House of the Day: East Flatbush Under $600K
This house sure looks cheap to us at $585,000, but, frankly, we have no idea what this block of East 32nd Street between Beverley and Cortelyou in East Flatbush is like. It seems like there must be a catch. Given that it’s a three-story, three-family, the layout’s probably not ideal for a family buyer; on…
This house sure looks cheap to us at $585,000, but, frankly, we have no idea what this block of East 32nd Street between Beverley and Cortelyou in East Flatbush is like. It seems like there must be a catch. Given that it’s a three-story, three-family, the layout’s probably not ideal for a family buyer; on the other hand, there are original floors and moldings as well as a bay window that sweeten the deal. The footprint of the house is large–20 feet by 53 feet–and, as the listing points out, there’s another 1,500 square feet of buildable FAR as of right. Whether this is a “deal” or not hinges on what the immediate nabe is like. Help please?
3-Family Bow-Front Limestone [Craigslist] GMAP
I am assuming that the few people who are quick to mention lack of “police presence” hasn’t stepped foot in this area for at least a couple of years. The main thoroughfare, Nostrand Avenue, has become a virtual parade ground for police. There is, by any stretch of the imagination, no lack of police in this area. This area has become the hot bed of police foot patrol. Do your research, lest you appear to be the bigots and idiots that you really are. My heartfelt apologies to those whom social and economic evolution has left behind. Who is to blame for the glaring reality that wages have not kept apace of property appreciation? Perhaps I ought to brush the dust off my copy of “Das Capital.”
Although I agree that the “non-gentrified’ comment was probably intended as code for ‘black’, I feel I should point out that the word ‘gentrify’ only refers to class, not race. If more midlle, upper middle or rich black families moved into the area, that would still be ‘gentrifying’.
As far as cafes being “SO important to day to day life”: I can’t cook worth a tin s**t, so yeah- I figure I’d get pretty sick of roti and beef with broccoli after a couple of weeks.
Lastly, isn’t it just natural to seek out surroundings that reflect your socio-economic standing? There’s a lot of baiting on this blog, throwing daggers at people that gently state that, for instance, being white and middle-class they might feel uncomfortable or unwelcome in a working class nabe that’s almost entirely black.Maybe I’m not as liberal as I think I am, but that seems acceptable to me. Why would anyone choose to live anywhere they don’t feel welcome or their desires aren’t met? To prove a point?
Different neighborhoods have different vibes. Plenty of people would be willing to pay NOT to live in some popular areas because they hate the vibe. Rather than getting your panties in a twist, accept that some posters are trying to describe the vibe of this neighborhood. It is quiet and it is pretty. It is not gentrified–meaning no buppies are opening boutiques around here yet either. The schools are not great–not even the local parochial ones. And there is more crime than the residents want need or deserve. For all of that, well over half a million sounds like a huge amount of money. I don’t care what it would get in Park Slope because it’s not in Park Slope. Price it for the people who need a decent place to live in Brooklyn, not to price out Brooklynites who may have grown up around here and love it and want to stay. Defending exorbitant prices for areas that still need and deserve services–including better city services like increased police presence–is nuts.
and 30 minutes into Midtown….?
Nice stats and classic charm at these low prices. Did a drive by, the immediate neighborhood seem pretty quiet and safe… Waiting to see inside. There is not much on the market with these details at these prices…
I saw this property also and it could be rather charming. It has a lot of original details, like built in cabinets, shelves, even chair railings, and french doors. The realtor is very professional and knowledgeable and lives a few doors down.
The neighborhood is not pretty to look at and has low appeal.
Plus the house was rather stinky.
Ms Butterflie, thank you for your last post, home ownership, no matter where it may be in NYC, is something that anyone should be proud of. There should be no need to rationalise your purchase, or constantly be an apologist for your neighborhood.
Meanwhile, we have to read comments like these:
“it’s pretty well located in a non-gentrified area.” (Ah, it’s in a black neighborhood.)
“Like the previous poster said no cafe’s just caribbean and chinese restaurants.” (Why would anyone want a house where there are no cafes? They are SO important to day to day life?)
“east flatbush blows” (And you know because you drove through it, maybe once?)
“these idiots selling this joint should try contract signing after getting the buyer to smoke crack or drinking a few 40’s.” (I get it – it’s a black neighborhood, these must be the seller’s drugs/alchohol of choice!)
And people on this blog wonder why black people are so “overly sensitive”. Perhaps it’s because we’ve learned to read between the lines, especially with crap like “ungentrified”.
Hello all,
I saw it yesterday. I think I was the first one in. It’s a great little house, especially for the price. In Park Slope this would go for over a mil. The area is nearly 100% black, although the broker (extremely knowledgeable, as he grew up in the area,not to mention friendly and lacking the requisite broker sketchiness) claims that a few non-black families have moved in recently. There were few folks on the streets – everyone seemed to be at work. And the neighborhood felt well-taken-care-of. Needless to say, don’t move to East Flatbush if you’re not comfortable around black people.
Yuppies in PS would envision this as a fixer-upper. However, one could live in it and not die.
It is indeed about a block-and-a-half from the subway. And, btw, some of the best coffee, ever, is provided by Dunkin Donuts a few blocks away closer to the church avenue 2/5 train stop.
I encourage everyone to check it out. It’s a steal!
So much for giving B-stoner any real help. It’s here, it’s there … Up, down, all around? This precinct, that precinct. Great price, crack pipe price … etc., etc.
And people complain about realtors not knowing what they’re talking about. Hard to tell who exactly on this thread does know what’s really what with this house.