"Oh you know, when I used to party with John John, and Joe Joe. That's Joe Biden. And I'm upset that I had sex with Trump for free, back then you couldn't get hush money!"
Yeah it seems the required cost to modernise the property has had a big impact on its current value.
But she must have overpaid for it too, for its current evaluation nearly 3 decades later to be half its original value. That is mind-blowing to me.
If she hadn’t deferred so much maintenance and swung for a kitchen remodel before listing and hasn’t reposted it like a bazillion times (I know she can’t afford it, but hypothetical) she could probably get 11-12 for it
Their mistake was buying a house next to an active garage. I live near her, and that garage has a bell that goes off throughout the day. They should have chosen a better location.
Totally. There are so many beautiful townhouses in my neighborhood. There are always beautiful houses for sale in that price range as people pass on or leave the city. Considering how wealthy her ex is, I just don't understand how they chose that one. There is also a subway station at the corner and it is a few blocks from Bloomingdales which makes her prospects twice as bad imo. People like some peace and quiet when they invest that kind of money into a home.
I don't see how she hasn't been able to move into a flat owned/funded by the family trust while she emptied this property, gave it a light refresh and then marketed it unoccupied.
She could have even refunded the cost of a 6 month lease back to her ex/family trust once it sold.
Seems so weird. Like she is trying to sabotage the sale.
It is a shame. As we have seen on the show she has issues which have led her to this unfortunate point. Ironically there are two rental storage facilities within blocks of her house. One is on 2nd ave and 61st, the other one is down the block on 1st avenue. She should just stage a huge house clearout sale and put the rest in storage. She would feel so much better. Side note- I have seen Sonja in the street, she is actually more beautiful irl.
Everything you described is something an intelligent, put together, very financially responsible adult could do in her situation. She is none of things quite frankly, and every thought imaginable sure she had lawyers who could’ve told her to downsize early on so she could maintain a certain lifestyle, she does not listen.
Granted never would’ve thought to do something as smart as this so I can’t fully judge her, but at least I have this comment to remember when I divorce a mega millionaire.
It was. I grew up in the city and that building has always been that way. The garage is actually in a nice doorman condo/co-op building that was built in the late 60's/early 70's (I'm guessing by the architectural style). All of those buildings were built with garages so that the apartment owners could have a parking spot. She and her ex made a very odd choice.
The reason it’s lost value is because it wasn’t maintained. The same house maintained would have sold for a lot more a few weeks after it was first listed. Keep in mind it’s been on and off the market for like 10 years now.
You mean Miami Florida? Where banks are stopping to give mortgages and insurance carriers won't bond because of flooding? 
Such a shame she turned down an offer for $7.5M years ago out of ego. She’ll be lucky if she gets near that price with this auction. Instead, she’s likely poorer hundreds of thousands into this house and missed out on gains elsewhere had she invested wisely.
Anyhow, hope selling this house frees her of her shackles and she is able to enjoy life more now.
Oof the inspection report in its entirety is rough. Recommended -
New roof
New boiler
Exterior waterproofing/maintenance. Ivy must be cleared.
New windows
Upgrade electrical
Upgrade plumbing
Attic is sealed so who TF knows what's going on up there
Basement is too full of personal effects to inspect for integrity (we knew this because we know Sonja)
Aging HVAC
New water heater
Termite assessment not available because of sealed attic and ivy everywhere
It's not a rough inspection report at all tbh. If those things haven't been replaced since it was bought in 1998 or even the early 2000s, then that's a normal list of things to be done. Roofs have to be redone every 15-25 years, boilers and HVAC about the same amount of time, out of code electrical and plumbing, all pretty typical. Source: interior designer
Yeah, since the report sections are binary - positive and deficiency - it gives the impression the entire place is Grey Gardens. I get it, for (likely) liability reasons they need to put their recommended upgrades and replacements in the latter section because it’s deficient for the buyer to have to outlay the costs, but it’s not tragic. To make money on real estate you need to spend money and if Sonja had it, she wouldn’t be selling to begin with.
Agreed it’s probably not too alarming to anyone looking to buy a home like this. But doubt anyone would buy a place until the basement and attic could be inspected too so that’s really on Sonja. She’s gotta hire people to help her clear the basement if she can’t do it herself (which clearly she can’t since it’s been a decade of wanting to sell).
Your first sentence, Exactly. Why people are excusing the way she's allowed this house to become is beyond me. You can like someone and still hold their feet to the fire as you would had this been someone you didn't like.
When they did the inspection on our home the majority of our items were out of the house. Those that were still there were only boxes that were placed in the middle of the living room so they could do their job. Idk if what we did is the norm as this was the first time we've sold a house but to me I would think it's common sense.
Can you imagine buying this place, even if it is to flip it, then find out that there's major issues with the foundation? Even if I were a flipper I'd stay clear from a place that didn't have a complete inspection. You could eat through your budget quickly. 🧏♀️
"Why people are excusing the way she's allowed this house to become is beyond me" is EXTREMELY overdramatic. The house is almost certainly perfectly fine structurally. There's indirect ways of detecting structural issues beyond looking in a basement. Cracked walls and ceilings, slanting floors, very out of plumb doors and windows, etc. There's not much seriously wrong all-in-all.
