House of the Day: FSBO on Argyle
The slower market has not dampened the spirits of one owner in Victorian Flatbush. The seller of 232 Argyle Road has built a very user friendly website to hawk his 5-bedroom, 3-bath woodframe in the sub-neighborhood known as Beverley Square West. Everything (except the kitchen, which looks pretty el-cheapo) appears to be in order and…
The slower market has not dampened the spirits of one owner in Victorian Flatbush. The seller of 232 Argyle Road has built a very user friendly website to hawk his 5-bedroom, 3-bath woodframe in the sub-neighborhood known as Beverley Square West. Everything (except the kitchen, which looks pretty el-cheapo) appears to be in order and we’re sure there are lots of buyers out there who will be interested. We’re not so sure about the price though. $1,495,000 might be pushing it. (The last time it changed hands in March of 2005 was for $975,000.) Then again, there’s not a lot of good product on the market in this area, so you never know.
Classic Brooklyn Victorian [232Argyle.com] GMAP P*Shark
I dont think this house enough detail to warrent the price. I also respectfully disagree with others…this area is great..I live in it…however, i dont see the prices going up that high…..1.25/1.3 is the highest it would go. Dont get me wrong..great house great local
Dear 8:56: “Sophisticated” does not mean “rich.”
Hey I saw all the comments about this house not having an alarm system. When I checked out the owners’ site (http://www.232argyle.com) I saw a Central Alarm System was listed (maybe they got the heads up and updated the facts).
I think this house is beautiful in a very highly desirable neighborhood without any inventory. I think they will get asking…
This house is two blocks over from us. We looked at this house when it was on the market back in the fall of 2004. I think the asking price at that time was $999K, if I remember correctly. Interior was painted all white. I remember the Pepto-Bismol pink exterior paint job; we were very happy when it was sold and the exterior got re-painted!
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The market in this area has softened from previous years; prices are not dropping, but the increases have stalled.
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I agree that $1.5M is over-reaching for this house. It doesn’t have enough of the original interior details which might warrant such a premium price. It’s also a single-family, not a two-family, home, so no opportunity for rental income without additional renovation and legal proceedings.
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These are not “normal houses.” Roof tear-down and replacement, if needed, for these old, wood-frame, Victorian houses will start at $20-25K, and go up from there depending on the size and complexity of the roof: hip versus gable, dormers, turrets, and so on.
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Yes, $50K would provide a grand gut renovation of the kitchen. But then, one can’t say this house is in “move-in” condition. That’s also worth something.
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The photos are NOT “well staged.” Remove all personal items and other clutter. And invest in a wide-angle lens, or borrow one from a photographer friend, for interior shots.
They seem to be taking advantage of the fact that many (including Brownstoner) expect this area to increase in value over 2007. There are a number of successful restaurants and numerous other yuppie places of interest on Cortelyou. Actually, these owners are smart in that they are anticipating where prices will probably go in this area by year end, so they’re starting out there so as not to lose out. I just hope they aren’t in a hurry, and or lese are flexible with their price.
I think that house being FSBO had more to do with having an extended family living there and the owner running open houses with most of the family still inside the house. Most realtors will require you not have any occupants and pets in the house during the open house and this may have been a concern for the owner (who couldn’t see to get one relative even out of the bedroom and had several elderly aunts wandering about the place during the open house).
Note to owners, having the house filled with any of the following is a real turnoff to buyers:
Eccentric family members
Yapping pets
Rambunctious 1/2 naked kids
And yes I have seen all that and more while attending open houses and scheduled showings when was house hunting.
This reminds me of the FSBO on Beverly Road in BSW a while back… It sat there at around 1.5 (maybe 1.6?). Finally, it was surrendered to Mary Kay Gallagher who lowered the price by several hundred thousands of dollars and promptly found a buyer.
$1.2 seems to be the going rate in BSW for a house with a new interior reno, and a so-so exterior. BSW is extremely convenient to Cortelyou Road (the best local amenities in Vic. Flatbush), neighbors tony PPS, and is a short walk to the Parade Grounds/Prospect Park. I think higher prices in BSW are partly due to location, location, location. They sell because they are smaller than those in PPS, and therefore cost less to buy and to also to maintain.
This is an OK house, for the area. It is well staged, and appears “lovely” in the pix. I met the couple who bought this house during the open house when the flipper had it. The woman said she really wanted to live in Forest Hills, but couldn’t afford it. Maybe they’re trying to stump up the cash to get there now. In any case, the house is not worth 1.5 million. If it was, Mary Kay’s two PPS jewels would have sold for their 2 million plus asks, and they’re both still sitting there…
What?! UMMM, Jeremy, yes I’m a native, and WTF are you talking about “sophisticated image”? I grew up in Brooklyn (when it wasn’t desirable), not on Park Ave. I’m not trying to establish anything other than the fact that NYers have a sarcastic sense of humor that some non-natives don’t get. “Sophisticate” this!