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Manhattan's Cheapest Sales Per Square Foot in 2011 (So Far)

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The more places there are in front of the decimal point, the more the sold price of a piece of Manhattan property tends to capture our attention. Such is the way of the high-end NYC real estate market. But the cheap stuff can be pretty intriguing, too. Inspired by the recent sale of a Tribeca loft for under $500/square foot, we poked around on StreetEasy to find the year's cheapest sales (so far) by price per square foot. Here's a list of the top (bottom?) 10. As we're sure you'll notice, they're pretty much all in Harlem or Hamilton Heights.

10) 605 West 147th Street
Price Per Square Foot: $271
Original Asking Price: $2,150,000
Later Asking Prices (In Order): $1,575,000, $1,400,000, $1,200,000, $1,595,000, $999,999
Finally Sold For: $970,00
Square Feet: 3,575
The Skinny: This enormous single-family brownstone had some trouble getting off the market, eventually selling for less than half its original asking price. +$2 million have been an overly ambitious first listing, but we're also not sure why it dropped so far.

9) 33 West 127th Street
Price Per Square Foot: $264
Asking Price: $1,675,000
Sold For: $1,675,000
Square Feet: 6,355
The Skinny: At over one and a half million dollars, it's tough to call this five-story renovated townhouse a "steal," but 6,355 square feet is certainly not too shabby.

8) 5 East 131st Street #3B
Price per square foot: $214
Original Asking Price: $200,000
Later Asking Price: $160,000
Sold For: $150,000
Square Feet: 700
The Skinny: This place looks nice. Good job, person who bought this place.

7) 454 West 152nd Street #51
Price Per Square Foot: $193
Asking Price: $185,000
Sold For: $185,000
Square Feet: 960
The Skinny: There are some strange similarities between this place and number three on this list. They're both on West 152nd Street. They're both #51. They're both 960 square feet. Coincidence? Probably not. Reason? Who knows.

6) 14 Convent Avenue
Price Per Square Foot: $189
Asking Price: $575,000
Sold For: $575,000
Square Feet: 3040
The Skinny: This property, according to Todd Stevens (who listed it on StreetEasy), "enables your visions to be real." If that's true, we'd say that $575,000 is a pretty reasonable price to pay for a magic building. Be careful what you envision, new owners.

5) 2159 First Avenue #2A
Price Per Square Foot: $182
Original Asking Price: $245,000
Later Asking Price: $125,000
Sold For: $118,000
Square Feet: 650
The Skinny: This place was originally listed for $245,000, then took an over 50 percent price cut, asking for $125,000 in cash instead. The eventual buyer only paid $118,000. Maybe the ATM had a limit.

4) 104 Edgecombe Avenue
Price Per Square Foot: $178
Original Asking Price: $875,000
Later Asking Price: $800,000
Sold For: $675,000
Square Feet: 3,800

3) 450 West 152nd Street #51
Price per square foot: $177
Asking Price: $190,000
Sold For: $170,000
Square Feet: 960
The Skinny: The picture on the left is actually from a different unit in the same building, but if this unit is anything like that unit...oof. The term 'fixer-upper' comes to mind.

2) 2159 First Avenue #1C
Price Per Square Foot: $177
Asking Price: $75,000
Sold For: $76,000
Square Feet: 430
The Skinny: This is from the same building as number five. It was also paid for in cash. And it somehow sold for $1,000 over its asking price. This building is shady.

1) 512 West 142nd Street
Price Per Square Foot: $176
Asking Price: $599,999
Sold For: $599,999
Square Feet: 3,400
The Skinny: There are at least two trees somewhere near this building, according to the only picture on the listing.
?Jeremiah Budin