Today’s “Photo of the Week” takes a glimpse into one of Saddle River, New Jersey’s most lavish homes.  Last week, 105 Chestnut Ridge Road was filmed for an upcoming installment of HGTV’s “Top 10 Outrageous Homes in America,” with listing broker Michael Graves taking the entire camera crew on a tour of this spectacular French manor.  Displaying some of the most unique homes in the country, “Top 10 Outrageous Homes in America” showcases incredible properties that have extravagant features and amenities.  Listed at $17.5 million, the home’s well-appointed interior is highlighted by a spectacular indoor pool and custom infinity hot tub, situated in a separate entertainment area located off the foyer. The photo above captures Michael in front of the camera as he continues the tour, leading the crew and TV producer Sara Ivey throughout the home.  This massive 25,000-square-foot, five-bedroom, seven-bathroom mansion features radiant heated floors, an elevator to each floor, Crestron home entertainment system, double height floor-to-ceiling windows, cabana, custom bar, outdoor USTA grade tennis court and two double parking garages at either side of the home.  For someone looking for a classically-configured home with amazingly unique amenities, this exquisite home is undoubtedly a home buyer’s dream, nestled just a short drive from New York City.

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 #612, which first aired on February 21, 2013. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In this episode, CORE’s Michael Graves is looking to outdo himself by breaking his own high sales record in the same building, 240 Park Avenue South. But CORE’s CEO Shaun Osher is skeptical Michael will be able to outdo the price of the penthouse apartment, which sold at the height of the real estate market. Keep on reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information on what didn’t make it into last night’s episode of “Selling New York” and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling!

• 240 Park Ave South and its warm community of residents hold a special place in Michael’s heart.  As fate would have, it his first real estate transaction was Penthouse 15A in the building – a direct deal that broke all price-per-square-footage records in the building which set him on a course of success that he could never have imagined.
• Since that time, Michael has become friends with many residents and has worked hard to increase their property value by swiftly selling more units at record breaking prices, such as 9A seen in tonight’s episode.
• Michael wishes we had more time to show the inner workings of these deals and the wonderful people who were involved along the way. What can he say is that Susan Kennedy is one of the most professional and pleasurable brokers in the industry. It was a total joy to work with her and her clients and they had a lot of laughs and fun along the way. Michael is certain that 240 Park Avenue South will continue to prove itself as one of the best buildings downtown and he is looking forward to his next deal there soon.

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 #513, which first aired on July 3, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

CORE CEO Shaun Osher has the difficult task of convincing a developer to ditch his current plans for a new condominium in order to achieve the highest possible sales prices. Although he is an expert when it comes to new construction and converting buildings to luxury residences, Shaun has to go the extra mile to show developer, Eldad Blaustein, what buyers look for in condos in TriBeCa.

After touring Eldad’s soon-to-be converted building at 93 Worth Street, Shaun decides to take him on a tour to explain his ideas for the building. Shaun shows Eldad some typical TriBeCa lofts and also takes him on a walking tour of the surrounding neighborhood to get a better idea of what buyers appreciate and look for when purchasing in the area.

In the end, Shaun’s hard work pays off and Eldad agrees to change his planned layouts to mirror Shaun’s suggestions. Also, Eldad awards Shaun with a deal to market and sell the condos at 93 Worth Street once they’re completed. Keep on reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information on 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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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 #512, which first aired on June 28, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In the latest episode of “Selling New York,” CORE’s Tom Postilio is given a duplex penthouse listing at 211 East 51st Street by CORE’s CEO himself, Shaun Osher. With all the responsibilities that come from being the boss, Shaun’s extremely busy schedule doesn’t allow him all the time he needs when given an exclusive penthouse listing by developer Henry Justin, who specifically wants him to sell it. In order to make sure that the penthouse is put on the market in the best possible light, Shaun enlists the help of Tom, a founding CORE agent and now a Managing Director at the firm.

With the penthouse just a few weeks away from going on the market, Tom has the difficult task of pulling a launch event together and making sure that Shaun crosses all of his to-dos off of the pre-event checklist. After some minor hiccups, including construction and staging delays, Tom and Shaun host a successful launch event in a fully furnished (and finished) property. Keep on reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information on 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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Thursday is typically “Selling New York” day on the CORE Blog, but you may have noticed that we’ve been quiet about the show in recent weeks. That’s because reruns have been airing on HGTV (including tonight’s re-airing of Parul Brahmbhatt’s “Steampunk apartment” launch) while new episodes are being filmed — new episodes that will be featuring CORE agents, of course. During this brief “SNY” pause, the topic of the real estate industry embracing reality television remains a hot topic. The current issue of The Real Deal magazine examines the connection, and wonders whether small screen exposure leads to big property sales. The jury is still out on that verdict, but shows like “Selling New York” do help drive interest and shape opinions. The Real Deal’s Katherine Clarke details one interesting example involving CORE’s Tom Postilio:

At the Urban Glass House condo in Soho, for example, sales had virtually stalled because of a much-publicized odor problem from a sanitation facility next door. An agent with two listings in the building, Core’s Tom Postilio, decided to spread the word about newly unveiled city plans for a new building to house the odorous garbage trucks.

