Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of The New York Times real estate section...
1) Rich people. What are they spending millions of dollars on? What are they complaining about? This is What's Up With Rich People?
For those of you wealthy enough to patronize the arts, the soon-to-open condo building at 560 West 24th Street over in Chelsea is probably right up your alley. Indeed, the entire 8-unit building will be specially suited for art collectors, with most of the units (which start at $2500/square foot, once sales begin in January) featuring specialized amenities. These include: walls reinforced with plywood to support heavy picture frames, ceilings lined with small white lights (like those found in galleries), some tilted walls to easily display paintings, and extra storage space for art that's not good enough for the wall. Oh, and the foyers will be called "galleries." ["A Condo for Art Collectors"; photo via Joel Raskin/Curbed Photo Pool]
2) Every "The Hunt" column begins with the Hunters describing the apartment they want, and ends with them rationalizing whatever they came away with. This is The Hunt: Dreams vs. Reality
The Hunter: a couple looking to buy in a quiet neighborhood
Price
Dream: mid-$800,000s
Reality: $880,000
Neighborhood
Dream: N/A
Reality: Red Hook
Amenities
Dream: fixer-upper, office space, washer-dryer
Reality: fixer-upper, office space
Summary
This couple has spent ten long years in Williamsburg, and were ready to find a place to buy in a quieter neighborhood. They wanted a renovate-able place with enough space for an office for their business. They slowly inched their way south, eventually settling on Red Hook. They seemed unfazed by Red Hook's isolated nature or the danger of flooding (ZONE 1! ZONE 1!), and purchased a boxy "brick shell" of a fixer-upper for $880,000. The house is currently undergoing renovations. [The Hunt/"In Red Hook, a Home a Bit Away From It All"]