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.

Whether on the Upper East Side, in the West Village, or across the river in Brooklyn’s brownstone belt, the private house — an enduring symbol of city life — can win over even the most dedicated skyscraper fans when it comes to luxury living. Here are three favorite townhouse currently on the market. For interior photos, check out each listing.

Where: 161 State Street
Size: 5 bedrooms/3 bathrooms
Asking: $3,300,000
Listed by: Reyn Rossington and Doug Bowen

Brooklyn Heights might have the highest concentration of immaculate townhouses in New York City, and it isn’t even in Manhattan. The homes are beautiful and well-preserved, with price tags to match. One recently sold for a record-setting $11 million. This pre-Civil War house on State Street is on the market for the first time in over 50 years, and it’s move-in ready, with 3,400 square feet of space, amazing period millwork and great outdoor space. It’s currently configured as an owner’s triplex and garden rental apartment.

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It’s been an unseasonably warm winter in New York, and the historic former McBurney YMCA is dressing accordingly. Exterior maintenance work on the building, which was converted to a handful of massive loft apartments a few years ago, is now complete, and the Beaux-Arts beauty at 213 West 23rd Street has shed its scaffolding and is once again shining. Today the Daily News takes note of the building, specifically its epic penthouse. Dubbed Chelsea Skyhouse, the 6,000-square-foot apartment — with a 30′ atrium and a layout currently configured as a four-bedroom, each having access to terraces — also includes a staggering 7,000 sq. ft. of private outdoor space. It’s listed for $8.95M by CORE’s Christian Rogers and Emily Beare, who cracks to the Daily News, “People in the suburbs don’t have backyards this big.”

The paper’s Gina Pace adds, “With exposures in four directions, tons of floor-to-ceiling windows and no neighbors on the floor, the space feels like it has been airlifted from the west coast and placed on top of the Beaux Arts-style building.” Click over to the Daily News story for some great photos, and check out the floorplan for the Chelsea Skyhouse below. (more…)

To get away from the chaos and noise of the city without actually leaving Manhattan, many residents choose homes that take on a more pastoral feel. Nobody is claiming that city life is quaint, but a little bit of quiet can totally revolutionize your outlook. Here are three homes that offer a bit of urban oasis mixed in with all the excitement that Manhattan has to offer.

Where: 246 West 17th Street, 1-C
Size: 2 bedrooms/2.5 bathrooms
Asking: $2,575,000
Listed by: Stuart Sussman & Tom Postilio

Sunlight splashing in from massive windows looking out onto a verdant private garden: sounds like a perfect escape to us. And who would’ve thought that such an experience was possible in a neighborhood like Chelsea, with all of its nightlife, culture and downtown vibrancy? But it is possible, in this townhouse-like condo featuring 14′ ceilings and design by award-winning architect Ed Rawlings.

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Note: Interior photo is from a model apartment.

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…)

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.

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

“The Market That Never Sleeps”
New American Luxury
CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher was interviewed about trends in the New York City real estate market and how CORE stays ahead of them. Here’s Osher on what people want right now: “Clients are looking for quality—something they’ve become so used to seeing a lack of in this market. New Yorkers want turnkey, well-conceived, perfectly finished apartments and homes.”

“So You’re Priced Out. Now What?”
New York Times
The historic Ladies’ Mile section of Chelsea is offered up as a more affordable version of SoHo in an interesting Times story that looks at five pairs of neighborhoods, one expensive, one cheaper. Part of what gives the Ladies’ Mile its SoHo feel is the conversion of old department stores into lofts, like the Cammeyer, where the Times highlighted Kirk Rundhaug’s $2.8 million listing in the building (right).

“Watts up”
New York Post
Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts checked out three of Vickey Barron’s townhouse listings in the Village, but in the end the celebrity couple decided to buy a loft in TriBeCa.

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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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.