empty nester question...

and when deprived of golf, interesting restaurants are our sport...

buildings are tough. all the new developments wont let you touch a real 2/2 at that price. you shouldn't rule out coops since they are 20-30% less. generally if you go north of 22/2 it gets cheaper. kips bay could be an ok option.

sutton area, but again coops not condos at that price range for a 2/2

thanks Gettingout/eastsidebroker and we'll explore those suggestions.

try 305 East 40th - full 2BR/3Br 3Bth - now at $1,190,000 but on the market a long time - try a lowball offer. It is a coop, so you really won't be able to rent it out, but it is a very stable building, and easy access to gramercy.

Sorry - it's a 2 Bth, converible 3BR

There is also a 2br/2th (different unit) for rent there at $3,800

"all the new developments wont let you touch a real 2/2 at that price. "

Actually, we have a contract out on our listing in the Onyx (28th and 8th) but otherwise it fits your description exactly (2007 condo, 2BR/2BA, vented W/D, just across town from Gramercy, $1.175 list).

Let me try to think what else might be around. post-labor day there will be *something* else.

If you want me to find it, you can reach me on my work email at ali [at] dgneary [dot] com; please put "streeteasy" in the subject line.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

ps: so sorry about your kid. that's awful.

ph41, thanks. we hadn't gone up as far as murry hill and this is a great lead. we really don't want to rent out whatever we buy so coop is not a problem. just didn't know if coops would let us be there part time.
Ali, i thought we had seen everything in that area but we missed the Onyx. thanks and we will watch the listings. we do have a lovely broker who also happens to be our landlord and she has worked so hard on this project for us. and thanks also for your kind words. life changes in a phone call and thank god we can change ours enough to be of help. the silver lining is that both sons and their very young familes (five grandbabies under the age of five) live in manhattan so we are now quite a part of their lives. sugar reigns at nana's house!

Rosina, darling, best of luck to you & yours; remember what a blessing you are. Many coops are fine with pied a terres but do ask upfront so that you don't waste your time.

thanks, drdrd, and i have noticed that some of the listings will tell you if pied a terres are allowed (far too fancy a handle for what we want to do). we are back in SC now but will trudge the streets of ny later in september as we continue the search. we actually thought we had an apartment two weeks ago only to learn this week that the owner decided not to sell.

Rosina: how many days a year do you plan on spending in NYC

Rosina - Hope things go well for your son. New York does have some of the best medical care in the world.

Just thought you might also consider the east 50s, again very easy access by bus or cab to your family, and coops there often have very attractive prices.

A friend & co-worker had cancer so I sat down one day at the bookstore with about a dozen books & was very heartened by what I learned; cancer is highly survivable & broccoli is an amazing anti-cancer food. Yum yum, get out the steamer .....

i agree with ph41. lovely pre war coop building in the sutton place/beekman area. and very attractive pricing right now. great access anywhere you want to go as well.

All the best to you and your family. I know you said you looked downtown but did you try BPC? It is very peaceful with easy access to subways.

http://www.cityrealty.com/sell/building.cr?bid=8621

this building has pretty good pricing and the units i have seen are quite large. condop, so less restrictive regarding pied a terre situations. not my firms listing by the way :)

But the layouts in that building are strange - little loft bedrooms with low ceilings. And BPC is WAY downtown - not easy/quick access by any means other than subway.

not in bpc....turtle bay towers, 46th and 2nd ave...perhaps the link sent you to a different building. i have seen really large 2/2's in there. only a couple of higher floor units however, not intamately familiar with the building

Patient09, we are very carefully documenting our time in ny and will try to stay beneath the 180 day window. however hard stuff hasn't started yet for son (on clinical trial in ny but docs at Dana Farber in boston) and we will do what we have to do if they need us more.
ph41 and eastsidebroker, we will check all your suggestions and its okay if its your listing!
drdrd, the internet has been a great source of info and his dad and i researched over 350 clinical trials. and amazingly enough the power of green tea is touted as much as the brocolli. hasn't quite replaced my wine....

Ok, I wasn't inquiring as to tax status. Was just curious if buying was necessary at all. Carrying costs alone could cover 6-10 hotel nights per month thats all. good luck..peace.

patient09, you are probably absolutely right. buying is an emotional thing for us right now but it feels like the right thing to do. and i do think it gives the kids a certain peace of mind to know we are nearby. in addition, we offer babysitting on friday nights to both families so we are much loved.

oh, and the babysitting is now in lieu of an inheritance!

rosina if you want to see our 2/2 at the Onyx (with the understanding that there is a contract out on it) have your broker call Gil Neary at 646-431-7330.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

thanks ali. we looked at the listing photos and got a pretty good idea of lovely it is. when we get back in sept we will walk thru the area to see the physical distance and transportation alternatives. meantime we'll watch to see if any more listings become available.

Rosina, bless you. A lot of people on SE feel that renting is the way to go now while the prices float downward so run those numbers & see what makes most sense to you. It's lovely that you babysit all the kiddies on Friday night but remember, then, to have a hot date on Saturday night for yourselves. If you don't take care of yourselves, you'll not be able to take care of anybody else. You're a special Nana & they're lucky to have you. xoxox

drdrd dear! we did run the numbers and in fact hubby has littered the den with spreadsheets where he tells me in a variety of ways that this all makes financial sense because of the tax deduction we will now have. both of us are smart enough to know this really isn't true but we are real comfortable in this fantasy. And hot dates are spread liberally throughout the week!

Rosina, So sorry about your son. I live in NC and my oldest daughter lives in Murray Hill. She just moved there and her new job is in Gramercy. Its a very easy walk for her each day to work. I took four of my younger children to visit her and we stayed at the Affinia Dumont in Murray Hill. They had big rooms with kitchenettes. That might work for you if your lease runs out before you find something new. Also there seemed to be a lot of restaurants in the area. In fact, there is a thread on here about recommendations about dining in Murray Hill with young children. I know just a limited amount about the city but saw a building called the Charleston that looked nice. I saw a thread here about some type of tax abatement that would be a problem in the future but maybe some other people can enlighten you. Good luck with your search and God bless your son and entire family.

thanks blossom. #2 son lived in murray hill a few years back so we were exposed to the area and you are right that it is walkable to gramercy area. we have been looking at listings there as well as some in the east 50s that others have suggested. amazing to me that all these busy nyers are taking the time and trouble to search and recommend. and thank god for this SE site so we can not only see listings/open houses but also understand the vagaries of this market that is so different from the rest of the country...tax abatements, land leases, coops versus condos, etc.