For under a million dollars, one can find all sorts of housing configurations: park- and subway-adjacent studios, one-bedrooms hidden in carriage houses or former shoe factories, and even the occasional true two-bedroom. We’re combing the market for particularly spacious, nicely renovated, or otherwise worth-a-look apartments at various six-digit price points.
This week we are reconsidering the Financial District. Is it actually kind of good, based on this one studio we were charmed by?
A one-bedroom in Clinton Hill for $685,000
This co-op is a true one-bedroom that fits a king bed and has an actually usable dining room-slash-office area off of the kitchen (which isn’t huge but has a good amount of counter space). There is original oak parquet flooring and lots of storage — five closets in total. The monthlies aren’t crazy high, at $1,152, and the building comes with laundry, bike storage, and a shared garden. The neighborhood is pretty ideal: Less than a ten-minute walk to Fort Greene Park and Walter’s. The commerce bonanza of Myrtle Avenue is right at your fingertips.
A Financial District studio for $700,000
This studio feels elegant, right? The space has been nicely sectioned off with moveable bookshelves cleverly acting as the bedroom wall. The built-in oak cabinetry adds a lot of storage, with five closets, a custom credenza, desk, and bench. All that wood adds some sophistication to what could be a pretty drab box. The kitchen comes with a sizable quartz island and Bosch appliances. It’s a little on the higher end for comparable studios in the neighborhood, but most of the rest of them are blah luxury vibes. All you have to do to move in and get yourself a pipe or something.
An entire house in East Flatbush for $675,000
A classic long townhouse (60 feet deep!) that has two bedrooms and a sizable backyard. The eat-in kitchen with wood cabinetry is a highlight. I could see an argument for swapping out the counters and backsplash, but truly leave the kitchen alone! People tinker too much with their kitchens. You might want to update the bathroom but it’s really not mandatory. There’s central air-conditioning and hardwood floors throughout. A little far out but still within walking distance of the 2 or 5 train.
A Lenox Hill one-bedroom for $850,000
This one-bedroom co-op is spacious — it comes with a large living room that has a separate dining-room area, which can be combined if the dividing bookcases are removed. There are 1.5 bathrooms (that definitely need to be updated), two pantries in the kitchen, and room for a piano, if you want it. Monthlies are high at $1,956, but the building has a 24-hour doorman, live-in super, a laundry room, and sits on a cul-de-sac that overlooks the East River.