apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Where is the sleeping area??

where's the murphy bed?

This post and the linked website would benefit GREATLY with the addition of a floorplan. I think everyone here would agree!

It looks like the Murphy bed may come down from just to the right (stage left) of the coffee table, b/c the blog mentions how the coffee table can roll away to make room for the Murphy bed.

I'd rather move to bumfxck, USA than pay that much for such a small amount of space. The market is turning, save your money and you'll get a full one bedroom for that price in one year's time.

check out the blog, lori. it looks like the murphy bed is in those white cabinets are and comes down where the coffee table is. laura--very cute apartment, love the kitchen cabinet!

Marnie, the point is, it isn't bumfxck, USA, it's the freaking West Village. Part of what you're paying for is the best 'hood in the city.

Cute apartment. An observation from a non-New Yorker: Isn't every apartment on Manhattan close to shops and restaurants?

"The market is turning, save your money and you'll get a full one bedroom for that price in one year's time."

Somehow I doubt that. Then maybe if I wait two years I will get a two bedroom for that price. *crosses fingers*

:-)

Grady - I pay mucho money to live in the Village because it's the only part of New York that is pretty + not peppered with main streets. The Upper West & East sides are pretty, but every single up& down street is an extremely main road.

So you can actually walk around little streets... I mean, it's not like wandering around Paris but it's as close as you're going to get in Manhattan.

Great apartment. I love what you've done with the little space you have. I have a few questions for you:

What size is the Murphy bed?

Will you sell the apartment furnished?

Tell me more about the little shelves above the couch and the white bookshelves. Are they IKEA? I love them both.

Looks very tidy and pleasant.

Interesting comments.

The Murphy bed is, in the white cabinet, as LilybethDC suspected. You can see the cabinet in the shot of the desk, as well, to give you some perspective of size.) I will sketch a floor plan and add it to the website tonight. Thanks for saying it looks cute! And yes, Grady, I guess you're right about most parts of Manhattan being near shops and cafes.

Murphy bed is a full-sized bed, the bed mechanism, cabinet and box spring are all being sold with the apartment. I'm happy to discuss selling most of the other furnishings with the apartment.

Both are IKEA, bookshelves are BONDE and couch is KLIPPAN with a white slipcover. And if you are in NYC, I saw a KLIPPAN sofa with a blue slipcover at the 10th Street Housing Works for $10 this weekend, it might still be there.

Glad my dad weighed in!

being a midwesterner, and probably one for life, it seems crazy to me what new yorkers will pay for their tiny spaces. this is the first one i've seen that made me think that it wasn't such a bad deal. beautiful home.

'Tis cute indeed and it looks like you are able to live there quite well...

I was just talking to an architect on the floor where I work and he commented that in Chicago he believes it illegal to have a residence that small. If he recalls correctly there is some zoning law that mandates the minimum space for a residence and it's well above 280sf.

Interesting.

G'luck selling..

280 square feet. I was watching a report on the news last night about New Orleans and this apartment is the same square footage as the FEMA Trailers set up after Katrina. I've seen others comment on this site about having apartments in that size range but I didn't have a good visual for just how small 280 square feet was til just now.

"...it's the only part of New York that is pretty + not peppered with main streets."

you must not have seen much of the city yet. while i do agree that the village has its charms (and there's nothing in the city quite like it), there are plenty of other beautiful parts of the city that aren't choked with main thoroughfares. especially in the outer boroughs, which, like the village, started as little rural towns.

check out astoria in queens, which is very pretty with winding streets not unlike the village, especially around the ditmars area. huge swaths of brooklyn. riverdale in the bronx. upper manhattan along cabrini avenue and riverside drive is fantastic, though not quaint in quite the way the village is.

this is not to say that the village isn't pretty or unique. it is. but it's by far not the only pretty neighborhood in the city, neither is it the only one that escapes wide avenues and traffic. one could also ask the question, if you hate traffic and busy streets so much, why do you live in manhattan?

Wow for that kind of money you could get a huge brand new loft in (gentrifying) bed stuy:

http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&listingid=809378

Opoponax, your likening of the West Village with frickin' Queens is yet another data point supporting the inevitable conclusion that your head is crammed so far up your ass that you have no idea what you are talking about. Who the hell lives in Queens anyway

It's totally cute!

(Nope, I'm not debating RE prices today. Those who are in the market can work out for themselves whether it's worth it.)

