A sampling of last week’s press coverage of CORE and CORE properties.

“The luxury list”
The Real Deal
In its first ranking of the top luxury real estate brokers in Manhattan based on sales, The Real Deal magazine tapped CORE Managing Director Emily Beare as one of the top dealmakers in Chelsea, highlighting her $7 million sale at the neighborhood’s iconic Chelsea Mercantile building.

“Houses of the Week”
New York Post
Speaking of the Chelsea Mercantile, Michael Garr’s listing in the building–a great 1,500-square-foot loft priced at just over $2 million (above)–was one of the Post’s featured properties last week. The six large tilt-and-turn windows have some stunning city views, if that’s your thing. (It’s certainly ours.)

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A typical New York winter wouldn’t normally include the kind of Monday the city experienced this week, sunny and touching 60 on the thermometer. Global warming fears aside, it makes us think about those apartments in the city that have access to beautiful outdoor spaces built for lounging with family and friends. CORE’s jaw-dropping Chelsea penthouse at 166 West 18th Street, also known as Yves, is so massive and modern that some of the little things — like this private 230-square-foot terrace — tend to go unnoticed. But the way it’s been decked out makes it ideal for capturing those fleeting moments when the New York winter is wonderful.

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 #502, which first aired on February 2, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “Old Listings Get Some New Life,” CORE Managing Director Tom Postilio was under the gun to sell one of his most unique listings. After six months on the market at $3.495 million, the eclectic triplex penthouse at 135 West 58th Street in Midtown wasn’t generating much interest from buyers. Apparently, purple couches and flamboyant décor just aren’t for everyone. In an attempt to breathe new life into the listing, Tom proposed a radical million-dollar price drop and a furniture swap to attract a larger pool of New York City brokers and buyers, and sure enough, that’s just what happened. The end of the episode ended with an offer on the apartment, and it has since sold for $2.4 million in cash!

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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One major aspect of a real estate broker’s job that most people don’t know about is the role of decorator. Agents need a keen eye for interior design, and not only regarding what does or doesn’t look good, but what will sell. CORE agents are particularly talented in this regard — just ask the media. Today Christian Rogers and Elizabeth Kee lend their expert advice on renovating and redecorating for a sale in a pair of great newspaper stories.

In the New York Post, veteran broker Christian Rogers explains not only what to do before listing a home for sale (modernize kitchens and bathrooms, upgrade appliances, stay neutral when it comes to colors and personal taste), but also what not to do. That list includes avoiding expensive custom window treatments, Miami-style marble and terrazzo flooring, and Venetian-plastered walls (”Ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s done terribly,” Rogers says). Click through to the Post’s story for more tips and tricks of the trade.

In the New York Times Home & Garden section, Elizabeth Kee tackles an age-old dilemma: What to do about family photos hanging on the wall before listing an apartment? Though most sellers won’t want to hear it, removing the photos “should be the very first thing you do when you prepare an apartment for sale,” Kee says. To find out why, head over to the Times.

When people think of Midtown, images of theaters, neon lights and tourists are evoked. But the area is also home to swaths of New Yorkers who want to be where the action is, but still have a comfortable place to call their own. Here are three of our favorites in the neighborhood.

Where: 247 West 46th Street, #1203
Size: 2 bedroom/2.5 bathroom
Asking: $1,960,000
Listed by: Lindsee Silverstein

Totally fresh and contemporary, we love this home for bringing the grand proportions typically reserved for much larger homes to a two-bedroom layout. Situated right on 46th Street, this unit is in The Platinum condominium, one of the neighborhood’s top buildings. Designed by renowned architect Costas Kondylis, the building is like a resort, featuring a common landscaped terrace with cabanas and stone fireplace, and amenities like a 6,000-square foot lounge with a fitness center, yoga studios, sauna, spa treatment room and game room. (more…)