Question #1: From a qualitative standpoint, what is something that home buyers don’t think about enough during their search for a home?
Adler response: The age and quality of the finishes and appliances. They don’t think about that enough. Which is why it’s good to have us.
Question #2: Sunlight Exposure. What’s good? What’s bad? Help us understand…
Adler response: Typically, in price and what’s considered good is southern exposures. When you have southern exposures and they’re not hindered, you have light all day long and that’s considered great, and that’s reflected in the price. East or West is good because you can get the sunrise or sunset, depending on what you prefer. I prefer North and West because I’m a downtown person and I want to be looking North toward all of the skyscrapers, and West toward the Village and Tribeca and the Hudson, and I like sunsets better.
I prefer that also to southern light because if you’re unobstructed and facing north, you have an even light throughout the day. It’s not as intense as southern exposure. I just need light. I don’t need it to be boiling me. If you have unobstructed southern light, and tons of windows, in the summertime, you basically have to keep your shades down and the air conditioning on the whole time, negating your southern view – You don’t have a view if you have your shades down all the time!
It’s all personal preference. But in the end, in terms of values, southern light is always the most desirable.
Question #3: You are a foodie, if we told you that you could only eat in one Manhattan neighborhood for the rest of your life, which neighborhood would it be and why?
Adler response: (Loud audible gasp). What a *$%#!
That moves around all the time. Every neighborhood has pockets of good restaurants.
(He specifically mentions SoHo, The West Village, Flatiron, Tribeca, and he’s not happy that he has to choose only one)
If I had to pick one neighborhood… I’m going to pick flatiron. I’m a big Danny Meyer fan. Union Square Café is in that area. Grammercy Tavern. There’s tons and tons of great food just below that Madison Square Park area.
Question #4: There are a lot of new buildings going up in the city. If you’re buying a new apartment, how do you figure out if your view will eventually become obstructed by a new tower:
Adler response: Right up-front, during your due diligence, your attorney should be able to check the air rights for the buildings that surround this spot. If they have not been purchased, or the building is allowed to build-up, you’re not guaranteed anything. The only way you’re guaranteed anything is if your building is on the river(s) or on a park. Otherwise, you do have to check air rights.
(Then Adler provides a more nuanced answer) I love 25 Park Row. It’s spectacular and it’s wonderful and nothing’s going to really ruin its views because you can’t build in the park right in front of it… but you know what, 10 blocks North, and just a little bit West, a tower could go up and it could take out (the Empire State Building) for you. You’d still have great views, but you’re never guaranteed your views unless you’re on a river or a park.
Question #5: Tell us about 2 or 3 condo or co-op amenities that could be the difference between a sale and no-sale:
Adler response: (A building) should have someone to receive packages that are delivered, like a concierge or a super. Somebody has to be there to be able to take packages. A building has to allow washers and dryers. At this point, I’ll never live anywhere where I can’t have a washer and dryer.
Question #6: You are a longtime Fidi resident. What’s great about FiDi that people might not know about?
Adler response: The two things I don’t think people know about are:
- The convenience of getting here. All of the subways converge through lower Manhattan on their way to Brooklyn, so it’s super easy to get here. I get to our office in Mid-town within 25 minutes. I get everywhere very, very quickly. I have easy access to bridges and tunnels to get out to the airports. It’s way more convenient than people think.
- The price per square foot is one of the best. You can have luxury down here for a fraction of what it costs in other established neighborhoods, including parts of Brooklyn.
One of the things I need to say, and what I love about this neighborhood, for it to gentrify, nobody got displaced. When you look at the history of neighborhoods, when they go from shitty to nice, usually people got pushed out because they couldn’t afford it anymore. But nobody got displaced here. It was all offices.