88 Morningside

toured it a month or two ago with buyer clients and there wasn't much to see beyond joists. Views look nice, the church occupancy will be something of a wild card, a la Livmor.

what did you think?

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

I walked by to see how far along it is this morning. It's still got scaffolding in front, but it looks like most of the exterior, at least, is done (though it's short a couple of windows.) I used to live in the area and love the park. So it's a minus for me that the building is near the edge of the park (across from the basketball courts as opposed to grass and trees--or the waterfall). On the plus side, it's close to the D.

I agree wt your judgement, views are nice, vicinity of express train and Columbia also. floorplans shows unit on the small side though but priced accordingly.
Do you think it will sell as quick as the Livmor did?The Livmor sales rate did surprise me.
The church does not seem an issue, I need to know what will happen to the building on the other side of the 122nd street.

Yeah, I noticed that building was boarded up too... I'm waiting for prices to come down to $500/sq ft, either on FDB or this bldg. If they do, I'll bite. If they don't, I'll just keep renting.

the Livmor is a very high amenity building -- I think that's been the tipping factor for some customers.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

I haven't taken a look, though I come to FDB to shop at Best Yet. This is totally subjective, but I don't like the name. It sounds...well, like an assisted-living or nursing home to me. Live More. Live longer. Live free of the fear of dying and no one finding you for a week.

The apartments are just too small for families.

bronxboy, not everyone has a large family ;-). Has anyone seen some model units?

True, Mr.Vibe. But there should be a few larger options for families. And, as I know from experience, when you buy a unit for a smaller family, there is the potential for growth in that family and then you need to move somewhere to accommodate the larger family. Thus the exodus to the 'burbs.

Yes you are right, I have noticed the small units more geared towards starters. Looking virtually at the building, i am really thinking that it will attract a younger crowd pre family like foreigners pied a terre, columbia students, young workers, young small families, but I could be wrong. At least, it is another interesting building in harlem, maintenance seems a bit high though.

Is there parking in the building? If not it is not for families. And Bronxboy also said nothing would sell in the Harlem area but as we have seen over the last 3 months units haved moved i.e. The douglass, parc central etc

Yes they have, Ms. I was wrong. Still, I wouldn't buy at these prices at this time. Economy is still very unstable. Foreign investors are not as numerous as the world wide economy is also down. The buildings are okay, but nothing special. Also, what have moved are the lower priced units; the Livmor, Douglass, Parc Standard are reasonably priced. Higher priced units or buildings (5th on the Park, 2280 FSB, Windows on 123,e tc sales remain stagnant at best.

what is the deal with the "cond-op" designation? if my understanding is correct this is not a true condop (i.e. divided into residential and retail/professional). is this a marketing ploy? do you own property or shares if you buy into this building?

It's a cond-op because part of the building (lower floors) is office space for the adjacent church.
Apartment buyers are buying shares in the residential part of the building, which is a coop.
Views are very nice, particularly from higher floors facing Morningside Park.

Will be interested to know the move in date...

Does anyone know whether there are lottery units in this building?

Has Anyone seen the construction progress on this building lately or knows how many units are really in contracts (4 according to streeteasy)?

I visited this building a few weeks ago. Since the building is not expected to be ready for occupancy until May, there were not many completed units to visit, but we were impressed by what we saw. We saw a 3BR model unit and a somewhat completed (walls up, no applicances) 3BR.

PROS: The layouts were great, the views from one of the units was spectacular -- great views of the St. John and the park. They have outdoor space in some of the units and the finishes looked great to me, as were their choice of appliances. I have been looking at new construction throughout Harlem and have not seen anything of this quality (not that I am even remotely an expert). They were actually creative with their spaces, though some are small.

CONS: Why are they a coop -- are they leasing their land from the church? We did not explore this with the onsite agent because we were running late for another appointment. The deal breaker was that they only have a part-time doorman.

Any thoughts about how it would be to live in that area with young children?

Unfortunately, the projects (Wagner Houses?) are very close. And Morningside Park is loud and noisy up there. Very pretty closer to 110ST. The pond is nice.

I believe the building is still in school district 3. None of neighborhood / zoned elementary schools are very good. Some charter schools seem to be doing well. They do cater to a specific demographic though. District 3 has a few excellent G&T programs, if your child tests well (PS 166, 163, 9, Anderson). Middle school choice (even though overcrowded and competitive) is very decent: Booker T (Delta Honors), Computer School, Columbia Secondary, Mott Hall 2 are all in the district.

