132 W 123 street apt G in Harlem has now sold. The apartment was just over 1000 sqft with a 500 sqft garden and storage space in the cellar. It features 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms and a working fireplace. The condominium in the 4 unit Mt Morris landmark brownstone was asking $999,000 and sold for asking price.
Tag Archives: brownstone
About to renovate your Harlem Brownstone?
Brian SilvestryIf you are considering renovating a NYC brownstone in Harlem, Brooklyn or anywhere in the city, take a look at this article from Brick Underground. Granted it is a little bit of an adverticle but it does give you the basics as far as timelines, potential costs and pitfalls.
Not that long ago, I came into contact with a contractor who renovates Harlem brownstones and he told me that $175 per square foot would be a very middle of the road renovation. A property that I sold in Hamilton Heights achieved a full renovation for $400,000 and it had about 3200 square foot but she was a seasoned investor and was very hands on in the project.
Another investor that I am dealing with from out of state hired contractors and each succeeding one had to redo the mistakes of the previous one and that ended up being costly. So, I would say if you are seasoned investor you are obviously going to spend less and if you are rookie might be better to pay more and have the process managed by someone that you can trust.
How much money is a double brownstone block worth?
Many sellers of property in Manhattan may or may not understand the transaction from the perspective of the buyer. One of the aspects of a brownstone in Harlem is the appeal of the block itself. 10 years or more ago, there were many more boarded homes in Harlem than there are now. Nowadays, you might one boarded home on a given block in Harlem or none. However, what about the condition of the homes and how do compare a double brownstone block, one with brownstones on both sides and one with brownstones on one side and perhaps apartments buildings on the other side? How does this affect value?
Most buyers that come to visit a home usually comment that they like the block or the block seems okay without really asking or getting into the details of the makeups of the building on the block themselves. Certainly, if your neighbor is running an SRO or there are many apartment buildings on the block, the feel is going to be more transient.
Every now and then you see a row of brownstones that is by itself and most of the rest of the block is apartment buildings. One such property to my surprise has not sold in Central Harlem but this could be why. The block has about 10 homes and the rest are apartment buildings. Perhaps this is why the property has lingered on the market. Take a look at the two photos below. Which block do you find more appealing? What do you think?
Tour Neil Patrick Harris’ Harlem Brownstone
Neil Patrick Harris has been busy and on February 22nd will host the Grammys. NPH gave a tour to Architectural Digest of his 5th avenue Brownstone which he purchased for $3.6mm. Click on the link below to see the article and video to see some of the below items.
- How they managed two 4 year olds and a yearlong renovation
- NPH’s secret office
- Design of the townhouse to integrate new with classic details.