A. Ready

This generously-sized one-bedroom co-op at 60 Cooper Street in a desirable west-of-Broadway location in Inwood is being offered by the sponsor, so it doesn't require board approval. The newly renovated apartment, #6B, is on the top floor of a 1930s building with on-site laundry and a live-in super and shares only one wall, in the living room, with neighbors. With no doorman for the building, the maintenance is only $658 per month, which translates into less than a dollar per square foot.

While the white-brick building isn't high on most lists of architectural beauty, rental prices are often lower than those found in newer full-service buildings.  Parc East Towers is a newly renovated 1970's high-rise building located at 240 East 27th between Second and Third Avenues, across from the NYU Medical Center. Apartment interiors have been renovated as well with high-end finishes and views from the higher floors. The building has a full-time doorman, concierge, valet, fitness center and residents' garden.

Over on StreetEasy.com, a future city dweller plans on arriving in NYC with some baggage: two young boys and a 70 pound pooch. The boys don't present too many difficulties, as this mother is very flexible in terms of apartment size, so long as it's over 1,000 square feet. The dog, however--a mutt with the body of a Labrador and the coloring of a Rottweiler--is another story.

Last week, CurbedNY crowned the Frederick Douglas Boulevard corridor in lower and central Harlem Neighborhood of the Year in its annual reader contest.

As BrickUnderground recently reported, this area does score well among Harlem neighborhoods in terms of food options. But another area of great appeal, at least for bargain hunters, is price.

We've noted for awhile now that rental concessions are not as plentiful as in the recent past, and yesterday's Fourth Quarter Residential Rental Market Report from CitiHabitats observes that landlords offered concessions on only 22% of rentals, compared with 66% a year earlier. It's a noticeable decline, though 22% is still fairly high in a market that often sees few to no concessions.