From left: Stacey Pashcow, agent at Corcoran; Deanna Kory, senior vice president at Corcoran; Frosty Montgomery, senior vice president at Brown Harris Stevens; Amanda Cernitz, senior associate salesperson at Corcoran ; Wendy Clark, vice president at Corcoran (credit: Marc Becker) Click on photo for slideshow

Lisa Lippman and Scott Moore, both senior vice presidents at Brown Harris Stevens, welcomed a small group of brokers for breakfast this morning at 535 West End Avenue, the Extell Development condominium on the corner of 86th Street (click here or see above for slide show). Billed as a “palace in the sky,” the full-floor apartment on the 16th floor has been available since 2008, when Corcoran Sunshine Marketing listed it for $25 million, according to real estate listings provider Streeteasy.com. Lippman and Moore took over in November 2010, and the home has been on and off the market since then. It’s now priced at $19.5 million. The 6,637-square-foot six-bedroom unit boasts an expansive formal dining room and six bathrooms, including two off the master suite. Though The Real Deal declined to explore the wraparound terrace, given the chilly weather, the 1,814 square feet of outdoor space is accessible from several of the rooms. — Leigh Kamping-Carder

An apartment formerly owned by composer George Gershwin and his lyricist brother Ira has hit the market for $2.5 million, Curbed reported. The Gershwins lived in the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom co-op unit at 33 Riverside Drive and 75th Street around the time they wrote ‘Girl Crazy,” according the listing, which was in the 1930s. The duplex’s historic ties to the past could warrant a renovation and restoration by a motivated buyer, Curbed noted. The apartment, which has a master bedroom suite on the main floor and two bedrooms, a home office and a marble bath on the lower level, is listed with Lisa Lippman and Scott Moore of Brown Harris Stevens. [Curbed]

A view of Jed Garfield, of Leslie J. Garfield & Co.’s kitchen and upstairs living room, which is filled with Damien Hirst paintings and sketches

From the November issue: A New Yorker’s address is a marker of identity — especially if the New Yorker is a residential real estate broker. This month, The Real Deal peeked inside the homes of some of Manhattan’s top brokers to find out what’s behind their front doors.

The five brokers we visited, who were all in the top 20 on The Real Deal’s latest list of top Manhattan agents (published earlier this year, in the June issue), may specialize in different sectors of the market, but they have all used their industry knowledge to pounce on insider deals and access otherwise obscure properties.

So it’s perhaps no surprise that their own homes seem to match up with the homes that fuel their businesses. [more]

From left: Donna Olshan, Dexter Guerreri, Lisa Lippman, Greg Kammerer, Jeffrey Stockwell and Ron Lense

From the July issue:The legendary Upper West Side institution H & H Bagels may have unexpectedly shuttered last month, leaving residents without piping hot sesames and poppies, but don’t take that as a sign of the times for the rest of the neighborhood.

Residential real estate in the area seems to be rebounding stronger than many of its counterpart neighborhoods in Manhattan, at least for desirable properties.

In this month’s Q & A, brokers who specialize on the Upper West Side told The Real Deal that business, while not quite back to normal, has vastly improved over the last year, especially for new luxury rentals and large family-sized apartments.

There are pockets of weakness and slow-moving properties — anything evenly remotely perceived as overpriced, anything in need of renovation and anything small (inventory for studios and one-bedrooms is high). Indeed, one broker said that he’s seen studios and one-bedrooms that were selling for $600,000 at the height of the market, now listed in the high-$300,000-to-low-$400,000 range. So there are deals to be had. [more]

The Real Deal has ranked the top listing agents of the week base [more]

From the February issue: Nothing says progress like Madoff. Late last month, The Real Deal broke the story that the Ponzi schemer’s Upper East Side penthouse finally appears close to a sale.
Listing brokers Anne Corey and Serena Boardman of Sotheby’s
International Realty have told interested agents that there is an
accepted offer on the 133 East 64th Street duplex. At press time, the
U.S. Marshals Service, which seized the property from the disgraced
financier, said the listing had not yet entered contract.
The sale (if it does clear the many obstacles of today’s market) may not be unqualified good news.
The penthouse’s asking price is $8.9 million, following a November
price chop of $1 million. It’s also been sitting on the market since
September.  [more]

From left: Zhann Jochinke, Klara Madlin, Adina Azarian, Jeff Krantz, Leonard Steinberg, and Lisa Lippman

The Real Deal asked some agents the greatest compliment and greatest insult they have received in connection with their job. Many agents said winning a client or deal was the source of both. Beyond that, agents have received compliments ranging from sentimental messages to a bobblehead doll made in a broker’s likeness, and insults including being called less than a used carpet salesperson. Click here to see some of the compliments and insults brokers have received. [more]

The Real Deal has ranked the top listing agents of the week based on the highest priced residential deals filed with the city.

[more]