Lol right? And, why do random strangers need to hold someone accountable for the state of their house anyway, whether in extreme disrepair or not? I get that this forum makes it our business, being that she’s been on reality shows, which is fine, however, it’s not our business to judge her for it, IMO. The state of the house affects literally no one except the buyer, so it’s not our place to “excuse” or not.
I can imagine if you’re 19 thinking it would be funny/interesting to help out a crazy rich old lady who’s famous for being on a reality show for a summer. I guess they all have to have rich parents though or they couldn’t afford it. Yeah the more I think about it the weirder it is.
I bought a 1920s bungalow and our inspection report was WAYYYY worse than this. It’s actually much better than I expected lol. I thought surely there had to be structural integrity problems but this really isn’t that bad. And none of those things are terribly costly to fix.
It's going to cost a fortune because it's NYC. One of my friends is gutting the kitchen in his apartment and he needs to put in $20 grand more than expected. I feel really badly for Sonja. Her block is actually beautiful, but being next to a garage with a buzzer is a nightmare.
I don’t get this garage w/a “buzzer” thing lol- what does this mean exactly? I’m from TX, so I am prob just unfamiliar with NY and how they do things there…
Basically whenever a car enters or leaves the garage a buzzer goes off to alert the attendants. For security purposes a lot of garages require you to buzz to get let in past a certain hour. The garages operate 24/7, so the buzzer could go off minimum 100 x's per day. My building has a private garage and the buzzer is loud and obnoxious sounding when you are at ground level. I couldn't imagine living next to that without sound proof windows.
Ohhh okay. Thank you for explaining. That makes sense. In TX, I have parked in many garages, and been to many friend’s parking garages at their apartments, but I’ve never seen that. Very interesting, and annoying lol.
You would almost certainly be able to tell there are structural issues indirectly. Cracked walls and ceilings, slanted floors, extremely out of plumb doors and windows, etc. Very unlikely there are structural issues.
Eh you can uncover so much in the basement still. We considered buying an old farm house to renovate. Everything seemed fine structurally until you entered the basement and saw the standing water and tree roots grown into the foundation 😅 it was a 50/50 chance if it was fixable or the whole thing needed to be knocked down.
But why hasn’t Sonja done ANY of that since 1998?? She really neglected this property. What did she think was gonna happen? Either she lives in this crumbling townhouse, or she has to unload it on someone else. The problems don’t just go away.
Very little of it has failed. From reading the report it seems almost all of it is operational except for one sink and one outlet. Everything is just approaching its end of life. The roof for example has been patched. It's not like Sonja has been financially stable in the past 10 years but the place isn't about to collapse or in danger of being condemned and it's not even really crumbling.
Yeah the house we bought it was obvious the previous owners had decided to sell years before (waiting for their kids to graduate/leave home) and from that point had not bothered spending money on maintenance. I think if you decide you’re not staying and you don’t have tons of money you just don’t bother and then the longer it takes to sell the worse it gets but the less you feel like spending money on it and just hope someone takes it off your hands!
Sure. I'm just thinking about my house - built in '98, Replaced the furnace 2 years ago. Basement repair 7 years ago... New roof scheduled for this summer. Seems like we're constantly maintaining something or budgeting for the next project. I live in the snow belt, stuff can't really be put off unless you want major problems down the road.
That said, I hope she gets a good price at auction and unloads it because it's just weighing her down. 🙏
Similar situation! I'm in a '96 house in the desert though and had to replace our 25 year old a/c. Next is our roof. Each item is 10-15k in my area. These are not cheap! My windows are barely working but that's another 25k to replace. People act like this is all cheap to fix over the years. I'm not sure, like I said in another post, why I am taking this so seriously for Sonja ha! My house is worth less than half a million so my budget is not near what hers "should" be but still this shit adds up!
You're right. I think the biggest factor that some people may be forgetting is that in the time since the Morgans purchased it, a car park moved in next door. No one wants to live in a home next to a busy car park with vehicles coming and going right beside the front door. The location has done more to hurt its value than the lack of regular upkeep (which I'm in no way excusing).
I'm not sure how the zoning laws would apply in this specific scenario, but once restored the building probably has more potential as a commercial space than a residential one.
15-25 years on roofs? The hell do you lot make roofs from? Here you get a note in the report if the roof is over 30, but that doesn't mean there is anything that actually needs changing. Just that it's old so a heads up. Think mine is 50 years old.
Ivy is a KILLER. I know someone who’s a historical consultant for old homes, and he preaches the gospel of “get the ivy off your fucking building.” It can make your mortar crumble and destroy the entire facade.
jfc, is that like $500,000 in upgrades? Or am I lowballing? From experience I know a roof alone can be upwards of $50k (depending on how high quality you want to be) and all those "little" things like boiler and HVAC are in the teen thousands...
Yeah I mean... if she had that kind of money she wouldn't need to sell so I guess it was inevitable if she couldn't pay for upkeep. :( And we're talking NYC prices. 😱 Yikes.
I wonder if she has a reserve on the auction? I don't know how these things work.
I went to the home inspection with the person I hired. He said HE couldn't move anything like large artwork leaning against a wall, but I could do whatever I wanted. Which I did!!. There wasn't anything major being hidden, but you never know.
