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Open House Agenda: 3 Apartments to See This Weekend

By Donna M. Airoldi | December 12, 2014 7:47am | Updated on December 12, 2014 5:50pm
 Units on the market at or near $350,000 with open houses this weekend.
Affordable Starter Apartments
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NEW YORK CITY — While it often feels like you need millions to own a nice apartment in the city, it’s possible to have a modest budget and still find a lovely place to call home. Here are three such units — priced at or near $350,000 — with open houses this weekend.

100 Overlook Terrace, Apt. 715, Hudson Heights/Washington Heights
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 625 square feet
$335,000
Maintenance: $654 per month
Open House: Sunday, Dec. 14, 2:15-4 p.m.

Lowdown: Value is the key asset for this renovated one-bedroom in Hudson Heights, said Kelly Cole of Corcoran Group.

Selling points include low maintenance, a 24-hour lobby attendant and a "proper one-bedroom in move-in condition," she said.

Though not particularly large, this post-war unit has an “efficient layout” as well as five closets — with the large double-door one added during the update. The renovation included an expansion of the kitchen and a new bathroom. From its seventh-floor perch, it gets good light from its southern exposure. 

The “well-managed” 170-unit co-op includes laundry on multiple floors and a live-in super. There is a wait list for parking in the basement garage. 

“The one negative," Cole added, "is they don’t permit dogs.”

Location: Hudson Heights is the northern end of Washington Heights. The apartment is just two blocks from Fort Tryon Park, which houses the Cloisters museum and gardens. The mostly residential area has a “village” feel and “stable” businesses that have expanded as the neighborhood has gained in popularity, Cole said. New additions include fitness studios such as The Practice NYC and Journey Space.

The apartment sits on a hill between the 181st Street and 190th Street stations on the A line. “To avoid walking uphill, head down to 181st Street on your way to work, then get off at 190th Street on your way home,” Cole recommended. The 1 train at 191st Street is a little more than half a mile east. For car owners, there’s easy access to the Henry Hudson Parkway and the George Washington Bridge.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s a great starter apartment — fully renovated and move-in ready — and the combined monthly [outlay] is probably less than what [a potential buyer] is paying for rent,” Cole said, noting that she has sold other one-bedrooms in the neighborhood for twice the price.

321 E. 54th St., Apt. 8F, Sutton Place/Midtown East
Studio/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 400 square feet
$350,000
Maintenance: $870 per month
Open Houses: Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13 and 14, 3-4:30 p.m.

Lowdown: “The seller is an interior designer and did a great job of making the best use of a small space,” said Stan Broekhoven of Town Residential. “It looks like a showroom.”

An Australian bought the unit sight-unseen about six years ago, then redid the space, updating the kitchen, replacing a Murphy bed with a pull-out sofa, and adding the wall of mirrors, “which really opens up the place.” She also updated the windowed bathroom and reglazed the tub and tiles with a new layer of porcelain.

The fireplace, which is gel-fueled rather than wood-burning, "makes the same sounds as an actual wood fireplace and gives off heat,” Broekhoven noted. “It’s cozy and adds so much value. During showings, everyone goes straight to the fireplace.”

The unit faces the back of a “quiet block.” In addition to a common roof deck with city views, there’s laundry in the basement.

Location: The building is just east of Second Avenue and close to Sutton Place Park along the East River. It’s also a few doors down from one of the city’s best-kept fitness secrets: Recreation Center 54, which offers an indoor pool, running track, various courts and equipment — all for $150 per year.

The nearest subway entrance is at Third Avenue and 53rd Street, with access to the E, M and 6 trains.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s stunning and designed by interior designer. You step in and you don’t have to do much work, if any,” Broekhoven said. “And [potential buyers] can warm themselves by the fireplace.”

385 E. 18th St., Apt. 4D, Ditmas Park
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 750 square feet
$359,000
Maintenance: $650 per month
Open House: Sunday, Dec. 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lowdown: Owner Margaret Crocker bought this one-bedroom unit about six years ago. It had already been updated just before she moved in, but she refinished the doors and added an arch to the opening where the wall between the kitchen and living room had been removed “in order to match the apartment’s other arches,” she said.

Crocker uses the foyer, which has built-in shelving, “as a mud room,” and the living room is large enough for a dining room table. The unit faces east and north and gets “good morning light.”

She fell in love with the place because of “its great flow; it just felt cozy and open at the same time,” Crocker said.

The 72-unit co-op redid the laundry room about three years ago and put in heat sensors to conserve energy, which “has saved the building a ton of money,” Crocker noted. Parents in the building added a playroom to part of the basement, she added.

The $61.80 assessment is the first since Crocker bought the apartment, and she’s not sure how long it will last, but “it’s offset by the STAR rebate.”

Location: The building is just off Cortelyou Road, the retail heart of Ditmas Park with multiple bars, restaurants and cafes along the street. A new Pilates studio and a day spa opened along the street this fall; a Gap Factory Outlet debuted in October a few blocks away on Flatbush Avenue, across from the newly renovated Loew’s Kings Theater, which reopens in January.

The Cortelyou Q train station is two blocks away. The B103 bus runs express to downtown Brooklyn through Gowanus. The B41 runs along Flatbush.

Why should you put this on your open house calendar? “It’s a great investment as well as a wonderful nest for someone just starting out who wants a place of their own in the city to feel safe and warm and quiet,” Crocker said.