Seeking cooler weather and ‘the pulse of the city,’ Glenn Snider and Allen Sistrunk put their $500,000 budget to the test in Manhattan. Which of these options would you choose?
Seeking cooler weather and ‘the pulse of the city,’ Glenn Snider and Allen Sistrunk put their $500,000 budget to the test in Manhattan. Which of these options would you choose?
The New York Times
Real Estate|Florida Was Nice, but This Couple Was Ready to Come Home to New York
Site Search Navigation
Site Navigation
Site Mobile Navigation
Real Estate|The Hunt
Florida Was Nice, but This Couple Was Ready to Come Home to New York
ByJOYCE COHENSEPT. 17, 2020
Seeking cooler weather and ‘the pulse of the city,’ Glenn Snider and Allen Sistrunk put their $500,000 budget to the test in Manhattan. Which of these options would you choose?Related Article
Glenn Snider and Allen Sistrunk always knew they would return to New York City.
In 2003, the couple sold their one-bedroom in the West Village and bought a house in Boca Raton, Fla., after Mr. Sistrunk took a job as director of Mounts Botanical Garden, in West Palm Beach. Mr. Snider, a freelance graphic designer, could work from anywhere.
They had met a few years earlier, not long after Mr. Snider bought his first apartment, a studio in Chelsea that he found through an ad in the Village Voice, for $76,000. Mr. Sistrunk, who was living in Atlanta at the time, joined him in the studio, and they eventually traded up to the West Village apartment. (The couple, who were married three years ago, also own a house in Columbus, Ga., Mr. Sistrunk’s hometown, where the cost of living, and of housing, is low.)
In 2016, Mr. Sistrunk, now 65, took early retirement, and the men began plotting their return to New York. “In Florida, the weather is so miserably hot,” said Mr. Snider, 50. “We were ready as soon as we sold the Boca house.”
[Did you recently buy or rent a home in the New York metro area? We want to hear from you. Email:thehunt@nytimes.com]
Late last summer, with the proceeds from that sale, they started their hunt for a home in Manhattan. “I look at real estate all the time anyway, ever since I was young, with my first place in the city,” Mr. Snider said. “Back in the old days, you’d look at the classifieds, and you would plan your open houses that way.”
Their budget was $400,000 to $500,000 for a studio or one-bedroom in a location with good access to public transportation. When it came to price, Mr. Sistrunk said, “I think higher; Glenn thinks lower.”
They have two terriers, so they focused on dog-friendly co-ops in two Manhattan areas that fit their budget. In Murray Hill and surrounding East Side neighborhoods, they knew they could get a studio. In the uptown neighborhoods of Inwood and Washington Heights, they could afford a one-bedroom, although they were hoping to stay below Central Park.
Sunlight was another priority. “When we were first looking for an apartment, I said, ‘I am not a bat,’” Mr. Sistrunk said. “The first thing I do in the morning is open the blinds, so it went without saying that wherever we saw ourselves, it would be well lit.”
They spent one long weekend searching. “Once you’re in a place, you have a feel for it,” Mr. Snider said. “It kind of feels right. On paper, you just can’t tell.”
Among their options:
No. 1
Kips Bay Studio
This large studio on a high floor of a 1964 building had a unique layout, with a separate kitchen, a walk-in closet and a nearly eight-foot-wide foyer opening to the main room. There was a glimpse of the Empire State Building out the window. The price was $425,000, with monthly maintenance in the $1,100s.
No. 2
Murray Hill Alcove Studio
This boxy alcove studio, with a separate kitchen, was in a 1963 building with a roof deck. Despite its ground-floor location between the entrance and exit ramps of the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, there was plenty of light. The price was $399,000, with maintenance in the high $800s, including utilities.
No. 3
Washington Heights One-Bedroom
This renovated one-bedroom in a three-building 1959 complex near Fort Tryon Park faced a sunny courtyard and had a foyer, big living-room windows and a separate kitchen. The price was $389,000, with maintenance in the mid $700s.
Find out what happened next by answering these two questions:
Which Would You Choose?
Kips Bay Studio
Murray Hill Alcove Studio
Washington Heights One-Bedroom
Which Did They Choose?
Kips Bay Studio
Murray Hill Alcove Studio
Washington Heights One-Bedroom
At Home and Away Newsletter
Fleeing the Suburbs for the City? This Couple Was Ready for Some Amenities
They Wanted Some Private Outdoor Space in Williamsburg. But Where Is the Best Place to Find It?
These Roommates Scoured Brooklyn for a Place With Great Amenities. Now They Can't Use Them.
A Couple Look for Their First Purchase in the ‘Heart of Brooklyn.’ But Where Is That?