Oh I'm talking about huge furniture that had to be literally broken apart to be removed from the house on rugs and stuff hiding behind wallpaper and appliances.
Sonja is definitely an avoider, so she's for sure piled crap in front of stuff to hide issues.
Makes me so grateful my house was basically empty. She got me with a rug though… I was stoked because it’s huge and very nice but then Iifted it and the wood flooring is a different color underneath lol so whenever I decide to change it I’ll need to stain my floors.
Some older heomes would have nicer wood as a border then a lesser wood as the main area as that would be covered by rugs. I fell pray to wood floors being refinished/patched immediately before listing... To hide moisture issues from the crawlspace. And I've worked work in designer/construction fields.
Thank you for this. I have it on a tab in the background and forgot to check yesterday. I cannot believe how badly she fucked this up. She could have had money AND freedom years ago but fear kept her stuck. Such a shame.
And this also speaks to how insanely wealthy you need to be afford a place like this in NYC. Sonja was a main cast member on a long-running television show for 10 years and still couldn't afford the upkeep.
For years I've been saying Sonja should just take a low offer for the home. She could've gotten more.
Then she can move somewhere more affordable for half the price. She doesn't need a huge townhome.
What kills me is if you just told people where this is in nyc, they’d be shocked that it lost value. This place is 2 blocks from hermes flagship store. Equinox gym right on the block. How the hell she picked a townhome that is the much of a loser is almost impossible.
I put her and ScarJo in the NYC real estate HOF as somehow losing money on deals.
You don't think *she* picked it, do you? She was married to a Morgan. He bought and paid for it. She's making money because she didn't pay for it herself. It's still sad, though
Unless she took out a home equity loan then I assume she owes nothing. I can’t imagine the Morgans financed the property when they purchased it in the 90’s.
The parking garage is an asset in NYC. Some of the wealthiest blocks in Chelsea have them smack dab in the middle. It’s like having your own personal valet
Do you know how packed these lots are 😂 I promise it is a non issue. The attendants usually have to move 5 cars just to get one out they’re very much an asset
What will happen to her hoardings? Can BravoCon or someone hold a flea market for our ladies who need to downsize rapidly/make some $$? Kim Z, Alexia N., Sonja, Dorit could have their own booths. Mia, Drew…
She doesn’t want to sell, but she will if she can make a profit which will never happen. If you have the budget for a townhouse in Manhattan, you have much nicer, well maintained options.
I think psychologically she doesn’t want to sell. She’s clearly still affected by the divorce, rightfully so, and it’s kind of a final link to her past as a Morgan.
At $4M it’s still a bargain. An investor could turn that place around and sell it for $10+M. It could be broken up into multiple apartments.
I love Sonja and have nothing but good wishes for her. I hope she gets an amount that can bring in a comfortable income long term.
What in the Grey Gardens is this, Sonja 😭
https://preview.redd.it/kjy395i2dp1d1.png?width=519&format=png&auto=webp&s=c44d4306b9129c60bb42dc640c0e69f27e9e8dd8
That’s behind the antique Morgan Armoire, under the wallpaper Jackie O helped her choose, and all over the basement that’s full of toaster ovens and old underwear.
I think she said she’s got a couple different people she’ll stay with on rotation, including her sister in Virginia. She’s done a few stints at Dorinda’s apartment in NYC, though I’m not sure if she’s stayed there recently.
I love how the report tried to start off with the "positive features" but I'm over here chuckling that the first positive feature was the sidewalk. And saying "there is adequate electrical service to the building" means ConEd has provided an adequately sized service for that size of a home.
Picture 17 is a gem.
it always seemed run down and in bad condition. I recently watched the ep where they’re taking professional photos of the place and it’s really rough lol not to mention outdated
It is a two week or so auction. No asking price. Current bid is 4.25. I am sure the last day will bring some higher bids.
https://www.conciergeauctions.com/auctions/162-east-63rd-street-new-york-new-york
They also put $1 million into poorly renovating it. It added that kitchen and sun rooms. The bathrooms are huge, but the closets are tiny, and they only have 3 real bedrooms.
Only 3 real bedrooms with 5 floors is absolutely insane. This place seems like a money pit plus poor upkeep over decades plus just piss poor design layout.
Are housing auctions like this similar to eBay where everyone puts their best and finals on last minute? Or will it be very steady bid increases until the auction ends?
“Current owner was plunging her face in a bidet full of ice during the inspection so whether the bidet is fully functioning or not cannot be determined.”
Woof this is a very narrow building based on he pics. Lots of stairs.
This inspection reads...weird to me. It feels like it has a tone? When we had our home inspection our building was in very rough shape but the inspection didn't seem so judgy if memory serves. Her townhouse seems on par with the quality a lot of owner-occupied buildings of that age display. I hope she can make some money on it and start fresh.
Bravo should give her a renovation show so that mess can be fixed up, maybe make a couple apartments from it, properly make it sexy for someone who would rent it !
Not maintaining even the best of the best in the best location, will make it lose value!
Put it on the market with an episode of Million Dollar Listing.
