Where: 353 Central Park West, 15FL
Size: 4-bedrooms, 4-bathrooms
Asking: $7,750,000
Listed by: Shaun Osher and Emily Beare

This newly-listed property on the Upper West Side is perfect for anyone who appreciates entertaining, architectural detail and breathtaking views. Designed and beautifully renovated by world-renowned architect Ismael Leyva, this 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom home boasts one-of-a-kind luxury. At 2,733-square feet, this full-floor home offers an open, flexible floor plan complete with a private elevator, Onyx wood burning fireplace, LED lighting, and balconies overlooking Central Park. Featured on The Real Deal, this home also has an integrated stereo and entertainment system, as well as modern architectural details that blend seamlessly with the state-of-the-art conveniences in the Italian lacquer kitchen. The intimate and unique condominium also offers a full-time doorman/concierge, spectacular gym and spectacular rooftop terrace with 360-degree views.

A sampling of last week’s press coverage of CORE and CORE properties.

‘Historic’ Doesn’t Rule Out ‘New’
The New York Times
The launch of sales at 241 Fifth is highlighted in this New York Times feature.  The 20-story tower, located in the Madison Square North neighborhood, is set to accommodate 46 units upon completion, ranging from 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom apartments.  Doron Zwickel provides additional insight about the project in this article as well.

Helping Agents Pursue Dreams
Herald Sun
Shaun Osher is featured in this Australian publication, discussing the importance of real estate agents understanding the needs of their clients. Shaun will be one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Australian Real Estate Conference, providing insight about personal branding techniques for highly-successful agents.

Living Large
CBS2
Michael Graves’ listing at 7 Bond Street is featured in the CBS2 segment of “Living Large” with Emily Smith. Affectionately named “Double-O Seven Bond Street,” this exquisite NoHo penthouse strikes the perfect balance of turn-of-the-century charm and modern sophistication.

Welcome to Ten, CORE founder and CEO Shaun Osher’s rapid-fire interview series with prominent CORE figures. Read on to find out how this week’s subject deals with being on the hot seat.

Brendon DeSimone returned to his East Coast roots just a few short years ago, but already has an impressive track record of deals for a broker who only recently entered the NYC market. Prior to joining CORE, Brendon was a very successful broker in San Francisco where real estate deal making is extremely different than it is here in New York City. Brendon’s perspective on the details of all aspects of a deal  is an invaluable asset to any client and has proven to be a real asset to his business. Here are Brendon’s answers to Ten questions:

1)     How long have you been selling real estate?

I started in 2002 in San Francisco. It was after the high tech dot.com boom, but during a little lull – right before the first big dip in interest rates in 2003.  We joked that if rates got any lower, purchasing would be nearly free. Now look at them!

2)     How did you get into the business?

I was one of the first members of a small Silicon Valley start-up and I loved it.  It was very entrepreneurial. We were small, nimble and creating a first-of-its-kind technology and service. We would hear customer feedback and within days, we’d have the product and development teams on board to make changes.  It was so exciting to be a part of that. Over time, the company grew and the excitement wore off.  In order to effectively grow, processes and procedures were put in place as were large company employees. As the company grew, the culture changed and it just didn’t feel the same. I left and wanted to do something similar, but was afraid of running into the same issue at another start-up. I took six months off and did some research, had informational interviews and tried to figure out what I was passionate about. I wanted to do something entrepreneurial and work for myself. I used to go to open houses with my mom when I was a kid. I once called a broker, acting like my mom, and spent an hour on the phone with her about a property. All roads led to real estate.

3)    How is NYC housing different from San Francisco housing?

The housing stock is completely different. I was mainly selling Victorian and Edwardian single family homes and two to four unit buildings.  There were/are very few high rise buildings or co-ops in San Francisco.

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A sampling of last week’s press coverage of CORE and CORE properties.

On the Market
The New York Times
Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon’s listing at 100 West 58th is highlighted in the latest “On the Market” feature.

Cornering the Middle
The Real Deal
In this year’s rankings of New York City’s most influential real estate firms, CORE has been named the “Number 1 Mid-Size Real Estate Firm” in Manhattan. The new ranking signals CORE’s substantial increase in the value of is current listings.

Executive Travel Luxury Report
Executive Travel
In the latest edition of Executive Travel, Emily Beare is interviewed.  As the market for luxury real estate continues to evolve, Emily discusses this sophisticated buyer’s market.

The Real Deal recently named us the “Number One ‘Mid-Size’ Firm in New York.”

