Real Estate Trends

September 7, 2017

New renderings and construction photos reveal full design of Jean Nouvel’s 53W53 ‘MoMA tower’

6sqft checked in almost a year ago on starchitect Jean Nouvel's MoMA-adjacent tower, 53W53 at 53 West 53rd Street, when photos from the Billionaires’ Row construction site showed the building getting the first of its intricate diagrid skin. Construction on the 82-story building recently reached the 58th floor, and newly-released renderings and construction photos show the full design of the 1,050-foot-tall tapered tower, which will have interiors by celebrated designer Thierry Despont, from crown to ground level. The new images also show how the Museum of Modern Art will have three new gallery levels within the tower's base on floors 2, 4 and 5.
Check out the renderings and photos this way
September 5, 2017

East Village’s $3.5M rooftop cottage finds a buyer in just over a month

6sqft marveled earlier this summer at the utter coolness of the two-unit, three-story property that atop the building at 72 East 1st Street in the East Village. The unit arrived on the market for $3.5 million in June; its top floor is comprised of one of the city’s handful of rare rooftop cabins and cottages. The Nantucket-style cottage is an artists’ studio, with a full-floor penthouse duplex below. Rare and cool clearly count for a lot, because the property has already entered contract at its asking price according to the listing site (h/t Curbed).
Take a look at how these unique homes are laid out
September 5, 2017

Yankees’ Aaron Judge may have scored a swanky Murray Hill penthouse

Where did Yankees' outfielder and home run slugger Aaron Judge go yesterday after becoming the first rookie to get 100 walks in a season since 1953? Quite possibly to his pad at the glassy new rental 237 East 34th Street. A source told The Real Deal that "the Judgement" recently rented a penthouse at the Murray Hill building, and the latest such unit to go off the market is a $13,900/month duplex with two private terraces, a large open kitchen/living room plan, and East River and skyline views.
All Rise!
September 2, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Images (L to R): THE DEAN, 88 LEONARD STREET, 33 BOND and TRIBECA TOWER Leasing Update: 555Ten Offers 2 Months Free + Launches Affordable Housing Lottery [link] A Church from 1869 Is Now Quirky Loft Rentals with Cast Iron Catwalks – Flex Units Now Available [link] 33 Bond Opens Debuting Dozens of Units + New […]

August 30, 2017

Katharine Hepburn’s former waterfront Connecticut estate sells for $11.5M

The Old Saybrook, Connecticut home where Katharine Hepburn lived until her death in 2003 has sold for $11.5 million, according to the Post. New York-based developer and builder Frank Sciame paid $6 million for the 3.4-acre waterfront estate in 2004, first listing it for $14.8 million in 2014. The 8,368-square-foot home, built in 1939, sits on 1.5 acres and overlooks a private pond and 220 feet of secluded Long Island Sound beachfront. It also has another claim to fame--in the 1930s and '40s, Howard Hughes would land his seaplane on the property's private dock.
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August 30, 2017

Foreclosure moves ahead at Billionaires’ Row supertall 111 West 57th Street

Things have been shaky for 111 West 57th Street since it came to light last month that construction on the world's will-be skinniest skyscraper was stalled at just 20 stories after Property Markets Group's Kevin Maloney and JDS Development’s Michael Stern were sued by real estate investment corporation and owner AmBase. Trying to salvage their $66 million investment, Ambase filed an injunction to stop lender Spruce Capital from seizing the $1 billion project, but yesterday a Supreme Court judge ruled that a strict foreclosure could move forward, meaning AmBase will likely lose its majority ownership, according to Crain's. On the flip side, the developers will now be able to proceed with construction on the 1,421-foot Billionaires' Row tower, whose units started going into contract earlier this month.
The full story
August 28, 2017

Alexander Skarsgärd lands Parker Posey’s former East Village co-op for $2.3M

Alexander Skarsgärd, an Emmy-nominee for his role in “Big Little Lies” and star of “True Blood,” has just purchased a co-op at 119 East 10th Street for $2.3 million, $300,000 over the asking price (h/t LLNYC). The East Village apartment once belonged to actress Parker Posey who sold it in 2008 for $1.3 million. Chloe Sevigny also lived in the same building for a few years before making the move to Brooklyn in 2013. The newly-single Swedish actor, who first looked at a penthouse at 415 East 6th Street back in December, chose the historic loft-like one-bedroom, which features wood-beamed ceilings, oversized windows and a communal garden, instead.
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August 26, 2017

FREE RENT IN BROOKLYN: This week’s roundup of rental news

Images (L to R): 1326 OCEAN AVE, 153 REMSEN STREET, 27 ALBANY AVE and 1004 GATES AVE Building Opens on Ocean Ave in Flatbush near Brooklyn College; Rentals from $1,800/Month [link] Brand New Rentals Debut in Brooklyn Heights (A Rare Occurrence); Peek Inside 153 Remsen Street [link] Carter Reviews Domino Sugar Rental 325 Kent, No […]

