Brooklyn

Who says you can't pack a lot of charm into 400 square feet? That's the size of this Park Slope studio, at 144 Park Place, now on the market for a reasonable $335,000. Located in a four-story, six-unit brownstone, the co-op apartment doesn't feel cramped thanks to pre-war details like high ceilings and wide archways. The original moldings and wood floors don't look bad, either.
Here's a look

Distinctive Homes

September 20, 2016

Fort Greene brownstone from ‘Girls’ looks even better in real life, asks $5.6M

Remember that season on Girls where Lena Dunham's character falls for a handsome doctor with a gorgeous, pristine renovated brownstone? The townhouse that hosted those episodes is, in fact, the same 5,600-square-foot landmarked home that just hit the market for $5.6 million. Located at 52 Oxford Street in leafy, historic Fort Greene, it's currently owned by actor, screenwriter, and sometimes interior designer, Billy Morrissette, and according to the listing, also did star turns on Elementary, SNL and Difficult People. But the five-story 19th-century beauty with thoughtfully chosen and luxurious finishes, a sprawling deck, a deep landscaped yard and an industrial-chic glass-walled sun room has plenty of star power even when the cameras aren't rolling.
Tour all five star-quality stories of townhouse glory

September 19, 2016

Stay in NYC’s first shipping container home in Williamsburg for $96/night

There's plenty of cool shipping container architecture that's popped up around the city in recent years, from a retrofitted carriage house to the home of a radio station. But the title of first (legal) home built entirely of recycled containers goes to this architectural gem in Williamsburg, made of six stacked containers totaling 1,600 square feet. The lovely, 320-square-foot ground-floor apartment is now up for rent through Airbnb for a surprisingly affordable $96/night.
See the whole place

September 16, 2016

Historic and possibly haunted mansion near Navy Yard is priced to scare at $4.5 million

Though we can see how the otherwise potential-filled historic–and allegedly haunted–Lefferts-Laidlaw mansion at 136 Clinton Avenue in the Clinton Hill/Navy Yard/Wallabout neighborhood may terrify prospective buyers with an ask of $4.499 million, an 1878 New York Times account describes the persistent and mysterious ring-and-run situation that apparently plagued the home’s then-resident, Edward F. Smith. Neither crafty attempts to discover who was responsible for “doorbells rung, doors rattled" on a nightly basis and a brick hurled through a window, nor police intervention could produce a culprit. The house became a fixture on the map of spiritualists who held seances on the sidewalk. Locals suggested the pesky poltergeist might be either a lawyer who had committed suicide on the premises, or, as Mr. Smith suggested (possibly with some sarcasm attached as it was, after all, Brooklyn), Satan.
Does this house look spooky to you?

September 16, 2016

Saudi billionaire seals the deal on the city’s highest home for record $88M

The most expensive apartment closing in New York City this year and one of the priciest sales ever is finally a done deal, reports The Real Deal. The apartment, the top penthouse at Rafael Viñoly-designed billionaire’s bunker 432 Park Avenue, is the priciest unit in the big-ticket building as well as being literally the city’s highest. As 6sqft previously reported, the buyer is Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Al Hokair. The sale price was $87.7 million—a skyscraping $10,623 per square foot.
More jumbo numbers, this way

Real Estate Trends

September 15, 2016

For $1.6M this sweet Red Hook townhouse with a studio, garage and garden is a great condo alternative

While this compact and cute townhouse at 98 Pioneer Street on one of Red Hook's most Red Hook-y blocks may not be a grand mansion, at 2,148 square feet, it's bigger than most condos in its ($1.6 million) price range, and there's plenty of value packed in. First, a separate studio apartment with a garage and workshop, renovated and suitably adorable with garden access, is ready to be rented for extra income or used as a workspace or guest suite. There's a lovely landscaped garden, two additional balconies and plenty of thoughtful, modern renovations that you might find in newly-minted apartments with far less charm.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