Thanks bedbug. I appreciate it.

The projects are close but they face Amsterdam and are on 123rd and most of their activity is in that direction. This area is actually very nice -- perhaps the nicest in the 125th and lower Harlem
The Park provides beautiful views and walks, but can be noisy in the summer. It also provides basketball, tennis, handball opportunities
I think the elementary school nearby is reasonably well rated
Access to restaurants and groceries etc is relatively very good on F. Douglas and Amsterdam

Lots of people with young children and dogs in the area with high diversity

I must say it's difficult deciding whether it would be wise to move to that area with our young child, but I suppose one can't really be sure about an area unless one lives there. We looked at a fair number of new developments in Brooklyn and Long Island city but were not impressed by the areas and we also thought anything with decent proximity to the city was overpriced. I am all in favor of my son growing up in a very diverse area just don't want to take any risks. Seems like there is considerable interest in the building especially in the 3 bedrooms (probably because of the small size of the units) and the agent said there is interest by young families but who knows.

don't know anything about this particular building. However i just moved to the Livmor with my 5 year old daughter. Last night they had a gathering of the residents to welcome all to the building and i was impressed by the amount of young kids in the building, especially since only about 55% or so of the apartments are full right now.

The area up around here and through to where you are looking is slowly changing. Is it perfect, by far not, but I have not felt unsafe.

I like the fact that there are stores, restaurants, etc, and that more are being opened.

The elementary school is good for the area. But on top of that being in district 3, you have access to the gifted and talented programs in the schools on the UWS, which is where my daughter is.

88 Morningside is a Condop and has unusually high maintenance charges for a new development. Otherwise, I think its in a good, relatively safe are.

I assume it is because a part of the rent paid to the owner church is included in the maintenance charges

hijack: Mikev, I almost put a client in the Livmor (the building's tough policy on subletting scared him off) and still like it -- I'd be very interested to hear your experience going forward.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

Ali....What tough policy? Honestly since i plan on living there for the very long forseeable future, I did not even pay much attention. To me it seemed straightforward that you could sublet. What did i miss?

Any questions you have about the building let me know.

I can tell you that i just moved in last week, but was constructing for the past month. The doormen are very good, children's play room my daughter loves, was out on the roofdeck for the welcome reception last night. There is a great mix of people it seems with kids ranging from newborn to i would say right before the teens. so really a mix of young and older couples. Only issue is they built one small bike room, they are buildign another, but for now everyone, including us, put squeezed the bikes in. I would also say the super they hired is good and very responsive via email.

it's a land lease building that's why the maintenance is so high. they claim it's a 30 yr lease.

on 88 morningside

It is a 99 year land lease with an option to renew for another 99 years.

Mike, your building strongly discourages short-term sublets -- I don't have the offering plan anymore, but I think they allow a year only. Many condos will give lip service to that idea, but actually look the other way when the owners sublet short-term. With your building, the way it was written into the plan means they really mean it -- they want owners.

My client, however, imagined spending most of the year in NY and a few months of the year overseas, so he decided (somewhat reluctantly, I think) that the building wouldn't work for him.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

Ali

now i understand what you meant, it is not that it was no subletting, it was that they wanted a year or longer. For a smallish building, I am actually for that idea. I feel short term is more hotelish and that is not what i am looking for int he place that I am living.

Mike

I'm one of the people who has a contract to buy a unit at 88. (I think it's the best unit in the building, but I am, of course, biased.) The ground lease was at first off-putting, but I think that the terms (99 years + right to renew for 99 more AND a set rate of increase -- 1.75%/year, if memory serves) leave me sufficiently comfortable to have signed the contract. The ground lease does, I think, explain the relatively high maintenance fees.

@lef2009, any idea on the move in date?

The current talk is that the building will be done in December and available for move-in in March, but I'm far from sure how reliable it is. The 2-3 BRs are selling well, but most of the units in the bldg are 1 BRs. I wonder if they're going to conclude that they need to combine some of them.

Lef2009,
Are there 2-br apts facing the park and have southern exposure too? Or are those all the 3 brs? I was just in the neighborhood, looking at the building (too early for the open house, unfortunately.)
Also, have you checked out the sound level when the church is holding a service?

Val B: Look at units 5B-8B on the website. I think they are on the south west corner (and thus on the park and facing south).
I haven't checked checked out the noise from the church.

