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February 6, 2009

Open House Picks

houseClinton Hill
179 St. James Place
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday 2-4
$1,650,000
GMAP P*Shark

houseProspect Lefferts Gardens
107 Rutland Road
Corcoran
Sunday 2-3:30
$1,375,000
GMAP P*Shark

houseCrown Heights
1380 Dean Street
CitiHabitats
Sunday 2-4
$775,000
GMAP P*Shark

houseKensington
428 East 2nd Street
Heights Berkeley
Sunday 12-2
$615,000
GMAP P*Shark




Posted by Brownstoner at 1:16 PM | Comments (44)
Categories: Open Houses

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Comments

Some goofy aspects to that St James house layout, though the details look nice. Think they are over-reaching on the price though.

Posted by: wasder at February 6, 2009 1:22 PM

Kensington link is broken. Has an extraneous quote at the end.

Posted by: cwbuecheler at February 6, 2009 1:23 PM

Back off everybody...Crown Heights House is Mine!!
Montrose what do you think of price. I know location is prime in CH.
I'm going to drag hubby to this one.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 1:27 PM

I bet the St James Place house goes for close to ask if the details and renovations are as nice as they appear in the photos.

Posted by: kookooforclintonhill at February 6, 2009 1:31 PM

Pretty Sure that CH house was HOTD within the past couple of months. I recognize the purple chairs.

Posted by: cwbuecheler at February 6, 2009 1:31 PM

BRG, that home was featured already. I remembered as soon as I saw the purple chairs and drapes. Here is the original post.
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2008/10/house_of_the_da_577.php

Posted by: Biff Champion at February 6, 2009 1:32 PM

the PLG house looks like a total rip off compared to the Crown Heights one.

Posted by: Santa at February 6, 2009 1:32 PM

cwb, you beat me too it. Note to self: when trying to sell a brownstone, throw in a couple of oddly colored chairs and matching drapes so people never forget it.

Posted by: Biff Champion at February 6, 2009 1:34 PM

"beat me to it", that is...

Posted by: Biff Champion at February 6, 2009 1:34 PM

Biff - I beat you to the mention, but was too lazy to dig for the link, so you win. :)

Posted by: cwbuecheler at February 6, 2009 1:35 PM

Re CH house, prepare to be underwhelmed. It needs loads of work including a kitchen and has been on the market for a long long time. Pretty from the outside though.

Posted by: brooklynluv at February 6, 2009 1:36 PM

thanks guys, Biff can you link that again...cut it up.
what's lots of work??? I don't mind work as long as I can do it over time while I'm living in the house. Are there great details?

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 1:39 PM

I've been in the CH house. Not underwhelming, very nice in fact. Yes, needs new kitchens and baths and general upgrading, but it's a very nice house.

Posted by: Susan Elkins at February 6, 2009 1:42 PM

Am I reading it correctly that the Kensington place was $599k on 12/30/08, and now is $615k?

Good luck with that ... my wife and I area actually pretty interested in it, but knowing the pricing history I'd certainly come in well belo $599k.

Posted by: cwbuecheler at February 6, 2009 1:42 PM

thanks guys...looked up the link for CH myself and reading the comments now.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 1:43 PM

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives
/2008/10/house_of_the_da_577.php

BRG, sure, here it is. Also, if you type in 1380 Dean in the search box at the top right, that will work too

Posted by: Biff Champion at February 6, 2009 1:44 PM

CBW, they want you to talk them down to 599K.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at February 6, 2009 1:45 PM

I checked out the St. James house years ago before the new owners bought it and fixed it up. The current owners did a really nice job from what I can see. It did have nice details and good bones as I recall, with the central staircase being the key as it makes for spacious rooms in a narrower house. It had cool windows as well - a bay window on the front, and a row of arched ones on the top floor. It would be a nice place for a family, with a small one bedroom garden rental. Nice that they added central air to the place as well...

