Last night, sadly, our family at CORE, our industry, and the world, lost a very special man. An authentic man who was a leader in our business for many years. A man I was proud to be associated with, and honored to have as a part of what we have built.

From the first time I met Michael, almost 15 years ago, his energy and zest for the business, and life, was inspiring. His leadership and understanding of marketing was invaluable to the people around him, and he made a huge positive impact on everyone he worked with and for.

In an interview with Michael one year ago, I asked him how he would like to be remembered. His answer to me was, “As a guy who tried to do the right thing.” Well Michael – you were truly that… and that is how the people who knew you will remember you. We will miss you.

Shaun Osher is the founder and CEO of CORE.

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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Michael Garr has sold over 300 million dollars of real estate from Central Park South to Tribeca. He is also the Broker Specialist for the Chelsea Mercantile, having completed 59 transactions in the prized building. Here, he writes about going above and beyond simple staging to sell apartments at top dollar.

Freshened floors, a new coat of paint and a revamped terrace got the job done on West 22nd Street.

Last Sunday’s article in the New York Times about sellers renovating their homes to appeal to buyers only scratched the surface of the work that goes into preparing my exclusive listings for the market. My team of contractors, tilers and painters have renovated several apartments and guided owners to make spot-on choices that will yield fantastic results at the closing table. For example:

After six months on the market with another company, the owner hired Michael Rubin and I to market a top-floor duplex on West 22nd Street. We chose a walnut stain for the floors after they were sanded. We removed the floor in the kitchen and put in a cream tile, which pulled everything together for a fresh buyer-ready look. The vanity in the bathroom was replaced, and updated light fixtures and new hardware were added and then painted Benjamin Moore White Dove — a color many art galleries use. For the terrace, the wood planks were painted a brighter color and plants and flowers were placed on the sides. The outdoor space felt larger (feelings are facts in real estate) and inviting. For the staging, we added the little extras needed for dramatic photogenic touch: bright pillows, hip table lamps and understated art work … all from my staging storage unit. An offer was accepted in four weeks.

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“Steampunk fandom heats up”
CBS News “Sunday Morning” (10/30)
Comedian Mo Rocca got an inside look at “Steampunk” culture on the long-running TV news show, including a tour of the fantastically decorated loft at 120 West 29th Street (right), listed by CORE’s Parul Brahmbhatt.

“Buying up domain names in order to turn a profit”
The Real Deal (11/1)
CORE CEO Shaun Osher commented on the practice of real estate companies buying up Internet domains to direct more web traffic their way.

Dream Homes
New York Post (11/3)
The Post did a little bit of salivating over CORE broker Stuart Sussman’s four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom, 3,579-square-foot penthouse listing in Chelsea’s Yves building, which is asking $10.4 million.

“Chelsea Housing Gets Google Lift”
Wall Street Journal (11/4)
CORE’s 305W16 development was highlighted as one of the new residential buildings contributing to a post-Google housing boom in Chelsea. Read more: The Real Deal, Betabeat

“Psst, Seller: Your Stove Is Showing Its Age”
New York Times (11/6)
In the weekend’s Real Estate section cover story, veteran CORE broker Michael Garr talked about the benefits of sellers renovating their homes when putting them on the market.

Michael has been a staple of the Chelsea condo market for years. He lives in The Chelsea Mercantile, and has sold more apartments in the building than anyone I know. His attention to detail and a dedication to the industry is refreshing (even after all these years)…

Shaun: What did you do before going into real estate?

Michael: Two jobs: Commercial leasing by day then I moonlighted as an actor in commercials, corporate films and small independent films.
 

Shaun: Why did you go into real estate?

Michael: Commercial real estate is a “do the numbers” type of job and acting wasn’t affording me the life style I wanted. Residential real estate is a much more personalized transaction: one on one advice to owners, giving emotional support in stressful times to buyers and (more…)