In my first days as a Realtor I was advised against dealing with co-ops. As a rookie agent my ears were closed to warnings against anything complicated (I thought I was bigger then Goliath and I can conquer the whole world and some). And yes - my first deal was the sale of a co-op listed by Foxtons. I still have nightmares; after signing the contract it took "only" five months to close thanks to the "cooperation" of the listing agent and the Foxtons policy (no wonder they went bankrupt!) , and the unresponsive management company wasn't too much help either, not to mention the board. I promised myself that never ever -repeat - EVER deal with co-ops again, but the fact that I am working mostly in Queens New York did not let me keep my promise.
I sold quite a few co-op units now and I learned the ins and outs of these complex and you-want-to-pull-your-hair-out transactions. Also, this is how I found the gorgeous complex in Kew Gardens that I want to tell you about: The Hampton Court. It is my absolute favorite place in Queens!
Hampton Court was originally built around 1937 as Kent Manor into and surrounded by Forest Park. It consists of four Tudor style buildings with a total of 316 apartments placed in a large and airy courtyard. Today the property is known for its well-kept buildings, landscaping design, and round the clock security. It is one of the premier properties in Kew Gardens conveniently located walking distance to the long Island Rail Road and to the E and F trains. The address is: 117-01 Park Lane South Kew Gardens NY - the complex is bordered by Forest Park on the West and North side, Park Lane South on East and Metropolitan Avenue on South (see link at the bottom of page).
NY Times listed Hampton Court as one of the most prestigious apartment buildings in Kew Gardens along with the Shellball, the Beverly House, and the Georgian House - all built before World War II.
Like most of the pre-war buildings the apartments of Hampton Court are unusually large for New York City (a one bedroom can get to 1,000 square feet - trust me that is LARGE for a New Yorker). The maintenance is not the lowest: from mid 600's to mid 800's for a 1 bedroom depending of how many shares are allocated to the apartment and what floor it is located on - higher floor = higher maintenance. For a 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment (1,300 to 1,500 sq feet) the monthly maintenance ranges from $1,000 to $1,200'ish.
The prices are not bad at all for what you get: large one bedrooms and jr. 4's were sold in 2008 form 209k up to 240k; the large 2 bedroom 2 bath apartments are selling in the range of 310k to 360k. The only shortcoming of this complex in my opinion: there is no parking. I have to tell you though that most of the owners are willing to pay the price of driving around a few times for a parking spot on the streets in return of the privilege of living in a complex that was rightfully described by Frank Daliendo the former Board President of the Hampton Court Owners Corporation as one of "the premier properties in Kew Gardens and truly a jewel in the crown of the community."
Hanni Varro-Papadima
ERA Gotham Realty
Location:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=117-01+Park+Ln+S,+Queens,+NY+11418&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.059939,54.84375&ie=UTF8&ll=40.708507,-73.835936&spn=0.003741,0.006695&t=h&z=17