I can't believe that people pay this much for such a small place. I paid half this price for a three bedroom plus meat locker in Kansas City.

But you are in Kansas City. This is the WEST VILLAGE like in "Friends."

I can't believe that anyone would be so stupid as to buy anything, now, given the article in the Sunday NYT on what the appearance of multiple "For Sale" signs portends. There will be a pricing apocalypse.

You are misreading everything and will regret not buying this SUN LIT, HOT-T-T, SUH-SUS-STUDIO (OH!). CALL ME NOW AND RECEIVE FREE TOTE BAG WITH PURCHASE.

The 60's era coffee table, from the fabled DR, is definitely NOT for sale!

I think the frustration that people are expressing is not directed towards the owner of this apartment, but at the NY real estate market in general. Considering the Manhattan market over the past couple of years, this apartment is reasonably priced. It's very cute. Pictures don't always provide an accurate respresentation of space but, from what I can tell, this seems like a good place for a rich commuter who has a home in the suburbs, but wants to over night in the city sometimes, a young single person who spends a lot of time out of doors, or a very small human being.

I can't believe this is considered reasonable. It's cute what you did to the place, but I couldn't imagine living in it.

My place is around 1000 sq feet and was featured on AT Chicago a little while ago. I pay $750 for rent and I have 2 bedrooms. The place is sparsel furnished with tons of room to breath and light everywhere.

In 250 sq feet, I could flip my eggs, turn on all teh ceiling fans, adjust the lighting in teh living room, flush my toilet, and wash a mug...with my toe ....all the while relaxing in the tub.

Good luck with the sale Hon.....let us know who buys it....cuz I'd love to take a look at him.

Isn't this New York-is-so-expensive debate kind of moot?

It looks like the space is used quite well. I mean a kitchen, and bedroom in one is less than ideal, but then again living in the west village requires some trade-offs. But there's a murphy bed so you have a usable living room, and all those shelves mean great storage.

oh jonathan, why must you be such a dickhead?

here's a similar apartment for sale in the same building. looks like laura wins when it comes to space efficiency and style!

http://realestate.nytimes.com/+ComShare/VUListing.asp?Lid=87-539638

Okay, I did some hasty calculations... If you finance 80% of the purchase price on a conventional loan at 6.25%, your total costs with the maintenance fee (which I assume includes property taxes) is about $2000 a month. A quick look at Craig's List strongly suggests that this is about the cost of renting a comparable unit in the same neighborhood. Some studios are a tad cheaper (but you get no tax break for your mortgage interest deduction) and some are a little more expensive to rent.

What you think the RE market will do and whether you'd pay this much to get the neighborhood are other debates, but this pricing seems very sane, esp. compared to my locale, where owning is twice the cost of renting.

c'mon, we all know this is nuts -- more than $300K plus maintenance for a shoebox? but in nyc we also all know that there is someone for everything. if you've got that money to burn and it means that much to you to live in the west village you spend it. this isn't about practicality. i don't even think it's about crunching the numbers. the person who buys it has to love it and whatever, it's worth it to them. go figure.

I think it's adorable, and I don't live in NYC. I think it's perfect for one neat person.

The prices don't bother me. I just chalk it up to being NYC.

The price is right for a cute place on a great block.

I feel like we do this "wow, I can't believe people pay this kind of money" debate each time a NY FSBO comes up. NYC is NOT Kansas. And the West Village is not Astoria or Bed Stuy.

Not a lot of people want to pay top dollar for prime location but some people would live nowhere else. You don't have to agree with it -- or buy into it -- but please ... just get over it already

Homeowner Laura,

Where area do you plan to move to once your place is sold?

oops, meant to say "what".

i never said the price was unreasonable. i know people who've payed more for comparably teensy spaces in way less desirable neighborhoods. and wende's right that in a case like this, buying makes a lot of sense.

all i'm saying is that the west village is by far not the ONLY pretty and quiet neighborhood in New York. which is true. there's this weird tendency for people in the city to romanticize and hyperbolize their neighborhood all out of proportion, so that their part of the city is the ONLY area where you can do this, or the BEST for that, or whatever (i do it too, constantly). and it's usually not true. New York is too big for that. which is what seperates it from smaller cities which do tend to have one particular neighborhood that is this, or that, or something else. each New York neighborhood has its own mix of qualities, and each New Yorker has to find the part town that's right for them. which is what makes this city so liveable. to buy into they hype that the village is the ONLY pretty, quaint, and quiet neighborhood is to deny the best thing about new york.

