Starlet/divorced mom Kate Hudson is still on her apartment hunt. But unlike last year, the actress is now searching on her own — without Alex Rodriguez.

She recently checked out the penthouse duplex at the Fairchild condo building at 55 Vestry St. in north TriBeCa. But she might have some competition for the $6.95 million, three-bedroom, 2,664-square-foot unit. Grammy Award-winning singer/divorced dad Usher also just came by for a look. The apartment has 3,000 square feet of outdoor space with two terraces.

Celebs with homes in the area include Gwyneth Paltrow, Justin Timberlake and Meryl Streep.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/realestate/residential/tri_star_mPrbJEoXfdHYw3MCMKTtEI#ixzz0rnulNWBn

James Gandolfini is hoping to make an offer a developer can't refuse.

The former "Sopranos" star, whose search for a new roost appears to be a priority, was seen poring over plans at the Fairchild, a new condo project at 55 Vestry St. in TriBeCa.

Included in the building - which is expected to be completed in about six months - are 21 townhomes, penthouses and lofts designed by David Howell. Prices there range from $1.965 million to $8.995 million.

Triplex residences have up to 3,500 square feet of interior space and feature private street-level entrances.

The Marketing Directors is exclusively handling sales.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/the_kid_got_nirv_09FktrvFKyVFnos4I5s7uJ#ixzz0rnbKghBA

Spotted: Blake Lively apartment-hunting — downtown!

She might play uptown hottie Serena van der Woodsen on “Gossip Girl,” but in real life, the actress has been looking for digs in TriBeCa. She recently checked out some apartments at 55 Vestry St., otherwise known as the Fairchild building, on the pricey northwestern edge of the nabe. Lively looked at multiple apartments with outdoor space in the $2 million to $3 million range.

Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mom, was also recently spotted visiting units at the building.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/realestate/residential/worth_lot_6xc0OZNVpLRd9gT6l6efHN#ixzz0rnaF0Vs5

Moneyman Gizman Abbas, a partner at Apollo Global Management, was the first to close on a $3.6 million triplex “townhome” at the 21-unit Fairchild, at 55 Vestry St. Two other units in the TriBeCa building closed yesterday for $5.9 million; another buyer in finance will be combining both units. Thirteen more apartments totaling more than $40 million in sales are expected to close between now and the end of June.

Abbas’ unit, which has a street entrance, boasts 22-foot ceilings on the first and second levels, arched windows, a chef’s kitchen and a 648-square-foot private terrace.

The Fairchild’s listing broker, Raphael De Niro of Prudential Douglas Elliman, had no comment.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/realestate/residential/in_vogue_8k1yqBzSZd333ZtaBoc8xM#ixzz0rnZYPMng
.

http://online.wsj.com/video/news-hub-bonuses-fuel-apartment-sales/7323F708-E85C-4569-B7E4-1605C085DD45.html

The Fairchild condominium development in lower Manhattan opened for sale in December 2008, just after the collapse of Lehman Brothers rippled across the financial sector and paralyzed the Big Apple's real-estate market.

Gerard Longo, principal of Atlantic Walk Vestry, which developed the 21-unit building, saw just two sales in the first six months. It took cutting the asking prices by some 15%, a three-bedroom unit that was to go on the market for $3.6 million sold for $3.1 million, to generate activity.

Gerard Longo is featured on CNBC's "Squak Box" to discuss the residential real estate outlook for 2010.

In spite of the global financial and economic challenges of the current market, Madison Estates can look back on a successful year with continued growth expanding market share. Madison Estates, Brooklyn’s leading provider of high quality real estate services for residential, commercial and rental properties, is pleased to announce the opening of a new Brooklyn office. Located at 53 Douglass Street (off Smith Street), Brooklyn, NY, the expansion was necessary to accommodate the company’s growth in recent months. Driven by ever-growing new customer volume, Madison Estates has applied substantial resources in the expansion of the downtown Brooklyn area.

“We found a gem on 61st Street [in Sunset Park, Brooklyn] that we made an offer on,” says Peter Ahn, who’s been looking with Madison Estates for a two-family house with his wife and newborn daughter. The Ahns had focused on Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, and were hoping to spend between $700,000 and $850,000. The house on 61st Street was $695,000. “But the place got something like five or six offers.”

This will be the abbreviated paragraph displayed on the news page.

A new, multi-million dollar clocktower condo hit the market this week as realtors across Brooklyn prepare for what could be a real estate comeback. NY1's Jeanine Ramirez filed the following report.

The architectural firm that will redesign a former firehouse, above, to serve as the new home of the Brooklyn Philharmonic has unveiled its plans, the real estate Web site GlobeSt.com reported. The firm, HOK, said that its plan would preserve the exterior of the decommissioned firehouse of Engine 204, at 299 DeGraw Street in Cobble Hill, and include a gut renovation of the building’s two-story, 4,250-square-foot interior.