« Last Week's Biggest Sales House of the Day: 154 St. James Place »

March 24, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 135 Hawthorne Street

This one-bedroom at 135 Hawthorne Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens is large and, at $239,000, relatively affordable. It's also got plenty of prewar charm to it--including the retro television set in the living room! The layout, complete with foyer and dining area, is also ideal. Think the price will fly?
135 Hawthorne Street [Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP P*Shark

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Maybe they need to sell the apartment so they can buy a new TV before the switch to digital.

Posted by: babs at March 24, 2009 12:44 PM

That place needs more books.

Posted by: Xander Crews at March 24, 2009 12:47 PM

I hate foyers in one-bedrooms. Seems like wasted space.

Posted by: alsawo at March 24, 2009 12:50 PM

I love this apt! Has original kitchen, a proper entry with oblique entrance, and all the bookshelves I need. Hope the bath is original too. It's also on the train that goes directly to my job. It just needs one more bedroom and then it would be perfect and I might actually consider buying it.

Posted by: mopar at March 24, 2009 12:51 PM

"at $239,000, relatively affordable" -- The newfound sensitivity is adorable.

This is a great apartment I have to admit (and i don't do that regularly). And i like that the nifty old-timey fridge is included!

I wonder how stable the maintenance fee is. Would I be looking at $1600-1700 a month now, and then $2000 next year when they realize they're bankrupt and need a new roof?

Posted by: tybur6 at March 24, 2009 12:53 PM

lol babs & xander read my mind before i got to it hahaha.

so for an apt this size and 10 percent down (20 percent i guess you have to right) how much is it a month?

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at March 24, 2009 12:56 PM

now we're getting somewhere!

If I were single I would probably buy this place tomorrow.

Posted by: the chicken at March 24, 2009 1:01 PM

This is a really cute nice sized one-bedroom apt. What are comps in the area?

Posted by: bayridgegirl at March 24, 2009 1:04 PM

Rob - mortgage at 10% down would be about $1260/month at 5.125%, including PMI but not including taxes or CC's. At 20% down your mortgage would be about $1040/month at the same interest rate.

http://www.mortgagecalculator.org/ rocks

This is a nice place at a reasonable price for the area. I'm not in the market for 1 BR's (even if I was in the market at all), or I'd be more interested. $1600/month including cc's (40% of which are deductible) isn't bad at all for a big 1 BR.

Posted by: cwbuecheler at March 24, 2009 1:06 PM

This is great. I doubt it'll remain on the market long.

Posted by: TownhouseLady at March 24, 2009 1:07 PM

Nice place. . .but for the same price, you could buy at 50 Lefferts, which is a much better location and most established coop in the nabe.
This spot is just a bit off the beaten track in Lefferts Manor.

Posted by: ontheparkway at March 24, 2009 1:12 PM

Rob, for reference 1 beds in that area should rent for sub $1,200.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/search/aap/brk?query=lefferts&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max&bedrooms=1

Are you looking in this area?

Posted by: the chicken at March 24, 2009 1:12 PM

with nice affordable places like that around, why do we workd so hard to jam low income people into "the edge" at the expense of the other residents?

Posted by: joe_the_bummer at March 24, 2009 1:18 PM

Who told you 10% down, cw?
I am thinking as a co-op it's likely 20%... still, this place is a great deal, although I know little to nothing about the neighborhood.

Posted by: Fjorder at March 24, 2009 1:18 PM

ie relative to the rental, it's still overpriced but not grossly so and depends on your take on direction of future rents and interest rates.

However, I think someone will bite at/around the $200k level as it's a good starter place and you get a lot of space for your money.

Posted by: the chicken at March 24, 2009 1:18 PM

I'm in love with this place. Maintenance is reasonable. It's close to the park.

Posted by: mopar at March 24, 2009 1:18 PM

"I love this apt! Has original kitchen, a proper entry with oblique entrance, and all the bookshelves I need. Hope the bath is original too. It's also on the train that goes directly to my job. It just needs one more bedroom and then it would be perfect and I might actually consider buying it." (mopar)

Ditto. Except for the train going right to my job.

I really like it.

Posted by: Nomi at March 24, 2009 1:22 PM

fjorder it's a little bit on the sketchy side but right up close to the park. my wife's friend has a cop husband who says the crime rate is actually pretty high compared to other local hoods.

Posted by: joe_the_bummer at March 24, 2009 1:23 PM

"my wife's friend has a cop husband who says"

in other words, brainless gossip

Posted by: ontheparkway at March 24, 2009 1:38 PM

I'd love the fridge. Perfect for the bar I want to build in my basement.

