Condo Blog – A Non-Corporate Blog From CondoDomain HQ

Reported yesterday, Asia’s most expensive apartment to date, was sold for 28.8 million U.S. dollars. Overlooking Hong Kong’s Kowloon region, The Arch, a future office building just minutes from Hong Kong’s central business district, features a fabulous view of Victoria Harbour and an incredibly unique design. The 5,500 square foot penthouse suite, located on the 80th floor, has it’s own rooftop terrace and private swimming pool.After reading the article this morning, it got me thinking…What is the most expensive apartment in the world? And Where? With a little help from my buddy Google, I started my search.

Early in June, Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront sold one of the first three prime penthouses for a whopping R110 million. Each two-story penthouse in this soon-to-be waterfront hotel location, features a private pool, private lift, and a wide array of personalized concierge services. This purchase establishes this apartment to be the most expensive apartment in Africa today.

A Sydney apartment, in the posh Potts Point urban village, an apartment was sold for 20 million U.S. dollars. The two-level penthouse features unbelievable views of the city’s most notable landmarks- the Opera House and Sydney Harbour.

Back on the home front, it appears as if New York City would of course trump them all with the triplex penthouse in The Pierre hotel, overlooking Fifth Avenue and Central Park, that was previously on the market for a steal –70 million U.S. dollars.

As you read this, you think, “Of course that would be the most expensive apartment, New York City is the most expensive city!” Well…think again.

“A lot of people in New York complain about the high cost of living in the city, but they can be considered trailer park trash compared to what people are paying in London right now,” according to Wall$treet Fighter.

Although it will not be completed until 2010, the new luxury building, One Hyde Park, located in London’s Knightsbridge neighborhood can currently claim that it has sold the most expensive apartment in the world! Some of the unique amenities that can be found in this penthouse include rather unusual security features including a panic room and secret underground passage leading to the nearby Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Definitely worth the 200 million U.S. dollars, don’t you think? Also included are communal spas, wine-tasting facilities, wooden baths, marble surfaces, and floor-to-ceiling fridges…one-of-a-kind? Definitely! Is it worth the enormous price tag? Only time will tell…

If you find yourself wanting more, check out this list of the World’s Most Expensive Apartments

And if you want to find the most expensive Boston apartments check out:

$12.5M 776 Boylston St

$11.95M 128 Commonwealth Ave

$10.9M 56 Beacon St

$10.25M 150 Beacon St

And for even more luxury condominiums, visit our site Boston.CondoDomain.com

Source: lushhomeonline, Wall$treet Fighter, Forbes.com, Marquette Turner, Independent Online

Press Release:

CondoDomain Boston Promotes New City Vice President

Boston, MA – CondoDomain.com is pleased to announce that Jessica Anthony has been named City Vice President of its Boston marketplace.

Anthony, who previously worked for STAG Capital in Boston, joined CondoDomain earlier this year. From day one, she has helped contour and jump-start the new web-based buyers’ brokerage services when CondoDomain converted from an ad-based condominium website into a web-based real estate brokerage.

“Jessica is a superior individual for this organization,” noted Anthony Longo, Founder & CEO of CondoDomain.com. “It was a simple decision to hand over the reigns considering what she has done for this startup and the response that we have received from our clients.”

Anthony will now be in charge of all of the real estate brokerage activities in the Boston marketplace. Through her small team of condominium experts, she looks to set new benchmarks and service levels while continuing to fine-tune the business model locally.

“At CondoDomain I work with $300,000 clients and $3,000,000 clients. I treat each client with the same level of professional courtesy and work equally as hard,” said Anthony. “Our clients engage us to help them with the purchase of their new home, it just makes sense that we are compensated for our service and expertise, not on the final purchase price of their home.”

In addition, Anthony will strive forward to make CondoDomain the premier destination online and offline. By not only working with individual clients, Anthony will also manage our online audience through social networks, blogging, and other Boston syndicate channels.

About CondoDomain.com

CondoDomain.com is a web-based real estate brokerage based in Boston, MA. The company is expanding nationwide to offer its buyers’ brokerage services in more than 30 cities around the U.S. Currently operating in Boston, CondoDomain offers an innovative flat-fee business model allowing the majority of the commission to be refunded to the buyer. By combining up-to-date MLS feeds, new construction buildings, FSBO, Foreclosures, Lofts and Auction listings all on one site, CondoDomain has become one of the most popular and user friendly real estate websites available. CondoDomain.com offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee to all of its clients, ensuring a professional, efficient, and pleasant transaction. Visit www.CondoDomain.com for more information or feel free to dive into our blogs at www.CondoDomain.com/blog.

For more information, please contact Erica Farthing at (877) 852-6636.

It’s getting a bit hairy out there regarding new MLS rules and regulations for us web-based real estate brokerages. I wish we were open in our southern states already as all ya’ll southerns or Nascar fans would appreciate the Dale Earnhardt photo above .

So what has been the outcome the last few days regarding the phone call we received from MLSPin earlier this week?

