House of the Day: 735 Decatur Street Revisited

Yeah, Adam, this is the place we have been deliberating over for four months. It is absolutely gorgeous. But it needs a lot of work. The facade is the least of its problems.

BRG, you're right on the money.

We had an agreement at $439,000. The price was good. In fact it was spectacular when we first came to the agreement in November.

The issue is that it needs at least $60,000 of repairs, and we have only about half that. And that's just the known repairs. As my bf said (that's him in the photo), to paraphrase Rumsfeld, there are the knowns, the unknowns, and the known unknowns.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 1:52 PM

I love this house. It is by far my most favorite house I have ever been in, even ones that weren't for sale. I dream still of the closets.

It's a wood frame house on a stone foundation. Built sometime between 1881 and 1897 (probably mid-1890s). I really like the fact that nothing has been changed, including the original kitchens and bathrooms. I think they're beautiful. (Well, it's possible those farmhouse sinks are from the teens, not 1897 but I don't know.) If the place was cleaned, painted, and the floors refinished, I think it would be gorgeous. There are probably inlaid floors in the hall.

It does not need a "gut renovation," which would ruin it. But based on the inspector's report, at the very least, it needs quite a bit of structural and mechanical work, including an electrical upgrade, a new boiler, a hot water heater, part of the main beam replaced, and some minor leaks fixed. There is an unknown amount of termite damage.

The floor plan is beautiful. It's very airy and light because it's wide and not that deep. The owner's duplex is huge, and the top-floor rental is lovely.

As we were deliberating whether or not this would ruin us financially, we noticed rental prices in the area have dropped from $1600 to $1400 for a three bedroom in the last two months.

If this house were located where the rental market is better (even just a few stops away) and my job was 100 percent secure, we probably would have bought it. But this didn't seem like the time to stretch and take a risk.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 2:19 PM

Is it? All we know is that Mytle Broadway on the JMZ and Dekalb on the L are getting a lot of new people and restaurants coming in, so we would feel less worried about the rents.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 2:30 PM

The seller will be underwater if it goes much below $439,000. He bought it for high-300s from the estate of an elderly woman who had lived there many, many years. I would not be surprised if it disappears soon in some kind of inside deal.

We'd feel much better about the whole thing if someone were living there now, and we knew the basic systems were working, even if there was a lot of deferred maintenance.

This is almost like buying a foreclosed house you've never been in. Great for a contractor or someone with a spare $300,000 just in case of emergency.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 2:47 PM

"Is it?" was a response to DIBS' comment about Decatur vs. Gates.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 2:49 PM

Yes, Babs, we had it inspected by an inspector (not an engineer). He recommended getting an engineer in to take a second look at the foundation. We got to the point where we were sending contracts back and forth. Our lawyer didn't like the sound of all the repairs.

We decided we'd have a second inspection, mostly for the termite damage, and go ahead if it didn't reveal problems on more than the back part of one floor.

I spoke to an engineer, who said the inspector's note about the foundation was probably just CYA but he'd have to see it to be sure, and that he couldn't ascertain anything further about the termite damage.

The seller wouldn't allow a second inspection. We withdrew our offer.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 3:19 PM

Most recent comp on the block is $470,000.

We are not handy, but we could strip, plaster, and paint. We would not refinish the floors ourselves. That takes care of all the cosmetics.

No way we'd be doing our own foundation work, plumbing, heating.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 3:26 PM

RE the location and the crime rate, it's complicated. Long story, but this is part of a precinct on the other side of Atlantic. It's next to the 81st precinct, which actually has a relatively low crime rate (about 1,500 serious incidents in 2007).

When we visited the station house, there were two muggings on the next block over (Bainbridge) that week. I have no idea if that's typical.

As for the block, it's quiet. People are courteous and considerate. I met three neighbors, including one who bought two houses on the block for her children and lives on the next block. There is a community garden and a library.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 3:37 PM

Ocean Hill/Brownsville down to 2,000 serious incidents in 2007, vs. 8,000 in 1990. Quite a drop.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 3:43 PM

Bkny, that's nice to hear.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 3:45 PM

Aw, Montrose, thank you for the kind words. Also, how do you recommend doing the dishes?! We were thinking of putting those old-fashioned drainboards in on each side, to have someplace to prop the dirty and clean dishes before and after washing.

Bkny, I wish I went on the Bed Stuy house tour last year. Wonder if I should talk to your friends? Ask them if they know anything about 735 Decatur...

But we withdrew our offer one week ago and that is that, at least for now. We would like to find something similar where we're living now, but there is nothing over there with this nice floor plan, never mind the period detail. We're very tired of our badly maintained '80s gut-job rental. (Prefer badly maintained Victorian.)