so far i've found 2 OTHER studios for sale in the same building! is this a sign of the market or the building?

http://www.citi-habitats.com/printlisting.php?adID=503629

scratch that -- make that THREE

http://www.fenwick-keats.com/BrokerWebsite3/fenwickkeats/Sales_detail.asp?listingid=204672

helLO????? no one has mentioned what is probably the most important drawback of this apartment - WEEHAWKEN STREET!!! it is - at best - a public urinal.

Out of the others I saw in the building, yours is by far the cutest and has the best use of space.

The range in prices is interesting between the four places in the building. And although the fireplace is fab in the one, with a place so small I'd find it limiting.

It's cute ... but the fact that people even consider this reasonable makes me glad I headed uptown to Cabrini Boulevard two years ago. For that price, I got a 750 -square-foot one bedroom with a kitchen and dining room that feels like a real residence. I get to walk around on pretty streets just like in the Village (minus the nightlife, which I didn't want anyway), and I can be in midtown in 20 minutes on the A train.

Oh yeah, well I bought a whole house in Kenya and a summer place in Haiti for a tenth of that price. Suckers!

It was a casual encounter. Christopher Walken, corner of Weehawken and West streets. Early September 1997, and the day when summer was tipping into autumn. The slight wind down the Hudson carried the scent of crisp leaves, impending cold, and dark forest of the villages and valleys upriver. Walken would appear under similar conditions in Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow” as the Hessian Horseman. That was two years away, though. At this time he had just finished voiceovers as Colonel Cutter in “Antz.”

He was wearing an LL Bean anorak whose timeless details were neither anachronistic nor intentional, but simply classic. The anorak dated from the catalog-only days of the company, before the subsequent franchise stores whose apparel would, in some cases, be adopted by less succe$$ful members of the hip hop community. He chose to not fasten the clasps at the neck. The white cotton of his single-stitch, probably Lauren, oxford shirt emerged and set off the gray-blue of his famously steely eyes, which were beginning to narrow at my person.

Walken’s reticence is a screen treasure that has been noted in commercial, trade, and academic publications. It occurred to me, however, that the narrowing eyes, in addition to being iconic, might have been registering emotions connected to this unplanned encounter on Weehawken. Whether he signaled suspicion, annoyance, or bravado I could not say. His proximity to the Dugout, the premier bar in New York for bears and admirers thereof, did nothing to clarify matters. One thing was clear: His obvious consideration to sartorial questions, for example donning Brooks Bros Cordovan Tassel loafers (klassic!), outweighed any thought concerning the West Village – where community, serendipity, and anonymity are built simultaneously into the very fabric the streets.

He seemed to struggle with the irregularly street patterns and odd angles of intersection in this part of town. The limited sightlines meant that admirers could gaze upon him only when uncomfortably near, as opposed to across an avenue or from a skywalk beneath which his open car passed slowly for the cameras. The tradeoffs in the West Village – greater intimacy due to increased proximity and role of chance, but less predictability and control – were not to his taste. No doubt this realization took hold as he narrowed his eyes, and perhaps he wished to shut it completely from view.

I felt the opposite. Later that month I purchased a studio apartment on Weehawken, much like the one being advertised here. It has been a joy living in this area, which I do to this day. I endorse the positive sentiments vis a vis this street, apartment, and purchase opportunity put forward here.

It seems pricy. Pricy for NYC? Probably not. It's probably about average.

Still, it's just another reminder that I'm happy with my decision to leave NYC.

Jonathan,

I live in Queens and quite like it.

People used to ask "Who lives in Brooklyn?" until about 5-10 years ago.

If we're going to compare prices to the rest of the country, shouldn't we keep in mind the income ratio. I would think most of us make more of an income in NYC, than we could make elsewhere.

For those who have trouble wrapping your brains around the purchase price:

*Wende in SF made a great point that the monthly expenses cost about the same to own as to rent, and ownership comes with tax deductions.

*the whole commute thing. Manhattanites put in a lot of hours for their demanding jobs. The thought of putting an extra hour or two onto my daily commute, for the sake of more space or lowering my monthly expenses, just doesn't make sense to me.

