is declining, but it's apparent that these areas are still inflated and it's about time before the bubble pops. And people wonder why this economy is in shambles. Prices for things hold no true value anymore and the dollar is so weak that inflation is a big problem.

Are there any affordable places to live anymore?

Posted by: Smatchums at July 15, 2008 1:41 PM

It's not just the decor - the living room is narrow and awkward, walls need to knocked down. And if it's so flooded with light, why does every ceiling light need to be turned on in the daytime in order to take the photos? Could be a nice layout if you knocked out the bedroom next to the living room and knocked down the wall btw kitchen and dining.

Posted by: gkw at July 15, 2008 1:46 PM

One can almost smell the old stale perfume and mothballs...

Posted by: tinarina at July 15, 2008 1:50 PM

qkw,

Anything can be renovated to be more practical and look better, but why pay so much money for something that needs a substantial amount of work done.

Is it just me or is there anyone else out there that feels my pain?

Posted by: Smatchums at July 15, 2008 1:51 PM

smatchums - agreed. I think the apt as-is is hideous and overpriced. Just saying it needs more than simple upgrades and to be really nice would need one less bedroom, or at least a much smaller one.

Posted by: gkw at July 15, 2008 1:58 PM

That's a lot of space, no matter how you cut it up or reconfigure it. I don't recall seeing many co-ops that size in BH (or even the UWS for that matter).

I don't think 1.5m is unreasonable, given that the next step up in the neighborhood is a house, which would be double that if not more.

Put it this way: If you work in lower manhattan, you'd be hard pressed to find more space for less money this close by.

Posted by: Bolder at July 15, 2008 2:04 PM

price is about right if it were nice and move-in ready. but it's not, and i figure upgrades/repairs would cost around $150k. so i would say $1.5M is a good price.

Posted by: z at July 15, 2008 2:06 PM

People are getting carried away by the decor, it's the apartment that matters. I love to walk into a great apartment like this that looks awful because I know I can get a better price than one with "eyewash" appeal. renovating baths and kitchens and knocking down a partition is not a scary thing.

Also, if you want affordable digs, the Heights is not the best place to start looking.

Posted by: sam at July 15, 2008 2:12 PM

Dear Mr. Brokerman: Please hire a photographer, a copywriter and a web designer.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at July 15, 2008 2:47 PM

I was going to say the same thing, SnarkSlope. The pictures are awful, everything is shown to its worst effect. The place looks claustrophobic and narrow but it's over 1600 square feet. I have never understood brokers who post awful pics for multimillion dollar houses.

Posted by: also guest at July 15, 2008 3:23 PM

1.1 tops.

Posted by: Xander Crews at July 15, 2008 5:16 PM

The new no-guest format has reduced the number of postings enormously but as 5:16 attests, the comments are still as utterly clueless as ever.

Posted by: Gary Cooper at July 15, 2008 7:49 PM

Sorry, but this looks just dreary. I'd want a lot more zing for 1.7 million, especially since it looks like a fixer-upper. What gives?

Posted by: Nasher at July 15, 2008 7:52 PM

If the G train does not stop nearby I have no interest in it.

Posted by: Gary Cooper at July 15, 2008 8:00 PM

Well Gary- you're free to stop posting anytime.

Posted by: also guest at July 15, 2008 8:38 PM

also guest:

Oh, touche!
what excellent NYC public school taught
you such clever repartee?


Posted by: Gary Cooper at July 15, 2008 9:01 PM

I'm having a rather interesting time trying to guess who was who from the days of guests. There were certain guests I could swear I knew from post to post.

Gary Cooper, were you a guest? I'm rather enjoying you, but don't recall your moniker from weeks and months past. I'm guessing you were a fairly frequent guest and one with snappy comments.

Per condo: I was wondering how many brokers don't bother to proof their listings prior to putting them up. This copy matched it's interior. Hideous.

..."and that great layout or footprint if you will is stressed".

Huh? The "good light"throughout and the number of windows was also stressed. Twenty times. The gentleman doth protest too much methinks.

Posted by: Nokilissa at July 15, 2008 9:29 PM

Wait, wasn't the Mill Building listing about the same square footage and price, cheaper maintenance?

Wasn't there less protest?

Honestly, I think most staging and stuff is bs anyways. That apartment looks staged to me, they just didn't bother going out and renting a bunch of west elm furniture to do it, as is the style of the time. In an uncertain market, if you HAVE to park your cash in real estate, blue chip stuff like location and space seems like a better barometer than what light fixture they're using in the dining room, or how the cabinets are in the kitchen.

Posted by: Heather at July 15, 2008 9:54 PM

The one you never went to. Obviously.

Posted by: also guest at July 15, 2008 11:55 PM

In Staten Island you can get a house for 4 times the size with a huge backyard for the same price.

Posted by: Smatchums at July 16, 2008 5:27 AM

Yah, but then you have to live in Staten Island.

Posted by: Xander Crews at July 18, 2008 12:48 PM

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