House of the Day: 210 Bergen Street
Today’s House of the Day at 210 Bergen Street was featured on this year’s Boerum Hill House Tour. The single-family brownstone (which the listing describes as being four stories while we count only three) was recently gut-renovated and, unlike many similar efforts that turn us off, this one turned out very nicely in our opinion….
Today’s House of the Day at 210 Bergen Street was featured on this year’s Boerum Hill House Tour. The single-family brownstone (which the listing describes as being four stories while we count only three) was recently gut-renovated and, unlike many similar efforts that turn us off, this one turned out very nicely in our opinion. Do you agree? How about that asking price of $2,095,000?
210 Bergen Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
Update: Turns out the architect of this place is Coburn Architecture. It was easy to get our hands on a section drawing showing how you get four floors since we are subtenants in their office!
I have heard that this house is now in contract almost 10% above asking, proving again that most commenters on Brownstoner have no clue as to what they are talking about.
Week 4 on the market ends with no contract.
i also attended the OH. my impression is that it’s easy get caught up with this place when you’re there (we did), but after we left and thought about it a bit more, the price started to seem awfully high. the fact that this house has been wonderfully renovated + the whole is-it-3-stories-or-4 thing make it pretty tough to value. two thoughts – if you wanted to do something similar my guess is you could save yourself a few hundred thousand in the process. also, a bit concerned about the future value at this price vs the neighborhood averages
a few more points to add to crispywhenfried-
– top floor was a bit disappointing, partly due to the staircase which seems a bit rickety and like it needs to be redone
– no really good place for largeish dining table … even the round table in the kitchen didn’t seem to fit all that well, and the table in the photos that appears to be slightly in the living room wasn’t there
– the outside & front area looked like they could use some work
owners have had multiple offers above ask but may not sell.
Last post didn’t go through — this is a paraphrase — apologies if both make it through the queue.
Went to the OH over the weekend as a set of extra eyes for a friend interested in the property.
Positives:
– Beautiful renovation of the lower levels
– Central AC and built-in speakers were a very nice touch
– Nice combination of historical touches and contemporary features
Negatives:
– The top floor was only minimally renovated with no central AC; window units had a hard time dealing with the weekend heat
– Floor plate of each level is really quite small, accentuating the verticality of the living space — you’d need good knees and strong glutes!
– Play area at the garden level was a total waste of space; would have been nice to move the kitchen down to that level, but after carving out room for storage and mechanicals, you are not left with much to work with
– The core activity area (kitchen, main living area) on the parlor floor is really two flights up from the garden: looking out the kitchen window, you don’t get the sense of being right there in the garden — a waste, in my opinion
– The separation of the third bedroom from the bedrooms on the top floor is good only if you intend to use it for guests; as a 2nd child’s room, would not be ideal.
– After leaving the OH, I was approached for a handout by someone just round the corner — perhaps not surprising given proximity of the projects, but really speaks to how things can change from block to block. Anyone living on the block can comment on that?
Which brings us to comps: how does one square with the $915 psf ask? A reasonable comp would be the comparably-sized garden duplexes on President between Court and Smith that were part of a condo conversion. Facing Carroll Park, a literal stone’s throw from PS58, representing a total gut with central air, outdoor space, and “everything new in a historical shell”. Those went for $700 – 750 psf.
Will the sellers get their ask? It’s hard to say, but if they do, it’ll come from a Manhattanite who’s not done his/her homework (there were quite a few in evidence at the OH, coming through with their brokers).
Coming in from the city, it’s easy to fall in love with a pretty brownstone that shows as well as 210 Bergen does. That said, my analysis suggests that the price is really aggressive. As they say, all it takes is one willing buyer to make a market, and I’d be curious what this goes for.
Went to open house to help serve as (a hopefully objective) bouncing board for a friend interested in the property.
On the plus side:
– Very nicely done renovation for the parlor and lower levels
– Blend of period and contemporary details was definitely in evidence
– Built-in speakers and central air were a very nice touch — and put to good use during the OH
On the minus side:
– Top floor only got the basic do-over with no central air — the window unit ACs at full blast were struggling to contain the summer heat — and not quite succeeding.
– The verticality of the layout echoes some of the concerns by prior Bstoner comments — one would need strong knees and glutes!
– The playroom at the garden level is a wasted use of space — and way too far from the main core of the house.
– If you consider the core living space to be centered around the kitchen and main living room at the parlor floor, you are effectively 3 floors up from the garden — you certainly don’t feel close to the garden looking out from the kitchen window. Moving the kitchen down to the garden level would have been nice, but the small floor plate after carving out storage and mechanical room at that level does not make this really feasible — which again speaks to the limitations of that garden-level room.
– The rumble and drone of the Bergen St bus was certainly noticeable — not Manhattan sirens but not idyllic by any stretch. And it looks like the buyer will have to deal with the total gut reno that is in progress right next door. Another 12 months to go?
– After leaving the OH, we were approached for a handout by someone at the street corner — not quite unexpected given proximity to the projects, but speaks to how things can change quickly from one block to the next.
Which brings us to comps — what IS a reasonable comp for what is essentially a total gut of a beautiful historic shell?
I had been monitoring the condo conversion of 277 President (between Court and Smith), a couple of townhouses cleverly combined into a few condo’s. The two garden duplexes there provide a good comp, as they share many features of what you see here (central air, new everything, sizeable outdoor space), but with the added plus of facing Carroll Park, being half a block from the subway and being a stone’s throw from PS58. Those duplexes sold in the low to mid $700’s/psf. It is hard to see how 210 Bergen could be asking for $915 psf — should a well-staged property on a sunny day really command so much more of a premium?
Given the turnout at the OH, especially by many Manhattan-dwelling types (based on dress and comments by their accompanying realtors), it would be interesting to see how close to the ask it goes for — by the numbers and comps, it certainly seems super-aggressive, but you only need one buyer and one seller to make a market.
I’d be curious for what other OH attendees thought.
CGfan,
I agree.
Especially at this price.
While the renovation is a creative use of the space and very appealing, there is still a substantial usability issue with the house. For one thing, the parlor floor/kitchen is going to be the main living space and it’s two floors away from the kids’ playroom. I would hate that. The floor right below the parlor floor feels like wasted space, and it’s not ideal to have a 3rd kid sleep down there, 2 floors below the other bedrooms. And, I’d want a parlor floor kitchen with a deck out to the yard — with this layout you have to bring food 2 floors down to the ground. It’s nice to have a beautifully renovated space, but most families would be better off buying a typical 4 story building at this price, where there’s no need to do a complicated renovation to achieve the same result (parlor floor, 2 floors of bedrooms above, playroom out to garden below). You end up with a more usable space.
this is nice, but it’s very much also about a professional’s help with interior space organization and interior decoration at least re: lighting from i can see.
i don’t really see how you guys love this, but hate new construction – what’s the difference – brick? the brick on this house isn’t old either, and the front is super blah design wise.
back to miss muffet – agree about the space on one floor which all other concerns aside, made us go for an apt over a building. essentially, we got all our shared space on one floor.
the vertical living thing is a hassle.