With an acoustic consultation, NYC buyers can identify noise problems missed during a walkthrough

Noise is a major quality-of-life issue for New Yorkers, but sound problems are something that buyers and renters can easily miss when touring a property.

Buying in NYC is a more intense process than other cities. Buyers here hire lawyers to review offering plans and board minutes to try to uncover any problems in a building, but few buyers have the opportunity to really listen to an apartment before they buy, according to acoustic consultants. Standard home inspections don’t test for acoustic disturbances.

Some types of noise are hard to detect because they only happen during specific times or seasons. And some sounds may be caused by vibration, which can go unnoticed when drowned out by the chatter of a busy open house or because of an open window.

Still, doing a consultation can be tricky because some boards will balk at setting up sound equipment for an extended period in a place that’s on the market, out of fear that other potential buyers will get spooked.

But you have options if you want to check for noise problems before you close or sign a lease. Read on for what to listen for and how buyers can get an acoustic consultation done.

An unwelcome discovery

Generally, acoustic consultants hear from buyers after they move in and find themselves plagued by sounds coming through their walls. For the NYC luxury buyer, who has spent millions on a deal involving multiple professionals, it can a shocking discovery.

“Most people understand that we live in New York City and the city is noisy, but on the luxury level, there are certain expectations” that the property is being fully vetted, said Mark Hermann, founder of Silver Cloud Acoustical Consultants.

Buyers don’t realize that walkthroughs and inspections are visual. “Sound is completely overlooked,” he said. (You can download Silver Cloud’s acoustic checklist before touring a listing.)

For one of his clients, Hermann identified MRI equipment four floors below their luxury apartment was transmitting low-frequency vibration through the structure and into their bedroom.

Another client closed on a $5 million Upper West Side triplex with the help of an experienced broker after a thorough legal review and clean inspection. Three weeks after moving in, the new owner discovered the elevator shaft ran directly behind his master bedroom wall, Hermann said. When Hermann did an acoustic test, he found the sound levels were not a noise code violation. But it was still a persistent quality-of-life condition that cost $150,000 to address.

“We couldn't fully solve it, because the solutions that would have worked needed to be designed in before the millwork was installed,” Hermann said. His client said he wished he had known Herman’s services existed before he closed on the property.

‘How come nobody caught this?’

The most infamous buyer remorse story is likely the litany of problems at 432 Park, one of the most expensive addresses in the world. According to a New York Times investigation, owners at the nearly 1,400-foot tower face multiple problems related to its height that include noise issues, such as walls that creak and a 1,300-foot-long trash chute that sounds like a bomb when garbage hits the bottom.

Hermann, who often works with developers, was called to consult at a different supertall, where a $25 million unit on a high floor owned by an investor was experiencing “horrific, creaking noises,” he said. Three tenants in a row had broken their leases.

“Turns out there was nothing we could do without a major gut renovation,” Hermann said. “I asked the broker, ‘how come nobody caught this?’”

Alan Fierstein, founder and president at Acoustilog, experienced a similar head-shaking consultation. He recalled working with clients in Brooklyn that bought a second-floor co-op. Turns out there was a subway line under the building, and the trains were shaking the apartment and creating a lot of noise.

“They had just bought it and wanted to know what could be done. They had no idea it was noisy when they bought the apartment. When they visited it was a weekend—that line has no weekend service,” he said.

Generally, Fierstein gets called by owners who are in a dispute over noise with their building, but he has done testing for buyers who have not yet closed, for example in a building on 57th Street, where he was allowed to set up his equipment for a few days.

“There was a lot of noise and the buyer backed out. And that building will never allow me back in,” he said.

Pro-active acoustic testing

Hermann recommends luxury buyers be pro-active and get an acoustic assessment prior to closing, which can run $3,500 to $4,500. While some boards may balk at setting up acoustic testing equipment in the unit itself, he said that with permission, he can put his equipment in an adjacent apartment.

