If reading The Hunt stokes your deepest hopes that someday everything in life could work out, then you, too, are obsessed with the New York Times Sunday Real Estate section. Join us as we venture into the depths of this weekend's installment.
Lisa and Jacob Kivett were outgrowing their small 600 square-foot apartment at the Endicott on the Upper West Side so they set out to buy a two bedroom for $1,000,000 without having to sink money into renovations. Another thing they weren't willing to compromise was location. To be specific, it was Columbus Avenue that they loved because of its commercial vibrancy. They set out on their Upper West Side search and after a handful of duds, they found a keeper on West 79th Street.
The couple wanted a prewar building with an elevator — necessary for their elderly dog — and a doorman, too. Neighborhood was key. The Kivetts wanted to be on the Upper West Side between 66th and 82nd Streets.
They hoped to be on or near a commercial avenue, too, with windows on the street.
On West 70th Street, a spacious co-op was almost right. The listed price was $1.099 million, monthly maintenance around $1,600. It had two bedrooms with the requisite street exposures, but the living room had an interior courtyard view. The kitchen was advertised as being in “good condition but not mint”
They saw a ground-floor place near 82nd Street on West End Avenue, which they considered too calm and even remote.
A listing in a West 79th Street co-op looked promising.
The 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom had plenty of exposures onto the street, and windows in both kitchen and bathroom.
The listing price was $1.085 million; maintenance is just under $1,400. The Kivetts had already let one get away, so this time they bid high, and got the place for $1.105 million.