Once a fringe neighborhood housing art galleries and little more, Chelsea has become one of the most in-demand and bustling neighborhoods in Manhattan, a bridge between Downtown cool and Midtown convenience. Here are our favorite available properties in the neighborhood that art created.

Where: 144 West 18th Street, 4-W
Size: 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom
Asking: $3,850,000
Listed by: Win Brown

This is what many people move to Chelsea for: a huge airy loft with the high-end finishes of a luxury home. Located in the Chainworks Building, which dates back to 1888, this 2,688-square-foot condo has a 40-foot-long living/dining area that’s perfect for entertaining, and a decked out Archlinea kitchen to make cooking for the guests a pleasure. Great layout aside, the building also offers an outdoor lounge with a grill, a rooftop sun-deck, a bike room and more.

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Photo collage of CORE's Vickey Barron, matchmaker Samantha Daniels and 256 West 10th Street via The Real Deal.

What makes a person really tick? Just ask their real estate broker. People share everything with their brokers — their hopes, dreams, likes, dislikes, wants, desires and, of course, their financials. In fact, you could argue there’s no one more qualified to pair a single person up with the perfect mate than that person’s house hunter. With that in mind, and with Valentine’s Day approaching, CORE Managing Director Vickey Barron is setting out to prove that home truly is where the heart is. The Real Deal reports that Barron has teamed up with professional matchmaker Samantha Daniels for an event called “Love and Real Estate.” The invitation-only event, held at Barron’s listing at 256 West 10th Street, will include a group of her single clients as well as some of Daniels’. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.

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Where: 28 East 10th Street Apt 9-C
Size: 1 bedroom/1 bathroom
Asking: $2,195,000
Listed by: Kirk Rundhaug and Paige Neuhauser

When Greenwich Village’s Devonshire House hit the market in 2009, with the real estate market in turmoil, it was an immediate hit (even with a celebrity here and there). Despite the uncertain global economy, buyers couldn’t pass up what the century-old building offered: A pre-war stunner with architectural pedigree, given a top-to-bottom upgrade by celebrated designer Victoria Hagan and converted to full-service condominiums. It’s a rare product, especially in downtown Manhattan. Now a charming ninth-floor apartment in the Emery Roth-designed building is on the market, showing off the best of this old-meets-new development: custom moldings and millwork, 4-inch white oak hardwood floors, custom Pella windows, E.R. Butler polished nickel hardware and kitchen appliances by Sub-Zero, Wolf and Bosch. The perfect pied-à-terre? It just might be. Below, a look at the Devonshire House’s classic lobby entrance:

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The neighborhood of Wallabout doesn’t have the same name recognition as nearby Brooklyn ‘hoods like Fort Greene, DUMBO or Park Slope, but it has plenty of history — thanks to its location near the 200-year-old Brooklyn Navy Yard — and now, a fledgling real estate boom of its own. That’s according to the New York Times, which highlighted the developing neighborhood and its charms over the weekend. One property featured by the Times is 141 Clermont Avenue (above), on the Fort Greene/Wallabout border, which is a pre-Civil War house that unbelievably still has its original wide plank wood floors in place. It’s listed by CORE’s Doug Bowen, who lives in the neighborhood. Have a peek inside below.

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

“Where History Meets Industry”
New York Times
The Times‘ “Living In” column took a trip to Brooklyn over the weekend, to the historic neighborhood of Wallabout. CORE’s Doug Bowen, who lives in the neighborhood, gave the paper a primer on what real estate sells for in the area. We’ll have more on this story on the CORE Blog later today.

Listing of the Week
MSNBC
The press can’t get enough of Parul Brahmbhatt’s Steampunk-inspired loft listing at 120 West 29th Street (right), and neither can we. The latest outlet to cover the quirky pad is MSNBC’s The Bottom Line blog, which calls it a “dramatically-inspired space straight out of a Jules Verne novel.”

