Residential Deals

Bay Ridge

$730,000

453 Bay Ridge Parkway

453 Bay Ridge ParkwayThree-story, 2,340 sf townhouse with 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment and first-floor office with separate entrance and bathroom; house has dining room and windowed kitchen; taxes $161 per month; asking price $755,000; 64 weeks on the market. (Brokers: Scott Klein, Prudential Douglas Elliman; Tony Ursino, Brooklyn Realty Center)

“One half of the couple that bought this house is a podiatrist who had already rented space in this neighborhood. His dream was to have an office in his house, and that’s what he can do here. That street in Bay Ridge is sort of known as ‘Doctors’ Row’ — there are a lot of doctors’ offices in first-floor apartments. The buyers were also really looking for something that needed a lot of work because both of them are talented in that regard, and this home had a lot of original detail. Someone had actually offered the sellers $15,000 for all of those original details — they were going to take it out of the house. Luckily, the seller had said no because that was one of the reasons my buyers wanted it.” Scott Klein, Prudential Douglas Elliman

Harlem

$230,000

118-122 West 123rd Street

Two-bedroom, 1-bathroom, 750 sf co-op in a prewar elevator building; unit has renovated and windowed kitchen, hardwood floors and open city views; maintenance $501 per month; asking price $230,000; 20 weeks on the market. (Brokers: Douglas Booth, Barak Realty; Jerome Yeiser, Elite Property Management)

“This is a Housing Development Fund Corporation co-op, and those deals are always a challenge because there are more hoops to jump through for buyers to get a mortgage. Typically, these buildings were taken over by the city because they had a derelict landlord. The renters get relocated for a year while the buildings are renovated, and then given the opportunity to buy — for this building it was for $1 a share, or $250 per apartment. But this particular unit didn’t have an owner who came in through that transition, so in this case, relocated tenants from another HDFC building had been living there while their own apartment was being renovated. Even though my buyers paid more than $250, it’s not a bad deal considering Windows on 123rd is right across the street, and you’re getting the same amount of space, fully renovated, for less than half the price.” Douglas Booth, Barak Realty

Upper West Side

$495,000

55 West 95th Street

One-bedroom, 1-bathroom, 675 sf co-op in a prewar elevator co-op; full-time doorman; unit has windowed kitchen, marble bath, wood floors and southern exposure; building has landscaped roof deck and laundry room; maintenance $1,098 per month; 57 percent tax deductible; asking price $539,000; 24 weeks on the market. (Brokers: Javier Amor, Ken Ferman, City Connections Realty; Amy Goldberg, Shares of New York)

“The buyer was looking for an apartment near Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus, where she works. She knew exactly what she wanted, but she started out looking exclusively for condos, because they’re usually a better investment. But within her price range, and since she had a cap for monthly charges, I advised her to switch over halfway through to start looking at co-ops. After that she saw probably 12 apartments in one day with my associate, and this was one of them. She cried when she walked into this apartment. She called me and said, ‘I think we’ve found the one.'” Ken Ferman, City Connections Realty

Interviews conducted and condensed by Sarabeth Sanders