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Business & Tech

Lefferts Place in the Limelight

Our real estate columnist examines two interesting properties on the same street: an affordable brownstone condo and a double duplex townhouse.

This week GreeneListed takes a look at a brownstone gutted into five modern apartments and a two-family townhouse both for sale on Lefferts Place.

176 Lefferts Place, between Classon and Franklin avenues — various units

The trend in Brooklyn: have your cake and eat it too.

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Buyers can have handsome brownstone looks on the outside — and a contemporary luxury condo inside. 176 Lefferts Place is another gutted brownstone, divided into five condos and marketed as offering, “Brownstone ownership at a fraction of the cost.”

To be sure, there's something surreal about entering a house on a brownstone block and walking into luxury condo that would mesh better in a new development. But for some buyers this may be the best of both worlds. And this project accommodated the potentially awkward transformation particularly well.

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The structure sits mid-block on a semi-gritty street between Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights. It’s exterior is a rich oxblood color and blends beatifically with the cornucopia of townhouses, brownstones and freestanding homes that dot the block.

The garden unit of the building is a duplex with a very large private backyard. The yard, barren now, is ready to be converted to grass, patio or a garden. The lower level has low ceilings, but would be ideal for a children's playroom, movie den, storage or perhaps a home office for someone without a tendency for claustrophobia.

The interiors are clean and new with stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors and exposed brick.

And here’s another bonus: the developer is offering an iPad or 40" LCD TV as an incentive to the future owner and buyer's broker.

Pros

  • Less than a block to the C train and Franklin Avenue Shuttle.
  • Only five units and low monthly common charges

Cons

  • No windows in the bathrooms
  • Only the garden unit has access to the backyard, the other units are without the coveted private outdoor space.

$299,000 (1-bedroom)

$375,000 (garden duplex with backyard) 

$275 - $384 common charges 

For Showings:
Toni Martin
Corcoran Group
718-288-7703

___________

20 Lefferts Place between Saint James Place and Grand Avenue

Buying a two-unit townhouse gives a new owner plenty of options: the second unit could go to a family member, rented out to produce income, or combined to create a massive suburban home-style interior.

The building is divided into two precariously laid duplexes (dual duplexes? double duplex?) that feel labyrinth-like with their multiple stairways and four floors of bright colored rooms. The townhouse itself sits on a narrow block, intimately lining the street in a sort of enchanting fairytale kind of way.

A renter occupies the upper unit now, while the owner is in the more desirable lower unit with exposed brick, a washer/dryer and direct access to the backyard. The building will be delivered vacant to the new buyer.

Pros

  • New hardwood floors throughout the two units.
  • Both units are move-in condition with updated kitchens, ceiling fans, new closets, etc.

Cons

  • Only the lower unit has a washer/dryer.
  • Precarious layouts make each unit less than ideal — the greatest future value for this townhouse may be further combining the units.

$1,125,000

For Showings:
Carine Eustache Jones
Prudential Douglas Elliman
718-780-8189

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