(Photo: Courtesy of the broker)

$459,000
55 East End Ave., Apt. 2L
Broker: Adina Azarian, Adina Equities (212-580-1480)

The Gist
A 700-square-foot one-bedroom in a 15-story doorman co-op on East End Avenue. Great layout and excellent flow with an L-shaped living room/dining room. The owners, a couple from Florida, bought the apartment a decade ago to use as a pied-à-terre.

Illustration by Mark Nerys

The Problem: Nasty View
The foyer leads to a living room facing directly onto the unsightly roof of a parking garage next door. Broker Adina Azarian took over the listing in February and hasn’t had a single offer. “People comment on the view,” she admits. “And nearly everyone asks about the safety issue,” because the roof is at window level.

The Savings
An identical apartment on the ninth floor is listed at $499,000, despite its advertised need for a gut renovation. Comparable one-bedrooms in the building have recently gone for some $100,000 more.

The Rationalization
Realistically speaking, security is probably not a problem. “You’d have to be Spider-Man to get up there,” one of the owners jokes. The view, they say, also gave them a sense of privacy: “You’re not looking directly into an apartment or another building. There’s a sense of openness that we really liked.”