Disadvantages of ground/second floor apartments?

depends on the neighborhood and whether your on a busy street.

I lived on the first floor of an apartment building, and I will definitely say it is much louder. I could hear conversations out my window so clearly, that it felt like I was there. Many late nights, I would have to open my window and ask for people to move away or shut up.

yes, noise is bad if its facing the street and there are lots youths in the hood. Anything below 8th is noisy. Older bldgs have more critters infesting on low floors.

It can be darker, there's more of the other buildings' facades around to dim your natural light/

On the upside, you don't have to worry about escaping in case of fire (although flooding is more of a potential problem), and not having to lug things up stairs is always nice. Some ground floor units have gardens, which can be wonderful.

Lower resale value is the big one that occurs to me; people value higher floors. Depending on the specific location, for renting I think they usually go for a bit of a discount, and are worth considering.

Is the discount a significant amount? The other apartments in the bilding trade for about 850 to 950 sft and they don't have any particular view. The one I am looking at is on a high first floor so people can't actually look in the apartment. (The "basement" is above ground level). Standard prewar building. The aprtment is on an avenue, but there are no restaurants or bars nearby, so I don't envision many people hanging out on the street.

if it's not a ground floor first apt., then that is the more desireable. If the place works for you and you don't mind the disadvantages, then go for it. I've lived in low floor apts. for most of my life, so I'm used to it. However, I will wanr you that when you go to sell, you will have to price competitively and you can expect to be on the market longer than comparable apts. on higher floors.

make sure there is no garbich near your windows otherwise it can stink in summer. i lived first floor and even though it was a very high one i ABSOLUTELY hated being part of the street at all times. the lights are annoying too. If you like to open windows you will pay a high price for the discount.

Thanks Bela! I never thought of the lights. i could see that being really annoying at night.

However, the light problem is correctable with decent curtains. I used to live in a south- and east-facing top-floor apartment that was absolutely flooded with light from dawn to dusk; for two years I was dumb and wore a sleeping mask, and then finally went to Century 21 and bought some decent curtains. It cost me $100 and I should have done it a lot earlier.

Garbage, however, is a big problem. Not only does it stink, your apartment will be the first one rodents target when (not if) they make it into the building. Correctable only if you want to get or already have a cat.

Thanks The_President. How "competitive" should low floor apartments be? Are we talking 50% less, 25% less, 10% less?

BIG question: is there commercial/retail space in the building, next door or behind 9or basically in any way adjacent?

Also, mice are more of a problem on ground floor units.

first floor apartments are expected to trade at a discount (apx 20%). Regardless of your own personal preference you'll want to take into account the ability to resell.

In addition to the above comments, please note that living on a ground level can be subject to floods if the foundation is not sound.

Most importantly, if there is ever a bug/rodent problem, they would more than likely start from the bottom up, unless you enjoy reading the New York Times while Mickey Mouse is enjoying your entrée.

Take these things into consideration. New windows are also ideal.

http://www.streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/466-is-a-first-floor-appartment-less-desirable

Rats & Mice... No joke, the odds increase.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/05/realestate/05floor.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=ground-floor%20apartment&st=cse

""If you don't have an issue with a location in the building, you're going to get more space for your money," said Jonathan J. Miller, president of Miller Samuel Inc., a Manhattan-based real estate appraiser. He estimates that in an elevator building, a lobby-level apartment with neither a separate entrance nor a garden is worth 10 to 20 percent less than an equivalent apartment on the second floor, and 15 to 25 percent less than an apartment on the third floor. Among the 80 ground-floor residential co-op and condo sales tracked by Mr. Miller's firm last quarter, the average sales price was $767,114, which was 28.3 percent below the $1.07 million average for all apartments."

Article is from 2004; I don't know how much bubble pricing changed things, but I am sure it had some effect.

"Rentals offer a similar discount. "Typically you can get a 700-square-foot one-bedroom with a garden for maybe $2,100 to $2,200, and the same one-bedroom on a higher floor in an elevator building, without a garden, for $2,400 to $2,600," said Andrew Heiberger, president of Citi Habitats."

Posted too soon. Not that Citi Habitats was ever a trustworthy outfit, but this guy makes a good point about the outdoor space (if any) being a wildcard.

1)My friend had a ground floor. You could walk up to his window and look in. His windows were unusable...
2) Was walking my dog near Central Park. I happened to look left. An octogenarian was walking nude in his apt(nothing blocking the windows)

I don't know exactly what type of discount to expect for a low floor apt., but it definitely would not be 50%.

Also you might have plumbing probles from apartments on higher floors since all the water and soaps come through your pipes.

I would take 20% off in comparison to the same units in the building.

be aware, malthus is a troll. The real malthus stopped posting here.

Are you buying or renting?

I saw a building recently for rent...net effective for a 2/2 facing the courtyard, 6th floor, 2600, 2500 for 5th facing the street, 2287 for 1st floor facing the street. identical units.

if your trying to impersonate w67th St., your not doing a very good job. The 2 capital Vs next to each other stand out like a sore thumb.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7hwvWIK1eM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5lU52aWTJo

I live in one and love it. The benefits are never having to deal with the elevator and a 200 sq ft outdoor patio. Get the blinds that are bottom and top opening so people from the street can't see in. My building's first floor apartment are also elevated 6 feet and set back from the sidewalk 8 ft so that makes a difference too

depends if it is in the front or the back of the building. Sound vs no sound.

