Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Open House Agenda: Three Apartments to See This Weekend

By Donna M. Airoldi | July 17, 2014 8:51pm | Updated on July 18, 2014 4:59pm
 Three open houses with ideal locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Three Apartments to See This Weekend
View Full Caption

MANHATTAN — While price is a major consideration when looking to purchase an apartment, location is the next most-important factor. Here are three open houses to check out this weekend, each situated at the crossroads of two highly desirable neighborhoods.

Before you go house hunting, check out some helpful stories to guide you through the process:

- Tips for budget-conscious buyers
- Six real estate mistakes and how to avoid them
- 10 tips for buying apartments in new developments
 

180 W. Houston St., Apt. 2F, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 600 square feet
$740,000
Maintenance: $845.68 per month
Open House: Saturday, July 19, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Lowdown: This new-to-market, street-facing one-bedroom, on the edge of Greenwich Village and SoHo, hasn’t had a gut renovation, but the seller did update the kitchen and bath “approximately three years ago,” said Elaine Masci, of Halstead Property.

He also moved the entry from next to the kitchen to “open into the living room, creating a cute nook” in the foyer that can hold a desk, dry bar or cabinet.

“It’s a comfortable, proper one-bedroom with a lot of usable space,” Masci noted. “You can also take down the wall in the windowed kitchen to open it up and create a breakfast bar."

The building’s co-op board is strict where it needs to be but also still flexible, Masci said. It allows washing machines in units, unlimited subletting after two years, and pets, with no weight limit for dogs, which is rare.

Location: The building is just west of Sixth Avenue, with all of SoHo and the Village (with its “secrets”) steps away. “You’re surrounded by some of the best restaurants in the city, and the entire world knows about the shopping in SoHo,” Masci said.

The A, B, C, D, E, F and M trains are three blocks up Sixth Avenue; the 1 train is on the corner at Varick Street. For buses, the crosstown M21, the uptown M5 and the downtown M20 are all within a block.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “Apartments in this building rarely come up, and when they do, they go quickly,” Masci said, adding that it was "priced incredibly well."

160 West End Avenue, Apt. 29T, Lincoln Square, Manhattan
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 900 square feet
$789,000
Maintenance: $1,725 per month
Open House: Sunday, July 20, noon to 3 p.m. by appointment only

Lowdown: Sunlight and city views add to the location appeal for this top-floor one-bedroom in Lincoln Towers, an eight-building development on the border of Lincoln Square and the Upper West Side.

“The apartment is on the 29th floor and faces east,” said John Harhay, of Bond New York. “When you walk in, it’s filled with light. The views are open sky and tops of buildings. At twilight, it becomes magnificent.”

The kitchen is relatively new, and the bath was also renovated, though not as recently, Harhay noted, adding, “The footprint is very large and has a real feeling of openness. There’s also abundant closet space. It’s the only unit of this size that’s [currently] available.”

Building amenities include a 24-hour doorman, fitness room, laundry and an on-site dry cleaner. Pied-à-terres are allowed.

While the maintenance may seem a bit high, it includes electric and gas. There's also central air in the unit.

Location: The building can be entered from either 68th or 69th streets, through a park. Lincoln Square, though part of the Upper West Side, borders Columbus Circle and Midtown West. Lincoln Center, both Central Park and Riverside Park, the Time-Warner Center, and several other shops and restaurants are an easy walk away, including Pier i Café at West 70th Street for seasonal waterfront dining.

The 1, 2 and 3 trains are at 72nd Street and Broadway; the local 1 is also at 66th Street. The A, B, C and D are at 59th Street.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s in the heart of the Upper West Side and is an abundant space at 900 square feet,” Harhay said. “It can be easily converted to a two bedroom, or you can add a nursery, home office or den.”

Note: Viewings are by appointment only. Contact John Harhay via email or at 917-640-1264, or Srdjan Stojanivic via email or at 646-295-7661.

618 Dean St., Apt. 1C, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
3 Bedrooms/2 Baths (Studio/1 Bath on floor plans)
Condo
1,293 square feet
$1.2 million
Common Charges: $289 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $25 per month, abated until 2024
Open House: Sunday, July 20, 1-3 p.m.

Lowdown: When the Merchant House, a 1920 industrial building, was converted to condos in 2004, the developer created unit 1C as an open duplex loft space — which is why it’s listed on plans as a studio/one-bath apartment. However, the seller, a professional photographer, reconfigured it into a three-bedroom, two-bath space, said Brian Giambalvo, of Corcoran Group.

“He used his eye to really capture everything that’s needed in a home when he took the blank canvas and made it what it is now,” Giambalvo said. “None of the openness has been compromised.”

Upstairs is the open kitchen, studio/office space with a sleeping loft and two closets, and the main living area — along with soaring 12.5-foot ceilings. Downstairs are two more bedrooms, with added “antique pocket doors and stained glass windows,” multiple built-in closets and a large laundry room with additional storage.

The private garden connects to the communal garden, “so if you have an overflow of guests, you can open it up,” Giambalvo said. There’s also a communal roof deck.

The unit faces south and is in the back of the building, so “it’s insulated from foot and motor vehicle traffic,” Giambalvo noted. “You can really go out and sit in the private garden and you don’t hear anything off the street.”

Location: The crossroad of retail arteries Atlantic and Flatbush avenues, where Barclays Center and the Atlantic Terminal — with access to nine subway lines, the Long Island Railroad and the Atlantic Mall — is two blocks away. Walk south three blocks and you’re at Grand Army Plaza and Park Slope. The inaugural Prospect Heights Music Festival took place earlier this month.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “You have all the elements of a home here, not just an apartment,” Giambalvo said. “It offers space, separation with the downstairs area, and private outdoor space, but you’re not paying an exorbitant amount of real estate taxes to own a brownstone. Plus, Sunday will be hot, and we’ll have a Sno-cone maker at the open house.”