537 North Street, displaying that “eclectic look”
537 North Street has reemerged after serving as a rental for the past few years. Asking $7.350 million now, down from its builder’s 2006 price of $9.995 and down just about a $million from its last, 2009 price of $8.250. I found it a very odd house, but perhaps its new price will make it more appealing. Never seen a toilet perched two feet away from the head of a bathtub, just as a for instance. But whatever.
And here’s a curious one, 1 Deer Lane is offered for sale for $4.385 million, 1 1/2 acres in the R-1 zone. The builder/developer who now owns it bought it just last week from the guy they sold their new construction at 69 Rockwood Lane to for a reported $6.050. So what’s the deal? Land swap? Discount? Arms length transaction? I report, you decide (a reader tipped me off to this odd transaction earlier this week but I held off writing about it until today, when One Deer surfaced).
For What It's Worth 
537 is to my view nice for a big barn of a place. Not what I’d build had I the $ but it at least in the photo’s shows some grasp of good architectural proportion and so forth in the public rooms. a little cold but that’s hard to avoid in a big empty house. And it doesn’t offend me right off, how’s the property? The listing and photo’ are discreet.
I found it odd – rounded arches alternate with straight door frames, that weird bathroom set up, etc. But that’s a memory from 2007, and things may have changed in five years. $7.3 vs. $10 million might change my opinion too – nothing like a huge overpriced tag on a property to make me dislike it.
Yard was okay as I remember it but again, that was five years ago. Far enough from the Merritt so that noise shouldn’t be an issue, which is a big plus.
Stone Harbor “sold” spec house 69 Rockwood to the Guggenheim heir for $6 mil after it sat around on the market for two years unloved. Then they “pay” said heir $3 mil for his house, a drab 50s colonial, on the corner of Deer Lane and Lake. Now they are trying to flip Deer Lane for $4.2? Lot of big numbers flying around, maybe for bank financing, but wonder what the real story is.
Chris, how does this asking price compare in your opinion to the Granoff designed house on north street and dingletown that has seen what feels like 1/2 dozen price reductions in the last 2 years.
It’s big, it’s empty, it’s a busy road and intersection, and has yet to find a buyer.
Your thoughts? Perspective?
I hate to be a downer but this is a horrible house (North Street). It is also the site of the tragic accident where the tree guy got stuck under the stump grinder and lost an arm and a leg a couple of years ago.
Even at its current price, it’ll still cost you an arm and a leg to buy it.
OUCH