House of the Day: 250 Lefferts Avenue
While in some ways it doesn’t really matter, it’s hard not to get hung up on the fact that this house at 250 Lefferts Avenue changed hands 18 months ago for just $495,000 and is now asking $879,000. We’re not sure how much (if any) work was done in the interim, but if it involved…

While in some ways it doesn’t really matter, it’s hard not to get hung up on the fact that this house at 250 Lefferts Avenue changed hands 18 months ago for just $495,000 and is now asking $879,000. We’re not sure how much (if any) work was done in the interim, but if it involved those kitchens, they should have saved their money; the house would show better with old run-down appliances than with these Home Depot specials. When you compare it to last Thursday’s HOTD, 181 Midwood Street, this place looks a bit overpriced, in our opinion, despite being a bit larger. While the Lefferts Avenue house was probably at one point on a par with the Midwood house, it appears to have had a tougher life. Luckily, some redeeming original elements survived and with some renovation CPR this could still be a very nice place. But it deserves a discount to the Midwood house of more than $46,000, we suspect. Agree? It would be helpful to know what the contract price was for 242 Lefferts Avenue just down the block.
250 Lefferts Avenue [Aguayo & Huebener] GMAP P*Shark
Why wouldn’t you walk up Bedford Avenue?
But 2:44 that is Prime PLG–in fact it is Prime Lefferts Manor! If you live on Rutland you have to walk along Flatbush and Rutland across from Chester and past Beekman. And if you live one block north on Midwood you are certainly affected by Flatbush and Rutland–it is only 200 feet away!You can’t say the neighborhood is totally changing, oh but I don’t mean the main street through half the neighborhood! That is the neighborhood.
Sorry – I was talking about Prime PLG. Not Beekman or Chester Court or Fenimore.
I wrote a long response, but it got lost in the approval/loading. Suffice it to say that I think what you are talking about is only true in a very very small percentage of the buildings. There has been no change in the buildings along Fenimore, Rutland, Beekman, Chester, etc, which are almost 100% section 8 and are far too run-down for a college grad or artist to consider. The only way to change those buildings to evict everyone and gut them. And that isn’t happening in the next 5-10 years.
I should add, there is nothing wrong with a law-abiding, rent-paying tenant who happens not to earn much money. It’s not “poor people” per se that bring down Flatbush. It’s people who lack the ability to respect themselves and others.
I don’t agree with your assessment regarding Flatbush. I understand the origin of your concern, and it’s makes good sense. But that area is changing too, albeit more slowly.
There are many tenants in those buildings with problematic leases (such as RC leases obtained illegally) and rent-payment issues. There have been a number of evictions lately as a result. Landlords used to endure bad tenants because they were better than no tenants when the applicant pool consisted primarily of only bad tenants; however, now that there is an increase in demand from better quality tenants (i.e., employed, recent college grads), landlords want the bad tenants to go, and are making the buildings more attractive to the new tenants (i.e., fixing up their buildings). Landlords love young, employed college grads for another reason – they only stay a short while, and that means the landlord can jack up the rent each time the apartment turns over. Who wants a Section 8 tenant who causes trouble and occupies a unit forever?
Does anyone know if landlords are obligated to maintain Section 8 leases? Can they stop participating in the program at will and evict a tenant?
I think 12:51 meant to tell me, 12:26, to piss off. And *#@&# him for calling me a troll. I live in Lefferts Manor too. And I agree that lots of new people are moving in to the area–to the Ocean Ave buildings and some on Lincoln. However the population of the Flatbush buildings has not changed at all and will never change (short of someone knocking down all those buildings). And that population is at least twice the size of the population in the nicer buildings and the brownstones combined. My point was that as things change there will still always be a huge poor poulation–and with that there will always be nail salons, cheap scuzy stores, drug trafficking, loitering etc. I love the area as it is, but you need to accept te limits on the possible changes in our particualr neck of the woods. It’ll never be a slope or fort greene. Which is fine by me.
As for english basements, you basically agreed with me: they can be nice, but they are the same as walk-out basements.
And don’t tell me to piss off because I like my English Basement, and don’t consider it to be the same as a cellar. Why does everyone have to agree with you or else be subjected to your hostility?
Wait a minute – the troll would NEVER admit that the population in Lefferts Manor is changing. Nor would he discuss the merits of english basements! His goal is to scare people off, so he exaggerates crime statistics!