September 14, 2016

Park Slope’s priciest townhouse gets a price cut to $12.75M

When the drop-dead gorgeous townhouse at 838 Carroll Street in Park Slope first hit the market, it made headlines with its $15 million price tag. That was earlier this year and apparently nobody bit, because a new ask of $12.75 million is now on the table. Even with the price cut, it's still the most expensive home for sale in the neighborhood.
Get ready to drool

September 13, 2016

Apply for four affordable Bushwick apartments, starting at $856/month

Starting tomorrow, four affordable apartments are up for grabs at 44 Stanhope Street in central Bushwick through the city's affordable housing lottery. They include an $856/month studio and three $985/month one-bedrooms, reserved for those earning less than 60 percent of the area media income. The 20-unit building was recently constructed, and residents will be just five short blocks from the Central Avenue M train station in a low-scale residential area.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

September 13, 2016

Lofty details abound at this bright and bold $1.4M Greenpoint condo

This Greenpoint building at 59 Green Street was originally a 19th century flower warehouse, but today it holds apartments with lots of lofty goodness. This two bedroom, which has just hit the market for $1.395 million, boasts exposed brick, wood-beamed, 10-foot ceilings and an open floorplan. Located on the top floor, it also gets lots of light from eight big windows, not to mention views toward the water and Manhattan skyline.
See more of the loft

Distinctive Homes

September 13, 2016

AECOM wants to turn Red Hook into a 45,000-unit mega-development with new subway connection

What do you get when you cross the new-waterfront nature of Battery Park City with the previous underutilization of Hudson Yards, and throw in a little Brooklyn? This massive proposal from big-time construction and engineering firm AECOM that would turn a huge section of the Red Hook waterfront into a residential mega-development with more than 12 towers, 45,000 units of housing (25 percent of which would be affordable), an extension of the 1 train, acres of parkland, and "waterfront-flood protections that would revitalize and protect the low-lying neighborhood from storms and future sea-level rise," as Crain's first reported. AECOM is presenting the idea today at the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation. They've already admitted that it "lacks key details" like hard costs, but they do estimate that one of their scenarios could generate $130 million in revenue for the city. The sites in question are the 80-acre Red Hook Container Terminal owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a similarly sized parcel along Columbia Street overlooking the Gowanus Bay that's owned by the city, and unused land at the Red Hook Houses. Under their plan, the sale or lease of land to developers, would fund the aforementioned infrastructure projects.
More details and renderings ahead

Architecture And Design

September 12, 2016

This compact Park Slope co-op is a down-to-earth home in a heavenly location for $700K

This renovated one-bedroom co-op at 799 President Street in the heart of prime north Park Slope has all the comforts covered; it's easy on the eyes, and it doesn't cost the world. Old-world details like exposed brick, decorative moldings and fireplaces, and a bay window meet modern conveniences like an en-suite bath, stylish renovated kitchen, and recessed lighting. Plus, Prospect Park is a few blocks away, as is Whole Foods and a constellation of cafes, shops, and restaurants.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

The Brooklyn Bazaar’s new home embraces an ‘American Horror Story’ aesthetic

Image: The mirrored halls of the new Brooklyn Bazaar by Eva Kis

September 9, 2016

The Brooklyn Bazaar’s new home embraces an ‘American Horror Story’ aesthetic

By Metro New York

There was no lazing on the beach or barbecuing in the backyard for Belvy Klein and Aaron Broudo over Labor Day weekend. The duo behind Brooklyn Bazaar were busy finishing the fourth incarnation of the late-night market-meets-entertainment mecca, which opens this evening in Greenpoint. Opening night will be a massive affair, headlined by indie rockers Clap […]

Uncategorized

September 8, 2016

Freshly-renovated North Slope co-op is cool, calm and covetable and asking $895K

The interiors at this completely charming Park Slope home in a gorgeous historic townhouse at 134 Lincoln Place will seduce you from the start. And the location on a cinematic brownstone block in the heart of north Park Slope is one of the city's most sought-after and fought-over for everything from the schools and neighborhood amenities to its proximity to Prospect Park. But if a real two-bedroom apartment with any space to spare is high on your priority list, this 850-square-foot charmer may come up a little short.
Tour the apartment

