Refreshingly honest, I suppose

What shameless capitalism...

The owner has tried renting this over the past decade:

https://streeteasy.com/building/jw-marriott-essex-house/rental/3922357

Asking rents in the range of $15-20K seem to attracted tenants between half and a third of the time. Even if one could rent it at $16K continually, at $8K monthlies, it works out to $96K/yr rental income on $3.5M of capital, or 2.75%/yr.

Uncle Sam is willing to pay me 4.1% to 5.5%, risk-free, on terms ranging from 1 month to 30 years. This turkey is looking at a capital loss after 15 years of holding, to boot. "Exorbitant rental income" at 2.75%? Shameless!

There's an entire TWTR account committed to the genre - https://twitter.com/bagholderquotes

The south-facing windows offer views of Central Park. That miracle alone is worth plenty.

Amazing, Eric! Aaron2, how could you have missed this gem? I’m disappointed…

For those too lazy to click & search:

>> The spacious living and dining area, bathed in natural light streaming through expansive south-facing windows, offers unparalleled views of Central Park. Each room provides a mesmerizing reflection of the park, while the open sky reveals the iconic Midtown cityscape.

You can't put a price on happiness, he should probably raise the rent.

The pictures told me all I wanted to know about the view, so unfortunately I missed the "mesmerizing *reflection* of the park", which... isn't untrue, given that little bit of green in the photos. And they're "unparalleled views" as well.

At least they are clear on the target buyer profile: looking to bamboozle a clueless foreigner.