Tuesday Real Estate Porn

As is my want, I was perusing the Sunday New York Times real estate section when I saw that a brownstone in my neighborhood is up for sale for $1.9M dollars. I'm always particularly interested in what brownstones go for in my nabe, since my grandmother owned one across the street from the house that was featured in The Royal Tennebaums. Seriously, if we had held on to that house, it would have been so sweet.

According to the Prudential Elliman web-site:

"MOTIVATED SELLER: Located in the gold coast of the landmark of Hamilton Heights' historic district, this thoroughly renovated 18.5'+/- wide, 4100+/- bldg sqft, legal 3 family brownstone boasts an Arts & Craft style three-bedroom / two-bath garden & parlor duplex, and two 2-bedroom floor-through units. Each apartment is equipped with a working gas fireplace(s), new stainless appliances, a granite counter top, and original refinished hardwood floors. Each is pre-wired for cable/DTV, and telephone; moreover, each is individually metered for gas & electric, as well as for heat & hot water. Large deck in the rear plus a garden. "

There is an open house on Sunday and I might just have to mosy on down to see it. According to the listing, the house could be turned into coops which means that the owner could sell the two other units and just keep the duplex (which would be what I would do). Seriously, you sell the two bedrooms for like $450,000 each and that's like half of what you would pay for the house.
Of course, I have no idea how this co-op thing actually works in terms of brownstones.

Question: Why am I talking like I can actually afford to buy this house?

Return of Real Estate Porn

So I was perusing the 'On the Market' in the Real Estate section of the New York Times when I found a link to a real estate firm called Aguyao & Huebner in Brooklyn. One of the houses that they are selling looks like something out of Dynasty, except it is in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. For those of you who don't know Brooklyn (or New York), Bay Ridge is way the hell out there near the Verrazano Bridge.

Here's the description from the site:

"MONTE CARLO ANYONE? It's easy to imagine you are on the French Rivera when you enter this property. This 9,000-plus square foot Center Hall Colonial estate offers a host of luxurious amenities you would not expect to find this side of the Mediterranean. A grand 70 foot long terrace with stunning views of the Narrows and New York Bay overwhelms you before you even enter the front door. Inside you are greeted by a grand center hall and circular stair. Off to the right is the most impressive living room with a mantle and fireplace. The grand dining room, the gourmet kitchen overlooking the mammoth heated pool, four large bedrooms, five baths of marble, the four car heated garage, the master suite with bath and two walk-in closets, and the exquisite finishes throughout are all statements of luxury and a lifestyle usually not found within walking distance of a New York City transportation. Offered by Aguayo & Huebener for $5,500,000. Call today to see what only upon seeing can you really believe."

Seriously, a $5.5MM house in the Bay Ridge? I can understand Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope even, but this is incredible. And the house is amazing, with a swimming pool and a huge terrace that overlooks the water. Not to offend anyone, but I'm thinking someone in the Mafia owned this thing. Or someone who made a lot of money who didn't have money before. It's a little over the top.

Friday Real Estate Porn

This is the Dakota in New York, unfortunately more famous for John Lennon's murder (he and Yoko Ono lived at the Dakota, he was hot outside) and Rosemary's Baby, then for its history. It was named the Dakota because at the time it was built, there were not other houses around, so it was like living in the Dakotas.

According to the Brown, Harris, Stevens website: "this magnificent home is one of the largest in the building, and is rich in history and architectural grandeur. The 10-room residence has been beautifully renovated and restored, while the original 19th-Century details and appointments remain perfectly preserved. A stunning array of grand-scale public rooms begins in the generous 16' entrance gallery with its original fireplace mantel. There is a vast 29' corner living room with exquisite original moldings and stunning floor-to-ceiling windows framing open views to the North and West.

