House of the Day: Different in Ditmas
It’s not everyday that you see a house for under $500,000. Of course, it’s not everyday that non-freestanding Victorians in Ditmas Park show up on our radar screens either (we suspect the broker may be using the neighborhood definition a little liberally). As a result, we don’t have a whole hell of a lot to…
It’s not everyday that you see a house for under $500,000. Of course, it’s not everyday that non-freestanding Victorians in Ditmas Park show up on our radar screens either (we suspect the broker may be using the neighborhood definition a little liberally). As a result, we don’t have a whole hell of a lot to compare this to. It doesn’t look half bad though: Only two floors plus English basement, but there are definitely a lot of of serious period details. The listing mentions the fact that there is no C of O on the building which could make getting a mortgage a little dicey, so proceed with caution. If anyone knows this neck of the woods well, it would be useful to hear about safety, infrastructure, etc.
East 23rd Street House [Corcoran] GMAP
I agree… I went over to see the location for myself. While technically part of South Midwood, it borders East Flatbush and definately has more of the feel of that neighborhood… Having said that, we know a family from the Slope who bought a home on nearby Vanderveer Place, the other side of Flatbush, sort of near Sears… It’s a lovely street with adorable terraced houses with porticos. It also has won Brooklyn’s Greenest Block award several times… It is, however, definitely East Flatbush…
The area where this house is has alot of apartment buildings and not many private houses. It is not a great area to live yet, crime and such. I think the area may be considered East Flatbush (E 23 between Newkirk and Ditmas is kind of crappy).
Probably should be worth less, but everyone overprices these days.
I have looked at a nearby house that was similarly priced by Kestyn. The immediate neighborhood is still really sketchy — Lots of ambulances, cop cars, and truck noise from nearby Flatbush Ave. Flatbush Ave still tends to be really noisy around there. It may be close to Vic Flatbush but it is environmentally light years away. Hence the price.
By the way, I bought in VicFlatbush several years ago and got one of the last decent buys… There was not much in the way of shopping or amenities back then, and things have improved dramatically in just a few years. BUT, if I were in the same boat and house shopping here today, I would be buying in South Midwood and working together with the community to improve the neighborhood. Not only do you get a grea house for a great price that way, but you bond with like-minded people who are also investing time and energy in a wonderfully rewarding project. It makes for great community spirit. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – it’s not just the homes that make Victorian Flatbush unique – there’s also a lot to be said for the people in them.
This house is very close to the Flatbush Junction, if that helps anyone who is not familiar with the area otherwise. It is quite a ways from Prospect Park. There are few amenities, but it is within the borders of the official Victorian Flatbush nabe (South Midwood). South Midwood has the fewest amenities, farthest from the park, least amount of gentirification in all of Victorian Flatbush. Which is why enormous houses loaded with detail can still be picked up there for $800k and under. Fat chance of finding that elsewhere in Victorian Flatbush. South Midwood will not benefit greatly from the new Cortelyou Road streetscape, either. It’s just too far away (Bev Squares East and West and Ditmas Park West will do nicely out of it, though). South Midwood is geographically cut-off and will need to create another “hub” to compete with other parts of the neighborhood.
Getting back to this house — I’m not sure if the poster above is saying that it is as “tiny” as the PLG houses (which I’m not familiar with), but from the Corcoran floorplan, it seems to be about 20′ x 43′. Granted, it’s not a five-story monster, but it’s not exactly a dollhouse either.
Not every limestone in PLG is the same in size. Some are actually humongous.
I’m not sure I understand Nativegal’s comments. I think PLG is gorgeous… but alont of those limestones, particularly the Chicago style, despite being very classically beautiful, are Lillipution once you put in a decent sized bathroom. A childless couple or a family with only one child would do well with the space. But much to cramped for a bigger family. The Georgian brick houses on Maple, however, with the beautiful grounds,are quite another story… When will one of those grand homes be on the tour? I keep hoping… I actually could have bought one of those for $800k about 5 years ago. It was gorgeous… tremendous detail. In the end we opted for a distinctive, but not as nearly as beautiful, house in Flatbush.
Still hating on PLG, eh. I guess that means we’ve arrived.