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November 25, 2009

Co-op of the Day: 39 Remsen Street, #2A

39-Remsen-Street-2A-1109.jpg
It's gonna be hard to find a more charming one-bedroom than this second-floor co-op at 39 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. And if it weren't for the Ikea kitchen (whichwe don't generally have a problem with but doesn't really work with this space), we wouldn't think the price of $549,000 was out of line. With the kitchen, though not so sure. What do you think?
39 Remsen Street, #2A [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark





Posted by Brownstoner at 12:39 PM | Comments (40)
Categories: Brooklyn Heights, Co-ops

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Comments

The kitchen layout is very bad...lots of wasted space with that bare back wall. Also, ensuite bathrooms are not a particulalt great idea without a second one. I suspect they may not have wanted to ruin the look of the living room architectural detail by installing a bathroom door there.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 25, 2009 12:46 PM

ok, normally I would have taken issue with the kitchen comment but after seeing it and the rest of this gorgeous apartment, I agree. The kitchen looks so cheap. But I'm sure whomever buys this place will be able to afford to renovate it.

Posted by: bxgrl at November 25, 2009 12:48 PM

I'd be less focused on the kitchen than on the maintenance. I think that sometimes the focus on Brownstoner is price alone on these coops but the story on a coop is so much less the issues of cosmetics (changing the cabinets is a tiny issue compared to how the coop runs, maintenance costs and building financials). I've been in that building - it is pretty, but don't fall in love until you have figured out where that 909 dollars goes.

Posted by: donatella at November 25, 2009 12:49 PM

Oops- didn't look at the floorplan. Right on that, Dave.

Posted by: bxgrl at November 25, 2009 12:49 PM

Ditto donatella's discussion.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at November 25, 2009 12:51 PM

What a pretty place! I agree with kitchen comments, the layout and the finish choices are a bit unfortunate. The maintenance is a bit high, but not out of line for BH, whereproperty taxes tend to run high.

Posted by: Maly at November 25, 2009 12:57 PM

It's a coop...a good portion of that maintenance represents RE taxes.

I also think that, at $549k, this is entry level and people there don't have a lot of extra money to redo kitchens. It was poor planning on the part of whoever did it. They should not get their "renovation" return on that money spent.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 25, 2009 12:58 PM

government housing parquet floors.

giant NO!

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at November 25, 2009 1:06 PM

quote:
also think that, at $549k, this is entry level

for WHOM?

*rob*

Posted by: Butterfly at November 25, 2009 1:08 PM

lol @ 550k = entry level

Posted by: dirty_hipster at November 25, 2009 1:11 PM

Sorry.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at November 25, 2009 1:14 PM

Well, you know, Brooklyn Heights, no giant drug busts lately, no photos of confiscated glocks and automatic weapons...boring area, unhip.


Posted by: Minard Lafever at November 25, 2009 1:17 PM

It is entry level for that neighborhood, whether you like it or not. Whoever buys this place probably makes 175-200K, and has been saving and banking his/her bonuses for the last 3 or 4 years. Either that or he/she is downsizing post break-up and has more cash for a downpayment.
Brooklyn Heights has been relatively expensive for a long time.

Posted by: Maly at November 25, 2009 1:18 PM

...this coop would be 800+ in greenwich village...

Posted by: antidope at November 25, 2009 1:27 PM

Really nice place. I hear donatella's point about the maintenance, but high maintenance seems to be endemic to BH.

Posted by: etson at November 25, 2009 1:31 PM

OR you could buy this apartment in the same building for 340. How I dig a FSBO friend. It's smaller, sure, but you're buying this as a single person in either case.

http://www.ckry.net/

Posted by: Ringo at November 25, 2009 1:33 PM

Wow, for the difference in price I would definitely take Ringo's friend's unit, even though smaller. Besides, they should be rewarded for very well done fsbo site. Owners of higher priced units are annoyed, I'm guessing, by the undercutting. Tense times around the mailboxes

Posted by: westernnygirl at November 25, 2009 1:40 PM

That place is like half the size, Ringo. Not really a comp.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at November 25, 2009 1:43 PM

> ...this coop would be 800+ in greenwich village...

And $250k- in Kensington. Who the frak cares what it would cost elsewhere?

Posted by: DitmasSnark at November 25, 2009 1:45 PM

but it's less than 2 miles away!!!

Posted by: antidope at November 25, 2009 1:47 PM

I think Antidope was trying to be snarky, obviously a move best left to professionals.

