If you read my posts on using brokers or finding an apartment in New York, and are you looking for a place yourself, you might find the following glossary of realtors’ terminology useful.
Floor-thru – this is an apartment that runs through the entire floor of a building, from one end to the other. Typically it’s a feature of older buildings that have been divided up, such as brownstones. Be aware that the middle room usually has no windows (as it’s in the middle of the building). We were lucky enough to find a floor-thru that was at the end of a block, so the middle room has a window – a big bonus.
Condo – condominiums always make me think about racy pensioners in Florida for some reason (accompanied with a visual of the dive Brad Pitt inhabits in True Romance). It’s a legal term specifically – that applies to the ownership requirement – but what you need to know is they are normally newer-build blocks, which share a pool or garden, and most people own the flat they live in.
Co-op – if you apply for an apartment in a cooperative your lease will have to be approved by the board members of the building. Your application maybe vetoed if you have pets, for example. If you like to play jazz trumpet late at night, you might want to keep it to yourself.
(By the way it’s illegal for brokers to reveal anything about other people in the building. I guess this is so no one can be discriminated against, including yourself, but it does also stop innocently nosy questions about your potential neighbours, such as if they have kids or not.)
Corcoran has a pretty comprehensive real estate glossary if you need more information.
As for me, I’ve been distracted by thoughts of that scene where you get to see Christian Slater’s bum and (nearly) his winkie and when Alabama says that she is in love with him. Here it is:
Hannah Rand 