Is Greenpoint Cool Enough to Justify a $3 Million Loft?
Granted, in a lot of neighborhoods, a $3 million asking price for a loft wouldn’t really raise any eyebrows. But in Greenpoint — which, in spite of rapidly rising prices, hasn’t seen a higher-priced real estate deal than last year’s $2.5 million sale of an actual 3-story house — the sale would be record-breaking, in a big way.
Not that that will stop anyone from trying. The Observer reported yesterday that Citi Habitats is shopping a $3 million, 3,265-square-foot loft at 190 West Street, thanks in part to work with a developer they say “Got in ahead of everyone else […] They saw the potential, and developed some units.”
Which, of course, is not exactly a dumb thing to do in the Brooklyn real estate market these days. Especially in an attractive, family-friendly neighborhood that’s now featured prominently on HBO. Still, skeptics wonder if the loft, which has just 3 windows and a soon-to-be-blocked-by-construction view of the East River, will actually sell for its asking price in a neighborhood that hasn’t fully succumbed to rapid condo and loft development, and, for the type of person willing to drop $3 million on a loft space, comes with relatively few amenities. “For someone looking for a more manufactured loft rather than a genuine loft, it might not appeal, if someone needs a doorman or whatever,” admitted John Tarjavaara, the building’s agent. “But it’s a genuine loft — this is how they come.” And this is how everyone else gets priced out.
[Update]: Apparently, the property has been snapped up, as its listing is now marked as “no longer available.” The question of whether or not the price is actually justified, I suppose, is still up for debate.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.