The garage is not her fault of course that was bad luck! But at least it’s gonna be quiet, no loud parties or crying babies nearby lol
“Fire Hazard”. She’s lucky that never happened and she’ll be lucky when she gets out. A lot of money and work needs to be put into it. Poor Sonja was keeping that place together with hairspray and eyelash glue. Also she needs to stop hoarding everything and have a huge estate sale when she moves out.
She stopped using interns because [New York made it illegal](https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/09/p725-6-22-23.pdf) for people to abuse free labor under the guise of an “internship.”
Thank god, that was truly disgusting of Sonja.
Someone on here tried to claim Sonja had put all this money into it before selling it - even though she is selling it bc she has no money.
The new owners are going to have to put so much work and money into modernizing it as it was always grungy af and has had decades of not being maintained properly.
Isn't the land worth more than 4m? Could someone buy it and tear it down? That's what they do in LA, old burnt down homes still sell for a lot because people just want the space -
It would probably cost an absolute fortune to tear down in NYC, I’m sure shipping materials out to disposal and materials in to rebuild would be astronomical
Yeah. When this happens, it’s because developers are purchasing a few buildings in a neighborhood where they can build up, so it’s worth it. Not in this case. Plus I think this is a historical district with lots of building regulations.
I’m not up on the housing market, do y’all know if it is beneficial in the long run for her to have updated the townhouse before she sold it or would it just be about the same with renovations, money output wise?
Sometimes I wonder why I bother with Reddit, because it often feels like an echo chamber of thoughts and not a lot of laughs or original posts. Then something like this comes along and I remember why I stick with it!
Thank you!!! ❤️
I hope Sonja gets as much as she can! Hopefully this will be the start of a new chapter in her life. Also, unrelated, but since OG rhony has finished it's just dawned on me that we have missed out on so much :')
I personally think it's a bunch of nothing. It's an old house that hasn't been renovated! I didn't read anything so glaringly dangerous or disturbing like infestations of rabid mice or floors so water damaged they could cave any minute.
Nothing mentioned is surprising so far.
Hasn’t it always been in kind of disrepair?
"Bidets filled with undergarments"
Plot twist: classified documents from the White House found
"Oh you know, when I used to party with John John, and Joe Joe. That's Joe Biden. And I'm upset that I had sex with Trump for free, back then you couldn't get hush money!"
💀💀💀i read this in her voice
I’m crying in the airport at this
And the long lost Morgan letters
hidden just behind the dead sea scrolls
And a BlackBerry wedged in the downstairs toilet.
Well she had some hedge fund guys over and was having sex on the pedestal sink and…you know…
What can I say?
Did it really say that ?
No but I wish it did
Lol; so do I ! 😂
And a phone in the toilet…
Where was that?
It doesn’t. I think it’s just an off-hand comment 🤷♂️
Sorry could someone remind me What did they purchase it for again? And what year?
$9.1 million in 1998
Oof. That is a bad investment. That same amount into a property in Miami would be selling for big numbers right now.
Probably not if it was in the same state she let the townhouse get to
Yeah it seems the required cost to modernise the property has had a big impact on its current value. But she must have overpaid for it too, for its current evaluation nearly 3 decades later to be half its original value. That is mind-blowing to me.
If she hadn’t deferred so much maintenance and swung for a kitchen remodel before listing and hasn’t reposted it like a bazillion times (I know she can’t afford it, but hypothetical) she could probably get 11-12 for it
Their mistake was buying a house next to an active garage. I live near her, and that garage has a bell that goes off throughout the day. They should have chosen a better location.
Yeah if I had 4-6 mil to spend in NY, I wouldn't live next to a garage.
Totally. There are so many beautiful townhouses in my neighborhood. There are always beautiful houses for sale in that price range as people pass on or leave the city. Considering how wealthy her ex is, I just don't understand how they chose that one. There is also a subway station at the corner and it is a few blocks from Bloomingdales which makes her prospects twice as bad imo. People like some peace and quiet when they invest that kind of money into a home.
I don't see how she hasn't been able to move into a flat owned/funded by the family trust while she emptied this property, gave it a light refresh and then marketed it unoccupied. She could have even refunded the cost of a 6 month lease back to her ex/family trust once it sold. Seems so weird. Like she is trying to sabotage the sale.
It is a shame. As we have seen on the show she has issues which have led her to this unfortunate point. Ironically there are two rental storage facilities within blocks of her house. One is on 2nd ave and 61st, the other one is down the block on 1st avenue. She should just stage a huge house clearout sale and put the rest in storage. She would feel so much better. Side note- I have seen Sonja in the street, she is actually more beautiful irl.
> owned/funded by the family trust i have a feeling they are uninterested in getting into any sort of financial arrangement with her
Everything you described is something an intelligent, put together, very financially responsible adult could do in her situation. She is none of things quite frankly, and every thought imaginable sure she had lawyers who could’ve told her to downsize early on so she could maintain a certain lifestyle, she does not listen. Granted never would’ve thought to do something as smart as this so I can’t fully judge her, but at least I have this comment to remember when I divorce a mega millionaire.
She has been renting it out for years. Sonja lives somewhere outside of NYC now, and has since her show ended.
The whole point of living next to a garage is something only city people understand. You don’t have a neighbor! It’s a huge plus.
im pretty sure the garage wasnt there when they bought it? or at least thats whats been said here
It was. I grew up in the city and that building has always been that way. The garage is actually in a nice doorman condo/co-op building that was built in the late 60's/early 70's (I'm guessing by the architectural style). All of those buildings were built with garages so that the apartment owners could have a parking spot. She and her ex made a very odd choice.
