Condo of the Day: 44 Cheever Place, #502
This one-bedroom condo at 44 Cheever Place just hit the market with an asking price of $549,000. The 960-square-foot pad looks feels like it hasn’t had any TLC since the mid-Eighties, but it has nice bones, good light and a deeded parking space. In addition, the combined monthly charge of $691 is quite reasonable. You…
This one-bedroom condo at 44 Cheever Place just hit the market with an asking price of $549,000. The 960-square-foot pad looks feels like it hasn’t had any TLC since the mid-Eighties, but it has nice bones, good light and a deeded parking space. In addition, the combined monthly charge of $691 is quite reasonable. You liking it?
44 Cheever Place, #502 [Brooklyn Heights RE] GMAP P*Shark
Thanks Drew, that’s really helpful information.
mtb253 – Believe me, if I had the money to do it properly I would live in the building. But I do think that it will take a significant amount to do it correctly.
The board is seemed a little apathetic from my perspective (as a lowly renter), on the other hand there are enough type-A professionals in that building to make it truly great community. I heard that the buildings finances are not so great, but these could all be barging points for a better price. I do know that a lot of the finances were going to remedy major problems so smaller aesthetic issue have been sacrificed. The building was re-pointed over the last two years, the parapet was rebuilt, new EPDM roofing
The elevator was better recently, most of the major problems were during a rebuild that happened about 4 or 5 years ago.
You won’t find ‘bones’ like this building, which is why it’s so especially appealing in this neighborhood.
thanks for your comments Drew. I’ve been considering purchasing in this building for a while, but am now starting to get the impression (based on what you mentioned about the elevator as well as things I’ve observed such as the very poor condition of the fire stairwells which are in desperate need of replastering and repainting) that this is a bulding in need of of some serious work (cosmetic at best).
Can anyone else provide any insight into the nature of repairs that might need to be made in the bulding and if they think (or have heard) that these might be underway?
Also, if anyone could speak to the general nature of the condo board in terms of making capital improvements(I’ve heard that it’s quite apathetic) that would be great too.
Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I see a lot of red flags.
Does anyone know if this bulding has its act together or not?
thanks in advance for any info!
Thanks for the info, Drew. The flickr photos really show off the beautiful floors.
It looks like they at least updated the appliances in the kitchen but that cabinetry and counter has to go.
Still, about $570 a square foot. I guess if you take into account it does include a parking space that would be reflected in the price. And like they said, if you don’t own a car you could definitely get $300 for the space monthly. I’m assuming it must be an outside space since this is an old school otherwise if it was inside you may get $400 for it.
I know the old schools have big windows and high ceilings, but the idea of living in one that still really feels like chopped up classroom creeps me out.
This is interesting, my wife and I lived in this apartment for the last 7 years. Every year we would try to convince the condo owner to sell our unit to us and she refused (we even had first right of refusal – for whatever that was worth [Nothing]). I will say that it is a large one bedroom, having the powder room was great. We miss all of our neighbors in the building but we certainly don’t miss the low rumble of the BQE outside. Someone made the brilliant decision to install single pane windows along the West elevation. Of course most owners on that side install the City Windows (which look terrible). The view of lower Manhattan and harbor is now partially obstructed by crapitecture on Tiffany Place – but it’s still the best view in the entire building (except for the roof – which again, is uninhabitable due to the BQE noise).
The finishes haven’t been touched since the initial flip to condo in ‘84 or ‘86. The maple floors are original to the school. As far as construction goes – it needs a gut. I convinced the owner to upgrade the appliances (she took all my recommendations and ‘value engineered’ them – which was probably the smart thing to do since I couldn’t convince her to renovate the entire kitchen). All the doors are metal bucks with pre-hung hollow core doors (again – easier to rip out for a buyer). Notice that they don’t show any picture of the baths – they are foul (think 1†wide caulk joints). Another positive is that the PTAC units are new (but still noisy – on the upside they help drown out the BQE noise).
If anyone goes to an open house they will pass out a mezzanine ‘construction’ design, but it doesn’t sound like DOB is approving any more mezzanines in the building. Being architects my wife and I fanaticized about using the space above the kitchen to recess in bookshelves, niches for objects, and a guest sleeping loft. (the main ceilings are 12’ 6†and over the kitchen and baths they drop to 8’). We wanted to tear down the wall between the living and bedroom and separate them with a piece of low millwork that would allow light to pass above and function for both rooms.
The hallways were nice – one of the advantages of an old building infrastructure, they are 14’ wide with terrazzo floors. The ‘new’ common spaces are really dated. The common Laundry Room is a dungeon. The elevator is a bit temperamental and the 5-storey walk up can be painful when it breaks down which happened about every other month (one time for a whole month!).
I went snooping through my pictures to see if I can find some with a better sense of scale, unfortunately I took these to sell furniture before we moved, but they will give you a slightly better sense of the space when it’s not empty.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70633612@N00/
Not one photo showing the 13′ ceiling height. Sigh. I’m starting my own RE agency.
It’d be really KEWL if they didn’t use the word COOL. It’s soooo not today. The apt would be much better if they used KEWL interiors like blackboard backsplashes and KEWL old desktops for countertops. Oh and if they wallpapered the walls with old lesson plans and report cards. Then you’d never forget how KEWL it is to live in a school.
Most teachers I know can’t wait to bolt out the doors of a school. Who knew it would be such a KEWL place to live?