Calling all UWS large aprtment looking lurkers . . .

Funny - I just e-mailed that one to my hardworking spouse with the message, "Work harder so we can afford this." I'm all heart.

IMO, the "A" line at 490 WEA is a perfect corner 8. I wonder what condition the kitchen and baths are in. If they're good, $3.085MM looks like a 2004/2005 price.

But my goodness... that category is getting crowded all of a sudden.
http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=1489113

Might need to send a "Work even harder" e-mail when Corcoran posts the pictures. :o)

But my goodness... that category is getting crowded all of a sudden.
http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=1489113

Might need to send a "Work even harder" e-mail when Corcoran posts the pictures. :o)

I remember seeing 6A in 490 West End - it was beautiful - absolutely nothing needed - and really done in lovely taate & style.

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/27448-coop-490-west-end-avenue-upper-west-side-new-york
10/17/07 sold for $3.2mn.

Betting from the lack of photos in the Halstead listing we're going to find out that the kitchen/baths are not as pristine as that living/dining room suggest they might be. But I agree that the A line in this building is a lovely, well laid out apartment. And as discussed, it has one of the prettiest lobbies on West End.

But my goodness... that category is getting crowded all of a sudden.

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/377910-coop-333-west-end-avenue-upper-west-side-new-york

I might need to send a "Work even harder" e-mail when Corcoran posts the pictures. :o)

Sorry about the relentless stuttering. The sevens and eights hitting the market have me all aflutter.

Wow. That's an amazing layout, has closets, it's a mansion. Wow.
Bookmarking the building for dreaming purposes. Why would you need/want to leave a place like that?
Sigh.

what do ya think the sq ft is on 490 WEA? 1800? 1900?

2500+ sqft, but great layout. I think it will sell for 2.75m.

walterh7/10023: If you do the arithmetic, I think the interior space is around 2000. A broker would call it 2200. The rooms at 490 WEA aren't particularly big (think 1912, not 1924).

it's not that big i don't think. i went thru the excercise and added the rooms - got me to 1500' - i bet they'd call it 2300' if you ask 'em. $2.75mn sounds about right though I hope it goes for less and scares the hell out of the market. How nice would it be to see this sit around for a while and then sell below $2.5mn - doesn't happen I don't think but wouldn't it be nice.

I cannot imagine that sells for even $2.5 -- bedrooms missing ensuite bathrooms and since no photos of kitchens or baths -- it makes you wonder.

Too much uws construction coming onto the maket as well...

Personally, I don't see the appeal of 490 WE. I much prefer other buildings in the neighborhood, and the last 8-rooms at 255 W 90, 210 W 90 have gone between 2.5 and 3.4 depending on condition.

I love a good debate..disclaimer. I am not a Broker, I have no horse in this race..livable space...no fire-escapes, no elevators, no stairwells..it is an honest..1990-2030sqft

manhattanfox: IMO, a building like 490 doesn't compete with new construction - not directly, anyway. The pre-war buildings that Stern and Co. imitate are pre-WWII. Pre-WWI appeals more to impractical romantics.

nyc10023: Fair point - those are nicer buildings with better amenities, but a lot of people don't want to be on Broadway, or that far north.

"The pre-war buildings that Stern and Co. imitate are pre-WWII."

Can you link a building/listing? There is new pre-war style new construction? Or am I misinterpreting?

What West 81st is referring to is turn-of-the-century construction or 19th Century construction (Dakota, the now-long-gone Navarro Flats, Dorilton, Astor Court 258 RSD, 192 RSD...) as opposed to 1920s construction (most of the buildings that you think of as "prewar")..

