CasaSugar

This Just In: Heidi Klum Loses Benjamins on Bank Street

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:00:23 -0700

Heidi Klum, the host of my all-time favorite reality show, just sold her West Village penthouse, which she's owned since 2002. The lucky new owners are photographer, gallery owner, and collage artist Steve Joester and his wife, Debra.

The Joesters spent $5.35 million for Klum's penthouse - a quarter million dollars under the the asking price. The three-bedroom apartment includes a library, open kitchen, two-and-a-half baths, a hot tub, rooftop deck, and exceptional views of Manhattan and the Hudson River.

To find out if Heidi and her family have plans of leaving Manhattan altogether, read more.

Lest any New Yorkers out there are concerned about fewer Heidi sightings due to this sale, fear not: According to the New York Post:

[F]riends of the Teutonic temptress say that she's looking to buy a substantial pad in downtown Manhattan.

She's outgrown the apartment," says a source. "She's very family-oriented and needs a lot more space for nannies and visiting relatives. Plus, she didn't like the kids climbing the small spiral staircase between floors.

Photo courtesy of Rankin and Source

This Just In: Philip Seymour Hoffman in a Western!

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 04:30:56 -0700

According to Real Estalker, Philip Seymour Hoffman and his costume- designer girlfriend and mother of their two children, Mimi O'Donnel, are under contract to purchase a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath Pre-War co-op in Manhattan's West Village for $4.4 million. The listing for the property reads:

A one of a kind three bedroom, 2.5 bath apartment in the best location in the West Village. High ceilings, beautiful wood floors, authentic doors from Provence, and a wood burning fireplace. The living room is one of the largest single spaces in the West Village. The bathrooms are finished to perfection, and the entire apartment is a quintessential West Village oasis.

I love its exposed brick walls and how open it looks. Seems like the perfect size for a family of four.

View 13 Photos ›

Source and Source

Kirsten Dunst's SoHo Co-op

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:40:12 -0700

Last summer, Kirsten Dunst purchased a SoHo co-op. See if you can answer my questions about this sweet apartment.

Source and Bauer-Griffin Online

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Casa Quiz: Co-ops

CasaSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:45:36 -0800

Remember my post on co-ops? These questions will quiz your knowledge of the key definitions you've read on CasaSugar. Show me how much you've learned about co-ops.

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Definition: Co-op

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:31:19 -0700

Any true "Sex and the City" fanatic can probably tell me which SATC character was on the board of a co-op (and I challenge you to comment below). But can you tell me what exactly a co-op is? Probably not. Co-ops, or housing cooperatives, which originated in the late 1800s, are creatures of New York, although they do exist elsewhere. In essence, a co-op is a legal entity from which you actually buy a share of your building rather than your apartment explicitly. Essentially, you are buying a long-term lease and the right to sole possession of your apartment indefinitely.

Much like a social club, co-op owners, through their board of directors, choose who their neighbors are. The board must approve of all new tenants, transactions, and sales before a new person can move in, and it acts in other ways much like a landlord. Co-ops are generally cheaper than condos, have lower closing costs, and protect you from troublesome neighbors, but they're difficult to sell, harder to rent, and have high monthly maintenance fees.

Source

Cool Idea: Borrow My Pen?

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:00:55 -0800

Worldwide Fred has dreamt up another wacky solution to your insignificant problems. Borrow My Pen? ($8) would have come in handy (no pun intended) in college, or any school for that matter. You remember how classmates ask to borrow a pen and never return them? Here's how to stop pen theft in its tracks. Offer your unprepared friends one of these ballpoints with subversive taglines like "Springfield Sexual Addiction Center," "Electrolysis Is Us: The First Name in Unwanted Hair Removal," "Van Nuys Center For Cosmetic Surgery: Specializing in Difficult Gender Reassignments," etc. Pretty hilarious, huh? Just be sure not to use these when signing a mortgage in front of your co-op board.

