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House Hunters Eat Up Ditmas Park Co-op's New Kitchen but Sour on No Pets

By Donna M. Airoldi | July 2, 2013 6:42am
 Househunters were drawn to the newly renovated kitchen in this one-bedroom co-op in Ditmas Park.
400 E. 17th St., Apt. 201, Ditmas Park
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400 E. 17th St., Apt. 201

1 bedroom, 1 bathroom

$350,000

Maintenance: $737

DITMAS PARK — Gut renovating the kitchen of this 750-square-foot one-bedroom co-op in early June seems to already be paying off.

Nearly everyone attending Sunday’s open house for the Ditmas Park property — which also has roughly 300 square feet of private outdoor space — commented on the kitchen updated with maple cabinets, granite countertops, glass-tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances.

“I like the kitchen redo and that it has a window in it,” said prospective first-time buyer Matt Esser, 27. The response was the same for a 41-year-old software developer, also looking to buy his first apartment.

Just seven of the 82 units in this elevator building have a terrace, said broker Manja Duffy, adding that the space was the roof of the parking garage. (A parking space is $100 per month; there’s a waiting list.) Even though it was a selling point for many, not everyone loved the outdoor space.

“There’s a brick building next door, and you’re on a low floor, so you can feel boxed in by it,” said Esser, who was more interested in learning about the building’s rules on subletting. “But at least it’s away from the street.”

The building's no-pets policy was a deal-breaker for some.

Duffy — who has sold a third of the units in the building over the past 11 years or so — said there were rumblings that the board was considering allowing cats, although she was quick to point out that there’s no guarantee that will happen.

She emphasized the building's other draws: a live-in superintendant, part-time doorman, porter, laundry room with new washers and dryers, and bike racks in the basement. The hybrid gas/oil boiler, windows and elevator were relatively new, Duffy added.

The building — one block from the Q train station on Cortelyou Road in an area populated by new coffeehouses, restaurants, bars, shops and a weekly greenmarket — was becoming increasingly family-centric.

And though currently configured as a one-bedroom, Duffy said the unit could easily be converted into a two-bedroom by putting up pressure walls around the area off the kitchen — which the current owners used as a play area for their young daughter.

“Many in the building have done that, often to create a kid’s room,” Duffy said. “When I started selling in this building, it was all singles. Now it’s all families. It’s like Park Slope — stroller central.”

The next open house is on Tuesday, July 2, from 6 to 7 p.m.