House of the Day: Hawthorne Street Woodie
We aren’t intimately familiar with Hawthorne Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and this house looks okay to us, but we suspect that it is overpriced at $875,000 when compared to some of the more stately brownstones in the Lefferts Manor historic district that begins one block north of this place. So we’ve got a couple…
We aren’t intimately familiar with Hawthorne Street in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and this house looks okay to us, but we suspect that it is overpriced at $875,000 when compared to some of the more stately brownstones in the Lefferts Manor historic district that begins one block north of this place. So we’ve got a couple of questions: 1) What’s this block like? 2) Is this house indeed overpriced?
Hawthorne Street House [Foxtons] GMAP
i just bought a 800 sq. ft. 1br coop on hawthorne between bedford and rogers for 200k and couldn’t be happier. walking distance to the park and botanical gardens, two proximate train stations, warm neighbors, peaceful environs, etc..
there was a time when i thought buying property in a pleasant brooklyn neighborhood close to the park and two commercial stretches was folly…until i took a fateful talk around PLG and realized that there’s more to desirable brooklyn than park slope, FG and other magazine certified insta-hoods…
A colleague of mine just rented out the upper duplex of a similar house just a few doors closer to Flatbush than this one for just under $2000/month. It was absolutely adorable — little window seat on the landing between the two floors, with the original stained glass window, big living room, one big bedroom, full bath, and true eat-in kitchen on the first level, two really cool bedrooms w. dormer windows and another full bath on the next level — so there is definite potential for pretty OK rental income here.
I don’t know who lives in the house next door to this one (97, on the left in the photo), but they park an old Karman Ghia (one of my all-time favourite cars!) on their front lawn. They had very cool Halloween decorations too — a scarecrow sitting on the porch.
Still think the house is way, way overpriced, however, especially if it needs work (as they all seem to do on this block). Per PropertyShark, 95 Hawthorne sold for $420K one year ago and it looks like 97 sold for $350K in 2004.
For around 875K you can get a nicely renovated two story brownstone or 3 story brick in the Manor. (A nice 2 story on Maple between Bedford and Rogers just sold for 850K). Or an unrenovated 3 story limestone on Lefferts or Lincoln. (Corcroan has one now for 899K and it’s negotiable; one of the smaller brokers has one in the 700’s). Personally, this block of Hawthorne is on a par with Chester Court, and you can get a renovated Tudor there for 709K. Asking prices in PLG are all over the map, as are selling prices. But this one is priced way too high.
Tom- I think your figures of 250-350 per square foot are low if you are including the Manor in them. Case in point, 169 Rutland Road is in contract. The ask was 1.3 for 3,000 square feet. I’m not sure what the contract price is, but it wasn’t on the market long enough for any substantial drop.
I agree with you Anon 4:16. IMO you actually get more privacy in a row house than you do with windows a few feet from your neighbors.
am I the only one who thinks these big houses look a little silly on such tiny lots?
Tom,
I meant that there couldn’t be any rental income in the hypothetical two-story Lefferts Manor house that i thought might go for the same price as the Hawthorne Street house. You are correct that THAT (Hawthorne St.) house is not in Lefferts Manor and could presumably have a rental unit, a possibility mentioned in the listing.
I should proof read!!! “quieter than Flatbush and Hawthorne”
Why couldnt there be any rental income?? This block is not in the Manor. Asking $450 a square foot is high for PLG. Manhattan and Dumbo are about $1000 a square foot, so less than half for some may be a bargain. I think PLG is in the 250-350 a square foot range depending on quality and location. This house near Bedford Ave is in a good place and those apartment buildings in the back yard are actually good buildings with nice tenants. One of the buildings was recently for sale and possible has a new owner. The corner of Hawthorne and Bedford is much quieter than Flatbush and Bedford. 650K-699K sounds more reasonable for this house.