Once you train your eye to look for it, easy to spot - Art Deco is of course, 1920s and 1930s (Ardsley, Majestic), all the "twin tower" buildings - El Dorado, the earliest of the "sunken" living/dining room layouts, etc. The older buildings tend to have fewer stories, higher ceilings, tend to be stone as opposed to brick, huge cornice (Ansonia of course!), some very large layouts (though they were cut up starting in the 30s).

http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/06/17/realestate/17scap.html

Thanks 10023. The best-known recent knock-offs of classic Rosario Candela or Emery Roth buildings would probably be:
www.15cpw.com
www.535wea.com
and maybe www.theharrison76.com

west81st, it the 490 apartment looks lovely, but i don't consider that an 8 room apartment--it's 7 rooms. The living room and dining room have to be combined to have any sense of space, and the bedroom adjacent to dining converts perfectly into a dining. then you have a perfect 7--and it really is lovely. but a perfect 8? no. left as it is you have 8 small rooms.

high hopes for 333 once the pictures go up--that building tends to get great open views.

That article on the Spanish Flats was very cool. Thanks for the link.

HR: For those of us who will never be able to afford 3000 square feet, that's about as close to perfection as we're likely to get.

Take your own advice and bid on something you like. who knows what you can afford until the seller tells you.

It is absolutely heartbreaking the architecture that no longer exists. BTW, all those buildings that you drool over on West End Avenue were built over demolished townhouses, some were demolished after a mere 30 years of existence. Google for pictures of the Schwab mansion before it was demolished.

186 RSD potential just got cut to 2.5m. Can we say 2m?

are you sure 186 Riverside just got cut to 2.5? the elliman website still says 2.590, which is where it has been for a few weeks.

Do people feel that 490 WEA is large enough for a family? 16 x 24 of living space does not seem large enough for 5 total: 2 parents + 3 older kids (grade school or larger). Although I grew up in home with one other person, so maybe my perspective is off.

The first kid in our family who complains about the lack of space in a classic eight is going straight to military school.

=)
Reminds me (not really) of that crazy article in the NY Times months ago about how families squeeze into small places to stay in the city. I think one family was in a 1-bedroom with 2 kids - 1 child in the bedroom, they converted a closet for 2nd child (which doubled as a laundry room) and parents slept in the living room (something like that...I may be mixing stories). So, yes, a classic 8 can be ginormous!

I remember the shock of discovering my first NYC apartment was roughly the same size as my childhood BEDROOM back in Pennsyltuckie.

Have you looked at 771 West End, 5A? Nice family building, roof deck, bike room, extra storage cage downstairs and plenty of room for 2 kids and an au pair.

Trinityparent: 771 is a nice building, and I personally like it a lot. I just don't think it stands out particularly for most buyers. Roofdecks have sprouted like mushrooms, so they don't fetch much of a premium. The last time I was in 771 (mid-'08), the lobby was looking a little shabby. Recessed courtyard entries are a matter of taste. I have no strong feelings either way; some people find them charming and private, others think they're gloomy.

Schools are an issue too. Not everyone can afford Trinity. There are public options if your kids test/interview well: District 3 G&T, Delta, maybe Anderson, though the new location is a trek. Among the private school set, I think your peers who can still afford top schools and au pairs are starting to find better options for $2MM+ than 98th and West End.

it seems like nothing is selling...everyone is making super lowball offers and hanging tight...
and yet people continue to put things on teh market for stupid high prices...greedy greedy

west81st,

location is the problem with 771 west end. not that the location is particularly bad, obviously, but above 96th things are really languishing. i think these units may come down a lot before they attract interest.

actually the Broadway gentrification skipped up to Columbia when the Trustees realized suburban kids wanted a mall environment around their college.

huh?

Update to the original topic of this thread: 490 WEA was flagged as "In Contract" today. For us pre-war mavens with multiple rugrats, this will be a bellwether number. I'll guess $2.7MM.

Guess I should have played the Lotto the day I made that prediction.

06/15/2009 Sale recorded for $2,700,000.

LOL

Great call.

3.5 million. Let me just get to the ATM and we'll be set. LOL

What is truly surprising is that 9B went for 1.5M! Are Classic 7's really at 1.5?! Or is it really a classic 6.5?

3 people (including myself - pat, pat, pat) called this apartment @ $2.75mn - so maybe we're not all crazed lifelong bitter renters after all . . . maybe it just takes smart sellers to realize that the market has changed, and to price accordingly and then respond to offers from serious buyers. Simple business this real estate, huh?

9B was in atrocious shape and tiny. Walls were literally crumbling. What is miraculous is that it even went for $1.5M.