apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Oh god. I could do SO MUCH with that space!!

There's so much stuff in there you can barely appreciate the space. I hope someone tells them to do a clean sweep before showing it.

i think most people would have to figure in the cost of a gut renovation.

Unfortunately, all that greenery in the city translates to hiding places for rats and mice.

Why gut the place? Looks in good shape to me. It's just cluttered.

I would kill for a little outdoor space like that in NYC, and I am confident there would be minimal rodent problems!

When I lived in Georgetown (DC) for a year, our townhouse had a small yard (terace?) like this, and we filled it with pots of impatiens and other shade loving plants -- and a barbeque, of course!

the appliances and cabinets in the kitchen seem as if they're from the 70s or so. the bedroom floor is covered with maroon carpet, and there's no telling what's underneath. the windows don't look new or energy efficient. the "transom" and pass-thru from the kitchen are recent (meaning not original) additions, and the wall itself is probably not the most attractive or efficient way to utilize the space. we dont' know what the other rooms look like.

just an observation.

I think it's had a gut renovation at some point around 1977. The room shapes aren't original, and you can see where the doorways are new.

The lower floor, at least, should clean up to a sleek, modern interior. The kitchen cabinets and the transom divider thing are the two relics of the late 70s, and those could be painted as a temporary solution.

It seems like a nice apartment and yes, New York real estate is expensive. However, for nearly 2 million I expect a LOT more innovation than a bathroom with a jet tub. A dramatically updated kitchen, a garden that really looks like something, a library ladder with effective shelving in the living room, a master bedroom that's not a cubby hole among a rabbit warren of tiny downstairs rooms would be a good start. Good Luck selling that, and my sympathies to the person that buys it.

FSBO often suffers from overpricing, looks like that's happening here.
But if you're worried that the garden greenery hosts mice, the solution in NYC is simple -- get a cat.
I have a garden and my cat brings me an average of five or six dead mice a year. I never see mouse droppings. The mice don't last long enough.

Given that both units probably need renovation, my prediction is that someone with mega $$$ buys both unit and turns it back into the lovely townhouse it once was.

"I think it's had a gut renovation at some point around 1977. The room shapes aren't original, and you can see where the doorways are new."

yes, of course. but it still needs more.

Maybe I'm jaded, but for 2220 s/f, that price does not seem outrageous. My friend (who is far richer than I am) paid $1 million for a 2 bedroom apartment that also needed a total gutting. This says it has 3-5 bedrooms.

I'm a total cat person anyhow so maybe that's why I've never had a mouse issue, but assuming the house is clean and not, like, filled with breadcrumbs INSIDE I don't see the problem with greenery outside.

I would edit/redo the landscaping just for color and impact.

I don't see gutting, necessarily. Just repainting, redecorating, light stuff really. Furnishing with a lighter hand and painting walls/cabinets would make an enormous difference.

seems to me if you're going to spend 2 mil on an apartment, you're not going to want to get all crafts-y and paint the cabinets from the 1970s yourself, nor are you going to want live with a place that looks like a 1970s drywall box.

Oh, I didn't realize that pulling up a carpet and replacing kitchen cabinets & appliances is considered a gut renovation. When I think of a gut renovation, I think of walls and floor being ripped out, leaving just the structure and pipes, etc., with new wiring to be done, that kind of thing.

I just came across a very interesting article about a new company for selling property on your own. Here is the article: ( hope it helps sell your home! )

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, -- emongoo.com, an online real estate website, announced today that their listing service will be provided free of charge. A recent report by Alexa.com showed an increase in emongoo’s “reach per millions of users” by 4,900% over the past three months. This has made emongoo.com one of the fastest growing real estate websites on the internet and an unequivocal favorite among do-it-yourself homeowners and prospective buyers.

The site is free to both sellers and buyers, so it has never been easier to list your property and sell it. “We found it essential to offer our most basic service for free,” said CEO Wes Morgenegg, “so that everyone could enjoy emongoo.com.”

Morgenegg was quick to tell why emongoo.com was different from other for-sale-by-owner or FSBO sites, “Most free FSBO sites are lead generators for mortgage or real estate companies, but emongoo is not. We are a 100% free advertising service for FSBO all across the US. Our goal is sell properties, not people.”

The site is not only free, but receives quite a bit of traffic. CTO Kelly Jensen attributes this to the site’s design, “The site needed to be easy to navigate, those that traffic our site can be anywhere from 15-95-years-old, so we knew it had to be simple and intuitive.” A simplicity which is driving prospective buyers and sellers to the site by the millions.

One of the site’s users in Salt Lake City, Utah said, "I have had a good experience dealing with emongoo. I think the concept of emongoo makes sense. We sold our home on our own, thanks to the help and advertising of emongoo." She joins other users who are saying emongoo.com is making selling your house so simple. Another user from Phoenix, Arizona said “I sold my home using emongoo.com in less than 15 days! It was the easiest online system I have ever used."

And so emongoo.com rolls on, now offering properties in 47 states and 8 Canadian provinces.

i didn't say that putting in new cabinets and pulling up carpet was a gut renovation, did i?

not sure whence the hostility, but anyway, enjoy your day...

This does seem a taste overpriced.

Cute place, but holy smokes - is that amount for the real estate tax correct (835/mo) ? Is that typical for NY?

Wow!! I'm the owner/seller of this newly-listed property and never expected such a lively thread. Here are some responses to both helpful and judgmental (that's you pphillihpp!!) posts.

Jaber: The RE tax is accurate and is in part because NYC discriminates against owners of coops and condos. Single family residences in Queens are classified in a much lower category.

Listing price: I agree that it seems very high. I have informed interested parties of my belief that positional bargaining that involves asks and offers is not as fair as determining market price by outside standards such as neutral appraisals and comparables. Because it is normative for the seller to state a price, I selected one from the medium high end of the comparables accessible to me. The upstairs unit was being offered at approximately $250,000 more.

Rodents: In the ten years we have lived there I have never seen a rat; however we have observed two very cute small mice. My cat reluctantly caught one. He also caught a squirrel which we released and several birds whom were not so lucky. There is a flapper pet door that leads to the fenced yard -- great for dogs and cats!

Renovation, gut and minor: Yes, the place was totally gutted about 30 years ago and I am the guilty party who put the "serving window" thru the wall from the kitchen to the great room. We love it since it provides wonderful lite and saves steps. I also renovated the bathroom, put in crown molding etc. but since our tastes do not run to sleek and contemporary, we did not update the kitchen's look -- only the function which includes two ovens, ice-maker, micro, bread maker etc. etc. Also the maroon carpet that engaged phillihpp's curiosity is only 2-3 years old and is high quality installed over a hardwood floor. Geraldo won't be digging there soon.

Windows: Photos may not be good, but the windows on the lower duplex are all modern tilt and easy to clean.

Clutter: Some of the pix were taken as we were moving... Much less clutter now, but perhaps not enough furniture to "dress" the place for sale.

Chadh: Thx for lead to emongoo.com There is a similar successful FSBO listing service in Madison WI. Also don't ignore Craig's List where I have also listed but have recd only 1-2 responses so far.

Again, thanks to all for your perceptions and comments. This is a great site.