Accessed through a set of pocket-doors, the adjacent library offers an elegant fireplace and wonderful double exposure to the South and West. On the other side of the gallery, the 24' formal dining features original wainscoting, and a fireplace. Overlooking the building's charming central courtyard, the voluminous Chef's kitchen and family room have ample space for dining and a large butler's pantry with temperature-controlled wine storage. Outfitted with beautiful custom cabinetry and appliances from Sub-Zero and Wolf, the sundrenched kitchen features multiple Franke sinks with Water Works fixtures, marble countertops, a large island and a separate laundry room with washer/dryer. There are four large bedrooms, including the oversized master suite with a luxuriously-appointed marble bath with double-sinks and a separate steam shower and tub.

Designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh, The Dakota was built in 1884 and its ornate finials and Gothic gables make it one of the most striking structures on the Upper West Side. When it was built it was full service, with room service, the elevator was so big that you could drive your carriage into it so that you could be dropped off at your front door.

This apartment is selling for $24,000,000. That's right, you read it correctly. That's like $2MM per room. And the maintenance on this place is almost $8,000 a month. Seriously, you could buy like 5 townhouses in Brooklyn for that kind of money. Or even in Manhattan. Okay, maybe not 5 townhouses, but you could buy like 2 or 3, particularly in my neighborhood.

You know there is someone out there with that kind of cash who will buy this if only for the status alone. Lauren Bacall and Roberta Flack live in the Dakota, and its a national landmark almost. Plus Central Park is across the street. Still that's a crazy price for an apartment

Thursday Real Estate Porn

After hunting for property in France, Brangelina have bought a £35 million ($70MM) chateau on the Riviera after spotting their dream home from the air, the 35-bedroom Chateau Miraval in the tiny village of Brignol.

Not far from Aix-en-Provence, property features a lake, a successful vineyard, a swimming pool, and a forest and moat, will become home to the Pitt-Jolie clan in around three months' time. Angelina is due to give birth to twins arrive on August 19, wants to give birth in France in tribute to her French grandmother and late mother who was actually French Canadian. The 1,000-acre estate and its 35 bedrooms seems perfect for their large brood of children which includes (at the moment) Maddox who is six, Zahara who is three, Pax, who they adopted last year, and 2 year old Shiloh. The chateau is located at the end of a three mile-long drive, offering loads of privacy. Their neighbors include Bono, The Edge and Johnny Depp and his partner Vanessa Paradis (can you imagine borrowing a cup of sugar from Johnny Depp? Sweet!).

Okay, what do you think the mortgage is on a place like this? Do they have a fixed rate or is flexible? Seriously how do you spend $70 MM on a home? Particularly when you already own a gorgeous house in New Orleans, and a house in Los Angeles. I know that Brad and Angie get paid a lot of money to make movies, but how do you come up with that much cash?

Are they going to continue to sell Chateau Miraval wine? Are they going to name vintages after their children? The mind boggles.

Excuse me, while I have a glass of Zahara Chardonnay 2009.

Friday's Real Estate Porn

Wow, I wish I had $3.6 MM for this apartment of Betsey Johnson's.

According to the Corcoran site:

This stylish Gold Coast penthouse duplex loft is the New York residence of a famed fashion designer whose underlying respect for classics always has an irreverent edge and sense of fun... A lavishly presented confection of fifties Hollywood glamour trimmed in lace, velvet, and gold tassels, beneath the signature pink paint and fabulously frou-frou furnishings is a home with unique character and great bones:

Oversize windows (four exposures) with priceless views across Fifth Avenue over church spires and West Village rooftops to Jersey, stunning ebonized floors, beamed ceiling, crown moldings, a floating stairway past a glass brick wall up to the private roof deck, and a spacious bath with claw foot tub and that wonderful, slightly loopy Old World plumbing reminiscent of a suite at the Ritz. Space and location are highly coveted; there's approximately 1,000sf of outdoor space for landscaping, entertaining, and enjoying dramatic sunsets overlooking Fifth Avenue at 12th Street, one of the City's favorite locations, perfect for access to Downtown restaurants, Union Square Farmers' Market, nightlife, galleries - - Chelsea, the Village, Soho - - as well as Uptown destinations. Like a Parisian artist's garret with space, light, and views, this unique New York home suggests a lifestyle at once laid back and elegant!

