Tennis anyone? Central Park opens tennis courts opening Monday!

Do you play tennis on the Upper west side? With 26 Hartru courts and several  hardcourts for lessons located mid park at 96th street, maybe you should. A full season permit only costs $200 and for seniors and minors it’s about 1/10th of that for the whole season.

Central Park Tennis Center Entrance

 

You can obtain your permit online or in person in several locations including Paragon Sports downtown and the Arsenal on 5th avenue.

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Another reason to live on the Upper West side
Another reason to live on the Upper West side

The courts are in pristine condition and thanks to some rain on Thursday will be ready for play! Always check the hotline on days that it rains.
HOTLINE NUMBER 212-280-0205

The courts are supposed to open Monday April 20th. Call the hotline for details.

 

 

361 CPW Church conversion moves forward

The condo conversion of the former Church at 96 street and Central Park west on Manhattan’s Upper west side received a zoning exemption from CB7.  Now the developer will go forward to the next series of approvals. Eventually, their plan will include adding more window and possibly a penthouse to the church as well.

Read Dnainfo’s coverage by clicking the link below.

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Rupert Murdoch selling recenly purchased Penthouse at One Madison

Rupert Murdoch is asking $72 million for the triplex he owns and purchased as raw space. It is currently under construction and it appears Mr. Murdoch is keeping the 57th floor which is an interesting move since he is selling the triplex (58th-60thfloors)which is about 6850 sqft and the 55th and 56th floor are for sale as well as raw space. That opens the door for someone to purchase 6 floors of raw space for $109mm plus the amount Mr. Murdoch would want for the 57th floor. This would total about 17k sqft more or less and probably could be had for about $140mm total. Mr. Murdoch purchased the 4 floors in February of 2014 for 57.25mm.

 

One Madison which is located at 23 east 22 street included among it’s initial purchasers Giselle Bundchen and her somewhat famous husband the Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. In an interview published in the NYT magazine at the time of the Super Bowl,  which Mr. Brady gave at his Flatiron area home , the reporter asked for the address. Mr. Brady was that he didn’t know the address but that it’s the only very tall building in the immediate neighborhood.

Read the WSJ article about Mr. Murdoch here.

 

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NYC real estate market future predictions for growth

According to commercial brokerage Cushman & Wakefield between 2009 and 2015, 500,000 jobs have been added in New York. The added jobs is having  an impact on Millenials whose preferences are exerting an influence both in NYC and other states across the US.

Millenials who are born between 1984 and 2000 in general want to live in cities and walk and not use cars. As a result, many large companies including Google have relocated to NYC. In addition, in other markets outside of NYC, millenials are making up a large portion of the buying population. Due to the high prices in Manhattan, we don’t see as much millenials buying as in other states.

Based on the pace of the first quarter sales of commercial and mixed use buildings, this market is poised to surpass significantly the $57.7 Billion in sales of 2014.

 

Read the full article.

 

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Thinking of buying a Manhattan apartment for an investment?

I was reading a recent article and someone commented that NYC property is like a Swiss bank account for investors because it’s considered so low risk and certainly will go up in the future. But where do you buy and for how much? Should you get a loan or pay CASH? Here’s some advice that may help you to decide.

So let’s say you have $1 million just as an example and you want to invest. What are your options assuming you will not live there? Click through for guidelines.

Continue reading Thinking of buying a Manhattan apartment for an investment?

Thinking of hiring a nanny? Read this first

Many families are staying in Manhattan and as a result of the cost of living being so high, two income couples depend on  the services of a nanny. However, working out the terms of employment for this critical member of the family can be tricky for those who don’t do research first.

A nanny working more than 40 hours per week is entitled by law to overtime paid at time and a half. Some families are so attached to their nannies that they give them gym memberships,  cars to use on the weekends, metrocards, money for food and even country club memberships. Many nannies claim that they are the ones being taken advantage of by the parents. As a result, lawsuits are on the rise behind nannies and their employers.

Read the full article on NYPost for some more advice and anecdotes.

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Where on the UWS should we build affordable housing?

Originally, as part of the development in Riverside South, The Collegiate School was supposed to build 55 units of affordable housing on site. Earlier this year, their proposal to contribute $50mm instead of building out the apartments was accepted by the City of New York. Next month, at a Community Board 7 meeting, residents will have a chance to weigh on possible locations. The Collegiate School will be located at 61st and Freedom Place and locals are hoping the affordable housing will be as close to the Riverside South development as possible.

Read the full article.

 

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372 Central Park west The Vaux Condominium

This 19 story Upper west side condo sits at the corner of 97 street and Central Park west and originally featured studios to 2 bedroom apartments. Some combination apartments are even larger. One of the main reasons that buyers choose the Vaux condo is because of the low monthly charges which are approximately $1 per square foot. Additionally, the building features a concierge, live-in-super, on site management, gym, childrens’ playroom, plenty of outdoor seating areas and parking! Parking is on waitlist which is currently about 3 years.

The Vaux condo as seen from Central Park west. Corner apartments are 2bd/2ba with terrace
The Vaux condo as seen from Central Park west. Corner apartments are 2bd/2ba with terrace
Currently there is one studio for sale in the 400 plus unit for sale at just under $700k. A combination unit needing work 11XY which was asking $2.195mm is in contract. It is a combination of a large 1 bedroom and a large studio apt.
Currently there is one studio for sale in the 400 plus unit building for sale at just under $700k. A combination unit needing work (11XY) which was asking $2.195mm is in contract. It is a combination of a large 1 bedroom and a large studio apt.

Continue reading 372 Central Park west The Vaux Condominium

Should St. Patrick’s be allowed to sell their air rights?

St. Patrick’s Cathedral as of right, can transfer their air rights to buildings on or across the street. But with possible few takers, they would like to be able to sell them to developers in other locations in Manhattan. They have over 1 million square feet of air rights available and with air rights transferring for around $250 per square feet, the archdiocese has hundreds of millions of dollars that it would like to access.

Allowing the archdiocese to access these funds will help them to maintain their building. Currently, the building is undergoing a $170mm restoration.

Many people are concerned that Manhattan already has too many supertall buildings especially in Midtown and we need to reign in development of these type of buildings which cast shadows on Central Park.

What do you think? Read the WSJ article below.

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