Linda Cohen Wassong, a real estate agent at Douglas Elliman, and her dogs split their time between their homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons. She specializes in pet-friendly buildings throughout the city. Here she speaks with The New York Sun’s Julie Satow about the latest craze in real estate: three-bedroom apartments.

Q: Why have three-bedroom apartments suddenly overtaken two bedrooms as the apartments du jour?

A: Once upon a time, people who had children moved out of the city. Now, with both spouses working – and often working late – many parents have opted not to leave the island. Instead, they remain here, growing out of the two bedroom apartments and searching for the larger spaces afforded by three-bedroom units.

You also have wealthy New Yorkers who want a den, living room, and formal dining room, and want to use that third bedroom to make their master bedroom into a suite. There are also more couples having twins, and that third bedroom comes in handy!

Tell us about some of your clients looking for three bedrooms.

I have a family who only wants a three-bedroom apartment that is a wreck, just an absolute mess, and they only want to spend $1.5 million. They also only want an apartment that is near P.S. 6. Believe it or not, I found them a first-floor apartment in a prewar building that fits that requirement because I am an expert at researching apartments. Unfortunately, they didn’t want it, but I am about to show them another listing, two apartments that could be combined into a single three-bedroom unit in another nearby building.

I have another couple looking for a three-bedroom apartment anywhere from Lexington to Fifth Avenue, or on the Upper West Side by Riverside Park. They are willing to spend $2.2 million.

A third client is a couple who only want a three-bedroom on Sutton Place that has a terrace. They are living in a two-bedroom now with a dog, and while they don’t have any kids, they feel the two-bedroom is too small. They want something in good condition that costs $2.2 million to $3 million.

Three-bedroom apartments seem so large, why wouldn’t a two-bedroom be a better fit for their price ranges?

According to New York law, a room is considered a bedroom only if it has a window. It is for this reason that three bedrooms are desirable, because they afford my clients more flexibility by allowing the third bedroom to be converted into a family room, or a den, or a home office with a window that can be converted back into a bedroom if the couple has another child. This is why many of my clients are willing to buy something that is destroyed inside and fix it up themselves.

If you were advising a young couple looking to buy an apartment that would have a good resale value, what would you suggest?

Above 96th Street on the Upper East Side in Harlem is becoming more expensive, but there is no place to go in the city except north. Depending on how far uptown you are willing to go, you can find a little townhouse, or a full floor. The Chinatown area is also a good area, and you can find some good things in the Fashion District because not a lot of people want to live in the area and some of those buildings have wonderful views of the Empire State Building.