First floor units in the back of a building with a garden demand a premium and are extremely rare in the city.

first floor units in the back of a building with a garden demand a premium

sounds nice, but security issue?

there is little to no access to the back of most buildings in Manhattan. Security is not an issue.

check out the apartment that sold at 154 Attorney Street last year - garden apartment http://www.corcoran.com/property/listing.aspx?Region=NYC&ListingID=1089113

know someone who bought first floor. Got a patio. Seemed great. Truth was he lived next door the super and his patio was frequently littered by people who lived on higher floors in both his building and the nearby buildings. Furthermore the heating and A/C was not the same in his unit as the rest of the building. I think the 20% discount is more than justified.

Run the numbers...How many times will the owners/renters in the building see your face? Now how many times you will see theirs. Privacy is a key issue. Especially in doorman buildings. Truth of the matter is that everyone will know you are the ground floor tenant. This deserves a discount. In addition, everyone coming into the building after a 2am bender yapping away..I might as well go and buy you a pair or earplugs and a straight jacket for you. It would say roughly a 15% discount is in order, depending on the uniqueness of the property when compared to other units within the building and Zip code.

when i am in my pool in the backyard of my first floor apartment i will remember you said that it should be discounted

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiTvgYRUKFg

It really depends upon the building. I am on the ground floor now and have not had any of the problems several posters here describe. No lobby noise unless I'm standing next to the door, raised off the ground so I can see over people's heads and they cannot see in, and I couldn't care less if the other people in the building know I live on the ground floor. So what? Most of them seem surprised to find that there is an apartment on the ground floor anyway.

Verbatim from my previous comment " depending on the uniqueness of the property when compared to other units within the building and Zip code."

A pool next to your abode will run diffrent numbers naturally.

I am on the ground floor now and have not had any of the problems

I can see a certain logic here for renters, if you realize the savings. Live like nobody else so in the future you can live like nobody else.

You have a good point there Riversider

imshop24, the ground-floor owners in my building have no insuperable problems. They're right at street level, and all have the bottom-up blinds mentioned above. Just a question of whether the tradeoffs correspond with the lower cost. Note that in a co-op the share allocation will most likely be much less than for the same space upstairs, so you'll save in maintenance, too. Not easy to make a floor-by-floor comparison, though, as ground-floor layouts usually vary from the upper apartments in the line.

It's def. a trade-off. I am also interested in ground floor (though won't rule out other floors) because with kids (read:strollers) and a dog, I don't want to be a slave to an elevator...the waiting, the crowding, etc.

petrofrizz, is it a pool of blood, or a pool of grease?

i say don't do it, or proceed with caution. i've lived on ground floor, second floor and a high floor. ground floor had bugs galore that the exterminator said were coming in from the basement (which i lived above.) also, the bars on the windows felt like i was in prison. second floor was over commercial space which was a nightmare, and the apartment also had bugs and mice. the high floor apartment was hands down the best. i second 30years comment... be very, very careful if the apartment in any way whatsoever borders commercial space. i know from my own experience that i will never live on a ground floor or 2nd floor apartment ever again!

"bars on the windows felt like i was in prison."

Another solution: install "city windows" but have them custom made out of 3/4" tempered glass (or better depending on how flush with cash you feel): they are better than bars because:
1) you don't have to look thru bars/no visual impediment
2) In case of fire, etc. they are a lot easier to open FROM THE INSIDE
3) You'll make your money back betting your friend they can't break you window by punching it (you do have to have them sign waivers, though, because they will all break every bone in their hands if they try)
4) You can't hear ANY street noise (better than the best "thermopane" windows)

arnoldlayne, what was the problem with the commercial space? Does it matter if it is a doctor's office versus a store? Obviously, a restaurant has all sort of negatives (noise, bugs, late night traffic) but what about other types of commerical space? 30yrs - thanks for the tip!

i don't want to go into my specific situation, but basically if you live over a commercial space, especially if it is sponsor owned, the building has very little control over what goes in there and how it is utilized. it basically can turn into a free-for-all, where the commercial space can be split up and divided into smaller stores, so suddenly you are dealing with never-ending construction every time the store/stores change hands. you DO NOT want to wake up one day and suddenly be living over a restaurant, bar, dry cleaner, shoe repair, nail salon, etc. where there was none before. you also don't want to wake up one morning and surprise! there are tables right under your apartment when/if a restaurant gets approved to have outdoor seating. even if a store puts a bench outside, that could be a problem if the bench is right under your window. the store can then decide to suddenly have an awning that obstructs your view out the window. it goes on and on. i think a doctor's office is a MUCH safer bet then a store, but i have no experience with that, so i can't say for sure.

Thanks arnold. Sounds like you had quite the experience!

hi imshop, i was thinking about your question on the train ride home, and the one drawback i can think of in terms of living over a doctor's office is that unless the floor of the apartment is thick concrete, i personally might be a little concerned about possibly living over x-ray equipment or any radiation-producing equipment. that may not bother most people, but it's something to consider. good luck with your search, and all the best.