The high-powered real estate company aptsandlofts.com is expanding once again, this time into Bedford-Stuyvesant, according to The Commercial Observer.
Currently, the borkerage has two offices: One in Williamsburg on Driggs Street and a second office on Court Street in Cobble Hill.
But very recently, the brokerage has taken a lease out on a third space: a 2,000-square-foot bi-level storefront at 308 Malcolm X Boulevard (between Decatur and MacDonough streets) in Bed-Stuy.
The space is designed to be able to support 45 agents and support staff, though it's expected to be occupied by 25 when it opens early next year.
"A lot more transactions are happening in Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights," David Maundrell, the company's founder and president, told The Observer. "This will be a jumping off point for us in Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights, Clinton Hill, Bushwick and even Ridgewood, Queens."
What's all the buzz about? Apparently, it's the brownstones. And, of course, it's also Brooklyn's cheaper prices, compared to Manhattan. Because even Brooklyn's record-high prices still represent a significant discount to Manhattan.
In Manhattan, it is the homes near Central Park that command the highest prices, while in Brooklyn, waterfront homes fetch the greatest premium, said The Real Deal. In addition, the most expensive properties in Manhattan are condos — with some now asking more than $100 million — but historic townhouses are Brooklyn's priciest housing type.
"The demand for these [Brooklyn townhouse] properties is voracious," said Doug Bowen, a CORE broker who has worked in Brooklyn for nearly 15 years.
