A $13.5 Million Townhouse Fit For The First Lady

By Luis Lucero

Over on the Upper East Side, in the Lenox Hill neighborhood, lies a six story townhouse that has fluctuated in terms of market availability, at 211 East 62nd Street. But even with its on and off appearances on the market, there’s still so much to unpack about this building. Firstly, there’s the overall history of the building.

Built in 1873, the townhouse was once an apartment building before being converted into a single family house. While many residents have lived here over the years, none were quite as notable as Eleanor Roosevelt, who resided here from 1953 to 1958. Aside from publishing her popular column “My Day” from the house, the former First Lady also made it as a sort of base for pursuing the many social and political causes she would take on for the rest of her life. Sixty years later, this Lenox Hill townhouse is still a sight to behold. Recently restored by interior designer Maria Masi, this 5,200 square foot home offers 12 rooms (Five bathrooms, four bedrooms, dining room, drawing room, and an English basement) across six floors, all of which are accessible by elevator. While the bedrooms are on the third and fourth floors, the first and fifth floors are spacious entertainment spaces, lending themselves perfectly for gatherings of family and friends. The basement, complete with its separate bath and laundry area, can easily be repurposed into a gym, media room, etc.

As far as outdoor space goes, there is an additional 1,770 feet of outdoor space included with the townhouse. The drawing room exits into an luxuriously landscaped garden, while the dining room leads out into a spacious terrace. On the roof is a patio, perfect for those few and far between days of perfect NYC weather. There’s even a dog run included in the patio, making the townhouse a perfect fit for those looking for a pet friendly abode. In terms of transit options, the closest subway stop is the Lexington Ave/63rd Street stop on the F and Q trains, but a little bit of walking further downwards will lead to the 4, 5, 6, N, R, and W trains on Lexington/59th Street. Fortunately for anyone that’s active, Central Park is fairly close by to the townhouse, providing all the space one could need to do all the jogging/biking in Manhattan. If a building that combines a rich history with easy accessibility is on your mind, 211 East 62nd Street is definitely worth looking into.

Barbara Evans-Butler & Cian Connor at Stribling & Associates are the Listing Agents.

For more information click here.

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Top Tips that will Help you to Stop Food Cravings

Food cravings are never good. At times you may feel as though they have complete control over you and that you just can’t concentrate unless you satisfy them. If this sounds like you then you have nothing to worry about. You are most certainly not alone and so many people experience food cravings every single day. If you are ready to overcome them and take back control over your diet, then here are some top tips that will help to get you started.

Eat Well

It’s so important that you fill up on foods that are rich in vitamins. You also need to make sure that you eat regular meals every single day. Choosing low-sugar and low-fat options is crucial here, because this will help you to stay fuller for longer, not to mention that it will also help you to curb your cravings as well. Eating a high-protein diet can also cut your craving for sweet and savoury food too, so use this to your advantage.

Be Mindful

You really do need to be mindful of when you eat, and what you eat. Mindless eating is not good for your health at all. This includes eating when you are watching a gripping television show or even nibbling at a bag of sweets when you are at work. If you want to stop this then you don’t need to stop eating at all. You just need to swap out your sweets for low-calorie alternatives. This can include carrots, almonds or even cashew nuts.

Drink Water

Believe it or not, hunger can easily manifest itself as dehydration. Drinking water can help to stop you from feeling hungry all the time and it can also help you to stay way fuller as well. Researchers have also shown that having a bottle of water with your meal can easily lead to weight loss, so try and have 8 glasses a day.

Stress-Eating

When you are stressed, it is easy to reach for junk food. It’s the body’s way of trying to deal with the tension you are under. Instead of fuelling your stress with food that is super unhealthy, you need to try and meditate, do yoga or even undergo acupuncture. If you find that you drink when you are stressed then this is understandable, but it can easily get out of hand. You essentially train your body that when you are stressed, alcohol helps, and this can lead to unhealthy decisions in the future. If you are struggling with this then consider contacting the Stop Drinking Expert.

