NEW YORK CITY — The real estate sector typically quiets down between Thanksgiving and New Year's, with fewer new listings hitting the market. That means already low inventory will be even tighter. That said, here are three new-to-market apartments with their first open houses this weekend.
80 Winthrop St., Apt. B4, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 800 square feet
$325,000
Maintenance: $746 per month
Open House: Sunday, Dec. 7, 2-3:30 p.m.
Lowdown: Each room of this pre-war west-facing one-bedroom feels spacious, including the windowed kitchen that can fit a small table and chairs. Three of the apartment’s four closets are walk-ins and “are like rooms themselves,” said Tracey McLean of Corcoran Group.
“It’s just got a very good, cheerful vibe,” McLean noted.
The sellers have owned this fourth floor unit for about five years, and while it's in move-in condition, new buyers will likely want to “put their stamp on it,” she added. “The bathroom is in good condition — it has its original cast-iron tub — but it hasn’t been updated in a while."
The building has 144 units, with two sets of elevators. There’s laundry on site. An “active gardening committee” is developing the courtyard, which this unit faces. The $73 per month assessment is for point work that will be completed by spring.
Location: Prospect-Lefferts Gardens borders the south side of Crown Heights. As prices have spiked in recent years in the latter (along with several other nearby neighborhoods), gentrification has begun to reach this area that runs along the lower eastern half of Prospect Park and the south side of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Places like Little Buttercup, a sweets shop with beer and wine slated to open in early 2015, are joining neighborhood institutions like Allan’s Bakery, which has served traditional Caribbean pastries for more than 50 years.
The Parkside Q train station is two blocks west; the Winthrop station for the 2 and 5 trains at Nostrand Avenue is two and a half blocks east.
Why put it on your open house calendar? The area and architectural integrity of the buildings is similar to Park Slope, with big brownstones and limestones, McLean said, calling it a "tremendous opportunity" to get into a neighborhood that is "on the cusp."
318 W. 15th St., Apt. 2C, Chelsea
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 525 square feet
$559,000
Maintenance: $1,008 per month
Open House: Sunday, Dec. 7, 1-2:30 p.m.
Lowdown: One of the first things people notice about this second-floor, pre-war unit is its high ceilings, said Susan Raskin-DiLeo of Citi Habitats.
Another is the number of windows — "a good amount for a little space like this," she said.
“There’s a big one in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, even the home office area off to the side has a window,” Raskin-DiLeo added, noting that the living room and bedroom face south.
Prior owners gut-renovated the bathroom and kitchen, installing custom cabinets and new stainless steel appliances. The unit also has an exposed-brick decorative fireplace, “good-sized closets” and a pantry/utility closet. The sellers have owned the apartment for just two years, Raskin-DiLeo said.
The 12-unit building is a self-managed co-op, which “keeps the maintenance very reasonable" and is in “very good financial shape," she said.
Location: The building is just west of Eighth Avenue, so it’s not only in the heart of Chelsea, but also steps from the Meatpacking District and the West Village. Shops, services and restaurants line Eighth Avenue. Chelsea Market is down the block at Ninth Avenue. Nearby is the High Line, as well as the new Whitney Museum building, opening in May 2015.
The A, C, E and L trains are steps away at the corner of Eighth Avenue; the 1, 2 and 3 are at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “This is a great apartment for a first-time buyer to get their foot in the door of the market,” Raskin-DiLeo said. “In real estate, it’s all about location, and you can be in one of best neighborhoods in city for a very doable price — probably less than renting.”
560 Carroll St., Apt. 11A, Park Slope/Gowanus
2 Bedrooms/2.5 Baths
Condo
Approximately 1,335 square feet
$1.499 million
Common Charges: $743 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $49 per month (abated until 2035)
Open House: Sunday, Dec. 7, noon to 2 p.m.
Lowdown: After purchasing this 2011-built unit that already came with high-end appliances, fixtures and finishes, the sellers spent close to $20,000 adding custom California closets, said Edward Herson of Halstead Property. “There’s also a closet under the stairs that you can’t see on the floorplan. All are built out and really nice.”
The duplex, with entrances on both the eleventh and twelfth floors, has open eastern views from the “nearly floor-to-ceiling windows” and “feels more like a home” than an apartment.
The main floor has the half bath; the shower in the en suite master bedroom bath is “massive.” The second bedroom includes a “cool” alcove that has three exposures. “That room is awesome,” Herson noted.
The “cabana” on the roof is a private space separated by a wall. “It’s a corner unit, so there are views from [two] angles,” Herson said. “It’s like your own little oasis. You could put in those heater lamps like the ones used by restaurants for outdoor seating in the spring and fall, or you could put up a temporary cover, like a tarp, and use it year-round.”
There are 20 years remaining on the building’s tax abatement. Common charges include heat, water and cooking gas.
Location: The building sits at the corner of Fourth Avenue, which is being transformed from an industrial to residential corridor with several new high-rise projects in the works. To the east, Park Slope’s Fifth Avenue is lined with shops and restaurants. Across Fourth and into Gowanus is not only the new Whole Foods on Third Avenue, but also “more eclectic and interesting [places], performance spaces, yoga studios and spas emerging next to the mom-and-pops that have been there a long time,” Herson said. “It’s a mix of industrial, old school and new age.”
The Fourth Avenue Union Street R station, which includes late-night D and N service, is two blocks away.
Why put it on your open house calendar? “There are only a few other spaces like this with this location and in an elevator building,” Herson said. “And it’s a condo that’s a true two-bedroom in a duplex that works with a private roof space. It’s just really nice.”
