Greenwich Village
$5.5 million
307 West 4th Street
3-bedroom, 4-bathroom, 3,899 sf prewar townhouse; 4-story property is 20 feet wide with landscaped garden, 3 terraces, 4 wood-burning fireplaces, home office with private entrance and top-floor rental unit; taxes $1,785 per month; asking price $5.995 million; 21 weeks on the market. (Brokers: David Schlamm and Karen Loew, City Connections Realty; David Kornmeier, Brown Harris Stevens)
“The sellers are a couple who had been living in this house for 22 years and occupied three floors — two for living, and one as a studio for his painting and photography. She is a psychologist, and there was a separate front entrance to the building where she had her sessions. But now that they’re getting older, they wanted to simplify their lifestyle. We sold them a large three-bedroom at the Ansonia, and even though they love this townhouse, which has a lot of charm and memories, moving into this totally beautifully gut-renovated condo is going to make their lives easier. They don’t have to walk up and down stairs with groceries or maintain it themselves — it’s just a one-level layout. An investor bought the house and I believe he is going to gut-renovate the whole thing and resell it.”
David Schlamm, City Connections Realty
Harlem
$389,000
330 West 145th Street
2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 1,016 sf cond-op in an elevator building (the Hamilton); 24-hour doorman; corner unit has views of Jackie Robinson Park, galley kitchen, and floor-to-ceiling windows; building has fitness room; maintenance $989 per month; 11-year tax abatement; asking price $399,000; 31 weeks on the market. (Brokers: Neil Tilbury and Tony Von Meyers, Halstead Property; Kevin Ryan-Young, Bond New York)
“I started with these buyers two years ago, just before they were getting married. She is the principal of a charter school in the area and he is an events coordinator for Major League Baseball. They had been renting in a brownstone and wanted to purchase something in a building with an elevator. Then they decided to save money for the wedding, so I lost them for a bit. Last year, I just happened to contact them at the right time, when they realized they were pregnant and needed to look again. They wound up with exactly what they were looking for from the beginning.”
Kevin Ryan-Young, Bond New York
West Village
$3.5 million
166 Perry Street
2-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom, 1,875 sf condo in a new elevator building; 24-hour doorman; unit has Hudson River views through floor-to-ceiling windows, home office, wide-plank wood flooring and beamed ceilings; building has roof terrace and fitness room; common charges $2,509 per month; taxes $179 per month; asking price $3.85 million; 16 weeks on the market. (Broker: Heather McDonough, Prudential Douglas Elliman)
“I had a friend who ran into someone that was looking for at least three bedrooms and 3,000 square feet. I was listing this apartment, which was much smaller than that. But I had actually also met the people who lived next door because they stopped by one of my open houses, and said that maybe in a year, they might be looking to sell. I figured that if we got them a decent number, they might be sellers now and not in a year. I called the buyer and said, ‘There’s a possible opportunity for a combination unit of about 3,000 square feet.’ Then I approached the owners of the next-door unit to see if they’d be willing to sell. The deal fell into place and both units were purchased. We wound up getting $1,865 per square foot, which was a new record for the building.”
Heather McDonough, Prudential Douglas Elliman
Interviews conducted and condensed by Sarabeth Sanders