Report: East Village apartments are sitting empty because they're too expensive

[Random EVG file photo]

That's one takeaway from a report that Citi Habitats released yesterday.

The East Village had a vacancy rate of 2.08 percent in August — the highest in Manhattan.

As DNAinfo's Lisha Arino reported:

“The reality is these prices are getting to the point where tenants are like, ‘You know what? It’s not worth it,’” said Gary Malin, the company’s president.

Although the East Village does not have the most expensive apartments in the city, tenants may feel they are paying too much and can find better value in other neighborhoods, Malin said.

According to the report, studio apartments rented for an average of $2,191 last month while one-bedroom units went for $2,613.

Find a PDF of the report here.

East 7th Street apartment undergoing alien probe remains on the market

Heh.



Thanks to the EVG reader who spotted this (hopefully!) under-renovation studio at 70 E. Seventh St. for rent on Streeteasy.



Think about having an ax and a mirror at the ready when checking the place out… never know when there might be an alien probe…

East Village apartment with 3-level zen garden now asking $10,000 monthly

When we last checked in on 532 E. Fifth St. in the fall, the newish eco-friendly apartment building between Avenue A and Avenue B, we were admiring the $13,000 apartment that came with its own THREE LEVEL PRIVATE PLANTED ZEN GARDEN (in the all-cap style of the listing).

As nice as all this sounded, the accompanying images were seemingly (and hilariously!) taken with the camera on the fisheye setting (Walleye Vision!)

Flashback!

Whooooaaaaa... careful, don't fall onto the grill...

Now TOWN is the broker, and the apartments have just been relisted... and they are (slightly) reduced. Here are the two prime rentals via TOWN:

• Penthouse #5R, renting for $9,900/month, is a 3 bed, 3 bath and features a private terrace, as well as a private roof deck. The space includes a large living room, gourmet chef's kitchen with a breakfast bar and in-unit washer/dryer, with access to a private terrace. The upper level offers a second living room and access to a private roof deck. Reclaimed oak wood flooring throughout, with American slate floors in the kitchen and bathrooms.

• Garden #1R, on the market for $10,000/month, has 3 beds and 1.5 baths and features a private, three-level, 860-square-foot Zen garden, an open chef’s kitchen and dining room with southern exposures overlooking the garden. The garden-level apartment features a flex living room with stone floors, an in-unit washer and dryer and access to the garden.

And the accompanying photos (these are the garden apartment) are no longer wonky.





...and the penthouse...





No word if you can hear the patrons of the Ace Bar from up here.

[Photos via TOWN]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Beaming up on Fifth Street

Demolition on East Fifth Street

On the way: A five-story apartment building for Fifth Street

532 E. Fifth St. ready for renting

Why yes — you can rent an apartment on East Fifth Street between A and B for $13,500 a month now

Enjoy this Avenue B apartment, just some 20 blocks from Peels

Was trolling some East Village apartment listings... found a new one for a nice apartment at 204 Avenue B between East 12th Street and East 13th Street... (2 bedrooms; $3,000 per month, etc.)

For some reason, the main photo accompanying the listing is of ... Peels, located nowhere near here on the Bowery at East Second Street...

And that Peels shot just looks so... staged. Some sort of fantasy urban retreat where everyone eats quinoa and recycles. Why not show the exteriors of the actual block? The apartment here in question is above B-Side...

Sales pitch or warning?

Dave on 7th spotted this at King's Court Realty on St. Mark's Place the other day...

Today's time sucker: PadMapper

I was reading about PadMapper on LifeHacker...and started playing around with it for no good reason. (Oh, what's PadMapper? As Adam explained at LifeHacker: It "maps Craigslist's apartment listings on a Google Map for an at-a-glance look at available offerings.")

Anyway, I came across a "recession" discount sublet -- $125 for a room on Avenue A and 10th Street. Huh? Is that for a day? A week? I went to look at the actual listing on Craigslist...and it had been removed.