Gary was stuck working on Sunday, so I took the baby out to enjoy the nice weather. Along the way we stopped to see this open house which I had had my eye on for the past couple weeks.
202 Livingston Ave
- MLS# 2218564 – Zillow Page
- Ask $439,000
- 3 bedrooms – 2 baths – Colonial
- Taxes: $7,797 – Village Taxes: $534.00
My overall impression of this house is that I really liked it, although it’s a bit small. It would really be a fabulous house if it had a family room and bigger bedrooms.
It has a nice living room, a nice fireplace, a nice enough dining room and kitchen, although they’re all are kinda small. If you had a real dining table and chairs set up in the dining room you’d have a hard time walking through it.
The kitchen is a galley style, cabinets on both sides, nice tall ones to the ceiling, and lots of them. The kitchen is pretty new, updated in the last five years at least if not sooner. The appliances are very new and modern. The countertops are the Wilsonart solid surface stuff. It’s not granite or quartz, but it’s attractive, and the sink is seamlessly composed of it although it’s white. There’s a little area to the back with more cabinets.
The bedrooms are pleasant enough but small, with OK closet space. Both bathrooms are quite small and neither has tiles except on the floor, both have those plastic tub surrounds.
The basement is low. I probably could stand straight up, but I felt like I was going to hit it so I bowed my head. The yard is smallish but well kept, and there’s a big driveway and detached garage outside the fence.
They just replaced the furnace, put in central AC at the same time, did the windows upstairs with nice ones that bend in for cleaning. Plus there’s a new, 50 year roof. The seller said that they were going to do a 30 year one, but it wasn’t that much more.
It’s a fine house, albeit more suitable for a small family. The agent is the seller and she was very pleasant. I wouldn’t pay $440K for it, not that small and on the busy road. $400K, or $410K, but then I get surprised what people will pay in Babylon. It’s a very liveable house, just not terribly big.
The agent is the seller…
Rarely does any good come of using one’s own product.
I highly recommend reading Freakonomics on the dynamics of used house transactions when a “professional” is the seller.
IMG SRC tags no good?
Let me try “using one’s own product.”
I don’t agree with that at all–I think the agent is much more motivated to go the extra mile when it’s her own house she’s selling. Yes, it’s possible that if the agent/seller was too much in love with her own house to do a good job, such as if s/he thought that the house was worth much more than it ever would sell for, but this agent/seller didn’t strike me that way at all. And I think $440K is a reasonable starting point for this house. It’s not worth that much to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else paid close to it. As I said, it’s a very liveable house, it has good flow and seems very functional. To me, “functional” is a great compliment for a house, I’ve seen too many houses since we’ve started looking with weird spaces, such as “bedrooms” that were really hallways, hallways that weren’t wide enough for my husband to walk straight ahead, “mint” houses that hadn’t been updated in nearly forty years, etc.
Maybe we’re discussing past one another. Flipping houses as a used house salesman is risky because in times like these they lose both their income and their investment. That’s what I meant by nothing good. There is also a lack of objectivity in judgment as well.
The agent is more motivated when selling their own house, as Freakanomics found. Agent-owned properties sell for higher prices with longer times on the market than ones they merely repped. The selling agent gains only a fraction of the increase by holding out for a higher price selling someone else’s house, and they risk losing the deal altogether. This motivates them to counsel accepting almost any offer (how many times has an agent said “The first offer is usually the best offer.”) If selling their own house they stand to capture ALL of the increase to be had by holding out. The data showed higher DOM and % of ask on agent-owned homes.
Conversely on the buyer’s side, the risk to the buyer’s agent of a low offer being refused (and their commision being $0) motivates them to counsel their mark to raise the bid. It’s more a cautionary tale about using agents and how they get paid.
Imaginary “bedrooms” and “mint” conditions I simply attribute to the industry being a refuge for lying pieces of trash.
Aside, that house has the architectural grace of a cardboard box.
It is very cardboard boxy. Architecturally, the Fred Shores homes have some nice stuff.
Congratulations on the GMen..that was quite a finish.
Village Line has been reduced in price..also 121 Cockenoe has a huge yard..location location
This is an absolutely wonderful home in Babylon Village! It’s been completely updated. Babylon Village Schools, corner property, gorgeous kitchen, living room with Fireplace…so much for the new buyer to enjoy! By the way…great photos!
Thanks for your objective opinion, Monica. Merely coincidence, I’m sure, that you work for (and again coincidentally, have the same surname as the principal of) the listing agency.
With those close personal connections, could you arrange the seller themself to regale us how they are “giving it away” at $439,000, and that a shrewd buyer would bid over asking to ensure property values stay high?
“Great photos!” You mean the listing photos? Perhaps you took them yourself? BFA from Parsons, after all.
zzzzzzzzzzzzz
If you’re looking for a house with a lot of architectural details and character…check out the oak st listing. don’t expect large rooms or a big yard.
I’m not sure this is within the spirit of the blog, but if it’s not, apologies all ’round. And I suppose Gary’ll take it down.
But.
A friend of mine is selling her house in W. Babylon. On Lexington. On MLS: 2227195. Open house tomorrow, 12-2.
Life in the blogosphere!!!! Way off topic though…Lexington is No Jack Kennedy!!
That’s very true. But it’s a nice place – and in this case, Livingston is no Lexington!
Metroproletarian–that’s a nice-looking house in W.Babylon, but wow, the taxes are high.
And we are planning on seeing the Oak St house. We drove by it and while it probably is small inside, it’s very attractive and in a great area so we’re going to take a look.
Sorry we haven’t been around much, Gary is working a lot of extra hours this month, and there’s been a lot going on, such as Aurora’s first birthday party. Can’t believe it but she’s a year already.
Oak street does look very nice even if small. Think I might stop by that one too.
Oak st. its a great block..good investment