We hate to play favorites, but the world below 23rd Street will always be special to us. Beautiful spaces of all types are prevalent, and the energy of downtown Manhattan just can’t be duplicated. If you’re setting out on a search for the perfect Downtown pad, we’ve got some very different suggestions.

Where: 60 Beach Street, PH 2
Size: 3 bedrooms/3.5 bathrooms
Asking: $7,640,000
Listed by: Vickey Barron

With over 3,000 square feet flanked by two terraces, this penthouse duplex that has been expertly customized by its owner is currently one of the most exceptional TriBeCa properties on the market. It’s a turn-key dream home, in a fantastic setting. TriBeCa is known for its charming cobblestone blocks, and Beach Street is one of the neighborhood’s best. This building was built in 1930, and converted to luxury condominiums — amenities include a roof deck, fitness center, children’s playroom, bike storage, laundry room and pet spa — in 2007.

(more…)

When location and quality come together, it’s a beautiful marriage. Call them trophy homes, perfect properties, or Manhattan’s most wanted. Just don’t call them in a month, because they probably won’t be around that long. Here are three listings on the market that are bound to make fans, fast.

Where: 422 East 72nd Street, 28/29C
Size: 4 bedrooms/3 bathrooms
Asking: $4,250,000
Listed by: Alison Abovsky and Kirk Rundhaug

The Upper East Side has a reputation as a family-friendly neighborhood, and this gorgeous duplex in a full-service condominium building has the perfect layout for a large brood. Add the turnkey condition, with a recently completed design and renovation by a renowned architect, and the appeal is easy to understand. Air and light make good Manhattan homes great, and this 2,900-square-foot space is filled with sunlight and boasts two balconies to take in excellent city views.

(more…)

Where: 77 Hudson Street, 5-FLR
Size: 2 bedroom/1 bathroom
Asking: $2,125,000
Listed by: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Kirk Rundhaug

This classic full-floor loft in TriBeCa at 77 Hudson Street, an intimate 5-unit condominium, caught our attention with its contrast of old wooden beams and contemporary partitions, allowing for privacy without breaking up the loft flow. This makes the 1,700 square foot space feel even bigger, and the opaque glass doors allow light to fill the entire space. Focus on the details and the apartment is even more impressive: direct key-locked elevator access, three exposures, a nicely outfitted kitchen and a huge 21′ x 37′ Great Room. Plus, the layout is flexible, meaning more bedrooms if needed. No wonder lofts are so in demand. Check out the below interior view for a glimpse of the unique design.

(more…)

Sure, an apartment with a wall of windows — a feature unique to relatively newer styles of construction — provides great views of the city. But these apartments also make you feel like a part of the streetscape, hovering amid the skyline. And you’re not going to find anyone complaining about a lack of light in one of these, our favorite apartments on the market with a penchant for keeping it glassy.

Where: 166 West 18th Street, PH
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
Asking: $10,400,000
Listed by: Stuart Sussman

This full-floor penthouse at Chelsea’s Yves building has 10′ floor-to-ceiling windows with open views of the city. Though it’s also something to look at on the inside, with spacious living quarters and one of the most amazing contemporary styles we’ve seen. And if you want to step outside the glass house, there’s that private terrace that’s perfect for getting some fresh air. (more…)

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 #504, which first aired on February 16, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “NYC Newbies,” CORE agent Kirk Rundhaug races against the clock to find his clients — Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin and his wife, Kelley — their downtown dream home. After trying to find a home through another NYC broker after selling their Flatiron District apartment, Melvin and his wife decide that their previous unpleasant experience isn’t going to derail their search. Kelley finds her broker match with Kirk and explains that time is of the essence since she’s currently staying with her daughter while trying to find a place prior to the end of baseball season. Always up for a challenge, Kirk agrees to be the Melvins’ broker and takes Kelley to a variety of downtown properties.

First stop is a TriBeCa loft at 68 Thomas Street (which has since sold) with a great outdoor deck priced just under $2 million. Kelley prefers the neighborhoods to the north — Greenwich Village and SoHo — so it’s on to a beautiful open 2BR/2BA loft with exposed brick walls on West Broadway in SoHo. It’s love at first sight for Kelley and her daughter Alexi, but Kelley can’t commit since Bob is in California. Kirk decides to show Kelley another property, this time in the classic Chelsea Mercantile building (another apartment that has since sold), to show her a different neighborhood. After touring the Chelsea property, Kelley quickly realizes that she must have the SoHo loft.

Kelley and Kirk hop on Skype with Bob to discuss making an offer on the loft. Following Kirk’s suggestion, the Melvins agree to make a competitive offer at $2.3 million, and they successfully become the new owners of a classic SoHo loft. The episode ends with Kirk and the Melvins sitting down to dinner in the Melvins’ new home. 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!

(more…)

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.

Where: 28 East 10th Street Apt 9-C
Size: 1 bedroom/1 bathroom
Asking: $2,195,000
Listed by: Kirk Rundhaug and Paige Neuhauser

When Greenwich Village’s Devonshire House hit the market in 2009, with the real estate market in turmoil, it was an immediate hit (even with a celebrity here and there). Despite the uncertain global economy, buyers couldn’t pass up what the century-old building offered: A pre-war stunner with architectural pedigree, given a top-to-bottom upgrade by celebrated designer Victoria Hagan and converted to full-service condominiums. It’s a rare product, especially in downtown Manhattan. Now a charming ninth-floor apartment in the Emery Roth-designed building is on the market, showing off the best of this old-meets-new development: custom moldings and millwork, 4-inch white oak hardwood floors, custom Pella windows, E.R. Butler polished nickel hardware and kitchen appliances by Sub-Zero, Wolf and Bosch. The perfect pied-à-terre? It just might be. Below, a look at the Devonshire House’s classic lobby entrance:

(more…)

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 #412, which first aired on January 12, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In CORE’s first “SNY” episode of 2012, called “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” agent Kirk Rundhaug devoted his time to finding the next one-of-a-kind investment property for his big-fish client, Gloria Naftali. With the clock ticking on finding the perfect apartment, Gloria enlisted the help of her personal friend and real estate broker, Julie, to tour several properties with Kirk.

The search began in Brooklyn, where Kirk showed Julie a massive 5,100-square-foot penthouse listed by fellow CORE agent Michael Graves. Despite its floor-to-ceiling windows, double spiral staircase and nine terraces, Kirk and Julie knew that Gloria had her heart set on downtown Manhattan. The next stop was a a penthouse in CORE’s The Cammeyer at 650 Sixth Avenue in the Flatiron District, but the property wasn’t Gloria’s perfect match, either. Next up was another penthouse with “wow” factor, in The Excelsior on 57th Street in Midtown. Gloria was not disappointed — who would be with stunning views, a 4,800-square-foot wraparound terrace and a private indoor swimming pool? — but in the end it was too much penthouse for one woman to handle.

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!

(more…)

When is a stager not necessary? When an apartment is already a work of art. That’s the case at the massive Flatiron District loft at 32 West 20th Street just listed by CORE’s John Harrison and Kirk Rundhaug. The 4,000-square-foot space was the home and studio of Lenore Tawney, who turned weaving into fine art and helped create the fiber art genre before passing away in 2007 at the age of 100. The Wall Street Journal reports today on Tawney’s live/work studio hitting the market, pointing out that the $3.95 million co-op is an artist’s loft in the truest sense of the term. Who says the best art in the world is only hanging in museums?

(more…)

Kirk proved to be quite the leader as he played “Captain Kirk” to his very own “Team Enterprise”. Continue reading for some exclusive information on last night’s episode of “Selling New York”!
(more…)