Behold the second-floor loft at 120 West 29th Street, the
steampunk-inspired co-op that hit the market last week for $1.75
million (see photos above by Derek Zahedi). The steampunk movement — whose followers dress the part –
pays homage to an aesthetic that’s part Victorian, part science
fiction. Or, as the listing by Core broker Parul Brahmbhatt puts it,
“retro-futuristic fantasy…with a Jules Verne meets Tim Burton
sensibility.”

Last night, steampunkers, HGTV camera crews and other curious
observers gathered at an open house at the space, which is decked out
with a variety of unusual creations: a living room-sized, neon-lit
model of the Hindenburg blimp, a Murphy bed controlled by a
skateboard-anchored pulley system, a submarine-style front door. The
steampunkers were invited by an artist who goes by “Doctor Grymm.” He
was there promoting his latest book, “1000 Steampunk Creations,” and
brought along a six-foot-tall, steam-producing navigation system that
gives directions in a voice that purports to be that of Amelia
Earhart. [more]

After achieving on-air acclaim as a go-to-guy for commentary on San Francisco’s residential real estate market over the past five years, Brendon DeSimone is in the process of refashioning himself here in the Big Apple.
As of June, DeSimone became the newest member of Stribling & Associates’ team of residential brokers. It is a homecoming of sorts for the 36-year old vice president.
“I grew up in Connecticut and after working in Silicon Valley I got into real estate in 2001. But I wanted to move back East to be closer to family and friends,” he said when asked why he moved to New York. While in San Francisco, DeSimone made regular appearances on such HGTV reality real estate shows as “Curb Appeal,” “Bang for Your Buck,” “National Open House” and “My House is Worth What?” along with providing talking head commentary for Fox Business, CBS Moneywatch and CNBC.
He is working out of Stribling’s Tribeca office focusing on sales deals in Manhattan and Brooklyn. [more]

The Kleier klan dropped in on “Live with Regis and Kelly” this morning to teach departing host Regis Philbin the tricks of the real estate trade. Where to start? Your typical New York City apartment, of course: Michele Kleier’s $27.5 million listing on the 16th floor of the former Stanhope hotel. Watch the clip above as the matriarch of the self-described “First Family of Real Estate” shows him the ropes of New York City showings. Among her tips: don’t say “entryway,” say “gallery;” “den” is a dirty word — it’s a library here; and we never, ever say “his and hers” anymore (this is New York, after all). Regis flubbed the “his and hers” bit on his first-ever showing, but Kleier said she thinks he’s “trainable” — good news in case he ever needs any cash post-retirement.

From left to right: Sabrina Kleier Morgenstern, Michele Kleier and (a pregnant) Samantha Kleier Forbes.

From the May issue: In the current landscape of Manhattan’s boutique real estate firms, it’s all about the haves and the have-nots: those who have reality TV shows, and those who have not.

As real estate junkies know, boutique brokerages Core and Gumley Haft Kleier last year began starring in HGTV’s “Selling New York.” The hit reality show follows brokers as they shepherd wide-eyed clients through cavernous lofts, and badger obstinate sellers into dropping their prices.

Both firms, which were relatively unknown outside of New York before the show, say the exposure has paid off financially. The impact of the hit show seems particularly dramatic for Gumley Haft Kleier, a family-run firm headed by Uptown superbroker Michele Kleier and her husband, Ian, along with their daughters, Samantha Kleier Forbes and Sabrina Kleier Morgenstern. This year, it shot up to No. 3 on The Real Deal’s ranking of top boutique firms, from No. 6 last year. Core took the No. 2 spot and Leslie J. Garfield & Co. ranked No. 1, a spot it’s held since The Real Deal began ranking boutiques in 2009. [more]

The Clocktower triplex at 1 Main Street in Dumbo

After a nine-month hiatus from the market, David Walentas’ Clocktower building triplex in Dumbo is coming back online with a slashed asking price and a new set of brokers. According to the Post, Walentas has tapped the Kleier klan, of “Selling New York” fame, to market the 7,000-square-foot pad for $23.5 million. Sabrina Kleier Morgenstern, one-third of the Gumley Haft Kleier trio that also includes her mother, Michele Kleier, and sister, Samantha Kleier Forbes, confirmed to the The Real Deal that her family is putting the listing on the market later today and plans to hold a launch party next month to spread the word. The 1 Main Street condominium, which originally hit the market for $25 million in 2009, is still potentially Brooklyn’s priciest ever by a landslide, even after the price chop. [more]

