House of the Day: 408 Stuyvesant Avenue

“I disagree. There is something about this exterior that, although authentic, looks fake. Like they just tacked on all the trimmings way back when so it didn’t look like the cookie cutter. But it still looks tacked on to me. Could just be the picture. but it kind of looks cheesy/disneyesque or something.”

Anon, you need to take a visit to this area and see these houses for yourself. The architecture and construction is of the highest level and quality. The resolution on your computer might be the issue. As for the homes, the facades are spectacular and far from being chessy or poorly fabricated. I love the large front terraces too! These mansions were built for the truly wealthy and are on the order of the grand homes you find on Prospect Park West or the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As for the nabe, I don’t have any problems with it. It’s beautiful and the people are extremely nice and neighborly. In fact, most of the homes in the area are owner occupied and residents take a particular interest in keeping the nabe green and beautiful – landscaped gardens, flower boxes and planters adorn every street. I love the area. Almost every house has a lamppost out in front which gives the area a special and romantic look and feel at night. I think these houses will definitely trade someone in the range of $1.4-$1.6 million.

Anon 12:24pm,

Perhaps you’re too stupid to realize that you just described about 75% of all Brownstone Brooklyn, e.g., Carroll Gardens (Gowanus Houses), Boerum Hill (Wyckoff Gardens), Fort Greene (Ingersoll Houses and Whitman Houses), Clinton Hill (Lafayette Houses), PLG (Fenimore-Lefferts Houses), Vinegar Hill (Farragut Houses), and a bunch more in Williamsburg, Bushwick and Red Hook.

Try this:

College dropout.

Struggling actor.

Laid off from waiting tables at Applebees.

Spending your entire day at the local cyber cafe, collecting unemployment and pontificating on blogsites about real estate you cannot afford….PRICELESS.

i disagree. there is something about this exterior that, although authentic, looks fake. like they just tacked on all the trimmings way back when so it didn’t look like the cookie cutter. but it still looks tacked on to me. could just be the picture. but it kind of looks cheesy/disneyesque or something.

Not Holding My Breath:

I agree I don’t think 408 goes for anything close to $2.1m (too many damn units). The owner and broker are out of their freakin’ minds. I know a handful of families who just bought beautiful and grand homes on Stuyvesant Avenue and to each and every one they are converting these mansions into single families. This is how they justify the entry into Bedford-Stuyvesant: discount – discount – discount!!!! No steep discount that facilitates a one family conversion? They don’t buy – at least at the high end which Stuyvesant Heights certainly commands. Yes, the homes are indeed grand and stacked with details but there are still some very obvious shortcomings to living in this nabe — services sucks, albeit it’s truly a very beautiful architectural and slowly improving nabe. At a discount, my friends are snapping up anything of true merit because on a per square foot basis and given the historical merits of these homes, the price tag can’t be beat anywhere in Brownstone Brooklyn – with the exception of Crown Heights North (my favorite sleeper nabe). Under $1.4M on this street it’s a no brainer, even if you have to put $250k – $400k to convert into a single family with all of the trimmings, i.e., central air, total home audio and structured wiring, electrical and plumbing upgrade, and updated baths and kitchen. However, at $2.1m this is insane. After conversion you’re talking about a final price of $2.6m. The nabe and house clearly don’t’ support this price point. To me, 404 is a great bargain at $1.4m-$1.5m and 408 at $1.3m-$1.4m (too many units) but then again, demo is demo and if you’re stripping the entire house into a single family then the conversion cost should be pretty close to one another – so IMHO fair value is equal between the two homes. In five years Bed-Stuy and Stuyvesant Heights will be indistinguishable from ’06 Fort Greene/Prospect Heights and purchasers of 404 and 408 will be extremely happy with their investments. However, the price has to be right to justify the purchase in 2006. $1.4-$1.6m for both? Sold!

does this house have central air? is that standard these days for high-end homes, of any location, marketing themselves as renovated, or is it just kind of gut-renovated? also where are the kitchen pictures? that’s where we can see if it’s our kind of reno or not.