Battle of the Two-Bed Apartments in Clinton Hill

This week GreeneListed looks at a pair of two-bedrooms on the outskirts of Clinton Hill: a condo with two balconies for $299,000 and a spacious rental with unusual doors off of Myrtle Avenue for $2,621 rent.

452 Lafayette Avenue #4F at Franklin Avenue

What kind of two-bedroom can you buy for under $300,000? For buyers willing to go to Franklin Avenue, more than you might think.

A modest five-story new building has sold five of it's eight units at a corner not known for luxury. The building is at the eastern end of the Lafayette Gardens housing projects, but that isn't shying away new business owners, either. The newish Bedford Hill Coffee Bar is just a block north.

This building is perfect for buyers in the market for a new property in a low-key building. The apartment offers the most basic amenities while leaving out perks that would drive up common charges. The building has in-unit video intercoms and a common rooftop deck but leaves out amenities like a gym.

Curiously, the unit has two balconies — one off each bedroom — that are each large enough for about two chairs. Also unexpected at this price point are the nine-foot ceilings and elevator.

The condo has the rest of the standard new construction features: stainless steel appliances, washer, dryer hookups and granite countertops. Also, the kitchen is on a wing off of the living room and the bedrooms are at the opposite end of the approximate 600-square-foot apartment.

Pros:

• Well-laid condos at some of the lowest price per-square foot for new construction in the area.
• Directly next to the neighborhood's favorite donut place, .

Cons:

• Also directly next to the Lafayette Gardens housing projects
• No dishwasher, somewhat small bedrooms.

$299,000

For Showings:
Nir Muvdi
New Style Development NY Corp.
646-797-7354

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74 Grand Avenue between Myrtle and Park avenues

A transformation is underway in Northeastern Clinton Hill. The historically industrial areas near the BQE are poised to become a luxury residential destination. New organic grocers, bars and restaurants are opening seemingly on a weekly basis.

And on Grand Avenue between Myrtle and Park avenues, the transformation is particularly apparent: there are no fewer than three new construction projects in various states of completion. Surely, in three years the face of this block will be different. How important this is to current renters is unclear.

Clinton-Grand is a new luxury rental building that is just over half leased, according to on-site brokers.

The available two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit is arranged in a modernist fashion, with familiar qualities like spacious rectangular rooms, granite countertops and a sleek, minimal bathroom. But there are also some unique elements, like the opaque frosted glass doors that separate the bedrooms from the living room. The glass doors may provide for a better layout for a couple or a young family rather than roommates because the sliding glass doors don't insulate sound as well as traditional doors. The unit has two balconies, though one is only large enough to fit a single person.

The 977-square-foot unit has two full baths, one with a standing shower, the other with a deep soaking tub with fancy jetstreams.

Also included: in-unit washer, dryers and a small gym in the basement of the building.

Pros:

• Gorgeous kitchens and bathrooms including the aformentioned tub.
• Parking in-building ($200 per month) may mitigate the building's distance from transit.

Cons:

• Half-mile to the G train, the nearest subway.
• Some of the more expensive two-bedrooms in the neighborhood.

$2,621 monthly rent

For Showings:
Rolan R. Sereny
aptsandlofts.com
718-384-5304