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June 15, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 152 Prospect Park West, #4B

152-Prospect-Park-West-0609.jpg
The living areas of this 1,100-square-foot co-op at 152 Prospect Park West in Park Slope, with their detailed woodwork and plaster work, are gorgeous. The kitchen and baths? Not so much. The two-bedroom apartment has been on the market for about two months at $775,000, and there's an open house tonight from 5:30 to 7:30. You like?
152 Prospect Park West, #4B [Douglas Elliman] GMAP P*Shark





Posted by Brownstoner at 12:39 PM | Comments (27)
Categories: Co-ops, Park Slope

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Comments

At least they are not calling the office/walk-in-closet a bedroom.

Kind of an odd space. Living/dining area is nice and bit, and the bedrooms seem a bit cramped (with a closet in the small bedroom but none in the bigger bedroom).

Maintenance is better than many I've seen.

Posted by: northsloperenter at June 15, 2009 12:50 PM

4th floor walk-up? Small building (9 units)... no door person/security.

Posted by: BH76 at June 15, 2009 1:00 PM

Wonder how difficult it would be to knock out the office/3rd bedroom closet and put in another bathroom? Even a half bath. Agreed that the maintenance looks pretty good.

Posted by: CG_ups at June 15, 2009 1:00 PM

While I usually whine about high maintenance charges, this one seems suspiciously low. Is there no underlying mortgage? How's the reserve fund? Any capital improvements looming on the horizon?

Posted by: SnarkSlope at June 15, 2009 1:03 PM

Where to begin with this apartment's problems?
The two bedrooms are very small, and the third bedroom is a dining room that opens on to the kitchen. There is only one (unrenovated) bath, nothing says "tenement life" like a 3-bedroom apt with only one bath. This apartment would be rejected by HPD to house welfare families because one bath is just not right for a 3-bedroom unit. And lastly, it is a fourth floor walkup, which is a non-starter for a good number of (the most savvy) buyers.
So in conclusion, a mess. The only thing going for it is the location. A close-knit young family who doesn't mind sharing one toilet will probably buy it sooner or later but they would be crazy to pay more than $500,000 for it.
Just as well that no dogs are allowed because when dogs get old they just can't climb too many stairs.


Posted by: sam at June 15, 2009 1:23 PM

Not sure why folks think the maintenance is "suspiciously low". My old apartment had extremely low monthly charges since there was no underlying mortgage and it was a well-managed building. Ruling out walk-ups in Park Slope (or anywhere in the city) is like ruling out big class sizes in public school: it's just a fact of urban life.

Posted by: Miss Muffett at June 15, 2009 1:33 PM

Sam, what third bedroom? It IS a dining room.

Posted by: Nomi at June 15, 2009 1:35 PM

Nomi, I know, but they are selling the joint as a three bedroom apartment!

Posted by: sam at June 15, 2009 1:39 PM

OK, the layout would drive me crazy. The two bedrooms opening right up into the living room. It would feel really uncomfortable. To spend this much on an apartment, I don't want my kids wall right up against mine either. If you are, um, talking, you don't want them to hear everything. Maybe it's just me?

Posted by: LincolnSlope at June 15, 2009 1:49 PM

sam -- I missed that they were calling it a 3 bedroom. I think they think the office/closet is a bedroom.

BTW, I love this footnote on the web site:

* The number of bedrooms listed above is not a legal conclusion. Each person should consult with his/her own attorney, architect or zoning expert to make a determination as to the number of rooms in the unit that may be legally used as a bedroom.

I put this into Babelfish for a Realtor-to-Human translation and it came back as:

* We are lying to you about the number of bedrooms, and there is nothing you can do about it. So don't complain to us just because we lied to you.

Posted by: northsloperenter at June 15, 2009 1:52 PM

Ahh. But they must be talking about the "office," no, because the description specifically mentions the formal dining room?

Posted by: Nomi at June 15, 2009 1:52 PM

The "office" is a walk-in closet or pantry.
That closet is where the second bath should be installed.
If the co-op lets you put in a second bath there, maybe the unit would be worth it, although it is still a fourth floor walk-up, which is ideal to discourge elderly relatives from visitng but otherwise a day-to-day inconvenience.
Without a washer/dryer that means porting laundry four floors up and down.
The convenience is nineteenth century while the asking price is 2007.


