Some high-end home seekers are setting their sights on Brooklyn’s rental market.
A Brooklyn Heights townhouse rented for $30,000 a month on Friday, making it the priciest single-unit property the borough has seen since Miller Samuel began tracking these figures in 2008.
The deal at 149 Clinton Street was handled by Compass listing agents David Fernandez and Andrew Appell.
The team relaunched an effort to sell the property in the spring, asking about $11 million, but received few inquiries.
When the seller, BBMK Technologies founder Michael Kutsak, listed the property for rent on June 1 at $32,500 per month, that changed — and fast.
“We received more rental inquiries in three days than we did sales inquiries in the last three months combined,” Appell said. The new tenants jumped at the opportunity, securing a one-year lease in just three days. (They considered buying the property upon visiting a few weeks ago, but ultimately declined.)
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It’s a trend Appell says he has noticed since the pandemic began, just not at this high of a price point. Clients will ask sellers if they’re willing to rent the property instead, or rent first and sell later, he said.
“This seems to be the comfort level for the high-end home searcher who has the liquidity to do so,” Appell said. It offers the chance to get the feel of a new home and neighborhood rather than commit to a place they may not want to be as workplace culture shifts post-pandemic, he added.
The red brick and brownstone home was completely renovated by Joseph Vance Architects and Molly Elizabeth Interior Design. At 4,902 square feet and $79 per square foot, the home boasts five bedrooms and bathrooms and smart-home integration, two-car private parking and outdoor space.