From left: Jennifer Johnsen of MNS, Ari Harkov of Halstead and a photo of the Edge and Northside Piers

The wave of Williamsburg’s new development inventory has slowed to a small swell, with many boom-time projects finally selling out after years of fitful sales — and relatively few newly built condominiums coming online. As a result, neighborhood brokers who cut their teeth working at on-site sales offices are struggling to learn the business of resales and to build up a roster of clients, sources said. [more]

Elliman’s Dottie Herman and
Halstead’s Diane Ramirez

The Department of Buildings is cracking down on illegal apartments by issuing fines to the agents and brokers who list them, the New York Times reported.

The fines start at $3,600 and can climb to five times that amount. Ten agents, including ones at Douglas Elliman and Halstead Property, have already been fined for listing apartments, the newspaper said. Elliman and Halstead declined to comment to the Times. [more]

From left: Peggy Aguayo, Halstead President Diane Ramirez and Haus 96

Halstead Property has acquired the assets of Aguayo Real Estate Group, a boutique Brooklyn brokerage and development firm, bringing the company’s presence in the borough up to five offices.

Peggy Aguayo, a founder of the eponymous firm, will join Halstead as an associate broker and executive vice president, and her son, Brendan Aguayo, will join the firm’s new development arm, Halstead Property Development Marketing, as a senior vice president, Halstead said in a statement today. [more]

From left: a screenshot of Mark Friedman and Matthew Modine from the video, and images of the interior

It appears that a recent star performance by actor Matthew Modine helped sell his Chelsea apartment. The actor sold his 1,668-square-foot condominium at 420 West 25th Street for $2.1 million, city records filed today show, and its listing came with an added bonus: A promotional video of the unit that featured the “Full Metal Jacket” star himself. [more]

Manhattan apartment contracts signed (Courtesy: the Corcoran Group)

Manhattan apartment prices held steady in the first quarter of 2013, while inventory continued to plummet dramatically during the same period, according to a quarterly market report released today by Douglas Elliman. The average sales price in the quarter was $1.35 million, rising just 1 percent year-over-year, the report says. Overall, 2,457 units were sold in the first quarter of 2013, up 6.3 percent from the first quarter of 2012 when 2,311 units sold, according to the report. [more]

From left: Sandy Wilson, Anthony DeVivio and Gus Perry

Halstead Property is adding a new office in Washington Heights by purchasing the assets of Stein-Perry Real Estate, a residential brokerage based in the neighborhood, the firm said yesterday.

Gus Perry, a partner of Stein-Perry since 1985, will join Halstead as the executive director of sales for Upper Manhattan, Harlem and Riverdale. [more]

Charles Homet and 30 Main Street

Charles Homet, an executive vice president at Halstead Property, has sold his Dumbo home at the Sweeney Building — on Main Street at Water Street — for $1.2 million, according to records filed yesterday with the city.

Homet was invited to join the cast of HGTV’s “Selling New York” in 2012, according to his Halstead bio. [more]

From left: Marcus Samuelsson, Maya Haile and images of the townhouse interior

UPDATED, 11:15 a.m., Feb. 9: Chef Marcus Samuelsson and his model wife, Maya Haile, have purchased a townhouse at 30 West 120th Street in Central Harlem for almost $2.9 million, according to public records filed today with the city. [more]

From left: Chris Halstead and Julia Boland

Halstead Property named Richard Orenstein its 2012 broker of the year in New York and New Jersey, as well as broker of the year for Soho, at its annual meeting held Monday, the brokerage said today. Orenstein, who works out of the firm’s Soho office, was named top broker for 2011 as well. Other award winners include Christopher Halstead, an executive vice president and nephew of the firm’s co-founder Clark Halstead, who took home an honor for brokering the priciest sale of the year for a $40.5 million deal that closed in December. (The firm declined to reveal further details, and the sale has not yet hit public records.) [more]

Diane Ramirez and Nancy Hardy

UPDATED, 11 a.m., Feb. 5: Halstead Property will debut a new office in Southampton Village, The Real Deal has learned. Slated to open for business at 31 Main Street this spring, the new location brings Halstead’s tri-state office count to 24 and its agent total to 1,000. The brokerage is aiming to open the storefront space by the end of March, a Halstead spokesperson said.

More than 20 agents — all new hires — will set up shop at the new branch, which is currently undergoing renovations. The office is set to be headed by Nancy Hardy, director of sales at the Southampton office. [more]