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 #502, which first aired on February 2, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “Old Listings Get Some New Life,” CORE Managing Director Tom Postilio was under the gun to sell one of his most unique listings. After six months on the market at $3.495 million, the eclectic triplex penthouse at 135 West 58th Street in Midtown wasn’t generating much interest from buyers. Apparently, purple couches and flamboyant décor just aren’t for everyone. In an attempt to breathe new life into the listing, Tom proposed a radical million-dollar price drop and a furniture swap to attract a larger pool of New York City brokers and buyers, and sure enough, that’s just what happened. The end of the episode ended with an offer on the apartment, and it has since sold for $2.4 million in cash!

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 #413, which first aired on January 26, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

CORE's Parul Brahmbhatt (center), flanked by Steampunk devotees.

In “Press Worthy Properties,” CORE agent Parul Brahmbhatt faced an unusual challenge in this week’s episode: How to market a New York City property with bizarre elements such as a green submarine door and a 32-foot model zeppelin suspended over the kitchen? Yep, we’re talking about the Steampunk-inspired loft at 120 West 29th Street. With a homeowner determined to sell the quirky apartment “as-is,” Parul’s goal was to find a buyer that would preserve the property’s unique character. The episode began with Parul and CEO Shaun Osher discussing a pricing strategy. While the owner expected over $2 million as a listing price, Parul and Shaun knew that wasn’t feasibile with such a buyer-specific property. It was essential to price slightly lower and generate interest from a larger pool of property hunters. After a conversation with the homeowner, a listing price of $1.75 million seemed ideal.

Next came finding the right strategy to market the property. After extensive research and a visit with Steampunk expert Joey Marsocci, Parul concluded that the best way to bring the property to market was to throw a Steampunk-style open house. In the end, Parul’s creative marketing approach and out-of-the-box thinking paid off, resulting in an overwhelmingly positive response from fellow brokers, potential buyers and the press. 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 #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!

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It’s a new year and new episodes of HGTV’s hit reality show “Selling New York” await, but fans of the show will have to wait until next week to get their CORE fix. Tune in to HGTV on Thursday, January 12, to catch the latest CORE-centric episode, but don’t wait until 10:30pm to do it! New episodes of “Selling New York” will air Thursdays at 9:30pm from here on out. And if you miss an episode or two, fear not, you can always catch up by heading over to HGTV’s SNY website, which has full episodes of the show as well as previews of what’s to come on upcoming episodes.

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 409, which first aired on December 15, 2011. For more SNY recaps, click here.

L-R: CORE's Shaun Osher and Doron Zwickel discuss pricing with 83 Franklin developer Francis Moezinia.

In “Big Decisions and Fast Deadlines,” CORE CEO Shaun Osher and top broker Doron Zwickel collaborated with developer Francis Moezinia of Rex Properties to bring a luxury rental building at 83 Franklin Street in Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood to the market. The building’s high ceilings, high-end amenities and condo-like finishes made it a rarity in the Manhattan rental market, and pricing the apartments was tricky. Doron had to tour over a dozen other luxury rental apartments in the neighborhood in order to come up with competitive pricing for each of 83 Franklin’s 11 units.

Working with a hands-on developer isn’t always easy—and Shaun and Doron acted as the “voice of reason” when it came to identifying the perfect price range. While Francis was expecting around $9,000/month for the first apartments, it was ultimately decided that starting low at $8,500 would be the best way to get renters in quickly. According to Shaun, pricing is more of an art than a science, and it all worked out. A low-key open house event brought in a crop of candidates, and four weeks later 9 of the 11 units were rented — all for above the asking prices.

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 407, which first aired on December 1, 2011. For more SNY recaps, click here.

In “Lucky Dogs,” CORE’s Parul Brahmbhatt helped longtime San Franciscans Chris Mancini and Brian Sauls (and their two Chinese Cresteds) find a rental apartment in Manhattan, which they knew little about. After walking into CORE’s Chelsea office looking for assistance in finding his family a new home on the East Coast for around $8,500 per month, Chris saw one duplex in the neighborhood, but immediately realized he needed to wait for Brian before making any decisions. Once the couple was reunited, Parul gave them a crash course in Downtown NYC neighborhoods.

