Penthouses, perched atop their buildings and possessing the best views money can buy, are easily the most desired residences in Manhattan. They are the ultimate New York City real estate status symbol. Below, a look at three of our favorite penthouses on the market, in all different neighborhoods and price points.

Photos by Richard Caplan

Where: 166 West 18th Street, PH12
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
Asking: $9,900,000
Listed by: Stuart Sussman

This Chelsea masterpiece takes up the entire 12th floor of the Yves building (our Chelsea office happens to be on the ground floor). Wrapped in floor-to-ceiling windows and boasting every high-end finish one can imagine, this apartment hasn’t compromised a thing. The building is designed in such a way that the living room has three exposures, flooding the space with light and creating stunning views. And what’s a truly great penthouse without outdoor space? This one has a private terrace.

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

“Gimme Shelter”
New York Post
The Post’s resident real estate gossip, Jennifer Gould Keil, reports on Serafina Group restaurateur Vittorio Assaf listing his huge apartment in the Leonori building on the Upper East Side for $35,000 a month. The four-bedroom, 5 1/2-bathroom home (above) has a 40-foot-long living room, 12-foot ceilings and elaborate Venetian-plastered walls, among other luxurious touches.

“Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick to buy townhomes in Brooklyn Heights”
New York Daily News
CORE’s Doug Bowen commented on the appeal of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, where Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are reportedly buying two neighboring houses. Said Bowen: “The price difference between the West Village and Brooklyn Heights is sometimes two, three, four times the amount. That’s why even big names are deciding to live here.”

“Celebrity House Hunting”
Biography
The Biography channel’s “Celebrity House Hunting” followed ’80s pop queen Debbie Gibson’s search for a new New York home in a recent episode. Watch the full episode online to see her get blown away by Stuart Sussman’s Yves penthouse listing in Chelsea.

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After last week’s look at homes for book lovers we thought we’d throw the spotlight on another form of collecting. New York is famous for its cultural institutions and museums, but there are just as many great works of art hanging on the walls of private apartments as there are in the Met. High ceilings and sturdy walls with spaces for canvases are some of the most sought-after real estate features these days. Here are our favorite properties on the market that are ideal for displaying your collection.

Where: 166 West 18th Street, PH-12
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms
Asking: $9,900,000
Listed by: Stuart Sussman

What better place to start when discussing than Chelsea, the gallery capitol of New York City? This full-floor penthouse in the ultra-modern Yves building has plenty of glass walls, but the interiors provide ample space for even the largest paintings to be installed, as witnessed by the current décor. The grandiose scale of the apartment means that it won’t get overwhelmed by even the largest installations.

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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…)

A typical New York winter wouldn’t normally include the kind of Monday the city experienced this week, sunny and touching 60 on the thermometer. Global warming fears aside, it makes us think about those apartments in the city that have access to beautiful outdoor spaces built for lounging with family and friends. CORE’s jaw-dropping Chelsea penthouse at 166 West 18th Street, also known as Yves, is so massive and modern that some of the little things — like this private 230-square-foot terrace — tend to go unnoticed. But the way it’s been decked out makes it ideal for capturing those fleeting moments when the New York winter is wonderful.

“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.

“There are things in this home which you will never see in a New York City home,” Evelyn McMurray Van-Zeller says of her townhouse in the above clip from LXTV’s Open House, and she’s right: Manhattan homeowners don’t usually drop swimming pools into their living rooms. The 5,000-square-foot house at 232 West 15th Street–listed by CORE’s Maggie Kent and David Grossmann–is certainly one of the most unique properties in Chelsea (which is probably why the television cameras can’t resist it), but it’s not the only one-of-a-kind residence in the ‘hood.

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There’s only one thing to do when the perfect nickel window latches for your Bergen County mansion don’t actually exist: start an architectural hardware company and make your own. That’s precisely what technology entrepreneur Scott A. Baxter did a few years back, and Baxter brought that same dedication to detail to his Manhattan penthouse in Chelsea’s Yves building, which also happens to be home to CORE HQ. Baxter thoroughly renovated the glassy four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom penthouse, which takes up the entire 12th floor and also features a landscaped roof terrace. But forget the great outdoors, it’s the apartment’s interiors that just caught the Daily News‘ eye. Here’s some of what the paper’s Gina Pace has to say about the space: (more…)