Real Estate
San Francisco couple left their heart in NYC
BY MARTHA WILKIE
A West Coast couple is looking to
return to New York City after living in
the San Francisco area for years — but
now with a kid who needs a good public
school. Does the crazy-to-us-New-
Yorkers real estate market seem tame
compared with the insanity of the Bay
Area?
The husband is a stalwart worker in
the save-the-world-department.
“Twenty years ago on a rainy Sunday,
I stumbled on a dimly lit studio apartment
for sale by owner on 20th St. and
Seventh Ave.,” he said. “Amazingly, our
offer of $100,000 was accepted, and
post-renovation we spent half a decade
living in an Art Deco oasis. We loved
it.
“Currently, we have a nice threebedroom
modernist A-frame overlooking
Richardson Bay,” he continued.
“However, my last fi ve years with community
development companies meant
living in Bedouin caves in Jordan, Buddhist
temples in Japan, bamboo huts
in Cambodia and yurts in northern
Mongolia. It has been an adventure but
nothing compared to returning to the
daunting journey of the New York City
real estate market — this time with
tween in tow.
“Rent or buy? Yes. Condo or co-op?
Yes. Historic building or new construction?
Yes. Live above a storefront that
sells $16 avocado toast and caters to
venture capitalists? No! We are trying
to escape sport-vest-wearing start-up
dudes who obsess over deal points.”
Returning to Manhattan as real
grown-ups means a few more “musthaves”
than the couple had in their newlywed
studio days. This includes two
bathrooms, two bedrooms and either
high ceilings or a view. A quick walk
to a park or river, or outdoor space falls
into the “would be nice” category.
“I am not too fussy on neighborhood,”
he added, “but as a trained architect,
What would Jane say? A co-op at 690 Washington St., between Charles
St. and Charles Lane, in the West Village Houses is selling for nearly
$1.7 million.
I’d love a unique space to call
home for the next decade. West Coasters
say New York City is in a funk. But
as a former local, I see it locked in reality
and responding as such. For us, the
bubble of San Francisco has become increasingly
both impermeable and thinskinned,
so it is time to go.”
The family likes the West Village and
environs. Their budget for a rental is
around $6,000 or to buy, $1.6 million.
As for schools, the dad is hoping their
kid will get into a good public one.
“Given the fact we built schools for
over 5,000 refugees last year, I’m hoping
karma will do the trick,” he said.
In a very California-modern way he
said, “We are on the fence to sell or rent,
but in embracing the sharing economy,
we’d be game to house-swap for those
seeking warming climates, hotter tech
jobs and endless avocado toast.”
Do you have a suitable home that
you’d consider trading for sunny (O.K.,
it’s the Bay Area, not so sunny) California
for the next 10 years or so? Leave
PHOTO BY JAMES E. SMOLKA
a note in the comments and I’ll put you
in touch. Services such as HomeExchange.
com can facilitate swaps (I used
it myself once, worked well), but those
are usually short-term.
Hate to break it to them, but I’m
afraid $16 avocado toast is probably on
as many menus at trendy restaurants in
the West Village as Noe Valley.
Since they’re open to swapping and
had good luck with a FSBO (“for sale
by owner”) once before (a rarity in
Manhattan), I fi rst looked for that. Under
the Craigslist “Real Estate: Swap”
section, almost all “For Sale by Owner”
listings are actually real estate agents
(you can tell by the ALL CAPS!!!).
Streeteasy and The New York Times
turned up little in way of true FSBOs
and nothing in the West Village.
Here are some spaces in and around
the West Village that fi t this family’s requirements
and budget.
A cool $1.495 million will get you 92
Horatio St.: a true 2BR, 2BA for sale in a
1920, fi ve-story building. Lavishly renovated,
it has a beautiful white marble
bath and kitchen with fancy appliances
and a wood-burning fi replace — more
and more a rarity in Manhattan. (https://
www.compass.com/listing/92-horatio
street-unit-3s-manhattan-ny-
10014/29509479909418241/)
At 690 Washington St., a co-op in
the West Village Houses is for sale.
Completed in 1975, the West Village
Houses are part of a Jane Jacobs-advocated
movement for low-scale walk-up
affordable apartment buildings that
fi t into their architectural context.
Originally part of the Mitchell-Lama
program, it later was converted to a
market-rate co-op, with a program for
existing renters to stay. It’s a (relatively)
reasonably priced 2- or 3-bedroom for
the neighborhood at $1,695,000.
(http://djkresidential.com/detail.
aspx?id=1761688)
Now here’s a challenge for a designminded
family: Combine two units in a
co-op at 727 Greenwich St. and design
a new home with outdoor space. Gutrenovation
and don’t forget, when you
combine two units, you may pay two
maintenance fees.
( h t t p s : / / o p g n y . c o m /
proper ty/353537_proper ty/727_
Greenwich_Street)
There’s a new-construction 2BR,
2BA rental in what real estate agents
are now optimistically calling “Chelsea/
Hudson” (a.k.a. far W. 30th St.) in
the Abingdon House, with exterior by
Robert A.M. Stern. This place features
everything new and trendy, a roof deck
with fabulous views, and conveniently
located just steps from Dyer Ave., leading
to the Lincoln Tunnel. (That may or
may not be a plus.) Renting for $6,620,
no fee.
(https://www.relatedrentals.com/
apartment-rentals/new-york-city/chelsea/
abington-house/corner-2-bedroom
2-bath-26104)
The big chill: Bum boilers put Westbeth in a deep freeze
BY KATE WALTER
Westbeth tenants were freezing
all week with no relief
expected until boiler parts
arrive from Canada. Tenants in apartments
on the river measured temperatures
in the 40s and 50s. Apartments
were very chilly and radiators were
lukewarm while the temperature outside
is in the 20s! Finally, heat was
restored this Tuesday and Wednesday,
but it was about 10 days that the place
was without suffi cient heat.
Westbeth, the famed affordable
artists-housing complex, located on
the square block bounded by West,
Bethune, Washington and Bank Sts.,
was badly fl ooded by Hurricane Sandy
back in 2012. As part of the post-Sandy
Build It Back project, the place’s boilers
and burners were dismantled and reassembled
in a new location with reduced
fl ood risk. During this process it was
necessary for Con Ed to temporarily
shut off the natural-gas supply to the
heating system. Until Con Ed is reconnected,
Westbeth’s heat is being produced
from fuel oil.
According to management, the fueloil
equipment had not been used since
Sandy and it’s in poor condition, so the
boilers could not produce enough heat.
Some tenants suspect the subcontractors
damaged the equipment. Many
tenants wonder why it took until January
to realize this problem existed.
Management told tenants that the
heating subcontractor ordered the
parts to repair the malfunctioning oilburning
equipment. The parts were
expected to arrive this week. Tenants
are asking: Why couldn’t the shipment
of these parts be expedited? Why not
have them sent via overnight mail. As
of Monday, management was saying
the parts’ delivery was being “delayed
by Customs.” Also, tenants want to
know why wasn’t the Con Ed disconnect/
reconnect completed before winter
? Westbeth is a NORC (Naturally Occurring
Retirement Community), with
many senior citizens suffering from the
cold. Residents are running space heaters
(some supplied by management),
and bundling up in sweaters and robes
while awaiting the heat’s return. Wesbeth
made an apartment with space
heaters available as a warming site.
Schneps Media TVG January 17, 2019 35
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