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After a year of staying indoors, New Yorkers have new ideas about what they want in their next apartments.
StreetEasy just released a list of the top 10 amenities New Yorkers were looking for when they searched for apartments in NYC last year and, for the most part, it reflects the struggles we've all had through the pandemic.
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With a large number of people working from home, it's more important than ever to have a space that is comfortable, which means finding an apartment with specific amenities that do that. In 2020, nearly one-third of all searches on StreetEasy included an amenity filter. That’s up from 22% in 2019, the StreetEasy report says.
What was the top request? An in-unit washer/dryer. This amenity dethroned the ability to have pets as a top want in an apartment. It's easy to see why—going to a laundromat these days is a risk.
This was followed by "pets allowed," "elevator," and "doorman."
Other amenity searches that were most popular were "dishwasher," "laundry in building," "private outdoor space," "gym," "central AC," and "public outdoor space."
The newest of these is "central AC"—it was requested three times more often than a fireplace, StreetEasy says.
Of course, private outdoor space is now a must these days. Searches for this have outnumbered those for shared outdoor spaces (like roof decks or courtyards) by nearly seven to one. They’ve also outnumbered searches for buildings with a gym by more than three to one, StreetEasy says. Having your own outdoor space where you don't need to wear a mask or social distance is taking precedence for many.
“Privacy has been key as of late,” says Reba Miller, licensed real estate salesperson at Berkshire Hathaway. “Balconies and terraces are extremely sought after. I’ve also been asked about private elevator access, and the number of units in a building more often since COVID. The more private, the better.”
And if there's a view, it better be of water or a park, according to New Yorkers' searches.
StreetEasy, in response to requests for more specific searches, has recently added new filters, letting you single out homes with private outdoor space, central AC, special views, and more. You can find them here.
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