☞ DWELL: 34 Convent Avenue Brownstone

The yellow-brick, single family townhouse (last corner building in photo) at 34 Convent Avenue on the corner of West 128th Street has one of the lowest prices on the market, but it also has some issues that come along with it. On the plus side, the semi-detached house is part of a row of intact townhouses on the West Harlem and 125th Street border. Beyond that, there are some issue that are much larger than the amount of work that will have to put into the building. The tell-tale boarded-up windows are always a sign of a total wreck of an interior. Although the roof, floors and some woodwork are intact, their current condition would require a complete overhaul that is not just your basic cosmetic touch-up job. Then there is the huge Verizon parking lot on the side of the building along with an empty corner building lot across the street. This lower Convent Avenue section of Harlem is also mostly surrounded by taller pre-war tenements and apartments, so it might not be as quiet as being on the side street. With all that said, the townhouse is at one of the lower asking prices of $560K. The building is apparently unhabitable, so a mortgage might be hard to come by. The closest train is only a five minute walk to the A,B,C,D at 125th Street.