Central Park Coops: Getting Your Dog Past the Board

Central Park coops are often a minefield of navigation when it comes to approving pets. Unfortunately dogs tend to be a bit discriminated against when it comes to the approval process. That is difficult for most pet owners. You find the condo or apartment you truly wish to rent or buy and suddenly you have to make the choice between residency and your best furry friend. The approval process can be a stressful time for all involved but there are ways to help pad your chances of getting your dog past the coop board.

Know Your Dog

Many dog owners tend to have blinders on when it comes to the behavior of their beloved pet. While you may think your dog is quiet and well mannered, another person would describe Fido as loud, obnoxious and uncontrollable. It is essential that you truly know your dog and how it behaves. One way to do this is by enlisting a trainer and a friend.

For this exercise you need to see how your dog reacts to strangers when you are not around. This also includes if the dog parks when you are not home and if the dog reacts poorly to doorbells. One of the number one reasons why Central Park coops refuse a dog is based on sound. Condo owners do not want to deal with a barking dog at various hours of the day and night.

The trainer will observe your dog without your presence. He or she will have someone ring the doorbell at various times and then note what behavior the dog exhibits. If the dog is a closet barker (one that barks when you are not around), you will be notified. At that point you will need to train the dog not to bark at strange sounds.

The second part of knowing your dog is learning how he reacts to strangers. Have a friend take the dog for a walk and then ask questions regarding how the dog behaved. Did he pull on the leash? Did he bark at strangers? Did he act aggressive? These are all behaviors that can be corrected with the right training.

The Interview

Once you know your dog and your dog's behavior you can then begin preparing for the interview. There are dog behavior specialists that can help you in this matter. The trainer can teach the dog to lay down during the interview and behave in a docile manner. Central Park coops definitely want to see that trait.

At the interview prepare a package for your dog. The package is the same as the one you provided minus the financial and employment information. Include letters of recommendation from current neighbors, friends and even your vet. The letters should present a picture of a well mannered dog that will not attack neighbors, cats, doormen or leave waste products in the hall.

Size Does Matter

Unfortunately most Central Park coops do put a weight restriction on dogs. The limit tends to be 25 pounds. If you have a large dog you will have to go above and beyond with the coop to prove that your dog is friendly and well obedient. Pay for additional training and make the dog extremely loveable and well mannered. Take dog training classes and provide certification. You can even educate the coop on the breed tendencies of your dog.

With the right application, interview and training...you can most certainly get your dog past Central Park coops. The key is taking the time to show your dog in the best light possible.

Is 15 Central Park West New York's Most Expensive Building?

Is 15 Central Park West New York's Most Expensive Building?

Whether its ambition or recession that set the pace for the steady rise of prices per square foot, it would be too difficult to find 15 Central Park West a competition for the title “the most expensive building in New York”.

With 85,000 panels covering 290,000 square feet of Indiana Limestone gleaming beneath the sun on the building's facade and soaring ceilings, carvings and expansive windows from the inside, who could possibly resist a room in either of the two highly esteemed buildings of Manhattan? Well, probably those who could not afford it. But for the rich and famous, the mighty and notorious who feel they have had their fair share of the bitter pill and the battles that make up the first half of an individual’s life, an eight digit pent house would be deemed much deserved and fitting.

Moreover, as if the impeccable interior were not enough, 15 Central Park West offers the rustle and bustle of the city while giving moderate doses of stunningly vibrant colors and sunshine through a 360-degree view of New York Central Park.

The construction of the said building began in 2006, spearheaded by developers Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf and architect Robert A.M. Stern. They began by deciding what materials would fit their vision of the place.  And because limestone was used in the most important buildings, like for example the Empire State, they chose the Indiana limestone for its unique white color which, at times, would seem a pale shade of grey. Limestone also matches, even accentuates other building materials like glass and metal. Hence the long and dreary travel of each block began from their quarry to a new home in Manhattan.

From an apartment at 25 Central Park West, another glorious Central Park coop, a woman watched from their balcony as construction began on 15 Central Park West. “We watched every stone go up,” she said. Her name is Barbara Bradley Baekgaard, a co-founder of Vera Bradley, a label of hand bags in vibrant colors valued at $1B. Last November, she moved from her apartment at 25 Central Park West into a $17M corner apartment in “the house”, the smaller of the two 15 Central Park West buildings. 

In 2007, 15 Central Park West opened, offering an average of $2,500 per square feet. Within months of combined ego and recession, prices went up to at least $4,500 per square feet. As of the latest wave of insanity, around $7,000 per square feet when Sanford Weill put their 6,744-square-foot pent house in the market and sold for $88M, which is almost twice the amount they put out for it in 2007.

When 15 Central Park West opened in 2007, the titans of finance and celebrities were quickly enchanted into choosing the residence as a temple of sorts. Building residents included Denzel Washington, Sting, Norman Lear, Bob Costas and Daniel Loeb. When the net worth of the building’s residents was computed in 2009, it came to a shocking $50B.

So, who’s to say 15 Central Park West is not, in fact and undeniably, New York’s most expensive building?