Buying a luxury condo
Buying a luxury condo on the Brooklyn waterfront usually starts with a choice between buying new from a developer and buying resale from an owner in an established building. The guide to new development and resale sets out what each kind of purchase gives you, from the sponsor's offering plan to a building's budgets and board minutes, and which one suits which buyer.
The other two guides cover what to judge in person and on paper. Touring a high-rise condo is a checklist for the things a staged showing hides, such as noise, heat, and water pressure, and amenities worth paying for looks at which shared spaces earn their place in the monthly charges. The article on judging building amenities goes through each amenity category in depth. None of it replaces a real estate attorney, and New York City buyers customarily hire one to review the contract and the building's documents.
Buying guides
New development or resale luxury condo
Offering plans and first-year budgets against track records and board minutes, and which suits a buyer planning to stay for years.
In personWhat to look for when you tour a high-rise condo
Light at the right hour, windows, noise, heating and cooling, water pressure, elevators, and the common areas seen with an owner's eye.
Monthly costsWhich condo amenities are worth paying for
Why every owner pays for every amenity, which ones earn their cost, and how to read amenity costs in a building's budget.