Weekly Roundup: ‘Insane’ market, rising prices, pronounced seasonality, surging sales, wasted electricity, 65,000-acre Quebec spread. . . more!

Next Weekly Roundup April 5

Bidding environment now ‘absolutely insane’

Contract activity soars above prior years, thereby confirming both item above and my Wednesday post

Prices soar 11 percent from January 2012

Prior to usual seasonal increase, February rents in Manhattan Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Slower pace of rent increases, rise of mortgage rates, Gen Y’s influence on house design, tech myths, market predictions

Rents rise at diminishing rate

UWS has highest absorption rate in Manhattan

Glassy condo buildings unwelcome among old money residents of UES

Free shuttle bus can be a deal maker

Those pesky brokers will write anything to set listings apart

Westchester markets enjoys strong finish

Knowing building’s rules one of seven tips for novices renting out apartments

First-time foreclosures drop to seven-year low in the city

Philanthropist’s 26-acre estate on Cape Cod private island sells for $19.5 million

Actor hunting for house Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Latest rent stats, celebrities’ real estate, state of U.S. market, mortgage fraud, house swapping, growing consumer optimism

Manhattan rents shoot up 8.2 percent in a year, reaching $3,195 monthly

And Tribeca has biggest change in rents from prior month

Beating out other applicants means renting only what you can afford — and much more advice

Before signing lease, understand landlord’s perspective

Brooklyn, Queens attain highest average sales price in Q3 since 2007

Co-ops and condos Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Reports reveal strong sales, weak supply in Manhattan despite increasingly tough standards for borrowers everywhere

Inventory plunges to seven-year low in Q3, sales strong, prices little changed

Streeteasy finds decline in price cuts, time on market compared with same quarter in 2011

Penthouse owner sues board president on claim she sabotaged $27.5 million co-op sale as revenge for rejected lowball offer

Managing agents say residential building in better shape than years ago, but watching pennies

Enduring family feud, Charles Rutenberg Realty has progressive business model making it Manhattan’s 6th largest brokerage

Life as a 20-percenter isn’t a bed of roses, resident of mixed-income building confesses

Landmarks subcommittee blesses expansion of Upper West Side historic district, clearing way for Council approval

Who will be able to claim credit for 95-story Park Avenue tower soon to be constructed?

Pundit frustrated by cable-TV news sells TriBeCa loft above $1.32 million asking price

Actor trades outer space for outside space in $2.5 million purchase of Park Slope duplex

Aerobic exercise fanatic Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Rents rise again, celebs on the move, U.S. prices up, Omaha one ‘livable’ city

Biggest and best Manhattan residential properties exceed prior peaks

Council raises fines on owners who illegally turn residential units into hotel suites

Owners of glam Brooklyn condo accuse developers, other companies of lapses in $200 million lawsuit

Manhattan rents again at all-time high, so apartment hunters accept compromises

Actor contracts to purchase three-bedroom Central Park West co-op that had rejected Mariah

After actress’ and partner’s move to the Village, she sells co-op in the city for $1.59 million

Can rock star feel the profit today in sale of his West Hollywood condos?

Johnny Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Renters reject commissions, pending sales up over year, rates set record, list IDs ugliest mansions, recovery talk ignites debate

Although able to buy multimillion-dollar residences, some very rich folks choose to rent at sky-high prices instead

Fire Department takes dim view of dangling air conditioners and undertakes strong action

Landlord’s empire of apartment buildings collects thousands of code violations

City comptroller expects large residential properties to maintain value

40 percent of renters say they won’t pay broker’s fee purely on principle

Some Brooklyn renters moving back to Manhattan, where they find cheaper digs

With luxury home sales hitting record, surging Hamptons activity nearly matches 2007

City Council overwhelmingly approves NYU expansion plan

Sales, prices of new condos in Brooklyn boom in Q2 vs. prior year

Westchester communities experience parent drain after commencements

Broadway couple trades hit musical for the Hit Factory

She kisses good-bye to Tribeca condo at a small loss

Filmmaker decides it’s time to sell California estate at an asking price of $9.5 million

Index of contracts signed in June Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Supply in U.S. and NYC dwindles, rates keep falling, Oprah takes bath, hell is hoarder at home, Shiller’s glass half empty

Obama slept here, and so can you for $2,400 a month

Median price of new condos up 15.4 percent from year ago, inventory down 19.1 percent

Q2 prices in Brooklyn, Queens edge up as inventory plunges

With prices falling in the Hamptons, sales pick up

Boards only set policies and six other surprises that rookie members may confront

New rental units in the city undergoing shrinkage

New handful of properties set to come on market at $90 million or more

Retired detective names safest, riskiest units in apartment building

Sales volume, property values remain well below peak levels, says NYU’s Furman Center

Number of residential building permits skyrockets, especially in Manhattan

Super rich Continue reading

Tribeca loft goes for $3.15 million in city auction

The Ice House, 27 N. Moore St. in Tribeca.

With only a single competitor, a Long Island man won a two-bedroom, two-bath condo at 27 N. Moore St. for the favorable price of $3.15 million at the city’s auction of nine apartments in Manhattan today.

Public Administrator Ethel J. Griffin had set the minimum price at $3 million for the more than 2,000-sf loft, which had been owned by one Veronica Lee in a building called the Ice House.  According to Curbed.com, Lee paid $774,000 for the unit in 1999 and died owing JP Morgan Chase $1.9 million left on her mortgage.

“I feel good,” successful bidder Mario Montoya told me after the auction, adding that he had been prepared to offer “a little more.” Continue reading

Weekly Roundup: Buyer timing, tight inventory, rise in home equity, foreclosure nightmare, bedroom makeover, status of recovery. . . more

Digitized offering plans catch on with developers

Bloomberg News: Now best time in almost six years to buy in Manhattan

Daily News provides outlook for sales, rental markets throughout city

Appeals court rules against return of $300,000 deposit to buyer who intentionally flunked co-op board interview

Homeowners entitled to property-tax exemptions may see temporary increases until backlog cleared

When it comes to taxes, old shelters are the bomb

Speak softly and carry a big tip

Four Brooklyn zips on list showing biggest increases in white residents in U.S.

French fashion designer sells Chelsea penthouse for $7.89 million

Hannah’s ‘mom’ buys Continue reading

City to auction off $3 million condo, 8 other units

Condominium called the Ice House at 27 North Moore St. in Tribeca

The sale of a condo with a minimum bid of $3 million is the highlight of a new estate auction scheduled for June 28 by Public Administrator Ethel J. Griffin.

Among the eight other apartments to go on the block starting at 11:30 a.m. are three income-limited units, a co-op in the Kips Bay neighborhood and one on the Upper West Side in the Lincoln Towers complex.

The $3 million unit is in the Ice House, at 27 North Moore St., in Tribeca.  It was owned by one Veronica Lee, but I have been unable to find verifiable information about her.

What I know is that Continue reading