Last year, we were named the “Number One ‘Boutique’ Firm in New York!”

What’s interesting, is that we’ve consistently had around the same number of agents, so I’m a little perplexed by this current categorization. Either everyone else is shrinking, or our reach is growing. One statistic that has consistently reflected our brand, culture, and business model, is that we have the most productive agents amongst all firms. From the smallest ones, to the 8,000 pound gorillas. We are still David amongst Goliaths!

Our business model is to remain boutique in size and essence. Because by being boutique, we can continue to be:

Nimble.

Innovative.

Transparent.

Quick.

Consistent.

Experts.

Congratulations, and thank you, to my agents and staff who remain dedicated to achieving the same goal of delivering the highest level of innovative service to our clients. We pride ourselves on being the ambassadors of the evolution of real estate.

Shaun Osher is the CEO and Founder of CORE.

To celebrate the launch of our new Upper East Side location, last night, we opened the doors of our new office to our fellow CORE agents and management team. Guests were invited to tour the two-level office, located on the second and third floors of a historic brownstone on 61st Street at Madison Avenue. Following the open house, the party moved next door to Serafina Restaurant for an evening of food, drinks and conversation. CORE CEO Shaun Osher and Senior Managing Director Reba Miller both addressed the crowd, speaking about the evolution of the CORE brand and the significance of the new location.

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A sampling of last week’s press coverage of CORE and CORE properties.

Art of the Deal:  Condo Sales Pitches Include Pricey Paintings and Massive Murals
New York Post
One Museum Mile is one of several New York City residential properties featuring exquisite artwork to attract potential buyers.

New Development
Brokers Weekly
Last week, new development project 93 Worth reached a rate of over 70% sold and in contract units, signaling the growth and demand of new development inventory in the Tribeca area.  ”We are seeing an influx of interested buyers who currently live in Tribeca and are looking to buy new inventory,” said Shaun Osher.  ”Buyers are drawn to the building’s exceptional restoration and its prime location where a tremendous amount of residential and commercial growth has occurred.”

23 New Developments Hitting the Market This Spring
Curbed
In a Curbed property round-up of New York City new developments, 241 Fifth was featured.  One of several buildings under construction in the Flatiron area, the transformation of 241 Fifth was recently documented in this time-lapsed video.

It seems appropriate that, as CORE embarks on opening our office on the Upper East Side, we debut our brand film. Our original vision for the company and brand remains the same as it was eight years ago…

Shaun Osher is the Founder and CEO of CORE

A sampling of last week’s press coverage of CORE and CORE properties.

Introducing the Upper East Side’s New CORE
In celebration of CORE’s new Madison Avenue office, our good friends at The New York Observer hosted a night of mingling, good food, and outstanding conversation last Wednesday at Rouge Tomate.  The New York Observer was also celebrating the launch of their new lifestyle section “NYO”, with guests of the party getting a first look at the new publication.  Guests included CORE brokers and staff, industry professionals, developers, architects, members of the media, and other invited guests.

Living Large:  A Townhouse in the Sky
Adrian Noriega’s penthouse listing at 15 West 20^th Street was the highlight of last week’s “Living Large” segment with Emily Smith.  The Flatiron District home, equipped with over 2,000 square-feet of terrace space, private elevator access, and several other upgraded amenities, represents the best in luxury city living.

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Last July, New York City’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, announced his adAPT NYC contest for proposals on the development and design of micro-dwellings based on the idea of accommodating the housing needs of the City’s growing population. Shortly after, CORE’s CEO, Shaun Osher, was interviewed by CNN on the contest and overall concept of micro-apartments in Manhattan.

Since then, 33 development teams submitted renderings, floor plans, and other visuals in the hopes of winning the first NYC contest focused on facing the challenges of space and a growing population within an urban setting. In early 2013, Bloomberg announced the winning group from the adAPT NYC contest which includes Monadnock Development, Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation and nARCHITECTS. The winning team’s design will be constructed on a city-owned site at 335 East 27th Street and will consist of compact residences ranging from 250-375-square feet.

Although this project hasn’t even broken ground yet, the response generated from the contest by developers, architects, real estate professionals and the general public has proved Mayor Bloomberg’s housing goal to be valid and in many ways necessary. Yesterday, the New York Observer reported that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development is hoping to have another request for proposal (RFP) out on another 2-3 micro-unit developments throughout the City this year. We can’t wait to see what the next round of proposals for micro-apartments will look like, and we’re excited about this small new development trend within one of the world’s greatest cities.