Jordan Lombardo and Brad Senffner met on a relationship app in 2017, however they didn’t hyperlink up in individual till six months later — by chance.
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 seen 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 furry daddy waving to you?”
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“That was once 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 known as him the incorrect identify: Adam.”
Mr. Senffner requested what Mr. Lombardo’s plan was for the day, and so they realized they have been each going to take a look at the identical native seashore. They’ve been collectively ever since. Just a few 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 Faculty for 3 years and thrived amid the 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 stunning. “We have been simply driving in the future in the course of 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 completely different neighborhoods. Their first spot was a one-bedroom in Washington Heights, the place they lived for a month. “The solar was crucial factor within the house,” mentioned Mr. Senffner, the occasions director at an upscale restaurant and occasion area in Manhattan. “It might permeate each area. And we’ve 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 stage. That they had a non-public patio, a respite from the darkness inside, the place they might entertain mates and let their two Frenchies out without having to stroll them when the winter chill arrived.
The couple acquired married in that Harlem rental on New 12 months’s Eve 2024 and began excited 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 fee with a funds 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 turn 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 displaying them two-bedrooms that match their wants, together with an ideal kitchen, a number of gentle, and pet pleasant. The couple needed sufficient area to entertain and host in a single day visitors, and so they leaned towards prewar appeal as an alternative of newer developments.
The couple tried to remain properly below their $800,000 funds in order that they’d have funds left over to make any area into one thing of their very own. “We assumed that we’d do some kind of renovation or adjustment,” Mr. Senffner mentioned. “For instance, we’ll do a whole lot of trimming stuff on this area to make it really feel extra collected, designed.”
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