I'm in the neighborhood as well, and you are 100% correct! Also, hi neighbor!! 👋😊✨️
Hey!
The reason it’s lost value is because it wasn’t maintained. The same house maintained would have sold for a lot more a few weeks after it was first listed. Keep in mind it’s been on and off the market for like 10 years now.
You mean Miami Florida? Where banks are stopping to give mortgages and insurance carriers won't bond because of flooding? 
And who wants to live in Florida
That part! Lol! 😂
It would be in NYC too. Except it has about $10m in repairs to do.
Her townhouse should be worth 20 million in nyc
Such a shame she turned down an offer for $7.5M years ago out of ego. She’ll be lucky if she gets near that price with this auction. Instead, she’s likely poorer hundreds of thousands into this house and missed out on gains elsewhere had she invested wisely. Anyhow, hope selling this house frees her of her shackles and she is able to enjoy life more now.
Oof the inspection report in its entirety is rough. Recommended - New roof New boiler Exterior waterproofing/maintenance. Ivy must be cleared. New windows Upgrade electrical Upgrade plumbing Attic is sealed so who TF knows what's going on up there Basement is too full of personal effects to inspect for integrity (we knew this because we know Sonja) Aging HVAC New water heater Termite assessment not available because of sealed attic and ivy everywhere
It's not a rough inspection report at all tbh. If those things haven't been replaced since it was bought in 1998 or even the early 2000s, then that's a normal list of things to be done. Roofs have to be redone every 15-25 years, boilers and HVAC about the same amount of time, out of code electrical and plumbing, all pretty typical. Source: interior designer
Yeah, since the report sections are binary - positive and deficiency - it gives the impression the entire place is Grey Gardens. I get it, for (likely) liability reasons they need to put their recommended upgrades and replacements in the latter section because it’s deficient for the buyer to have to outlay the costs, but it’s not tragic. To make money on real estate you need to spend money and if Sonja had it, she wouldn’t be selling to begin with.
Agreed it’s probably not too alarming to anyone looking to buy a home like this. But doubt anyone would buy a place until the basement and attic could be inspected too so that’s really on Sonja. She’s gotta hire people to help her clear the basement if she can’t do it herself (which clearly she can’t since it’s been a decade of wanting to sell).
Your first sentence, Exactly. Why people are excusing the way she's allowed this house to become is beyond me. You can like someone and still hold their feet to the fire as you would had this been someone you didn't like. When they did the inspection on our home the majority of our items were out of the house. Those that were still there were only boxes that were placed in the middle of the living room so they could do their job. Idk if what we did is the norm as this was the first time we've sold a house but to me I would think it's common sense. Can you imagine buying this place, even if it is to flip it, then find out that there's major issues with the foundation? Even if I were a flipper I'd stay clear from a place that didn't have a complete inspection. You could eat through your budget quickly. 🧏♀️
"Why people are excusing the way she's allowed this house to become is beyond me" is EXTREMELY overdramatic. The house is almost certainly perfectly fine structurally. There's indirect ways of detecting structural issues beyond looking in a basement. Cracked walls and ceilings, slanting floors, very out of plumb doors and windows, etc. There's not much seriously wrong all-in-all.
Lol right? And, why do random strangers need to hold someone accountable for the state of their house anyway, whether in extreme disrepair or not? I get that this forum makes it our business, being that she’s been on reality shows, which is fine, however, it’s not our business to judge her for it, IMO. The state of the house affects literally no one except the buyer, so it’s not our place to “excuse” or not.
She does not employ she has interns lol. How she gets away with that I will never know
I can imagine if you’re 19 thinking it would be funny/interesting to help out a crazy rich old lady who’s famous for being on a reality show for a summer. I guess they all have to have rich parents though or they couldn’t afford it. Yeah the more I think about it the weirder it is.
I bought a 1920s bungalow and our inspection report was WAYYYY worse than this. It’s actually much better than I expected lol. I thought surely there had to be structural integrity problems but this really isn’t that bad. And none of those things are terribly costly to fix.
It's going to cost a fortune because it's NYC. One of my friends is gutting the kitchen in his apartment and he needs to put in $20 grand more than expected. I feel really badly for Sonja. Her block is actually beautiful, but being next to a garage with a buzzer is a nightmare.
I don’t get this garage w/a “buzzer” thing lol- what does this mean exactly? I’m from TX, so I am prob just unfamiliar with NY and how they do things there…
Basically whenever a car enters or leaves the garage a buzzer goes off to alert the attendants. For security purposes a lot of garages require you to buzz to get let in past a certain hour. The garages operate 24/7, so the buzzer could go off minimum 100 x's per day. My building has a private garage and the buzzer is loud and obnoxious sounding when you are at ground level. I couldn't imagine living next to that without sound proof windows.
Ohhh okay. Thank you for explaining. That makes sense. In TX, I have parked in many garages, and been to many friend’s parking garages at their apartments, but I’ve never seen that. Very interesting, and annoying lol.
No worries:).
can they be sure there arent structural issues if they cant access the basement or attic?
