Video Gallery

Recently Listed – A Luxurious 2-Bedroom Condo That Will Steal Your Heart

The Campiello Collection in Chelsea was developed by Elad. It was one of their first condos in New York in the early 2000’s when most people would head to the Upper East Side still when looking to buy, to find themselves a Classic 6 – as the traditional 2-bedroom coop homes were referred to with their closed kitchens and small maid rooms. While no one measures square footage in the same way, these ranged from 1,400 to 1,600 Square Feet. By 1998 developers had started to convert former warehouses in lower Manhattan and Chelsea was about to undergo great change. Formerly the Barney’s parking lot (Barney’s is back – around the corner) this building was built ground up as a boutique full-service luxury condo. One of its key features that make it stand out today are the extra spacious living rooms and bedrooms. To attract buyers downtown back then, it was all about space. By the 2004 developers started chopping the apartment sizes down so many later New Developments in Chelsea and the area had small second bedrooms and tighter living / dining combinations. This home was recently updated with the most beautiful of 5″ wide plank white oak floors which look and feel incredible under your feet. Peaceful beyond belief, this residence is a great escape from New York without having to leave. Enjoy this short clip. Price: $ 2,995,000

Buying Real Estate: “Collections” by Compass Makes It Easier

Buying New York real estate, or any real estate usually involves working with a buyer’s broker. Traditionally since around the mid-1990s that meant hundreds of emails back and forth over the course of your search over the period sometimes of many months to track which properties you or your broker were interested in. As technology and the world moved forward to a smooth and friction-free existence in process – for some reason, real estate did not. Sure, you get alerts from portals and your agent did too, but ever miss an email? Miss a new listing before it was snapped up? No more.

Compass created “Collections” for you and for your agent to be in synch with the market and your desired parameters, 24/7 in real time. No more emails. All your notes, discussions, hopes and dreams in one online location that’s on your phone or browser.

Want to make sure you don’t miss your next dream house? Download the Compass App or visit Compass.com to get started and contact me at [email protected]. Let’s get your search moving from “I’m hoping for…” to “I can’t believe I found my dream home…” – Tony Sargent

Why Compass? Our Mission.

After 18+ years in New York luxury real estate – having worked at both one of the largest firms for my first 11 years and a boutique luxury firm for 7, I felt the need to grow and be inspired again. Looking forward to the future, I felt that as we move forward in the world, technology will be playing a bigger part in the real estate industry. Real estate is always going to be a person to person business, but how you search for your home and how we are able to put technology to work for you, in my mind will make all the difference in your success.

Here’s what Compass is all about…for you. If you have any questions, reach out. No obligations. I’m happy to answer any of your real estate questions. Connected from London to San Francisco, Hong Kong to Dubai, anywhere you go, I’m here to help advise you. – Tony Sargent, NYC

New York Design Spotlight: Michael Aram

In Hindi, “aram” literally translates as “ease”. Hindi speakers use the word to connote gentle movement with peace, love and care. This is exactly the ethos award-winning artist Michael Aram evokes in his timeless metal-ware, home-ware and fine jewelry designs.

While many people know Michael by his luxury home line available in major retailers like Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, and Saks Fifth Avenue, he is also a sculptor, artist, father and partner. As a fellow Armenian active in New York’s design scene, Michael and I shared many mutual friends but failed to connect in person until 4 years ago when someone introduced us via Facebook. Since then, I have continually been inspired by Michael’s soulful passion for design and his unique creative process.

Aram’s work reflects humanity through the directness of the handmade process, as each piece is lovingly made using age-old traditional techniques. The artisan nature of the work imbues it with a soulful quality and an energy Aram says is only possible with handmade work, since it directly reflects the hand of the maker.

Michael discovered handmade metalworking during a trip to India in his early 20s. After studying fine art in New York, Michael sought a new outlet for his creativity. He studied traditional metalworking with Indian craftsmen, whose skills Michael felt were vastly under appreciated and untapped. Michael has since made it his life’s mission to bring this personal, handmade touch to all of his work.

Just in time for spring, “Enchanted Garden” draws us into a private fantasy world.

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I’m especially impressed with Michael’s latest collection Enchanted Garden, inspired by the magical quality of spring. Sculpts of intertwined vines and stems gracefully emerge from a fantasy garden adorned with snails and semi-precious stones, while a morning mist of textured stainless steel and dew drops made of Austrian crystals add a sense of narrative, whimsy, and opulence.

