Well, I’m finally finishing up July. Here’s Part 1 and Part 2.

In this episode we finally resolve the burning issue of the house at 90 The Crescent.

21 Cameron Ave

  • MLS# 2170796 – Zillow Page
  • Sold: $475,000 – 7/22/2009
  • Prior Sales: 12/04/1998: $210,000
  • 5 bedrooms – 2.5 bath – Split
  • Taxes: $11,112 – Village Taxes: $1,343

We saw this house back in April and you can read our original report here. Deb and I still call this one “the urinal house”, which is somewhat unfair. Apart from the previous owners predilection for European bathroom fixtures, this is a pretty decent house. I thought that having Railroad Ave running right past the back of the house would bring the price down more, but otherwise this seems pretty reasonable.

24 Greenmeadow Dr

  • MLS# 2162018 – Zillow Page
  • Sold: $330,000 – 7/27/2009
  • Prior Sales: none
  • 2 bedrooms – 2 bath – Second Floor Condo
  • Taxes: $4,532 – Village Taxes: $732

Another one of these Greenmeadow condos. This one looks unrenovated, but I’m not sure how much a different that makes. These all seem to be going for somewhere in the $330K-$340K range.

90 Crescent Ave

  • MLS# 2174452 – Zillow Page
  • Sold: $450,000 – 7/29/2009
  • Prior Sales: none
  • 3 bedrooms – 2 bath – Split
  • Taxes: $12,622 – Village Taxes: $1,152

There’s been a lot of chatter about this house on this thread. Debra originally saw this house back in April, but we didn’t post about it. As Don said on the other thread, this house belonged to a local church and, as it turns out, Debra’s mom is a member of that church. It was funny because Debra’s mom was chatting with her about “some blogger writing about homes in Babylon” and how some members of the church were concerned about what might be said. Of course, the “some blogger” was us. So we agreed, interest of family harmony, to hold off writing about this property until it was sold.

I thought that this was a bit much for this house, but I may have underestimated the “buy the cheapest house on the best block” factor. Below are Debra’s impressions of the house from the open house in April.

90 The Crescent is not the most prepossessing house on the street, but then there are some really amazing houses on The Crescent. Walking up, the portico looks a little wonky (although the fact sheet says the roof is eight years old) and the brick stoop has been repeatedly patched and daubed with paint to cover imperfections.

The fact sheet describes the house as “sparkling” which isn’t true. Right now the house looks more tired than anything else to me, but I think with some paint and loving care it could be a nice family home. The kitchen is in good shape, not the most exciting, but it’s definitely workable. I would rip out the homemade “breakfast bar” (as the fact sheet calls it) and add more cabinets or a baker’s rack, and I’d install better countertops.

The dining room has nice corner built-ins, and the living room has a lovely bay window and a fireplace. However, the fireplace insert needs to be replaced and the room has some odd wooden detailing on the ceiling that looks out of place in a mid-century split-level.

The garage is a good size and supposedly heated, with the washer and dryer in a little alcove. There’s a large basement, albeit with a low ceiling, too low to make it into living space. Still, it’s a large storage area.

The bedrooms are good-sized, with decent closets, and there’s a nice cedar closet on the short all to the master bedroom. The master bedroom is an OK size with sloping ceilings, but there is a very odd feature: one wall is half-paneled in rough, unfinished boards. The agent had no explanation, and it’s not that the drywall or plaster is down, this was put deliberately on the wall. The skylight has more of the rough boards install around the well leading to it. The skylight looks like it needs work.

The main bath is all original, and the gray and navy tiles are in great shape for nearly fifty years old. There’s a tiled shower stall set into the wall with no light, and a separate bath. The other bath is up the next half-flight of stair outside the master bath. It’s in OK shape, but the ugly 80s wallpaper desperately needs to be removed.

Moving outside, there’s a deck that has seen better days off the kitchen door, and a patio down a flight of stairs. The back yard is very large for Babylon, and fully fenced, although the fence is in bad shape. If you have a dog it could escape easily. In the end, it’s a nice family home, it just needs updating and some loving care.