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 4:26 PM

The fact they wouldn't allow a second inspection but they would allow us in after we signed the contract, that the house is empty, that the estate sold to the current owner for such a low price, that the inspection report said foundation problems had been covered up in a "dishonest" manner -- these things concerned us. On the other hand, maybe there's nothing more there than meets the eye.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 4:39 PM

So glad you asked, Nomi. They both need cleaning, stripping, painting, and new linoleum.

The upstairs rental kitchen looks particularly disgusting at the moment with that black paint over the tile behind the stove, and the bizarre little cupboards over the sink that appear to be made of fake paneling. I'd get rid of all that.

If the stove can be made to work, I'd keep it, and maybe get the linoleum in matching green with a black border. (The real thing, if possible, not vinyl.) The walls and trim I'd paint off white.

I'd put in a table with storage underneath next to the dish cupboard to serve as a counter. New fridge. Maybe I could make or find a cover for the stove, which would offer more counter space. My biggest concern is how to do dishes in that sink with no counters on either side.

Alternatively, maybe with a new stove, there would be room for another bit of built-in counter space between the sink and stove, which would be much more practical.

In the owner's kitchen downstairs, I'd do more or less the same thing -- get rid of those odd cupboards around the sink, and the paneling on the walls, put in a fresh blue linoleum floor. I like linoleum and it's easy on the feet. Place seems to be begging for some cheerful cafe curtains.

Maybe I'd put in old-fashioned dish drains to have somewhere to perch the dishes while washing. And of course a big farmhouse table in the middle for food prep. Maybe in a few years I'd put in a 1920s-style counter under the windows. I would either buy an inexpensive white stove at the dealer on Broadway or a vintage stove.

What would you do with it?

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 6:43 PM

I love Moon River Chattel! Ahhhhh! Yes it's the same look exactly, isn't it? It's all over Williamsburg, really, that sort of austere Victorian look and the subway tile and milk glass. (DIBS, it goes hand-in-hand with all that artisinal meat that NYT article was going on and on about.)

Lead paint: Not a problem if you cover it up. Schools: The Bridge school sounds very interesting for elementary, and Hunter's always nice for junior high no matter where you live.

Oh, Montrose, I wouldn't dream of throwing out the stove. But I hadn't thought of using it decoratively in the big kitchen (there's tons of room). Thanks! And I had the same setup for dishes in Queens, but it does get a bit mystifying where to put the dirty dishes before you wash them -- in Brooklyn we used the floor during dinner parties, which got a bit nasty. :) Though I'm sure the mice appreciated it.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 6:53 PM

Was just lustfully searching the rental listings for Stuyvesant Heights. Found a nice one! But I moved in December '07, again in March '08, and it would be silly to move again and then one more time yet again when we find a place to buy. Of course who knows how long that will take and in the meantime I just hate our current apartment and we can't have people over because it's so unsuitable for dinner parties.

Posted by: mopar at March 17, 2009 6:57 PM

Linoleum is having a revival. There are some really cool things you can do with inlay. It's pretty affordable, too, about $3 a square foot if memory serves. However, the installation can be pricey.

Google Forbo and Marmoleum. Also see examples at Aronson's web site (they're on 17th St.) at http://www.aronsonsfloors.com/

Jane Powell, author of the wonderful Bungalow Kitchens & Bungalow Baths books (tons of photos, mostly 1920s but also Victorian), has also written a book on vintage linoleum, though I've never read it.

Posted by: mopar at March 18, 2009 12:12 PM

bkemcee, I agree. We're not first-time buyers, and we withdrew our offer two weeks before Brownstoner posted this. The house is in excellent condition for its age. We love the house. We simply don't have enough cash to handle the repairs. The problem is our bank account, not the house. And certainly not the location. Other posters brought that up. I really hope someone who cares about original details buys the place and saves it pronto. (Assuming there isn't some kind of major disaster we don't know about lurking under the covers.)

Heatherie, this is the 73rd precinct and the zip is 11233.

Posted by: mopar at March 18, 2009 6:41 PM

Thanks, Rabbit. Did you see there's a small two-family on Greene Ave. in Bushwick near L and M trains for sale for $350,000? It needs at least $100,000 of rehab work. Plumbing was stolen and baths need enlargement. Cute built-ins.

Posted by: mopar at April 10, 2009 3:47 PM

I mean, sorry, it's for sale for $250,000! It's a deal.

Posted by: mopar at April 10, 2009 3:48 PM