Rob Taub

From the October issue: Rob Taub is a comedian, writer and TV personality. But his latest gig is at Keller Williams Realty New York City.

Taub, who regularly appears as a political pundit on Fox News, joined Keller Williams last month as a broker and director of new media.

Real estate is in Taub’s blood. His mother owned a brokerage in New Jersey years ago, and Taub got his New York real estate license in 2004. Most recently he worked at the boutique brokerage Fox Residential, but felt that Keller Williams NYC — launched in February by Ilan Bracha — was a better match for his entrepreneurial leanings.

“Keller Williams gives you the opportunity to create a brand for yourself,” he said, noting that the new firm allows him to keep his own website and stamp it with their logo. [more]

Has the penthouse begun to lose its cachet? It used to be that penthouse literally meant the apartment on the top floor of the building, and according to New York City building code, it is “an enclosed structure on or above the roof of any part of a building, which is designed or used for human occupancy.” But according to the New York Times, that definition has been stretched in recent years by developers seeking to make the most out of their new construction. [more]

David Schlamm

City Connections Realty has launched its own Virtual Office Website, or “VOW,” the company announced today. The firm’s decision to launch the VOW, which allows clients to see listings outside of the company’s exclusive properties, comes on the heels of a widespread VOW trend in the industry. Last week, Fox Residential announced its VOW, while Prudential Douglas Elliman and Century 21 NY Metro launched their own versions of the listing platform earlier this year. While numerous brokerages have the program, David Schlamm, City Connections founder and president, said that he thinks his firm’s version stands apart from others. “It would have been easier and a lot less expensive for me to simply put one VOW on our homepage, but I didn’t think it would benefit out agents as much,” Schlamm said of the VOW, which can be accessed from each agent’s individual page. TRD

Barbara Fox

Fox Residential has a new Virtual Office Website, or “VOW,” the company announced today. The VOW gives visitors access to all listings in the city, rather than just the company’s exclusives. “This one-stop shopping eliminates the need to visit multiple websites to find the kind of properties you are looking for,” said company founder Barbara Fox in the announcement. Fox is just the latest of the firms launching VOWs. Century 21 NY Metro, Prudential Douglas Elliman and A.C. Lawrence established VOWs this year, and at the end of 2009, Halstead Property became the first major city firm to institute one. TRD

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Singer Carly Simon, her sister, Joanna Simon, an agent with Fox Residential Group, and images from inside the listing

Famed singer-songwriter Carly Simon has received an offer close to the $2.975 m [more]

The unit to see the biggest price cut today is a
three-bedroom, three-bath co-op at 150 East 61st Street, between
Lexington and Third avenues, according to Streeteasy.com. The price of
the 1,950-square-foot home, apartment 16B, was cut by $305,000, and the
apartment is now on the market for just under $2 million. The home is
listed for 13 percent less than its asking price of $2.3 million when
it first went on the market in May. Fox Residential Group’s Diane
Dickinson has the listing. According to Propertyshark.com and city
records, the seller is Bradley Simon, who bought the home in 2005. The
prior sale price was not listed. TRD [more]