156th street btw broadway & amsterdam (Inwood, Morris: for sale, real estate, apartments)

[pingu007]

Hi!
Can anyone provide details about safety issues, and general conditions of this area of washington heights (156th street btw amsterdam and broadway)?
Me and my bf are considering to buy an apartment there, and the offer seems pretty inviting!
We've been there a few times and felt fairly safe but still have doubts about the overall condition of the area.
Please help us make up our minds! Thankyou

[nickasarbata]

I used to live at 153rd and Amsterdam, and I have to say, you'd have an "interesting" collection of neighbors. There's a pretty massive housing project at the northeastern corner of 155th and Amsterdam. I never really went over that way, but my roommate said it can be a bit rough at night.

Then there's the OTHER neighbors south of you between 153rd and 155th, and between Broadway and Amsterdam. When I moved in I thought, "Oh, what a nice park I live across from!" Wrong - it's a cemetery. Some people feel strange about living by a cemetery. I'm not one of them. I was just glad they were quiet!

I must say though, that I was happy when I left that area and moved back to the Washington Heights / Inwood border. I've lived at 196th and Broadway for three years, and I think that's a much better area. And there are pretty big apartments for sale on my block for under $300,000.

If I were going to buy property it would NOT be in the area you're considering.

[pingu007]

I see your point and I must say I definitely agree. If the only way to make up your mind about an area is to go there and get a first hand impression, I now know I won't buy there. I went at 5 pm on a Saturday (probably the most desirable hour of the week concerning safety) and still felt unsafe.
To make a comparison I had a much better impression with areas such as the yankee stadium, Morris park in Harlem or even Pleasant avenue in Spanish Harlem (which have equally advantageous prices in real estate)...I think I might as well keep looking in those areas.

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by pingu007

I see your point and I must say I definitely agree. If the only way to make up your mind about an area is to go there and get a first hand impression, I now know I won't buy there. I went at 5 pm on a Saturday (probably the most desirable hour of the week concerning safety) and still felt unsafe.
To make a comparison I had a much better impression with areas such as the yankee stadium, Morris park in Harlem or even Pleasant avenue in Spanish Harlem (which have equally advantageous prices in real estate)...I think I might as well keep looking in those areas.

im glad you went to check out the area at least.

if you felt unsafe while checking it out, then there lies your answer.

i will bring up pleasant avenue since i was there about 2 weeks ago, around the same time (saturday at 5 pm) and it was quiet. however it is a bit of a troop to any train station.