Posted by: Maly at November 25, 2009 1:49 PM

ouch maly

Posted by: antidope at November 25, 2009 1:57 PM

It's a 500 sq ft 1-bedroom vs an almost-700 sq ft place. I'd say it's comparable bcs the shares are comparable (bcs the maintenance is comparable). I'd take the 340k place.

Posted by: Ringo at November 25, 2009 1:59 PM

Oh, got it. The batteries in my snark-o-meter are toast.

Posted by: DitmasSnark at November 25, 2009 2:00 PM

We all have to play to our strengths. You can be the straight man, and I'll be the angry loon in aisle 3, now that I have gone shillstoner on that poor 4th street house.

Posted by: Maly at November 25, 2009 2:09 PM

does the kitchen floor go from hardwood in one photo to cork in the next?

Posted by: qualmly at November 25, 2009 2:14 PM

very cute place, ringo. if i had the down payment i'd snatch it in a second. maybe i'll get lucky and it will be on the market in 2 years when i've saved up enough.

Posted by: duckumu at November 25, 2009 3:15 PM

Re the tiny FSBO in the bldg vs this beautiful (actual) one-bedroom? The much cheaper FSBO is seriously crappy, with a studenty kitchen and photos of ... bookshelves to sell its charm. Its cheap for a reason, why the love?

Posted by: tuleburg at November 25, 2009 3:30 PM

i hate co-ops. 3 windows & $909 maintanence. no thank you.

Posted by: bkny at November 25, 2009 4:12 PM

I have an idea for that kitchen. What if you put a really beautiful piece of furniture there, a kind of buffet dish cupboard type thing? Then you could look at that, instead of a blank wall. If it would fit.

Posted by: mopar at November 25, 2009 6:31 PM

How's this for a comparison: The FSBO is asking $10K more than the co-op at the corner of Eastern Parkway and Washington featured in today's (yesterday's?) recent sales. Yeah, it's samml and the kitchen is a galley in the living room, but it is in Brooklyn Heights and the maintenance is 64% tax deductable. Not your thing, fine, but I think the puzzle pieces all interlock.

Posted by: altervoce at November 25, 2009 6:33 PM

Does it bug anyone that this is obviously a formerly larger apt. that has been makeshifted into a one bedroom? ("Makeshifted." I'm a wordsmith.)

Posted by: Nomi at November 25, 2009 7:18 PM

Ummm... slight non-sequitur here, but can anyone recommend someone that can build/install similar window molding? I have rather blah generic molding in my place and would love to get something with a little flair...

Posted by: Ghostnote at November 26, 2009 12:37 AM

Oops, not apts. -- house. (mansion)

Posted by: Nomi at November 26, 2009 1:50 AM

Ghostnote -- you should ask that in the forum, maybe after the weekend. You'll get answers there.

Posted by: Nomi at November 26, 2009 12:10 PM

It's beautiful but also probably too small for more than one person. A couple who can afford an apartment at this price level would likely want (need) more space or at least more closets, particularly given the somewhat smallish bedroom that would be cramped by the addition of an armoir. While lots of single people have that kind of money, few are keen to invest that kind of money in a place from which they'd have to move if they found the right companion.

Posted by: bheights at November 26, 2009 8:54 PM

3 windows in this whole apartment???

The kitchen would be like a dungeon, along with the bathroom.

Horrible layout.

Posted by: STARGAZER at November 27, 2009 3:15 PM

Yes, ^^^ that's my objection really to the reconfiguring. The details and space of the rooms separately, the two windowed rooms, are wonderful. But the layout is not good.

Posted by: Nomi at November 28, 2009 9:36 PM

After seeing the apartment, I must say that it feels rather small. It's closer to 500 square feet than 700 square feet.

Moreover, because of the placement and size of the radiators, as well as the scale of the mantle and placement of the bedroom doors, the space functions as an even smaller space. It seems extremely difficult to fit a full size couch and table into the room without making it feel cramped and cut up. The owner did a wonderful job organizing the space with very small pieces of living room furniture and its hard to imagine rearranging the space in a better way that would enable the use of more traditional and comfortable furniture.

For the record, the kitchen counters appear to be formica and starting to chip and the bedroom walls need work.

Overall, as aesthetically desirable the space may be, it is a very expensive, small 1 bedroom in Brooklyn and its hard to justify the price.

Posted by: bheights at November 30, 2009 9:10 AM

Interesting.

Seems, tho, from the floor plan, that it must be at least 600 ft. But I can see why the layout would make it hard to work with to have comfortable furniture that's not too cramped.

Posted by: Nomi at November 30, 2009 12:33 PM

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