@Mikev - do you know of any parent resources in the area? We live in Hudson Heights currently and there is a parent yahoo group that is a tremendous resource. We have walked along Frederick Douglass Blvd several times recently and I was struck by the number of people with young kids and strollers.

I do not but that is an excellent question. There are plenty of young people, in my building there are newborns, almost newborns all the way up to probably right before teens, at least what i have seen so far. but yes there are a lot roaming around FDB.

If you hear of one let me know.

Thanks, lef2009. I'll check them out.

I don't think there was an answer to the question on parking-- there is no parking in the building. However, there's a decent 24 hour garage at the corner of FDB and 122nd.

Today's NYT quotes the developer as saying that the buiding will be done in February, but I'm being told that I should not plan to move in until "late spring or early summer." Not sure what this means.

I thought that initially the building was supposed to be completed in december 2010 for a move in early april 2011 based on what I have been told. I would surprised that someone who signs a contract in 2010 do not have a "walk away date" before June 2011.

lef 2009,how negotiable are on their prices ?

I would be glad to know that too? Concerning the move in date, i suppose that if They has contractes for 22 units ( bases on streeteasy), They would need to contract at least 20 more to reach the usual cutoff. Surprisingly and has noted before they seem to have contractes the more expensive ones, so the cutoff in sold value might be reached before that. Any thoughts?

lef, it means August.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

Front_Porch: I fear you're right, but hope not.

Globetrotter: I don't really know. They were not in the least flexible on my price (or on anything else -- like not building the wall that I don't want and will have to remove). I went to contract anyway because I really wanted THAT unit. The NYT reported that they were offering small discounts on the one bedrooms, but they have a lot of 1 BRs (47, only 9 sold) compared with only 26 2 & 3 BRs (13 sold).

MrVibe: They've only sold about 30% of the units, but I suspect they are closer to 40% of the shares.

LEF

To answer the original question... we almost made an offer on a place here, and the place was beautiful, with great details, a great kitchen and so on. But we actually went with 2300 FDB (The Apex), and I'd recommend that anyone considering 88 morningside at least take a serious look. The condo fees seemed much higher at the Apex, but they are re-filing their offering, and the contract they wrote has an out-- I can back out if I don't like the CCs when they re-file, and I also can back out if they don't finish the re-file soon. They are moving the common charges down to $1.05/sq foot, and then the offeror is subsidizing 25% for 5 years. Even at $1.05, that's less than the unit we considered at Morningside. Personally, I feel like I'm getting more for the money-- better views, and more space (the cost per square foot is a lot lower).

We did like the kitchen better in 88 Morningside, and a few of the details. It was a great building, and we would have been happy there. But the Apex condo prices are less than the coop price here (don't let the "condop" designation fool you, it's still got disadvantages of a coop that lead to a lower price).

Midtowngeek Even with the new common charges at $ 1.05 /sq foot it is pretty close to the 88 Morningside common charge which includes about 20 %for the landlease that won't go up more than 1.75 % per year. It is true that Apex is a condo and that the tax abatment is longer. I believe that 88 allows the owner to rent their unit as well without the usual coop policies of rent a maximum of 2 years out of 4 years. I would disagree with the location being better at the Apex. It is more noisy and not facing the park. THe closer to Columbai...the better. I saw 5 different developemnts in Harlem. Unfortunately I cannot make a decision yet because I am waiting to hear about a job offer.I like the Apex finishes in the units but I was distraught by the gym facility. Seem that the designer was high on something when choosing the color and the carpet design . It feels like a psychedelic casino carpet from Las Vegas in the 70s. Just missing the Jane Fonda 70s workout look.

There's a 25% subsidy on the CC's, and a bit more slop in the budget. But, it does have far fewer units, which generally leads to higher charges for a full-service building, since it's fewer people splitting the super/doorman salaries.

Location is a matter of preference-- I like being a lot closer to the subway, on the main 125th st drag, and having a view of the Central Park treetops and midtown sky line. The north side of Columbia is fairly sleepy compared to the south side. Unfortunately, the south side is a bit of a hike from either place.

And, being so high up, there's no noise at all. But maybe I'm just used to living on a low floor near Times Square :/

I agree about the gym facility color being odd. But on the other hand, the equipment is high end because of the hotel -- much nicer than the equipment in any other building I saw. All the machines had TVs, and most of them had iPod hookups.

