Well-maintained building with an old-school landlord
Pros
**Edit: It appears the building has been sold since I lived there, so comments about the landlord may not be up to date. The building's probably in about the same shape though.** The landlord is responsive and available, living in the building. He really wants good tenants, since he's also living there. He responds quickly to needed repairs, but they aren't needed that often, as he's done preventative maintenance. Generally the apartment is in very good shape. He's good with garbage and recycling as well. The neighborhood and location are great. It's one of the quietest streets I've ever lived on in NYC. It's close to shops without being right on a busy thoroughfare, and about as close as you can get to the subway without living on top of it (the 7 is just far enough away that you can hear its clacking in the distance, but you have to purposefully be quiet and listen for it). I had no problems with pests at all.
Cons
The landlord is an old-school Queens-type landlord. My roommate of color did not feel as comfortable or welcome as I did (I'm white). And he likes it quiet, which means if you like to practice instruments or have a souped-up sound system, you're going to be on his bad side. The rent wasn’t unreasonable, but it also was not really a bargain for the neighborhood, and it went up regularly by about a hundred dollars every year. Typical for NYC, yes, but let's be honest, typical NYC rents are a huge con in of themselves.
Advice to the owners
Treat everyone equally.
Quiet prewar building
Pros
Quiet, small, clean building. Site manager and owner's daughter are responsive. Super cleans weekly. Noise between rooms in apartment is non-existent. Generally quiet street (though a large luxury building just went up across the street). Very close to 7 train, LIRR, bus to LGA -- great transportation access.
Cons
Super is often tasked with jobs beyond his ability. No laundry. Heat isn't well regulated because thermostat is in the stairwell rather than in an apartment. Noise between floors is significant. Building has many leaks and other issues that could be avoided if super lived in building, doing regular maintenance (like the old landlord did). Basement apartment (the "9th" one) always wafts strong pot smoke, even though turnover seems to be frequent. Planes landing at LGA take this route several times a week, a few feet above the building. Landlord likes to make inappropriate personal comments to women, lives out of town and is elderly. This is apparently the first building he has owned (as of 2018).
Advice to the owners
Trust your long term tenants to protect your asset instead of seeing them as an obstacle or business transaction.
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