1) Confirming the obvious, savvy real estate connoisseurs need to see some serious Floorporn before they will consider visiting an apartment. Traditional listings can be full of lies and misleading statements, but as Gerald Makowski, director of marketing at Halstead Property says, “When you look at a floor plan, it is the apartment standing there naked.” However, beware that the floor plan does not tell the entire story, lacking such vital info as window size, hallway width and the condition of the apartment. [Where Floor Plans Are Sought After, and Why/Joyce Cohen]
2) Just when it seemed destined to be removed, the new Spitzer administration may save the Survivor Staircase at Ground Zero. Larry Silverstein has sought to remove the stairs to make way for Tower 2, but survivors, families of victims and preservationists believe the stairs should remain as a symbol of 9/11. [Spitzer May Seek to Save a Beloved Staircase/David W. Dunlap]
3) Real Estate developer Janna Bullock has purchased the lot on 62nd Street that was the location of the infamous Bartha Brownstone for a cool $8.3 million and plans build the ultimate green townhouse on the site. Construction costs will total $5 million and the new building will list for about $25 mil. Bullock has no concerns about the headline grabbing explosion impacting her profits, saying “I don’t want to have any association with the tragedy — to me it is an empty lot.” [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]
4) When looking for a new roomate, Williamsburg hipsters tend to discriminate against other hipsters. After finding an available room listed for rent, hipsters will list their hipster qualifications as a signal to their potential roommates that they are deserving of the spot. In a shocking twist, this usually backfires, because everyone knows that a hipster is really just looking for a quiet roommate who can pay the rent. [Street Level: Gregory Beyer]
5) Slowly but surely, changes are coming at Public Place, the large empty lot that is currently too contaminated for habitation. A public meeting has been scheduled to discuss possible future developments. [Gowanus Report/Jake Mooney]