UPPER WEST SIDE
70 Riverside Drive
2-bedroom co-op
Asking price: $1.05 million
Selling price: $999,000
Square footage: 1,250
Time on market: 4 months

The University of Pennsylvania reunion probably began conventionally enough: reminiscing about cramming for finals, partying during that crazy sophomore-year kegger, and shrooming with the Main Line set. For two couples, though, the reunion became an introduction. While gallivanting around the reunion room, a woman who is buying a two bedroom on Riverside Drive and who used to work at Christie’s squinted at another classmate’s name tag because she knew that name sounded familiar. And familiar it was. She approached. “She’s like, ‘Hi, I’m buying your apartment,'” a broker involved in the transaction, Kristina Ojdanic of the Corcoran Group, said. It turns out, Ms. Ojdanic said, that both sellers and the wife of the buyer are Penn alumni. The apartment, with copious closet space, a recently remodeled granitite eat-in kitchen, and a 24-hour door attendant, faces Riverside Park. The sellers moved to Flower Hill, Long Island, with their two young children. Future Penn grads, perhaps?

FINANCIAL DISTRICT
55 Wall St.
Studio condo
Asking price: $825,000
Selling price: $825,000
Square footage: 650
Time on market: n/a

A modest-sized real estate investor, looking for the next best thing, took the advice of Halstead Property’s Florean Mader and bought a modest-size studio in the new residences at the storied Beaux-Arts Cipriani Club at 55 Wall St. “It’s just a beautiful historic building and it is so close to the major Wall Street firms,” Ms. Mader said. The client had recently sold an apartment in Battery Park City, and she convinced her client to invest in the Cipriani space. And what a space it is. (See related article on page 16.) Ms. Mader said she’s predicting the neighborhood will be up-and-coming and predicts the gentleman will do well on his investment.

UPPER WEST SIDE
470 West End Ave.
2 bedroom co-op
Asking price: $1.1 million
Selling price: $1.1 million
Square footage: 1,200
Time on market: 62 days

Sometimes it pays to trust your gut and wait for a higher offer. Thus was the case with a recently sold apartment on charming West End Avenue where the clients decided against the broker’s suggestion and waited for a higher offer — and got it. “I thought they should have taken it,” a Corcoran Group broker, Donald Artig, said, but conceded the wait was well worth it. With a three-years-ago renovated kitchen, broad living space, and other amenities in an established cooperative apartment building, the co-op, he claimed, had been mis-priced during the summer. Then, a pricing revelation. After the tag was adjusted, Mr. Artig said, the sale went through. Phew!