MiMA
450 West 42nd Street
450 West 42nd Street1-bedroom, 1-bath, 600 sf rental at the newly constructed building; 24-hour concierge; unit has river views, walk-in closet, eat-in kitchen with dishwasher and microwave; building has health club, pool, indoor basketball and volleyball courts, and movie screening room; asking rent: $3,475. (Brokers: Michael Chadwick, Bond New York; Danielle Higgins, Related/ MiMA)
Michael Chadwick“[My client’s] first broker could not find a landlord that would take him, because he’d had a bankruptcy in 2010. He was back on his feet, he was the director of human resources for a very large company, he definitely could afford an apartment. But the landlords were asking him to pay upfront; they were asking him for a three- to six-month security. None of the first apartments I showed him were ones that he liked. His options were even fewer than [normal] because of his financial history. Then another thought popped into my mind: MiMA. When you have a new construction building that has multiple vacancies, they often consider clients that other landlords would not. Ninety-nine percent of the landlords in the city would have wanted my client to have a guarantor and pay a ton of securities, but [at MiMA], he got a luxury apartment, they approved him without a guarantor, and on top of that, they paid incentives. Never in a million years would my client have thought he could get approved for the apartment I found for him.” Michael Chadwick, Bond New York
Park Slope
$1.5 million
545 8th Street
545 8th Street3-bedroom, 2-bath plus nanny’s suite, 1,648 sf single-family townhouse with garage and shared driveway; eat-in kitchen, parquet floors, park block; taxes $4,432 per month, asking price: $1.595 million; 3 months on the market. (Brokers: Justin Goldstein, Aguayo & Huebener; James Crow, the Corcoran Group)
Justin Goldstein“The property was very unique because it does have a driveway and a garage. I think there’s only six or seven of those in Park Slope. It’s a one-family house half a block from the park on a landmarked block. I actually thought it was going to be a very easy sell because it was a great location, and every time I have a house, people always ask, ‘Where’s the nearest garage?’ But it needed work, and I think some buyers were a little scared of that kind of project. But the buyers who did finally purchase it were all-cash; they definitely had the money to buy it and also renovate it. The buyers were moving up to Brooklyn to be closer to their children. They were looking for the kind of house where they could hold a big Thanksgiving dinner. Having the garage was pretty much the selling point.” Justin Goldstein, Aguayo & Huebener
Yonkers
$390,000
Riverview Club
1155 Warburton Avenue
1155 Warburton Avenue2-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,044 sf condo at the newly constructed building; 24-hour doorman; unit has private terrace with river views, hardwood floors, central air, eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, GE stainless-steel appliances, self-closing drawers and Carrera marble floors; building has health club, pool, garage; common charges: $460 per month; taxes: $280 per month; asking price: $399,000; 90 days on the market.
Staci Zampa “The buyer was a young, first-time homebuyer. I knew she wanted a two-bedroom. The space was very important to her. But she also wanted a view. This particular apartment had both. She also works for a developer, so she knew a little bit about the business. She brought her boss with her, and she had seen a lot of properties. The one big hurdle that we’re having is people having a hard time getting financing, and she did an FHA loan. I held her hand through everything, through the mortgage process. And as she progressed into the sale, right before she was about to close, she got engaged.” Staci Zampa, Live Right Realty