House of the Day: 68 Skillman Avenue
Well, there’s one thing you can say for sure about 68 Skillman Avenue: Those floors sure are shiny! The 2,500-square-foot house has just had a full make-over but we’re not loving the results. Sure everything looks neat and tidy but it’s got neither the charm of an old house nor the sexiness of a modern…
Well, there’s one thing you can say for sure about 68 Skillman Avenue: Those floors sure are shiny! The 2,500-square-foot house has just had a full make-over but we’re not loving the results. Sure everything looks neat and tidy but it’s got neither the charm of an old house nor the sexiness of a modern one. And for $1,495,000, we’d want one or the other.
68 Skillman Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
It’ll sell for $1.4.
Then it will be torn down.
Then someone will build something scarono-esque on its ashes and sell each floor for $700K.
All of this is a shame, because these little italian houses are well-built, and when this was an italian neighborhood, it was a cute little place. Lights at Christmas, everyone knew everyone on the block, no crime, etc. However, things have changed, and with the italians, went most of the charm. At some point, architecture “should” trump location — and this is not a million dollar house. Not even a $900K house. Living a block from the BQE is not an advantage. What did that house on Orient with the pool finally sell for? Because that… that, I could almost see as a $1.4 million dollar house. (Also, I knew the bookie that used to live there. He had it fixed up nice.)
However, I’ve met too many families who have spent $800K and up in this neighborhood to think that insane pricing doesn’t happen. I think, if you think this is trading up from the Soho loft you inherited, or if you’re cashing in your trust fund, or if you’re just a marketing executive who wants to be artsy… of a certain mindset, you’re going to break this down by square footage and decide it is a good deal. After all, there are artisanal butchers nearby! And everyone knows PS 132 is the only school in Williamsburg that anyone wants to send their kids to! Plus, Union Pool! And… it’s the new Tribeca. (Never mind that the old Tribeca has most of the same issues in terms of traffic, pollution and general unlovelines — as long as there’s expensive retail, it’s obviously livable.
The mindset boggles my mind, but I have seen it too much to deny its existence.
For all the panning on the design choices – many of the complaints are ridiculously easy fixes – its got a few decent selling points: a decent block, very good school district, and more than enough home:
2530 sq ft of finished living space
1265 sq ft basement
1105 private back yard
Not easy finding 4900 sq ft in Brooklyn which you don’t have to share with anyone for under 1.5M.
quote:
i get a good laugh when these people make it just like their dream staten island home
really classless thing to say. someone from manhattan could EASILY have said about brooklyn just 10 years ago. staten island is part of nyc. let me guess, you aren’t from nyc or anywhere in the vicinity.
*rob*
um this house has NOTHING on the housewives of nj. hahahhaha. yeah sometimes im embarrassed to say im from jersey because of the decorating tastes of lots of people in jersey in large homes, but then again, there is just as much tacky in nyc, but it’s a different kind of tacky. hello, see real housewives of new york city!
*rob*
more saving more doing. that’s the power of the home dipshit.
goes great with the directbuy furniture.
i get a good laugh when these people make it just like their dream staten island home
no fan of the house, but this is a solid area. very safe with great amenities on union, metropolitan and graham. close to subways and park and a couple of minutes walk to amenities in north/west burg. to say this is least desirable is bat sh*t crazy. um, way south or way east has actual projects and such.
this area was italian, so you get the great butcher and no crime (very much like cobble hill/carroll gardens really).
also, zoned for ps132, which is an excellent public school, and not very easy to get into if you’re not in the zone. would bet quite a bit that the high price reflects the school zone.
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/355125-multi-147-calyer-greenpoint-brooklyn
I’d rather spend $1 million in Greenpoint on this house than $1.5 million to live on Skillman. This is the least desirable part of Williamsburg. Seriously! No charm whatsoever, close to the BQE. This area of Williamsburg gives you a sense of Working class white family … It’s ok, if you grew up in this hood making $40K a year, but if you have that kind of money to spend on housing, you don’t belong there…
Uh huh, etson. I was thinking *real* real housewives of NJ when I looked at those pictures.
And I’d much much rather be in Stuy Heights.