House of the Day: 208 Hancock Street
The days of someone paying a lot of money for a wreck of a house in Bed Stuy are over, if they were ever really here at all. (Most of the houses in Bed Stuy that sold for close to a million dollars or more in the last couple of years were either in good…
The days of someone paying a lot of money for a wreck of a house in Bed Stuy are over, if they were ever really here at all. (Most of the houses in Bed Stuy that sold for close to a million dollars or more in the last couple of years were either in good shape or had something pretty spectacular to recommend them.) As much as we dig the exterior of this brownstone at 208 Hancock Street, we’d be very surprised if someone paid the asking price of $859,000. There are no interior photos of the 3-family, 3,600-square-foot house, but judging from those windows, we’d be surprised if the inside of the house had been particularly well-preserved. So what do you think the market is for something like this? Not very strong, we’d guess.
208 Hancock Street [Weichert] GMAP P*Shark
so much misinformation! sure the area was still plagued with crime in the early 90s, but this area is safe and covered by operation impact. the 3 murders (down from 12 at this time last year) were nowhere near these blocks. this house is one of a series of 8 (I think). These houses have lots of original details, with walnut parlor w. burlwood inlay (similar to clinton hill mansions), oak & mohagany on other floors. Original floors are very detailed. restaurants are coming this fall on nostrand/hancock, and the area is changing. A lot of good decent families in the area. AS for the price, not sure coz there’s still an sro status to convert, but no need for bullet proof vest!!!
And I didn’t mean my last comment to sound angry at all. I appreciate your views as you live in the neighborhood and I clearly don’t. I don’t want to seem anti Bed Stuy at all, because I’m not. I don’t think it’s the neighborhood for me, but I find the fabric and diversity of all Brooklyn neighborhoods incredible and fascinating.
I was more commenting on this particular house, which by way of this thread, you seem to be defending the entire neighborhood.
This house is overpriced for what it is, in my opinion. And 859K (probably needing 300K to bring up to date?) is affordable to probably 20% of the population. There was a time when the percentage of people who were interested (and could afford) in reviving some of these great old neighborhoods was much, much greater. That’s all.
Good luck with the renovations.
Well rh, you could ask any person in my life and I guarantee they’d say I’m one of the most optimistic people they know. True story.
You see what you want to see, but the fact is that if you are here trying to say that this house should be priced at 859K in THIS market with a complete update needing to be done (including mechanicals, says Dave) in a neighborhood which has a handful of murders a year and poor (but improving, I’m guessing) schools, little in the way of services for a person/family spending this kind of money on a house, then YOU are part of the reason why we just had a massive housing bubble.
You don’t seem to even be able to see past your own rose colored glasses. This price is absurd for what/where it is. That’s my only point. Not that Bed Stuy isn’t a terrific place to live for some. I’m thrilled there are people like you there doing great things for the neighborhood. But if there were more of you, the area would be even better. No?
I don’t fault you for loving your neighborhood or your house, but I do fault you for trying to convince people that a house in this condition is worth 859K in Bed Stuy in 2008.
I have no idea why you are arguing the “fits and starts” thing either. Would you classify things differently?? If Myrtle’s redevelopment can be said to be happening in fits and starts, then I’d say the rest of Bed Stuy is well behind that curve, because I personally think the transformation of Myrtle has been swift and drastic. In a (mostly) good way.
You are so right rh. Right now I am busy with renovations and trying to keep my block clean. Maybe in the next 2 years I can start with bigger projects in the neighborhood like planting more trees,courting new business, landmarking and PTA etc.
Fits and starts may make sense to you, but I’m just telling you the facts, that the woman was talking about the opposite end of Bed Stuy. Direct from her blog: http://www.bedstuyblog.com/2008/07/28/bed-stuy-in-the-news/#comments
“When I was contacted by the reporter, he told me that he was interested in doing a story on the changes occurring on Myrtle Avenue. He interviewed several residents and business owners along the avenue, and he even tried to get in touch with the pastor of the church located on Myrtle between Nostrand and Marcy (the church’s name escapes me and I’m not sure if he ever got the chance to interview the pastor). I’m sure that some of the negative feelings people have been having towards his piece would never have emerged had the title been “Growing Pains Come and Go on Myrtle Avenue.â€
I guess I’m one of those middle income people you speak of. I don’t have time to go to meetings because I’m too busy fixing up my house. Just like a lot of other old timers and newcomers.
No offense, but you’re more negative than my husband. And he’s bad! 😉
11217
Those kind of people never left BedStuy. Who do you think are selling brownstones? They’re the people who organized for the K-8 school on Gates Avenue or sent their kids to Holy Rosary. When the kids were older they took the Nostrand Avenue bus to Hudde and Midwood (eg. Bill Thompson.)
Do you know how the Brower Park branch of the BPL started? Mothers didn’t want their children crossing Atlantic Avenue to go to the Macon Branch or Eastern Parkway to get to the Eastern Parkway branch. That was in the ’60s.
Slappy lives in South Park.
11217 You are totally right and you are obviously not bashing BedStuy by no means. You were also right before – this house is overpriced.
Slappy, I’m actually moving to Bedford-Gothams next week. And I’m very excited 🙂 Bringing my Tea Cup Yorkie and Espresso maker as well. Yippee!!
Rh:
Fits and starts makes sense though because Bed Stuy hasn’t been able to capture a tipping point of middle income people who are the ones who spend the time and money to really invest in the neighborhood. They are there, sure…but not in the numbers necessary to make for drastic change. Some people might consider that a good thing…
There seem to be many middle income black families who have kept the neighborhood together for the past few decades, then there are the $2000 a month renters at the Mynt who just want the services there yesterday and then there are the people who spent 800K – a million plus on a house in the past 5 years.
The people who changed many of the other Brownstone neighborhoods were those who spent 250K-500K on a house, spent time renovating it, cleaning up the streets, going to PTA meetings and working with their block associations to clean up crime.
Bed Stuy needs more of those folks, but was kinda missed because it hit it’s stride right at the beginning of the largest housing boom in U.S. history.