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August 18, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 145 Hicks Street, #B37

This one-bedroom at 145 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights (aka the Mansion House) just hit the market with a price tag of $539,000. The 850-square-foot apartment has pleasing prewar details, including a sunken living room; the exterior and common areas in the building are also full o' charm. We're a little suspicious of the fact that the listing omits any photos of the bathroom or kitchen. This place one of five units currently on the market in the building; it's also the cheapest.
145 Hicks Street, #B37 [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

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How could you ask for more... this is BEAUTIFUL!

Posted by: tybur6 at August 18, 2009 12:44 PM

So you could have this one bedroom for 539K and looks like it needs work, or you could have a 1 bedroom in One Brooklyn Bridge for 390K.

I know which one I'd choose.

Posted by: 11217 at August 18, 2009 12:47 PM

ummmm!?!?!?!?
Ok I know for sure I won't make any friends with this comment:
but this place is dullsville!!!
That price is absurd if the kitchen and bathroom look like the pics of the rest of the place
sure the sunken living room is cool and it is spacious and in a good nabe -but that common hallway is dreadful and the brickwork looks shoddy in the front, not to mention poorly maintained and unappealing landscaping

Posted by: gemini10 at August 18, 2009 12:49 PM

This is a great deal. One bedrooms in this bldg usually go for 550-600. The drawback may be the eastern exposure. Who wants to listen to the construction on College Pl/Love Lane all day?

Posted by: muttdogz at August 18, 2009 12:54 PM

I can't speak to the price, but I'm lovin' the amount of closet space. The size of the livingroom and bedroom are impressive as well.

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at August 18, 2009 12:59 PM

im digging the sunken living room....floor plan is ok...that door that goes from the "bathroom hallway" to the foyer needs to go..eastern exposure is cool with me too

Posted by: aj at August 18, 2009 1:01 PM

Seriously... people would actually want to buy this apartment?! Really? Jaysus, no wonder why the real estate prices in this city are beyond absurd.

Posted by: tybur6 at August 18, 2009 1:02 PM

I have to agree with you Ty. I think this place looks like crap. And for that price, it's almost absurd.

The fact that there are 5 units for sale in the same building doesn't really seem to speak well for it either.

Posted by: 11217 at August 18, 2009 1:04 PM

It's a very nice building. I have friends who are very happy living there. I don't know about the 1 bedroom, but I've looked at a couple of 2 bedrooms, and they are large - eat-in kitchen, separate dining area, good size living room, bedrooms and baths, and a lot of closet space. Both units I saw in the building need a lot of work though.

(I'd prefer not to buy from this broker, however. I went to an Open House for her 2-bedroom listing in this building, and she completely ignored me - I'm talking not even "hello" or "goodbye". I tried to get her attention to ask a question, but to no avail, so I left. I find this behavior extremely rude and very foolish, especially in this market.)

Posted by: CarrollGardened at August 18, 2009 1:07 PM

11217: I think you meant to agree with me?
Tyburg loves this place!

Posted by: gemini10 at August 18, 2009 1:08 PM

This place is Dullsville incarnate. Nice closet space, good layout in general, but those railings around the sunken living room are awful.

Where is the alleged charm?

Posted by: DitmasSnark at August 18, 2009 1:09 PM

Yes, I do agree with you Gem. Almost always, it seems!

Dullsville is right!

Posted by: 11217 at August 18, 2009 1:10 PM

This looks like it spent years as a rental. Wonder if it's a sponser sale. Will need to spend another $50K for bathroom and kitchen upgrade.

Posted by: DeLepp at August 18, 2009 1:11 PM

Ummm....where are the windows?

I know there are windows indicated in the floorplan but are they real? Does the B in the unit number indicate a basement level unit?

Posted by: CHMomma at August 18, 2009 1:12 PM

This looks like Oscar Madison's apartment.

Posted by: East New York at August 18, 2009 1:12 PM

I have a friends in the bldg too and they love it. The pre-war construction is great... unless you live under someone very noisy. The maintenance is very reasonable. And the location can't be beat. The apt is obviously empty so maybe the sellers just want a quick exit. I would go for the top floor unit, though. Then you never have to worry about someone walking on your head.

Posted by: muttdogz at August 18, 2009 1:13 PM

chmomma, "B" means second floor in this building I think.

Posted by: DeLepp at August 18, 2009 1:14 PM

I looked at almost exactly the same apartment a couple of years ago in Midwood (Avenue I and east 14th) in almost exactly the same looking building with small maintenance and they wanted less than half of what this place is worth. Goes to show you that location and proximity to Manhattan or Downtown Brooklyn really does matter.