“As a child, I imagined that the garden and what grew below was a magical universe,” Michael told me. “Like most boys, I loved insects and looked forward to being outside after a long winter. I found springtime to be absolutely fascinating. The beauty of the season’s first flowers has stuck with me and continues to excite me as one of the most extraordinary times of year.”

To find Michael’s work in person in New York, visit his flagship store at 136 West 18th Street or online. Additionally many other retail stores which carry his beautiful products can be found here.

Monday Market Video: Average Manhattan Home Now Costs $2M

Last week major real estate firms in Manhattan issued their Q1 2016 Manhattan Market Reports. According to the reports, the average Manhattan home now costs $2 million. The reports also reveal some interesting insights into foreign buyer trends and the larger real estate market.

When speaking to clients in the last few months, these questions have come up repeatedly in recent conversations:

1. How is the rising dollar affecting Manhattan real estate with respect to foreign buyers?
2. Is the slow down at the top of the market ($5 million and above) trickling down into the sub $3 million market?
3. What’s happening to New York’s re-sale market?

Watch this video. It’s an extremely informative 5-minute crash course on the current state of the Manhattan and Miami real estate markets.

Alexis Christophorous of Yahoo Finance does a fantastic job of interviewing Jonathan Miller, CEO and President of Miller Samuels Appraisers – Miller Samuels puts together comprehensive quarterly Manhattan Market reports.

While the media loves to discuss “Billionaire’s Row” and the foreign buyers attracted to New York luxury real estate, Jonathan reminds Alexis (and us) that foreign buyers represent only a small subset of the Manhattan market. While also garnering substantial press, the ultra-luxury market ($5 million+) only represents approximately 2% of all Manhattan sales. In the re-sale market, studios and 1-bedrooms accounted for over 56 percent of all sales Q1-2016 and multiple bids continue with upward price pressure especially in the under $2 million micro-market.

Bottom Line: “Don’t interpret the slowdown in Manhattan real estate’s upper crust as a sign of an impending real estate market collapse, warns data guru Jonathan Miller…” – Via Yahoo Finance

Remembering Zaha Hadid

“People think that the most appropriate building is a rectangle, because that’s typically the best way of using space. But is that to say that landscape is a waste of space? The world is not a rectangle.” – Dame Zaha Hadid

Recently, when I learned the sad news of Dame Zaha Hadid’s passing, I was reminded of the moment in 2015 when I was invited to our Related Companies office to be introduced to Related’s first New York residential project by Hadid. There are moments in life which we don’t forget. For me this was a transformative one for my understanding of Zaha Hadid’s sense of design and fluidity. Listening to the marketing conversation I found myself running my fingers along the miniature model of Hadid’s building at 520 West 28th Street. The curves felt natural to my hand. In the vertical hard-edged world that is New York design, this changed my understanding of what’s possible today. How design can be superbly luxurious, functional and beautiful all at the same time.

In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, Hadid discussed her approach to design and responded to critics who felt her buildings were “impractical.” She insisted her buildings were entirely practical and that they were simply constructed around different organizational patterns.

“It’s like saying that everyone has to write in exactly the same way. And it is simply not the case.”

As the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for architecture and a two-time winner of the UK’s Stirling Prize for architecture, Hadid was more than a pioneer for female architects: she was a true visionary. Her legacy can be found all around us today, not only in the great buildings she designed, but in the thousands of architects, designers, and artists that she impacted over the years, including my own vision of the world.

Zaha Hadid’s 10 Best Buildings In Photos

Dame Zaha’s creations include the extraordinary Aquatics Centre in London’s Olympic Park, the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Azerbaijan, Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London, the Guangzhou Opera House in China, the Galaxy Soho in Beijing, the Riverside Museum at Glasgow’s Museum of Transport, the Sheikh Zyed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, and the Vitra fire station in Weil am Rhein (Germany), her first commission.

To Dame Zaha Hadid, the pioneer of freeform architecture: your vision, your love of the curve, and your willingness to always think outside the (rectangular) box will be sorely missed.

Art Rules by Bill Cunningham – The New York Times

Do you love art and people watching? Before it’s gone schedule a couple hours Sunday, March 6th to make your way to The Art Show along with several of the other shows happening (PULSE Contemporary Art Show in Chelsea on 18th Street).

While many lament that the art scene and artists have disappeared from New York (high rents and gentrification), I love these art fairs and the Thursday night Chelsea Art District openings as much for the art as the fantastic people watching! It’s also a great reminder that art and creativity is a huge part what makes New York amazing.

If you are thinking of buying art, choose wisely and with your heart. Art makes a home come alive. I find that when staging our client’s homes, significant art and warm accessories truly add the personality to a home.