Victorian home search in Brooklyn going nowhere

There are plenty of the freestanding Victorian houses in Bay Ridge. The problem is they are almost never for sale. Bay Ridge is an area where people live their entire lives and often kids inherit the house. That could change if descendents decide to sell and leave instead. But when I had an apartment in Bay Ridge when I first moved to NYC in 2004, my stylist at the salon grew up there and stayed there, all the young guys working in the stores I met grew up there and planned to stay there. My chiropractor grew up there and stayed there. There's a small-town aspect to Bay Ridge in this way.

So if you definitely want a freestanding Victorian in Bay Ridge, introduce yourself to all the Bay Ridge realtors, tell them what you're looking for and the price range. Then constantly keep looking over what could be a long term search. It will take longer than 6 months in neighborhoods with little turnover. You could also try distributing cordial, personal letters to houses you particularly like. Telling people you love the neighborhood and want a Victorian house and please contact you if they are ever thinking of selling. Don't mention a price range, just say, I'd love to talk. Also ask them to give your information to a neighbor or friend if they know someone who is thinking about selling.

Posted by: guest at February 3, 2008 1:49 PM

http://www.brooklynproperties.com/house195.htm

Posted by: guest at February 3, 2008 2:15 PM

That's Brooklyn College neighborhood, 2:15. Not Bay Ridge. But the interiors are cute.

I couldn't find anything decent in Bay Ridge searching just now for the OP. There's an absurdly overpriced vacant Victorian in the 80's in Bay Ridge for $1.7 million they're trying to sell as a development site.

MLS# C21BL20183
with Century 21 Block & Lot

That is a different one yet from the other overpriced Victorian that was on the market forever before a developer bought it, as discussed on Forum weeks ago.

I also did a search in Staten Island just for the heck of it because there are beautiful Victorians there, and NOTHING decent listed right now. It might be what some predicted has come to fruition - the slower market and recession only means nobody is selling unless they are relocating to another city.

Posted by: guest at February 3, 2008 2:41 PM

Not that any of us want to live 2 hours outside of NYC, but my favorite Victorian housing stock is in Hudson NY. I fantasize about the houses being located in Brooklyn instead. The filmmakers Merchant & Ivory had a house there. The town is known for eclectic historic houses dating back to the 1700's some of them and still in use. There's one realtor who seems to get the really cool houses. Here are a couple of her listings.

Cute Victorian for $375,000:
http://www.peggylampman.com/prop130.html

This on here is my fantasy house being my fave style, Italianate. It was used as an inn for many years and would need a big renovation I'm sure:
http://www.peggylampman.com/prop88.html

Posted by: guest at February 3, 2008 2:54 PM

Hudson has some great houses, it's a bit like a compressed Brooklyn up there.

Posted by: guest at February 4, 2008 1:02 AM