The Market

Brooklyn brownstone buyers get a taste for luxury

By Lucy Cohen Blatter  | July 1, 2014 - 12:59PM
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If you're the lucky owner of a Brooklyn brownstone, we'd imagine it would be hard to part with it. But consider that owners even in less desirable areas--so-called emerging neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights--are finding buyers willing to pony up $2 million or more for these coveted pieces of property, and suddenly selling seems a little more doable.

The one catch, according to Brownstoner, is that these high-end buyers expect top notch finishes. No middle-of-the-road Home Depot reno is going to cut it. 

So if you're planning to sell or renovate, you may want to consider installing (or keeping) these features: 

  • A high-efficiency boiler
  • Carrera marble countertops
  • High-end appliances, like Bosch dishwashers, SubZero fridges and Wolf ranges
  • An open kitchen with plenty of countertops, as opposed to small galley kitchens
  • Radiant heating in the floors with iPad controls (in the most luxurious of cases)
  • And here's the kicker: historic details. Just because a buyer wants to work the heating via WiFi doesn't mean she'd skip the period moldings and original doors

Related:

Flip or Flop Update: Bed-Stuy brownstone in need of work sells for almost $1 million  more than it fetched four months ago

Flip or Flop: The price of this Bed-Stuy townhouse spiked $650K in three days. Is it worth it?

Your brownstone-buying essentials

9 things Manhattanites need to know before buying in brownstone Brooklyn (sponsored)

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