Midtownwgeek
Fair enough .I agree that location is a question of preference. Skyline is more pleasant to look at especially at night. I like looking at the park during day time from April to November. If I missed the skyline, I will go sip my red wine on the roof deck of 88 ...I can have my cake and eat it too ...lol

The subway (ACBD line) is only 2 short blocks closer from the Apex. Less than 2 minutes walking distance. I always thought that the entrance was on FDB but it is actually on the continutation of Manhattan Avenue. I like the peacefulness of Morningside Avenue yet so close to FDB action( 2 blocks). I looked at the 2280 FDB and loved their units but was concerned that the units were not well insulated against noise. The sell agent put the heat unit at full throttle when I went to see the units facing the street. I turned it off and could clearly hear the bus and traffic right below. I would be concerned with the fact that there are so few units with so many amenities at Apex= increased common charges in the future. Regardless I see your point and hope that you will find a good deal there.

88 Morningside is about 1200 feet from the ACBD, and Apex is about 750. On days like today, it matters a lot to me :) Apex is a lot nicer and more economical than 2280 FDB-- more square footage at lower overall prices, even with the same amenities.

With no air/heat on, I can't hear anything from the 9th floor (units start on the 7th floor). But I've got a southern and eastern exposure, and am not next to an avenue or pointing at 125th, so that might help, it's hard to say.

The prices for Apex are very low on cost per square foot, possibly because it's got fewer units. I've done a detailed look at the financials, as has my lawyer, and they're actually doing well in terms of how much is expected to go into reserves.

I just called to go take a look at 3 bedrooms and they couldn't schedule me in until next Sunday. Today is Monday. That's 6 days. Are they really that busy? Does this seem odd?

It seems like the one lady who brokers the building is the only person who can show, and she's definitely letting the buildings sell themselves. For instance, I was going to make an offer on the 3BR on the 2nd floor. I called her cel number, which she had given me. I called one day after I'd seen the place. She was incredibly frosty, didn't let me even get to the point to say I wanted to make an offer. She said she was at lunch, it was her private line, not to call her on it, to call at the office when she's back. And when she said that, the date she gave me was at least 3 days away.

I was so pissed, I used the extra time to look at the warts at the other properties I was interested in... which is how I ended up buying in Apex-- they addressed the big common charge problem in a way that made me pretty happy. I feel really good about it now...

Morningside listing brokers were very off putting

We had a really positive experience with the entire Halstead ataff - we were a walk-in on a busy Saturday, they broker even stayed late to show us all the units we were interested in. The views of Morningside Park in the 2BR/3BR units are really stunning on the highler floors. We made an offer today, we'll see.

To DWJCESQ: I hope it goes well. I'm looking forward to meeting neighbors sometime soon!

Fingers crossed!!!

I just signed the contract for a 1/br. I'm so excited! This building is absolutely phenomenal, can't wait to move in. :)

We're considering the building as well. Currently we live in midtown, and have visited the neighborhood couple times in different times of the day. I feel relatively safe, but would still like other's for their opinions. Can someone please tell me how safe they feel the neighborhood is? How's the walk from the subway at night?

Thanks!

We hung out there on Saturday / Sunday night and were perfectly comfortable - 125th is a busy area and FBD has really improved in the past 5 years.

Interesting article from Curbed as well:
http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/01/03/the_2010_curbed_cup_neighborhood_of_the_year_harlems_fdb.php

My advice, go have drinks and snacks one night at Nectar Wine Bar and walk up to 125th and guage your comfort level. I currently live in a lux condo at 99 John downtown and we have sketchier types around here at night..

Hope this helps.

I was considering buying there but lucked out buying another place in another safer place . Not to scare anybody but an acquaintance got mugged coming back from work at 116th and Manhattan Avenue by 2 teenagers around 11:00 pm. This could happen anywhere but it gave me cold feet.

We just bought in another building in the area (114 and 8th) and I don't feel particularly unsafe. The biggest change is the noise level at night (with people yelling and screaming and loud music) and general cleanliness of the area as compared to the UWS where we moved from. There are still things going on up here. It is a trade of. The more regular working people move in, the better it will become (hopefully).

Bedbug,
I think you bought in a particularly loud area. FDB between 110 and 116 is extremely loud and busy. Best to have an apartment facing off the street. It's safe, just extremely loud. Wait until summer. Yikes!

The neighborhood is very safe, we've looked at the crime stats in great depth on other threads. It's definitely safer than a lot of the more desirable neighborhoods downtown, including the west village.

this is a great neighborhood if you are between 116th to 123rd and west of frederick douglass
frederick douglass itself is fine but noisy
we moved from uws and 1 year later find it about as safe

thanks for the info!

will definitely check out the neighborhood this week again.

if all goes well, hopefully we'll be meeting new neighbors soon!

anyone know what's going on with the boarded up building across the street?

