The Million Dollar Question

So little information to go on, it's hard to take this question seriously.

It's an opinion question - if you had $1mm, what would you buy?

Ah, the million dollar challenge. You'll need a separate category for DINK's, young families, singles, gays, retirees, Russians, etc. Otherwise what's the point? I like the idea, but focus, dude, focus. Give us something to go on.

It depends, what do you want most? Space, convenience to work/schools, peace and quiet, hot new bars and restaurants, other?
What do you need? Entertainment, community, closets, doggy playground?
What do you like? Lots of retail stores and boutiques, birds chirping, views to New Jersey, other?
The answer is conditional to these answers, it seems so obvious that your question comes across as insincere.

The question is not meant to be insincere - here is the full story. My mom wants to buy a place in the city - that's all I was given. She doesn't know any neighborhoods, hence why I am trying to make this about everyone else, not what's important to her (since she doesn't have any opinions). But here are some more specifications: Pied a terre, space not important, schools not important, commute not important, nothing cookie cutter, charm is important, quiet is important. I honestly don't even know where to tell her to start looking. I could see her in the UWS, Tribeca, West Village, and even Brooklyn.

She may not know New York, but you know your mother. What does she like? Does she own a dog or a cat? Is she a label whore, a volunteer, an adventurer? Does she travel a lot, have tons of visiting friends? Is this a pied-a-terre or her last stop? Any given Thursday, would you find her in a church, at the park, in Bloomingdale's, at Moma?
Come on, spill.

Ooooh, you shouldn't have said this is for your "mom". You could have just pretended - for our sake - that you're a capable young adult doing some research for yourself - not for your "mom". Nothing wrong with what you're doing, and it's quite charming really, but it kind of diminishes your standing - just a bit.

Sorry, still a tough question to answer. Does she want a 1bd/1bth or 2bd/2bth? No cookie-cutter = no modern condos? Elevator important? Doormen/concierges/front desk? Prewar building hi-rise? Low-rise/no elevator townhouse, brownstone? Does she drive/subway access important?

WinsorCourt, I think if she has told you that some things are not important, i.e. - space, schools, commute, or any others, you might need to reconsider taking that approach. She needs to spend time in each of those neighborhoods. Take a weekend with her and set up appointments with a broker all over the city. Any good broker can spend a nice full day or even two with you and find many properties that might meet your mother's specifications all over the city. Ask your broker to recommend a cute place for breakfast in your starting neighborhood, so your mother can get a feel for the neighborhood. Meet with your broker afterward and view several properties in that area. Afterward, navigate to another neighborhood and have lunch there and check out some brief shopping in order to get a feel for that neighborhood. View some properties, and repeat, etc.

While it may be true that she does not know the neighborhoods of Manhattan, that does not mean that it is not important. It would be a waste for her to purchase an apartment in Park Slope only to find out two weeks later that she can't resist the West Village.

As far as the space and schools are concerned, they should be of issue if you are worried at all about resale value.

MOST importantly, this pied-a-terre will likely be inheritable if your mother is planning on owning it for some time. Therefore, make sure it meets your qualifications too.

Best of luck!

Let me throw a couple UWS offerings at the wall. Before I get shot down I make no claims as to value and know nothing of these listings other than what SE tells me:

This one is 1st floor but very interesting street access to terrace - check out google streetview. Maybe a security concern tho..
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/489269-condo-22-riverside-drive-upper-west-side-new-york

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/506186-condo-240-west-end-avenue-lincoln-square-new-york

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/511072-condo-117-west-82nd-street-upper-west-side-new-york

windsor, we were in your mom's shoes last year. we leased an apartment for the year in Gramercy and then spent every weekend we were in town at open houses basically all over the city. initially we thought Gramercy area would be perfect for us but after lots of looking and suggestions from this forum ( for which we are still grateful), we wound up on Sutton Place. we received quite an education thru this process and it was actually an interesting one at that as we tramped thru neighborhoods we didn't know existed. we learned to ask the right questions about each building as well as the differences between condos and coops. we never involved our realtor until we narrowed our choices down to three different units in slightly different areas and then we looked to her for negotiating skills as well as value appraisals. we closed in december on a coop and are now doing a gut renovation and excited about being close to the finish line. our budget was originally the same as your mom's but we decided after all the looking to buy a larger place and spend money on the renovation because the market values were so good at the time and we could picture ourselves eventually being there full time. hope this helps...