Open Houses 11/16

Sanba, I saw this one, too, and completely agree with your assessment. I think 10N got a lot of traffic because it was the first OH, as well as the fact that 7S was also having its first OH today. The doorman told a couple behind me to go to 10 first (they seemed to only know about the 7S listing), so perhaps there was even more traffic than normal. A very average classic six, not a great layout since the original dining room is now essentially a large gallery. Kitchen was decent but renovated 5 years ago, so showing wear. Bathrooms just so-so. I have seen so many nicer classic 6s listed at significantly less than this. Not to mention the $3000+ maintenance. These people are in for a very long selling process.

did townhouses in harlem and hamilton heights today. I did not see ANY buyer.there was no name on the sheets. I swear to god. NOBODY. just the idle brokers.
Not buying anytime soon.

two and three bedroom apartments in the village--empty, empty empty. at most 2-3 names per sheet, and we were there pretty late, close to the ends of the open houses. several depressed-looking brokers, and one who practically begged us to make an offer.

I went to 88 Bleecker St., #3C (btwn Bway/Mercer), got there about half an hour after the open house started and I saw 2 names on the sign in list. Priced at $499K, bathroom and kitchen needed to be completely re-done. Details in the apartment (closets, floors) looked dated and probably need to be redone. Hallways are old and very unattractive.

Was originally listed for $600K back in July, has now been priced chopped 3 times ($569K, $549K, now $499K). I think this needs to go down to $425K to move in this market given the renovations work needed. Solid amount of space, but almost no sunlight and views of a brick wall are not exactly attractive features.

I don't go to open houses now - I went over the summer just for curiosity - but find all of the calls I get from brokers annoying.

kspeak:

Just don't give them your phone number. I typically just give them an e-mail address.

I went to a few... things don't really seem "cheap" to me. Like, prices are still higher than they were 2 years ago. Maybe it's just the stuff I'm looking at, though.

I forgot to add... none that I looked at were "fire sale" or "owner facing foreclosure" type of sales. I imagine those would have some markdowns, wherever they are.
It seems that a lot of people are sticking to their price, and if they sell, fine; if not, no big deal.

I saw this one

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/364603-coop-380-riverside-drive-morningside-heights-new-york

I was intrigued by the condition because I've always wanted to gut and customize something. It was packed. A lot of significant interest - I wonder if people were also intrigued by an estate condition apartment. The layout and building are great, which is a plus, but they weren't kidding - it needs to be completely gutted. There is no way someone could live there even temporarily. I thought it was a little overpriced, but the amount of interest leads me to think otherwise....

We went to 2 Bleecker (a new loft conversion) on the SW corner of Bowery.

The location is problematic because that corner is SO noisy on the weekend (and don't talk to me about double- or even triple-pane windows - that intersection is insanely noisy!). Inside, the layouts are too tight, in particular the master bedrooms and mb closets. The PH unit has a moderately sized terrace, but it is not a wrap. After schlepping up a flight of stairs, you are greeted with a rather undistinguished view. Another problem is that rather than leveling the terrace, the front 1/4 of the terrace slopes (following the roof line) so placing planters OR seating on it is not realistic, thereby reducing the useful roof space by 25%. The bathrooms and kitchens were not complete, but appeared to be (what I refer to as) standard 'faux-highend' finish. No doorman, and no cyberdoorman.

All in all, not something I'd reccommend, particularly at the price points they're asking.

Anybody go to the 20 Pine open house(s) yesterday? Must have been 30 of them from the sponsors, then flippers who are trying to unload. I wonder if all the pre-construction sales have closed? I have not seen many closings listed recently.