Anytime a reporter for the AP or Reuters decides to write about the NYC housing market, the results are adorable: "People in New York pay soooo much for their apartments! And there are these scary co-op boards that won't let you buy even if you've got the money!" So it is for Reuters reporter Ellen Wulfhorst, who takes on the co-op insanity:
The Dakota board turned down [Melanie] Griffith and [Antonio] Banderas without meeting them, according to a letter written in dismay by the apartment's would-be sellers. "We were shocked by the board's narrowness of vision," the owners wrote, calling the decision "arbitrary" and "arrogant."Did you catch that, middle America? Their dogs. Goddamn New Yorkers.Not just celebrities get such tough treatment. Along with insisting on background checks and financial reviews, some co-ops have been known to interview prospective buyers' dogs.
· New York Apartment Buyers Face Powerful Co-Op Boards [Reuters]