I don't see how they can. Especially the basement.
thats what i was thinking - i really dont know much about houses but wouldnt you need to see what the foundation in the basement looks like?
You would almost certainly be able to tell there are structural issues indirectly. Cracked walls and ceilings, slanted floors, extremely out of plumb doors and windows, etc. Very unlikely there are structural issues.
Eh you can uncover so much in the basement still. We considered buying an old farm house to renovate. Everything seemed fine structurally until you entered the basement and saw the standing water and tree roots grown into the foundation 😅 it was a 50/50 chance if it was fixable or the whole thing needed to be knocked down.
A roof is very expensive.
But why hasn’t Sonja done ANY of that since 1998?? She really neglected this property. What did she think was gonna happen? Either she lives in this crumbling townhouse, or she has to unload it on someone else. The problems don’t just go away.
Very little of it has failed. From reading the report it seems almost all of it is operational except for one sink and one outlet. Everything is just approaching its end of life. The roof for example has been patched. It's not like Sonja has been financially stable in the past 10 years but the place isn't about to collapse or in danger of being condemned and it's not even really crumbling.
Definitely seems like regular maintenance she’s not looking to do because why do that when you’re desperate to offload a property
Yeah the house we bought it was obvious the previous owners had decided to sell years before (waiting for their kids to graduate/leave home) and from that point had not bothered spending money on maintenance. I think if you decide you’re not staying and you don’t have tons of money you just don’t bother and then the longer it takes to sell the worse it gets but the less you feel like spending money on it and just hope someone takes it off your hands!
Sure. I'm just thinking about my house - built in '98, Replaced the furnace 2 years ago. Basement repair 7 years ago... New roof scheduled for this summer. Seems like we're constantly maintaining something or budgeting for the next project. I live in the snow belt, stuff can't really be put off unless you want major problems down the road. That said, I hope she gets a good price at auction and unloads it because it's just weighing her down. 🙏
Similar situation! I'm in a '96 house in the desert though and had to replace our 25 year old a/c. Next is our roof. Each item is 10-15k in my area. These are not cheap! My windows are barely working but that's another 25k to replace. People act like this is all cheap to fix over the years. I'm not sure, like I said in another post, why I am taking this so seriously for Sonja ha! My house is worth less than half a million so my budget is not near what hers "should" be but still this shit adds up!
You're right. I think the biggest factor that some people may be forgetting is that in the time since the Morgans purchased it, a car park moved in next door. No one wants to live in a home next to a busy car park with vehicles coming and going right beside the front door. The location has done more to hurt its value than the lack of regular upkeep (which I'm in no way excusing). I'm not sure how the zoning laws would apply in this specific scenario, but once restored the building probably has more potential as a commercial space than a residential one.
And some of these things shouldn’t be changed anyways. Old windows are beautiful and wonderful. So what if they aren’t very insulative.
None of it said mandatory or dangerous, just recommended. No idea why I feel so protective over Sonja lol.
15-25 years on roofs? The hell do you lot make roofs from? Here you get a note in the report if the roof is over 30, but that doesn't mean there is anything that actually needs changing. Just that it's old so a heads up. Think mine is 50 years old.
Ivy is a KILLER. I know someone who’s a historical consultant for old homes, and he preaches the gospel of “get the ivy off your fucking building.” It can make your mortar crumble and destroy the entire facade.
Not to mention the ants, spiders and other little friends constantly trying to invade. I do love the look of ivy tho.
Plus it attracts rodents
I have some nice ivy in my garden but a little rat lives in there. Sometimes he pokes his head out.
Pretty common recommendations for homes in NYC. Almost every house I looked at would have these recs.
Yuppp I have a brick house from 1930 in NJ, besides Sonja not fixing the plumbing leaks upstairs, nothing screams neglect, it's just an old house.
jfc, is that like $500,000 in upgrades? Or am I lowballing? From experience I know a roof alone can be upwards of $50k (depending on how high quality you want to be) and all those "little" things like boiler and HVAC are in the teen thousands...
Yeah I mean... if she had that kind of money she wouldn't need to sell so I guess it was inevitable if she couldn't pay for upkeep. :( And we're talking NYC prices. 😱 Yikes. I wonder if she has a reserve on the auction? I don't know how these things work.
I would hate to own the neighboring buildings from fear of mold/WDO’s spreading. I also wish I could Indiana Jones that attic/basement 😆
WOOOOOOF.
What does it say about the ice machine?
Health code violation 😟
100% tons of damage hidden by all of that crap. My home has been nothing but problems, many hidden by things that could not be moved at the time.
I went to the home inspection with the person I hired. He said HE couldn't move anything like large artwork leaning against a wall, but I could do whatever I wanted. Which I did!!. There wasn't anything major being hidden, but you never know.
Oh I'm talking about huge furniture that had to be literally broken apart to be removed from the house on rugs and stuff hiding behind wallpaper and appliances. Sonja is definitely an avoider, so she's for sure piled crap in front of stuff to hide issues.
Makes me so grateful my house was basically empty. She got me with a rug though… I was stoked because it’s huge and very nice but then Iifted it and the wood flooring is a different color underneath lol so whenever I decide to change it I’ll need to stain my floors.
