It’s Not the Same as Facing a Firing Squad

Relax, urges Steve Wagner, who is a partner in the law firm of Wagner Berkow as well as a board member at his 420-unit Manhattan co-op. "The reputation of co-op interviews is so bad that people come in dreading it," Wagner tells Brick Underground. "But in our building, we always try to make it a pleasant experience."

Some boards drag out the application process, including the interview, to the point that it kills the sale. Other boards demand that an applicant’s children sit in on the interview, while at least one co-op board interviews the dogs of potential purchasers. Even if a buyer doesn’t have kids or dogs, though, there are certain things Wagner advises.

For interviewers: be prepared to ask pointed questions about money (“it’s all fair game in interviews,” Wagner says); do NOT ask questions that might lead to a discrimination claim by a member of a protected class under the Fair Housing Act; explain building policies, how a shareholder can make a complaint if there's a problem, and anything they need to know if there's an assessment.

For interviewees: feel free to ask questions about procedural things, such as how laundry works in the building, or whether you can install a washer/dryer in your apartment. But don’t go overboard. "If a person comes in with their checklist of 55 questions they need addressed,” Wagner says, “that usually doesn't create a great impression.