Photo by Richard Caplan.

When Central Park turns too touristy, Upper East Siders know exactly where to go for a quiet slice of serenity and greenery in the city. Carl Schurz Park on East End Avenue provides such an escape. A charming prewar one-bedroom apartment at 509 East 88th Street — listed by CORE’s Limor Nesher — is just steps from the park and its highest-profile neighbor, Gracie Mansion. Consider the surroundings your own island within an island. And please, try to keep it a secret.

HGTV’s “Selling New York” follows CORE agents as they navigate the country’s most competitive—and compelling—real estate market. Here’s our behind-the-scenes look at Episode 407, which first aired on December 1, 2011. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “Lucky Dogs,” CORE’s Parul Brahmbhatt helped longtime San Franciscans Chris Mancini and Brian Sauls (and their two Chinese Cresteds) find a rental apartment in Manhattan, which they knew little about. After walking into CORE’s Chelsea office looking for assistance in finding his family a new home on the East Coast for around $8,500 per month, Chris saw one duplex in the neighborhood, but immediately realized he needed to wait for Brian before making any decisions. Once the couple was reunited, Parul gave them a crash course in Downtown NYC neighborhoods.

The Financial District is close to Chris’s work, but the “concrete canyons” of Lower Manhattan didn’t quite remind them of San Francisco. The couple ended up falling in love with an apartment at 254 Park Avenue South near Union Square (New York’s, not San Francisco’s!). But there was a problem: It was way above their budget. After practicing the art of negotiation, Parul talked down the apartment’s owner to $8,750 per month, with Chris and Brian paying the entire lease upfront in cash. Chris was hesitant about the cash deal at first, but his trust in Parul convinced him to move forward. Once the deal was accepted, Parul let Chris, Brian and their dogs know it was time to pack.

Keep on reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information about what didn’t make it into last night’s episode of “Selling New York” and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling!

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