From left: Elliman's Melanie Lazenby and Dina Lewis and the interior of the Plaza unit

The four-bedroom, six-bath Astor Suite at the Plaza Hotel & Residences at 768 Fifth Avenue, which has held the title of the city’s priciest rental unit for the past five months, has dropped its price by a massive $40,000 a month, according to data from Streeteasy.com. The unit, which was placed on the market in December by Melanie Lazenby and Dina Lewis of Prudential Douglas Elliman asking $165,000 a month, is now listed at $125,000 a month. [more]

From left: Jacob Alexander, the exterior of the Park Imperial and the interior of the unit up for rent

A Park Imperial apartment that formerly belonged to fugitive software tycoon Jacob “Kobi” Alexander has hit the rental market for $100,000 per month, Curbed reported. The 8,000-square-foot unit is on the building’s 64th floor and has six bedrooms and 6.5 baths. [more]

Clockwise from left: Dina Lewis and Sonia Stock of Elliman; Corcoran's Meris Blumstein, Elliman's Melanie Lazenby and guest; High tea spread; A guest (right) with Melanie Lazenby and Dina Lewis (left); a royal picture in the apartment's main dining room

Power brokers such as Prudential Douglas Elliman’s director of sales Chris Peters, senior vice president Sonia Stock and the Corcoran Group’s Meris Blumstein sipped green tea and nibbled on scones and lemon curd today at a high-tea, low-key broker lunch inside one of the most historic homes at the residences at the Plaza Hotel.

Elliman duo Melanie Lazenby and Dina Lewis had invited a small pack of heavy hitters to view their exclusive $165,000-a-month, 5,087-square-foot rental listing (see photos after the jump), which is owned by Esprit CEO Esprit founder Jurgen Friedrich (who wasn’t in attendance). 1 Comment

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Matthew Lesser of Leslie J. Garfield (center) and the exterior and interior of 247 Central Park West

[Updated at 11.20 a.m. with revised price] A 13-room townhouse at 247 Central Park West recently sold by Keith Monda, the former president of handbag company Coach, is now set to hit the rental market in the next few days for a staggering $110,000 per month, listing broker Matthew Lesser of Leslie J. Garfield told The Real Deal yesterday.

Despite the sale having hit public records last month, the identity of the new owner of the property, who is being represented by Lesser in the rental listing, still remains a mystery; he’s identified in public records as a LLC. Lesser declined to comment on his client, saying just that the owner currently lives abroad. [more]

From left: 249 Central Park West and Felise Gross and Diane Abrams of Brown Harris Stevens

A four-story Renaissance Revival-style mansion at 249 Central Park West and 85th Street, which hit the market last September for $30 million and chopped its price to $26 million two months later, is now available as a rental, Curbed reported.

The 10,000-square-foot property, which features coffered ceilings, a paneled dining room, and Tiffany-era stained glass windows on every floor, is asking $50,000 per month. It’s listed with Felise Gross and Diane Abrams of Brown Harris Stevens. It has four bedrooms and five bathrooms. [more]

75 Clinton Street

Dallas-based investment firm Invesco, the new owner of a planned 74-unit condominium conversion at 75 Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights, has opted to lease the units instead, Crain’s reported, and will bring them to market in early February.

Invesco, which completed its purchase the building last week, has retained the Marketing Directors as the exclusive marketing firm for the building, in which rents will range from $2,800 a month to $7,000 a month. The condo was never declared effective previously. [more]

From left: images from 444 West 162nd Street and 351 East 51st Street

When Pedro Noguera moved into a Washington Heights townhouse seven years ago, his children were thrilled to discover an oversized basketball hoop in the backyard. “They were very excited,” recalled Allyson Pimental, Noguera’s wife. That is, until the family discovered that the over-sized hoop — decorated with multi-colored bottle caps — wasn’t actually meant for playing basketball. Rather, it was a sculpture by famed conceptual artist David Hammons. The sculpture is now for sale along with the house at 444 West 162nd Street near Jumel Terrace. Tracie Hamersley, a senior vice president at Citi Habitats, listed the 3,400-square-foot townhouse this week for $1.5 million, or $6,000 per month for rent. Meanwhile, deep-pocketed renters now have even more options to choose from. A $50,000-per-month rental at the Beekman Regent in Turtle Bay hit the market yesterday, according to listing broker Dennis Hughes of the Corcoran Group. Click here for more.

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Images from 127 East 78th Street and the listing agents (from top), Matt Perceval and Michael Pellegrino, both of Sotheby’s

An Upper East Side summer townhouse rental has jumped to its third brokerage in five years — with a price increase.

The 4,000-square-foot townhouse at 127 East 78th Street hit the rental market today for $25,000 a month. But rather than seeking year-long tenants, this listing is hoping to nab summer residents only — something it’s failed to do twice before.

The four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home, which is available for July and August only, was first listed by Warburg Realty for $20,000 a month in 2006. Halstead Property had the exclusive three years later, with an asking price of $24,500 per month, that was later chopped to $19,500. And, after a failed effort to market the townhouse as a “holiday season” rental in 2010, also with Halstead, (asking $15,000 for a Dec. 19 to Jan. 1 lease term), the listing moved to Sotheby’s International Realty.
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The average Manhattan rent in the fourth quarter continued to rebound from the trough early last year, according to Citi Habitats’ year-end report released today.

Manhattan renters were paying, on average, $3,127 a month in the fourth quarter, up slightly from the third quarter, when the average rent was around $3,100. Rents are well above the first quarter, when the average was $2,926. The average rent peaked in second-quarter 2008 at $3,421.

Gary Malin, president of Citi Habitats, said that while the residential market still lags, he’s encouraged by recent data. (The report measures rental transactions closed by Citi Habitats.) [more]

The vacancy rate is down and rents are up from a year ago in the Manhattan rental market, an indication that conditions may be improving, according to Citi Habitats’ November rental market report. Year-over-year, the vacancy rate dipped slightly to 1.29 percent, from 1.87 percent in November 2009.

The Soho-Tribeca neighborhood’s vacancy rate clocked in at .63 percent, the lowest of all the regions tracked. The West Village had enjoyed a six-month reign as the neighborhood with the lowest vacancy, prior to this latest report. TRD [more]