The Financial District is close to Chris’s work, but the “concrete canyons” of Lower Manhattan didn’t quite remind them of San Francisco. The couple ended up falling in love with an apartment at 254 Park Avenue South near Union Square (New York’s, not San Francisco’s!). But there was a problem: It was way above their budget. After practicing the art of negotiation, Parul talked down the apartment’s owner to $8,750 per month, with Chris and Brian paying the entire lease upfront in cash. Chris was hesitant about the cash deal at first, but his trust in Parul convinced him to move forward. Once the deal was accepted, Parul let Chris, Brian and their dogs know it was time to pack.

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 406, which first aired on November 17, 2011. For more SNY epilogues, click here.

In “Center Stage,” CORE’s Tom Postilio proves that multitasking is a must when putting a $13.65 million property on the market. After being brought on to consult on the design and layout of a fully renovated Chelsea townhouse at 233 West 20th Street, CORE CEO Shaun Osher introduces Tom as the go-to broker who will stage all 7,000 square feet of the property and host a unique open house to launch the listing. As construction in the townhouse is still underway, Tom brings in his close friend and expert interior designer, Laurie Messman, to walk through the property before staging it to a tee. Just days after consulting with Laurie, and thinking that time is on his side, Tom learns that the developer wants to throw a grand party before the upcoming holiday weekend, only days away. Facing serious time constraints, Tom reaches out to a wide variety of contacts to pull off an event that includes food and drinks, live music, a gallery installation and even an on-site graffiti artist designing an amazing mural.

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 405, which first aired on November 10, 2011. For more SNY epilogues, click here.

In “Youth Movement,” CORE’s Michael Graves makes an impressive return to the “SNY” stage in a high-octane, double-deal episode that showcases the dexterity required to stay afloat in the world of New York City real estate. Michael grows increasingly wary of his ability to sell Rosalind’s apartment at her desired asking price, which is well above available comps in the building and immediate area. Michael tells Rosalind that he must dissolve their agreement unless she is willing to lower the price so that it is more in  line with the market. she gives Michael a final incentive in order to maintain the price and keep him as her broker—the promise of two more deals—if he can successfully close on her current home at 10 West End Avenue. After five months on the market, however, Michael is increasingly unsure about being able to sell the apartment, especially since the asking price is nonnegotiable. As Rosalind becomes uneasy about being able to get the right price for 10 West End Avenue, she begins to question her desire to move into a new apartment. Refusing to accept defeat, Michael hits the ground running in search of a way to live up to his client’s high expectations.

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 403, which first aired on October 27, 2011. For more SNY epilogues, click here.

In “Trophy Properties” one of New York City’s premier agents, Vickey Barron, made her “Selling New York” debut, showcasing her exquisite $14M West Village townhouse listing at 38 Bethune Street. Known for her creativity and unorthodox marketing strategies, Vickey exhibited an ability to execute an incredibly inventive plan that left a lasting impression on buyers, sellers and viewers alike. 

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!

1) DIY decorating is not as easy as it looks on TV. While staging an apartment is commonplace amongst brokers, Vickey refused to simply place a coffee table, a few paintings and some candles strategically throughout the apartment. Instead, Vickey opted to fully decorate the entire townhouse—on her own dollar! She drove to her favorite furniture store, ABC Carpet & Home, and purchased everything from area rugs to couches. She then hired a private moving company to deliver everything to 38 Bethune, where she stayed up until 4 AM placing furniture and hanging artwork from her own personal collection. Luckily everything fit perfectly into 38 Bethune because her purchases were all final sale.

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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 402, which first aired on October 20, 2011. For more SNY epilogues, click here.

In “The Right Moves,” CORE agent and “SNY” newcomer Adrian Noriega assists a buyer–who is not only a returning client, but also a friend–in finding the perfect apartment. Sound like a sticky situation? Well, disappointed after losing what he thought was his dream home, Adrian’s client, Doug, pressures Adrian even harder to deliver the goods that made him a returning client in the first place. Throughout this hunt, not only is an apartment on the line, but so is a long-lasting business relationship—and perhaps a friendship—as well.

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!

1) Friends are forever—as long as you find them their dream home. Adrian has worked as Doug’s real estate broker not once, not twice, but a total of three times over the past few years, and the two have developed a strong friendship. While it may have placed additional pressure on Adrian to deliver results, he said that he truly enjoys mixing business with pleasure, and he considers many of his former clients among his closest friends. Doug said that having a friend like Adrian as his representative was a big plus because he knew that he could trust Adrian. In addition, both Adrian and Doug agreed that it is far more fun to go apartment hunting with someone whose company you actually enjoy. And yes, Doug is very happy at his new home, and he and Adrian are most certainly still friends. Phew!

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