*most mahattanites don't own cars. If you are the young, single all-about-town-kind-of-gal an apartment in the "heart" of everything is actually efficient. You can avoid those dreaded late night taxi rides home, that run up very quickly.

Then there is the safety issue of being close to home. Above all Manhattan living just really works for a lot of us......

172,274.40 GBP - for such a wonderful location and smart layout - BARGAIN! (There must be some UK lurkers from Lancs and Yorks out there, we can widen the "how much" debate which is not getting tired at all...)

Good luck with the sale, it looks lovely ...and does seem good value to me...

Hello Lesley,

I used to live in Marylebone, between Baker Street station & Regents Park. Now residing in the Village. I find the rent and cost of buying are broadly (and I say VERY broadly) the same.

So it's nice to know that it's not just a localised insanity.

I don't see the point of the endless stream of "i can't believe how much you pay in NYC blah blah blah blah blah" posts.

Wow. I never would have guessed my apartment would be compared to both a FEMA trailer and a public urinal. I have been perfectly happy there for the last three years. As for miss’s observation that there are other apts for sale in the building: the 2C unit sold a while ago, hence the lower price; the upstairs apts are owned by one person, which is why they are both on the market.

And to the comment that it is an apt for small people: I'm a healthy 5'10", and it suits me just fine.

I agree. Boston's not much less than NYC. Neither is SF or LA. I think everyone who's in incredible disbelief needs to step back and consider the general market that you live in. Does your area have nearly the same commercial, retail, industrial, and technilogical parameters as somewhere like Manhattan? Probably not, since NYC is a world class city unlike any other in this country (the previously mentioned cities come close in individual terms, but certainly do not reach the level of NYC).

Lesley in London-

I am English, born in London but moved to Lancashire when I was two. Lived there for what felt like donkeys years until I moved to Manchester in my late teens. Lived in Manhattan in my late 20's and now, wed with baby, living in the 'burbs of Philadelphia. We've been looking at home prices in London, England and Toronto, Canada for a possible future move. Can't afford Manhattan, certainly can't afford London, possibly can do Toronto at a push! Manhattan is amazing and yes, pricey, but as long as there are people willing to live there and pay, the prices will be sky high.

Hi Laura
(Once more with feeling) its a lovely appt in a great and, it would seem, well maintained building. The kind of apartment, in fact, which drew me to lurking here - stylish and a source of ideas, yet offering a peak at a home rather than a "high end" (a description I use a lot post-AT) staging in a magazine. Love your landing strip (I have one too post-AT).

Seriously, its a dream location (as is Marylebone) and shows me how I can make a (not as) small space work. Ta, I would love to live there - hope someone snatches your hand off... (Lancastrian phrase there for Reef - to whom and to Jessica, thanks for greeting)

I bet that most people living in 3rd world countries would think that spending $75k on a 1600sqft raised ranch in Arkansas was just plain crazy. It's all relative.

Everyone who is surprised at how much NYC cost, please stop expressing your opinions NOW. Paluka does not see the point of your continued posting. People, PLEASE, do not post anything unless it would be useful to Paluka. Thank you for your cooperation.

Compared the Brooklyn real estate, this price is downright reasonable. I would rather pay that for a studio in WV than twice that for a place 3 times as large in williamsburg.

At over $1,160 sq./ft. it seems high, even by NYC standards. Full-service condos with elevators, and amenities are about that. You are basically on the West Side Highway, blocks from the nearest subway and have the a rather lively late night crown hanging out at the Piers. IMHO It isn't really prime Village block which would command that kind of premium. I'd be curious to see if it sells at or even near asking, especially when others in the building are at significant savings.

YCH-

It isn't a matter of being useful to me, it is a matter of being useful to anyone.

to reef. may i ask what part of philadelphia you live in. i'm in chestnut hill. regarding the studio i love it and the comparisons to other places in the building only emphasize the charm and taste and efficiency of this particular home.

Love how passionate everyone is about the design, pricing and location of the space. Think it's great that we have a place to share thoughts, ideas and opinions.

That being said, what cities in the USA do you think are truly undervalued and just waiting to become a thriving metropolis. I watched Miami transform in the early 90's, Atlanta transform in the mid-90's and most recently I've seen Philly take off.

Thoughts?

