House of the Day: 15 Lefferts Place
Hey, this whole FSBO thing seems to be catching on! We were sent the link to the site for 15 Lefferts Place, a lovely four-story brownstone just East of Grand Avenue. The house, which is configured as a owner’s triplex over a rental simplex, appears to have a decent amount of detail. There are some…
Hey, this whole FSBO thing seems to be catching on! We were sent the link to the site for 15 Lefferts Place, a lovely four-story brownstone just East of Grand Avenue. The house, which is configured as a owner’s triplex over a rental simplex, appears to have a decent amount of detail. There are some more modern elements, including the kitchen, which appears to be very nice, and some new doors that are trying to look old but not cutting it (a little pet peeve of ours). The rental apartment has some charming original floorboards and the skylight at the top of the stairwell is one of those beautiful oval babies. The front parlor, with pier mirror and floor-to-ceiling wood windows looks like a winner. The price–$1.495 million–is exactly what we would have expected and we bet they’ll come pretty darn close to getting it.
Brownstone FSBO [15 Lefferts Place] GMAP P*Shark
A couple year ago you could get a townhouse in Greenwich Village for under 2 million — granted they needed work.
I know because I failed to pull the trigger on a few of them.
Brooklyn is way overpriced, unless you love commuting and will pay anything to do so.
Just curious–I like Lefferts Place but understand people’s reservations about the area. If this house were on the other side of Fulton, in the CH Historic District, what would you ask?
Yes, it is all about compromises and which ones you are willing to make–which is of course a personal decision. Perhanps Anon was trying to bait, but I (again) think it is valid to question spending that much on a house on Lefferts Place. No, I do not think it is a “Ghetto” or unsafe, nor do I question the sanity of those who live there. I simply question the prices being asked–and in the not-so-long run I think the realtors’ efforts to push the envelope on prices in areas like this will backfire and cause a sharp decline. But who knows…
As for comparing the price to that in the Heights or Manhattan, that is about as relevant as my saying you could buy an even nicer brownstone in Albany for 400K. Not at all relevent.
I agree. Lefferts Place is a nice little cul de sac and an area of Clinton Hill that is certainly on the rise. Beautiful homes (set back stoops with front gardens) and the lot sizes are large. The corners of St. James and Grand are much quieter than Classon and Franklin but the neighborhood has undergone significant transformation over the past five years.
Up until recently, the area avoided the rapid gentrification that has engulfed the majority of CH but that appears to be changing. Long time residents are finally starting to relinquish their grip on some of these brownstones and the purchasers appear to be doing a fine restoration job with their soon to be trophy pieces.
63 Lefferts is currently in contract for $1.5M but that house was in better condition and the lot size was 22 x 140. 23 Lefferts is also on the market at $1.5M but I would wager that both 15 and 23 Lefferts (22 x 100 lots) go for far less, probably $1.4M at best. There’s also a nice three family at the corner of Lefferts and St. James on the market for $1.15M but I hear it needs a lot of work despite having “good bones”.
The large Victorian house at 73 Lefferts (35 x 75) is also for sale and is listed $2.1M. Obviously not serious. I think the owner is waiting for a developer takeout since it’s adjacent to the vacant 165 x 119 parcel that’s also on the market and prime for development. Further east is 121 Lefferts with a $1.585 asking price. For what I understand the owner is simply kicking tires and is truly not interested in selling; has seen decent bids above $1.5M but is looking for something north of $1.6M or staying pat. I doubt it moves given seller’s stubbornness.
I personally think that all of these homes, with the exception of the ridiculously priced Victorian house, are probably priced 100K or so above fair market value. If Fulton makes a change for the better and some of the area apartment buildings start to turnover (big if), then the area should quickly catch up with the rest of CH. Needless to say, the proposed expansion of the historic district to include Lefferts would certainly be an additional boost too.
How can you people tell from the photos that it’s a nice place? The photos are all close-ups.
I still have little idea what the place looks like other than that it has a modern cherry kitchen and a bathroom that needs remodeling.
As I see it, the main drawback is that there is only one bathroom in the owner’s part of the house. I’d want at least two bathrooms, preferably three. When it comes to adding bathrooms, your’re talking major renovations, time, and expense.
Photos should allow a viewer to get a real feel for the place and visually encourage the viewer to visit in person.
I suppose when a home is not in great condition, a seller might take close-up shots too fool a viewer into thinking the whole place is nice.
But who knows? This could be a beautiful home. I just couldn’t tell from the photos.
Re: Brownstoner FSBO. I would not be surprised if brownstoner did not have something cooking in that direction. What was that beta test you were seeking volunteers for about brownstoner?
It’s not a flip. They’re moving to LA. It’s a great house. If it were in Brooklyn Heights, it would be $4 million. Manhattan: $10 million. You want a beautiful home, you make a few compromises. And as many here would let you know, some don’t even think it’s a compromise. To me, it’s a nice neighborhood. But this discusiion will not be complete until the guy who wants to get rid of the methadone clinic chimes in.
sorry, meant to include my name in the above post re: why it’s bait.
It’s bait in my book because it’s a non-substantive quip that invites no discussion, positive or negative (i.e., back it up with *something* and let’s have a real discussion, which your post was closer to achieving, b&binB).