If anyone buys this place and upgrades the fridge let me know, I'll take the old one off your hands.

Posted by: christopher at March 24, 2009 1:47 PM

There's also a 2 bedroom in the building that I've seen on Pshark/Streeteasy for awhile:

http://www.prudentialelliman.com/listings.ASpx?listingid=1073939&utm_source=PropertyShark&utm_campaign=corporate&utm_medium=listings

$320 but looks like it needs quite a bit of reno from some of the photos Ive seen.

Posted by: ennuiater at March 24, 2009 1:53 PM

"it's a little bit on the sketchy side but right up close to the park. my wife's friend has a cop husband who says the crime rate is actually pretty high compared to other local hoods."

Take it from someone who lives a couple blocks away and is buying next month a couple blocks away - crime is not really an issue. I hear more about muggings and such in so-called 'prime' areas than I do here. Or maybe that cop mistook my motorcycle backfiring this morning for gunshots.

It's a nice building, and I had my eye on a large studio there for awhile, but decided to buy a couple of blocks away. Where I'm buying the same management/owners as this building, but a little cheaper due to a little lower owner occupancy. Nice large pre-war spaces with some details and from what I'm experiencing in the sales process, the management company has been very good.

Posted by: Flatbushrising at March 24, 2009 1:59 PM

fjorder - Rob asked about 10%, that's why I gave those figures. I know most coops require 20% :)

Posted by: cwbuecheler at March 24, 2009 2:07 PM

Oh, also, thanks to Brownstoner for posting a co-op/condo of the day that's actually priced below $500k! :)

Posted by: cwbuecheler at March 24, 2009 2:08 PM

I love the layout of this apartment. Does anyone know the cross streets?

Posted by: BrooklynIsHome at March 24, 2009 2:17 PM

Wow. This block looks pretty nice for the most part, building wise. It's a great starter place, for sure.

Posted by: RinTinTin at March 24, 2009 2:30 PM

BrooklynIsHome -- the GMAP link brings you to google maps. Most of the properties on this site have that link.

Posted by: tybur6 at March 24, 2009 2:55 PM

i live a block away and have been here for just over a year. if you don't know the area and make a judgement at face value it may seem sketchy. but i find it to be otherwise. i have been told by neighbors that the area has gotten much safer than it had been in the past. there were numerous incidents last november that warranted extra police patrol for a couple of weeks but i hear of more muggings happening in fort greene/clinton hill than here. most of my neighbors are nice working class people. there is barely anything trendy here - yet. and that appeals to me.

135 hawthorne is between bedford and rogers. also, it's not in lefferts manor as someone said - all residences in LM are single family. i agree that the coop at 50 lefferts is probably the best one in the area but i don't think pricing in that building is as low as this one. the coop at 125 ocean right on the park is nice also if you can get a unit with views of the park.

the broker for this coop lives in the neighborhood. my building on winthrop (flatbush-bedford) currently has a 1br for $175,000. 10% down and the maintenance is somewhere in the 400's. i saw it listed on craigslist but can't find the posting anymore to verify exact maintenance amount. it needs a kitchen renovation but it is a bargain. i think it's listed with elliman.

Posted by: winthropst at March 24, 2009 2:59 PM

"crime is not really an issue."

ok so I don't have a scientific study for you, but don't get too cavalier about crime. I got robbed at gunpoint a couple of weeks ago (oddly, in park slope, supporting your argument that muggings are occurring in nicer hoods) -- but clearly my next move is not to dodge that problem by moving to a worse area.

times are changing. be careful!

Posted by: joe_the_bummer at March 24, 2009 3:13 PM

@joe the bummer, you not only contradicted yourself, you made another dubious assumption about the neighborhood (i.e., it's a "worse area"). If you don't know the neighborhood, you should walk around (during the day, so you're not scared).

Posted by: JIPS at March 24, 2009 3:44 PM

don't be a d-bag. I know the neighborhood. I'm not trying to insult anyone. I am just worried about people who think there is no issue with crime. that's all.

Posted by: joe_the_bummer at March 24, 2009 3:56 PM

Just google comp stat by precinct. You can scientifically compare crime stats in each neighborhood.

Posted by: mopar at March 24, 2009 3:57 PM

Does this neighborhood have the same feel as a bit further south, along Caton and Linden? I walked around there a few weeks ago and felt like I'd been transported out of NYC. Something about the wide sidewalks, I think. I'm not sure. Crime matters, yes, but I'm also concerned about how much I like the area.

