Tyra Banks Lists Manhattan Pad for $3.795M

BY MELISSA ALLISON 
ZILLOW

The host of “America’s Next Top Model” paid $2.1 million for the apartment in 2005.

Photo: David Shankbone via 

Flickr Creative Commons license

Supermodel and “America’s Next Top Model” host and executive producer Tyra Banks is asking $3.795 million for the Manhattan apartment she’s owned for a decade.

Banks’ Soho apartment measures 2,063 square feet and has 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a study. Large picture windows in the living and dining rooms look out on the midtown skyline.

Its master suite includes the customized walk-in closets you’d expect of someone who was once one of the world’s top-paid models. The apartment has high ceilings, Brazilian mahogany wood floors and window seats in living room, dining room and master bedroom.

Built in 1924, the Beaux Arts building designed by architect Cass Gilbert has a full-time doorman and a roof deck. Banks paid $2.1 million for the apartment in 2005.

The listing agent is Adam Modlin of The Modlin Group.

Tips for a Happy Kitchen Remodel - Make space for a mini office

From TheFamilyHandyman.com

Build a kitchen office into your remodel

If you want to use your kitchen as an office, make it part of the remodel. You don’t need a lot of space. A small seating area with a computer station is often adequate. During the remodel, add Internet access and outlets for plugging in your computer equipment (visit familyhandyman.com and search for “add outlets”). Also add storage space like shelving or a recessed wall cabinet so your paperwork won’t get lost or create a mess.

Dinosaurs Invade Zoo Miami Jan. 24 - May 10

Miami.com

A zoo-wide Jurassic adventure with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs

Dinosaurs LIVE! is coming to Zoo Miami on Jan. 24, 2015 with 22 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs and displays that look like the real animals that once existed. Prepare to see these extinct creatures come back to life in an extraordinary outdoor Jurassic adventure. Open daily during normal zoo operating hours only through May 10, 2015, this exhibit will take zoo guests back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth.

Among the dinosaurs on exhibit, guests will discover favorites like a fully grown “spitting” Dilophosaurus and baby, fast moving carnivores named after its two crests, and of course, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, whose name means “Tyrant Lizard King” due to its size and power. Along the journey, guests will find not only an adult Tyrannosaurus Rex, but also a nest of freshly hatched newborns and a baby T-Rex that seems as vicious as a grown one. Other dinosaurs may be easily recognized by visitors, including the Quetzalcoatlus, one of the largest flying creatures to ever exist, and a juvenile Sarcosuchus, a distant relative of the crocodile we see today. Towering over the other dinosaurs will be the Brachiosaurus, a long-necked creature that could have measured up to 50 feet tall.

Guests may be amazed to find dinosaurs they never knew, including some with fascinating features, like the Pachycephalosaurus – whose name means “thick headed lizard”. Its thick skull was surrounded by blunt bony knobs and spikes, making it stand out from the other dinosaurs. The Citipati is identified by its unusually short head that ends in a short toothless beak, giving it a bird-like appearance. The Parasaurolophus also stands out with a unique feature to help identify it. Its name means “beside crested lizard,” and after spotting it, it is obvious why. This dinosaur has a long bony crest atop its head that measured about 6 feet long. Be sure to keep an eye out for its egg nest as well, but don’t get too close!

“We believe this exhibit will bring many visitors to the zoo since our fascination with these creatures has outlived them.  Many people know more about dinosaurs than animals that are still present today.  We invite visitors to feed their dinosaur fixation by visiting Dinosaurs Live! at Zoo Miami,” said Zoo Miami Director Eric Stephens.

Guests will be surrounded by several other dinosaurs, posed in their natural state, including a couple of Coelophysis, very fast runners with curved necks that resemble long legged bird, a Deinonychus slashing through its fallen prey and another watching on as guests pass by.  On display will also be an impressive Diabloceratops, Protohadros, Acrocanthosaurus and an interactive photo opportunity with a Pachyrhinosaurus.

Dinosaurs LIVE!, by Billings Productions, a leading provider of animatronic dinosaurs, is included with Zoo admission and is open from Jan. 24 to May 10, 2015 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends and holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m

Alyssa Milano Lists West Hollywood Condo

BY MELISSA ALLISON 
zillow

The “Mistresses” actress, who’s up for a People’s Choice award, is asking $1.399 million for the remodeled corner condo.

Source: Carrie Reed via Flickr Creative Commons.

Actress Alyssa Milano — who’s up for a People’s Choice Award on Wednesday night for her role as Savannah “Savi” Davis in the television series “Mistresses” — has listed her West Hollywood condo for $1.399 million.

The remodeled corner condo measures 2,252 square feet and has a large walk-out balcony with privacy shades. The home has 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and an open floor plan. Its HOA fee is $1,982 a month and includes a concierge, valet parking and a rooftop club room and pool.

