(Photographs by Donald Bowers)

Open House No. 1
135 West 70th Street, Apartment 2B.
$1.58 million.
Brokers: Jeffrey Rowe and Ellen Simon, Bellmarc.

Who: Tiffany Matheny, Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy broker, and her mother, Joyce, visiting from Virginia.
What are you shopping for?
Joyce: I’m looking for a pied-à-terre, a two-bedroom. We’ll go as high as $2 million. And there’ll be space for my daughter to store her clothes. Tiffany: She’s a nice mom.
What do you think?
Joyce: It feels less like an apartment and more like a house. Tiffany: She won’t consider new construction. Most of the new buildings are way over on First or Ninth Avenue, and she wants to be central.

Who: Tom and Monique Stern, retirees.
What are you shopping for? Tom: We used to have a home in Riverdale. We sold it and went to France, where Monique is from. We want 1,200 square feet and a doorman. And I need an office. Monique: I like a nice kitchen. In New York that’s hard to find.
What do you think?
Monique: This apartment could be priced lower. It’s very nice but it looks onto another apartment—you need to have the lights on all the time. Tom: I’m holding my breath for the real-estate market to crash.

Who: Rick Ho, banker, and Ting-ting Yang.
What are you shopping for? Ting-ting: We want the Upper West Side. [To Rick] Tell them why. Rick: It’s because of You’ve Got Mail. Ting-ting [laughing]: I wasn’t living in New York—it made the area look so romantic.
What do you think?
Ting-ting: It’s a great location, close to Fairway and Whole Foods. Rick: We both grew up in big cities, so we like to be near everything. Ting-ting: You can fit a grand piano in here—we both play.