Posted by: alsawo at March 24, 2009 4:01 PM

I am very familiar with this building and live in the nabe. Hawthorne does accept 10% down provided the buyer can get approved for it (Wells Fargo and HSBC are doing 90% financing again, so shouldn't be a problem). There is a one bedroom for sale at 50 Lefferts priced at $235k with a mtc of $520. The Hawthorne building has done many capital improvements recently -- new elevators, new laundry, facade and parapet work. The main difference between these two coops is Hawthorne doesn't allow pets, 50 Lefferts does allow them. 50 Lefferts also has an attended lobby 4 pm - 1 am. Hawthorne doesn't. I like the neighborhood and you can't beat the Q/B trains and proximity to the Park!

Posted by: heffe54 at March 24, 2009 4:55 PM

sure joe the bummer knows the nabe.
that's why he's quoting his buddy's wife's cousin's cop boyfriend about it.

Posted by: ontheparkway at March 24, 2009 4:55 PM

ontheparkway,

"This spot is just a bit off the beaten track in Lefferts Manor".

It's actually a block south of Lefferts Manor, 50 Lefferts is a block north of the Manor. IMO they're both pretty nice blocks and good buildings.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 24, 2009 6:15 PM

I didn't know that new '50s style refrigerators like that were made. Does anyone know if there are stoves in a similar style? We'd love to replace the ugly range we bought in '74 with a '40s--'50's style one.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 24, 2009 6:20 PM

it looks like a Smeg (http://www.smegusa.com/Catalogue/Fridges.aspx) although looks like too many letters.

Posted by: the chicken at March 24, 2009 6:41 PM

hey JIPS,how the hell is it a "dubious assumption" to say that Park Slope is nicer than PLG?

Posted by: buckfast at March 24, 2009 6:54 PM

Unfair to joe the bummer. Someone who just got robbed at gun point is understandably going to want to caution people about crime. Plus, I "know" lots of neighborhoods; doesn't mean I know the crime statistics.

Posted by: Nomi at March 24, 2009 7:23 PM

I live in the neighborhood. It's not comparable to Caton and Linden areas. It's obviously not comparable to brooklyn heights or park slope. I think crime is less of an issue b/c of the design of the neighborhood's layout. The east/west blocks are very long so it makes it harder to ambush and escape. There's also no obvious place to run and escape.

Posted by: slick at March 24, 2009 7:26 PM

the 1br at 50 lefferts is slightly smaller than this apt in that it doesn't have an eat in kitchen. it looks like the same broker handlws both apartments.

bob - are you familiar with Aga stoves? i've stayed in houses with them - they're amazing in function and look great but come with a hefty price.

Posted by: winthropst at March 24, 2009 8:47 PM

i know that building -- after two years residency, no restrictions on sublets... not sure if the same at 50 Lefferts

Posted by: dpop at March 24, 2009 11:27 PM

winthropst,

Thanks; yes,I know of Aga stoves, but the price is far higher then I'd be willing to pay. Also traditional Agas, which are always on, seem more suited to houses w/o central heat in areas where the summers aren't hot. I know they also make conventional ranges, but the price is still an obstacle.

There are companies that sell restored vintage stoves, but they all seem to be in California and I'd hate to buy something like that sight unseen.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 25, 2009 8:47 AM

bob - the houses i know with aga stoves are all in the north of england - so yes a very different climate.

if you wait a few more years that ugly '74 range will become vintage and "cool". i tend to glamorize the 70's since i didn't live in the US then. and i was still quite young to know firsthand the negatives of the era.

if the range still works fine can you have the enamel stripped? or repainted? to give it a cosmetic makeover? sometimes i do see vintage stoves being given away or sold for minimal cost on craigslist - at least those would be local so you can inspect them thoroughly before purchase.

Posted by: winthropst at March 25, 2009 10:58 AM

I actually like the brown ("Coppertone") color of the range, but one side panel is rusting, as are some interior parts. It works, but is not as well made as an earlier model and is probably not a candidate for restoration. Besides, things from your own (relative--I was 29) youth never become vintage and cool for you :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 25, 2009 2:53 PM

I viewed this place Fri and LOVED it. The price is down to $227,000. But I'm a first time buyer just starting to view places, and no nothing of the hood. I just read some nightmare comments about 80 Winthrop - a block away - where I was planning on viewing several listings. I'm officially scared away.

Has anyone lived here? There are some general comments saying it's a good building - how do you know? I'm terrified of using my life savings and waking up in a nightmare!

(but how could this delight of an apt ever bring that?)

Posted by: jennyk at May 10, 2009 12:11 AM

« Last Week's Biggest Sales House of the Day: 154 St. James Place »

March 24, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 135 Hawthorne Street

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