August 25, 2017

18-foot, concrete beveled ceilings top this Williamsburg apartment renting for $6,995/month

This Williamsburg apartment takes full advantage of its soaring, 18-foot ceilings lined with concrete beams. The lofty living room features floor-to-ceiling, built-in bookshelves that require a ladder to fully access, four massive casement windows, and a loft with a glass wall that overlooks the soaring space. Located at the Esquire Lofts at 330 Wythe Avenue—a former shoe polish factory—this apartment spans 1,450 square feet and includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The unit hit the market last month asking $7,500 a month, but its owners just gave it a small price cut, bringing the monthly rent to $6,995.
Go take a look
August 23, 2017

15 Central Park West still reigns as New York City’s most expensive condo

Even with a rapidly rising field of competitors, 15 Central Park West  still holds the title of New York City's most expensive condominium, according to the just-released CityRealty100. Robert A.M. Stern's "Limestone Jesus," built in 2007, has many a superlative under its limestone-clad belt, but the one that puts it in the top spot tallies the eight apartments sold in the past year for an average price per square foot of $7,227. 15 Central Park West also grabbed the top three most expensive sales by PPSF, with the $50.5 million Penthouse 40B, sold by Barclay’s CEO Bob Diamond to an unnamed Chinese buyer, topping the list at $9,581/square foot.
Find out more about the city's priciest properties
August 21, 2017

The top 12 websites and resources for no-fee NYC rentals

6sqft's ongoing series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week, now that the city is in high renting season, we’ve researched the best resources for finding a no-fee apartment. More than half of New Yorkers spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent. Tack on a broker's fee that could be as high as 15 percent of an apartment's annual rent, and that burden becomes even worse. Thankfully, there are more and more resources popping up to find no-fee rentals. Aside from the go-to listing aggregators, there's now roommate-share options, lease break sites, artist-centric search engines, and good old fashioned networking. 6sqft has put together our 12 favorite options, along with the basics of each so you can figure out what will work best for you and how to prioritize your search.
Check out the full list here
August 19, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

Thor’s Newly-Restored 98 Morningside Offering One Month of Free Rent [link] Field Condition Captures the Completed Amenities at 555Ten [link] Om Sweet Om: Downtown Brooklyn Rental, City Tower, Introduces Meditation Classes as Newest Amenity [link] Canal-Side 363 Bond Street Unveils Model Apartments; Offers 1 Month Free Rent [link] Chelsea29 Launches Leasing; Offers Two Months Free […]

August 17, 2017

Cuomo releases new renderings of Moynihan Station as major construction gets underway

At a press conference this morning in the under-construction space, Governor Cuomo announced that major work has begun on transforming the James A. Farley Building into the state-of-the-art, 225,000-square-foot Moynihan Train Hall. Along with the news that the $1.6 billion project will create 12,000+ construction jobs and 2,500 permanent jobs, come new renderings of the station, showing more exterior views and looks at the 700,000-square-foot shopping and dining concourse.
All the renderings and more details this way
August 16, 2017

Actor Stephen Dorff gets $2.7M for bachelor-friendly Chelsea penthouse

When actor Stephen Dorff put his Chelsea penthouse on the market for $3 million in March of last year, 6sqft described it as "party-ready," thanks to an 850-square-foot roof terrace complete with wet bar/kitchen and outdoor shower. But it looks like "The Power of One," "Blade," and "Somewhere" star is officially saying goodbye to his bachelor pad days, as the Observer reports that he's unloaded the duplex at 251 West 19th Street for $2.7 million.
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August 15, 2017

New rendering of Extell’s Central Park Tower shows sparkling all-glass facade

A new rendering of Central Park Tower, slated to be the tallest residential tower on Earth, shows the most sparkling image of the residential building yet. Construction for Extell Development’s supertall, located at 225 West 57th Street on Billionaires’ Row, is underway and when completed, the tower is projected to be 1,550-feet tall. As CityRealty reported, the all-glass rendering appears to be taken about 900-feet above Central Park and leaves out rivaling towers, 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street. The $2.98 billion project is expected to be completed in 2019.
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August 11, 2017

New report says more New Yorkers are moving to Los Angeles

The East Coast versus West Coast rivalry may be slowly fading away. New Yorkers are making the cross-country leap from New York City to Los Angeles at a higher rate, in pursuit of cheaper rents, blossoming creative communities and, of course, all of that sunshine. According to LA Weekly, a new report by LinkedIn shows NYC as the top out-of-state feeder for LA transplants. For every 10,000 Angelenos on LinkedIn, about 7.3 of them just moved there from the Big Apple.
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August 9, 2017

