I'm selling my apartment for the first time!

February 13, 2007 12:46 PM

I own a one bedroom co-op in NYC. (West village - St. marks Place Area / NYU). I am looking to sell my place after being here almost 6 years. This is my first experience in selling, as it was also the first place I bought. Looking for tips in what to do actually. (more inside)

I bought my place through Corcoran, who are big in NYC. I made initial contact with the woman who handled me when I bought the place. Should I get multiple real estate companies involved? I know I am in a good , high demand spot. I just wanna maximise my chances of getting the best price for my place. Your advice is welcomed and appreciated.

posted by TwilightKid to home & garden (13 comments total)

As far as basics go, repaint and touch up any scuff marks. If your door pulls or anything are a little dated, replace them. Get rid of all your clutter and make your home look like an inviting showplace. Make sure it smells fresh and not musty. If you don't have nice furniture, use a staging company for open houses. Make a place that looks like rich people who smell good live there.
posted by stormygrey at 12:56 PM on February 13, 2007

You ought not to try and sell your place as West Village when it's on St. Marks.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 12:59 PM on February 13, 2007

It's not on St Marks....But close enough to give people a proximity...Its actually on 9th and Broadway, behind the Kmart.
posted by TwilightKid at 1:06 PM on February 13, 2007

Six years and you haven't picked up on the "Astor Place" thing? AKA this is what you call where your apt is. YW
posted by shownomercy at 1:19 PM on February 13, 2007

I'm well aware of the Astor Place 'thing'. This isn't the point of my post. I know about fixing up the apartment and all sorts. And I know I will be coached by whatever agencies I choose to work with. In a nutshell, I guess I am wondering if it's better to stay with just Corcoran, or should I get other agencies in the mix. Are there others that do a better job then Corcoran. Actual experiences with any of these companies would be ideal.
posted by TwilightKid at 1:22 PM on February 13, 2007

I would say that you should definitely talk to more than one realtor group and see if any will offer you any better marketing terms (maybe) or break on commission (doubtful), but also just to see if there is a realtor that you get a better vibe from. I've worked with these companies in NYC:
Brown Harris Stevens
Century 21 William B. May
posted by mattbucher at 1:29 PM on February 13, 2007

Yeah, silly stuff like that will only get this post deleted...
Thanks for the good info though. I will look into a few realtors.
posted by TwilightKid at 1:41 PM on February 13, 2007

And too many New Yorkers have answered ads for "spacious upper West Side apartment!" only to find out it's on the north end of Harlem, or called about the "Terrific Park Slope apt near the park!!!" to find out it's in Prospect Heights. Deliberately misleading real estate ads can be extremely frustrating.

9th and Broadway is nowhere near the West Village. Not even a little bit. The comments are completely understandable.
posted by Gamblor at 1:43 PM on February 13, 2007

Seconding Gamblor. Might not have been the point of your post to get an education on how to list its locale, but if you're looking for tips on how to sell, this is key. Don't let your realtor(s) mis-list it and piss potential buyers off.
posted by allkindsoftime at 2:20 PM on February 13, 2007

See the sentence with the question mark? Answer or shaddup.

Buildings that size often have a resident broker - you should ask the super, or your managing agent. A broker who lives in the building has a stake in keeping prices up, and will know the board which can really make closing a co-op sale a lot more pleasant.
posted by nicwolff at 3:08 PM on February 13, 2007

You might want to bring these questions to bear at Curbed.com, which might (if your apartment is phenomenal) perhaps headline you some pics and get you very specific comments on what you might do. But they'll also have mucho information to review on what makes a bad and good listing, how people reacted to certain decor choices at open houses, etc. But, you've also rpobably already looked on Curbed and I am stating the obvious.

What I hear repeated over and over and over, is that this is not about selling your personality, your taste in art, how hip you were in college, etc. Go for uncluttered, clean, modern looks, thinking of this more like a job interview where you want to be as unoffensive to as many people as possible. Attractive colors, understated, stylish but not overdone. Think about what fixtures give a lot of bang for your buck if you update them, find ways to bring in light and maximize space.

Another thing I've heard frequently is that lower-commissions type realtors really do not push your listing as hard as some of the Corcoran types, are less motivated to make the effort to sell both in a good time frame and at a good price.

It sounds like you have a great location, don't let people get you down with nitpicking. You can utterly let it speak for itself - Astor Place, near Grace Church, convenient to multiple subways and all amenities, even those intestinal-killing but addictive Around the Clock 3am drunken cheeseburgers. Out of curiousity, have you checked other similar-sized listings in the neighborhood or anything? What kind of space are we talking about here, do you know the square feet offhand? Do you have a price per square foot range in mind? How strict is your co-op board? Are pets okay?
posted by bunnycup at 3:27 PM on February 13, 2007

I highly recommend the craigslist NYC housing forum for these kinds of questions. There are some people on there with really good experience with the intricacies of the NYC housing market, which is a whole different beast than anywhere else in the states.
posted by ch1x0r at 6:08 PM on February 13, 2007

"9th and Broadway is nowhere near the West Village. Not even a little bit. The comments are completely understandable.
posted by Gamblor "

My thoughts exactly.
posted by blaneyphoto at 6:48 PM on February 13, 2007