By Jessica Glazer
Special to DNAinfo
188 Meserole Ave. #2N
$420,000
1 bedroom, 1 bath
Common charges: $225
Taxes: $14
GREENPOINT — Whoever buys this 638-square-foot one-bedroom at 188 Messerole Ave. can boast of a view across the street of the coffee shop where Lena Dunham recently filmed an episode of HBO’s "Girls."
But the proximity to the popular Café Grumpy, the apartment with an open floor plan, hardwood floors and laundry in the basement wasn't foremost on the minds of house hunters at Sunday's open house. Most debated whether it was a good deal for its size.
“The space is decent, it’s just for myself,” said Rohit, a man in his 30s who works in Downtown Manhattan. “I’ve seen bigger, but I guess this is a good value."
This being the hipster enclave Greenpoint, where biking is big and access to mass transit is so-so, another prospective buyer, Steph, a woman in her 30s, said upon surveying the living room: “This space is good for our bikes.”
True to the neighborhood, the front gate outside and basement storage area were covered with bikes.
Steph liked the space, saying, “The bedroom is a nice size." But that wasn’t enough to fully impress her.
“It would be nice if there was a backyard or a rooftop, and an elevator,” she said. “This building seems not [so] modern.”
In a real estate market with low inventory and an apartment with an “oversized bedroom," it was priced quite fairly, said Prudential Douglas Elliman realtor Matthew Pucker.
Plus, there's a storage space that comes with each of seven units in the building.
“Usually, you have to get on a wait list in a building with storage,” Pucker said.
A mother and son discussed the apartment as they stood outside on the quiet residential street.
The mom, who has been living in Greenpoint for more than 30 years, wished this north-facing apartment had more light and disliked the black granite counters because they were so dark.
Her son reminded her that they had seen a southern-facing apartment earlier that had more light.
But when asked if they would make an offer, they both answered: “Yes.”
