Emily Myers

NYCHA has scrapped plans to build on the site of a playground on the Upper East Side.

This week, Raul and Leah Malla, who asked that we use pseudonyms, share their experience buying a one-bedroom co-op on the Upper West Side. Raul works most of the week in Houston so scheduling the interview turned out to be frustrating—and expensive—as he changed his flight to accommodate the board. As it turns out, the couple's concerns about Manhattan formality and being accepted as an interracial couple didn't play out.

This one-bedroom condo, 651 Washington Ave., #3F, is on the edge of Crown Heights and is being offered at $659,999. The price has been cut by $40,000 since April but it is still slightly above the median sales price of $667,999, for similar-sized units in the area.

The apartment, 99 Bank St., #2F, in the West Village, is on the market for $1,100,000, which is around the current median sales price of $1,200,000, for similar-sized units in the neighborhood. Is there some negotiability based on the condition of the apartment? Most likely. All the data points to buyers having the upper hand. 

Host Emily Myers gets into the details of closing costs and how they can affect your buying power as well as closing credits—where the seller gives the buyer a financial sweetener. Plus, a conversation with the CEO of co-investment company who wants to put money into your NYC condo or townhouse purchase.

And, Soho and Noho residents will get an idea of the city's mixed-use zoning plans for the neighborhood at an event this evening