The Europa- 22 West 66^th street #11

Lincoln Square-$3,595,000

LUXURY LIVING IN THE HEART OF LINCOLN CENTER!

This expansive 7-room home is a luxurious full-floor residence on the 11th floor of the exclusive Europa Condominium. Designed for utmost privacy, your own private elevator landing opens into a spacious full floor 3-Bedroom 3-Bath home with Formal Dining Room and a Library or Den that could easily be converted to a large 4th Bedroom. The north and east-facing Living Room is grandly proportioned and boasts a serene balcony on which to enjoy Central Park Views. Immediately off of the living room is the Formal Dining Room with access to both the kitchen and Library, making the space ideal for entertaining. The spacious & sleek kitchen includes a charming breakfast nook and features elegant cherry cabinetry, granite countertops, modern appliances and your own Washer/Dryer. All 3 full baths are lavishly appointed in marble and the 3 Bedrooms are serene and south-facing. 22 West 66th Street, the Europa Condominium is a highly coveted boutique building comprised primarily of full-floor spacious residences with elegant finishes. Residents enjoy white glove treatment with 24-Hour doorman, an attentive staff and a superb location ,moments from Central Park, Lincoln Center, and some of the best dining in the City, including Bar Boulud and Boulud Sud, Picholine and Lincoln Ristorante. This home includes a private storage unit. Pets are welcome.

For a private showing, please email me at pzweben@elliman.com

http://www.elliman.com/new-york-city/europa-22-west-66-street-unit-11fl-manhattan-yzocbax

My mind is constantly going 100 miles an hour and I am always thinking how we can help our clients navigate through the NYC real estate market.

The 1^st quarter of 2013 has started out with a roar and here is where you stand…

The lack of inventory has created an imbalance in today’s market.

If you are a seller of a 2+ bedroom apartment in a financially stable building, the chances of you getting multiple bids at the asking price or over the ask are almost guaranteed assuming it is priced properly. This is a seller’s market and sellers are in an excellent position to make top dollar while inventory levels remain at current lows and continue to push prices higher.

I am happy to go over selling strategy with you whenever you have time:

pzweben@elliman.com

If you are a buyer in a bidding war, the competition is fierce but not impossible.  However, the importance of having a great team—from your real estate broker, attorney, to mortgage broker/loan officer—to help you through the buying maze has never been more important!  Any edge on the competition will help you secure your future home in this challenging buying market.  A knowledgeable and savvy agent will be the edge that you need!  Here is what your agent *should* tell you in order to lock in your new home:

1. 1.     This market does not allow any missteps……. You need to be completely ready with the following items—PRIOR to making an offer.
   1. a.    Have a copy of the 1^st 2 pages of your last 2 years tax returns readily available.
   2. b.    Have a completed asset and liability statement – this form will give the seller your accurate financial picture.
   3. c.    You must speak to a smart mortgage broker (Unless you are paying all cash) in order to get a pre- approval  letter. We have used Lenny Holler of Vice President DE Capital Mortgage, LLC and he takes care of our customers 100%! lenny.holler@decapitalmortgage.com
   4. d.    You must have an experience Real Estate Attorney….

All three of these attorneys are phenomenal:

Steven Matz of Katz and Matz- steven@katzmatz.net 

Rachel Mulcahy- rachel@mulcahylegal.com

Robyn L. Eckhaus- robyn@realestatelawgroup.net

1. e.    You must be prepared to know how much money you will be putting down and how much you will be financing.
2. f.     You must also know that by putting an offer that is not contingent on financing will make your offer stronger. The quick and easy definition of removing the contingency is, if the bank won’t give you a loan, you need to come to the closing with your check book and write a check for the purchase.

Going into the process prepared will not only make a great impression on the seller, showing that you are serious and ready to move forward quickly but it will also help reduce the stress of trying to pull together all this information on the spot.  Once your savvy agent has submitted your formal offer, then, the ball is rolling and you could be just a couple steps away from signing the contract for your dream home!