Posted by: 1842 at February 6, 2009 1:47 PM

THL - then they shoulda listed at 615 from the start. :)

Posted by: cwbuecheler at February 6, 2009 1:47 PM

I like that they didn't re-do the kitchen in the Crown Heights house then jack up the price. It lets the buyer decide what their preferences are (red knobs).

Posted by: TownhouseLady at February 6, 2009 1:48 PM

agree with you there CBW, not smart at all.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at February 6, 2009 1:48 PM

I just read the HOTD 1380 Dean Street thread.
God, why can't you guys ever stay on topic :-)
there were 65 posts and only 3 were about the house...Geez, thanks alot!
I wish it was a 2-family....and I'm drooling over the facade.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 1:49 PM

Wow that Lefferts Manor price seems crazy high. There are bigger and nicer houses on that very block asking less than that. Really sweet house, but please.

Posted by: shillstoner at February 6, 2009 1:50 PM

That Kensington house looks really cute in the photos. But since it's a one-family, it'd have to be at least $200,000 cheaper for us to afford it.

Crown Heights -- wow, that place is HUGE. BRG, do you know the lady with the octuplets? I think this house would be perfect for you guys to share.

Note the kitchen in Clinton Hill bears a striking resemblance to a certain elusive "all white" kitchen.

Posted by: mopar at February 6, 2009 2:00 PM

I am not sure I understand why the CH house is not sold... Though I didn't realize it was a 1-family. I guess the floorplan makes (marginally) more sense now.
Could you convert it BRG?

Posted by: MrsCWB at February 6, 2009 2:01 PM

I'm looking at the plans again MrsCWB.
Whoever saw this house...where is the stair on the first floor???
Is it in that back 'living room'?

I prefer a two family config also...let me see after I get the answer about the stairs.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 2:08 PM

And the door right opposite the entry by the closet, where does that go?

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 2:10 PM

Hello, anybody...stairs???
It doesn't make sense where they're shown on the 1st floor in relationship to the top 2 floors.
Someone that's been inside, answer please.
New layout will be revealed for the masses.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 2:19 PM

I believe the stairs were right by the front entrance (straight ahead when you come in) - i think the stairs in the rear go to the basement. I am sure you could make it a 2 family, but would obviously need a new kitchen upstairs (and downstairs too). The difficulties in converting it into a 2 turned me off to it.

Posted by: brooklynluv at February 6, 2009 2:19 PM

about the CH house:

The facade looks great in the picture, but it doesn't look that way in person. A open house was scheduled there and tried to attend, only to get there and broker didn't show up.

Posted by: Attention2detail at February 6, 2009 2:22 PM

So basically you can't turn the basement into rental unless you go for some really heavy work, you'd need to turn it into a 2 on 2. Yuck.

Posted by: MrsCWB at February 6, 2009 2:25 PM

The basement doesn't look like it's 50% above grade...so no to turning that into an apartment.

I'm still baffled by the stairs on the first floor, according to brooklynluv, they're right in front of the entry; there is that door to nowhere, could the stairs be behind that door?

Okay, to convert to 2-family you either have to give up the first floor (which probably has most of the arch. details) or the 3rd floor (and then you'd need an internal stair between 1st & 2nd stair, unless you want to share the stair with tenant and they can see you running around in your undies)
Large one family is probably best for this house.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at February 6, 2009 2:36 PM

Now I see a little bit better why it's not selling :p

Posted by: MrsCWB at February 6, 2009 2:44 PM

Crown Heights house - nice block, house looks good from outside in person, too. I like that type of English Basement house. If you are going to go, better call and make a firm appointment, as per the listing, or I can guarantee the broker won't be there. He had another house listed in the area, and I went to the open house out of curiosity, and no one was there except me and a couple of disappointed people. SO unprofessional. I called and complained. If for whatever reason you don't want to do the work, or show up, then tell the seller to find another broker, at least ask someone else in your office to fill in.

