Gary Foster had no plans to buy a condo at Crystal Point when he toured the 42-story glass tower on the water’s edge. Instead, he was positive he was going to buy at a building a few blocks inland – one that was closer to transportation, with finishes he really liked. But his Realtor suggested he check out the new development anyway. “I came here very pessimistic,” said Foster, who works in the financial industry in the city. “But then I walked into the unit and was like, ‘Wow. This is a really great view.’ It was the view that really won me over.” Foster ended up buying a unit on the 33rd floor that was listed for $1.2 million for $920,000. Looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the two bedrooms and the living room, it almost appears as if you are hanging over the water. The view stretches from the George Washington Bridge to lower Manhattan and the harbor. About 20 stories below, a flock of geese swoop by. Commuter boats churn the Hudson to midtown, and helicopters cut through the sky at almost eye level. “I love it when it starts to get dark, all the different colors in the sky and when the buildings start to light up,” said Foster, who closed in February and moved in April. It might seem that “the view” – that perennial premium – might be faltering amid continued real estate stagnation. But Realtors, developers, buyers and sellers say the lure of the view remains. “What is happening now in this market is that buyers are thinking of the view even more for two reasons,” said Nelson Chen, a Realtor based in Fort Lee who works with buyers and sellers all along North Jersey’s Gold Coast. “One, in this market, they feel they should definitely get the view for the price they want, and they think of resale – resale with the view is easier.” Chen said that the New York City view will cost buyers at least an additional $100,000 to $200,000, but that it is impossible to say who’s got the best view up and down the riverside. “Everyone has a different definition,” said Chen. “You’ve got the views from the north that offer the sweep of the river, but if you go south you can see lower Manhattan so close it’s like you can touch it. It’s a different sensation.” It’s also not just multimillion-dollar views that are out there. Chen said he has a listing in Fort Lee’s Horizon House, a junior one-bedroom at 800 square feet listing at $150,000 with a killer view. He’s also got a three-bedroom in the luxury high-rise The Carlyle Towers in Cliffside Park for $1.2 million. It’s not surprising that selling the view is paramount at the tallest residential tower in New Jersey, Trump Plaza Residences, in Jersey City. Jodi Stasse, director of marketing and sales said about half of their buyers decide on the view before they make any other decision. View: Manhattan vistas still fetch a premium, agents say The 55-story building is designed so that the larger apartments face east, commanding higher prices for space and view, Stasse said. “Bigger homes have better views, which affects the overall premium,” she said. Crystal Pointe, also in Jersey City, which came on the market 16 months ago, was designed so that every unit has water views, said developer Brian Fisher, principal of Fisher Development. He said the view is even more important in a down economy. “You want to build something that is going to stand a little better than your competition in a bad market,” he said. Sellers Lilya and Anthony Tessler hope that the stunning view from their two-bedroom, two-bath in North Bergen’s The Watermark, will give their condo an edge in the market. The unit, on the second floor has 1,298 square feet, 11-foot ceilings and is listed at $634,900. “The view is very calming,” said Lilya Tessler, who is looking to make a move to a house in the suburbs. “I can lie in bed and see the water outside my window.” The Tessler’s Realtor, Scott Selleck, said that while individual buyers’ opinions on which view is best may vary, appraisers generally value the downturn southeast view the highest. Selleck, a broker associate at RE/Max Villa Realtor in Edgewater, said a primo view can add about 20 percent to a purchase price. “What I’ve noticed on the waterfront in the last six to eight weeks is that there has been a shift for some buyers – some of them are just being more practical,” Selleck said. “Because of the economy, they’re asking ‘Does this make sense? Can I afford it? Is it priced right?’ They’re just being more careful.” Some buyers are even getting a little demanding about the view, said developer Michael Skea, director of operations for Lennar Urban Northeast Division, which is partnering with Roseland Property Co. on the Henley on Hudson project. “Folks who never dreamed they could afford a view now believe that they are almost entitled to it,” Skea said. “It’s a difficult thing to overcome.” “It’s not that there is not renewed interest in the market,” Skea said. “People are out there, however their expectations on where we are going to go on pricing can be pretty unrealistic.” Skea said that developers wont give the view away, but it can still be a bargain now. At the top of the market, Skea said a fantastic eastern view would add about $300,000 to a sale price. Now a home with the same floor plan and amenities would come with a view premium of about $150,000. Mark Leonardis said it was “all about the view,” when he bought a town home at Henley on Hudson about a year ago. Leonardis said his home is about 30 feet from the water’s edge, looking straight across the river down 42nd Street. “It’s incredible,” he said. “It’s romantic and very relaxing. Every night is just incredible, it’s like a big Christmas tree.” Leonardis said he paid $1.9 million for the four-story town home – a property that he estimates would have gone for $2.4 million at the top of the market. “I recently had it appraised, and it came back at what I bought it for,” he said. “It’s held its own through all the roughness of the market. I think when the market does come back it’s going to be a really good investment.” Not all “view” buildings are directly on the Gold Coast waterfront. Even though its about two miles inland, The Beacon in Jersey City can use “the view” in marketing, capitalizing on the fact that the development created from a former art deco hospital, is on a large hill. “Being downtown [Jersey City] you’re standing right on the water, but we have more of a panoramic vista thing,” said George Filopoulos, president of Metrovest Equities. Filopoulos said units in his property can give the view at an even cheaper price than waterfront properties. He estimated that a two-bedroom with views of midtown in his building goes for $450,000 while a similar unit closer to the water goes for $750,000. In the project’s most recent phase, the Mercury Lofts, east-facing units are priced about 10 percent higher than western ones. But ever the salesman, the developer said that even the western view has its advantages. “There is a premium for the Manhattan view,” he said. “But on the west side you get some great sunsets.”