April 2018 by Carole Hines and Mavis DeWees
In May of this year (2016), we decided to look for a small pied-a-terre. We had agreed that most neighborhoods would be acceptable, although we preferred the Upper East Side or Upper West Side. We told Gabriela what we could afford, and that we wanted a dog-friendly building that would allow a pied-a-terre. She immediately set up some appointments and we met at a building on E. 81st St. We liked her right away, and she showed us a wonderful small apt. in a fabulous building. It turned out that the place would probably be sold at a price that exceeded our budget, but we found out that another, similar apt. in the building might be coming up soon.
We saw several places all over Manhattan and Gabriela tirelessly worked to find us our dream apt. Gabriela held our hand and walked us through all the hurdles and complexities of purchasing a coop. It is not for the faint of heart. She was so responsive and kept us informed every step of the way. She never, ever gave up, and she encouraged and guided us through a process that is not simple in any way.
She helped us with the reams of documents, and she was our champion in explaining our particular financial situation to the management and board responsible for approving the purchasers of a coop. We would not be the proud owners of a lovely studio apartment in a wonderful, safe, convenient building 6 blocks from Central Park without Gabriela Vatamanu.