For the buyer who has signed a contract but not yet gone to closing, “knowledge is power,” he said. He will generate a report for the buyer and a discovery can become a “bargaining chip” for the buyer—not necessarily a deal breaker.

What happens during an acoustic test?

An acoustic consultation can help identify noises from elevators, pumps, boilers, and HVAC equipment that can blend into the background during a walkthrough but become a regular nuisance once you live there.

Ned Shatzer, founder of Hush Soundproofing, said his firm charges a flat $500 fee for a 45-minute consultation for properties under 2,000 square feet. Fees are determined on a case-by-case basis for larger spaces.  “If we’re reviewing architectural drawings and engineering details, we may structure that as a flat fee plus hourly work,” Shatzer said.

The firm also offers a more comprehensive acoustical analysis that starts at $6,300.

“We take measurements in multiple areas and may leave a monitoring device for several days. These reports also typically reference applicable city noise requirements, including Department of Environmental Protection and Department of Buildings provisions.

Ideally, the assessment is done with the buyer present.

“It’s good to speak with the buyer and understand their concerns. I can’t tell people what bothers them. If someone is particularly sensitive to noise, I want to understand that sensitivity and what they’re experiencing, he said.

On a recent acoustic check, he found a gas pipe connected to a dryer that was transferring vibration through the ceiling and into multiple walls, creating a surround-sound effect in the unit. He traced the pipe to a gas meter 50 feet away.

In general, after he make creates a report, buyers typically ask the seller to remedy the issue or negotiate the price. For example, last year he recommended an acoustic fence to block the noise from a rooftop HVAC unit facing a penthouse terrace.

“The seller set aside money in escrow, and after closing, we came in and completed the work,” Shatzer said.

Not part of a home inspection

Kenneth Lee, owner of Brooklyn-based Green Apple Home Inspection, did an inspection in Manhattan during the wintertime for a buyer. In the summer, the new owner called to complain: the restaurant next door had turned on the AC and the compressors were very loud.

Even if he had visited in the summer, checking acoustics is beyond the scope of a home inspection, which typically takes about an hour.

Still, Lee was able to help by directing the owner to NYC’s noise code. He recommended that they download an app to measure decibels, which they did and found the sound was not within required levels. They were able to get the restaurant to take action, he said.

Acoustic advice from the pros for buyers and renters

Maybe you’re a buyer on a budget and you’re not willing to spend thousands on a comprehensive acoustic consultation, or maybe you’re a renter, in which case you don’t have leverage.

Shatzer said noise issues are even more critical if you’re a renter because “you can’t spend money to fix them,” he said. NYC is an expensive place to rent and moving is not always an option. Because renters have so little control, renters need to take acoustics seriously, he said.

Here are some things you can check on your own when touring an apartment to rent or buy.

• Ask when the building was built and what is the construction. New construction is usually sheetrock with framing. Prewar is generally denser brick, however, some modern and renovated buildings may have new windows with sound proofing.
• If there is a stairwell, check if it is made of steel. Metal easily conducts sound. If you hear yourself clunking up the stairs that a tip. That sound can resonate and travel into your apartment, so bang on the doors and walls and see if they are hollow
• Check where the elevator and mechanicals are relative to the apartment. Sometimes the mechanicals are directly below a penthouse!
• If the unit is near the building’s entrance, have your partner close the front door while you’re inside the apartment. See whether it shakes the space.
• Ask the agent if you can see the apartment during a high-traffic period. You want to hear what the building sounds like when residents are leaving or coming home for the day.
• Listen for heavy footfall, voices, low humming, and street noise. See if you can feel vibration, too. If you hear significant street noise, check whether the windows are old.
• What does it sound like in the apartment with the windows open and windows closed?
• Look at the ceiling. If you see recessed lights, it’s a drop-down ceiling and there is typically no insulation between a dropped ceiling and the floor above.

• Consider the season, too. What does the apartment sound like with the heat or air conditioning system on?

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