Posted by: Minard Lafever at June 15, 2009 2:08 PM

And I hate to say it, but location would be kinda a factor for me. I LOVE the Slope in an unhealthy way, but that particular location would make it so I would be able to crack a wallnut with my gluts. Think about it: you walk down the stairs (four flights) and then you walk back up because you forgot your phone, then back down to only walk another long set of blocks to the F train which takes forever to get to Manhattan where you probably work. Sounds like a pain in the...

Posted by: LincolnSlope at June 15, 2009 2:18 PM

For all you potential condo/coop buyers.

Listings oftentimes misrepresent the amount of square footage (not saying this one is). If it states "approximate" pin them down on it in writing before making an offer. If, after you've signed the P&S and your lawyer is reviewing the condo/coop docs, the number is different, you can use that to renogiate a price or get out of the contract.

Don't bring it to their attention though if its actually higher. :)

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 15, 2009 2:19 PM

Ha. The office is larger by 12 or so sq. ft. than my current bedroom. We like to note that it is quite accurately "bed-room."

Posted by: Nomi at June 15, 2009 2:24 PM

Nomi -- but you can't actually put a bed in that room AND open the closet doors!

It's more of a "temporary air mattress placement zone" than a bed-room.

Posted by: northsloperenter at June 15, 2009 2:26 PM

Oh, true. Hm. That's a downside . . . .

Posted by: Nomi at June 15, 2009 2:31 PM

Was never advocating a third bedroom, just to be clear. This is a two-bedroom apt.

Posted by: Nomi at June 15, 2009 2:34 PM

> You can't actually put a bed in that room AND open the closet doors!

Put submarine style bunkbeds in each of those closets and you could sleep 4-8 people. At $200/mo each, that's a good chunk of your mortgage.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at June 15, 2009 2:47 PM

Only in New York would a modern American family even dream of spending over half a million dollars to live in a fourth floor walk-up with no washer/drier, no second bath, and a closet for a bedroom. Not to mention no parking, no outdoor space and no second means of egress in case of fire. Compare that with what most poor families get in any housing project namely: fireproof construction, elevators, outdoor recreation space, parking, and two bathrooms.

Posted by: sam at June 15, 2009 5:15 PM

sam -- all good points, but you must admit that being across the street from Prospect Park this place at least has some quality outdoor space.

Posted by: northsloperenter at June 15, 2009 5:42 PM

Oh Sam, too bad you posted this too late to be considered for QOTD, that was really very good.

Posted by: Schultz at June 15, 2009 5:43 PM

Why do some people on this site get hung up on the definition of "bedroom." People aren't idiots; they can see what rooms are suitable for sleeping and what aren't. It's not like the Housing Dept. is going to conduct midnight raids and steal all the children who are sleeping in windowless rooms, or converted dining areas, or "home offices."

Posted by: Bolder at June 15, 2009 7:58 PM

Why do some people on this site get hung up on the definition of "bedroom."
-------------------

Because 90% of people filter real estate ads in NYC by # of bedrooms.

When you lie about the # of bedrooms, you make people who would have ignored your ad pay attention to it.

This wastes their time.

Time is money.

So you are stealing from them.

This pisses them off.

QED.

Posted by: northsloperenter at June 15, 2009 10:07 PM

"The two bedrooms opening right up into the living room. It would feel really uncomfortable."

Somebody made an unfortunate decision to "open up the space" and "add storage" by eliminating the front hallway/double parlor and putting closets in the third bedroom. Oops! Bad move.

Posted by: mopar at June 16, 2009 12:29 AM

Mopar, can you explain that more for me? Where would a double parlor have been? Are you saying the kitchen was not originally where it is now?

Posted by: Nomi at June 16, 2009 1:09 AM

Nomi, it appears the living room area was once divided into two rooms -- presumably a double parlor. One of the photos of the living room clearly shows where the former walls/arch/grille was -- you can see the divisions on the ceiling and in the floor patterns.

I presume the other rooms haven't changed (except for turning the back bedroom into a walk-in closet with a window).

Posted by: mopar at June 17, 2009 3:17 PM

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