The Laurel and Rodrig's 28th floor apartment

A Turkish trader who controls two firms that were sued by the Securities Exchange Commission last summer for insider trading is the latest international buyer to score a luxury Manhattan pad. The New York Observer reported Yomi Rodrig paid $4.8 million for a 28th floor unit in the Laurel condominium, at 400 East 67th Street. [more]

Alexico is the subject of litigation for its Laurel condo at 400 East 67th Street (left). The off-site sales office at St. Tropez, 1161 First Avenue.

Alexico Group is facing litigation after it allegedly failed to pay
$254,000 in back rent and other charges for an off-site sales office at
the Laurel, its 31-story condominium building at 400 East 67th Street. Since 2007, the Manhattan-based development marketing firm has operated
the Laurel sales and design center at 1161 First Avenue, which is a
street-level commercial space located at the rival St. Tropez condo, on
the corner of 64th Street.
The complaint, filed by the St. Tropez Board of Managers May 27 in New
York Housing Court, alleges the developer — which pays $53,571 per
month in rent — failed to make a payment since January. Alexico, led
by Izak Senbahar and Simon Elias, told the landlord that slow sales at
the Laurel were hurting its ability to make rent payments for the sales
office, according to St. Tropez’s attorney. [more]

Sales have slowed at environmentally friendly buildings since January, according to statistics compiled by Streeteasy.com and New York Magazine. At the Laurel, at 400 East 67th Street, the Lucida, at 151 East 86th Street, and the Edge in Williamsburg, there have been no buyers since the beginning of the year. Sales were slow in the first quarter at Toren in Downtown Brooklyn, though the building has had three apartment sales in the past three weeks. Sustainability is not a deal-breaker for most condo buyers, said appraiser Jonathan Miller, especially when they are more focused on their jobs and the state of the economy. [more]