By Howard Koplowitz
Residents of North Shore Towers can play 18 holes of golf, catch new releases at the in-house movie theater and go to the supermarket without leaving the sprawling 1,800-unit luxury co-op.
Given those amenities, along with tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a beauty parlor and a dry cleaner, the apartments at the Floral Park complex sell themselves, according to Linda Rappaport, an on-site sales broker with Charles H. Greenthal & Co., the company that markets the North Shore Towers units.
After all, Rappaport should know. She has been a resident of the towers for more than 20 years.
"I love the community," Rappaport said in a recent interview, noting that she starts her day by working out at the towers' gym in the morning before heading off to the office. She also gets her hair and nails done at the co-op salon.
"North Shore Towers basically sells itself," said Rappaport, whose office has dubbed itself "The Greenthal Girls" due to its all-female office.
About 80 apartments are currently up for sale at North Shore Towers.
Prices range from $175,000 for a studio alcove to three-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath units that go for $850,000 and beyond, Rappaport said.
Apartments have spacious rooms, long, wide, dramatic living rooms, walkout terraces and views of the Manhattan skyline.
Country club membership costs $600, which includes free golf on the 18-hole course and tennis for the first year of membership.
The towers also feature an express bus stop to Manhattan on the hour, every hour. The Little Neck Long Island Rail Road station is five minutes away.
Although the housing market is in a slump, Rappaport said Greenthal is having no trouble selling North Shore Towers units and off-site homes, with properties fetching full asking prices.
"I think we have a niche here," she said of why the economy is not affecting her business. "We try to provide everything. We're able to focus on the right buyer for a specific seller."
While the co-op has a reputation from outsiders as a retirement community, Rappaport said that that is not the case. She noted that her last customer was 27 years old.
Younger people "are seeing all the amenities and the lifestyle" of the towers and finding it to be an attractive place to live, she said.
"They're seeing this is such an easier way of life," Rappaport said.
A major selling point to younger families is that the towers are located in District 26, the highest performing school district in the city.
Aside from North Shore Towers units, Greenthal also sells properties in Queens and Nassau County. The company manages the co-op as well as the Kennedy Building in Rego Park.
Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173.