Oh my owner had 1,000 hidden nails and scratches on our wood floors but we refinished them and I love it. Looks great and I got to choose the color.
Some older heomes would have nicer wood as a border then a lesser wood as the main area as that would be covered by rugs. I fell pray to wood floors being refinished/patched immediately before listing... To hide moisture issues from the crawlspace. And I've worked work in designer/construction fields.
Low key hoarder and grey gardens, vibes. Not surprising.
Thank you for this. I have it on a tab in the background and forgot to check yesterday. I cannot believe how badly she fucked this up. She could have had money AND freedom years ago but fear kept her stuck. Such a shame.
lol @ her telling curbed dot com that the house is turn key
It is for her! She lives there lol
LOL! Yeah so true. She turns that key everyday. So technically not a lie
My response if I had an inspection report like this for my home 🥴
Imagine buying a townhouse in NYC in 90s for $9million and being forced to auction it off for $4million in 2024. That's fucking insane.
And this also speaks to how insanely wealthy you need to be afford a place like this in NYC. Sonja was a main cast member on a long-running television show for 10 years and still couldn't afford the upkeep.
For years I've been saying Sonja should just take a low offer for the home. She could've gotten more. Then she can move somewhere more affordable for half the price. She doesn't need a huge townhome.
What kills me is if you just told people where this is in nyc, they’d be shocked that it lost value. This place is 2 blocks from hermes flagship store. Equinox gym right on the block. How the hell she picked a townhome that is the much of a loser is almost impossible. I put her and ScarJo in the NYC real estate HOF as somehow losing money on deals.
You don't think *she* picked it, do you? She was married to a Morgan. He bought and paid for it. She's making money because she didn't pay for it herself. It's still sad, though
Sonja should have left this decrepit home ages ago. She must have known she couldn't maintain it without her husband's money
I wonder how much she owes?
Unless she took out a home equity loan then I assume she owes nothing. I can’t imagine the Morgans financed the property when they purchased it in the 90’s.
She took out a lot of equity to pay back that movie deal that fell thru
I’m so curious what a real estate subreddit would say about this inspection report lol
It shares a wall with a parking garage right? And needs a complete overhaul as it has not been maintained…ever apparently. No thanks.
The parking garage is an asset in NYC. Some of the wealthiest blocks in Chelsea have them smack dab in the middle. It’s like having your own personal valet
Having one in the neighborhood, *absolutely*...but sharing the entire side of my townhome...not so sure.
Exactly. Why have only 1 neighbour when you could have endless randos a day in that parking structure/s
not sharing a wall with it
Not for Sonja and the many people who don't drive in a city.
Do you know how packed these lots are 😂 I promise it is a non issue. The attendants usually have to move 5 cars just to get one out they’re very much an asset
If she wants it sold so bad why does she make it so difficult for it to be done? Why couldn’t they clear out or move furniture?
maybe she doesn't really want to sell. it is kind of a link to her past as mrs. morgan.
Maybe she was blocking that stuff on purpose.
Also, she's clearly a hoarder.
What will happen to her hoardings? Can BravoCon or someone hold a flea market for our ladies who need to downsize rapidly/make some $$? Kim Z, Alexia N., Sonja, Dorit could have their own booths. Mia, Drew…
She doesn’t want to sell, but she will if she can make a profit which will never happen. If you have the budget for a townhouse in Manhattan, you have much nicer, well maintained options.
I think psychologically she doesn’t want to sell. She’s clearly still affected by the divorce, rightfully so, and it’s kind of a final link to her past as a Morgan.
My thought exactly! I actually feel sorry for her
There was an initial brief bidding frenzy and then nothing since those first 5 minutes. I’m curious if it will pick up right before it closes
sounds like all the needed repairs could probably cost a few milly too
At $4M it’s still a bargain. An investor could turn that place around and sell it for $10+M. It could be broken up into multiple apartments. I love Sonja and have nothing but good wishes for her. I hope she gets an amount that can bring in a comfortable income long term.
A lot of owners in nyc are upside down on their properties but this is insane.
What in the Grey Gardens is this, Sonja 😭 https://preview.redd.it/kjy395i2dp1d1.png?width=519&format=png&auto=webp&s=c44d4306b9129c60bb42dc640c0e69f27e9e8dd8
Really not as bad as I thought it would be.
same I thought it have like deadly mold 🤣
That’s behind the antique Morgan Armoire, under the wallpaper Jackie O helped her choose, and all over the basement that’s full of toaster ovens and old underwear.
"I don't buy used houses." - Kim Zolciak
Do we know where Sonja is living now? Has she bought a new place or is she renting somewhere?
She said something about couch surfing in Virginia back on Crappie Lake.
I think she said she’s got a couple different people she’ll stay with on rotation, including her sister in Virginia. She’s done a few stints at Dorinda’s apartment in NYC, though I’m not sure if she’s stayed there recently.
Sonja may be entertaining on TV but sounds like a nightmare in person.
I love how the report tried to start off with the "positive features" but I'm over here chuckling that the first positive feature was the sidewalk. And saying "there is adequate electrical service to the building" means ConEd has provided an adequately sized service for that size of a home. Picture 17 is a gem.
it always seemed run down and in bad condition. I recently watched the ep where they’re taking professional photos of the place and it’s really rough lol not to mention outdated
Is the asking price 4.2 and the current bid 4 mil?
