Real Estate: September 2007 Archives

So I happened upon 45 3rd Place (the renovated brownstone at the corner of Clinton with the rather unsightly rear addition) yesterday during its open house. My curiosity got the better of me, so I walked through with a friend. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised what 1.5 million will get you, but I was. The main selling point, in my opinion, is the light. Corner brownstones have a lot of it, and the interior renovation made the most of it, especially in the top unit's living room with its skylights. The quality of the renovation, though, was shockingly bad. I realize it wasn't finished yet, but so many little details gone awry: shower tile that was not flush with the wall, banisters so loose you could shake them, missing or badly applied woodwork, poorly installed lighting, etc. Every room had several eyesores that screamed, "the owner does not care about details." Of the three bedrooms only one in each apartment was of any notable size. The other two would be suitable only for offices or small children. And although the places have central air, they also have steam-heat baseboards, a real problem in a small room when you're trying to figure out where to place furniture. The real estate agent, though, was really nice.

Top floor: $1,555,000, with $440 common charges
Bottom floor (still with those two broken windows):  $1,595,000 with $459 common charges