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The condos at 901 East Ave. have a market value of $350,000 to $650,000, depending on the size of the unit. He is listing Bowers’ two-bedroom unit for $375,000. Despite her love for Rochester, Bowers plans to move to Florida for its warmer weather. Smaller units also are selling much faster these days than are entire mansions, which come with high price tags, maintenance costs and taxes, said Richard Sarkis, an agent with Nothnagle Realtors.
“There’s not a lot of people with that kind of money,” he said.
Realtors Judy and Jamie Columbus of Judy’s Broker Network recently sold 2755 East Ave. in Brighton, a 4,700-square-foot Colonial Revival, for $430,000.
They took over the listing in July with an asking price of $499,999. The house was initially listed at $799,900 in February 2009.
The larger home market is quiet and negotiations are strenuous, Jamie Columbus said.
The historic mansions on East Avenue in the city are comparable to the grand homes on Ambassador Drive and Sandringham Road in the Houston Barnard neighborhood of Brighton, said Judy Columbus. But the neighborhoods might appeal to different buyers. Families with school-age children, for example, might desire the suburban setting, she said.
Jamie Columbus currently has a 4,688-square-foot house on Ambassador Drive listed at $739,900.
The East Avenue market will also see more homes for sale because it is a longer stretch than Ambassador Drive and Sandringham Road, Judy Columbus said.
Susan Reed, the seller of 2755 East Ave., this month moved into a newer condo, also on East Avenue. She purchased the home 30 years ago after falling in love with the beauty of the architecture and the perennial gardens.
“It was the right stage in my life,” said Reed, 62.
With her three children grown, she’s ready to move on. “I’m very proud to have lived there,” she said.
Recognition
The mansions of East Avenue are for people on the top of the economic pyramid of their time, said Cynthia Howk, architectural research coordinator at The Landmark Society of Western New York.