Whether used as pied-à-terres, bachelor pads or starter homes, these homes on the smaller end of the spectrum are still great studies in style, and wise investments. We picked three of our favorite bright and airy downtown homes currently on the market to show the good that can come from buying a home that doesn’t need too much maintenance.

Where: 200 East 16th Street, 11-A
Size: 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Asking: $699,000
Listed by: Maggie Kent

This corner one-bedroom in Gramercy is picture perfect, with beautiful windows that let in tons of light and provide views of the Empire State Building and, closer to home, the St. Georges Church and Seminary. And it’s not a typical tiny and cramped one-bedroom apartment: The bedroom and living room are oversized, and there’s a windowed office alcove with a built-in desk, shelves, and closet. Gramercy is an ideal location, being just a short walk from everything the East Village has to offer, but still staid and quiet, offering some solitude from the more lively stretches of downtown.

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

“Dream Homes”
New York Post
Tom Postilio’s and Mickey Conlon’s listing for a two-bed, three-bath combination unit (above) at the famed Jumeirah Essex House on Central Park South is highlighted for its views and generous proportions.

“CurbedWire: Selling NY Crossover”
Curbed
Curbed covered the “Tasting the World of Upper Manhattan” spring launch event at One Museum Mile, which was recapped last week on the CORE Blog.

“Manhattan’s $60 Million Apartment Will Be The Most Expensive Co-op Sale Ever”
Forbes
New CORE agent Jarrod Guy Randolph comments on Manhattan’s most expensive co-op sale and the booming state of the luxury real estate market.

“New Development Prices Rose, Inventory Dropped in March”
Curbed
CORE’s nearly-sold-out development at 650 Sixth Avenue, The Cammeyer, is included in StreetEasy’s report on the most popular new buildings by neighborhood.

If you poked your head out the window today you might have noticed that it’s beautiful out here in NYC and, once again, we’re left daydreaming of the great outdoors. The 3BR/3BA penthouse loft at Chelsea’s The Cammeyer — which just hit 80% sold — has one of the most casually inviting terraces on the market. The massive space is ideal for any kind of entertaining, but we like to think of it more as a private getaway where one can be alone above the bustle of the city.

It’s been a hot winter for The Cammeyer, the beautiful loft building at 650 Sixth Avenue in Chelsea’s historic Ladies’ Mile District that is one of CORE’s top new developments. Built in 1892 and once home to the world’s largest shoe store, the 67-condominium project is now 80% sold, the CORE Blog can reveal. While sales continue at a brisk pace in the building, The Cammeyer is also getting attention for making a grand entrance–literally. Interior Design magazine has an interesting story about the evolution of lobby design in Manhattan real estate. “The boutique lobby, a new subspecies, has invaded,” ID writes, and The Cammeyer, with a lobby designed by architect Eran Chen of ODA, is spotlighted. Check out Chen’s explanation for the lobby’s look: (more…)

Manhattan can never be described as average, but these apartments can. According to the latest market reports, the average sale price of a Manhattan apartment is $1.45 million. What does average look like? Pretty great, if you ask us. Here’s a look at three CORE listings priced around that magic number.

Where: 650 Sixth Avenue #5-A
Size: 1 bedroom/1 home office/2 bathrooms
Asking: $1,575,000
Listed by: Kirk Rundhaug, Mark Lynch and Ryan Fitzpatrick

There’s not much else that can be called average about this expansive (over 1,200 square feet) space that straddles Chelsea and the Flatiron District. The Cammeyer, a pre-war jewel that was once the world’s biggest shoe store, is one of the best loft buildings downtown. The finishes and location are second to none, the layouts are impressive — here there’s a 35′ x 12′ Great Room — and the building’s white-glove service goes above and beyond any concept of “average.”

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