House of the Day: 540 16th Street
This charming Arts and Crafts house at 540 16th Street in Windsor Terrace started out as a FSBO asking $1,550,000 before it moved to a small, local broker and got a new price tag of $1,499,999. Now Brooklyn Properties has the listing and is offering the one-family house for $1,350,000. It’s a charmer, to be…
This charming Arts and Crafts house at 540 16th Street in Windsor Terrace started out as a FSBO asking $1,550,000 before it moved to a small, local broker and got a new price tag of $1,499,999. Now Brooklyn Properties has the listing and is offering the one-family house for $1,350,000. It’s a charmer, to be sure (kitchen and bathrooms aside). Think the new asking price is reasonable?
540 16th Street [Brooklyn Properties] GMAP P*Shark
Wow, you could get the same house in Bay Ridge for 7-800K, do your own customizing for about 50-75K and have home that is much nicer than this.
I am a 4th generation WT lady. I didn’t grow up in WT but I live here now and am keeping the family name alive. I love WT and love it more than PS b/c it has that small, local community feel. We all have block parties and talk to one another and I just think it’s a much more communal feel than PS.
As I always say to people about WT – you have everything you need to live your life in PPW, but you can walk 5 blocks to PS and buy yourself a $4 cupcake, it’s the best of both worlds.
“Turcod, because a small $1.3 million house in Windsor Terrace goes for $2.8 million in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens… and then even the $300k per year person is priced out of the market.”
As somebody pointed out which seems to have been missed in the WT vs. PS squabbling, this house is 1,292 square feet.
So actually yes, you can buy a 1,292 square foot house in PS/Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens for less than $1.5 million. Park Slope isn’t more than $1K per square foot these days, is it? The problem is not price but that you can’t find a house that small there. The houses in Park Slope are $2.8 million because they’re large, 3-story and 4-story brownstones. Of course they cost more.
Mis Muffett- you are correct of course. What I dislike so much in these discussions is the argument that someone couldn’t possibly want to live in WT (or Crown Heights or Bed-Stuy or PLG…)instead of Park Slope. That’s the part that pushes my buttons.
“Let’s face it, Windsor Terrace is a neighborhood for people who can’t afford Park Slope but still want to be in the area. Sort of like Prospect Heights. At any given price point, if the same thing were available in the Slope proper, pretty much anyone would choose to live in the Slope”
Grrrrr.I wouldn’t dream of telling anyone they’re an elitist fool spending that much money to live in Park Slope.If my preference is WT that should be respected. I don’t even live in WT, but similar things are said about my neighborhood.
That said, prices in NYC for housing are over the top everywhere (I think this is where What will jump in).
Can I agree with Lurker AND jawbreaker at the same time?
Perceptions, erroneous or otherwise do affect us. People reading the blog want to know about neighborhoods and far too many posters write about places they’ve never lived, let alone set foot in. And that’s fine except for insisting people see WT as a make do option for those who can’t afford Park Slope. Judging from the posts there’s ample evidence that those who live in WT love it and want to live there, not in Park Slope.
I take what people write here at face value. Why would I not believe you if you say you prefer WT to PS? Should I insist you couldn’t possibly like it more than PS because I like PS better?
Discussions about neighborhoods always end up being so defensive which is a shame. Clearly, each person may feel differently about different areas, and they all have their pros (and cons). But there’s a reason in real estate that one says “location, location, location”. Crown Heights has gorgeous homes, and many love the community, but for a variety of reasons (one can debate endlessly whether they are just or not), the marketplace reflects that that neighborhood is, for many people, less desirable than say Fort Greene. Since this blog often is to discuss the merits of a house *relative to* its price (maybe the HOTD should have a subtitle “It’s the price, stupid”), I think it’s fair to talk about the value of a neighborhood relative to overall market dynamics. One could also talk about fashion in the same way – is a $200 pair of jeans from a fancy designer really better than a $50 pair of Levis? Many would say not, but it’s about a marketplace that has a lot of complex factors. Anyway, I like WT just fine, and this house has its charm, but I still think it’s way overpriced.
It’s only a downer if you care what other people think.
Nice post katie. Whether or not the house makes financial sense, the comparisons and elitist attitudes re WT are a downer. At least we didn’t have gary cooper calling WT residents losers because they may have to walk up a whole 5 steps to the porch.
I love WT and wish I had the bucks to buy this lovely little house. I’d pick it over PS anyday, because it appeals more to me for a variety of reasons and not because it’s better than PS (or any other neighborhood). Just because it’s different.
Besides- it ain’t that hard to get to PS or Smith St.to shop or eat. But when I’m home, I want a quiet neighborhood, a roomy space, and a different way of living that doesn’t include being trendy, frenetic and desperate to show prove cool my neighborhood supposedly is.
Totally agree with many of the posts that most people live where they want to and enjoy the aspects of their nabe which are important to them. Pricier nabes are usally pricy for a reason, like proximity to Manhattan and proximity to other people with whom people identify or want to identify. But plenty of people don’t live in the most expensive places their money could buy. If you’re bashing other people’s preferences it comes off like you are trying to convince yourself you made the right choice.