Well to keep this simple & easy here are the adjustments we have had to make to the site in order to stay in compliance with new MLS law.   The bottom line is that everything is still available on our site if you are “Logged In”, however, if you are not registered with us, we have to “hide” some data until you have officially registered with our site.  (I know stinks…but is ok, as we are good guys and won’t spam ya)

1.  On every details page for MLS listings displayed we have to make sure the user is “Logged In” to our system prior to displaying “SOLD Listing Data”.  So if you see the sold listing data box empty, dont be surprised…just login and you will have access to everything.

2.  We had to block our “Quick Search” so you can not search by address which everyone LOVED!!! Again you can still do this…but you have to be “Logged In” to do so.  If you are not logged in you can still search by New Development name or MLS #.

3.  Mapping.  We hate this one…but we have to do it.  As we update our system, you will not be able to map properties or search by properties on a map unless you are “Logged In” to our system.  This is a huge downer for us…but we will get through it.  We actually have got permission to allow mapping for un-registered users, however, we have to limit the zoom levels which really makes this pointless.

4.  Last but not least some listing details data have to be “hidden” until registered users are “Logged In”.  These fields include: The Standards (Address & Price Per Sq/ft) and The New Rules:  (Year Built, Builder Source, Complex Name, Number of Units, Heating, Cooling, Taxes & Tax Year).

These new additions have been implemented into our site (well all but the mapping which will take some time).  We hope all of you get a chance to read this blog post as we dont want anyone thinking that we are forcing registrations as its the exact oppositite of our “Transparent Business Model”.

The Bottom Line 

The Boston area multiple listing service allows us to show you the full listing including address only if we’ve established that you are genuinely interested in buying a condo. This is the only reason we ask you to register. Registration does not require you to use CondoDomain.com LLC as your broker, and we promise we’ll never spam you. 

So Login & Search Boston Condos 

Dear Steve Jobs,

Can you please send me a new iPhone?

As a young entrepreneur in the technology field I am sure you can remember when you busted a piece of hardware by accident and how much you would have loved the help in getting that repaired.

Well I must say my extremely durable iPhone failed yesterday. I have had this thing for almost a year now and it has survived everything up until today. I have dropped this thing on concrete, out of a moving car, on the deck of a sport fisher out at sea, I have sat on this thing at least a dozen times, it has been spilled on, the list goes on…. yet it has survived everything. I had actually gotten to a point when I dropped it and everyone around me held their breath in aww….I would casually just pick it up and put it back in my pocket like nothing was wrong…as I knew this sucker was indestructible.

Well I can attest that the iPhone is extreme durable, I can also attest that the iPhone CAN NOT survive the belly flop.

Yesterday at a BBQ as I was chatting on my iPhone and when I was finished I went to slip it in my jeans pocket…but I missed (those damn Dark & Stormies) and the phone once again speeded to the ground and as always everyone was in awwwww.

As always, the iPhone landed face down. I left it there for a minute while everyone watched and some of my friends chuckled saying, ‘that thing is dead’.

I noted, “no way”, and offered to take bets. I figured if I could make a few hundred bucks here it would offset the cost on when I actually did someday break this indestructible iPhone.

So the pot got up to $250 bucks….and a kind girl friend of mine went to pick up the phone. I could see it on her face when she lifted it off the ground. Bammmm shattered. My baby was spider webbed. Now am I not only out an iPhone, I am in the hole for $250! Errr…

Noted by a good friend of mine – “The iPhone can not survive the belly flop!”

Believe it or not, this thing still works quite well, in fact, perfectly….however it is quite embarrassing to pull it out in front of clients.

Just so you know, the iPhone was big part of my business here in Boston. I snapped photos with it everyday and used these photos to promote luxury condos here on the blog. You can search the blog for “iphone” as we had tagged every photo taken from our trust iPhone.

So Mr. Jobs, any chance you can help out a young, starving entrepreneur who drives his entire web-based business off MAC hardware? ☺

Or maybe….

Barter Deal: To keep this short, we are a new web-based real estate brokerage who operates in the specific niche of new condominiums in urban metros across the U.S. (Coming to San Francisco soon…)

You can check out our site here. We operate on a flat fee business model so we don’t get compensated on a commission or a percentage of what you spend. Hey, we are a buyers brokerage, who exclusively represents buyers…why should we be compensated more if you spend more? Anyway, Steve, lets say you want to buy a new condo out here in Boston, next to your new baby on Boylston street. Just for ballpark #’s, you spend $3M as your little in town Boston pied-de-terre. Well, on this deal, I will represent you, get you the best darn price and cut you a check for all of my commission minus my $5,000 flat fee which would net you $85,000 cash back at closing.

Sound like a deal?

I look forward to your response. Until then, I will continue searching the blog-o-sphere for repair advise for the iPhone, here, here, here & here.

Sincerely,

Tony Longo
Founder & CEO
CondoDomain.com

P.S. – We would be happy to do some Q&A for you on your GPS module with Skyhook Wireless as they are our neighbors here in the Fort Point Channel! Thanks Steve!