1) Mexican moneybags David Martinez, who paid $42.2 million for his Time Warner Center condo in 2003, is scooping up another 4,200 square feet in the south tower, giving him the entire 76th and 77th floors. The additional $9-$10 million price tag, when combined with the original condo price, makes it the most expensive Manhattan apartment purchase (dramatic pause) ever. The dude is destroying the floor/ceiling between the levels, giving him 17,000 square feet of double-height bragging rights. He's also throwing a fish tank into the floors, you know, just for shits and giggles. [Braden Keil/NYPost]
2) The Court of Appeals makes it much easier for co-op owners to be considered "holders of unsold shares," an important decision because holders of unsold shares can avoid paying flip taxes and sublet fees?and in some cases, can sell to a buyer without board approval. What does it all mean? Well, finally you can get back at board members beyond just egging their doors. [NYTimes]
3) Chelsea's 555 W. 23rd St., conceived as luxury rentals, is going luxury condos. Somewhere out there, a gentleman named Douglas Wagner is patting himself on the back for nailing that whole "saturation point" thing back in '02. [NYPost]
4) The Post hands over their Home section cover to a spotlight on the long-forgotten Catskills, which they try to pimp as the affordable summer home alternative to the Hamptons. They tried this a few weeks ago with the Jersey Shore, but this one is significantly more?shall we say?classy? (Shhh ... by "classy" we really meant "Jewy.") [NYPost]
5) Wait, we didn't mean Jewy after all, cuz the Times immediately takes a big stinky poopie on the Post's Catskills parade by pointing out that the whole area is overrun by crazies who think Jews are cursed. Wow, things do change. Man, what a weekend! [NYTimes]
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