Milano won the role of Samantha on “Who’s the Boss?” when she was 11 years old and later played witch Phoebe in the series “Charmed.” She’s the daughter of film sound editor Thomas Milano, who appears to have bought the condo in 2005 for $975,000. It was transferred to Alyssa’s name in 2013, records show.

The listing is held by Jason Harmon of The Top L.A. Real Estate Group.

Top 10 Home Improvement Projects

By: Michele Lerner
Realtor.com

If you’re thinking of selling your home in 2014 or just want to ramp up your home value, it’s important to educate yourself on which improvement projects will bring you the most return on your investment.

A great resource for your research is the“2014 Cost vs. Value Report,” an annual collaboration between Remodeling magazine and REALTOR® Magazine, which breaks down the estimated cost of various remodeling projects and the estimated return on investment for those projects by region and by city, as well as by mid range and upscale projects. In general, this year’s report shows that exterior replacement projects are the most cost-effective. If you plan to sell your home later this year, remember that the first impression your home makes on buyers is their first glimpse of the outside.

On the following 10 weeks the countdown for the  home improvement projects you should consider:

House Appraisal Types

From EnlightenMe.com

Getting a house appraisal is an important step in any mortgage, refinance or equity loan. Without knowing the value of the property, your lender is unable to determine how much they can lend you without incurring additional risk. Even though your lender may not specify which type of appraisal they want for your property, it’s important for you to know the difference, especially when the appraisal is lower than it should be.

Tax Appraisal

Of all the house appraisal types available, the tax appraisal is typically the lowest value. Instead of ordering a time-consuming or costly alternative, your lender will pull the value your county has on file for your property taxes. If that value is high enough to get the loan you want, they go no further in the appraisal process.

Market Comparison

The second house appraisal level is the market comparison. For this appraisal, your lender already knows your tax value is insufficient for the loan and they seek the opinion of an appraiser based on home sales in your area. Often, no one will come to your home, but instead performs a search of homes in your area. They compile the value of comparable homes and average what they sold for in recent months. While this doesn’t take into account any special upgrades in your home, it is often higher than the tax rolls and doesn’t cost as much as a more in-depth appraisal.

Drive-By Appraisal

A drive-by house appraisal works exactly the way it sounds. Your appraiser will review market comparisons and tax value, but also makes a trip to your property. Usually, the appraiser gets out of the car and takes pictures of numerous angles of your property, noting any backyard improvements or extensive landscaping. The condition of your neighbor’s homes may be noted and can affect your final value.

Limited and Full Walkthrough

For these house appraisals, your appraiser will schedule a time with you to enter your home. In a limited walkthrough, they take pictures of the interior and look for interior upgrades. New carpet and paint are not a primary concern, but this is your opportunity to discuss upgraded ventilation systems, kitchen remodels or room additions.

In the full walkthrough house appraisal, the appraiser does everything they do during the limited walkthrough, but they also take measurements. This allows them to provide your lender with an additional value based on your square footage. In some cases, they go as far as to assign different values per square foot to certain rooms of the house with upgrades, providing the most accurate appraisal for the lender.

Minecraft Creator Outbids Beyoncé and Jay Z for $70M Mansion

BY MELISSA ALLISON 
ZILLOW

Markus Persson paid cash for the new spread, which features a 54-foot curved glass living room door, an infinity pool with iPad-controlled fountains and toilets priced at $5,600 each

Weeks after reports circulated about Beyoncé and Jay Z “obviously winning” a bidding war for a 22,300-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion, they’ve been bested by Swedish billionaire Markus “Notch” Persson.

He bid $70 million, same as they reportedly did, but his bid was cash and without contingencies.

The sale, which closed in just six days, is the most ever paid for a home in Beverly Hills, according to a press release from the John Aaroe Group, whose agents Sally Forster Jones and Katia De Los Reyes represented Persson. “Cases of Dom Perignon were part of the deal,” the release says.

Persson can afford that sort of thing now. Earlier this year, he and his co-founders sold Mojang, the company that owns the sandbox gaming franchise “Minecraft,” to Microsoft for $2.5 billion.

His new 8-bedroom, 15-bathroom spread sits on a promontory in the high-end Trousdale Estates neighborhood and offers sweeping views from downtown Los Angeles to Malibu Beach — including from a bathtub. The home has a car showroom, a screening room, vodka and tequila bars and a candy room.

The home has an automated 54-foot curved glass door in the living room that opens onto an infinity pool with iPad-controlled fountains. It came furnished, including a replica of James Dean’s motorcycle, and an 18-foot onyx dining room table that seats 24 and includes place settings by Roberto Cavalli that cost $3,700 each.

And for the final touch of luxury, each bathroom is equipped with a $5,600 Toto Neorest toilet.