How-To: Make Thrifty Home Heating Decisions

CasaSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:45:03 -0700

Worried about how you'll pay your heating bill this Winter? Since I know that this is a concern for many families, I decided to ask heating expert Chris Cooper for some advice on the subject. He took my queries to heart, and then sent me some ideas about lowering heating bills.

According to Chris, this Winter, the cost of heating a home is going to leave many people feeling anything but warm and cozy. In fact, those living in the coldest areas of the United States may well find themselves facing a home-heating crisis when trying to pay their bills. "We have a serious problem," said Dale McCormick, director of Maine's state housing agency. "This Winter is going to be our (Hurricane) Katrina."

To find out the first steps in keeping your heating costs under control, read more.

However, there are some ways to keep your bills lower. Chris says that keeping a house in good repair and well insulated is as important as properly servicing your furnace and water heater. Consider negotiating for annual maintenance as part of any new furnace purchase and ask the contractor for conservation and saving tips specific to your house. Homeowners with oil furnaces might also consider joining a fuel co-op to reduce oil costs.

Need more advice? Check back tomorrow for a list of specific changes you can make in your home to reduce your home heating bill. Thanks Chris!

Source

This Just In: Sting Settles on Central Park West

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:15:17 -0700

According to Big Time, Sting has purchased a 5,500-square-foot condo unit on the 16^th floor of a Central Park West building for $26.5 million. Apparently, according to records, Sting actually signed a contract to purchase the unit on May 26, 2006, but the deal didn't formally close until March 11, 2008. So, this purchase has been almost two years in the making! The CPW building is truly magnificent, boasting an elegant motor courtyard, a 35-x-45-foot limestone and marble lobby with two fireplaces and custom English oak paneling, an unprecedented view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline, a 75-foot sky-lit lap pool, a private theater screening room, a private library, and 30 climate-controlled wine rooms. Sting also owns an 18-room duplex co-op elsewhere on Central Park West, which was at one point on the market for $24 million, meaning he and his wife now own more than $50 million worth of real estate on Central Park West! Ohhh, to be a pop rocker . . . Check out images of Sting's new building below.

View 21 Photos ›

Source and Source

This Just In: Brooke Shields Movin' to the West Village Jungle

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 04:30:33 -0700

Since Lipstick Jungle has been reinstated, Brooke Shields and her producer/writer hubby Chris Henchy are anti-ing up for some new NYC digs. According to Big Time, the couple have signed a contract to purchase a vacant Greek Revival house in New York's West Village. The townhouse, which has been on the market for $5.6 million, has four apartments on four floors, with original parlor floor details, "eight fireplaces, original wide plank floors, original mantles and moldings," and a large, South-facing garden, according to the listing.
The 3,314-square-foot, 18-room, 5.5-bath building has four kitchens and was built in 1905. Although the place may need some renovation (what to do with four kitchens?), the original architectural details alone — exposed brick walls, ornate fireplace mantles, tin tile ceiling — as well as the built-in cabinetry, would be enough to justify some renovation costs. Shields also owns a home in Los Angeles’s Pacific Palisades area, as well as a co-op in SoHo, where she'll presumably reside until her new place is up and running.

View 7 Photos ›

Flynet

Coveted Crib: Pocket Full of Posey

CasaSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:00:33 -0800

A bit behind the times, I recently learned from Real Estalker that indie darling Parker Posey's three bedroom East Village co-op went on the market in late October for $1.175 million. Putzing around on New York interior designer Rafael de Cárdenas's site, I discovered photos of the apartment, which has clearly been updated since early real-estate shots were taken. Don't get me wrong, the place is beautiful, unique, and all that you'd expect from a hip, indie actor; but, something about her exposed brick walls and uncovered floors reminds me of an Urban Outfitters product shot. It's got an artsy, bohemian, Hollywood Regency look, but not much creative clutter; it's sparse like a movie set. Rumor has it this pad has sold. But would you live in it? Tell me what you think after checking out these photos.

View 7 Photos ›

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