Distinctive Homes

50K oysters in Jamaica Bay tasked to filter pollutants and protect NYC wetlands

Photo: Flickr/nycwater

September 7, 2016

50K oysters in Jamaica Bay tasked to filter pollutants and protect NYC wetlands

By Metro New York

The world might be your oyster, but Jamaica Bay is full of the bivalve molluscs. Starting with 36 thousand oysters last week and 12 thousand more this week, the largest single installation of breeding oysters in New York City began. A spokesman from the mayor’s office said hundreds of thousands of juvenile oysters will be added […]

Uncategorized

September 7, 2016

Be my roommate: Live on a leafy Fort Greene block with a filmmaker for $1,000

By Diane Pham

To help our fellow New Yorkers on their hunt for a good roommate, we present "Be My Roommate." If you have an empty room you'd like to see featured here, get in touch with us at [email protected]! Meet Jonathan, a freelance filmmaker who hails from Texas looking for not one, but two roommates to share his huge Fort Greene apartment with. Jonathan has been in NYC for over six years and has always found himself in living collaboratively with folks in oversized spaces (he shared an artist's loft with eight other people at one point). Now that two of his current roommates are setting out on their own, he's on the hunt for two new folks to move into their rooms. This home hits all the right notes; not only is it located in one of Brooklyn's most coveted neighborhoods, but it's got some great historic details, it's blindingly bright and did we mention that it's gigantic? Believe us, you'd be hard pressed to find such a fantastic room—let alone two—in a 2,000-square-foot apartment at just $1000 a month.
Go inside the apartment here

Where I Work

September 6, 2016

$495K Park Slope brownstone co-op has a roof deck and a kitchen that hides when you’re not using it

Tucked into one of the gorgeous century-old townhouses on a center Slope block just a stone's throw from Prospect Park, this fourth-floor co-op at 53 Montgomery Place is a cozy cabin of a penthouse walk-up, complete with a private roof deck offering killer city views. While this one-bedroom apartment is indeed cozy, custom renovations have made the space a versatile and charming home.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

September 1, 2016

Bright apartment in historic Stuyvesant Heights brownstone offers a lot of space for $1,850/month

With lots of space, a wealth of pre-war details and plenty of natural light, this third-floor one-bedroom-plus-office brownstone apartment at 513 Macon Street in the historic Stuyvesant Heights section of Bed-Stuy looks like a pretty good deal at $1,850 a month. It also offers a fully renovated kitchen and bath with new appliances and a convenient location near the A and C trains. Besides trees and townhouses, you're surrounded by the restaurants and cafes that have been making this neighborhood a new favorite.
See more of this cute Bed-Stuy pad

Distinctive Homes

August 31, 2016

$1.5M Bushwick townhouse charms with its blend of modern and historic

This Bushwick townhouse, at 169 Schaefer Street, has got a little something for everyone: details like the original fireplace mantle and wainscoting for the old house lover, a fancy, renovated kitchen for those who prefer something modernized, and a garden-level duplex rental for a buyer looking to make extra money from a renter. The two-family, semi-detached home was recently renovated to blend the old and the new, and it's now asking $1.449 million.
Go inside

Distinctive Homes

August 31, 2016

My 350sqft: Inside a fundraising professional’s creatively balanced Park Slope studio

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to fundraising professional/art lover's cute Park Slope studio. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! When Lindsay Casale moved to Brooklyn seven years ago, she shacked up with roommates in North Williamsburg. But after finding success as a nonprofit professional working in fundraising--first for arts groups and museums and now at EL Education, a K-12 education reform organization--she decided it was time to have a space of her own. A self described "avid consumer of the arts, long-distance runner, and proud bookworm," Lindsay relocated to North Park Slope for her first solo apartment, where she's designed a creative home that perfectly toes the line between tranquil and bold, and artsy and refined, descriptors that also match her warm personality.
Get a look at Lindsay's studio oasis

