February 19, 2026

493 Decatur Street Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Compass

Good news: You can purchase this dilapidated mansion in Ditmas Park for only $2.59 million. Where some will see a gut job, I see the restoration opportunity of a lifetime! Constructed in 1899 for Wall Street magnate George Van Ness and his family, this Gilded Age mansion has 6,000 square feet of space as well as a carriage house for your in-laws. But let’s dive into the listings this week. I stuck to Brooklyn, hitting Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Bed-Stuy, and Brooklyn Heights. Bit of a grab bag this week, but what else is new?

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$5,900, 3-bedroom: What it lacks in charm is made up for in bedrooms. However, while there are many bedrooms, there is only one bath ….

$3,985, 1-bedroom: A lot of cheap finishes, but the price is right, the light is right, and I’m not mad at the stucco-style coating in the backyard. Sort of could be Greek?

Carroll Gardens Photo: Courtesy of the owner

$3,999, 1-bedroom: Terrible photography, sweet bedroom muraling, and solid hardwoods.

$3,499, 1-bedroom: Cheap with some charm.

Dean Street Photo: Courtesy of the owner

$5,750, 2-bedroom: Two-bedroom floor-through, a block from Prospect Park. Not a huge fan of the exposed brick, as you know, or the cabinetry in the kitchen, but the bedroom is pretty fantastic. Maybe you can figure out how to keep that plush carpet that I can feel underfoot as I type …

$4,950, 1-bedroom: Mahogany-forward, ground-floor apartment. Highlights include the butter-yellow laminate countertop with the green tile backsplash in the kitchen — obsession-worthy!

39 8th Avenue Photo: Douglas Elliman

$4,750, 1-bedroom: Spacious one-bedroom that’s a little overpriced in a 19th-century rowhouse. I like the dignity of a separate kitchen and the dining room, though!

$3,000, 1-bedroom: Prewar whose prewar is starting to show … but behind the rough edges are beautiful bones like the tin ceiling and the hardwood floors.

$8,700, 4-bedroom: Extremely gaudy triplex that’s just for fun — very Louis XIV meets Jersey Housewives in here.

$5,995, 3-bedroom: To call this a triplex feels unfair because the ground floor is a rec room with bad tile … Maybe there’s something you could do to mitigate that? A lot to like here and a lot of cheap finishes to look past, too.

$4,500, studio: It’s a storefront? It’s a listening room for babies? It’s a studio? (It’s all of the above.)

$3,250, 1-bedroom: Good bones on this floor-through, though the wood is a touch darker than my taste. Looks like it comes fully furnished, too …

493 Decatur Street Photo: Compass

$3,500, studio: Ground-floor apartment in one of my favorite old mansions in Brooklyn Heights.

$7,495, 3-bedroom: Bad lighting that makes the already cloyingly-dark mahogany look worse, but there’s seemingly a lot of space, and I like the built-ins in the living room.