Are you a young family looking for a home with a yard in a family-oriented neighborhood? Are you priced out of townhomes that cost $2.5M+? Are you willing to invest in some renovations over time and make a blank canvas your own quirky ode to Brooklyn?

First things first: always look at the streetview

Sometimes you can see an old pre-renovation facade, but I actually think it's more important to spin around 360 and see what's across the street. Trees are very important. Trees tell you what season it is. They lend their shade when you are shouting up to your kids to hurry up and shut the front door. They also create the Sisyphean task of raking, but that is a small price to pay.

Anyway, back to this listing. Beautiful, well-maintained facade that doesn't need any immediate or obvious rehab. This is great because this type of work often requires permits and can be costly. Let's not go broke before we even set foot inside the home. I wish it had a tree directly in front of it, but I can see a bunch of trees on the street and the building across the street has a nice-looking facade and trees out front.

Inside the parlor floor

It looks like there's a classic brownstone vestibule, but no visuals of its condition. The first picture highlights a few things though. Living room floors look beautifully maintained. It's clear that someone cared about this home. There is some walling in of the bannister going down to the basement. Probably enables more privacy if the garden floor unit is rented out.

The living room is small because this is a pretty narrow townhouse, but it gets good light and there is nothing that is inherently unworkable about the floorplan. I like that there's a divider with the formal dining room, which is a good size for a family.

The second floor

On the second floor there are two nice-sized bedrooms and a perfectly functional but dated bathroom. I imagine a family with a couple of kids like mine would find these really good kids' rooms. Most importantly, one isn't so small that it really only works as a nursery. There is a strange connector between the rooms with a random sink and vanity mirror. Odd, but honestly my kids would probably like this since they are young and like to be close to each other.

The top floor (and a hot take about primary bedroom placement)

On the top floor there are technically two bedrooms, but one has a sloped ceiling and I think it would work better repurposed to enable a larger bathroom and a large closet attached to a primary bedroom.

I love love love when the primary bedroom is on the top floor. I think I prefer the idea of my kids not stomping around waking me up at odd hours. So many townhouses have the primary bedroom on the second floor and additional bedrooms on the third floor. Why? Give parents more sleep.

A rule about skylight rooms

I hate when rooms that only have a skylight are presented as bedrooms. They feel like jail cells to me. I want bedrooms to have windows to the outdoors, where someone staying there can see trees. Now I get if using a room like this as an office, nursery, or workout room makes sense, but I draw a line at making them a bedroom for a growing kid.

The kitchen (hear me out)

The kitchen, hear me out, is on the one hand very dated. But if someone wanted to maintain some of the kitschy 60s–70s vibes I think you could update this in a really fun and colorful way.

Say goodbye to monolithic Carrara marble Instagram-perfect kitchens. Have fun and paint your cabinets a funky color. Keep the yellow range. Make a chalk wall for your kids, and get a Smeg fridge because why not.

The garden unit

The garden unit is compact, with a nice-sized eat-in kitchen (described above) and a large bedroom that would double as a living space. If someone was using this as a single-family home you could easily see this space being used as a kitchen, dining, and family room. And then using the parlor floor as a living room, office, or play space.

What I can't see from the listing

• The condition of the backyard
• The parlor floor kitchen
• The roof
• The condition of the windows (some look like they might face a wall or are frosted)
• The condition of the basement

The location

It's in a great location in Crown Heights near Brower Park and the Brooklyn Children's Museum. It's walking distance to the 2/3/4/5 and the A/C, and you can easily walk into Bed-Stuy or over to Nostrand and Franklin for shops and restaurants. This will only get easier with time as the neighborhood continues to evolve.