August 30, 2016

$4M 19th century brick townhouse in Williamsburg masquerades as a loft

Williamsburg is best known for its stock of new condo buildings and converted warehouses, but the neighborhood boasts its share of historic gems in the form of 19th century townhouses. They don't come on the market very often, so that's why this one at 130 North 1st Street is asking nearly $4 million. Inside, it looks more like a loft than a townhouse--this is still Williamsburg, after all.
Take an interior tour

Distinctive Homes

Google Earth rendering of the new residential buildings going up in Downtown Brooklyn, via CityRealty.com

August 30, 2016

Is Downtown Brooklyn’s rental boom about to turn into a glut?

This time last year, 6sqft shared a report from CityRealty.com that detailed how Northern Brooklyn would be getting a staggering 22,000 new apartments over the next four years, with the majority, 29 percent or roughly 6,500 apartments, headed for Downtown Brooklyn. The trend has kept up, as the Times reports today that this number of units is concentrated among "19 residential towers either under construction or recently completed along the 10-block section of Flatbush stretching from Barclays Center north to Myrtle Avenue." Another 1,000 units are coming to four buildings on Myrtle Avenue, and all of these are overwhelmingly rentals. In fact, 20 percent of the entire city's rentals that will become available this year and next are in the neighborhood. But many believe this rental boom is fast approaching a glut that will cause prices to soften in a saturated market.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

August 30, 2016

Cozy Park Slope duplex comes with a sunny garden and wood-burning fireplace, all for $780K

While this one-bedroom Park Slope co-op at 443 Seventh Avenue might not exactly be sprawling at 700 square feet, for $780,000 the diminutive garden duplex packs a lot of living space into its two-and-a-half levels. The large and sunny patio garden is the obvious draw for summer parties and spring planting. A wood-burning fireplace ups the cozy factor in cooler months. And a loft level sandwiched between upstairs and down might be just the place to store your seasonal gear off-season. Two blocks away, Prospect Park is another warm-weather plus, and living steps from welcoming spots like Talde and Cafe Grumpy makes it easy to stay warm in winter.
Pick your sandwich, this way

Distinctive Homes

August 26, 2016

With $2.5 billion in Brooklyn real estate, Hasidic investors are a formidable gentrification driver

We hear so frequently about the players behind Manhattan’s billion-dollar real estate projects and how foreign investors are pouring a global vault's worth of currency into New York City property, often shielded by LLCs. It's illuminating to get a closer look at the city’s larger real estate landscape–one that has changed so much in recent decades–and learn who's behind the soaring property values, skyrocketing rents, frenzied flipping and veritable horse-trading that has driven the unprecedented and transformative gentrification beyond Manhattan’s rarified development scene. A recent story by The Real Deal titled “Learning and earning: Hasidic Brooklyn’s real estate machers” reveals that a huge slice of the borough’s real estate pie is owned by the Hasidic community. The ultra-orthodox sect reportedly includes some of Brooklyn’s wealthiest property owners, to the tune of $2.5 billion.
Find out more

Real Estate Trends

August 26, 2016

$3.5M Boerum Hill carriage house comes with a three-family townhouse in the front for rental income

And that's only one of the many possibilities for this unusual Brooklyn property. On a quaint and classic Brooklyn block in Boerum Hill, this three-family row house at 104 Butler Street is currently being used as a source of income from three separate apartments. Through the picturesque garden at the back, a three-story, four-bedroom carriage house is occupied by the home's current owners. A new owner could leave the setup as-is, use both of these 19th-century houses as a multi-generational home for family, or create condos in the front, with many more options imaginable. The ask is $3.45 million.
See some of the interiors and get ideas

Distinctive Homes

August 25, 2016

Owner of Red Hook waterfront terminal asks city to consider his site for Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar railyard