By N. Clark Judd

Luxury developers in Riverdale have been trying everything to get people in their condos.

The Riverstone on Arlington Avenue has dramatically slashed prices. The Latitude on Graystone Avenue tried a rent-toown program.

Auction signs stuck in the ground in the strip along Henry Hudson Parkway East Saturday pointed toward Johnson Avenue where Isiah Crawford stood with an even bigger sign pointing toward the units for sale.

Passersby approached him, he said, not only to inquire about real estate deals, but to express worry about falling property values in the neighborhood.

The next day, the wind and rain had knocked the highway signs down, but Mr. Crawford returned to his spot on West 235th Street with an even bigger one.

Arc Development, builders of the Solaria on West 237th Street, tried everything — allowing buyers to rent in the building for up to a year before becoming owners, lowering prices, but the building, 64 units according to city filings, still has 54 vacant units.

So on Nov. 22, in what Arc founder Joe Korff believes is the first event of its type in New York City, those units will go up for auction.

“I decided to do it because basically I get people walking through, they love it, these are large homes with amenities, high-end finishes, this is what people tell me from walking through,” he said, “and they’re just uncertain.”

The market for new luxury condos in Riverdale never really had a chance to get established. Around the time developments like the Solaria were coming online, the real estate market was weakening. That, Mr. Korff believes, is the reason why his condos aren’t selling. Nobody knows how much to pay.

As a result, units that he was asking a minimum of $660,000 for will be up for sale at an auction starting at $299,000.

The goods range from one- to five-bedroom apartments, averaging from 1,500 to 2,000 square feet. Some, Mr. Korff said, are larger than 3,000 square feet.

“The purpose of this process is price discovery,” he said. “People will have the opportunity, the starting bids will be at [$299,000], and we’ll let the market speak.”