What a great place we live in here at North Shore Towers. We have large, beautiful apartments; we have indoor and outdoor pools, a gym, a movie theater and other great conveniences. What could be better? I’ll tell you what could be better; we could be allowed to enjoy the company of man’s best friends: pets.
One of the most important things that we are trying to do is encourage younger people to move in here. Many of these people have pets that they would like to bring with them. Why not to NST? How can so many buildings in Manhattan allow pets and still have people trying to move in? Who are the people who are moving into these buildings? They are the young empty nesters - baby boomers who no longer want the responsibility of home ownership. They want an environment that provides a special life style, but they are not willing to give up their pets. Just the demographic we want.
For example, The New York Post, not too long ago, stated that Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village were re-thinking their pet policies, and that the rules were changed to lure younger buyers. Apparently they believe, as I do, in order to attract new renters or owners, coops have to be more pet friendly. Allowing new prospective buyers to live here with their pets could possibly bring in many new, younger owners.
Even the older people who are ill with dementia or other disabling illnesses would benefit. It has been proven that older people are happier when there is a pet around. My mother-in-law is 86 years old and deteriorating quickly, but when she sees my son’s dog and she gets her face licked, her whole outlook changes and she is smiling and happy for those few moments.
The following is from the Humane Society:
“Pets can be healers. Pets are good for our emotional and physical health. Caring for a companion animal can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment and lessen feelings of loneliness and isolation in all age groups. It’s well known that relaxed, happy people do not become ill as often as those who suffer from stress and depression.
“Animal companionship also helps lower a person’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And studies show that having a dog increases survival rates in groups of patients who have suffered cardiac arrest. Dog walking, pet grooming, and even petting provide increased physical activity that strengthens the heart, improves blood circulation, and slows the loss of bone tissue. Put simply, pets aren’t just good friends, they are good medicine.
“We already know that the many physical benefits pets confer onto people of all ages, whether you’re eight or eighty. If you’re older, a pet can offer you a sense of well being, a sense of encouragement, and even a reason for living. Being responsible for another life can add new meaning to your own life, and having to care for and provide a loving home to a companion animal can also help you remain active and healthy.”
So, I say let’s change things around here at the Towers. Let’s allow, pets, at least smaller pets. We can have rules and security fees that will insure that our neighbors are mindful of the rest of us.
Listen to what brokers selling Manhattan apartments say about pet friendly buildings:
Brokers say that most buyers will pass up dream apartments before they will give up their pets. Barbara Fox, the president of the Fox Residential Group in Manhattan, spent two years trying to sell a Fifth Avenue penthouse in a building that didn’t allow pets.
The apartment had an offer within six weeks of hitting the market in early spring of 2004 for close to the asking price of $9.975 million. But the buyer had a dog, and the co-op board wouldn’t make an exception. The penthouse finally sold in November 2006 for $7.5 million after two price cuts, according to data from StreetEasy.com.
Based on her experiences with sales like this and her own purchasing experiences as a dog owner, Ms. Fox was recently hired as a consultant by another Fifth Avenue building, a co-op she would not name, that wanted to know how to raise its sales prices. She advised the building that it had to be far more welcoming of pet owners.
“Don’t tell them you have to get rid of your dogs,” she told the board. “It’s like telling them to get rid of your kid.”
I think the time has come to rethink our policy regarding dogs especially in these times when finding a buyer is so difficult.
If any of you are interested in joining me in this effort, please email me at choff21@nyc.rr.com or call me at 917-749-5760.