Feeds 4

Ingredients:

• 4 1 ¼ pound live lobsters
• 1 small sliced Vidalia onion
• 5 cloves chopped garlic
• 6 ribs of sliced celery
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 2 liters of dry champagne
• 4 oz sweet butter
• 1 pinch of crushed dried chiles
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
• 4 oz Olive oil

Method

• Preheat sauce pot with Olive oil
• add onions, garlic and celery and sauté until tender
• add champagne and reduce by 1/3rd
• add tomatoes
• place 1 live lobster in your broth and cover the pot for about 3 minutes. Remove the lobster and repeat with all lobsters.
• Once the lobsters are cool, remove the meat and place the large body of the lobster that is not edible back in the broth for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the bodies and then add the whole butter to your sauce.
• you now have your sauce ready. I suggest a risotto or white rice dish to go along with your lobster.
• just before you are ready to serve, heat your sauce again and place the lobster meat (season the meat with Salt and Pepper) into the broth and heat slowly for about 8 minutes. The trick of cooking shellfish is that you never want to overcook the protein, or your food will taste like rubber.

Yummy!

I have been hearing good things for quite some time about a restaurant called Casellula (Cheese and wine café).

The small restaurant is located at 401 West 52^nd street, just off of Ninth Avenue.

212.247.8137

We got there very early, because we were going to a 7pm Theatre start to see “The Heiress” in the Theatre District.  If you have not seen this show….GO! It was amazing.

Casellula is more than a wine and cheese café and if it were on the Upper West Side, we would be eating there once a week. The service is spot on, the place is clean and the food is really good.

You must try the Stuffed Pappadew Peppers (OMG) we had two orders…..just perfection.

The Chistorras in a blanket are yummy as well as the Pig’s Ass Sandwich with Chipotle Aioli.

The wine selection is solid and dinner did not break the bank.

It is now one of our new favorites!

A dilemma that I am sure many people would want~

In 1996, when I was single, I bought my first apartment on the UWS.

My girlfriend (Now my wife) moved in with me in 2000 and the neighbors in the apartment below us, both passed away within 6 months of each other. We realized that we had the opportunity of a lifetime to purchase the two bedroom unit and combine both apartments.

The project was not cheap, but we know have a lovely duplex on the Upper West Side.

As I look back now, we were lucky. There is no way right now that we could afford to buy the same sized unit, with what we earn per year.

If we were to sell our apartment and move downtown, to a new development or a comparable apartment, we would easily get 30% less space for the same price of our Upper West Side apartment.

So what would we do if we needed more room or wanted to liquidate our investment (Our Home) without downsizing or opting for a rental?

One choice would be to move to Westchester……the market there has not caught up with Manhattan prices, so it would be a win win for us. Sell in today’s market in NYC, where inventory is at its lowest level in years and move to a town in Westchester with great schools and be able to get a lot of square feet at a lower per square foot price.

I would like to invite you to a great event this Wednesday at the JCC on the Upper West Side, starting at 6:30pm:

There will be several real estate agents speaking about moving to “The Burbs” full time or

second home ownership in Westchester or The Hamptons, including myself.

 There will be top agents from many of the towns in Westchester where New Yorkers tend to consider buying a home.

Just a few of the towns featured will be Scarsdale, Chappaqua, Armonk, Bedford, Rye, Larchmont.  They will offer helpful information about their communities like commute times, average home prices, real estate taxes, schools and lots more.  I am finding that many New Yorkers are also buying in the Hamptons as full or part-time residences.

A top broker from the Hamptons will also be there offering information on their different communities as well.

