Co-ops

If you want to live in one of the oldest private co-ops in Harlem, here's your chance. The 25-foot-wide, 102-foot-long unit at 152 West 131st Street has an interesting floor plan with the living room and dining room on complete opposite sides of a long narrow hallway. But it has charming original details, nice finishes, and it's in an adorable brownstone, so the $1.1 million pad is definitely worth a look.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

May 21, 2015

$2M Historic Park Slope Triplex Looks Out onto Prospect Park

After Prospect Park opened in 1867, a wave of development hit the surrounding area, now known as Park Slope. The stretch of Prospect Park West, which bordered the park, was dubbed the "Gold Coast" for its many lavish mansions. Today, the stretch is still home to some of Brooklyn's most impressive buildings. This townhouse at 103 Prospect Park West is one of them. A triplex co-op there is on the market for $1.995 million, and it retains much of its pre-war detailing.
See the interior here

Distinctive Homes

May 18, 2015

Gorgeous Gramercy Park Chateau Looks Fit for Royalty

Paging "Downton Abbey" fans. This Gramercy Park apartment looks more like an English estate than a New York co-op. Located at 44 Gramercy Park North (h/t Curbed), each room is decked out with extravagant features that manage to outdo the others. Elaborate wood carvings, soaring ceilings, stained glass windows, fireplace mantels with sculpture work, the list goes on and on. The listing says, "There is no other place like this." We think they're absolutely right.
See more of the interior here

May 15, 2015

Even the Laundry Room Is Cute at This Clinton Hill Apartment

It's the perfect season to start drooling over garden apartments. This co-op apartment, at 110 Clinton Avenue in Clinton Hill, has a charming interior as well as a lovely, massive garden with plantings and a 70-year-old maple tree. In fact, we can't decide what we like better—the inside or the out. (Just wait until you see the laundry room.) The whole shebang is on the market for $895,000.
Check out the interior and exterior here

Distinctive Homes

May 12, 2015

Cozy Gramercy Park Co-Op Comes with Its Own Private Garden and Koi Pond

It's unusual for a small apartment to come with such a big private outdoor space, but that's the case at this one-bedroom co-op apartment up for sale at 22 Irving Place. This Gramercy Park pad is cute on the inside, but even better with its 500-square-foot garden. Not only is it beautifully landscaped, with enough space for a table and barbecue, it's also got its very own koi pond. How much for this little oasis in one of the most desirable neighborhoods of Manhattan? $999,000.
See the rest of the interior here

Distinctive Homes

The High and Low: Two Pretty Prewar Co-ops on Prospect Park

235 Lincoln Place, Apt. 2C (l), 20 Plaza Street East, Apt. D10 (r).

May 4, 2015

The High and Low: Two Pretty Prewar Co-ops on Prospect Park

By Michelle Cohen

Just north and west of Grand Army Plaza and the green expanse of Prospect Park, the heavenly slice of brownstone Brooklyn where Prospect Heights meets Park Slope is considered one of the best spots in the borough–possibly the city–to live. Its streets offer some of the area's loveliest historic townhouses and some of Brooklyn's most gracious prewar apartment buildings, home to notables from Sen. Charles Schumer to Chloë Sevigny. Near an alphabet soup of subway lines and every amenity you could imagine–from the Brooklyn Museum to Barclays Center–these two classic prewar co-ops claim this prime location, sought-after full-service buildings and pretty Deco-era bones. The first also offers the spacious layout sought by co-op buyers, and at $1.4 million for a large three-bedroom, there's plenty of room to roam. And though a diminutive studio is best for one (or two who like to be very close) this particular version, asking a double-take-prompting $350k, is on a high floor in one of the area's loveliest buildings and has the same look–minus a few hundred square feet–as its more spacious sibling.
Take a side-by-side look

Distinctive Homes

April 15, 2015

This Sprawling Sun-Filled Noho Loft Will Make You Want to Dance

Calling all artists! This beautiful Noho loft at 35 Bond Street is literally begging to be the backdrop of your next masterpiece. Whether you want to paint in front of the giant arched windows or tango the entire length of the living room/studio, this massive $5.995 million AIR co-op is certainly an artist's dream.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 13, 2015

Lovely and Light-Filled Co-op in Park Slope Won’t Break the Bank at $525K

By Stephanie Hoina

If you’re still working to make that first million, you know finding a cool place to hang your hat in some of the city’s more sought-after neighborhoods without breaking the bank can seem like an exercise in futility. Take heart, it’s not impossible! This lovely and light-filled condo at 670 President Street in the heart of one of Brooklyn's favorite neighborhoods can be yours for a mere $525,000.
Take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

