West Village owner sells above ask to buy 335 Greenwich Street loft above ask

what goes around, comes around
The October 14 sale of the “1,600 sq ft” Manhattan loft #9A at 335 Greenwich Street (aka 20 Jay Street and the Hanover River House) earned the green on the Master List of Manhattan Lofts Sold Since November 2008 because the clearing price of $1,735,500 exceeded the asking price ($1.65mm), as you might have guessed there was a bidding war from that last $500. (I had buyers who were involved in that war, one set of seven bidders; more on that, anon.)

Obviously, the buyer was satisfied (if not happy) to pay that premium to get the loft she wanted. Less obviously, she had very recent experience with a bidding war, having ‘won’ one when she sold this apartment in the West Village for $22,500 more than she had asked. She had to pay $85,500 more than the ask to buy her new Tribeca loft, but she went from a tiny STRIKE errr … cozy 2-bedroom up 5 flights of stairs to a “1,600 sq ft” high floor elevator loft. Win, win (for her).

And she puled off the difficult feat of closing both her apartment sale and loft purchase on the same day. That kind of coordination of two sets of coop managing agents, banks, and attorneys would qualify her to herd cats. Win!

light, light and more light (with views!)
I’ve seen the loft and can testify that this bit of broker babble is accurate:

Magnificent open southern and expansive western views amaze and delight all who visit this space.

The pictures don’t do justice to the light, or the views. Yes, that is the Woolworth Building nicely framed in one of the bedroom pix, and glimpsed in the living room photo, as well. Clear skies south!

You’d need window treatments to protect against the sun, but you’ll want the windows as exposed as much as is comfortable. Simply put: this is one of the best views in Tribeca. Better than the “sunny views [that] grace every room” of her old place in the West Village, no doubt.

updating is advisable, and likely
Yes, per the babble, you can “move right into [sic]” the loft, but my buyers were budgeting for upgrades, if not a full gut renovation. The loft has the feel of having been built out soon after the coop was formed, way back in 1979 (if not that far back, then early 1990s, almost certainly). The single bathroom in a 3-bedroom loft is one hint. Another is that loft #9A (“1,600 sq ft”, per our data-base) sold for just a little bit more than #11B in August (“1,200 sq ft”, with a “400 sq ft” terrace), at $1,735,500 compared to $1.7mm. Yet another hint: #2B (also “1,600 sq ft” in our data-base) sold for $1.61mm with no light or views to speak of, and in need (for most buyers) of a reconfiguration, also in August.

The buyer will almost certainly update, if not gut renovate, as that is what she did after buying her West Village walk-up in 2004. That babble claimed:

The apartment has been gut-renovated and features a light-filled, windowed open kitchen (Sub-Zero fridge, Viking Professional range, Meile dishwasher, granite countertops), living room, marble bath, and two bedrooms (or one bedroom plus an office or dressing room).

Compare the kitchen picture for loft #9B with that of the smaller kitchen in the old apartment (the 4th pic). My bet is she re-does the kitchen and replaces one of the bedrooms with a new bathroom. At least.

war is heck
Loft #9B took a while to get to contract (not unusual these days). The loft was new to market on June 17 and had time for only two Sunday open houses before the best-and-final deadline of noon on June 28. But the contract was not fully signed until July 15.

I only know two of the seven bids, and my folks were higher than the winner (by only $7,000), so were apparently not the ‘best’ bidders. They would have financed 75%; there has been no mortgage filed by the purchaser … yet, so perhaps she paid cash. Darn!

© Sandy Mattingly 2011