Pros:
One block to central park.
Elevator
Live in super
Some Very Nice neighbors
Safe neighborhood
Video intercom buzzers
Fairly secure package delivery area in lobbby.
(Usually) cannot hear neighbors above or below- prewar construction is solid.
Dog friendly, all sizes
Very nice & quiet neighbors on this floor.
Cons:
No laundry in bld / no laundry mats in walking distance.
Closest grocery story / pharmacy is 12 min walk.
Super is unstable, unreliable and communicates poorly. He can be quite kind and helpful at times, but you never know which version of him you are going to get. Many tenants avoid him or are afraid of him. He has been verbally abusive to tenants in via texts. We save pictures of them in case it becomes a legal issue.
If your rent is on the lower end (like mine) only emergency things (ceiling leaks) gets fixed (and can 2 months).
Only one radiator in my apt. They don't care. I got a portable electric heater. My electric bill is really high in winter because of that.
No monthly pest control. I've had to deal with my own mice and roach infestation for years.
Management will not communicate with tenants. If you write to them, they have the super respond. We have no proper recourse.
Very dirty hallways with dead bugs and dirt everywhere.
Several longtime (30+ years) rent stabilized tenants in build have gut renovated their apartments themselves.
You are pretty much on your own in terms of fixing problems, but I am used to that having always lived in RS apts in NYC- you get what you pay for. This one is esp bad though, because my electricity was improperly wired by former tenant who also had a radiator removed by his own plumber. None of this is up to code and it can feel like camping at times.
Advice to owner:
There is high turnover in the building because of the dirty hallways, pest problems in most apartments and an unprofessional, erratic live in super. Tenants do not trust management. They have an exterminator come monthly, but he does not knock on doors. We have to ask the super each month for a visit. We get yelled at for doing so. No other building is like this. Maybe pay for super to attend a class to help him communicate better verbally and in writing (signs would be nice when elevator is broken etc). Management could set up a website login portal for tenants to file maintenance issues and other requests to help super stay organized. Be transparent with tenants and pay attention to how your employee behaves.