Category : Featured

By Al Barbarino A string of third quarter reports show only slight declines in Manhattan’s residential pricing and a huge boost in sales activity, despite the lowest inventory in more than seven years. The average Manhattan apartment sale price of $1,377,630 was down 4 percent from the same period in 2011, but at 2,790, the number of closings was at the highest level in four years, according to a report from Brown Harris Stevens.

Melanie Lazenby and Dina Lewis at Prudential Douglas Elliman have gone to contract on the funky Greenwich Village water tank apartment. The tank (right) was turned into a “rooftop cottageˮ during a renovation by Messana O’Rorke Architects. It has its own central air, heat, cable, and 24 ft. ceilings and overlooks a wooden deck planted with trees and trellised vines.

By Al Barbarino Corlie Ohl doesn’t just sell apartments; she helps turn them into homes. Ohl, a 2006 graduate of the Parsons School of Design, worked for many years as an interior designer before joining Citi Habitats in 2010. The relative newcomer to the brokerage industry earned the distinction “Rookie of the Year” during her first year at the firm for her sales and rental prowess. “You work seven days a week in this job and your first year is the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your whole life,” Ohl told Brokers Weekly.

By Holly Dutton A finished model unit is drawing curious buyers to 18 Gramercy Park where developers Will and Lie Zeckendorf are hoping to re-create the record-breaking success of their 15 Central Park West. The unit is the first completed apartment in the 17-story building, formerly the Salvation Army’s Parkside Evangeline residence for young ladies. Located at the corner of Gramercy Park South and Irving Place, the building directly overlooks Manhattan’s only private park, for which only residents hold a key.

By Sarah Trefethen Reality television allows those brave enough to step in front of the camera a chance to take that personal touch a step further, as television audiences around the world get to feel like they know the stars personally. “Potential clients recognize us, we’re familiar to them,” said Tom Postilo of CORE, who appeared in the first season of HGTV’s Selling New York. “We show up in their living room and we’ve already been in their living room because of the TV show.”