Co-op of the Day: 81 Ocean Parkway
Why are sponsors so consistently incapable of doing a sensitive renovation? A coat of white paint, a few gallons of polyurethane and a Home Depot kitchen and they’re done. At least in the case of this three-bedroom, two-bathroom place at 81 Ocean Parkway in Kensington the apartment had some good bones that even a sponsor…
Why are sponsors so consistently incapable of doing a sensitive renovation? A coat of white paint, a few gallons of polyurethane and a Home Depot kitchen and they’re done. At least in the case of this three-bedroom, two-bathroom place at 81 Ocean Parkway in Kensington the apartment had some good bones that even a sponsor couldn’t mess up. And given the asking price of $575,000 (and low monthly maintenance of $743), we bet buyers will be willing to swallow that eyesore of a kitchen.
81 Ocean Parkway [Brooklyn Properties] GMAP P*Shark
I live in this building on the top floor. Only a small handfull of apartments are affected by the construction. (I don’t think this one is) The reason you hear so much about it is that tons of neighbors have gotten together to support the building’s welfare. The sense of community in this building just gets better and better. The businesses in the area keep picking up and the apartments are huge and virtually soundproof. My 1 bedroom is 900 sq feet!
This area is changing before my eyes. Get in while you can!
I have lived at 81 O.P. since 2001, and am lucky to live on the northwest-facing side of the building so that my apt. is relatively unaffected by the freeway and the new construction. I think it’s a swell place to live, especially in the summer when the leaves are green and the park is two blocks away and the kids are riding ponies up and down Caton Place. FreshDirect plus Church Ave. produce plus the very nice corner bodega on Caton Ave. makes for a perfectly acceptable shopping situation. Pat and Yeni at the Funmilayo Pharmacy on Caton are so much friendlier than the overworked clerks at big pharmacies. Our neighborhood and building are TRULY diverse, and I feel that living here has given me a much more grassroots New York experience than I had as a renter of an overpriced place in Park Slope. The proximity to Coney Island Avenue alone, with Little Lahore, Vox Pop, and Sahara makes it worthwhile.
As for the apartment itself, the Moorish archways, deep closets, and coved ceilings, not to mention the beautiful floors are a delight. For me, it’s prewar or nothing. I did my own budget renovation, replacing the faces of the ugly but solid 70s kitchen cabinets with glass doors and putting in a terra-cotta tile floor. 81 Ocean Parkway rocks!
I live in this building. The living rooms and bedrooms are all huge. It’s the main reason I bought there. Unfortunately, I do overlook 22 Caton, I had no idea the little single story building I was originally overlooking would end up being condos, but that is NYC for you. I added sound-proofed windows, which cost about $8000, but should save my sanity. If you’re overlooking Ocean Parkway, you could put in sound-proofed windows on that side if you’re noise sensitive. You won’t see traffic, the highway is down below the bridge.
I didn’t like the bathroom either– so I took out the tub and replaced it with a smaller one the far side. That not only opened up the bathroom and gave it lots of width but I was able to put in a faucet that is on an angle, not in the middle of the tub and straight above your head! It also gave me a nice ledge by the bathroom window. I also knocked down a wall between what was the galley kitchen, and is now an open kitchen overlooking the living room with a chef’s island separating them. (I also did a nice renovation with good colors and cherrywood cabinets.)
The sponsor should have lowered the price, sold as is, and let the buyer do some nice renovations.
Our super is the BEST! He is live-in and will do work for you at any time. I haven’t had any problems in terms of heat, hot water, or anything else, though others might say differently, who knows. A lot of families in the building. Also, the park is a 2 minute walk away. Not a lot of amenties– however you can order in Thai, Italian, Chinese, sushi, etc etc. If you want a good restaurant or a trendy lounge, you hop on the F and go one or two stops to Windsor Terrace or Park Slope, or 5 stops to Carroll Gardens. Tho god knows the F can be a pain on the weekends. Church Ave (a 10 min walk away) has great produce places– 25 cents a pound for hot-house tomatoes!! And there’s a great deli within walking distance. Closes too early though. There’s a dry cleaners nearby too. And my pet food place is a 10 minute walk away. Lots more than a Commerce Bank!!
Except for the unanticipated 22 Caton construction (which hasn’t started yet) I found it a wonderful deal and I am quite happy with the building and the neighborhood.
And no, I’m not the owner of the 3-bedroom.
@5:19 PM Since when is desiring a bar, museum or bookstore in your neighborhood make one a hipster? What about indoor plumbing? If you live in Kensington/Windsor Terrace plan to entertain at home a lot, with three days of preparation beforehand.
ppser-i just came back from kosher. what an exciting place.
I love Golden Farm on Church or, as we call it, RUPTIKO, for Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Turkish, Israeli, Kosher, Organic Gourmet food store. It’s a magnificent example of the melting pot that exists in Kensington and in very few other places in the city.
As someone who bought a sponsor apt, I think it’s quite possible that the kitchen is still not fully renovated and additional appliances and other finishes will still be added by the sponsor.
When we first looked at our apartment, the place had not been completely renovated, but we knew of other apartments that the sponsor had renovated so we knew what to expect. We also negotiated for small upgrades to be made to areas that the sponsor was not originally planning to renovate.
You don’t need to drive to Fairway or Park Slope to find a supermarket.
Despite it’s modest shopfront, Golden Farm, with the red awning on Church Avenue and East 3rd Street expanded through the back of the block last year and is surprisingly well-stocked with good quality staples like DeCecco pasta, fresh feta, Toblerones, $2 boxes of strawberries, and other goodies and organic stuff, and is way cheaper than anything in Park Slope.
It’s response to demand…
Open 24hours too, and no, I’m not the owner!
I love Kensington xoxoxoxo
and I think the kitchen in this place is ugly too – I would add $40K to the cost of this place to do this kitchen right.
I can respect your honesty 6:29 but how much time do you spend in the amenities as opposed to time in your apartment? This location is only 5 minutes by train, bus, bike or car to the Park Slope amenities. The schools are even good and getting better. Maybe it’s me but I’d rather be close to Park Slope in a bigger less expensive apartment than in Park Slope in a small expensive place. But again I don’t go out much but I do entertain alot and always have friends over which I enjoy because I have the space. I am not a broker either BTW I think that the price is still a little steep especially since I would change the kitchen.