House of the Day in Clinton Hill: You Decide
Given that this is a Clinton Hill property and we can already hear the naysayers grumbling about us pumping up the value of our own house (too tired today, man, this newborn baby stuff is hard work!), we’re going to steer clear of opining on the $1,189,000 list price of this 2-family federal-style brick today….
Given that this is a Clinton Hill property and we can already hear the naysayers grumbling about us pumping up the value of our own house (too tired today, man, this newborn baby stuff is hard work!), we’re going to steer clear of opining on the $1,189,000 list price of this 2-family federal-style brick today. The house is move-in ready and definitely has some nice historic details like pine plank floors and marble fireplaces. Plus, there’s an open, modern kitchen. On the downside, there’s a little too much exposed brick for our taste and we can’t see any crown moldings in any of the photos. Overall, the scale of the house feels on the smaller side for the neighborhood, a feeling that is supported by what appears to be a shallow, albeit quite tastefully done, garden/patio area, but none of that takes away from the fact that this seems like it would be a very nice place to live.
Clinton Hill Gem [Aguayo & Huebener]
Agreed that exposed brick is definitely out. It just means that someone cheaped out. The brick can be replastered, moldings added, etc. But I guess it’s only natural, though, to expect a finished house at that asking price.
103 and 107 Gates Avenue are much bigger–makes $538/sq. ft. seem high. $400-450/sq. ft. is nearer the mark. Could anyone confirm $/sq. ft. for recent sales in this area?
Not much of a gem, really. The block it’s on is lovely, but the house itself is teeny tiny–would only work as a one-family, in my opinion–and aside from the absolutely fabulous stove, nothing special. Not in bad condition, but also not much in the way of detail. That said, the price probably isn’t far off, given what things in prime Clinton Hill are selling for these days.
Here is the best I could do for comps on prices on the block
107 Gates Ave sold in Nov 04 for $999,000
103 Gates Ave sold in Aug 04 for $790,000
A & H Realty is notorius for pricing houses and apartments at lower prices to create bidding frenzies. Not a great strategy, some people end up selling too low. COKE RAN usually pads the prices a little higher than most. Brown Harris (formerly W.B. May) and Brooklyn Properties seem on the mark.
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Does anyone know what this last sold for and when? It’s hard to tell from ACRIS. At almost 1.2 million bucks, it seems high in my opinion.
The owners have clearly sought to make up for the lack of detail with a combination of tlc and making every square foot of a very small house count. The kitchen, for example, was well done, with an awesome six burner stove and nice colorful tiles as the backsplash. Likewise, the small backyard had a great feel to it. Conversely, as an earlier poster said, the ground floor really was the basement (i.e., it had closets hiding meters and the boiler). When you compare 57 Gates with the three-floor brownstone with “good bones†(but linoleum floors and sinks and/or roaming pets in every room) in landmarked CH on Clifton Place (between St. James and Grand, down the street from the $1.3 million house mentioned last week by Brownstoner) – also shown on Sunday, but by Eva Daniels for $950,000 – I think you’ve got to conclude that 57 Gates will sell quickly, although it would better serve the new owner as a single family home and not the double duplex touted by A&H. I’d be curious what other people thought of the Clifton Place property and Eva’s price for it.
As I understand it from some former collegues who work there, A&H is an “exclusives” only shop, with a handful of “co-exclusives”. They do not dabble at all in shared or multiple listing. They have apparently risen way above that and their “reputation” should be enough for anyone that chooses to list or buy through them. Peggy A’s has a relationship with Issac Katan, a developer with the absolute worst taste in architectural design (though he apparently believes his buildings are beautiful(I would prefer to call it archi-torture (with help from the good folks at Bricolage Design), because that is what it is. He is putting up buildings all over the slope (with help from his deeper pocked friend Shaya Boymelgreen) and just wait until A&H along with Cokeran start pimping these beauties…run for the hills in Greenwood Cemetary… for a better view that is.
A&H, like all other RE brokers are in for their own gain, not the benefit of the buyer or the seller. If they were, they wouldn’t have to dork you around over 4, 5 or 6% on a $1.5-2 million dollar house…that is some serious jack, and they have to put in a lot less effort that a few years back when these homes were 1/4 the price. Is A&H worth more?! I didn’t think so.
peace in the hood.