Seriously, I would want to buy the furniture and everything. I wouldn't even change it, although after awhile I think it would be like living in a giant bottle of Pepto Bismol.

Home Sweet Home

Do you ever find yourself looking through the homes and the apartments in the real estate section of the paper, dreaming about what your life would be like if you lived there? Would it be better or worse to have four bedrooms and an office? Or a beautiful staircase like the one in the house above. I can easily imagine myself sitting on that front porch in the summer evenings, sipping a glass of iced tea, people watching. I mean the front walk alone is to die for! And only $1.4 Million dollars. Of course, it's situated in the Crowns Height neighborhood in Brooklyn which hasn't always been the nicest part of Brooklyn, but it's a 19th Century Victorian and whoever owns it has clearly taken care of it. According to the Corcoran web-site it has gas fireplaces, leaded and stained glass windows, bay windows and an eat-in
kitchen.

I have to admit I love reading about other people's homes, even in fiction. Imaging the space where the character lives adds an extra dollop to the novel, and can reveal so much about who the character is. Since most of my novels are set in Manhattan, I spend a great deal of time thinking about which neighborhood they would live in and why. Even how much rent they pay every month (this is New York so everyone talks about what they pay in rent, if they're renting)

My hero, in my WIP, lives on the Upper East Side, not in the chi-chi areas around Park Avenue and Madison Avenue, but further over on 2nd Avenue, where it's not so trendy and chic. He lives in a very small one bedroom, across the Park from the university where he teaches. Which is deliberate for him. Meanwhile my heroine lives in her parents apartment while they are away working on a cruise ship for six months in Hell's Kitchen. They live in a apartment complex that was designed for people in the Arts. Since my heroine had been living abroad for several years, she didn't have an apartment in the city when she came back to take over her parents' dance studio, so she's taking care of theirs. All her stuff is in storage, so she feels kind of in limbo right now.

I also spend a great deal of time imaginging the decor of my characters apartments even if I only use 1/10 of the information. Whether they're sloppy or neat. Do they care about their living environment or is just someplace where they sleep? What items in their homes they would reach for if there were a fire. Do they cook at home and if they do, do they use Caphalon or Martha Stewart's pots and pans? I pore through magazines like Domino and In Style homes looking for pictures that accurately depict my characters homes.

In my WIP, my hero has a battered leather sofa that he loves, even though his cat Dickens has used it as a scratching post. His walls are decorated with foreign film posters and a bust of Freud on his bookcase which is crammed full of books of all descriptions. Since my heroine's apartment doesn't reflect her taste, I have to imagine what her parents taste is like, in order to describe her apartment.

Question of the day: How much time or effort to you put in to your characters living environment? And do you surf the internet for Real Estate Porn?

Thursday Real Estate Porn

This week's Real Estate Porn is Midford Castle in Somerset near Bath. It was built by a man named Henry Disney Roebuck in 1775 in the shape of the Ace of Clubs. Legend has it that he chose that shape because he won a fortune at the gaming tables with the Ace of Clubs. But the truth is that Mr. Roebuck was a wealthy romantic who chose the plan and design of the building chiefly for aesthetic reasons, based on a contemporary plan of John Cater, a gothic enthusiast.

It's a Grade I listed castle whatever that means. It comes with 59 acres of parkland, grassland and woodland. It also boasts an orangery, two cottages, and a ruined chapel. It was on sale for a cool 5 MM (around $10MM) pounds until one Nicolas Coppola Cage bought it recently for 4.5MM pounds. Yes, that Nicolas Cage, star of Ghost Rider and National Treasure, the man who named his son after Superman. Who used to be a good actor back in the days when he made Leaving Las Vegas.

Apparently, he has 14 homes worth at least $66MM including a 28 room fortress that he bought in Bavaria called Castle Neidstein in Germany. I have no idea why, although he's said that he would like move a castle brick by brick across the pond. Hopefully he'll change his mind about that. It would be like when they moved the old London Bridge over to Arizona.

It must be nice to own a historic castle, but I'm unlikely to ever know that unless I win Megamillions. Although I would adore staying in one.

EKM