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Open House Agenda: 3 Apartments to See This Weekend

By Donna M. Airoldi | March 27, 2015 7:35am | Updated on March 27, 2015 6:24pm
 Make up for the walk-up with your own private roof deck.
One-bedrooms With Private Roof Decks
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NEW YORK CITY —  With winter’s snow finally melted and spring officially begun, we're turning our attention to apartments with outdoor space — one of buyers' most desired features. These three units all come with private roof decks and are listed below $800,000.

529 E. 88th St., Apt. 5C, Yorkville/Upper East Side
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 550 square feet
$395,000
Maintenance: $879 per month
Open House: Sunday, March 29, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lowdown: Although this one-bedroom (converted from a studio) is on the top floor of a walk-up, the trade-off is a nearly 200-square-foot private roof deck.

Each of the owners on the fourth floor of this Yorkville co-op are allowed to develop the roof section above their apartment. Two so far have done so, including the owners of unit 5C, said David Moody of Citi Habitats.

“They did a really nice job. [The deck] faces north, and you can see a sliver of the river,” Moody said. And because the neighboring buildings are low-rises, “it’s totally open sky. You’re getting sun from 11 a.m. all the way through the rest of the day.”

The pre-war unit has 9.5-foot ceilings, exposed brick, wall-through A/C, overhead storage above the closet in the living room, and good light through five windows — including two in the kitchen.

The wall the sellers erected to create the bedroom also has a window, allowing natural light to reach the rest of the apartment.

Laundry is in the basement; the maintenance is 58 percent tax deductible.

Location: Carl Schurz Park, which includes Gracie Mansion, is at the end of the block on East End Avenue; Asphalt Green recreation complex is at 90th Street. A Whole Foods Market opened in February on Third Avenue near 87th Street.

The 4/5/6 trains are at Lexington and 86th Street. (The Second Avenue subway will be closer when it opens.) Buses include the crosstown M86 and the M15 along First and Second avenues.

Why put it on your open house calendar? To get an apartment with outdoor space in "well-kept co-op" in a "nice, quiet" Manhattan neighborhood for $400,000 — "there’s really nothing like it in this price range,” Moody said.

692 President St., Apt. 4, Park Slope
1.5 Bedrooms/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 725 square feet
$699,000
Maintenance: $664 per month
Open Houses: Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29, 1-3 p.m.

Lowdown: This duplex, on the second and third floors of a converted brownstone, comes with nearly 350 square feet of private roof rights, said Tracey McLean of Corcoran Group. Entry is via a ladder from the bedroom, which has beautiful, original wide pine-plank flooring.

“The other half of the roof belongs to apartment three, but they don’t have direct access [from their unit], so they rarely use it, but that’s not to suggest that they won’t,” McLean noted.

The sellers, who bought the place in 2007, renovated, updating the kitchen and bathroom and creating a small room off the bedroom that they use as a nursery but could also be an office.

“The kitchen is beautiful, has high-end appliances and the dishwasher is paneled so it looks like one of the cabinets,” McLean said.

“It’s not a particularly big apartment, but the updates are stylish and [the sellers] were clever and put in a pocket door [to the added room] to make sure the space was efficient."

The spiral staircase has built-in bookshelves and storage, she added.

The co-op is self-managed. There’s storage and free laundry in the basement.

Location: This brownstone, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, is two blocks from Union Market, the Park Slope Food Coop and the former Tea Lounge, which a local plans to turn into a café and community space.

The R train is at Union and Fourth Avenue; the 2/3 at Grand Army Plaza and the B/Q at Seventh Avenue are each about a 10-minute walk away.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “Private roof rights are rare, especially for apartments on the second floor,” McLean said. “And it’s turn-key. They were very smart in the finishes they used, and no one will really need to do anything.”

192 Lenox Ave., Apt. PHB, Central Harlem
1 Bedroom/1.5 Baths
Condo
Approximately 934 square feet
$795,000
Common Charges: $666 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $756 per month
Open House: Saturday, March 28, 1-2 p.m.

Lowdown: This newly converted condo, completed in January, is in a mansion that’s more than 100 years old and is part of the Mount Morris Historic District. Penthouse B is one of two units in the building that has a private roof deck, said Maria Bazo of Sotheby’s.

It’s also the last of the sponsor’s five units not already in contract. Because all the others sold above asking, the sponsor increased the price for this unit by $10,000 last month, Bazo noted.

The lower level has the bedroom and full bath along with a washer and dryer. The ceiling height is 10-feet, 2-inches. The upper level, with 11.5-foot ceilings, includes the kitchen, living and dining area, and a powder room. There’s storage in the basement.

It’s historic and has exposed brick “but also a modern marble kitchen and bath, and white oak floors,” Bazo said. “It’s a really nice development.”

Note: The living room and bathroom images for the listing are of a different unit as this apartment was still under construction when the photos were shot. The actual kitchen is a bit smaller, but the bathroom looks the same, Bazo said.

Location: In addition to having historic mansions on this block between 119th and 120th streets, Marcus Garvey Park is around the corner. Several new restaurants and shops have opened in the area in recent years, including Harlem Shake and Red Rooster. Whole Foods is coming to 125th Street. The 2/3 trains are at 116th Street.

Why put it on your open house calendar? People who have seen it have fallen in love with the charm of the old brownstone but also the modern finishes, Bazo said. “The rooftop is amazing, and it’s a good price.”