April 10, 2015

UWS Brownstone Duplex with Private Terrace Asks $1.8 Million

If you can't afford the multi-millions it takes to buy a townhouse off Central Park West, this duplex at 132 West 78th Street may do the trick. Of course, the price is still significant with an ask of $1,795,000. But it's a smaller sum for a lovely, historic pad–the co-op takes up two floors of a brownstone, which is located on a block of even more gorgeous brownstones. And did we mention it's located less than a block away from the Museum of Natural History, and one block from Central Park?
Take a look around here

Distinctive Homes

Opulent Steven Gambrel-Designed UES Co-Op Looks to Make $6M Flip

Before we get into this listing, we just have to point out that the owner of this lavish prewar co-op at 79 East 79th Street is a man named Timothy O'Hara from Savannah, Georgia. We wonder if he has a fictional ancestor named Scarlett. We also wonder if he hasn't heard that joke a million times in his life. O'Hara and his wife Dara purchased the Upper East Side home for $7.25 million back in 2012, and in a flip for the ages, it's back on the market for nearly double that price, at $13.5 million. However, this newly renovated home's custom millwork and bold lacquer paint finishes create a blend of subtle sophistication and vitality that just might be enough to lure buyers to drop some serious cash.
Tour the elegant abode here

Distinctive Homes

March 26, 2015

Woody Johnson’s Co-op Sale Still Sets Record, but Comes In Lower Than Expected at $77.5M

By Dana Schulz

The real estate world was abuzz last fall when the news hit that Jets owner Woody Johnson had sold his Upper East Side apartment to billionaire Leonard Blavatnik for $80 million, setting the record for most expensive co-op sale ever. The official city documents have hit, though, and the sale price came in lower than expected at $77.5 million. But […]

Real Estate Trends

February 3, 2015

Bruce Willis Is Back at It, Buys $17M Duplex at 271 Central Park West

Maybe we haven't seen Bruce Willis in a new movie in a couple of years because he's been too busy unloading and buying real estate in New York. First there was the $12 million, 22-acre buy in Bedford, then the $13 million sale of his El Dorado co-op, and now he's purchased a $17 million six-bedroom duplex at 271 Central Park West, just a few blocks away from the El Dorado digs and not too far from the unit he owned before that at Trump Place on Riverside Drive. Clearly Willis likes the Upper West Side, and it looks to us like he's having some fun climbing up the luxury-listing ladder.
Check out Willis's new pad here

January 29, 2015

Reduced! $125 Million Pierre Penthouse Now Asking Just $63 Million

Desperate times call for desperate measures? This dazzling former home to eccentric stock investor Martin Zweig has just received a near 50 percent price cut by the late investor's widow, Barbara Zweig, who is now asking a mere $63 million. The 41st floor co-op at the Pierre first hit the market in 2013 for what would have been a record-breaking $125 million, but the home didn't sell—even after being slashed to $95 million in December 2013. Now it looks like Zweig just wants to rid herself of the property which occupies the top three levels of the Pierre. The penthouse is the highest prewar co-op apartment in Manhattan, meaning not only do you have views of the skyline, but you're also part of the skyline. But that's not to discount the 360-degree vistas of the city, which include all of Central Park. So, will someone bite at $63 mill?
Let's take a look inside

Distinctive Homes

January 16, 2015

Check Out the Rear…Garden of This Adorable $1.3M West Village Pad

Here’s a cute new listing at 92 Horatio Street, asking $1.349 million. A West Village location is already pretty idyllic. Add charming details like exposed brick walls, hardwood floors, and lots of light, and you’ve really hit the jackpot. But this quaint co-op’s most prized feature is definitely the romantic private garden.
Take a look at the quaint space here

Distinctive Homes

December 22, 2014

Quintessential Soho Loft in the West Broadway Arches Asks $2M

There’s a new loft available in one of Soho’s most prized co-ops. 140 Thompson Street, otherwise known as the West Broadway Arches, is a beautiful early 20th century brick building with large arched windows, right on the cusp of Soho and Greenwich Village. In addition to its great location, this flexible one-bedroom unit has every detail a prospective buyer could want in a quintessential loft, all for $1.95 million.
More photos after the jump

Distinctive Homes

December 8, 2014

Bruce Willis Lists Central Park West Apartment for $13M

Bruce Willis is really stepping up his New York real estate game. Just five weeks after buying a $12 million, 22-acre estate in Bedford, New York, he and his wife, actress Emma Heming Willis, have listed their three-bedroom Central Park West co-op at the El Dorado for $13 million. The Daily News reports that the couple is looking to trade up to a bigger unit now that they have a second child. Willis bought the apartment at 300 Central Park West less than two years ago for $8.85 million from U2 bassist Adam Clayton. And after a meticulous renovation, he's looking to make $4 million on the flip.
Take a tour of the Willis home

On Sale Now: An Unofficial Black Friday Bargain Hunt!

