House of the Day: Crown Heights Original
This beautiful 4-story place in Crown Heights just came on the market yesterday and it has us salivating over some of its delicious details. The original wood detailing and paneling is very impressive; the unusual light blue detail in the bathroom tile is also pretty cool. As for the asking price, hard to say. Judging…
This beautiful 4-story place in Crown Heights just came on the market yesterday and it has us salivating over some of its delicious details. The original wood detailing and paneling is very impressive; the unusual light blue detail in the bathroom tile is also pretty cool. As for the asking price, hard to say. Judging from the view of the backyard, the immediate neighborhood has not exactly been taken over by gentrification just yet! But that’s why it’s $950,000 and not $2 million on the other side of the park. Our only serious concern is the fact that it’s an SRO. On the positive side, it’s vacant, so there are no ugly evictions to go through; on the negative side, there is a several-month process to go through with HPD to change the C of O. If the current owner has kept a decent paper trail on the former SRO tenants, that will make things much easier. Also, being willing to tackle unpleasant tasks like this is often a way to create value. It certainly enabled us to pick up our place at a discount.
Sterling Place [Ettelson RE]
Thanks, ‘stoner. I started posting on My Brownstone!
Anon, you can email us a few photos at brownstoner @ brownstoner.com–or even better yet, go set up your own page at My Brownstone! That’s what it’s there for…
It’s only fair to add that our $430k house 3 years ago was not as ‘clean’ as this Sterling house appears. We had quite a bit of remodeling to do, including some plumbing and electric. We had some expense preparing our 4th floor rental.
My wife and I bought around the corner three years ago for $430k. Ours is a legal 2, comparable size and detail. I’ll bet this one needs new electric service panel. The nabe is mostly quiet, and has wonderful architecture. The neighbors greeted us warmly when we moved in. This is a stable, middle-class African- and Caribbean- American community. Gentrification is moving slowly, and that’s OK. The area has character (and characters)
We’ve seen houses selling around us recently for close to a million, but this one is most comparable to ours.
I’d love to post pictures, but I don’t know how.
To the person who states you do not need to change the C of O: you are wrong. Any use contrary to a C of O can generate a Department of Buildings violation.
tom, your comment re: single men with suitcases cracks me up. a thought very well conveyed.
I think that’s asking a bit much @ 1M for an SRO. Paperwork is a definite DRAG!! …However, there are some new condos almost near completion @ Rogers and Carroll asking 1.2M! The prices are going through the roof since the newly renov. of Bklyn Museum of Art and etc. Still a “wee” bit rough, but is anyplace safe? The racial tensions are almost non-existent, if not, you would’ve heard something by now. Especially, since “gentrification” is completely obvious along Brooklyn Ave., Nostrand Ave. & Franklin Aves.from Eastern Parkway to Dekalb Ave. Give CH a “break”…we’ve come a long way! Born and Bred in CH’s and real estate agent!
Has anyone seen the condos being sold by Aguayo & Huebener on E. New York Ave? They seem very reasonable…
But you will have problems getting a mortgage on an SRO…