HGTV’s “Selling New York” follows along with CORE agents as they navigate the country’s most competitive—and compelling—real estate market. Here’s our behind-the-scenes look at Episode 311, which first aired on August 25, 2011. For more SNY epilogues, click here.

In this week’s episode, “Seeing is Believing,” SNY alum Maggie Kent partners with fellow CORE agent John Harrison to help a young client, Vanessa, navigate the intimidating Manhattan real estate market as she searches for her first apartment. After losing a competitive bidding war on what Vanessa thought would be her dream apartment, Maggie and John had to tackle the challenge of picking up the pieces and starting the apartment search all over again.

Continue reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information about what happened after the cameras stopped rolling and what didn’t make it into last night’s episode of “Selling New York!”

1) Initially, John began showing Vanessa apartments in the $700,000 range, but could quickly tell that she wanted more out of an apartment. Maggie called the apartment hunt not a process of elimination, but rather “a process of addition,” stating that the more apartments Vanessa saw, the more items she added to her wish list. CORE’s experts ended up showing Vanessa around 60 apartments in total. John said that the more options a client sees, the better able he is to meet their needs.

(more…)

The more we peel the layers off an onion, the more it seems to stink (and make us cry).

And the less it looks like an onion!

What do we expect to find at the CORE?

A nugget? A pearl? Or are we looking for an excuse?

As a buyer, you start out with a clear idea of what you want. You search, search, search… and search some more. You may find some places that are just “fine” and some that are just not!

If you’re lucky enough to find what you’re dreaming of within your price range (and you will know it when you see it), just BUY it!

Don’t question yourself. No second guesses.

Have your agent negotiate the best deal for you and take the plunge!

I’ve met more people who have regretted NOT buying their dream home than people who regretted buying their nightmare apartment.

After Stellar First Season, CORE Agents Will Take to the Small Screen Once Again in 2011

CORE is pleased to announce that HGTV has ordered an additional 39 episodes of the hit series Selling New York, scheduled to premier in January 2011. Selling New York, a popular weekly series that began airing in March 2010, gives viewers a rare glimpse inside the high stakes world of buying and selling luxury Manhattan properties. CORE CEO, Shaun Osher, and his agents were featured in the first season of the wildly successful reality show, so successful that the network quickly ordered additional episodes for a new season.

“We are thrilled to be a part of HGTV’s Selling New York,” notes CORE CEO Shaun Osher. “The show successfully captures the hard work and integrity of CORE agents and I’ve been pleased with how well the show conveys CORE, our agents and our business. We can’t wait for viewers to see what we’ve been up to in the competitive New York City real estate market.”

In the new season, cameras will follow last season favorites Maggie Kent, Kirk Rundhaug and Tom Postilio as well as introduce a colorful new set of assertive, razor-sharp agents from CORE.

Continuing a theme from my previous appearance on Selling New York, in the April 22nd episode I had a chance to focus on identifying and addressing the inherent “energy” of the apartment that I was tasked to sell. An apartment, house or any kind of home acquires its energy not only from its own history, but from the histories—the experiences, goals, aspirations, obstacles and anxieties—of the people who live in it,  as well as of their guests, their neighbors and, dare I say, their brokers. I was educated in the existence and power of this type of energy by my friend and colleague Reginald Arthur, who for years has studied the energies of individuals, their homes and their environments. Almost as soon as I took over the listing of an apartment at 50 Gramercy Park North, I brought Reggie in to help promote the residence’s positive energies. Similar to the penthouse (at 350 West 23rd Street) featured in my previous episode, the one at 50 Gramercy is a relatively new construction and its current occupants have lived there for less than three years. Reggie and I have come to understand that new developments often attract and absorb negative forces that accompany the building process: the stresses of financing, the convulsions of construction, the uncertainties of the marketplace in which the apartments are sold. Furthermore, the 50 Gramercy project incorporates an old New York hotel that has hosted many unusual guests over the years, each of whom contributes his or her own energy to the bones of the building. All of these factors, if sufficiently negative, can create a pall that, on a certain level, deters buyers. Reggie identified this immediately and took measures to reverse its effects. He tries to help homes release negative energies from dark periods in their histories by assisting their owners and brokers in doing the same. In other words, if the people who live and pass through an apartment are able to expel their negative energies, so too will those energies be expelled from the apartment itself, resulting in a space that is brighter and more attractive to prospective buyers. Whether or not they believe in the veracity of Reggie’s methods, my sellers (and I) are always filled with confidence by his presence and charisma. And, after all, isn’t confidence  just another form of positive energy?

