While undergoing my weekly self-flagellation, I was narrowing down which listing I wanted to share with you and inadvertently wound up with two options in roughly the same price bracket. Both locations are attractive in their own way, and I know which I would choose, but I am curious about what you think.
First, there’s a multi-family property on S. Johnson Street in the Broadmoor neighborhood. A raised basement cottage, this house was built in the early 1920s and offers both an apartment and a guest suite for a total of four bedrooms and 3 1/2 bathrooms. The over 3,300 square feet of living space sports features like a huge front porch, tray ceiling in the living room, hardwood floors, and (my personal favorite) a sunny breakfast nook surrounded by multi-paned windows looking out onto the deck. The bathrooms have a lot of the original tile work on the wainscoting and floors, and the basement apartment is adorable . . . surprisingly so.
I often find basement apartments like these to be too dark and somewhat claustrophobic with their low ceilings, but this one is pretty damned cute with lots of inset lights, light colors, and original tilework and fixtures in the bathroom. You could likely AirBnB (is that a verb?) the space to help pay off the mortgage. While there are aspects of the Broadmoor neighborhood I love (El Pavo Real, for one), it’s not my favorite as many other homes in the area tend to be run down. Also, do two people really need this much space? This relatively well-kept, mammoth multi-family home is listed for $625,000. As always, it’s priced well out of my range, but we’re dream-shopping, right?
Located on Marais Street in the historic Tremé neighborhood, the second property is actually a condo inside a recently renovated Creole cottage originally built in 1832. Classic architectural details abound, from pocket doors and multi-paned transoms to lots of French doors, fireplace mantles and exposed brick walls. There’s even a (shared) salt water pool out back in the lush, bricked courtyard. This condo, however, is only 1300 square feet, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms and is listed for $680,000. While it may be only 3 blocks to the French Quarter, but it’s also only 3 blocks to the I-10 overpass, and it’s not even a whole house.
Given you had to wherewithal to purchase one of these homes, which would you choose?
