Open House Picks
Park Slope 52 Berkeley Place Brooklyn Properties Sunday 12-2 $2,750,000 GMAP P*Shark Midwood 490 East 24th Street Fillmore Sat 2-4, Sun 2-4 $1,177,000 GMAP P*Shark Sunset Park 515 45th Street Century 21 Sunday 12:30-2 $999,000 GMAP P*Shark Bedford Stuyvesant 696 Halsey Street FSBO Sunday 12-2 $690,000 GMAP P*Shark
Park Slope
52 Berkeley Place
Brooklyn Properties
Sunday 12-2
$2,750,000
GMAP P*Shark
Midwood
490 East 24th Street
Fillmore
Sat 2-4, Sun 2-4
$1,177,000
GMAP P*Shark
Sunset Park
515 45th Street
Century 21
Sunday 12:30-2
$999,000
GMAP P*Shark
Bedford Stuyvesant
696 Halsey Street
FSBO
Sunday 12-2
$690,000
GMAP P*Shark
i’ve lived my entire life in ditmas park— many people have lived in these houses forever- and thus many do not yet have “modern” amenitites like central air… that having been said, it’s the broker’s fault for not advising the client to declutter signficantly. that’s part of what a broker is paid to do- make the client’s property as desirable to others as possible- so while a grandma might be living here, it’s also likely that this house has been in a single family for a while, and that they dont live with a minimalist aesthetic. also, many people dont know how to decorate a victorian house, and fall into the trap that just because they live in one, the need to decorate the house as it “might have been”– personally, i like a mix of old and new (that doesnt necessarily mean eames, or fru-fru grandma)… just to mix things in a pleasing, unexpected way…
Maria –
No, it is not a reflection of how white a South Midwood or Midwood proper is. South Midwood is part of Victorian Flatbush, which includes neighborhoods such as Ditmas Park, Prospect Park South, Beverley Square West, etc.. It therefore benefits from a lot of grass roots organizations geared toward families in the neighborhood, such as Flatbush Family Network, Flatbush Athletics, etc… Midwood, although not without exception, is largely an orthadox Jewish neighborhood, catering to the needs of that community.
There is still some great, albeit limited, Victorian housing stock in Midwood (Manhattan Terrace, now absorbed by Midwood, just south of the Avenue H subway cut was, in fact, originally concieved as an original Victorian Flatbush development).
And as far as the current listing being “Grandma’s House” – you’ll find that this is often the case in Victorian Flatbush. Families tend to stay put here, for thirty years plus, and with good reason.
to 1:32
the listing indicates First time on Market. So, yes, Grandma probably does live there.
I had the opposite experience. I bought a 100 year old victorian style house in the area two years ago. renters were in the building previously who faux (faux pas) painted everything yellow/red/orange and or navy blue including the picture rails and moldings. they had a mexican/hippie protest circus theme going on(they were not mexican, not a racist comment, just comment on style. but they were protest artists.)
I took great pains to restore the walls to a more period correct color and fix the moldings and trim. I furnished it with, yes, victorian style furniture much were from family or antique finds.
I looked past what the house had in it before I bought and saw how I wanted it – Victorian Style. I’m surprised the lack of imagination people can have. BTW there are alot of television shows that show you how to envision a wreck of a house to the way you can make it also.
So ignore how it looks, paint everything white, put in your Eames furniture and track light it to death, when you move in if that’s what you want. If you don’t like Victorian architecture and the way people decorate Victorian Style houses, move on…More for us who do.
to 1:15pm…Midwood North Midwood South what’s the difference, cause more non-white people live there?
John Ife: problem is also with ‘officia’ sq ftage. data. You say 4 story – but maybe in recs as 3 story (some say difference is how much below grade garden level is). So if calculated per sq ft price and added another story – your estimate of $400 is probably right (or even conservative). Zillow est. for my house is like that… recs show my sq ft as about 2400 when it is more like 3200 with garden floor.
I am not a broker…but observe houses that go on market around me — and those move-in condition seem to go quickly. Also 2 friends just listed their 1 bedroom coops in ParkSLope at what I thought was very aggressive prices and got that Plus a bit more in just a few weeks.
Only way I see AY is bringing down prices is if turns into low-income project. Other than that makes no difference. Seem to be lot of skittish people thinking a new apt building replacing empty lots or rundown landscape is a negative. But that isn’t reality. (I don’t have problem with scope of AY or the arena — only question is how kuch public money is going into this/subsidies)
To 1:50 PM – I can see the furniture in the pix are not the greatest, but what kind of furniture would you decorate that house with – I’m just trying to learn.
The market is tight and it’s going to get a lot tighter. Many, many people I deal with are terrified because they feel the prospect of AY makes real estate a very bad investment in a very large swath of Brooklyn. I personally think that is false, but it is a fairly widespread belief. I have also seen plenty of sellers who were selling largely because they fear they’ll lose their shirts if they sell after AY is built.
Again, I think such fears are completely unfounded, but plenty of people have ’em. And yes, I’m a broker so feel free to discount anything I say.
Zillow is total crap. My house, on State between Nevins & Third (a REALLY nice block), which is in good shape, 20′ x 45′ and 4 stories is estimated by Zillow at $1.388 million. I’m guessing that’s about $400k low. Dammit, they’re selling crappy 1,000 SF condos down the block for around 700k! I can’t be bothered to register and check with Trulia, but I suspect their “data” is just about as trustworthy.
okay, one more: 442 46th street, $699k, 11/06. comps, people, comps! compare how many have sold for 999k in the last year with the number that have sold in the 600s. of course there are outliers on both sides, but the avg (or perhaps median) price of a three-story house in prime Sunset Park is around $650k.