159 1/2 Essex Street, Manhattan
technical data · neighborhood and transit
Quick answers
- Who owns 159 1/2 Essex Street?
- YIN FA REALTY CORP. is the owner of record, per NYC Department of Finance (BBL 1004120073).
- When did 159 1/2 Essex Street last change hands?
- 2011-11-29 to YIN FA REALTY CORP., by a deed recorded with no sale price in NYC ACRIS. The last priced sale was $198,000 on 2007-04-30.
- What is the assessed value of 159 1/2 Essex Street?
- $811,350, set by the NYC Department of Finance.
- Does 159 1/2 Essex Street have open housing violations?
- Yes. NYC HPD lists 152 open violations, 22 immediately hazardous (class C).
- What is the 2026 conforming loan limit in New York County?
- $1,209,750 for a single-unit home, per FHFA. Larger loans are jumbo loans.
- Is radon a problem here?
- EPA radon zone 2, moderate potential.
- What natural disasters is 159 1/2 Essex Street at risk for?
- FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area relatively low overall, with elevated heat wave risk.
Property records
Owner of record
Yin Fa Realty Corp.Tax assessment
$811,350 · class C7
- DeedNov 29, 2011
Grantor (seller): Yin Fa Realty Corp. · Grantee (buyer): Yin Fa Realty Corp.
Recorded document scan - DeedApr 30, 2007$198,000
Grantor (seller): Yin Fa Realty Corp. · Grantee (buyer): 116 Llc
Recorded document scan - DeedOct 23, 1990
Grantor (seller): B.H.N.J. Realty Corp · Grantee (buyer): Yin Fa Realty Corp
- DeedFeb 11, 1982
Grantor (seller): Stantex Realty Corp. · Grantee (buyer): B.H.N.J. Realty Corp.
Sourced directly from official city and county records. BBL 1004120073
NYC records
Pre-war walk-upTenant and buyer signals
Rent stabilization
Likely stabilized
Built 1900 with 11 homes, the profile NYC rent stabilization covers. Ask for the apartment's rent history from NYS HCR.
Elevator
Walk-up, 5 floors
Top floor is 4 flights of stairs. City building class C7.
Hurricane zone
Evacuation zone 6
Zone 1 evacuates first, zone 6 last. Check the flood insurance history.
Alcohol licenses
5 licenses within 200 ft
Takumi Nyc CORP (restaurant) · Genki East INC (restaurant) · Uber Caffe LLC (restaurant)
Sources: NYC PLUTO, NYC Emergency Management, NY State Liquor Authority, OpenStreetMap. Rent status is an estimate from the building profile.
Tax lot 1004120073
- Built
- 1900
- Floors
- 5
- Homes
- 11
- Zoning
- C4-4A
- Floor area
- 8,800 sq ft
- Lot
- 1,760 sq ft
- Tax assessment
- $811K
Nearest subway
Click a station for walking directions.
Housing violations (HPD)
152 open
22 immediately hazardous · 65 hazardous · 65 non-hazardous
Heat and hot water, 2 years
1 complaints
Most recent Apr 2025
Bedbug filing, 2025
0 of 11 units reported infested.
Residential evictions, 5 years
No marshal evictions executed.
311 calls within 260 ft, 12 months
550
- Illegal Parking · 113
- Noise - Commercial · 58
- Noise - Street/Sidewalk · 51
Safety and environment
FEMA natural hazard risk
Relatively Low
Highest for this area: heat wave. These drive insurance cost here.
FEMA National Risk Index, census tract
Superfund site
2.7 mi
Meeker Avenue Plume (NPL Site). Check groundwater and vapor reports on the EPA site page.
EPA National Priorities List
Leaking fuel tanks
9 within 1,650 ft
Nearest: Mobil S/S #17-Jtp, 253 East 2nd Street (1,550 ft), open. 1 still open. Ask whether groundwater or soil vapor testing was done.
EPA UST Finder, leaking underground storage tank releases
Brownfield site
2,150 ft
Vernam Barbadoes Basins and 1 more within half a mile. Former industrial land in EPA's cleanup and reuse program.
EPA ACRES Brownfields
Toxic release facility
2,650 ft
Concord Electronics Corp and 2 more within a mile. Reports chemical releases to air, water or land to EPA each year.
EPA Toxics Release Inventory
Historic listing nearby
50 ft
Substation 409. Exterior changes can need preservation review; listed buildings can qualify for rehabilitation tax credits.
National Park Service, National Register
Radon potential
Moderate
Average indoor levels of 2 to 4 pCi/L. EPA still suggests testing ground-floor and basement units.
EPA and USGS Geologic Radon Potential Map
Nearest public schools
200 ft
PS 20 ANNA SILVER (200 ft), SCHOOL FOR GLOBAL LEADERS (500 ft), LOWER EAST SIDE PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL (500 ft). Confirm the assigned school with the district.
U.S. Department of Education, NCES
Major airport
7.1 mi
LaGuardia (LGA). Aircraft may be audible under approach paths.
FAA large-hub airports
Sinkhole-prone ground
Limestone karst
The bedrock here (marble, Inwood Marble) can dissolve and open sinkholes. Ask for a geotechnical report and check whether sinkhole coverage is in the insurance policy.
USGS Karst in the United States (OFR 2014-1156)
Conforming loan limit 2026
$1,209,750
New York County. Mortgages up to this amount qualify for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pricing. Above it, the loan is a jumbo with stricter terms.
FHFA Conforming Loan Limit Values, one-unit
Property tax after you buy
$7,000 a year
About $583 a month at New York's 1.40% median effective rate.
In New York City, small homes are capped at 6% a year (20% over five years), and the cap stays with the property through a sale.
Rough estimate. U.S. Census ACS median effective rates. Your county assessor sets the final bill.
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Who lives and works in Manhattan
Finance, media and law, with the country's densest job market
Manhattan is built around work. Most households rent, most trips happen on foot or on the subway, and the day starts early in Midtown and downtown. Apartments are small by national standards and the premium goes to the commute, not the square footage.
- $99,880
- median household income
- 20.5%
- residents aged 25 to 34
- 24%
- households that own their home
What pays the bills
- Finance and insurance
- Media and publishing
- Law and consulting
- Healthcare
- Tech offices
Who anchors the economy
JPMorgan Chase · Goldman Sachs · NYU · Mount Sinai · Google NYC
The market is shaped around
- Young professionals
- Dual-income couples
- People who want to live without a car
Viewing recommendations
What's worth checking in person before deciding.
- Test water pressure and temperature at the tap, in the bathroom and kitchen, for at least a minute.
- Look at the stairwell (cleanliness, smell) and the association's notice board: unpaid dues, conflicts, recent decisions.
- Schedule a viewing on a weekday too, between 6:00 and 7:30 PM, the window when the building is busiest: neighbors, parking, elevator.
- Knock on a neighboring door and ask two things: what bothers them most often, and what work is planned for the building.
- Ask for the latest maintenance bill from a winter month, not a summer one: that's where the real cost of living there shows up.
- Ask specifically where you'd park: is there paid city parking, who currently holds it, what the permit costs, and how long the waitlist is.
Neighborhood recommendations are derived from public OpenStreetMap data and may be incomplete. Checking in person is still what matters most.