"Lower Your Expectations". . . Why?

January 3, 2009. After walking around the upper west side looking at buildings, I realized how daunting a task this was. I had radar. I zeroed in on the most beautiful buildings, which I later learned were the best ones in the area. The down side of being able to pick out the best buildings was the stark realization that I could never live in them. I fell for the Majestyk (Conan O’Brien’s former abode), the Ansonia (where The Odd Couple was filmed), the Beresford (Jerry Seinfeld lives there- who knew?), and every other spectacular pre-war building in the area. I didn’t want to pay a broker fee, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to see what they had to offer. I didn’t feel bad wasting their time, since I suspected they’d waste plenty of mine while trying to gouge a fee by showing me a series of inadequate dumps. Hoping to be wrong, I walked into CitiHabitats on the Upper West Side. Thankfully, I didn’t fill out any applications, because a couple weeks later, this office became notorious for having left applicants’ confidential documents on the street during an office renovation, where they blew across Columbus Avenue. My broker’s first words were “lower your expectations”. Not exactly what you want to hear from someone trying to earn thousands of dollars at your expense by taking a short walk or sending you to see a super.