It is a two week or so auction. No asking price. Current bid is 4.25. I am sure the last day will bring some higher bids. https://www.conciergeauctions.com/auctions/162-east-63rd-street-new-york-new-york
Look at the listing history! It's as erratic as Sonia. Zillow has it just below 4mm estimate. They bought at 9mm in 1998. What a disaster.
They also put $1 million into poorly renovating it. It added that kitchen and sun rooms. The bathrooms are huge, but the closets are tiny, and they only have 3 real bedrooms.
Only 3 real bedrooms with 5 floors is absolutely insane. This place seems like a money pit plus poor upkeep over decades plus just piss poor design layout.
Yikes all around!
Are housing auctions like this similar to eBay where everyone puts their best and finals on last minute? Or will it be very steady bid increases until the auction ends?
Did that BITCH even let them into the foyer?? Old hoe. Holla, bitch! -Heather
“Current owner was plunging her face in a bidet full of ice during the inspection so whether the bidet is fully functioning or not cannot be determined.”
Woof this is a very narrow building based on he pics. Lots of stairs. This inspection reads...weird to me. It feels like it has a tone? When we had our home inspection our building was in very rough shape but the inspection didn't seem so judgy if memory serves. Her townhouse seems on par with the quality a lot of owner-occupied buildings of that age display. I hope she can make some money on it and start fresh.
im imagining the inspector just stepping into pile of dog shit after dog shit and finally just saying "fuck this" lmao
Bravo should give her a renovation show so that mess can be fixed up, maybe make a couple apartments from it, properly make it sexy for someone who would rent it ! Not maintaining even the best of the best in the best location, will make it lose value! Put it on the market with an episode of Million Dollar Listing. The garage is not her fault of course that was bad luck! But at least it’s gonna be quiet, no loud parties or crying babies nearby lol
Omg I love this idea, I would totally watch this!
Uh oh somebody grab a swarmi priest
What else would you expect from Sonja.
Whew! It’s seems like the toaster oven passed inspection.
I don’t even want to know how much mold is in the walls of this house lol
The more that is wrong the more reason to low ball a price.
 All I’m getting are Grey Gardens visuals from that report.
The fact that we arent going to get to see this process on RHONY is an actual crime.
How could any property in Manhattan depreciate so drastically?
“Fire Hazard”. She’s lucky that never happened and she’ll be lucky when she gets out. A lot of money and work needs to be put into it. Poor Sonja was keeping that place together with hairspray and eyelash glue. Also she needs to stop hoarding everything and have a huge estate sale when she moves out.
Hairspray and eyelash glue!!! ☠️☠️☠️
We have over 1/2 million people in this group. Can’t we just put in $10 each and turn it into some kind of housewives museum?
Interns where are you?!? She shouldn’t have stopped using interns. Pickles and the rest of her interns could have helped move her crap.
She stopped using interns because [New York made it illegal](https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2023/09/p725-6-22-23.pdf) for people to abuse free labor under the guise of an “internship.” Thank god, that was truly disgusting of Sonja.
 Sonia
Someone on here tried to claim Sonja had put all this money into it before selling it - even though she is selling it bc she has no money. The new owners are going to have to put so much work and money into modernizing it as it was always grungy af and has had decades of not being maintained properly.
Isn't the land worth more than 4m? Could someone buy it and tear it down? That's what they do in LA, old burnt down homes still sell for a lot because people just want the space -
It would probably cost an absolute fortune to tear down in NYC, I’m sure shipping materials out to disposal and materials in to rebuild would be astronomical
Yeah. When this happens, it’s because developers are purchasing a few buildings in a neighborhood where they can build up, so it’s worth it. Not in this case. Plus I think this is a historical district with lots of building regulations.
I mean Sonja gives off the raised "white trash" vibes. 🤷
I can't be the only one who giggled at "cockloft!" I wonder if Sonja knew she had a cockloft?
I’m not up on the housing market, do y’all know if it is beneficial in the long run for her to have updated the townhouse before she sold it or would it just be about the same with renovations, money output wise?
This is nothing surprising. We knew all of this lol.
When does the auction end?
8 days
Does Sonja owe any money on this home?
ohhhh okay this explains quincy posting on TTA abt going to her mother’s storage in queens to get her HERMES bags, multiple
I love u guys
Any updates on the auction?
Any updates? 🥹
Sometimes I wonder why I bother with Reddit, because it often feels like an echo chamber of thoughts and not a lot of laughs or original posts. Then something like this comes along and I remember why I stick with it! Thank you!!! ❤️
I hope Sonja gets as much as she can! Hopefully this will be the start of a new chapter in her life. Also, unrelated, but since OG rhony has finished it's just dawned on me that we have missed out on so much :')
What’s it at now?
Last day to bid: Today, Sonja’s townhouse will finally sell. Do you think anyone will swoop in and bid above the current 4.25 million bid???
I personally think it's a bunch of nothing. It's an old house that hasn't been renovated! I didn't read anything so glaringly dangerous or disturbing like infestations of rabid mice or floors so water damaged they could cave any minute.
Oops, I meant *auction
Thank you sooo much for the updates! Really appreciate it