Category : Residential

David Schlamm is no typical New York broker, and he’s perfectly fine with that. His office is plastered with Grateful Dead paraphernalia (including a Jerry Garcia doll). His company, City Connections Realty, is out to break with industry traditions, and his colorful past offers enough material for a novel. But 25 years in the business have molded Schlamm into a rather square peg that, against the odds, fits the round hole that is the New York city real estate business. And he puts it all down to karma. “Trust is probably the most important thing to me. Even when I was broke and really needed money very badly, I always tried to do the right thing. Call it karma or good luck, but it all came back to me.”

With over-the-top features like the recent 50,000 s/f deck complete with tennis courts and a dog run at TF Cornerstone’s 4545 Center Boulevard in Long Island City, the bar has once again been set for luxury amenities for the well-heeled. But TF Cornerstone’s loaded amenity deck isn’t the only luxury addition turning heads these days. From saunas and Turkish baths to wine cellars and tricked out gyms, New York buyers are back in luxury mode, according to the city's brokers. In Lower Manhattan, upscale rental and sales condo building 15 Broad Street boasts a fully-functional bowling alley for residents, as well as an indoor lap pool, basketball and squash courts, and a yoga/ballet studio. “It’s not necessarily what they’re asking for anymore, it’s what they’re expecting,” said longtime Douglas Elliman agent Lawrence Rich of clients. “They want the whole kitchen sink.”