Heard that it is in the middle of an ongoing litigation involving Columbia. Columbia wants to turn it into housing for faculty but existing tenants refuse to leave. Has been going on for a long time apparently.

First I want to thank all the Streeteasy posters for some great and very insiteful info. I've lived on the westcoast ( Los Angeles ) for most of my life, now ready for a major lifestyle change and very much would like to relocate to NYC. After checking out SE postings, Harlem looks like a good bet but as a single man with no kids, not looking to have any either, looking to have and enjoy a very social single life. What area of Harlem between 110th st to 116th st would be a good choice ?

Price range $500,000 to $750,000, 2-3bd, 2ba with a view, fireplace, washer/dryer in unit and a nice view.

NYnoob, Harlem loves elaborate conspiracy theories about Columbia trying to take over that entire area. There are no existing tenants; only those who lived there before fire gutted the building (2002?).

There's a period of time (from what I understand) that a landlord needs to wait -- maybe ten years -- before rent-regulated tenants forced out by accidental fire lose their tenant rights, and in the days after that fire it was widely heard that that is exactly what will happen.

If there's a Columbia angle, I'd want very firm proof of it before repeating it. If there's ongoing litigation, that would be a matter of public record.

Brothaman, Harlem is less expensive than most of Manhattan, but you won't find ALL of that at that pricepoint. You need to rank your absolute requirements, your "really wants", and your "would be nices"

@alanhart, thanks for hitting me back,

Really wants: washer/dryer in the unit, nice view and elevator in the building.

Would be nice: Fireplace

Brothaman: One thing you might want to do is make sure you understand the difference between co-ops and condos. It's worth understanding the differences in NYC real estate before you jump in.

You might also want to explore up to 125th street. It's a very nice area, especially within a block of 8th Ave. There's plenty in Spanish Harlem, but I don't find the neighborhood anywhere near as nice, personally.

Here are a few listings for available units in the corridor up to 125th (the buildings will all have more units available, generally) (add http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/ to the front of all these, because StreetEasy flagged the links as spammy if I didn't remove the prefix):

546475-condop-88-morningside-avenue-central-harlem-new-york
565707-condo-2300-frederick-douglass-blvd-central-harlem-new-york
241527-condo-301-west-118th-street-central-harlem-new-york
551737-condo-117-west-123rd-street-central-harlem-new-york

I am buying in 2300 Frederick Douglass (8th Ave) myself. 88 Morningside was my second choice. All four are nice buildings with their pros and cons, and I'm happy to help dissect.

I don't think there are any other luxury buildings in Manhattan south of 125th that meet your specifications, except maybe in East Harlem. Price per square foot in Harlem averages around $600-$650 in the luxury buildings. Even in the next cheaper neighborhood below it you're going to be pushing up to $1000 psf for a luxury building, if not higher.

Brothaman: I think you can get everything you're looking for in any the four buildings I posted, except maybe the fireplace (I don't think any of those 4 buildings have one in any of the units).

117 W 123rd is most lacking in views, and is also a bit farther west of the 8th Ave corridor than I wanted. The building only has 8 floors, and most of the units aren't high enough for the views to make it past the townhouses across the street.

I'm pretty sure all four buildings all have in-unit washers and dryers and dishwashers (301 W 118th is the only one where I don't remember for sure).

Here are a couple more units that I ruled out in my own search for being too small, but still might fit your needs (sorry for neglecting to include them):

http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/549132-condo-2098-frederick-douglass-central-harlem-new-york
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/375611-condo-2280-frederick-douglass-b-central-harlem-new-york

MidTownWGeek, thanks for posting up this info, I would have never even thought of looking at any building on FDB because of the high volume of traffic/people but these are some very nice buildings/Apts (especially 2280 FDB )

Also, thanks to the many postings on SE, I have a better understanding of a coop vs a condo, the condo would be more to my liking, especially living in a 4bd-upstair-downstairs house with a large yard that after a while, you start to want a lifestyle that allows you the pleasure of just coming and going without the

yard upkeep, termites, grass dying on you because of water restrictions, house needs a new roof, plumming issues and ect, ect ect.

Understood. 88 morningside is the only coop on the list. I suggest you look at all of them in person before getting excited about any specific property. My preferences changed 100% after seeing the properties on my list.