NYC jobs that offer free housing – here’s where to find them

You’ve landed a great job in New York City—then the reality of the city’s housing market starts to sink in. It’s a situation that thousands of new city residents face every year. New York City’s cost of living, which continues to outpace most other cities across North America, can make a move to the city seem difficult and even impossible. In fact, even highly compensated professionals often balk at the idea of relocating due to the fact that it typically means radically adjusting one’s established standard of living. After all, most adults assume it is normal to have more than one closet and expect their kitchen to be large enough to accommodate more than one person at a time. This is why at least some local employers throw in the most coveted perk of all—free or at least steeply discounted housing.
find out where these jobs are
August 9, 2017

‘Delayed’ is Blue Point’s exclusive new Penn Station beer

What to do when sitting in Penn Station for hours waiting for yet another late train? A cold beer sounds like a good idea. And that's exactly the mindset that Blue Point Brewing Company is capitalizing on with their clever albeit gimmicky new "Delayed" pilsner. The cans resemble the station's departure board with the Long Island destinations showing as, you guessed it, "delayed." Newsday tells us that the cans will be available at Penn Station's Shake Shack starting Monday, followed by elsewhere in the home of the "summer of hell."
Find out about the beer's launch party
August 8, 2017

Construction officially underway at Delta’s new $4B LaGuardia facilities, new renderings and details

Governor Cuomo first unveiled his plans for a revamped LaGuardia Airport two years ago. Since then, the cost has ballooned from $4 to $8 billion, with $4 billion alone going towards Delta's rebuilt 37-gate facilities. As of today, construction has officially begun on this part of the project, with the Port Authority signing a new, long-term lease with Delta Air Lines, which "marks the beginning of construction on the final component of the entirely new, unified airport at LaGuardia, which will provide all LaGuardia travelers with state-of-the-art amenities and expanded public transportation, including the planned AirTrain," according to a press release from the Governor. And along with the terminal's physical groundbreaking, he shared new details and renderings.
Get it all here
August 8, 2017

FREE RENT: This week’s roundup of NYC rental news

‘One Dutch’ Rentals Launch in the Financial District with Flex Layouts from $3,886/Month [link] See Newly Unveiled Model Units at the “Elegant and Striking” Long Island City Rental Tower, The Forge [link] Chelsea’s The Grove Offers One Month Free & Discounted Deposits for Andre Kikoski-Designed Apartments [link] Evolving Block on Ocean Parkway Gets 8-Story Luxury […]

August 7, 2017

Leasing launches at One Hudson Yards, luxury rentals starting at $5,095/month

The new luxury rental residences at One Hudson Yards at 530 West 30th Street, part of Manhattan's largest new mixed-use development, have begun leasing for the 30-story building's 178 apartments which range from one to three bedrooms (and one four-bedroom penthouse) according to a press release from Related Companies. The building's architecture is by Davis Brody Bond; interiors are by Andre Kikoski, who also designed the building's peerless collection of luxury amenities. Of particular note are extra-tall windows set into a modern curtain wall façade that offer breathtaking views of out over the Hudson River, the surrounding West Chelsea neighborhood and all of Downtown Manhattan–as well as Heatherwick Studios’ "Vessel" sculpture.
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August 7, 2017

Follow-up report says next year’s 11 percent NYC vacancy rate is bogus

6sqft recently reported on a forecast by online real estate marketplace Ten-X predicting a precipitous threefold spike in New York City’s apartment vacancy rate that could even exceed 11 percent by the end of next year as thousands of new apartments hit the market, adding up to a "grim reckoning” for landlords. Now, a Crains reporter tells us that skeptics like marketing-consultant-to-developers Nancy Packes, who said the prognostication of a rental market meltdown “didn’t make any sense,”  could be right after all.
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August 2, 2017

News anchor Lester Holt breaks with posh Nomad apartment for $6.4M

Breaking: Lester Holt has sold his classy Nomad apartment for $6.4 million, just under the $6.6 million he listed it for in April, reports the Post. The NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor bought the three-bedroom spread at 225 Fifth Avenue for $3.3 million in 2007. Along with the impressive views of Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building and a private terrace, the sale was likely helped along by the fact that Holt's wife, Carol Hagen-Holt, was one of the listing brokers.
Take a look around
August 2, 2017

Report predicts NYC’s vacancy rate will triple alongside falling rents

A new forecast by online real estate marketplace Ten-X predicts that New York City's apartment vacancy rate will exceed 11 percent by the end of next year as thousands of apartments hit the market, the Wall Street Journal reports. The study also points to a slowing job growth rate, which drives the rental market, as a factor in what could be a "grim reckoning" for landlords.
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August 2, 2017

After four years on the market, $125M Pierre penthouse sells for a paltry $44M

The 16 room triplex that takes up the 41st, 42nd and 43rd floors of the legendary Pierre Hotel has finally sold for $44 million, a huge drop from its original $125 million asking price. Located at 795 Fifth Avenue, the penthouse was owned by Barbara Zweig, the widow of financier Martin Zweig, who first listed the property in 2013 after her husband’s death. According to The Real Deal, the pad features a library, four terraces, private elevator and costs $51,840 per month to maintain.
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