Open House Picks
Park Slope 360 4th Street Warren Lewis Sunday 2:30-4:30pm $1,980,000 GMAP Prospect Lefferts 30 Midwood Street Brown Harris Stevens Sunday 2-4pm $1,495,000 GMAP Crown Heights 179 Kingston Avenue Corcoran Sunday 2-4pm $899,000 GMAP Crown Heights 1160 Sterling Place Outreach Real Estate Saturday 2-4pm $749,000 GMAP
Park Slope
360 4th Street
Warren Lewis
Sunday 2:30-4:30pm
$1,980,000
GMAP
Prospect Lefferts
30 Midwood Street
Brown Harris Stevens
Sunday 2-4pm
$1,495,000
GMAP
Crown Heights
179 Kingston Avenue
Corcoran
Sunday 2-4pm
$899,000
GMAP
Crown Heights
1160 Sterling Place
Outreach Real Estate
Saturday 2-4pm
$749,000
GMAP
Sorry, I meant to sign off on the above post (5:03 p.m. on 10/16) as “GardensGal”
“However don’t waste your time telling me why my money is misspent.”
Thank you, Nativegal! As usual, you have taken the words right out of my mouth. It’s clear that PLG isn’t for everybody. However, for those of us who have set down roots and have embraced the place, it’s a beloved home and community. And, for some, the desire to live in our nabe, one that is dominated by low-income people of color (and with businesses that cater to the dominant population),has begun to cross the $1M mark. Imagine that! What’s next? Is there a bridge for sale somewhere in Brooklyn?
Seriously though, I know there are some on this forum who will never understand why we PLGers have bought homes here, including some who already live in the nabe. And, that’s really ok! My only complaint is that whenever we PLGers try to share just a little bit of neighborhood pride (as do posters of every other Brooklyn community that gets discussed on this Forum) a handful of posters respond with an exaggerated bashing fest.
If we are honest about it, the price of real estate in the nation, in the Northeast, in New York, in Brooklyn and, yes, even in predominantly low income neighborhoods with great architecture and proximity to transportation and cultural attractions (e.g. Harlem) has soared wildly out of proportion to what most of us would consider to be “reasonable.” Given that then, why is there such particularized alarm over what is happening to real estate prices in PLG? It’s all insanity!
Excuse me — what playgrounds? And a “short” walk to PH/PS/CH — in the summer it might be bucolic, but a 30 minute hike to those places is NOT fun in the depths of winter, or under the pouring rain, or when you’re just tired from working all day and want to sit down and be taken care of — and since my formal dining room doesn’t come with servants, that doesn’t quite work either. And sometimes maybe you’d just like a romantic dinner out for two, not a dinner party circuit.
And dinner and dancing at the Brooklyn Museum? Would you be referring to First Fridays? 1. That’s once a month. 2. It’s packed and not very conducive to a relaxed meal.
And I don’t have a kid or a stroller (nor do I ever intend to) and I don’t find the Associated on Nostrand particularly clean or friendly and I don’t come back home with a load of groceries from there (especially since they don’t carry many of the products I use (check out their lettuce selection — iceberg or… iceberg!), and I would never touch their meat or fresh produce), so I don’t need help from the people blasting their car radios. Oh, and I’ll bet your friends in the ‘burbs have minivans to haul around their groceries, so they don’t need the help either…
And I call 311 at least 2 times a week about the never-ending car alarm symphony on Lincoln Road and sometimes on Lefferts Ave — the most recent time was this morning, when it started at 7 am and continued at least until 9 am, when I left for work.
My whole point in this is that the neighborhood, which definitely does have its good points, is so NOT worth the money being asked here, and the fact that someone’s already paid $1.3 million for a house doesn’t make it right — you know the old adage about “if everyone jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge…”
And Nativegal, I’m sure you paid ALOT less than current asking prices for your house, so no, you’re money isn’t misspent, but people looking at shelling out over $1 million might want to think again. PLG is fine for me, based on my (for the moment) cheap rent, and therefore I put up with these things, but for someone looking to move into the neighborhood and pay the same as Clinton Hill, or more than Stuyvesant Heights, it makes no sense.