“I spearheaded an effort, through ‘Selling New York,’ to show how fabulous the building is, factoring in the city’s plans,” said Postilio, who arranged an on-camera meeting with other brokers to strategize about how to reinvent the building’s image.

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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 #509, which first aired on March 22, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “Strategic Marketing,” CORE Managing Director Vickey Barron was faced with the challenge of listing a Fifth Avenue penthouse that two brokers had previously failed to sell. With her seller stressing the importance of getting the $6.995 million penthouse into contract quickly to facilitate his move to Florida, and with a fairly strict building policy of no public or broker open houses, Vickey had to get her creative juices flowing. In order to come up with new ideas on how to market and sell her new listing at The Brevoort in Greenwich Village, Vickey decided to enlist the help of her fellow CORE brokers by hosting a friendly marketing competition. The two teams of two toured the penthouse and partnered up with architects and designers to create a new marketing strategy.

After a few weeks, both teams regrouped and presented their marketing strategies to a group of colleagues, potential buyers and the competition’s judges – Vickey, CORE CEO Shaun Osher and The Brevoort’s board President, Diane Nardone. Each team presented a variety of marketing strategies that ranged from architectural renderings of possible renovations to historic information on the building and surrounding neighborhood. After much debate the judges picked a winning team, and just three weeks later, Vickey had an accepted offer on the penthouse and a very happy seller. 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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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 #508, which first aired on March 15, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In this week’s episode of “Selling New York,” titled “Deal or No Deal,” CORE Managing Director Tom Postilio had to breathe new life into a listing at the Chelsea House, a condominium development at 130 West 19th Street in Manhattan, in order to entice potential buyers to visit. When Tom originally put his listing on the market he thought it would be an easy sell because of its great Chelsea location and the building’s great amenities. However, after multiple showings, Tom realized that visitors found the apartment to be dark and cluttered, not to mention the brick wall views.

Luckily, Tom had a plan and convinced his seller to take out everything and stage the apartment. After a quick meeting with Susan Goldstein from Studio D, they agreed to use furnishings and lighting that would brighten up the space. The staging was successful and the apartment immediately got interest. 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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With 5 seasons (and counting!) of “Selling New York” under our belts, CORE agents are no strangers to the television spotlight. So, when HGTV, the network behind “SNY,” approached CORE’s Adrian Noriega about film one of his listings for a brand-new series, it was a no-brainer. And how’s this for a unique idea: Heard of man caves? Well, this new show is all about mom caves. HGTV’s “Mom Caves” stars designer Matt Muenster and Beth Stern (aka Mrs. Howard Stern) as they team up to create incredible spaces specifically for moms. As the show’s website says, “We’ll design and build the ultimate space for Mom, a place where she can kick back and relax with her friends or family and do what she likes to do best.”

Producers have been on the hunt for creative inspiration for “Mom Caves,” and the bright color-palette and sun-drenched rooms of Adrian’s listing at 15 West 20th Street fit the bill. Beth Stern was taken by the combination of reds, pinks, and oranges that the homeowner used in the apartment — a recent Wall Street Journal House of the Day — and felt that the décor would inspire her “moms.” To see this property, check it out here, and stay tuned for the upcoming episode on HGTV!

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 #507, which first aired on March 8, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “Creative Tactics,” CORE Managing Director Emily Beare was forced to think outside the box to market a unique waterfront listing at 220 Riverside Boulevard, aka Trump Place. Naturally, Emily’s first instinct was to plan a fabulous open house for her fellow brokers, but the seller, Rebecca Clemente, informed Emily that Trump Place has a “no open houses” policy. Emily had to come up with another plan to get people in the door and decided to act fast.

To create a buzz around this 2,962-square foot beauty, Emily enlisted the help of event planner to the stars, Colin Cowie. After a quick trip to Colin’s office, they decided to throw an invite-only cocktail party to show off the apartment’s perfect entertaining layout. Emily knew that getting people to visit 220 Riverside wouldn’t be a problem if a signature Colin Cowie party was being held there. Colin and his team put together a one-of-a-kind event, perfectly tailored to the luxurious property. The party, complete with an electric rock violinist, was flawless, and had brokers pulling Emily in all directions to tour the apartment. After a successful party, it was no surprise that potential buyers were interested and that an offer was soon on the horizon.

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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CORE's Kristina Helb, Elizabeth Kee and Lindsee Silverstein in front of the famed slide.

A penthouse that can double as a playground? We knew a property as unique as our “slide listing” at 425 East 13th Street in the East Village (also known as the A Building) had to be marketed in an innovative way, and innovation is what we sought out. Last Thursday night, CORE held an influencers’ event in the much-talked-about penthouse, bringing together many of New York’s most creative minds in the unique space for a night of networking and wine tasting. The guest list was kept small, and the goal was to get the city’s tastemakers buzzing about the stunning property, which features a very sleek and custom design headlined by a Carsten Höller-eque steel slide connecting the two levels.

Among the attendees were fashion and marketing executives, start-up CEOs, interior designers and architects, magazine publishers and even a VP for the New York Knicks, who probably knows a few guys who appreciate high ceilings. A handful of prospective buyers also toured 2,400-square-foot, $3.99 million condominium throughout the night, which was captured by the “Selling New York” cameras for an upcoming episode. For a gallery of photos from the event, check out CORE’s Facebook page.