Clockwise, from top left: an alleged digital replica of Heptagon Creations’ cocoon chair in an episode of HGTV’s “Selling New York,” 240 Park Avenue South, Heptagon Creations’ André Joyau, Core’s Shaun Osher and the original cocoon chair by Joyau

A Brooklyn-based designer of high-end furniture is accusing Shaun Osher’s Core of using digital recreations of its signature tables and chairs without permission in order to sell a $5.89 million apartment that was featured on the HGTV program “Selling New York” in January.

Heptagon Creations, better known in the industry by its founder’s name André Joyau, has sued Core and the architectural firm PleskowRael, claiming copyright infringement, unfair competition and other complaints, stemming from the use of digital images in the marketing materials for the apartment at 240 Park Avenue South. [more]

The Real Deal dropped by the London NYC Hotel’s penthouse last night for a soiree thrown in honor of Boca Raton’s One Thousand Ocean condominium, the ultra-luxe 52-unit property that debuted last year to an uncharacteristic flurry of sales activity.

After years of uncertainty due to ownership change-ups and battles with neighbors, and in spite of South Florida’s weak condo sales market, developer LXR Luxury Resort & Hotels saw more than $45 million in closings within three weeks of the oceanfront building’s February 2010 launch. Now, with 18 units left to market for between $2.6 million and $15 million apiece, the developer has turned to New York City’s Gumley Haft Kleier for help reaching the crowd up north.

It’s the first official foray into South Florida for the Kleier clan, executive vice president Sabrina Kleier Morgenstern told us at last night’s event, which she hosted with her mother, president Michele Kleier, and sister, executive vice president Samantha Kleier Forbes, and which was filmed for HGTV’s “Selling New York.” It also comes at a time when the boutique firm is making an effort to branch out into the new development arena. [more]

From left: famed Holocaust scholar Robert Jay Lifton, a bedroom inside 300 Central Park West, 300 Central Park West’s exterior, the living room at 157 West 87th Street and the building’s exterior

A combination of two rarely available El Dorado apartments — one of them the former home of famed Holocaust scholar Robert Jay Lifton — has already generated a near-asking-price offer since hitting the market last week, brokers said. Cathy Taub, an executive vice president at Stribling & Associates, has listed Lifton’s old stomping grounds at 300 Central Park West for $7.2 million. The eight-room co-op, 7G, is now owned by one of the richest families in the country, the MacArthurs, according to broker sources. The unit can be sold individually, or for $13.4 million, combined with the adjacent apartment to create a 15-room spread. Also, a townhouse that hit the market today for $4.95 million comes with a waterfall. The four-story brownstone at 157 West 87th Street is listed with Vandenberg, the Townhouse Experts. Click here for more.

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The Real Deal has had an action-packed schedule. We hit up the Charity: Water event at 123 East 10th Street, the largest and priciest home available in the East Village, hosted by Rubicon Property. We stopped by Core’s cocktail party on the 17th floor of 812 Fifth Avenue, which was recently redesigned by architect Joseph Dirand. We also dropped by the Griffin Court condominium in Hell’s Kitchen, where Gumley Haft Kleier was hosting a viewing party of this week’s HGTV’s realty reality show “Selling New York.” Meanwhile, back at the office we were letting our fingers do the walking and got some fun nuggets. Click here for more. [more]

Johnny Weir and Twenty9th Park Madison

Johnny Weir, the Olympic figure skater and reality television star, has purchased a one-bedroom pad at the new Twenty9th Park Madison condominium, and according to the Post, fans can expect to see his move chronicled on the second season of the Sundance Channel’s “Be Good Johnny Weir.” The 26-year-old paid $1.1 million for his new digs, which Curbed suspects is the 826-square-foot unit #22D. The apartment was listed for $1.235 million with Warbug Realty’s Richard Steinberg, a reality television show star in his own right on HGTV’s “Selling New York.” Comments

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