Jordan Lombardo and Brad Senffner met on a courting app in 2017, however they didn’t hyperlink up in particular person till six months later — accidentally.
Mr. Lombardo’s mom had come to go to him in Chicago, and the 2 went out for brunch. As they completed their meal, Mr. Lombardo observed Mr. Senffner waving to him from throughout the road, which he discovered odd — odd sufficient that his mom cried out, “Who is that this previous bushy daddy waving to you?”
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“That was after I realized that we spoke earlier than however by no means met,” mentioned Mr. Lombardo, now 28, who’s from the Pittsburgh space. “I gave him a hug and referred to as him the mistaken title: Adam.”
Mr. Senffner requested what Mr. Lombardo’s plan was for the day, they usually realized they have been each going to take a look at the identical native seashore. They’ve been collectively ever since. A couple of months after they met, Mr. Lombardo moved into Mr. Senffner’s three-bedroom house, which he shared with two roommates for $3,200 a month.
It was time to seek out their first place collectively, however Mr. Lombardo, who had solely been dwelling in Chicago for a few years, had a reasonably large ask: He needed to maneuver to New York, the place he’d attended Hunter School for 3 years and thrived amid town’s walkability and marvel.
Extra was at stake for Mr. Senffner, 42, who grew up in a small city south of Chicago. However when Mr. Lombardo requested him to maneuver midway throughout the nation, the reply was shocking. “We have been simply driving sooner or later through the holidays, and he was like, ‘Let’s transfer. Let’s do it,’” Mr. Lombardo mentioned.
The couple arrived in Manhattan in 2018 and tried short-term leases to really feel out totally different neighborhoods. Their first spot was a one-bedroom in Washington Heights, the place they lived for a month. “The solar was a very powerful factor within the house,” mentioned Mr. Senffner, the occasions director at an upscale restaurant and occasion house in Manhattan. “It will permeate each house. And we have now a grand piano that moved with us, that’s been with me since I graduated school.”
They moved on to flats within the East Village, then the West Village, and at last Harlem, the place they rented a duplex that had just one window per degree. They’d a non-public patio, a respite from the darkness inside, the place they may entertain associates and let their two Frenchies out without having to stroll them when the winter chill arrived.
The couple bought married in that Harlem rental on New Yr’s Eve 2023 and began serious about shopping for a spot. They loved dwelling in Harlem, and likewise cherished the neighborhood vibe up in Washington Heights. They did some analysis and located that they certified for a first-time purchaser mortgage price with a price range of as much as $800,000.
“There’s a sure comfort that comes with Harlem — transit-wise, connectivity, walkability, all of that,” mentioned Mr. Lombardo, a flight attendant. “I believe we have simply develop into accustomed to this and we knew that we’d get extra for our cash in Higher Manhattan.”
They contacted Ashley Jeudy, an agent within the Harlem workplace at Brown Harris Stevens, who started exhibiting them two-bedrooms that match their wants, together with a fantastic kitchen, a lot of gentle, and pet pleasant. The couple needed sufficient house to entertain and host in a single day company, they usually leaned towards prewar appeal as a substitute of newer developments.
The couple tried to remain properly beneath their $800,000 price range in order that they’d have funds left over to make any house into one thing of their very own. “We assumed that we’d do some sort of renovation or adjustment,” Mr. Senffner mentioned. “For instance, we’ll do loads of trimming stuff on this house to make it really feel extra collected, designed.”
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