From left: Elliman's Ann Lenane, the Aldyn and a great room designed by Lambertson Truex with Patrick Lonn

The Kips Bay Annual Decorator Show House will be held in an Upper West Side condominium, rather than an East Side townhouse, for the first time in its 40-year history, the New York Times reported. The move to the west side was prompted, in part, by the lack of suitable properties for the charitable event, which involves nearly 30 designers decorating rooms within the selected home. The proceeds, obtained through an admission fee, benefit the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, which has generated $17 million since the program’s inception in 1973. [more]

995 Fifth Avenue, the 16th floor unit and Nikki Field, a SVP at Sotheby's International Realty

A sprawling 16th-floor cond-op at Extell Development’s 995 Fifth Avenue, the last remaining sponsor unit at the historic building, has returned to the market with a new broker after a four-month hiatus, according to Streeteasy.com.

The 8,360-square-foot unit, at the former Stanhope Hotel, failed to sell after almost two years on the market with Michele Kleier and Samantha Kleier Forbes of Gumley Haft Kleier, asking $27.5 million, but now the listing has changed hands. [more]

Leslie Modell Rosenthal with her favorite brands, a Prada loafer and four-inch Christian Louboutin

Being a great broker has as much to do with credentials in the fashion stakes as it has with an inside line on the city’s hottest buildings.

So says Leslie Modell Rosenthal, the Warburg Realty managing director and “Selling New York” regular who recently allowed Footwear News to inspect her closet. [more]

Lucie Holt

From the February issue: When Lucie Holt departed London — and her job as a mortgage broker — for New York City 15 years ago, real estate sales seemed like a natural fit. But the British broker never thought the career choice would land her on national television.

Holt, now a senior vice president at Citi Habitats, made her TV debut last month on HGTV’s “Selling New York,” the real estate reality show that’s become a must-see for residential brokers in the city. [more]

Lorenzo Borghese

Lorenzo Borghese, star of the ninth season of ABC’s “The Bachelor,” will be home-hunting in Long Island on the reality realty show “Selling New York,” set to premiere Jan. 19 on HGTV, Newsday reported.

Borghese, the founder and president of Royal Treatment Italian Pet Spa, looks for a summer home in the soon-to-air episode. He is aided in his search by Woodbury, N.Y.-based high-end broker Shawn Elliott, of Shawn Elliott’s Luxury Homes and Estates, who joins show regulars Sabrina and Michele Kleier of Gumley Haft Kleier in the search. Borghese didn’t set a price limit on what he was looking for, Newsday said. “I said, ‘Price doesn’t matter. It’s all about walking in and feeling that it’s right,’” Borghese said. [more]

Contractor Stephen Fenuka, Lindsay Lohan and Michael J. Fox

A new reality real estate TV show premiering this October on the DIY network will take viewers behind-the-scenes of the construction of Manhattan luxury homes, Curbed reported. Stephen Fanuka, a “contractor-to-the-stars” who has worked with Tyra Banks, Nate Berkus, Tony Bennett, Michael J. Fox and Lindsay Lohan, will be the host of the show. The show, called “Million Dollar Contractor,” will focus on the details, the materials and the large amount of money clients spend to allow Fanuka to create million-dollar projects. But in spite of the large sums of money involved, many rich homeowners face similar issues and problems as the average homeowner, according to the show’s producers. The show joins several other real estate themed reality shows such as “Selling New York,” as well as “Million Dollar Listing” and “Blend.” [Curbed] [more]

Broker Regis Roumila

From the August issue: With the success of “Selling New York”on HGTV and Bravo’s forthcoming New York spinoff of “Million Dollar Listing,”there’s little doubt that New York real estate can generate solid ratings for television networks. Now, Nest Seekers International is betting that small-screen exposure can yield big sales, too.
The firm has struck a deal to broadcast its own internally produced 12-minute show on Cablevision’s Plum TV every Saturday, twice in the morning and once in the evening. Called “Blend” for its mix of real estate, lifestyle and celebrities, the show is hosted by Nest Seekers senior vice president Caroline Grane and filmed inside some of the firm’s priciest listings.
The first episode aired Memorial Day weekend. It featured a cooking segment, a roundtable discussion by artists and designers about Manhattan’s Sloane mansion, and a tour of the Watermill home of Todd Hase, a Soho-based furniture designer. The house is currently listed with Nest Seekers’ Joseph DeCristofaro for $3.295 million. [more]

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]

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.

Core’s Michael Graves and 225 West 11th Street

Though fitting for a client who’s known for using pseudonyms, the marketing technique used by the seller’s brokers for a West Village townhouse was unconventional, if not downright foolish. At least that’s what Michael Graves of Core was told as he marketed 225 West 11th Street on behalf of owner Robert Rosenblum, a novelist with 30 published works under various names, including “The Religion,” which was made into a movie starring Martin Sheen. But today he was vindicated, as the sale of the home closed for $7.83 million.

Graves refused to use signage outside of the 3,600-square-foot, seven-bedroom, five-bathroom home, dressed down the listing to the bare minimum, declining even to include photos of the home’s interior despite its $8.35 million asking price (note: correction appended). Graves also barred the cameras of “Selling New York” to enter the home, even though he had been regularly working with the show, to maintain the listing’s intrigue. [more]