135 West 70th Street Penthouse BC; Listing photo Douglas Elliman.

November 28, 2014

On Sale Now: An Unofficial Black Friday Bargain Hunt!

By Michelle Cohen

Late November can be an anxious time for both buyers and sellers; unpleasant weather, family events and just plain seasonal shutdown mode can reduce the traffic at open houses to a trickle and get properties pulled off the market until after New Year’s Day or even springtime. Sellers may panic and prices get cut in the hopes of getting the deal done before year’s end; it’s a good time for intrepid buyers to stay in the game, though, because the competition factor is at a minimum. After reading about Leo DiCaprio who, like Macy’s, Wal-Mart and Kohl’s, jumped the gun on the traditional discount day by price-chopping his haute-holistic Delos Living penthouse, we rounded up some stellar dwellings that received significant markdowns just in time for the popular post-Thanksgiving Day shop-a-thon. So if you’re on the hunt–or you’ve got a two-bed-two-bath-with-killer-views-sized stocking to fill–check out our list of sale merch of the real estate persuasion that–we hope–won't require you to queue up at the crack of dawn.
10 more discounted deals that are better than lords a-leaping

November 24, 2014

Supermodel Gemma Ward Lists East Village Apartment for $2.25M

Australian supermodel Gemma Ward bought her East Village apartment in 2007 for $1.5 million, when she was only 20 years old, undertaking a gut renovation of the three-bedroom pad at 232 East 6th Street. But considering that, at age 16, she was the youngest model ever to appear on the cover of American Vogue, entering the NYC real estate game at 20 isn't that shocking. And she has now listed the pre-war apartment for $2.25 million, according to the Daily News.
Tour the stylish pad here

November 7, 2014

Debra Messing Buys $5.5M Upper East Side Apartment

Her famous Will & Grace character may have lived on the Upper West Side, but Debra Messing is crossing the park for a new home at 3 East 84th Street. According to city records filed today, the actress purchased a $5.45 million co-op at the building. The four-bedroom unit is just a half block from Central Park and boasts 10-foot ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, Juliette balcony, and charming country kitchen.
Check out Messing's new digs here

November 3, 2014

Brighten Your Mood with this $4M Colorful Maria Brito-Designed Co-op

Who needs lifestyle tips from Goop when you can live like Gwyneth Paltrow instead? That’s right. 320 East 72nd Street has an apartment designed by Maria Gabriela Brito, self-proclaimed luxury lifestyle consultant with a Rolodex full of clients like P. Diddy and Gwyneth. The colorful Lenox Hill apartment is not afraid to show its fun side, and it’s now on the market, asking $3.795 million. The Brazilian-inspired design is definitely not for the faint of heart, but Brito anchors the vibrant accents with a neutral backdrop, creating a lively yet sophisticated space.
Take a look inside, here

Distinctive Homes

October 30, 2014

East Village Condo’s Celebrated Design Will Make Your Dreams Come True

By Rebecca Paul

On any given day New York City has the potential to make all of your dreams come true, and this beautiful three-bedroom East Village condo, located at 211 East 3rd Street, might make that dream a little sweeter. This amazing property underwent an all-inclusive renovation just two years ago, and the result is an exquisitely curated interior enhanced by architectural sophistication that is sure to grab your attention. The renovation also garnered features in Martha Stewart Living, the Wall Street Journal and several other magazines and papers.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

October 27, 2014

$4M Restored 19th Century Co-Op Boasts Exquisite Millwork

A 19th century renovated co-op on the most coveted street in the East 70s has just popped up on the market, asking $3.95 million. This carefully restored apartment at 5 East 75th Street definitely has some dizzying wallpaper and way too many mirrors, but that’s all overshadowed by its gorgeous original details and magnificent views.
Take a look inside, here

Distinctive Homes

October 21, 2014

It’s Official: Jets Owner Woody Johnson Sells Fifth Avenue Co-op for a Record Setting $80M

By Dana Schulz

In addition to holding the record for highest purchase of a sports team in New York (he bought the Jets in 2000 for a whopping $635 million), Johnson & Johnson heir Woody Johnson now also holds the title for most expensive co-op ever sold in the city. His 11th/12th floor duplex at 834 Fifth Avenue has been […]

October 20, 2014

Palatial Co-op at the Sherry Netherland Reduces Price to $85 Million