Category : Residential

By Liana GreyAt the Sheffield, a condominium tower near Columbus Circle, broker Stephanie Mastronardi once joked that showing around families was the easiest part of the job: children would practically sell apartments for her, begging mom and dad to buy, say, the model unit decorated with the butterfly sculpture and dog-shaped lamp. That was back in October, when the building’s amenity spaces were still under construction. Had prospective buyers been able to tour the playroom, with its polka-dot patterned floor and seating area shaped like a giant clock, multi-bedroom units might have disappeared from the market especially quickly.

By Roslyn LoIn garages all over, local bands gather for jam sessions, practicing diligently while dreaming of the day they can hang up their ties and hit the open road in a tour bus. Rafa Maciejak has been there and done that, and has come out of his experiences embracing both the corporate and creative aspects of his life. Currently a residential broker, Maciejak is a former British pop drummer, who has toured the world for years and finally settled in his place of birth, Brooklyn. Maciejak split the past two decades between pursuing musical and real estate ventures. Since 2001, he has risen quickly in the Corcoran Group, and is currently a senior associate broker there.

By Roland LiOverall residential sales prices fell in the first quarter of 2011, according to reports released last week from the major residential brokerages and the listings website StreetEasy, underscoring underlying concerns in the market. According to data from Prudential Douglas Elliman, the Manhattan median sales price was $782,071, down 9.9% from the first quarter of 2010 and down 7.4% from the fourth quarter of 2010. Some of the decline was attributed to the increase of co-op sales, which are, on average, priced lower than condos. Co-op sales increased to 1,430 units, up 28.7% compared to the first quarter of 2010, and accounted for 59.7% of all sales, its highest share in six years, according to Elliman.

By Roland LiWhen Rockrose Development acquired 95 Horatio Street in the 1980s, the Meatpacking District was a different world. Transvestite prostitutes roamed the streets at night, and the area was home to meat and manufacturing companies. “It was a gritty neighborhood. We had a lot of security concerns,” said Sofia Estevez, executive vice president of TF Cornerstone, which now owns the mixed-use building after splitting from Rockrose in 2009.