The Times Gets Hot for Bay Ridge
The Times was giving it up for Bay Ridge this weekend. The theme of the piece was that more and more folks from Park Slope and Manhattan are waking up to the relative value (30-40% cheaper) available in the traditionally working class nabe. Along with the expansive waterfront looking out over New York Harbor and…
The Times was giving it up for Bay Ridge this weekend. The theme of the piece was that more and more folks from Park Slope and Manhattan are waking up to the relative value (30-40% cheaper) available in the traditionally working class nabe. Along with the expansive waterfront looking out over New York Harbor and Downtown Manhattan, the lovely limestone houses are the main attraction. One couple moving from Toronto recently picked one up on 78th Street for $845,000. The article rightly notes that a similar house in Brownstone Brooklyn would easily fetch $500,000 more. (Sherman Street in Windsor Terrace pops to mind as an interesting comp.) All in all, two big thumbs up from the Grey Lady, with the only complaint being the somewhat limited parking.
More for the Money [NY Times]
uhm, didn’t you just turn around and trash Bay Ridge?
Why is it that some folks need to trash Park Slope in order to feel better about their own nabe? It comes down to a matter of preference. I’ve spent a lot of time in Bay Ridge and have friends there who love it. But, you could not pay me to live there. It’s too blue collar, too conservative, too far from Manhattan, and lacks many of the amenities I want.
Yet, I can appreciate that it is an excellent choice for many folks. Just depends on your priorities, your budget, and what kind of environment you’d feel comfortable in.
Hey, are we talking about Bay Ridge or Beirute? Have you taken a walk on 5th ave in the 70s recently?
I looked at that house on 78th street mentioned in NYT. It was very narrow (16′)– so narrow that an owner at some time removed all the walls in the parlor so that the entry hall, parlor and center hall were all 1 big room. It was very odd. It also has 3 bedrooms on the second floor that read more as two because while the MBR faces front the two back bedrooms are railroaded so that in order to get into one you must pass through another.
The Aguayo house listed http://www.ahrlty.com/227-799/227.html is an interesting case. It was on the market for over a year and kept dropping price. It finally sold for under $599K. Two issues: one is minor–it’s right next to a school, playground and all, lots of pedestrian traffic. One major: the house has/had an extreme case of the lists. As soon as you walk in you feel like you’re on The Poseidon Adventure right before it flips over. In some spots it is close to 6″ But it had some lovely details (great pier mirror). Anyway, it’s now a flip. They did some minor reno (I’d say 35K), staged it and as far as the lilt they took the band aid approach: futzed around with the level of the floor, so much so that there is now a step from the hall into the living room. It’s a bit weird and the list is still there but less noticeable. And now they are asking $799.
Still segregated and long commute. No tofu at chinese restaurants. Very blue collar Brooklyn.
The head of the Brooklyn Division of the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation also lives in Bay Ridge.
Did you know the Sanitation Commissioner is a Bay Ridge resident? No wonder the neighbored is always ranked the cleanest neighborhood in Brooklyn. Another plus for the Ridge over “Dirt Slopeâ€
Forget the Limestone’s, Bay Ridges Victorian Houses are the best in Brooklyn, better that Ditmas park, IMO… Just take a bike ride along Shore Road, wholly crap, the Victorian mansions are spectacular. This is what Brooklyn really is about. Good luck trying to pick one of these up on the market. Houses in the Ridge are handed down in the family.