1) The Times' Josh Barbanel gets to the bottom of the whole Herald Towers disaster, explaining why prices were cut and what's holding up the closings. It all sounds pretty shady, and here's our favorite ominous sentence: "If the case drags on, it could erode the public's confidence in condominium developments." ["Condo Sales, With a Catch"/Josh Barbanel]
2) Inside Two Trees' conversion plans for the old Board of Ed building at 110 Livingston Street (rendering at right). The units will go on sale August 1st and be priced starting in the $300s. Interested? Join the list, where you'll be #1,801. [Posting/Jeff VanDam]
3) Think you need actual cash money to purchase an apartment in Manhattan? No way, duders. If you've got an original Maurice Sendak watercolor or a colon hydrotherapy practice, you're pretty much good to go. ["Once Again, New Yorkers Barter for a Place to Call Home"/Stephanie Rosenbloom]
4) One of the Corcoran minions charged with selling One Hanson Place used to draw comic books about a superhero named "Dig" who lived in the building's dome and battled a Dumbo villain named "Mr. Big." Um, okay. ["For Brooklyn's Beacon, the Luxe Life"/Jeff VanDam]
5) A couple looks to spend around $800,000 for a lofted one-bedroom place, big enough to fit her canvases and his 6'4" frame. The snow on the UWS wasn't slushy enough, so will they get lucky trying in the Village? [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]
6) Some final words of wisdom out of the whole 808 Columbus thing, courtesy of Park West Village resident Paul Bunten: "The sort of tenants attracted to luxury rental buildings are a transient population who have a fortress mentality. They tend to consume the resources of the neighborhood, but they don't give back to the community. They come here for a couple of years out of college, and they get a high-paying job on Wall Street. Then they leave." ["Ready or Not, a Neighborhood Gets a Makeover"/Alex Mindlin]
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