Would You Rather?

Would you rather...live in a fabulous 4th floor walk-up, or a plain-vanilla elevator building abode?

By Mayra David  | May 1, 2013 - 8:55AM
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Who doesn't love a good round of "Would You Rather"? We've decided to give the age-old party game a real estate twist in this new every-so-often column.

Today we're kicking things off with our first totally hypothetical question: Would you rather pay $1 million for a fourth-floor walk-up that’s 1,500 square feet and gorgeously renovated with outdoor space--or use that same million to buy a 900-square-foot generic apartment in an elevator building?

We asked five New Yorkers to choose--and explain:  

  • Walk-up:  I’d take the walk up. More space in NYC is always better than less space, especially if you want room for hobbies. Plus, the only time the stairs are really that bad are when you're moving in, moving out or doing really large loads of laundry. And living up on the fourth floor might mean better quadriceps and better cardiovascular conditioning. - Melissa, Bronx
  • Elevator building: On any given day, an elevator trumps outdoor space. I can go outside and be in a park, or get out of the city if I need to relax in the quiet outdoors. But you need an elevator for when you’re schlepping groceries (or even just yourself) home after a long, hard day’s work. -Jen, Midtown East
  • Elevator building: I would love to have my own outdoor space and and I wouldn’t mind the walk up any flights of stairs… if only I were younger. At 60, the elevator building apartment just makes more sense. - Violette, Harlem
  • Walk-up: I’d take that walk up. More indoor space AND you get outdoor space? Sold. Walk ups are always in older buildings, too, so that means the apartment will have fab details and high ceilings.  -Bendji, Fort Greene
  • Elevator: Elevator, for sure. I don’t even care about the condition -- renovated or not - because that can always be changed. But you can’t change having to go up all those flights of stairs with your groceries. I suppose you could have your groceries delivered. But still:  what if you break your leg? - Leila, Flushing
The consensus: Elevator over walk-up, 3:2. 
 
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