Buying on the Lower East Side can often seem like a sigh-worthy compromise: You’re a stone’s throw from some of the city’s hottest bars and restaurants, but you’re also stuck in an ugly old building in less than perfect shape. But that’s changing. These days you’ll find plenty of de facto filet in the area below Houston but above Delancey, between Allen and Clinton Streets: nice apartments that aren’t in graffiti-riddled, crumbling tenements. At Essex Street, the newest condo building in the area, there’s a duplex with massive outdoor space; at 62 Rivington Street, there’s a sweet penthouse with two private balconies and cherrywood floors; and, scattered throughout the neighborhood’s narrow streets, there are plenty of spacious two-bedrooms. Though most of these places are under a million, the price of cool is still high — so make sure you’ve stocked up on cheap leggings before moving in.
One-Bedroom
133 Essex St., nr. Rivington St., Apt. 202
Sunday, noon–2 p.m.
$860,000
133 Essex St., nr. Rivington St., Apt. 502
Sunday, noon–2 p.m.
$799,000
98 Suffolk St., nr. Delancey St., Apt. 3E
Sunday, 3 p.m.–4 p.m.
$339,000
62 Rivington St., nr. Eldridge St., Apt. 9A
Sunday, 2 p.m.–4 p.m.
$610,000
Two-Bedroom
7 Essex St., nr. Canal St., Apt. 8B
Sunday, 1 p.m.–3 p.m.
$1.699 million
133 Essex St., nr. Rivington St., Apt. 701
Sunday, noon–2 p.m.
$1.45 million
7 Essex St., nr. Canal St., Apt. 6B
Sunday, 1 p.m.–3 p.m.
$1.395 million
133 Essex St., nr. Rivington St., Apt. 302
Sunday, noon–2 p.m.
$905,000
20 Clinton St., nr. Stanton St., Apt. 6G
Sunday, 2 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
$749,000
106 Suffolk St., nr. Delancey St., Apt. 5B
Sunday, 2 p.m.–3 p.m.
$699,000
26 Ludlow St., nr. Hester St., Apt. 2B
Sunday, 1:30 p.m.–3 p.m.
$620,000
85 Stanton St., nr. Orchard St., Apt. 3B
Saturday, 1 p.m.–3 p.m.
$599,000
Four-Bedroom
133 Essex St., nr. Rivington St., Apts. 202 and 302
Sunday, noon–2 p.m.
$1.765 million
— Rebecca Milzoff