Please email me to register: pzweben@elliman.com

173-175 Riverside Drive, 5E - Upper West Side

Brand new gigantic 1 bedroom apartment, facing Riverside Park~ $1,199,000

SERENE DIRECT PARK VIEWS! This one-of-a-kind home is a luxuriously large One-Bedroom, One-Bath apartment with direct Western views of Riverside Park and peeks of the River. This home is ideal for the sophisticated buyer searching for a peaceful retreat from city life, without leaving Manhattan. Each room boasts grand proportions and the open floor plan allows for many possibilities. The kitchen and bath are in good original condition and are ready for you to make them your own. 173-175 Riverside Drive is a much sought-after, white glove Cooperative with 24-Hour doorman, excellent live-in Super, Private Storage, complimentary Bike Storage, gym, and play room. 5E is located at the 90th Street entrance across from the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial and Hippo Park, and moments away from public transportation and all amenities of the vibrant Upper West Side. Pets are welcome!

http://www.elliman.com/new-york-city/173-175-riverside-drive-unit-5e-manhattan-lbditap

When people I do business with communicate with me and are polite, it makes me want to work with them so much more than people who are rude.

The rude ones? Well it is tough for me to deal with them.

Now that email and texts have turned into the most popular form of communication and our lives are joined at the hip, most of us feel overwhelmed by the amount of emails we get every day+ texts+ social media messages; it could make anyone lose it from time to time.

I get about 200 emails a day and it is a bit overwhelming.

Many of the emails I get start like this, with no greeting whatsoever-

Is this available?

Can you show?

Do you have offers?

Email me……..

Maybe I am just a sensitive guy, but it takes about 3 extra seconds to be polite in an email…..like this.

Hi Paul,

Hope all is well.

Can I show 175 Riverside drive #5E tomorrow at 10:30 am?

Customers name- Santa Claus

My cell 917.653.5749

Have a great day!

Tony Soprano

So here are some nice additions for you to add to your communications:

Please….

Hi…..

Thank you…..

How are you?

I hope you are well…..

I appreciate your help…..

The moral of the story is……..life is too short to be rude…..

Being polite is a nice thing!

Plymouth Tower-340 East 93rd Street

Unit #12K $425,000

White Glove living on the Upper East Side! Move right into this perfect 1-Bedroom 1-Bath home in Excellent Condition with Sunny Open City Views! This well laid-out apartment has a modern, open kitchen with excellent cabinet storage and counter space, complete with a charming breakfast bar for casual dining. The bathroom has also been tastefully renovated. Both the Living Room and Bedroom face West with quintessential City Views. 340 East 93rd Street, Plymouth Tower, is a luxurious, full-service Cooperative built in 1977. Residents love the first class amenities including 24-Hour Doorman, state-of-the-art health club including rooftop pool, sundeck, sauna and jacuzzi, as well as residential plaza, lush planted garden, and valet garage with access from the building. Pets are welcome! Live at the center of this vibrant neighborhood!

Our 1^st Open House is this Sunday 1:30-3pm….we will be serving Veuve Champagne!

If you cannot make the open house, please email me for a private showing:

pzweben@elliman.com

http://www.elliman.com/new-york-city/plymouth-tower-340-east-93-street-unit-12k-manhattan-jakqokg

ABBEY CONDOMINIUM, 205 East 16th Street, 6B - Gramercy - Union Square

Investment Only-

Tenant in Place-

$1,750,000

Come home to this truly special Gramercy residence in the Abbey Condominium, a boutique, luxury building converted from part of St. George's Church originally built in the 19th Century. This striking one-of-a-kind duplex home is a luxuriously spacious 1+ Bedroom home with 2 Full Baths and a spectacular private roof terrace with quintessential city views, including the Empire State Building. A perfect combination of modern comforts & design paired with elegant original ecclesiastical details creates a beautiful and comfortable home that is anything but cookie-cutter. The large eat-in-kitchen is open to the south-facing living room and boasts professional stainless steel appliances including a 6-burner Viking Range, 64 Bottle wine fridge, excellent storage, and marble counters. Your friends will love coming over for your summer dinner parties out on your large private terrace with romantic city views. Central A/C, Washer/Dryer, skylights, 2 large updated baths, a bonus lofted area ideal for a home-office, nursery, or quiet reading area on the second floor make this apartment a special and rarely available gem you won't want to miss!

 http://www.elliman.com/new-york-city/abbey-condominium-205-east-16-street-unit-6b-manhattan-cibloev