Flatbush: Bargain Hunters' Paradise?
This weekend’s profile of Flatbush in the Times (which defines the area’s ambiguous boundaries as Ocean Avenue, New York Avenue, Parkside Avenue and Avenue H) characterizes it as a place that’s becoming more attractive to buyers priced out of Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn. According to a Century 21 broker, prices are hovering around…
This weekend’s profile of Flatbush in the Times (which defines the area’s ambiguous boundaries as Ocean Avenue, New York Avenue, Parkside Avenue and Avenue H) characterizes it as a place that’s becoming more attractive to buyers priced out of Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn. According to a Century 21 broker, prices are hovering around $120,000 for one-bedrooms, $170,000 to $190,000 for two-bedrooms, $450,000 for one-family houses and $600,000 for two-family houses. Some recent transplants say they’ve also been won over by Flatbush’s diversity and retail offerings (which will soon include a new Target). The area’s primary lure, though, is its affordability. As one investor says, Where else do you find a one-bedroom in the mid-$100s, or if you’re a couple with a couple of kids, a two-bedroom for $200,000? Have any readers snagged a deal they’d care to brag about? What are the nicest old co-op buildings in the area?
Note to City Dwellers: Steals Available Here [NY Times]
Photo by Rob Hoey.
I’m coming in late to the conversation but I read the article and it DOES mention the West Indian population in the third to last paragraph on the first page:
“It has an assortment of laundries, florists, shoe repair shops, hair salons and pharmacies, and because of the large West Indian population, it also has restaurants specializing in island specialties like curry goat.”
Great post Brenda, but Flatbush extendsall the way north to that brass strip in the walkway of the Botanic Garden. Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt, auther of the “Social History of Flatbush” would be spinning in her grave 🙂
Thanks to Brenda from Flatbush for reliably laying down the Truth (the Whole Truth), as usual. “Biff and Muffy Take the Subway For A Big Surprise”!!! LOL!!!! They are starting to be an everyday sight here in “Ditmas Park”.
As for why an anonymous poster wouldn’t want to reveal how much they paid for their co-op… well, maybe they don’t want to fan the flames these types of NY Times articles tend to ignite… some of us would prefer Biff and Muffy stay on the Upper West Side…
8:08–your argument might fly except for the unending posts about Williamsburg and links to some Bushwick blog. Two neighborhoods with decidedly uninteresting architecture.
hey 9:43,
“Philadelphia, PA? (Only a 3 hour commute to NYC!!!)”
Philly is actually a 2 hour commute ( 1 1/2 if you beat traffic and drive fast ) and -plenty- of people do it.
8:08, orange shag carpeting ain’t just for split-levels anymore. Done right, in a brownstone–fabolus….
Thank you for clarifying, Muffy–er, Biff–er, ‘guest’ at 8:45 p.m.! Unfortunately, lots of us in “more gentrified” areas of Flatbush with “distinct identities” persist in calling ourselves…just, Flatbush (especially the old-timers, who must be revered hereabouts). Perhaps we could come up with some more Times-worthy sobriquets for this inclusive entity: Meta-Flatbush? Ur-Flatbush? Or the classic “Greater Flatbush.” Now that I think about it, the marketing possibilities for the Realtor (note the capital R) are tantalizing. “Greater Flatbush: White Folks AND Great Meat Patties!” Or perhaps: “Meta-Flatbush: Cheap Co-ops and At Least Two Bistros If You Walk Far Enough!”
Still pondering my Distinct Identity in NoProPaSo (North of Prospect Park South),
Brenda of Ur-Flatbush
Since Ditmas Park and other Flatbush neighborhoods have developed their own distinct identities (and become more gentrified), the area described by the NYT article is the only one seen as “just” Flatbush and known by no other name. To people who haven’t lived in Flatbush or aren’t familiar with the history of the neighborhood, this area is likely the one they’d think of when the name Flatbush is mentioned. Probably the article should’ve clarified this, but I do see where they’re coming from with their Flatbush definition.
The blog is named Brownstoner, so of course the blog focuses on Brownstone neighborhoods in Brooklyn. The Brownstone neighborhoods are the neighborhoods you mentioned along with a couple of others like Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, etc… Occassionally other neighborhoods with older housing stock that are not Brownstones, like Victorian Flatbush, are featured. Todays posts about East New York and Flatbush are a welcome surprise but according to the survey results the majority of the people viewing the blog are in the Brownstone neighborhoods. Just as the majority of the people viewing the Kensington blog or the Ditmas Park blog probably live in those areas. I predict that the Waxman split ranch homes in Seaview Village, Canarsie will someday be landmarked as an example of mid-century modern housing and will one day have their own blog where period detail will mean original aluminum sliding glass doors with orange shag carpets throughout.