House of the Day: 325 East 17th Street
Corcoran must have used an entire case of Pledge shining up the woodwork for the photos of 325 East 17th Street. The Beverley Square East Victorian has lots of original woodwork and inherent charm but the renovation (which must be pretty recent) feels a little overdone to us in places (a 48-inch commercial stove?) and…
Corcoran must have used an entire case of Pledge shining up the woodwork for the photos of 325 East 17th Street. The Beverley Square East Victorian has lots of original woodwork and inherent charm but the renovation (which must be pretty recent) feels a little overdone to us in places (a 48-inch commercial stove?) and lacking in taste in others (what’s up with that fence). It’s like the owner is trying to force an attractive middle-class house and put it on steroids in the hopes of selling it for top dollar. It’ll be interest to see how the asking price of $1,695,000 goes over. This is east of the tracks, after all, a far cry from Westminster or Argyle Road when it comes to property values. There was an open house yesterday—did anyone check it out?
325 East 17th Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
Disclaimer: I live in Ditmas Park. That said, the price does seem a little high. But no more than $200K high. To correct some other comments here, however:
1) My commute to Times Sq. is 35 minutes. It takes FAR LESS time to do so than it does from Park Slope on the F line.
2) Amenities here are much better than Carroll Gardens used to have when I moved there in the 1980s, or than Ft Greene had in the 90s. There’s no comparison with suburbia at all, other than the look of the house and lot. There are excellent restaurants, cleaners, great ethnic food, etc. etc. all within walking distance.
3) The schools are not bad here at all. PS 217, nearby on Newkirk, is pretty good. My kid got a great education at Hudde middle school a few years ago, on Nostrand. There is no comparably good middle school in Carroll Gardens. There are excellent high schools not far away (Murrow, Midwood), unlike Park Slope. These schools compare favorably with most suburbs.
4) Big space is REALLY nice; once you have it you don’t go back. Also, there is pressure for these spaces from big Jewish and Asian families in nearby nabes. And I never waste time anymore hunting for a parking place (I know, sounds suburban, but it is surely worth something.)
So the block is not landmarked. That’s the problem. Otherwise I bet it would go for asking price.
You’re right 5:54. I was just so blown away by the size, being used to cramped spaces, that I was overwhelmed.
I would love to buy this house, and turn it into a neighborhood art/music school or something (as well as live in it). Along the lines of the Slope Music School on 9th Street… and since it’s not landmarked, you could paint some really nice colors.
That’s the point where you move to Queens.
so at what point are we going to say that you might as well live by the beach and add an extra 10min to your commute than live in bensonhurst.
personal choices are just that. I also understand why a family chooses to live in 800 square feet in the east village because they could “never” move to brooklyn. To each his/her own. But remember there are people for a variety of reasons see the logic at this price range to choose it over a smaller space in a more amenity driven nabe. They just value certain things more than others.
I like the chandelier in the bedroom. Nice Home Depot touch…
an hour is a long way to midtown (so is 40 minutes) to live in a not so hot area.
i too like space, but found more like 2000 ish with a yard in a condo. my husband’s commute is maybe 15 minutes tops and mine’s like 20-25 min. plus, we have everything walking distance and have made great friends in the building that we have a lot in common with.
this seems like it would be isolating in every way.
and, expensive.
This house, and others in the area, present an interesting conundrum. After drooling over the enormity of this and other Victorian Flatbush properties, we concluded today that buying a house of this size, no matter how much of a deal it seems relative to Park Slope or Fort Greene brownstones, is not the right thing for us. We don’t really need THAT much space, and we’re not sure we want to be slaves to the upkeep required to really maintain a nice house. They are beautiful homes, but way too big, and far away. We’d rather go with a smaller property closer to downtown Brooklyn & Manhattan.