St.James house is very pretty. I love that group of houses, the whole block actually. It's gorgeous in the summer. Wasn't on of it's neighbors a HOTD a couple of months ago? Price seems a bit much, I think they are going to have to come back to the land of reality on that one.

I like the block of cookie cutter houses in Kensington, for some reason. It says solid middle class, neighborhood, small town America in a good way. Fourth of July, and kids playing in the street. The Rutland Rd house is also interesting, but price on that one is high, too.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at February 6, 2009 3:15 PM

Wow--I'm not used to PLG/LM houses being among the the most expensive OHPs.

Rutland I is a really nice block and the house seems to have been nicely renovated. IMO the price wouldn't have been out of line a short time ago. NOW? Who knows?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at February 6, 2009 3:19 PM

i think the PLG house is over priced. it is only about 16 feet wide and the rooms are small. i think it's cute but over priced, plus it's a one family.

Posted by: bkny at February 6, 2009 5:09 PM

Hey MM seems like that CH broker is one lousy business person and maybe he is the real reason that place hasn't sold...beautiful limestone facade and the dark wood details are priceless.

"Price seems a bit much, I think they are going to have to come back to the land of reality on that one"...No kidding but the house is a unique beauty and will sell swiftly once it is priced correctly...We guess another $300K off but not sure.
Bob Marvin that Rutland home is priced with delusions of grandeur even if this was 2007. As you know there are bigger & better homes with castle like architecture on Rutland that are priced better than 107 Rutland. The interior here is satisfactorily renovated but that facade is not anywhere in the $1.3million range for PLG. Bette Cunningham has a listing on Rutland that is vastly superior on all counts but priced similarly to this OH pick. Corcoran sure gives these owners a ton of false hope...

Posted by: pierre de taille at February 6, 2009 5:10 PM

They are definitely dreaming on Rutland. Should be 999K, if that.
It's a nice, small house on a great block (scrappy house next door, but who's looking?)
Even the 4-story mansions are struggling to find buyers.
Btw, Bette Cunningham sold these people the house at 107 Rutland a couple of years ago. I think they paid around 900K or 950 in 2006.
She lives like 2 doors down.
Maybe she gave her neighbors an honest assessment of the market and they decided to get corco to sell it instead.
See how they do with that

Posted by: ontheparkway at February 6, 2009 5:45 PM

Brownstoner:

If I were "domesticated," I'd love the Clinton Hill number.

What you Brownstoners should do is form a cooperative, condominium, or "shared-living" group and buy one of these -- the Crown Heights row house looks especially adaptable -- split it between two or four units, then sit out the Depression in style.

If I weren't so busy traveling, I'd be game!

And Montrose, get your health insurance, fast! I'm a little older than you, but friends your age are being hit left and right by the unexpected.

Nostalgic on Park Avenue

Posted by: NOP at February 6, 2009 7:00 PM

NOP, if you send contributions, I'll gladly get some. Right now, not possible. I am one of this nation's struggling masses, just trying to keep the roof on. In spite of it all, I'm not depressed - yet.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at February 7, 2009 1:41 AM

Individual plans for the self-employed are $600 and up. And if anything actually happens, they can drop you. But how can anyone be without it? The whole thing is insane.

(BTW, if you live in California, Kaiser is very reasonable and comprehensive.)

Posted by: mopar at February 7, 2009 10:33 AM

St james place brownstone: It sold for $815k in 2005. NYC is in a worse financial state than 2005 by far. How can they ask for a 100% increase in price even with the renovations they did? I will not pay $1.6mil for it to bail someone out of their mistake.

Posted by: dandel at February 8, 2009 9:37 AM

And some idiots on here still scream "If I had the money I would buy St James in a heartbeat!". Pretty obvious why these people don't have any money.

Posted by: cornerbodega at February 8, 2009 11:53 AM

Lefferts Manor houses really are continuing to sell despite this economic downturn. This Rutland road house did quite well for itself.

Posted by: dt at July 7, 2009 2:06 PM

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