One of the challenges of showing an unfurnished unit in a new construction is that prospective buyers have a hard time visualizing what the apartment might look like when they are living in it. It has never been occupied and therefore doesn’t have the character or energy of a space that has been called “home,” so buyers are skeptical. As the date approached for the filming of Penthouse A at 350 West 23^rd Street for HGTV’s new series “Selling New York,” I faced this exact challenge—and, after conferring with CORE’s CEO, Shaun Osher, I decided that the best way to handle it was to stage the apartment. Staging is a delicate task: If done in a careless way, the design can look contrived and can misrepresent the space. Not only must the furnishings chosen for staging fit the space in terms of size; they must also complement the angles, materials and textures of the apartment as well as draw in the natural landscape beyond the unit’s windows and terraces. The latter point is especially important in a space such as Penthouse A, with its broad floor-to-ceiling windows, expansive terraces and park views. I chose my pieces the way buyers choose their furniture and artwork when preparing to settle in to a home for many years or generations. I followed an aesthetic that reflected the unique vibe of Chelsea—modern and sophisticated yet warm and approachable. I owe a great debt to Laurie Messman and her team at Ligne Roset, who provided pieces that perfectly captured the look and feel I was going for. One of Laurie’s brilliant ideas was to borrow artwork and music memorabilia from the Sony Archives. The fact that she was able to secure historic platinum records, limited-edition photographs of famous musicians and entertainers such as Jimi Hendrix and Ertha Kitt, and classic guitars was an enormous feat. I recall thinking that the buyer I was searching for “could hang his own guitar in its place,” and while the buyer from the episode did not have a guitar herself, I imagined that perhaps one day her son would hang his there. In upcoming episodes of “Selling New York” I deal with other aspects of this “home energy,” of which staging is just one part. Tune in and enjoy!

One of my favorite moments in my experience with the 132-138 Mulberry listing was when the seller showed me his Batman costume, holding it up and saying, “Maggie, look!” as he conveniently pulled it from a cabinet in his ultra-mod open living room. Very handy, I thought, and how apropos, given that ever since I first laid eyes on the loft featured in my premiere episode of “Selling New York,” on HGTV, it reminded me of a modern-day Bruce Wayne lair, otherwise known as the Bat Cave. You know, the one from the 1960s TV show-a hidden, private, mysterious work space where technology rules and Gotham need not fear. The only thing missing from this mini-mansion is Robin and a devoted butler.

132-138 Mulberry is for a very specific buyer. “But what space isn’t?” you ask? Well, although this loft is hugely versatile, with plenty of space that can be reconfigured in numerous ways, it may hold particular appeal to the Bruce Waynes of the world. I think it’s the high-tech finishes, the keyed elevator, the security system and the elegant mid-century furnishings that help qualify it as a superhero home. But don’t let the cave-like description fool you; it actually has more than a dozen steel-frame double-pane gas-insulated tilt-and-turn casement windows that allow for plenty of natural light. It’s all in the episode, of course, including that whopping price drop! For more details, just click on the listing on my CORE agent page.

I’m looking forward to upcoming episodes in which a few of my other listings are featured. I happen to have a condo combination unit available now in Union Square, if you’re looking for something a little different than a lair-this one is penthouse-style, with a private rooftop outdoor space, just in case there are any Clark Kents out there looking for a landing pad.