The Cheapest Old House in Brooklyn?
The flier for this house caught our eye for two reasons — the old wooden cornice and the $450,000 price tag. In reality, there are a few houses on the market for less in Brooklyn, but they are further out in places like East New York and Canarsie, not the increasingly-popular Bed Stuy. Nor do…
The flier for this house caught our eye for two reasons — the old wooden cornice and the $450,000 price tag. In reality, there are a few houses on the market for less in Brooklyn, but they are further out in places like East New York and Canarsie, not the increasingly-popular Bed Stuy. Nor do they have the potential to be restored the way this one does. Since the listing’s not on the Massey Knakal website yet, we emailed the broker to get our hands on some pics, which confirmed our suspicions that the house has some salvageable architectural charm, renovation choices from the last several decades notwithstanding. The location is fairly central Bed Stuy, though the Fedders house to the right does not bode well for the character of this block. And, to be fair, at 1,260 square feet, this ain’t a huge house. The upside of its diminutive size is that it wouldn’t be particularly expensive to renovate, meaning you could have a charming, fully renovated house for under $600,000. We hope that’s what happens, as opposed to a schlocky developer tearing it down and maxing out the FAR with a POS like the one next door. To that end, we convinced (okay, we didn’t exactly have to twist his arm) the broker to hold a Brownstoner-only open house. It’s tomorrow (Saturday) from 11:30 to 1:00 at 461 Quincy Street and you won’t see it listed anywhere else. How much cooler would it be to buy this than some cookie-cutter one bedroom condo? And how great would it be for someone who cared to buy this place and fix it up than for a developer to tear it down? Oh, and don’t forget the secret handshake and password. (Hint: Seven letter word for an architect who’s lost his self-certification rights.) GMAP P*Shark
why the hell would you want to live in bed stuy? maybe you yuppies should go back to wyoming, BTW don’t forget to duck when you hear the gun shots at night.
why the hell would you want to live in bed stuy? maybe you yuppies should go back to wyoming, BTW don’t forget to duck when you hear the gun shots at night.
why the hell would you want to live in bed stuy? maybe you yuppies should go back to wyoming, BTW don’t forget to duck when you hear the gun shots at night.
why the hell would you want to live in bed stuy? maybe you yuppies should go back to wyoming, BTW don’t forget to duck when you hear the gun shots at night.
I like it. I hope the open house went well. I don’t like the front, the blue shingles, but definately fixable and the interior is cute. Sounds like a walk to the train, but for 450,000, looks like a deal. From the outside, there doesn’t appear to be rot on the cornice so maybe the interior doesn’t have water damage/rot. Cute little place.
It’s true, Yvonne. For $600K, a buyer can’t even get 1000 square feet in a condo or co-op. And it certainly wouldn’t come with roof or garden access, for that price. Whereas here you get a cute garden. This house should be marketed by the realtor as “condo alternative” for a young couple. Or, and though I’m all for saving old houses, it’s not just Fedders that can build a new construction building there. Some buyer could build a really cool, modern house on the lot, to live in not sell. Something experimental. Like a totally “green” built house.
I think it’s a great house for someone to start a “pioneer” act to renovate old homes like this and attract more young singles/families to do the same. It just takes one to get the ball rolling. Many parts of Brooklyn will see great change in the years to come that will suprise us.
yeah, I think you are really paying for re-development possibilities, not really the house. what is the FAR?
What a great idea, Mr. B! This could be a great house for the right person, and a thousand times better than most condos in the 600K range.
I wish you luck in getting more exclusive open houses in the future. I will try to go as a show of support.