What is Chelsea’s most stylish new building? According to the New York Daily News, it’s 305W16, the art-infused residential building at Eighth Avenue and 16th Street where CORE is the exclusive sales and marketing firm. The paper’s full-page story today sings the praises of 305W16, and not without reason. As reported by Curbed earlier this week, the 53-unit building has reached the 75% in contract and sold mark, a great achievement in what is typically a slow season for real estate. Curbed also has the first photos of the latest model apartment at 305W16 (one of which can be seen above), a two-bedroom/two-bathroom unit on the second floor with a lovely private terrace priced at $1.35 million.

The building has seen brisk sales activity in February, and now that the press is taking notice, we asked CORE’s Maggie Kent what all the fuss is about. Here’s what she told us:

Traffic to the building has really been excellent lately, and for most people these are their return visits. Inventory in Manhattan is low and buyers recognize that this is a great value, and with only a handful of apartments left, people who want to be in the building are making their moves. They’re responding to the product, the location, and the fact that it’s new. And with the weather this winter being on our side, the rooftop is getting a huge response, and the apartments with private outdoor space are seeing a lot of interest.

Plus, as the Daily News noted, “It doesn’t hurt to be a few feet from the Google building.” For a current list of availability in the building, click here.

Location, location, location the old mantra goes, which is perfect for a building like 305W16, sitting on the edge of three exciting neighborhoods: Chelsea, the Meatpacking District and the West Village. The brand new 53-unit building, where CORE is the exclusive sales and marketing agent, is now over 70% sold and in contract, and move-ins have begun. But that doesn’t make 305W16 an old story. In fact, one of the newest listings, for apartment #6B, is also one of the best — just ask the building’s buyers. Every similar apartment in this line has already sold. What’s the secret? The one-bedroom apartment is in the rear of the building, and the back of 305W16 looks out over a lovely park, which means apartments are flooded with light. Additionally, #6B boasts a 25-foot-long private terrace, a rarity for a one-bedroom home. Plus, the price tag is under a million bucks, which means this new listing might not last long. See the floorplan below, or head to the 305W16 website for more photos and info. (more…)

“Steampunk fandom heats up”
CBS News “Sunday Morning” (10/30)
Comedian Mo Rocca got an inside look at “Steampunk” culture on the long-running TV news show, including a tour of the fantastically decorated loft at 120 West 29th Street (right), listed by CORE’s Parul Brahmbhatt.

“Buying up domain names in order to turn a profit”
The Real Deal (11/1)
CORE CEO Shaun Osher commented on the practice of real estate companies buying up Internet domains to direct more web traffic their way.

Dream Homes
New York Post (11/3)
The Post did a little bit of salivating over CORE broker Stuart Sussman’s four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom, 3,579-square-foot penthouse listing in Chelsea’s Yves building, which is asking $10.4 million.

“Chelsea Housing Gets Google Lift”
Wall Street Journal (11/4)
CORE’s 305W16 development was highlighted as one of the new residential buildings contributing to a post-Google housing boom in Chelsea. Read more: The Real Deal, Betabeat

“Psst, Seller: Your Stove Is Showing Its Age”
New York Times (11/6)
In the weekend’s Real Estate section cover story, veteran CORE broker Michael Garr talked about the benefits of sellers renovating their homes when putting them on the market.

Add another feather to Google’s cap. The Internet search giant is already tops when it comes to online innovation and checking up on an old fling, but now Google is also good for triggering real estate development booms. Today the Wall Street Journal writes about the domino effect of Google purchasing the office building at 111 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea for a staggering $1.9 billion, which has fast-tracked a number of new residential developments looking to capitalize on Google and other technology companies flooding the neighborhood with housing-hungry employees. One of those buildings is 305W16 (above), which is being sold and marketed by CORE. The building, just a few steps from Google’s front door, launched sales with a bang over the summer, and is now 65% in-contract and sold. There’s plenty of other action in the neighborhood, as CORE CEO Shaun Osher explains to the Journal:

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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 313, which first aired on September 1, 2011. For more SNY epilogues, click here.

In New York City, 45 days is hardly enough notice to get a dinner reservation, but in this week’s episode of “Selling New York,” entitled “Moving Deadlines,” that’s the brief amount of time the CORE team — including agent Maggie Kent, Chief Operating Officer Brittley Jarrell and founder and CEO Shaun Osher — is given to launch a new 53-unit luxury apartment building in the downtown Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and it took almost that many people to get the building, 305W16, ready for its sales launch and grand opening party. And what a party it was! After a few weeks of intense design, staging and marketing work, 305W16 kicked off with an incredible rooftop party that unveiled the building’s massive daisy sculpture to a crowd of over 600.

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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Need further proof that the Manhattan luxury real estate market never takes a day off, not even in the summer? Then check out The Real Deal’s report on 305W16, the 53-unit Chelsea cond-op being marketed by CORE. The building launched sales with a show-stopping rooftop party in June, at the start of what is typically considered a slow season when it comes to buying and selling property. Less than three months later, over 50% of the building’s apartments are in contract, and closings have kicked off, The Real Deal notes. The building has a massive attention-grabbing sculpture on its roof, but CORE’s Shaun Osher tells TRD the project stands out in other ways as well:

While the aforementioned sculpture has certainly contributed to the building’s unique identity, Osher said Core is using the cond-op’s website to market the building in a unique way. Rather than a traditional website, this is a blog updated regularly by the Core marketing team with news on the building and the Chelsea neighborhood.

“It connects to the person who is buying in this building,” Osher said, noting that the budding technology scene nearby, including Google’s new office across the street, is bringing in young, tech-savvy entrepreneurs. “[The website] is a living, breathing conduit of information for people that are constantly on the Internet.”

Speaking of the tech-savvy, they can click here for more details on 305W16’s current availability.

What could make a building with a 34-foot-high stainless steel daisy planted on its rooftop stand out even more? How about fire breathers, models covered in body paint and a performance by some world-famous musicians? That was the scene last month on top of 305W16, the new residential condop developed by Centaur Properties and marketed by CORE. Located on the cusp of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, 305W16 made a splashy debut befitting these vibrant New York City neighborhoods. But enough talk. Check out the video above to get a taste of 305W16’s fun and artsy spirit, and click here to see what’s still available in the building.

CORE is proud to present an interview with Rob Buchholz, the artist of the incredible Daisy Sculpture that lives on top of our new development project, 305W16. Please check out the 305W16 blog (www.305w16.com) for up-to-the-minute postings from CORE agents and happenings in and around Chelsea.