HOTD: Century 21 Cheapo Doubleshot
Given the surfeit of brownstones in the $2 million-plus category, we decided to look more closely at the other end of the spectrum. If you’re looking for something for less than, say, $600,000, one good approach is to avoid the usual broker suspects and look a little more down market to firms that have a…
Given the surfeit of brownstones in the $2 million-plus category, we decided to look more closely at the other end of the spectrum. If you’re looking for something for less than, say, $600,000, one good approach is to avoid the usual broker suspects and look a little more down market to firms that have a bigger presence in the outer neighborhoods. Century 21, for example, has these two places listed in the mid-$500k’s. The trade-off is that the firm is particularly sparing in its sharing of useful information and photos. In both cases, all we get is a shot of the facade and a broad neighborhood classification. The house on the left is a 2-family in Bedford Stuyvesant listed for $565,000 while the house on the right is on Willoughby off Stuyvesant Avenue (the listing calls it Williamsburg but seems more like Bed Stuy to us) for $550,000. With no interior shots its pretty pointless to try to parse the value, though we assume some of the same arguments made about this house will apply in these cases as well.
Web# M06-1702 [Century21]
Web# M06-1786 [Century21] GMAP
what do people out there feel is a far price for a 2 fam, partially renovated, in lefferts gardens?
The C21 brokers ARE jokers, and I’m not saying that to be rude or obnoxious. I made an appt. to see something in Bed-Stuy and they made me jump through hoops to get in to see it. The realtor wouldn’t just meet me at the house to show it (or just hold an open house, hello?). They required that I drive 45 minutes out to their office in Flatbush (would have been an hour on the train), and come in to fill out an application to work with them before seeing it. The house was a great place on a great block in the 500k’s so I thought it was worth it. After waiting to see someone for 30-45 minutes while they finished a phone call — even though we had an appointment — they told me the house was no longer beinng shown, had been withdrawn from the market. Of course they knew that before I got there and they were just trying to trick me into ‘showing me something else’.
Have also tried to see a house through the Donna Davis C21 office. Left plenty of messages, and I was quite a serious buyer, downpayment, paperwork ready to go.
C21 Block & Lot in Boerum Hill is the only one who seemed to have it together.
I agree with clintonhillbilly. Yes, try to see a house through them. It will be a totally infuriating waste of your time.
lived in paulus hook area from 2000 – 2003 before moving to park slope. it has a very brooklyn heights feeling with lots of historic brownstones, on the water. but it is certainly not ‘undiscovered’. since late 90s, the waterfront has been developed with tall corporate skyscrapers. and many residential real estate developers have discovered it then. we looked in 2002, two bedroom condos (new construction within historic brownstones) started at $700,000 then. the price was not worth it to us for the lack of strong community feel, amenities, resturants, etc. without the infrastructure of a deep rooted community (like many brooklyn neighborhoods), we thought the market in jersey city would plateau sooner come a general market slowdown. so we moved to park slope, which we love. commute is shorter to downtown from jersey city (but we worked midtown, which about the same amount of time from park slope), but the PATH is awful (crowded and depressing). the ferries are more pleasant mode of transportation but also more expensive. also after midnight, it is so hard to get to jersey city (have to go through hoboken first on the PATH). and the taxis will not take you there for less then $60. so we felt like we were further out from the city because we hardly went out since it didn’t seem worth the hassle of trying to get home late (although this turned out to be a huge money saver).
You’d think they would at least pick up the trash off the stoop before taking the picture. I think that says it all.
Don’t know what brokers you’ve been talking to Anon 2:24 — everyone I know is doing just fine w. 6% thank you. Yes, if you do a co-broke (as most sales are) your firm winds up w. 3%, ad does the buyer’s broker’s firm.
I wonder if we were required to use our real names if our posts would be a little less arrogant/rude/obnoxious. Its getting so I don’t want to read the posts any more.
I looked at that Lexington house almost 2 years ago. Strangely I think it was the same price then. What a dog! It was an SRO with a bathroom in nearly every room and rather than remove the excess plumbing, the flipper just tiled over everything. You open what you think is going to be a closet and it’s a shower or toilet. Quite bizarre.
The block is also pretty bad despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that the 79thPrecinct is on the corner. I remember the Sunday morning I went to the Open House, there were several teenagers openly smoking pot on the stoop next door as the realtor led us all in. That did not bode well.
Not at all surprised it hasn’t sold.
Wow, why are some of you so bitter? Lighten up, will ya?!
Try 3%…that’s what brokers are getting nowadays. It’s so bad out there that brokers will take anything for a listing…offer them .001 and they’ll take it. Idiots and deadbeats. Brokers and sellers. All of them.