“Three Developments Change the Stigma of Upper Fifth”
New York Condo Blog
CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher was interviewed about the changes along Upper Fifth Avenue, where there’s been a boom in construction, including the new CORE project at 1280 Fifth Avenue. Here’s our take on the piece and the neighborhood’s transformation.

Ever wonder why real estate near the Brooklyn waterfront sells for Manhattan-like prices? Then we direct you to this shot from the DUMBO neighborhood, where converted industrial loft buildings blend perfect with newer construction, all set against the East River and Manhattan skyline. Specifically this is the twilight view from the amazing penthouse at 189 Bridge Street, and it’s a view you can only get in Brooklyn. Sometimes an “outer” borough gives you the most “inside” New York feeling possible.

The New York Condo Blog is the latest publication to take notice of the transformation going on around Central Park along Upper Fifth Avenue, and they spoke with CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher about the changes, as well as CORE’s new luxury development in the neighborhood, 1280 Fifth Avenue. Here’s Osher’s response to a question about the “stigma” surrounding properties above 96th Street on the Upper East Side:

Manhattan neighborhoods are always evolving. 96th Street is an antiquated border that once denoted the northern boundary of the Upper East Side. Central Park is just as lush and green above 96th Street as it is below, and the architecture is equally as impressive. Both developers and savvy buyers recognize the value of having a Fifth Avenue address with direct park views, access to Central Park and presence along Museum Mile. It is that opportunity that is driving the growth along Upper Fifth Avenue, the newest in a long line of well-known neighborhoods that have evolved such as the Upper West Side, Chelsea, SoHo, and the Meatpacking District – all neighborhoods that are now among the most coveted in New York City.

“Opportunity” is a key word. As the Financial Times wrote, prices on Upper Fifth can be 25% to 50% below what’s asked south of 96th Street. For a look at some listings at 1280 Fifth, click here.

Lofts are perhaps the most New York way of living. Airy and spacious, they are the romantic manifestation of the city’s transformation from industrial grit into a chic urban utopia. High ceilings, wide open spaces and cast-iron never go out of style, and here are three of our favorites.

Where: 200 Mercer Street, 2-A
Size: 4 bedrooms/4 bathrooms
Asking: $4,500,000
Listed by: Patrick Mills and Evan Greenberg

This SoHo triplex makes the best use of combining the loft style with a more traditional, townhouse-like layout, creating a common area that is expansive and open but still allows the privacy of a separate floor for bedrooms and an informal media room. What really makes the place special, however, is the third level which simply consists of a large bedroom or office and a huge private outdoor terrace.

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

“A Duplex With Multi-Borough Views”
Wall Street Journal
The one-of-a-kind penthouse (right) in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood that made an appearance on last week’s episode of “Selling New York” was also the subject of the Journal’s “House of the Day.” CORE’s Michael Graves has the $6.8 million listing, which features 360-degree views and a pair of custom staircases in its 5,100 square feet.

“Just sold!”
New York Post
Speaking of DUMBO, a recent sale in one of the neighborhood’s top buildings, 85 Adams Street, by CORE’s Reyn Rossington was highlighted by the Post. The 2br/2ba condo sold for just under $1 million.

“Woody Upper West Side Duplex Gets an Attractive Pricecut”
Curbed
The CORE Blog’s look at some special properties on the Upper West Side caught the attention of Curbed, which decided to highlight the unique renovation given to Doron Zwickel’s exclusive listing at 270 West End Avenue. Like Kenny Rogers once said, it’s the wood that makes it good.

Photo by Richard Caplan

A private piece of the great outdoors is an amazing luxury few in New York can claim to have, but that luxury doesn’t come without its limits. A backyard tends to lose its luster when those New York City winters roll in, and a property where you can enjoy the outside while staying cozy indoors becomes an even more prized possession. This historic Greenwich Village townhouse at 36 Bedford Street is just that, with serene outdoor spaces and enough glass to enmesh you in the outdoors even when the elements suggest otherwise. Your move, Mother Nature.