Posted by: Kensingtonian at August 18, 2009 1:16 PM

I don't know anyone who lives in this building but it always has seemed like a very well-run and well-maintained co-op from the outside. Impeccable actually.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at August 18, 2009 1:20 PM

I second Minard's post. but price does sound high (but not too high; keep in mind we are talking about brooklyn heights prices) given kitch & bath needs renov

11217, what's the sq footage on the 390k one brooklyn unit you referenced?

Posted by: more4less at August 18, 2009 1:26 PM

"but price does sound high (but not too high; keep in mind we are talking about brooklyn heights prices)"

This is a absurdity I pathetically try to rail against! "It's brooklyn heights, so paying well over a HALF MILLION DOLLARS *plus* a monthly maintenance fee for a 100% example of mediocrity at best is reasonable and probably could be considered cheap!"

The market takes TWO to tango. And if the buyers can't discriminate between something WORTH $36,000 a year in check writing and something that's a piece o' crap... then WHAT DO YOU EXPECT!!! Why not raise the price to $750,000... that would probably get more nibbles!

Posted by: tybur6 at August 18, 2009 1:34 PM

Tyburg
hahahahha and for a second by your first post I thought you were being serious!
11217 - hahaha, soooo true!

11217: sorry to hijak for a second, but does Cafe Grumpy serve muffins and cakes from Blue Sky Bakery?

Posted by: gemini10 at August 18, 2009 1:37 PM

Gem, you know I'm not sure about that. I have been to Cafe Grumpy a couple times, but only had the coffee.

Now that the new Cafe Regular du Nord just opened outside my doorstep, that's become my everyday coffee place and I don't really go to Grumpy unless I'm down that way getting my haircut or something..

Posted by: 11217 at August 18, 2009 1:40 PM

Tyburg, what's your beef with Brooklyn Heights?

Posted by: Minard Lafever at August 18, 2009 1:42 PM

Tybur6, overall mkt - prices are too high period. relatively speaking when comparing among the high prices of brooklyn heights, this is not high by much.

btw, you need to do your part as far as saving more and/or growing income as mkt pulls back. until you've loaded up you warchest, you'll never be able to buy something in a prime hood. Let's say this unit comes to mkt at 150k - a price I'm sure you can afford and want to buy. The issue is you'll encounter a bidding war against a ton of people that could & would go higher, higher, higher,..... so you need ammo to go into those bidding wars even if prices come down a ton

Posted by: more4less at August 18, 2009 2:10 PM

This building is impeccably kept and the apartments have gracious prewar layouts. The transitions and closets are well-placed.

I looked at an apartment on this level and side of the building in 1998 or so. At that time the price was about $160K for an apartment on this floor and orientation (I found it quite dark when I visited after work). The view was over the rear roof of this building (maybe the cellar was built full lot?). The bathroom in the unit I saw was pink tiled circa 1950 or earlier.

The lobby of this building is quite spacious and it had to have been one of the tidiest I'd ever have come across. It's highly detailed with a well-done Americanaesque quality, which I actually find completely unappealing have been slaughtered with Jeffersonian detailing in my youth.

Posted by: bessie2 at August 18, 2009 2:15 PM

ditto it's a nice building. B doesn't mean basement; there's an A wing and B wing

Posted by: Ringo at August 18, 2009 2:40 PM

I ain't got no beef with Brooklyn Heights... just a beef with half-million dollar price tags that are accepted as "super deals!"

To each his/her own. I'm gonna move to Branson, Missouri.

Posted by: tybur6 at August 18, 2009 3:00 PM

tyburg, but this is an impeccable full-service building in the Boro's best and priciest neighborhood. Location does matter. If you do move, I'm sure the folks in Branson will be happy to have you.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at August 18, 2009 3:16 PM

this is a classic case of the listing screwing it up royally. people here are crapping on the building exterior when it's probably one of the spiffiest looking building in brooklyn heights. the seller should have sucked it up and got a professional photographer.

that being said, if the interior of this place is decent, i bet it trades close to ask. but if the kitchen/bath need work and/or the windows face a brick wall, then it'll drop south of 500k.

Posted by: jasonliu at August 18, 2009 3:33 PM

tybur6, will you stop bluffing. you aint moving out of NYC

Posted by: more4less at August 18, 2009 3:34 PM

Let the man make up his own mind.

Posted by: Minard Lafever at August 18, 2009 4:53 PM

it's a very nice well-maintained building and the layouts and space are excellent. it is a charming building and passers-by often stop to take photos. it's expensive because it is in brooklyn heights. there are lots of buildings like this one--from around 1920--in brooklyn. it's the location. that's why it is twice the price of the midwood apartment, kensingtonian.

Posted by: punko at August 19, 2009 2:17 PM

« Last Week's Biggest Sales House of the Day: 315 Garfield Place »

August 18, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 145 Hicks Street, #B37

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