I think it looks like a very nicely decorated, cozy little pad. For a single student or even a business professional that's not home too much, it seems ideal. Sure, it's got a hefty tag but that's what you get in NY. Get over it, people.

Billy boy,

I've heard rumors about Pittsburgh. No doubt that will inspire Jonathan to make more cutting remarks.

Ta very much! Great old phrase. I'm working on making it popular here.

Interesting comments. The apartment is lovely. Nice space planning I think.

As for price, well, of course everything is relative. You spend money one way or the other. I live in Westchester County along the Hudson River. I recently moved into a space slightly but not much larger. I have a fabulous river view (that's what matters up here) and the place is nestled in the trees reminiscent of northern Cal which is where I'd rather be, but can't right now. My rent is approximately $15,000 annual. My car expenses (without a payment) and commute total in the vicinity of $5,500 annual. I have a 40 minute commute. Most apartments like mine in my area go for around $1,500.

For someone who wants to be in the middle of all things social, the apartment being discussed seems reasonable to me. Meanwhile, my friends in KC have a 3 bedroom house and their mortgage is something like $400 per month. But you can't make in KC what you can make in NYC. And you can't make in Kenya what you can in SF.

If I lived in the West Village, I'd be out all night partying. It wouldn't matter how small my place was.....its simply different everywhere but you still spend the money.

BTW: I like the kitchen in this space. Neat, attractive, tons of light.

Umm, remember when this blog was about design, folks? From that perspective, I think Laura has been very smart to keep this tiny space monochromatic, and the fact that she has been able to make such a small kitchen actually attractive is something of a miracle. Since it so much part of the living space, investing a bit of money and effort into creating the look of a piece of furniture with the upper cabinets is well worth it.

While normally I find the peculiar trend of organizing books by color rather annoying, I can see why you would want to do it in this space. If they were all mixed together I think the effect would be rather chaotic; this approach makes them an element of the decor.

The only thing I really don't like is the rug; dhurries are only suited for beach houses if you ask me, a nice wool rug would have added a much more luxurious feeling to the room. You'd have to be meticulously clean and ruthless about paring back your stuff to live here, but isn't that what AT is all about?

good god, theo NYC is one of only a few speaking sense here.
this apartment is over priced!!. it may be worth more because it is attractively styled; the good eye of the owner and her styling abilities have turned an otherwise glum space into something charming, but the bones of the apartment remain the same. all the details and finishes are cheap, the building is a walk up tenanment with rather unattractive/underdeveloped public spaces and facade. you are paying to be close to the river park, which admittedly, is wonderful.

Jonathan

I live in Jackson Heights (the Garden District which is very pretty), Queens. I just purchased my 450 sf studio for 70K, complete reno for under 20K. Who lives in Queens? Folks who want to be house proud but not house poor.

You can avoid those dreaded late night taxi rides home, that run up very quickly.

You can also avoid them by taking the subway. Just...sayin'.

I like the old travel cases on top of bookshelves!

Eeeck: This blog may be about design, but that's not what's up for sale here. An empty apartment is. Part of what's contributing to the furor here is that some people are confusing an evaluation of Laura's sense of design (which is fabulous) with the relative "worth" of the apartment. I watch "Designed to Sell" along with everyone else. But seriously, aside from fixing the things that are actually part of the space (like beat-up floors or rotten bathroom fixtures or out-of-date cabinets), I think it's ridiculous how buyers get drawn in or turned off by drapes and couches and paint. When I first saw the apartment I now own, it was dark red and furnished with black leather and chrome and glass. Rather than thinking, "Eeewww, not my style," I was able to envision my own furnishings and colors in the quiet and light-filled space.

BTW, I was referring to "fixing things" in general ... not in Laura's space!

Billy Boy -- I'd say very few cities are undervalued at the moment, due to investors from pricey areas buying "income property" in cheaper areas and thus driving up the prices. Places outside the two coasts may look cheap to people in SF or NY, but they've become expensive by the standards of the locals (and thus in relation to local jobs).

Fifteen months ago, I would have said Austin, TX; Albuquerque, NM; or Research Triangle, NC, but investors have found all of those places.

Wende: I don't think I could ever live in a place called "Research Triangle"!

:)

Well, it does include Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and various minor places that end in -boro.

What an adorable apartment! Anyone who has even glanced at New York City real estate listings will know that you won't find anything cheaper in the West Village. I love the Murphy bed- who knew they still existed? If I had not already bought my own studio in the village (for $420,000!!!)then I would jump on this place.

