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’ve found you a beautifully renovated one-bedroom in Prospect–Lefferts Gardens that’s right next to the park and a shockingly well-priced Harlem two-bedroom.
A one-bedroom in Prospect–Lefferts Gardens for $700,000
A one-bedroom with an extremely nice renovation, this apartment has custom millwork, California closets, and a kitchen with custom cabinetry, soapstone countertops, a vented range, and soundproofing. The 1939 co-op has spacious, high-ceilinged rooms; hardwood floors; a sunken living room; and a windowed dining nook that’s currently outfitted as an office. There are sound-reducing windows in the bedroom, a built-out walk-in closet, and a ceiling fan. There’s also ductless AC, a water-filtration system, and whole-home audio. Located on Ocean Avenue, the building sits across the street from Prospect Park with the B, Q, and shuttle to the Botanic Garden right nearby. And while the price is a little steep for a one-bedroom in this neighborhood, a two-bedroom in the building has already sold for over $1 million.
A two-bedroom in East Harlem for $289,000
It’s rare to find Manhattan two-bedrooms at this price point that aren’t in restricted-income buildings, but the listing for this place doesn’t say anything about income caps or affordable housing. What’s more, it’s been renovated with black wood floors, clean plaster walls, and an updated kitchen and bath — even if the fixtures and appliances are not the most high-end, everything looks clean and functional. And the apartment has nice light and prewar charm: a transom, elegant moldings. While the second bedroom, a triangular sliver of a room, isn’t a legal bedroom if the floor plan’s measurements are correct (it’s a half-foot short of eight feet on one side), it has a window and would make a great office or nursery (or a really cool dining room with a built-in banquette). It’s at the top of a six-story walk-up building, in the Northeast corner of the neighborhood, by Jackie Robinson Park and the Macombs Dam Bridge, a few blocks from the 3 train at the Harlem 148th Street station and about a half-mile from the express B/D at 145th Street. The price is reasonable enough that the monthly payments — with 20 percent down — would be just under $2,500, which is less than what the average one-bedroom in the neighborhood costs.
A studio in Turtle Bay for $350,0000
Midtown East consistently has some of the better deals in Manhattan, and this cute studio is a good example. In a nice, prewar co-op, it has beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, a fresh paint job, and a move-in ready renovation. The main living space is 15-by-15 feet, and there’s a separate kitchen with a little dining area and a huge closet that once served as a sleeping area. There are some drawbacks, as you might expect for a suspiciously well-priced apartment in such a convenient location: The layout is a little awkward, with a front door that basically opens into the kitchen; there’s no view to speak of (the living-room windows look out at the building next door); and the maintenance is high at $1,913 a month. But it’s in an elevator building with a full-time doorman, there’s a bike and laundry room, and 49th between Lexington and Third is about a five-minute walk to Grand Central.
A Jackson Heights two-bedroom for $685,000
With arched doorways, hardwood floors, a separate dining area, and lovely built-ins, this two-bedroom co-op is a classic middle-class prewar apartment. It’s been recently renovated, too, with stylish light fixtures and sleek kitchen finishes. The second bedroom looks to be on the smaller side, but the primary is huge, with an insane dressing area surrounded by closets. (The downside: You need to pass through either the dressing area or bedroom to get to the apartment’s only bathroom.) It’s on the top floor of the building, with two exposures and good natural light. Located in the Berkeley, where two bedrooms regularly trade for a few hundred thousand more, though based on the floorplan, with the dining area in what would normally be the foyer and the smaller bedroom right off the living room, this apartment looks like it may have been converted from a one-bedroom. It is, in any event, smaller than a standard two.