Which floorplan would you choose?

If you have decided to buy there:
Apt6B.

I have decided to buy there...riccardo65...that was a unhelpful comment-have you recently looked at any new construction layouts? They are all very similar, not to say that most post war are very cookie cutter as well.

I didn't mean to be rude at all. I apologize if you took it that way. And yes, I recently searched for and viewed at least 100 apartments in the last year: all the post-war apartments, most in white brick buildings from the 60s, had the identical layouts to what yours are: foyer with kitchen to the left or right, passthrough to the (small) living room, and bedroom rights next door: in other words, a box with walls and low ceilings, and bathrooms with teeny, tiny tubs. Modern, as in recently built, were exactly the same. Pre-war layouts are much more interesting, especially the studios. Sorry.

I think it depends on how important light or space is to you. Facing north, you will not get a lot of natural light since you are on a low floor. But you will get more space which is nice to have. It's probably a trade off as to which you should choose.

I'd go 6b personally unless the walls are paper thin as it is squeezed between 2 other apartments.
4e looks like an building edge slot, whats next door? if its commercial it might be nice to not hear anything at all at night on that side.
i always like southern exposure in general over other exposures.

I would probably take the B unit for the views, but the E unit does have better closets. You can't make a wrong choice here.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

the layouts are similar and the 100 sq ft difference is almost unnoticeable in these units. i would go for more light and peace of mind that i won't be looking at other windows in near future.

realistically, i wouldn't buy such a small place at all. if you are young, this will just be a burden when you'll be ready to move up in size and neighborhood.

I appreciate the comments - we are young/no kids. I would love to get a larger unit but cant afford it at the moment.

Seems better light/ better views are what most prefer above the size (100 sq. ft seemed a lot to my SO)

front_porch - the B unit has a potential for two additional built in closets which the developer did not bother to put in.

Snuffles, i specifically asked about sound insulation and the developer has used double dry wall on both sides and the Green Glue stuff for sound insulation. The E line shares a wall with a walk-up building, no commercial units around the building.

lovestock - the space in the E line seems to be mostly in the hallways which is too bad but it still you dont have to walk directly in the kitchen which seems nice (but so much wasted space in hallways which are 4-6ft wide!!!)

I like the B. As you point out, E's extra space is taken up with that long useless L-shaped hallway, not wide enough for cupboards as B's circulation space is. Both living rooms are 225 ft².

Walking in on top of an open kitchen is pretty standard now.

Where could you possibly squeeze in 2 additional closets in that apartment, which is nowhere near 711 sq feet?

E24, in the B line, there is open space near the door which is 4x3ft - that is excellent space for a pantry. The other space is next on the outside wall of the bedroom , that space is 6x2ft, again can be used for something. The hallway to the bathroom is 6ft wide which when you enter the apt strikes you as huge.

oh yeah i couldn't tell but where is the elevator? is it to the left of that section in the center? generally better to avoid being right next to the elevator if possible. if its on the far left tho both units are far enough away.

ab_11218 Why would it be a burden to sell it? Why would it be more difficult to sell because it is a smallish one bedroom? I have looked at a lot of new construction (not conversions) places which are of similar size and do sell.

when you find a larger place, you want to move on it. in the current market, you will not find a seller who will put a contingency of the purchase on the sale of your apartment. timing 2 transactions is not the easiest either.

the other things to consider is the transactions costs. with the new units the in cost will be around 5% and the out costs will be 6-8%, depending on the RE fee. taking all of this into account, you have to be sure to stay there for 5+ years or that the apartment will sell with appreciation of more than 12% just to break even.

the other aspect of it is what a similar apartment in the immediate area will rent for on monthly basis vs what, after tax, costs will be for you to own that apartment.

since you are young and planning to have a family, this unit will not be a "long term" purchase, but temporary housing. when i sold my coop, i knew that i would be "upgrading" within 5 years or so and decided to rent. with cash in hand, i was able to find an underpriced property that needs significant renovation. i'm not a millionaire by a long shot, having the cash in hand helped me beat out other offers and get a place that i will live in for a long time. if i was still in the coop, i would've never been able to get this place and would pay at least 20% for the finished product.

Consensus seems to be that most prefer south exposure (more light from higher floor) then a bigger space. That is interesting since space is at such a premium at NYC that I though most would go for bigger if not brighter.

My SO love the hallways in 4E because he can "travel" from one place to another in the apt rather then jump right into the kitchen, but that is a trend from Europe and not US.

Is that a general trend? I am trying to determine resale desirability (despite what ab_11218 advises).

Still vote for B.
(Although I like the description of the concept of inner-apt "travel".
Also the "jump right into".)