I cannot believe that she is asking so much for so little. I live in NYC. Buyers Beware! I would never pay so much for so little space. I think this seller is a swindler.

Austin is overvalued right now, but supposedly San Antonio is undervalued.

Where/how did you get your studio Mason? Is it near trains?

I love that the books on the bookshelves are arranged by colour! That's a quick tip I think I am going to implement in my own flat immediately. It makes the room look so organised, I can't believe what a tiny but impressive change it is.

buyer laura -- i hope you have thick skin! i'm not sure what all the rage is about, if you're overpriced, you'll come down...i think the apt is adorable and i'm sure that someone who wants neighborhood over size would be happy to have this place. the kitchen cabinet is GORGEOUS and the whole look is really just lovely.
where did you get your round light fixtures?
thanks.

um,
Christopher Walken grew up in Astoria, Queens.
His family owned Walken's bakery. It was
still there a few years ago (might still be).

And TV chef Lidia Bastianich used to work at
Walken's.

My (greek) family is from astoria and I
lived there for 10 years. IT's not the
west village, where I have also lived,
but it has among other charms, the best
supermarket in the city (TITAN, try
the cheese pies -- tiropita -- fresh
from the oven).

i live in austin, and it is definitely not undervalued anymore - we were lucky to find a house we could afford on the "cheap" (east) side of town. san antonio, on the other hand, seems crazily cheap, and has loads of beautifuland/or funky architecture, art stuff, culture - i'd say it was undervalued for sure.

that said, i'd trade my cute and decent-sized 50s house with its too-big yard for laura's jewelbox studio in a heartbeat, if i could! it's too cute.

laura (not the apt. owner)

A lot of leg work, a lot of calls to realtors in the aea and telling them what I was looking for. It took a while but, in my opinion, paid off. I am four blocks from the 7 train and on the worse day it is a 45 min commute to midtown where I work (door to door) and on the good days, 30 min.

I got a chance to check out the apartment in real-life at the open house and I have to say: yes, it IS small to say the least but at the same time it is airy, bright, calm and easily organizable (lots of efficient hidden storage).

I also have to report on the color of her bathroom walls - a beautiful neutral lavendar grey called Mercury Glass by Martha Stewart..I can't wait to get my hands on a bucket!

This is a reality check for some of the previous posts about the current state of the real estate market. I'm a realtor, & yes indeed the market has made a SHARP turn of about 180 degrees over the last 18 months or so. Before it was a sellers market, now it's becoming a buyers market. This also explains why new construction is slowing, builders & developers are taking a "wait & see approach". Patience is a virtue.

Great idea to use blogspot to feature your home! I've seen lots of FSBO apartments using fancy flash sites ... which is intimidating to other potential sellers who don't have the web skills, and which also don't always view well to people whose computers don't have the appropriate plug-ins. Good luck!

Can you let me know where you got your desk? I've been looking for something similar.

Great space!

grayinnyc,

it looks like a vika table/desk and legs from ikea and a file cabinet supporting the other end of the desk (not sure where the file cabinet is from).

Nice building!
Would love to see more pics of the Green Building!

Love it! It's the city. People move to suburbs to die

The studio coop apartment decor is lovely, neat and stylish, however...

Just giving a few examples from a Buyer's investment standpoint (included a nice neighborhood):

RE: $327,000 for a coop in West Village.

Bronx - $175,000 for 2 bedroom apartment coop.
http://www.findmyroof.com/ad/43348

Queens - $325,000 for 1 bedroom coop.
http://newyork.kijiji.com/c-Housing-Other-Jackson-Heights-Greystone-Coop-Apartment-Four-rooms-One-bath-W0QQAdIdZ81813337

I have heard living in Manhattan is extremely expensive compared to other parts of NYC. For that reason, comparing the factors of cost, square feet, the neighborhood, and taxes, etc. what would be the incentive to pay $327,000 for a very small studio compared to buying a house with land elsewhere in New York?

Ok I think everyone here is tired of the arguments - but I only have one point. You paid that much for a studio in NYC - did it ever occur to you you might have a future? Husband, kids, etc? Because you might fit in a husband, but after that you will have to sell for something bigger - and the housing market is down not up.

I would rather live out of the city and commute in to get a place where I can breathe.