Snack Little and Often

You may be tempted to cut out snacks as this will help you to lose weight. The problem with this is that it can actually increase your food cravings. When you cave, you will end up eating way more than you would if you just snacked normally. For this reason, if you need to snack, then you need to let yourself from time to time. As mentioned above, just make sure that they are low-calorie alternatives, and let yourself have the occasional treat.

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Tips for Finding the Right Property & Where to Stay While You Look

Trying to find the perfect bachelor pad, waterfront home or brownstone in New York, Boston or elsewhere in the U.S. isn’t easy. It’s a time-consuming process that requires considerable hours, patience, a keen eye for what you’re truly looking for and knowing it when you see it. For people who haven’t been on this journey before, it’s a challenge to get through in one piece emotionally and financially. 

Accordingly, here are some useful tips for people thinking about buying real estate.

Stay in the City for a Month or More While Looking

If you’re coming in from out of town or across the country, you need to spend time in the city. It’s not much good to do a flying visit for a weekend and try to get a good feel for the place. While you can read up about the best neighborhoods where you’re shopping for your next permanent home, it takes quite some time staying within them to get a proper feel.

A property purchase is a serious and costly investment, so choosing the right neighborhood is important. Driving around doesn’t really do it. It’s much better if you live nearby and hang out in cafés, restaurants and other places of interest. Take a bit of time with it to get a feel for the place.

In order to do this, it would be a good idea to look into serviced apartment providers such as Blueground. Blueground have these serviced apartments in Boston that have excellent furnishings, great indoor light and plenty of creature comforts. The company prides itself on offering the best apartments it can find and is gaining a strong reputation in real estate circles because of this single-minded focus. Their serviced apartments in the Boston area are a testament to that, but they also have rentals across other parts of the U.S too, including New York and Chicago.

Know Your Budget

You can approach the buying process in two different ways. It’s either knowing what your budget is for a new home and seeing what you can get for that much money, or deciding what type of home you want and then checking the price later. The first way has greater success than the second unless price is not an issue.

When a realtor is looking to find suitable real estate for you to buy, they’re best assisted by knowing how much you have available. It’s no good knowing you can spend (or borrow) up to $2m and they’re looking for places in the $2.5-3.5m range. It’s just wasting everyone’s time and likely will cause some measure of frustration over attractive homes that are out of your price range.

It’s better all round to start with a budget and go from there. You can attend open houses and private viewings based on that figure.

Figure Out the Deal Breakers

Everyone has deal breakers. These are things that you’ll absolutely say no way to when the realtor presents a house or apartment that has them. It’s very useful to think carefully about what your personal deal breakers might be. You might surprise yourself!

For instance, you might want a place on a ground floor only. Alternatively, you might be looking for a penthouse. The availability of highly-rated schools nearby could be a must-have with regards to the location of a property. How long it takes to get to your office might be another one.

Also, think about whether there will be renovations, upgrades or other improvements with the property post-purchase. This might mean the furnace needs replacing within five years or you’ll be interested in knocking through some non-bearing walls to expand the room sizes. What permissions will be required to do so, and how hard will they be to acquire?

Consider the Amenities

When considering buying an apartment in the future, what are the amenities that come with the purchase?

If an apartment is in NYC, for instance, then amenities like an elevator, doorman and security, a pool and a gym are often expected. While it might not bother you so much, if you ever come to sell the apartment later, you could find it more difficult to sell without these types of amenities that other people prefer.

There will also likely be association payments for the upkeep of the grounds, doorman and other aspects of the building’s upkeep. For NYC apartments, often the management board for the building association will need to approve you as the buyer based on your public records, credit report, etc. Association payments are in addition to property taxes to the state too.

Perhaps the most important thing to do when choosing new real estate is to take your time. While you may have to act fast to put in your best and final offer when actively seeking exactly the place you want and trying to secure it, first you must know what you’re looking for. Get that right and then start your property hunt in earnest. Not the other way around.
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