New York City Condos Launch Sales; Buyers Return to Cities

In New York, Three New Buildings Hit the Market

Bucking the yearly spring sales rush and underscored by hope brought on by the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, low-interest rates, and buyers beginning their return to cities, there has been a spate of new residential buildings hitting the market in New York this January. 

On the Upper East Side, Robert A.M. Stern Architects’ 150 East 78th Street unveiled 25 half-floor, full-floor, and duplex residences ranging from three to five bedrooms. Each residence features direct elevator access into a private entry vestibule as well as interiors by AD 100 designer Robert Couturier, with kitchens designed in collaboration with master custom cabinet maker Christopher Peacock. The building’s amenities include a regulation squash court, a landscaped rooftop terrace with a fire pit and grill, and a wood-paneled residents’ salon with a catering kitchen and a billiards table. Pricing for the residences begins at $5.2 million. 

A former Upper West Side rental building at 212 West 72nd Street is undergoing a transformation into 126 condominiums at the hand of architect CetraRuddy. The architecture and design firm is endowing the residences with luxurious finishes like bathroom sconces with handmade crystal shades, showers with fluted glass panels, and white oak plank flooring. Residences in the new-to-market building range in size from one to four bedrooms, with prices starting at $1.25 million.

The health- and wellness-focused Maverick Chelsea features 87 one- to four-bedroom condos priced from $1.185 million. The residences feature integrated Miele appliance packages — including a wine refrigerator — and marble countertops. DXA Studio incorporated biophilic design throughout the building’s architecture and interiors, including across its three floors of wellness-focused amenity spaces that feature a 60-foot indoor pool, a meditation room with a backlit Himalayan salt wall, and a juice bar.

After Pandemic-Fueled Flight, Buyers Return to Cities

With vaccine distribution underway in major cities like New York and London, the prime real estate markets are coming back to life after a period of stagnation characterized by a surge in suburban sales. “We are seeing people who have committed to coming back to the city, and in the first month of the year inventory has lessened and more deals are happening,” Allison Chiaramonte, an agent with Warburg Realty in New York, told Mansion Global. “Multiple offers are being made on certain properties.” 

In New York, increased sales activity in Brooklyn (which Mansion Global says is perceived as safer with regards to the pandemic — with more space to offer than Manhattan) and in smaller boutique buildings has led the charge. London’s market ascension continues to be led by luxury single-family home sales, including blockbusters such as the 140 million pound sale of 1 Grosvenor Square’s penthouse. 

Miami Penthouse of Late Celebrity Stylist Seeks $2.1 Million

The Miami penthouse owned by the estate of late Cuban-born celebrity hairstylist Oribe Canales has hit the market for $2.1 million, the New York Post reports. The four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bathroom spread is on the 51st floor of 650 NE 32nd Avenue in Miami’s Edgewater District and boasts views over Biscayne Bay. The 2,854-square-foot property was built in 2018 and features an open kitchen with an integrated SubZero refrigerator.

Actress Gal Gadot Nabs Malibu Condo

“Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot has purchased a condo that juts over one of the most prized strips of Malibu beach, Variety reports. Gadot purchased the 1,956-square-foot spread from Thai philanthropist Bui Simon for $5 million. Simon owned the condo — one of four in the exclusive property — since 1994, when she purchased it for just $850,000. The property features two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a step-down living room with a fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling glass walls that can fold away to create an indoor-outdoor space.

Modernism Week

Modernism Week, the celebration of midcentury modern style and design that takes place annually in Palm Springs, Calif., will complement this year’s festival with an additional online streaming experience from Feb. 1 through 28. Programs available for on-demand streaming include an exploration of the works of midcentury designers Edith Farnsworth and Mies van der Rohe, a nostalgic look at the retro architecture of Disneyland, and a virtual tour of Philip Johnson’s iconic Glass House. Streaming events are individually priced, starting at $10. Tickets will be available on the Modernism Week website beginning Feb. 1, alongside the full roster of streaming events.