New York Post: Pent Up Rent Up
Back to NewsBY KATHERINE DYKSTRA
When their daughter was accepted to a private school on the Upper West Side, Ellen Cole-Berman and her husband decided to relocate from Manhasset to Manhattan. Initially, the Bermans figured they’d buy an apartment; after all, they had owned a house on Long Island. But try as they might, they couldn’t seem to find a building on the Upper West Side that satisfied all their needs.
“We looked at about 10 different buildings,” says Cole-Berman. “Some were older, which we didn’t like; we like newer construction. And the newer buildings were too far west, which is cold and windy in the winter . . . And we didn’t want to go above 72nd Street.”
Then they were introduced to the Grand Tier, which had everything they wanted — it was new, it overlooked Lincoln Center, and it boasted a pool and a gym. Thing is, the Grand Tier isn’t a condo; it’s a rental.
“We look [at condos] all the time to see what’s new and up-and-coming, but nothing compares to where we are,” says Cole-Berman, whose two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment rents for $7,500 a month. “I literally do not change a light bulb. We love that, coming from a house where we had to do everything ourselves. We wouldn’t have that if we bought an apartment.”
The Bermans jumped anyway. That was four years ago. They’re still living there today.
