Illustration by Remie Geoffroi

We asked Jonathan Miller, president of appraisal firm Miller Samuel, to tell us exactly how height affects pricing. He chose 301 West 57th Street as an example and started with a pair of recent sales—two transactions along the same line, specifically, the B apartments, facing north and open to the east and west—to see how the market values floor differentials. He took into account factors like renovations and condition, checking the initial offering plan to see how units were originally priced and reviewing tax maps that provide elevations of proximate buildings. The arithmetic and geography are augmented by Miller’s own secret sauce—an educated instinct cultivated over decades spent appraising tens of thousands of apartments. (New York’s estimates, shown below, are strictly by-the-numbers and do not include those adjustments.) “Views,” he emphasizes, “are not square footage.”

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• Table of Contents: Apr 16, 2012 issue of New York | Subscribe!