The Real Estate Business in NYC is about consistently navigating the ever evolving landscape. The city streets tell this story well. Often the best way to see a city is by walking it. If it’s a larger city like NYC, seeing it on the saddle of a bike is the best way to go. New York is considered the eighth most bike friendly city in the US and has over 200 miles of bike lanes (thanks Mr. Mayor)!

Even though May is bike month in New York City, my favorite ride is coming up. September 12th is the New York Century. America’s only fully urban century ride. You can choose your distance and select from 100, 75, 55, 35, or 15-mile routes. I rode it last year with a few friends, and having lived here for more than 20 years, this experience was one of my most memorable. (I especially enjoyed wolfing down pizza from Rao’s in Harlem after clocking 100 miles)! In contrast to this ride, this past Sunday I rode the Northfork Century, (where we the cuisine on the ride consisted of home baked pies, and fresh grown local produce). It was a refreshing reminder of how spectacular and diverse this part of the world is – especially at this time of year. So – if you get the chance, dust off that old bike, put some air in the tires, and remember to wear a helmet.

Currently on display at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library of Columbia University is an interesting collection of real estate brochures that reference how different developers approached sales and listings with in a 50 year span. This collection contains listings from the 1920’s to the 1970’s and currently includes 2,518 buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

This unique literature of apartment building listing and advertising is chronicled among pages of brochures, photos, and copy. CORE Real estate understands the influence and impact that advertising has within the world of real estate. Incorporating the lifestyle possibilities a property may have into a sale is a fundamental resource to a sale and this collection at the Avery Library is a beautiful display of the growth and use of local real estate listings.

Last night in NYC, Target staged an innovative fashion event called The Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular at the Standard Hotel.  Each of the 155 rooms of the hotel had LED lights installed, and over 60 dancers performed in the windows in time to broadcasted music.  The creative team that brought this performance together is Mother New York, the same team that brought us the Target Harlem package.

HGTV is teaming up with the W Downtown hotel to promote and give away a luxurious loft. The lucky winner of the HGTV Urban Oasis Giveaway will get a $1.5 million package that includes the fully furnished 900 square foot apartment in the W and a brand-new Acura Sports Coupe. The last episode of HGTV Selling New York featuring CORE Real Estate dealt with selling some of our highest priced properties while racing the clock. Something tells us finding someone who wants this “Urban Oasis” wont be as hard.

For those New Yorkers who never received a coveted invitation last summer to dive into Dumpsters converted into pools in Brooklyn, there is a much easier alternative this year: Park Avenue.  Mayor Bloomberg will open three pools on Park Ave. Here is a link to the article from the NY Times.

As soon as we took over the marketing and sales for 650 Sixth Avenue, we began researching the history of this incredible building. Turns out it was once the largest shoe store in the world, home of Alfred J. Cammeyer & Co.’s boot and shoe business. An article in The New York Times from October 29, 1889, heralds the opening of the company’s new and expanded retail space as well as the building’s beautiful architecture. So, in honor of its first tenants, we renamed the building The Cammeyer and are now introducing walking tours of the Ladies’ Mile District with historian Joyce Gold.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Ladies’ Mile District was the site for iconic department stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Tiffany and Co., and a favorite destination for society types like Eleanor Roosevelt, Edith Wharton and Emily Post. Built in 1889, The Cammeyer—with its white stone pilasters and entablature, red brick Corinthian columns and arches, and hand-turned wrought-iron balconies—has now been restored to its pre–World War I beauty.

Many times I have walked by and admired the building’s exquisite façade. The Ladies’ Mile section of the Flatiron District is one of the best-preserved neighborhoods of “Old New York,” and I look forward to learning more about the area’s history on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in April and early May.

Wednesday, April 14 at 10 am

Wednesday, April 21 at 10 am

Wednesday, April 28 at 10 am

Wednesday, May 5 at 9 am

Click here for details

“I keep hearing ‘it’s a buyer’s market.’  I am considering trading up, but I need to sell my apartment first—is it a really a good time to sell?”

“What kind of discounts can I really get in today’s market?”

“I want to buy in a new-construction condo.  Is it a good idea?  Will I get a loan from a bank?”

“I read in the news that it’s really hard to get financing—is it true?”

“The Case-Shiller housing index seems to portent the end of the real-estate free-fall, but unemployment is still up in New York, and the stock market is gyrating.  Where do you think the market is going?”

For these and other good questions you may have, come to an expert roundtable discussion, where Caroline Grane and Arthur Hung, 2 of Downtown’s most accomplished brokers, and a top mortgage professional from Bank of America will help you separate the wheat from the chaff.  All in a casual setting, over fine wines and appetizers, at CORE’s elegant new flagship retail space at 127 Seventh Avenue (at 18^th Street).

Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Time: 7:30 – 8:30 PM

R.S.V.P. requested, but not required, to ahung@corenyc.com.