AKA anoynomous 2:13 What point? The last time I checked I had access to all that NYC has to offer for the price of a metrocard or less. My point is I didn’t buy in PLG because I wanted to fall out of bed and into a bar. And neither did most of my neighbors.
PLG’s rep is that we are a “family friendly” neighborhood. A place where you know your neighbors & they know you. Where even if you don’t have a dime in your pocket, you & your children can still have fun at the many playgrounds, fly kites in Prospect Park & learn about plants at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens or jazz at the Brooklyn Childrens Museum.
Dinner out. Well as a poster remarked previously, the dinner party circuit can’t be beat. Bring a $12 bottle of wine, chip in for a local teenager to watch the kids in the basement and a good time is had by all. Or walk a few scenic blocks to PS/PH/CH and enjoy the restuarants there.
Date night. Dinner & dancing at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Bring your own dinner & the kids if you want. Meet all your neighbors there.
My neighbors hanging out blasting the loud music are the same ones that run across the street to help with my daughter’s stroller, loaded with groceries from associateds. My friends in the burbs don’t get that type of service. They also stop the music at a reasonable hour. In 3 summers I’ve only had to call 311 once and the response was immediate.
Those of us buying in PLG have little desire to live in the next hipsterville. That the supermarket closes by 8pm is inconvient, but not a deal breaker. A few more sit down restuarants would be nice, but I’d rather be able to walk to the museums & botanic gardens, which for most people even in PS is a haul that forces them to use their cars. If that doesn’t fit your needs then do what I’ve done. vote with your dollars. However don’t waste your time telling me why my money is misspent.
You prove my point… Dunkin’ Donuts, your living room as a place to go to eat out? Nobody’s denying places have sold for high prices recently in PLG, just whether it’s reasonable to pay prices on par with Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/South Slope for what you are getting in terms of neighborhood amenities (i.e. very little).
The fact that someone paid 1.3 for a house in PLM does not mean that that was a wise investement or a good way for them to spend the money. If all you want is a large, attractive home and friendly neighbors, then fine. But many people want more than Dunkin Donuts and Associated. That’s why we live in the city. If that is all you want, why not move to the burbs, were you can get the big home, great neighbors, better stores, better coffe houses, and better schools. And not have anyone hanging out on the sidewalk blaring loud music.
“I am not casting aspersions on anyone who lives in PLG, but it is tough to pay that much for a house and not have many places to go within walking distance in the neighborhood where you can sit down and have something to eat or a cup of coffee etc., read a book, go to a clean grocery store.”
LOL! You people are hilarious. The facts are that a house on the same street has already sold for over $1.3mil. So this asking price is not so far out of line.
We own a 2family house in the PLG historic district and are currently looking for a 1-famin the area. We could afford $1.4mil if we wanted to sell our current house, but we don’t. Current rents are more than enough to cover the cost of a house we purchased less than 3yrs ago, so we’ll keep it as an investment & future retirement home. Then we’ll need less space and appreciate having everything on one level.
When we purchase our next house it won’t be with equity, but money we’ve actually earned. It’s an investment we feel comfortable making in the neighborhood. As for a place to sit down & eat, it’s called my formal dining room. If I want, the resturants of PS/PH are less than a 10-block walk from my house. A place for a cup of coffee? Dunkin Donuts suits me just fine. The only thing I’ve ever bought from Starbucks was a Ray Charles cd.
Maybe the Associateds on Nostrand Ave is not to your taste, but it is clean & friendly. And yes Fresh Direct as well as Urban Organics deliver here as well.
And before you ask about the public schools, my daughter is only 2. However since both my spouse & I are products of the NYC school system, we intend to send our daughter to her zoned school as well. PS161 has an excellent reputation and is k-8, after we fully expect her to attend one of the better public high schools just as we did.
That’s a silly post clinton hillbilly. It is less about the drugs, as has been stated, as that can be an issue in many areas, but more about the lack of amenities in PLG to justify the high prices.
Buyer Beware
One time I saw someone buy crack on the Upper Westside, oh yeah and one time I saw someone buy heroin in Fort Greene, and one time I saw someone buy pot in Washington Square Park, and one time I was at this party in Manhattan and people were doing coke there. So look out if you’re considering buying a house in any of these neighborhoods.