For instance, I ended up not liking the finishes or space at 2280 FDB as much as I did at 2300 FDB. Nonetheless, 2280 is about $100 psf more! It moved from the top of my list to nearer the bottom. But your preferences and mine may be different!

Being on 8th Ave isn't a big deal noise wise if you're high enough up, especially if you're on a unit that doesn't overlook the avenue. The best views are going to have a southern exposure, obviously.

Hey Brothaman - check out http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=1175703

2 bed, 2 bath duplex, elevator, w/d in unit with fireplace. View from the rooftop terrace (note that there is a Juliet Balcony, terrace and a rooftop). Only issues in my mind are that it is north facing and and the indoor space doesn't leave much room to grow (our big issue) but if you don't plan on having a family it really shouldn't be an issue. We ended up buying someplace else in the area, but if you look in the area you should def check this out. The Master is pretty sweet and there is a ton of outdoor space. I really liked this place, it just wasn't for us.

alanhart: like I said, just something I heard.

Separately, I'm considering this building. Just need to get comfortable with the church land lease and the boarded-up building (which may or may not be in the middle of an ongoing litigation) across the street. So to repeat Freestyle's question: does anyone know what's up with that building? (Firm proof optional.)

I just signed a contract for an apartment in this building, and I'm moving from the UWS.

At first I was reluctant due to the land lease; however, after thinking about it I quickly came to the realization that it won't matter in the end... 100 year land lease is so long, that even if I wanted to sell in 10 years I would get back the full value (and most likely a profit)... Plus the building could always purchase the land in the future. But more importantly, the building is so state of the art, and I was impressed with the high-end finishing. You honestly can't beat these prices for what you get, and it's so close to Columbia University. In fact, I usually see all students when I drive through the area at night, which is nice. I think it's a great investment... The area can only get better and better.

Radio: Which unit? I haven't seen any new contracts posted in some time.

I purchased 4D, you?... For some reason, the sites haven't been updated. I recently told them that it needs to be.

Radio: I agree (and I've suggested that, too). I have a contract for 9A.

@Radio , were they willing ot negotiate the price on this line?

Radio: Your contract has made it to SE.

DWJCESQ: What about you?

LEF

mrvibe- They didn't really negotiate it much...

lef2009- I saw that! Very excited. I'm looking forward to meeting all my future neighbors!

Any concerns that the church own and can access the common areas?

yz_house asked "Any concerns that the church own and can access the common areas?"

Not from my perspective. I haven't looked at the documents lately, but I recall that the church's space is actually separate -- separate entrance, separate elevator, etc. Our neighbors/landlords at the Church will not be traipsing through the residential lobby (and we won't be traipsing through their space).

LEF

I am in contract at 88 Morningside (have been for a while). I wouldn't mind getting in touch with some other future owners directly. Let me know if any of you are interested.

@ aboriginie:

what's your email address?

Hi aborigine - we just had our offer accepted. Obviously we have lots of questions. Would love to chat.
Please feel free to email me at nyrealestatevirgin@gmail.com

Hey guys, how much are they willing to negotiate there? And if they are not too flexible on the price, are they willing to at least negotiate any other stuff? Thx much.

How safe is the area at night? My Colombia friends say that Morningside Park was renown for always having druggies shooting up on heroin. Although that was 3-5 years ago.

darkhound - some perspective on safety: I've lived in the area (rental) for 6 years and have often crossed over to the Columbia side through the park at night...not once did I see anyone remotely resembling a heroin addict! Once there was a discombulated homeless guy but that could be anywhere in Manhattan. Your friends are referring to a decade+ ago perhaps?

That's interesting. My friends were referring to about 3-5 years ago. There were also robberies around there relatively often. Whenever Columbia sent out a safety alert, it would invariably be about the Morningside Park area....

Darkhound: I don't think so. I work at Columbia. We get safety alerts periodically, but I don't remember any of them for Morningside Park, much less Morningside Avenue. While I'd be delighted if that evidenced the complete safety of my new neighborhood, I suspect it really reflects Columbia's obligation (under the Campus Security Act) to alert the community to crimes in its immediate neighborhood -- which doe snot include Morningside Avenue. I've seen a few alerts for Morningside Drive (not Avenue) but also for Broadway, Riverside Drive, and various other streets in the Heights.

Hey guys, how much are they willing to negotiate the price?

Q2011: In my experience, not at all. But I've been in contract since July, so I can't speak to the current situation.