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Today’s pick is a Bedford Stuyvesant brownstone that’s been given a new life — and carries a piece of its old one.

Specifically, the house — at 44 Macon Street — is a four-story that’s been gut renovated on three of its floors. The garden floor remains as it was — and comes with a “life tenant.”

About the renovation: They’ve gone with an industrial rustic kind of vibe, with lots of exposed brick and roof beams, white walls and an open-plan living room and kitchen in the owner’s upper duplex. The effect is awfully nice — it feels airy, calm and bright.

The third-floor kitchen is spacious and attractive. We’re liking that subway tile with the dark-wood counter both there and in the parlor-floor kitchen (and admire the bold choice to not go with the ubiquitous stainless steel stove). The upper kitchen has one of the house’s three decorative fireplaces, two of them original.

The house is a three-family — a bit narrow at 17 feet — and it’s laid out with an owner’s duplex on the third and fourth floors, with two bedrooms, a study, and two full baths on top. There are rental units on the bottom two floors. The parlor floor unit is a one-bedroom, the garden floor has a living room, kitchen and bath, but no bedroom.

One obvious drawback here is that the duplex offers no outdoor space or garden access. As it is, the only garden access is through the bottom apartment — which, as previously mentioned, is occupied by a tenant who’s not going anywhere.

Which could fairly be called another potential drawback. If it means keeping a longtime neighborhood resident in place instead of kicking him or her to the curb, we’re all for it, but the fact remains that not every buyer at this price point wants a house with a “life tenant.”

The house is around the corner from the A/C stop at Nostrand Avenue, which ought to please Manhattan commuters.

The asking price for the house, listed by Corcoran broker Patricia Laligant, is $1,750,000. Do you think they’ll get it?

44 Macon Street [Corcoran] GMAP
Photos by Corcoran

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  1. Nice living room! Mid century furniture/brick wall/exposed beams get an A:) It’s refreshing to see something with an individual touch as opposed to “sheet rock allover + my auntie’s kitchen cabinets” renos. The neighborhood is becoming pricey, but we’ve seen it so many times all around the city, especially in our former mayor’s days.

  2. Nice living room! Mid century furniture/brick wall/exposed beams get an A:) It’s refreshing to see something with an individual touch as opposed to “sheet rock allover + my auntie’s kitchen cabinets” renos. The neighborhood is becoming pricey, but we’ve seen it so many times all around the city, especially in our former mayor’s days.

  3. AC units shoved in windows. Builders trim all around. Cheap kitchen appliances and fittings. Original floor simply painted over white. Fake fireplaces propped up against walls. Apartment the width of a trailer home. No access to back yard. Super-annoying lifelong tenant situation. 1.75 mill? I’ll pass. This is worst of house flipper greed.

  4. AC units shoved in windows. Builders trim all around. Cheap kitchen appliances and fittings. Original floor simply painted over white. Fake fireplaces propped up against walls. Apartment the width of a trailer home. No access to back yard. Super-annoying lifelong tenant situation. 1.75 mill? I’ll pass. This is worst of house flipper greed.

  5. A listing wouldn’t say “life tenant” to mean “annoying person inside who doesn’t want to leave.” Seems trying for the owner and maybe the life tenant too. Most people wouldn’t want to buy into it. Nor have I ever heard of any brownstone occupant-buyer who was fine with being cut off 100% from garden space.
    Best for an investor willing to rent out the whole thing including the owner’s duplex, waiting for Life Tenant to shuffle off before reconfiguring. For that, I think paying about 20% below ask would make sense.

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