Category — Co-op Boards

Dr. Robert Haar, a board-certified Orthopaedic Surgeon with a specialty in sports medicine, just paid $3,550,000 for a ’7 into 6′ room pre-war co-op apartment at 880 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The surgeon paid $250,000 less than the original $3.8 million list price when the apartment was first on the market in April 2009.

Dr. Haar now has one of the best commutes that a New Yorker could ever dream about.

He can walk from his Emery Roth co-op at Fifth Avenue and East 69th Street to his office on East 88th Street, a mile-long stroll uptown along Central Park.

The sellers were Stribling and Associates agent Patricia Weeks and her husband, Stuart Rekant, the CEO of Juniper Content Corporation..

Of course, a Stribling broker had the exclusive for the Weeks-Rekant co-op. Stribling VP Shel Joblin had the listing for his colleague.

880 Fifth is located only one block away from the Frick Museum at 70th and Fifth Avenue, and seven blocks from Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue Synagogue.

This spacious apartment was essentially a 2,220 sq. ft. 1-bedroom co-op with an enourmous living room overlooking Fifth Avenue.

An ideal entertaining space for empty nesters, or single folks who entertain, the cooperative also features a huge gallery next to the entry foyer, and a 16-foot wide dining room.

The beautiful, gleaming white kitchen has a breakfast room, and the maid’s room makes for a perfect home office.

880 Fifth is not a pet-friendly co-op for dog owners. The listing emphatically stated that “[d]ogs [are] not permitted.”

For $3.55 million, Dr. Haar also gets the privilege of using a washer and dryer in his apartment.

New York real estate developer Harry Lis and wife Melissa Lis just sold their co-op apartment combination at 31 East 72nd Street for $9.425 million, turning a profit on their sale to Michael Rena, a neighbor. Rena already owns an adjoining high-floor apartment in this Upper East Side building.


Like a select few other apartment owners in Manhattan, this means that Rena now has triplets: three contiguous co-ops.

In 2006, Harry Lis paid $6.75 million for one co-op and $2 million for another adjoining apartment to create a combined unit. In today’s market, turning a $650,000 profit on the sale is a nice chunk of change.

The 8-room, 3 bedroom, 3½ bath apartment has a low monthly maintenance of just $2,326 This co-op has incredible sun-drenched rooms from its southern and western exposures. You can see Central Park from the dining room, and relax in the living room, library, or master bedroom — all of which get southern exposures.

The listing brokers were Serena Boardman, sister-in-law of developer Aby Rosen (Harry Lis’s business partner) and Roberta Golubock had the exclusive for Sotheby’s.

The co-op has New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission status, a combination boon and a bane. In theory, such a designation adds value to an apartment building and neighborhood district. On the downside, however, even minor changes to apartment windows, building facades, and signs may be subject to LPC review and scrutiny — a costly process for co-op shareholders and boards.

Floor plan credit: Sotheby’s International Realty

Guy Metcalfe, the co-head of Morgan Stanley’s real estate investment banking group, appears to be quite the flipper. He and wife Lisa Metcalfe just can’t stay put in one apartment for too long.


According to New York City records, the Metcalfes just paid $6.125 million — $130,000 over the $5.995 million asking price — for a 3,100 sq. ft. co-op apartment at 90 Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side.

The seller was Abby Rothschild

Last May, the couple sold their 3,822 sq. ft. 15 Central Park West Condo for $11 million, less than a year after buying it for $9.35 million.

They moved into 15 CPW after selling their Park Royale co-op apartment at 23 West 73rd Street for $3.9 million in April 2008,

Corcoran Senior Vice President Maria Manuche had the exclusive, selling the co-op above ask in just three weeks.

The apartment has 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms and 3½ baths, and 3,100 sq. ft. of generous living space. The panoramic picture windows offer incredible views of the Hudson and Riverside Park. The apartment has an HVAC system and a washer and dryer.

Monthly maintenance in this pet friendly pre-war doorman co-op is $4,352. The co-op board requires at least 25% cash downpayment, allowing financing of up to 75%.